Sitting down at the table, Stella's focus begins to wane as she takes in all the festivities happening in earnest. After a few long moments, she vaguely realized that she was being address and said "Sorry I wasn't paying attention, what what that again?" After hearing the question a second time she responds with, "My trip was quite nice actually, the plains in this area a great for looking at the night sky. As for my reason for coming so far north..." she tilts her head slightly, "I haven't the foggiest what I'm actually looking for!" She smiles then chuckles to herself in amusement. Leaning in close she continues, "I trust the will of Desna and everything will fall into place in due time... so might as well have some fun till then!" she exclaims, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. And with that she will look back out at the happy crowd of townsfolk and wait for her new friend to return with their food.
”First time seeing a half-elf? I assure you there are wonders far greater in Kenabres to behold during Armasse.”. The warrior threw a pastry from his armload of treats and said, ”Enjoy your day”, and pushed into the crowd...
Halvardr looked at the snack in confusion... and a degree of wonder.
Half elf? What's a full elf like? I hear they have eyes without any white. Did he have eyes without any white? I didn't see...
He bit down into the pastry absentmindedly.
Gods that's good!, he thought.
Well? Order or move on, you're blocking the others!
The skald youth bought half a dozen snacks and a large sausage then moved on.
He spotted the half elf seating himself with two others... a young woman and...
A DEMON?!
His hand went to his dagger, then he heard a giggle.
He looked down to see a little girl of similar appearance to the demon man, laughing and running with a pair of human children.
He spoke the truth about wonders to be seen, thinking back to the half elf's parting words.
He stood still a moment then an ale seller caught his eye.
Hospitality was a central part of Skald culture... one never knew when the gods would take mortal form and test the generosity of their hosts. Indeed there had been outrageous contests where people tried to outdo the other with the quality of their hospitality... and Halvardr would not be out done by a stranger!
In short order Halvardrso tall rangy form loomed over the table of the gossiping friends, four leather jacks of ale in his large hands.
Here, his deep voice raised so that he could be heard, Drink!
The journey from the monestary high in the Tusks down to Kenabrae was a long and dusty....and lonely.
For most of the journey, Kokam walked alone, following a meager traders trail , up and over hills, through barren valleys,
through one or two mountain passes, alone with naught but her own thoughts. What lay ahead in Kenabrae? Was she up to the
task? Was she worth?
Such thoughts preoocupied Kawlo, until an attack by a few starving kobolds, which she easily dispatched, brought her out
of her reverie. Let your training carry you through... she remembered her Elder saying to her at the entrance to
what had been her home for the last 10 years. The training... will be up to the task....as for her worthiness, only
fortune and fate will decide.
Eventually, Kokam began to enter more populated areas and she shared the path with other travellers. Most were wary of her
Kellid looks, but again most relaxed when the saw the symbol of Iomeadae on her neck.
As she grew closer to Kenabrae, the number of travellers grew. She learnt of the upcoming Festival, smiling as she now knew
that her Elder sent her out at this time on purpose.
She marvelled at the differences in people she met on the road to Kenabrae. There had been a few different nationalities
and races at the monestary, but now she was seeing the multitude that Golarion had to offer.
Some more doubts entered her mind, what could she, a nothern plains girl offer to the Crusades.
Then as Kokam and some other travellers crested a rise....Kenabrae lay in the distance; the first true city that Kokam had
ever seen. Taking a moment to marvel at the size of the city, she felt a tug on the end of her spear..
Looking down she say a girl, who asked, "What is that for?" pointing at Kokam's spear. "That is a spear, it is a weapon." Kokam replied simply,
"Do you know how to use it? Show me!" the girl demanded.
Kokam looked to the girl's mother, and receiving an encourging smile, stepped to the side of the road and proceeded to practice
one of the many forms she's been taught and that was now second nature.
After the little girl clapped, and said, "I want to do that too! Mommy , can I?" . Again the woman smiled indugently,
and Kokam showed the girl how to hold the spear just so, so that she could jab with it , but then quickly spin it around defensively.
Happy, the girl thanked Kokam and skipped back to her mother, joining the increasing number of travellers streaming towards the
Festival city.
Kokam joined them, noticing and exchange at the gate between the guards and a...a...tiefling! It could only be! He bantered with
the guards then entered the city. Well, if the Crusader city welcomed those with the taint of the Abyss on them, they'd welcomed
Kokam with open arms.
And so it was, she entered the city without issue, her neck craned to look at all the marvellous buildings, smiling at
the throngs of people, of all races. Her doubts diminished, not completely disappearing, but she was heartened by what
she saw...this was truly what the Crusade was about!
Walking aimlessly, she let the crowds dictate where she went, noting all of the wonderful wares and foods on display. She
stopped abruptly at a stall contining many supplies for painting, marvelling at the pigments on display, so much more vibrant
than those that could be created up in the mountains. A pleasant chat with the vendor about the brushes and pigments ensued,
until the man grew annoyed that she wasn't seemingly interested in purchasing anything.
With a friendly wave, Kokam once again entered the stream of people, again following the flow until it deposited her in a
large plaza, people milling about eating and laughing.
She wandered about until a familiar voice rang out, "Look Mommy, the spear lady!" Indeed, it was the girl from
road and her mother. The little girl hugged Kokam's leg as she and the mother exchanged pleaantries.
Then she saw beside her a familiar face, it was the tiefling from the gate, chatting with some friends. Excusing herself, she
approached the tiefling, and waited politely for a break in their conversation, even allowing the large Ulfen his chance
to bang down tankards of ale on the table, "Pardon me...I saw you at the Gate chatting
with the guards. You would't be part of the Crusades would you?" she asked, delivering the question to all of the tieflings
friends as well, "I've just arrived and have no idea where to go...."
As Damon approached the table, breakfast in hand, Onyx gestured to one of the benches "How's this for location? Best spot in the plaza! We won't miss a thing!"
Onyx was stopped from saying anything more as a tall, rugged-looking man Ulfen probably slammed four tankards onto the table. "Here, Drink!" he bellowed.
The black band across Onyx's eyes lifted slightly as he raised an eyebrow Ale? At this hour?. His hesitation lasted only a second and he said "Well, it's not a festival without drink!" as he accepted one of the tankard.
...
For a man who makes an effort to avoid any attention he was certainly the center of it today. As he sipped at his ale, another stranger approached the table. A human, female, and from the scars across her face, a fighter.
"Pardon me...I saw you at the Gate chatting
with the guards. You would't be part of the Crusades would you? I've just arrived and have no idea where to go...."
Onyx grinned, it was a day for newcomers it seemed. "Then let me be the first to welcome you to Kenabrae! Grab a seat, I'm sure that you'll find your answers soon enough! Ale?" Onyx lifted his tankard, posing the question.
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”Yes, welcome to our table and to Kenabres in general,” says Damon. ”Share in our hospitality and, apparently return it thricefold,” he adds as the big outlander brought forth the ale. “Let us eat, drink, and celebrate Armasse, taking in the sights from our well-chosen vantage point,” he says, smiling at Onyx, “and of course share our stories of the past and plans for the future!”
Great start everyone!!!
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Festivals truly are grand! Stella thought to herself as the newcomers arrived at the table, you never know what to expect! Looking at both youths she smiles and says "These two are my new friends, Damon & Granite," gesturing to her new companions, "and I am Stella Destino; pleasure to meet you both on such a festive day!"Grabbing one of the tankards of ale she continues "And who might you both be?" before taking a rather large swig of her drink.
OOC: a couple of housekeeping things. As you've seen, I transcribe all your posts and slightly edit them in a chapter-like recap.
To that end, please remember to:
- write in past tense
- use quotation marks in speech
- use italics for internal thoughts
- use American spelling if you remember
Looking forward to these heroics scenes!
Questions?
Game on!
@Stella: No, there's no issue to two people having the same campaign trait. It used to be that each trait dovetailed into the mythic paths in Pathfinder rules but we are not playing with Pathfinder rules nor are we doing mythic paths. I'll granting blessing and epic boons to simulate 'greatness' (as if getting to level 20 wasn't great enough). :)
@Hallvardr: thanks for checking up on the status table; all should do so and let me know when/if I make a mistake. I'll add your missile weapons in the next turn recap.
Again, feel free to use these (or other limited use ability) in your 'heroic actions post'. I will NOT subtract anything from your total.
Questions?
Game on!
Hallvardr had not expected the arrival of the newcomer. He had only four leather jacks but now there was five. He would not be shamed by this turn however.
"Your drink", he said thrusting it at Kokam. "I couldn't carry five... I'll get mine now"
He turned to leave, then turned back to throw the snacks he purchased on to the pile already on the table. Then returned to the beer vendor, wolfing down the sausage he bought.
Just as he had his fresh beer in hand he noticed the crowd started to quieten... people in the throng encouraging silence.
"Lord Hulrun! Shuuuush"
"Quiet Quiet! He's about to start!"
What is this now? Is this to be the local Jarl?, he wondered.
- a MASSIVE ground shaking explosion reverberated throughout the city and making the skald Vikings ears ring, and nearly knocked him off his feet... then he saw a pillar of smoke and flame rising from the west, where the imposing citadel once stood.
The crowds became screaming mass of panicking bystanders. Whatever they were screaming was lost on Hallvardr as his hearing still could not make out individual sounds...
Then he was rocked again, this time buffeted by mighty gusts of wind as he saw a mighty silver scaled dragon claw its way into the skies.
"Rusted Blade!", Hallvardr swore as dust and grit was swept into his face.
Gods, what madness is this?!, his thoughts raged in disbelief as he wiped at his eyes.
Onyx thoroughly enjoyed the morning. It wasn't every day that he met new people, and this lot seemed alright. He heard the hush come over the crowd, and looked toward the stage. Lord Hulrun was about to make his speech. "Great! This is the official start to the festivities! Hopefully it's brief, I've got a week's pay on the line for the joust."
As the explosion rocked the city he watched the world break. The Kite was under attack. Through the smoke and fire he saw a massive figure, and recognized him as none other than Khorramzadeh himself Gozreh's blustery ballsack... Onyx stood and unslung his bow from his shoulder. "Well, Kokam, looks like you found your crusade..."
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Actions 2:
"The Kite gone? What of the wardstone?' thought Damon a split second before the massive demon lord showed up and answered his question. Paralyzed for a moment by the enormity of this tragedy, he couldn't think, at least not until the ground disgorged the hordes of demons and one of the foul creatures charged a nearby fleeing family. Suddenly reason and purpose returned to him in a rush, and in that instant, Damon lept into action!
Drawing the Sunrise Sword and charging the demon, he intercepted it an instant before it reached the family, slashing at it with a powerful two-handed downward strike lent momentum by his reckless rush!
Cleaving the demon in twain while crying for Iomedae's blessing, Damon raced from place to place, trying to protect the fleeing populace of Kenabres by engaging the demons who would attack them, fleetingly touching those downed but not killed with a mote of the Inheritor's blessing so that they may recover enough to resume their escape (1 point Lay on Hands for those at 0 hp so they can function again, up to 5 times), then racing to the next nearest demon. Looking up from his blood-soaked blade and the fleeing masses, Damon saw the titanic battle between good and evil represented by Terendelev and the Demon Lord and gripped his new holy symbol tightly, uttering a fervent prayer for divine providence before rushing off to save those whom he could.
Actions 2:
OOC: Did you just roll three maximum dice in a row???
Save those rolls; you'll need them. :)
Seriously, there's no need to roll any dice for this part. Just give me your actions and best intended results (within reason; i.e., no is killing Khorramzadeh just yet).
Questions?
Game on!
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Actions 2:OOC: Did you just roll three maximum dice in a row???
Save those rolls; you'll need them. :)
Seriously, there's no need to roll any dice for this part. Just give me your actions and best intended results (within reason; i.e., no is killing Khorramzadeh just yet).
Questions?
Game on!
Yeah, that's a first for me...like ever in 5th edition, FTF or PBP. I just rolled the dice to have an idea if he hit or missed for story reasons, but the crit convinced me to make that first shot a killing blow. Truly Iomedae's favor is on this one.
This is kind of a high roll / low roll dichotomy (like the Perception or Insight rolls) just to decide for myself if Damon saw/recognized Stella from Onyx's description, etc., for story reasons...but truly an epic start for a first attack roll, even if it is only for show, right?
Kokam smiles at Onyx's friendly greeting, but frowns slightly at the offer of ale. He sees her glance at the position of the sun
in the sky as she considers his offer. Her people often take great umbrage if such an offer is refused, satisfying honor and some
such. She's tried to rid herself of that thinking over the years ,but her people's habits are her own. Still she wouldn't like
to insult the Tiefling, so she smiles and accepts the ale.
She smiles again at Damon's greeting, then nodding as Stella shares the other's names, "I am Kokam, of the Kawlo clan "
she says automatically, then reddens slightly as these people wouldn't have heard of her people.
The big Ulfen gives her another tankard, and she bemusedly places both on the table as he rushes off.
The explosion, the appearance of the stunningly beautiful dragon and a Demon Prince shocks Kokam to her core! What was happening?
Onyx's quip, incongurous as it was, still served to bring her back to the present! Forgetting the ale, she vaulted the table,
catching a leaping demon in the face with her foot, snapping it head back unnaturally.
Landing squarely, she can't help but exclaim, "Iomedae preserve us!" as she saw the horde of demons streaming out of
ground.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the girl and her mother, standing petrified with fear.
Running over, she caught the mother's arm and shook her, "Run, take her and run!". Another demon lunged at the girl with
a scaberous arm, and before she knew she did so, Kokam had slammed her spear down upon that arm, breaking it. Then her fist exploded
against it's hate-filled face, smashing the unncanny bones.
Seeing the woman still there, "Run! Get her away!" . Finally, her words penetrated the fear and the woman grabbed the girl and
began to run, the girl looking back at Kokam over her mother's shoulder. With a wave, Kokam turned to see pure chaos as the demons
attacked, but many fought back.
Striding over, she stood near her new acquaintances, ready to face the Horde...
Action #2:
As Stella continued to enjoy her drink and mingle with her new friends, the world shook. At first she looked at her drink, Maybe I should slow down a bit, she thought knowing that she's occasionally (okay often) enjoyed the free hospitality of others a bit too much. As she put down her mug (still mostly full) and reached for a pastry, she heard a roar and saw the most magnificent sight of her life ascend into the heavens; and looking back at the dragon from above in challenge was demon unlike any she had ever heard of before. Finally understanding her Goddess' foresight, Stella will stand up and unstrap her staff and small buckler from her back as she tightens the straps of her satchel tight around her. Her mind clear & focused, she'll hear Onyx's comment:
"Well, Kokam, looks like you found your crusade..."
and respond grimly looking at the sky with "And it seems that I've found what I was meant to find as well...". As the chaos swirls around her and group - so jovial and full of excitement just moments before - she notices a injured father carrying an unconscious child with a head wound away from the worst of the danger. As he is about to pass by she yells "Halt!" in a commanding voice and moves quickly to them. Touching the tip of her staff to the child, a magical shimmer surrounds him and a moment later the child's eyes shoot open in shock, the open wound closing simultaneously. As she performs the same feat on the father she says "I've done what I can, now go!" and without looking back begins to move forward, slowly, toward the source of the chaos hoping that Desna (and luck) were with her today.
OOC: I'm not sure if Onyx and Hallvardr are going to post ay further actions but I intend to move things along later today.
Questions?
Game on!
As his companions jumped into action, Onyx climbed onto the table for a better vantage, knocking over ale in the process. He quickly drew arrows from the quiver at his hip and fired them at the demons. He focused on targets that were either distracted or attacking the helpless.
He fired three or four arrows before he heard a shout of alarm behind him. He quickly spun and saw a multi-limbed demon mid-leap headed directly for him. Onyx dropped backwards onto the table, landing on the remnants of their breakfast. As the creature soared above him he reached into his cloak and, without detaching it from his belt, fired his loaded light crossbow into the gut of the demon. He rolled to the side, off the table, and fired another arrow into it's neck, making sure it wouldn't get back up.
He climbed back onto the table and started to scan the crowd, and looked for any organized resistance. This is not how I wanted to spend my day off...
Action 2
Hallvardr, tears cutting through the grime leave streaks on his checks running into his beard, smashes his hand into the side of head trying to clear the ringing in his ears.
Shield wall..., his confused mind screams, grabbing at a memory.
He heads drunkenly towards the table where potential allies are, where he left his spear, but his steps grow more confident with each stride as his head clears, but he's bounced from person to person as the tide of humanity surges against him.
Looking around he can see the people have become a crazed chaotic mob, fleeing... fleeing...
Now THOSE are demons!!!, he decided, seeing avatars of nightmares made flesh, and the damage they wreak as they tear people, structures and animals apart with contemptuous ease and an evident joy as they revel in the destruction.
He snatched up his fallen spear and took place on the left of the demon-man with the bow, ready to guard his shield side, while his eyes scanned for immediate threats.
Due to my uniquely advantageous position in the Australian TZ, I'll likely post not long after your end of day summary for action 1, then wait for the US TZ posts then adding action 2 before your end of day summary and incorporate what other player input I can.OOC: I'm not sure if Onyx and Hallvardr are going to post ay further actions but I intend to move things along later today.
Questions?
Game on!
That's great. The more posts the merrier so I wouldn't wait if you have something to contribute right away.
I'm posting from South Carolina (USA) and will probably recap during my evenings/nights, but I sit in front of computer normally for work so can usually post throughout the day.
Where's everyone else at at will be your normal posting hours?
I'm in EST as well, in Canada , near Ottawa.
Working from home at the computer as well, so weekdays I'm able to post most of the time. It's the weekends my posting can get a little slower, but should be able to keep up the once a day at least :)
Nothing to add there
Spitting dust from her mouth, Kokam sat up, flexing her limbs and streching her neck, making sure everything was still attached.
Her head hurt, not just from the fall...but from what had occured before the fall. Demons in Kenabrae! That beautiful dragon slain!
But, such a sacrifice, using it's last powers to preserve the lives of some. Luckily for Kokam and her new acquaintances, they'd
been in the right place at the wrong time!
Blinking in the dim light , Kokam looked about for those acquaintances, "Are you hurt! I can't believe what just happened! Can
I believe what my eyes saw! Demons in Kenabra?" Kokam shut her mouth, feeling the unanswerable questions beginning to come
too rapidly. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and heard the cries and groans from those about her. Galvanized by the plight
of others, she sprung into action.
Casting about, she found her pack close by. Pulling it over, she brought out her torches and tinderbox and set to lighting some torches
for more light...
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Actions 2:
”Nooo!” Damon cried in disbelief as the noble dragon was slain, his free hand reaching out towards the dying creature. Suddenly he was falling—no, floating—as the ground opened up beneath him. The world he knew fading above him, Damon’s life flashed before his eyes, unraveling in reverse as he saw his last year of training, then seeing—”No! Not that again!”
”Ahhhh!” he cried in mental anguish, reliving what, until now, was the most painful experience of his life.
I'm EST as well in the Northeast. While working remotely, I'll be able to check and post fairly regularly during the day or night. Once I eventually start working in the office again, I can check during the day but the majority of my posts would be in the morning or evening after work.
Onyx couldn't help but stare as the Balor and Dragon battled in the skies above. It was the most beautiful, yet horrible thing he had ever witnessed. The ground trembled again, and opened up beneath Onyx. The last thing he saw was the Balor's viscious blade slashing clean through the Ancient Dragon's neck. Terendelev! No! Then the world closed above him.
Onyx pushed a pumpkin-sized stone from his chest before climbing sorely to his feet. He allowed a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before assessing his surroundings.
His ability to see in the dark didn't make up for the amount of dirt and grit in his eyes. Just as his vision was beginning to clear a white light appeared nearby, temporarily blinding him again.
Yaaaargh!!!, Hallvardr screamed his defiance into the pandemonium, readying himself for the inevitable end to come, praying that he would die facing his enemy rather than knocked to the ground by a panicked commoner, only to be butchered like a sheep. Just fifty feet away, at the end of the rubble strewn street a towering, corpulent beast, with the gore soaked hideous head of a boar reached forth with a huge corpulent arm into a home. A new source of wailing was added to the cacophony of pain and fear as it drew forth a child clutched in a fat taloned four-fingered hand.
Thwack!
The sound of one of Onyx's arrow hitting the demon in the shoulder was briefly satisfying, and caused it to pause and glare in their direction. It lost its focus on Onyx as a cluster of glowing magical darts shot from a side alley smashed into hits head, causing it to scream in pain... and crush the child in its hand to paste.
On a rooftop to the Skald warriors right a red skinned woman rose into the air on bat like wings, grappling a struggling young man, holding the back of his of head in vicelike grip as she drove her face on to his. Below them a soldier hurled a spear into the melee on the street.
Hallvardr ducked as half a body was tossed out of the chaos, entrails fluttering from it like grey and red streamers, only to smack wetly into the wall behind him, splattering him in blood.
The screaming did not stop, it just changed in pitch and intensity... it was a constant embodiment of the terror of Kenabrae, and the slaughter of its people.
And Gorum rejoiced!
The Lord in Iron dwelt in this struggle, no matter how futile in the face of overwhelming horror and violence it was.
Hallvardr felt it in his soul... yet he himself struggled to stay composed in this unholy madness, grasping desperately to every shred of martial discipline he had, struggling not to drop his weapon and flee... flee like the knight running pellmell away from the carnage, whose face was whiter than new milk and whose eyes bulged with hysteria.
Above it all the titanic struggle between dragon and demons raged in the sky. The winged fiend’s horned head and fanged visage, the avatar of perfection of the demonic form, was flung back in a thunderous shout of triumph as it hewed it's foe and drove it to the earth, the battling pair dropping into the crowd. At that moment, an immense demon, godlike in its dimensions, erupted at the far end of the plaza, reducing several buildings to ruins as it smashed into this world. The rift the immense demon created shot across the plaza, and this time there was no escape—it ripped open the ground along the street in a jagged gash that sent Hallvardr and dozens like him tumbling into dust, dirt and darkness.
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Actions 3:
”You see, faithless child, there is nothing you can have that I cannot take away,” whispers the evil voice within Damon’s mind as his physical fall stops but his mental plummet continues. A vision of a faceless stranger usurping his birthright, invading his home, and threatening his family washes over him...Suddenly the house flares into light and the flames lick higher, the screams of his sisters echoing through the halls—and Damon cannot move to help—there is no one to save him or his family, as the faceless stranger reveals himself to be a demon, cavorting in the flames and chaos of his own creation!
Trapped in his own mind, Damon has no idea what is going on in the waking world, but others who look his way see the young warrior writhing on the ground, eyes shut tight against the flaring light, whimpering hopeless words of denial...
With quick efficient motions, Kokam gets a torch lit and holds hit out at arms length, illuminating her immediate area.
She pauses when the flickering light reveals the wall of stone and body parts mere feet away...her fate had she been a few feet in that direction.
Sweeping the crackling torch to the side she sees...Damon, yes, that was his name, on the ground, seeming in distress.
Moving carefully among the rocks and debris, Kokam kneels by the half-elf, pressing against his shoulder, "Damon, rise. You're needed! "
Kokam lent down to hear what Damon was saying, but couldn't make it out.
She sat back on her heels, considering for a moment. Then she pulled her waterskin from her pack and sprayed a stream of water onto Damon's face, hoping that would shock him out of his 'nightmare'.
Now, shaking his shoulder, she says, "Damon, Damon wake up! "
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The cold water shocked Damon out of his spiraling nightmare flashback and he sputtered awake, saying hopefully, ”Vendarn, is that you?” In his memory, the Iomedaean knight comes to his rescue once more, pulling him away from the dark voice in his head, which cackled softly as Damon rose back into the waking world.
Onyx's vision returned, the strange mix of coloured illumination and monochrome darkness he has grown accustomed to.
He turned his face from the Elf and looked to his side to see Kokam knelt beside Damon, a look of confusion on his face. "Vendarn, os that you?"
Onyx approached, held out a hand to Damon and said "Vendarn isn't here. You're stuck with us. You've napped long enough, so get up, we need to look for others."
In a quieter voice he said to Kokam "Is he alright? Hells, are you alright?"
OOC: I'll wait for Stella's post and Hallvardr's second post but I would like to move this along later today...
Questions?
Game on!
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The crashing wave of recent events washes over Damon and he lets out a long sigh, then gets up. "Yes, thank you both," he says, looking a bit embarrassed by his recent discomfiture. "What is our situation?" he continues, regaining a bit of his composure and looking around to see who else might have survived--or who was injured and might need immediate medical attention.
Noticing the Elven Wizard with the light spell, Damon moves over to assess his health, as the spellcaster is complaining about loss of his sight.
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Onyx's vision returned, the strange mix of coloured illumination and monochrome darkness he has grown accustomed to.
He turned his face from the Elf and looked to his side to see Kokam knelt beside Damon, a look of confusion on his face. "Vendarn, os that you?"
Onyx approached, held out a hand to Damon and said "Vendarn isn't here. You're stuck with us. You've napped long enough, so get up, we need to look for others."
In a quieter voice he said to Kokam "Is he alright? Hells, are you alright?"
Kokam helps Onyx get Damon to his feet, "We fell...there are others here that need our help..." she offers each of them one of her torches.
When Damon moves towards the Wizard, not taking a torch, she turns to Onyx, "It was as if he was having a nightmare..I had to douse him with water..."
The holding her torch high, she moves about looking for anyone hurt...
Time passed... moments?... minutes?... hours?
Hallvardr groaned. The headache was bad enough, especially with the ringing in his ears, but it felt like he'd been beaten all over by Olga, the vast woman who handled massage in his village, whose hands were like paddles and whose fingers were like wooden pegs.
The ringing started to fade and he opened his eyes in the darkness. Darkness. After a thrice dozen heartbeats the sounds of rocks clattering, coughing, and moans of pain from others in the blackness began to register. He coughed and sneezed as well, the choking smell of dust seemed to coat the insides of his nose and mouth. The young man moved stiffly, trying to work out if he was still all in one piece. It seemed, pains aside he was uninjured.
Someone moaned feebly and a light magically appeared, “I can’t see! Why can’t I see!” The feeble cries of someone panicking, the voice sounded desperate.
Hallvardr rose, steadying himself against the detritus and rocks... and against a mangled body wedged between two large chunks of a broken building. He looked down and spied a familiar length of wood peeking out from the mess of stone and dust. His spear, Gorum be praised! He slid it out and used it to feel out the ground, such as it was, around him.
Hallvardr Stormbrow here! Whose alive? Speak and let me find you!
Then he heard other voices and torchlight flared. He moved towards the spluttering flames.
He saw some familiar faces, faces from the street festival.
Hail... we lived, he said simply.
Kokam looks up at the Ulfen's loud declaration of life, "We are here! Yes, alive...for now." she comments, handing him a just lit torch, "Let's see what we can do for the others..."
Sorry all had a busier day at work than anticipated. I'll get my post up in a little bit for all 3 actions.
Action #1
As the harrowing fight between Terendelev & Khorramzadeh reached its epic conclusion in the skies above, Stella continued to stride forward deeper into the heart of the chaos. Though unsure of exactly what she needed to do, she felt Desna's will pressing on her urgently, guiding her forward, and felt a slight comfort that she would not be alone throughout this ordeal. As the group of demons broke off from the path, she prepared for the worst, raised her staff and shouted:"Hwe so onm sei oo!"
Shocked herself at the outburst, Stella looked down at her hands for a moment to see that they were indeed glowing and that the meteorite around her neck was glowing brighter than anything she'd ever seen before. At the same time she heard a voice in her head say forcefully "Say the words! Say the words!!!". Not knowing how she knew what to say she started to chant in Celestial and begin to glow brighter than before as a second group of demons descended upon her...
Action #2
Stella woke up in the dark with a start covered in dust and with a pounding migraine. Her whole body aching, she lay on the hard stone floor for a long moment wondering What... just happened...and how did I get here... before taking the laborious action of standing up & dusting her self off, her body seeming to creak with each movement. Her eyes still not adjusting to the darkness, she twisted her wrist once as if scooping a handful of the air and conjured a fist-sized orb of flame in her hand, coughing in pain at the usually simple action. After adjusting to the sudden brightness, she spots her satchel, staff & buckler and secures them back to her person before trying to asses her surroundings. . Hearing voices and seeing another source of light in the distance, she begins to slowly, and painfully, head in that direction praying to Desna for luck that her destination will lead to answers and hopefully some friendly faces.
Action #3
As Stella treks her way across the uneven terrain, the aches and pains in her body slowly recede but the migraine and the foggy memory continue to persist. Getting closer to the meager gathering she begins to see multiple bodies strewn all across the ground and wonders how she managed to survive whatever ordeal had recently occurred to her. Looking up for the first time, she hoped to see the familiar sight of stars for comfort but saw nothing but pure blackness return her gaze and knew that wherever she was would be very foreign to her. Despondent, she continues forward desperate anything positive to latch onto.
After a little while longer she reaches the edge of the group and sees them huddled together & illuminated by torch light, behind them, a massive wall of rubble littered with the bodies of innocent townspeople lay still. I must find out what happened! she tells herself just as she reaches ear shot of somebody mentioning a dragon and a demon. At that she staggers, her heart stopping for a moment, as a partial flashback of what happened violently hits her all at once:
Watching it all as if she's having an out of body experience, she see a group of demons charge for her and leap in the air; at the same time, glowing brightly, she lifts her staff in the air and a wave of energy pulses out of her destroying the demons. Seeing the display of power, a larger host turns to face her and she repeats the action again, growing more and more brilliantly than before. Just as it seemed that she was about to unleash what ever power was stored inside her, the ground shook, a titanic demon seemed to appear out of nowhere and the ground to disappeared below her sucking her up whole...
Coming to she notices Damon approaching a frail man on the ground and partially directed to him asks "Is what I remember true? Is the city lost?
Great stuff everyone! Thanks!
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
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Action 1:
Involuntarily flinching at the sight of the wizard's flayed face where his eyes used to be, Damon is momentarily at a loss for words. He recovers slightly and says, "Something has, uh, burned your eyes from your face. I can offer you a mote of healing to arrest any bleeding, but I fear I am not a skilled healer." Damon touches the elf's shoulder and some healing energy flows into the wizard, hopefully preventing any immediate further damage or infection.
At that moment, Damon hears the groans of the archer with her leg pinned underneath the boulder. "Excuse me," he says to the wizard and moves over to her. "Hal, come over here and help me with this injured one, please," asks Damon of the strong nordic warrior, hoping that their combined strength can lift the boulder. "Stella, we could use your help here too," he requests. "Hal, let's you and I lift this boulder. Stella, please pull our unfortunate archer friend out from under the boulder and see what you can do about her leg."
Action #1
Stella was still in a bit of a daze from all that has just occurred and the partial memory she just experienced as well. Hearing Damon's voice though will temporarily awaken her and she'll nod lazily in the affirmative and follow him over to the trapped woman, taking a long glance at the man missing much of his face as she passes him. I'll need to check that in a second she says to herself, her mind slowly coming back into focus, Just deal with everyone here first, and sort out everything else later... she continues as she grabs the woman's arms and readies herself to pull.