Veratash continued pressing the advantage.
Eyes wide at the near miss Briar's heard lurched as she saw the slash wounds on Liti, her white fur turning ever more crimson by the second.
She interposed herself between the Master and the weasel. Liti growled, but limped away.
Briar stared at the Master, his eyes, his smile, his blades. His blades dripping red. Her eyes went black, her hands formed rending claws of her own and she tore in to him.
Nyd moves forward cautiously, not moving at full speed, but making sure he was close enough to insure that his shorter ranged spells had sufficient reach.
He then makes the mathematical gestures that summons killing frost at the phantom.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
, fail
, fail
As the fortress faded, Veratash began breathing deeply. Until now, he wasn't sure why he was feeling so oppressed and heavy. He looked around, breathing the air. He could still feel the scent of blood and suffering, but it didn't really affect him that much. He stretched his arms wide and took a sip of fresh water. He checked the others to see how they were doing.
Veratash ignored the chain on the stone and asked "Should we... destroy this rock?"
Veratash saw the orcs and smiled. Something told him that everything was about to turn for the better. When the group was ready, he approached the orcs carefully. He tried to notice any reactions they weren't explicitly saying.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Must have been swamp gas." Tharivol quips offering a hypothesis to validate his whole theory of illusions.
"Anyone need healing? We may have to fight these guys now." The dragonmarked asks wondering where all of this is going.
As the creature faded, Artur did not stop shooting it; indeed, so intent was he on it's destruction, that he completely missed the fortress disappearing behind him.
As it faded from existance, Artur screamed something incoherrent and dropped his rifle, slamming his mechanical arm into the ground where the creature's head had been. After a few moments, it was clear that Artur had no intention of stopping...
Artur was muttering "Die, you alien f**k" to himself over and over, even as tears streamed down his face.
Veratash saw Artur's raging fit and got worried. He didn't want to come closer for fear that the soldier engineer would just switch punching the ground to punching him. He reached out with his mind and touched Artur's. "Are you alright, my friend? It's over, the spirits are gone and a starred sky is above us.", he sent telepathically.
As the fortress faded around them, Briar stood still, quivering with tension until the very last image faded. Her appearance slowly returned to normal, and she swept up her glaive as she moved to check Liti. The weasel went to snap at her but she shushed it and ran her hands over her fur. Satisfied the wounds had already clotted, she stood and noticed the orcs, then Artur.
It took not a second to decide who to move towards. Slowly, she walked to him, hearing his repeated words, his anguish. Part of him wasn't here right now, he was reliving his past it seemed.
She placed her glaive on the ground and knelt next to him, in his field of vision but a respectful few paces away.
"Artur. It's Briar"
She watched as he punched the floor repeatedly.
"Its gone. I'm here. We can talk if you want to, and not if you don't. Just know that I'm here."
She felt a trickle of blood run down her face, and absentmindedly used her sleeve to rub it away.
Nyd is silent for the moment. Giving everyone, including himself, a moment to center themselves.
As he is approached by Veratash and Briar, Artur's head snapped up, a wild look in his eyes. As they speak to him, realization and something approximating sanity returns.
"I'm.....okay. I think that's the best way to put it." He smiled at both, clearly unaware that he was still crying.
Clearing his throat, he says "We should probably deal with the..." looking towards the Altar, he finished with "...oh, I guess Zdravko has it."
For a moment he is calm; then he realizes that he is missing his weapon. Frantic, he looks around til he spots it laying where he tossed it. Scooping it up, he begins checking it for damage.
Briar listened to Artur, watching him without judgement, and leaving him be as he picked himself up and reclaimed his weapon.
She turned to the group of orcs and began to stride towards them, Liti limping behind her.
"We have passed through the Sharp place." she said simply, and awaited their response.
Veratash walked next to Briar and smiled as she proclaimed their apparent victory. There's no better way to put it, he thought.
Artur seemed to regain himself on the trip back to the village. He meticulously tended his weapon, but the glove on his artificial hand was ruined.
His weapon finally cleaned, he made his way out of the boat and considered the situation, then replied to the elder's question: "Mostly what we need now is information: where we can find the Bonetree clan, and what can you tell us about them and why they would want a Kalashtar; about who Dah'mir is, and where we can find HIM." Artur paused then added "basically, there's a lot of things going on here that we have some knowledge of, but we could use more. My companions might want to ask for your assistance in battle, but personally I think that's a lot to ask for; this is, ultimately, not your fight."
Tharivol grinned at Artur's questions. While the soldier aggravated the dragonmarked elf for dragging him around to various holes around Eberron. He was direct and generally knew where he was going. The minstrel floated along in his wake sometimes enjoying the journey, which provided fuel for new songs.
So far this trip, he had a completed Battle of the Standing Stones and What's a Chuul? Now, he worked on a haunting ballad called the Master of Knives.
With his help, he listened to the crowd for any dissonance with their Elder. He marked them, so he could keep track of them.
Veratash was fooled by the ghostly visions. He cowered before them and looked away. "They're back! Take cover!", he exclaimed as he crouched and protected his head.
Veratash wondered why the orcs were seeing them differently. Has anyone talked sense into them while we were in there?, he thought.
Veratash found the orcs' change of hard very hard to believe. How could they be willing to join for or against our fight based on that horrifying experience?, he thought to himself. He found himself thinking that orc culture was very much different from his own, and hoped their word would prove trustworthy. He hoped they wouldn't change their minds again for a different weird reason.
"Information is one of the greatest of all weapons. So anything you can tell us about the Bonetree tribe would be of use."
Briar frowned and smelled blood.
"Zdravko! You are summoning the shades again! Regroup with us here!"
Briar looked to Batul, then back across at Zdravko.
"I too have heard the tales. I am not sure where she came from, but in the short time I have been her companion, her drive to defeat the daelkyr seems second only to our own."
She watched the monk demonstrate the use of the chain, smiling at the display of martial prowess.
"She has earned it."
Briar shook her head at Artur
"I think it...chivalrous? Or maybe whatever passes for that amongst war veterans, that makes you say this is not their fight. But it is the opposite, not only is this everyone's fight, this clan's purpose is to fight the corruption."
She locked stares with Batul
"We don't know the size of things, as Artur says information would be valuable. After that we can plan how best we can achieve our mutual goals."
nothing
Turn 103 – Information on the Bonetree Clan
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
"I don't know about chivalry or honor, but I do know that bringing enemies to the doorstep of someone who invites you into your home is just downright rude. These people have families, and I have seen enough orphans to not want to be involved in the making of more, if I can help it."
Turning back to the Elder, Artur said "Can you describe their camp to me, as best you know it? I'd like to get an idea of what we're working with, so we can know the best approaches and most direct route to their command area. Veratash, we'll need your help here as well. It's time to face your demons, now that you've faced your fear. We need to know everything you remember about your time in that camp; set aside the pain in the memory, and instead just focus on the sights, sounds, and smells of the place. We'll need to know where you were held, where you met with the revered one, and if you ever saw Dah'mir in the camp, where he stayed. Also, anything that you think is important, regardless of how stupid or minor that it seems."
Artur pulled out one of his slates, with what appeared to be the design for a gauntlet on it, and cleared it with a tiny amount of magic; then he began to draw, based on their description.
Just as he had with the valley, Artur drew the area with the information provided, asking questions seemingly designed to pull out more details from those doing the describing. When it was finally finished, Artur activated the hologram and the image lit up, allowing all to see the camp.
Veratash listened to Batul's proposition. It still struck him odd that one day before they didn't seem as intent on fighting evil and now it was their life's purpose. He connected his mind to Orshok's and sent a message "Hello, this is Veratash speaking to you in your mind. Don't be afraid, I can't hurt you this way. Was there something you wanted to say? I ask since I find you a reliable young orc."
The kalashtar was shaken out of his thoughts as he heard Artur call say name. "I'll let you know anything I remember. One thing is for sure. If this is where I was held, it was somewhere underground. We must remember that, so if we don't find a passage down, then it must be hidden.", Veratash said. He was growing in excitement, it seemed he would finally be able to find his friends and help them.
As Artur started to draw the map, Veratash gave hints and corrected some things. He didn't know if he was commenting from memory or from Batul's description. In any case, he was ready for what was to come. He wasn't eager on going knees deep in the swamp, however, but was more worried that Tharivol would have it worse.
Briar nodded as Batul related the information.
"Though I know it might cost you dearly, I see no other way to assault the stronghold without you engaging their hunters. Otherwise we stand no chance of breaking through to this "Revered One'"
She glanced between Veratash and Artur.
"This will have to be like a commando raid. We will have to move quickly and dodge conflict until we reach our target. Do we have anything that can help with stealth or speed?"
She looked around at the others.
Veratash replied to Briar "All I can do is mess with the minds of others, maybe see things that aren't there. But my power isn't great and I can't make it appear too far from myself."
"It's pretty clear by now what I can do, or at least it should be."says Artur. "I can sneak if needed, but I'm far from an expert on it."
Time got away from me this evening; I'll recap tomorrow and move things along.
Game on!
"I can make people temporarily invisible." Nyd replies slowly.
"I don' have enough slots to make the entire team invisible by myself, and it will not have any effect on any supernatural senses the creatures might have."
Veratash, a little suspicious of Batul, continued his questioning. "Why do you think your chief sent you, then?", he sent again to Orshok.
Veratash took note of the orcs that talked in private with Batul and remembered their faces. He relayed his thoughts to the others in private, when he had the chance and said "I don't like this sudden change of heart by Batul. I connected my mind with Orshok and he said that he didn't feel like he and Krepis are yet able to lead an assault. Now he has a meeting with a few select orcs. Let us keep these orcs in particular in front of us, I say."
It seemed to Veratash that the swamp served as natural defense. He said "As good as any of us can be at hiding, we'll never catch them by surprise. If we attack at night and work on some camouflage, then maybe we have a chance."
Artur listened to what Zdravko described and, while interesting from a theoretical application, he balked at using her sword to do it. Asking for the blade, Artur balanced it in his hand before handing it back to Zdravko. Then he spoke
"That is a blade that literally can not be replaced. Once it's gone, that's it; the technology, the care; shoot, even the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making it would be gone forever, with no way to recreate it. He's right" Artur nodded towards Orshok "This is a treasure of your people. In all honestly, it doesn't even completely belong to you, and it is a link to the past that I can't in good conscious sever. I like your idea in theory, but we should use something else as the ammunition. I...I just can't destroy something like that."
While The Fat Tusk were preparing for war, Artur brought the group together to work on their own plan. Gathered around the holographic map, he explained: "Okay, here's how I see it: We'll want to have our Orc companinos draw them off to the South-East, away from the mound, while we move in quietly from the North-West. I'm guessing the mound leads underground to the area that Veratash mentioned. We'll want to go slow and take our time, even after the Fat Tusk engage the Bonetree. We don't know where reinforcements will be coming from, so best not to be noticed for as long as possible." Artur pauses for a sip from his canteen before continuing:
"Veratash, if we can free your friends we'll do so, but that's honestly not our top priority. Furthermore, and you know I don't like to sugarcoat things, but there's a very real possibility they're either dead or have been turned to work for the enemy. You need to reconcile yourself to the fact that we may have to kill them. I know it's a shit position to be in, but it is what it is."
Artur grimaced, took another sip of water, then continued: "fighting in tunnels means moving single-file, or double-file at best. We should decide on a marching order now so that when the time comes we don't have to think about it. I would suggestion the following, but feel free to make arguments otherwise: Zdravko, Briar, Tharivol, Veratash, Nyd, and me. Here is my reasoning: Zdravko and Briar are our front line, and they'll want to get into melee straight away; Zdravko seems to be pretty well suited for finding traps as well, which is good. Briar has a longer weapon, which she might be able to reach over Zdravko's head and attack with it that way. If it's not long enough, we'll see if we can get you a longspear. Tharivol, I want you close to be able to heal them if/when needed. Veratash and Nyd are casters and should be in the middle, and I am bringing up the rear as I have among the best range in our group." Artur nodded to each member as he spoke of them.
"Finally," Artur said, grimacing as he clearly dreaded what he was about to say, "If someone should die while we're assaulting the base, we'll do everything in our power to bring your body from that place, as I would hope you'd do the same for me. No one gets left behind here: either we take our dead with us, or there's no one left to bring the dead along."
Grinning fiercely, Artur said "Unless anyone else has something to add, let's go kill these feckers. I'm tired of their bullsh!t, to be honest, and it's high time that we were on to bigger and better things."
"We go at night. that should let us get closer to the camp, and if most of them are Human, they'll be less likely to notice us approaching."
"As for you folks, here's what we need: wait until the moon is high in the sky before your attack, which should give us time to get into our stealth position. Once your attack starts, make as much noise as possible, and give us a count of 1000 or until half your forces are down to withdraw; after that, we'll be screwed either way. To be perfectly blunt, don't come try to save us. Return to your people with your debt fulfilled."
Veratash heard Artur's warning silently.
"It is good to get an appreciation of what we are capable of, thank you for sharing, all of you."
She nodded at Artur
"And yes, in a move I'm sure no-one will find surprising, I too am looking forward to sticking my claws in to khybber worshippers... "
Briar shook her head.
"Zdravko, I understand your desire to innovate, but this must always be balanced against evolving too fast beyond a point of stability. The bees that swarm too early leave both old and new hives vulnerable to failing."
She picks up the Stargash blade.
"As you have been blessed with recovering an ancient lost weapon, I think I might bear the Stargash blade now, at least until it can be returned to the druids."
"We should definitely strike at night. Sneak up on them as best we can and infiltrate the mound."
She glances around
"We talk of non-combatants but beware all who wear the Bonetree colours, family will fight for family if pressed."
Tharivol? Nyd? Anything?
I intend to move this along today.
Questions?
Game on!
"A tribe like the Bonetree gathers many enemies, are there any other local tribes that might want to join in the assualt?"
While it is difficult to tell, Nyd looks momentarily concerned. "Also, I wish your people to stay as safe a possible. Do not stand and fight if you do not have to, hit-and-fade tactics would be better.
Nyd takes time to swap spells around, removing Ice Knife in exchange for Invisibility.
"Do not perform the attack early on my behalf," Nyd lowers a pair of googles over his face. "My visions is more than sufficient."
Briar listened intently to Artur's outline of the plan, she added simply
"I have trained with the glaive to attack around a friend, no need for a spear"
She chuckled as he declared it was high time for the group to be movig on to other things
"I admire your sentiment, but this is all I've known, all I've ever thought of doing. I wonder what else there could be in this world that could pull me from this course, fighting the enemy till I die."
She stared off mor a moment, but ever practical shrugged and gathered her things.
"If word has spread enough for others to join us, it may also have spread to the enemy, we should be wary about an enemy that knows we're coming..."
She glanced down at her arms and legs...
...and found two, both on her calves, both dead. She pulled them free easily and watched as small trickles of her acidic blood smoked in the dim light before self-cauterising.
She glanced around.
"I have grown fond of you all in the weeks we have traveled together. Try to not die."
Artur went over the plan a couple of times and made everyone who was going agree to it, especially the part about not trying to come save them.
Artur stowed his utility belt into his magnetic pack to protect it from the swamp. He moved as quickly as he was able, but it was harder with him holding his rifle above the water.
When Batul announced that he was going to be accompanying them, Artur argued vehemently against it, even going so far as to say "If you die, which is a very real possibility, you'll be leaving those two in charge" he gestured towards Orshok and Krepis before continuing "and we both know that neither man is ready to take your place."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the group neared the mound, Artur said "Zdravko, we'll need you to pick the spot we wait for our distraction from. You seem to be the most experienced scout here, so I'd like you to take charge in that regard."
Veratash considered what to answer Orshok. He sent "It seems he already knows something. Maybe that he's not coming back from this mission. Could you fathom something he is not telling us? I believe we have earned our worth."
Veratash heard Orshok's advice with terror in his eyes. He checked his body and, sure enough, there was a leach there. Without wanting to grab it, he tried cutting it off, tried holding it through some clothes and even tried moving it telepathically. Eventually an orc with rolling eyes snatched it off the kalashtar.
Veratash, embarrassed, sulked in the way, trying to imagine his life back when it was dry. I'm pretty sure there was a more comfortable way there, but they made us go through here to make fun of us., he thought.
When they came to the mound with the eerie sound, he stood silent, waiting for what the others were doing. The bone warning made affected him, as he felt tears running down his cheeks. He pushed down every sob, however, not wanting to sound weak. Then, he focused on his friends and reminded himself of what needed to be done. "Let's move", he said with resolve.