Gerrod's page

ses’Shelk c%#*% his head to the side and samples the air with his tongue. He retracts it self-consciously, then says, “No. Five days back and forth, at least. But no need to go to Heron-woman.” He hands a cats-eye agate to Gerrod and says, “Hold the eye when you go sleepy-time tonight. Heron-woman will come to you in Dreamscape.”

Jeff – You sent the following turn a while ago. Did you still want to follow these actions?

Gerrod checks to be certain they're not being followed by anybody...especially looking for Mehdi. Satisfied, he leads the group to a different inn and pays for a single night's rest. He studies and casts an Alarm spell on the door, sets his Manservant to guard, and then prepares to take a nap. "Oliver, we may not require rest but we do need allies. Gornalunga...

OOC: Gerrod was considering keeping on the move, but the first plan is still good. They'll find a new inn and try to contact Gornalunga. Allies or advice on the approaching enemies is still a big question for her. Gerrod'll keep his eyes open for a graveyard as they tromp around, 'cause he wants another zombie.

A rumbling sound begins to emanate from some unseen tunnel down at floor level of the chamber, and a large creature begins to slither-skitter out onto the floor. The lizardfolk part for it, making a wide, respectful path. The thing looks like a giant toad, with an oversized head, huge eyes, and a big bloated throat sac. It’s about eight feet tall at the front shoulder, and the bulk of its body stretches back into the shadows, but it must be at least twenty feet long.

Gerrod gazes upon the enormous beast and then slowly pulls back towards the cave entrance, gesturing for Ses'shelk to accompany him. An army of lizardmen and a creature as big as a cave are far too much for the two of them to handle.

They work their way outside, gather Oliver, and retreat a good ways back towards the city before discussing their next move. "The way I see it, there are two options. We can return to Gornalunga and see if she can interpret this ritual, or we can try to intercept this Bhateef who supplying Annapuma with his drug. In fact we might be able to do both...Ses'shelk, is there time to return to Gornalunga for dsicussion and make it back here within three days?" The wizard looks around carefully. "We are still being hunted and it may be better to move continuously and unexpectedly."

OOC: Gerrod speaks Abyssal but not Draconic. Any chance he can learn it from Ses'shelk?

OOC2: Does Gerrod have any idea what he was seeing?

He’s been following the Raj-thing from about 30 yards away, but the plant-insect creature either hasn’t noticed or doesn’t care.

By the light of the moon, you can see that the Raj-thing is headed straight for a low rock overhang at the base of the foothills. When you get within 50 yards, you can see that there appears to be a series of caves under the protection of the overhang, and the Raj-thing is heading straight for one. He hasn’t altered his course since he stepped away from the melee thirty minutes ago.

Gerrod carefully notes which cave the the creature enters and then pauses for a minute. His purplish glowing eyes fade and become unnoticeable as he looks carefully around in the darkness for hidden enemies. Ukiah, his rat, climbs down from Gerrod's pack and goes for a quiet scamper and scout for danger.

Finding none, the group approaches the door. Gerrod gazes inside and carefully listens for noises before deciding whether to continue.

The Raj-thing continues to walk calmly away, in the direction of the mountains, and is about thirty feet distant. It will run into the city wall within a minute or two if it continues walking in the straight line that it has begun. Mehdi and a few of the other locals peer fearfully at Raj from the shadows of nearby buildings.

Ses’Shelk says, “Plant-thing is no longer a person. Can juju-man fix?”

Gerrod looks after the departing Un-Raj. "I do not believe there is anything left of him to fix. He seems to have been altered into the creature we see now. This does not bode well for those others who have taken the drug." He looks sadly over to Oliver before he continues. "It seems not to require mayhem unless we prevent it from its task. I suggest we follow from a safe distance and see where it goes." Waiting until Raj is a few hundred yards ahead, Gerrod starts to follow it as it heads from the city.

Gerrod continues to back away, casting another quick spell and drawing his dagger. "Manservant, rend him! Leave nothing in one piece!" He maneuvers over towards the lizardman in order to rouse him. The mage calls out as loudly as he can to shake his ally aware. "Ses'shelk! Awake ye, lest this creature devour you!!"

"Bah," growls Gerrod. "It destroyed my construct and it will be difficult to find another. Unless..." He looks over to Oliver before shaking his head. "No, no, that would take too much time and I need allies immediately." Backing quickly away from That-Which-Was-Once-Raj, Gerrod waves his hands as he casts a spell towards the others.

The zombie manservant shuffles forward, interposing itself between Raj and Gerrod. Raj slashes out with his claws, tearing a horrid gash in the zombie’s belly. It looks down stupidly at its own innards, and the townfolk begin to scream and scatter in all directions.

Oliver draws his sword, steps forward, and slashes the creature across the back, drawing a thick greenish fluid instead of blood.

Ses’Shelk just watches the whole thing, a placid smile on his face.

Gerrod continues to back away, casting another quick spell and drawing his dagger. "Manservant, rend him! Leave nothing in one piece!" He tries to manevver over towards the lizardman in order to rouse him. The mage calls out as loudly as he can to shake his ally aware. "Ses'shelk! Awake ye, lest this creature devour you!!"

[spoiler] Unseen servant as gerrod backs away. If he has time afterwards, he'll throw the dagger at Raj and then have the Unseen Servant return it.

The thing that was once Raj looks into Gerrod’s eyes with great tranquility. Gerrod is dazed by the feeling of serenity he feels being near Raj, and his hands fall limply to his sides for a moment, before he realizes that Raj is about to maul him. Raj steps forward, baring his claws, intent on disemboweling Gerrod without ever changing the peaceful expression on his face.

Gerrod blinks a few times, the sleepy look fading from his face, as he realizes his danger. Stepping backwards away from Raj, he calls out to his construct for assistance. "Manservant, protect me!!"

He backpedals quickly, trying to cast a defensive spell.

ses'Shelk smiles a wierd smile on his awkward humanized face. "He look happy now. At peace."

As the thing that was once Raj sweeps his alien gaze over you, you feel relaxed, and the stress of the situation drains out of you. Raj continues to turn until he is facing the mountains. He looks like he's about to simply walk away.

Gerrod stares with surprise at this occurrence and addresses the girl Mehdi. "Does this often occur with those who take the Green Welcome? A foolish question I suppose, but the answer may bode ill for our gnome." His eyes follow the movements of he who was recently Raj and continues speaking to Mehdi. "Forgive my rudeness, but I need to speak to this one before he leaves."

With that, the bald mage steps right in front of Raj and looks directly into his eyes, meetings the unnatural stare with his own glowing one. "I agree with my companion, creature, that you look much happier in your present state. Please, tell me where you may be going? Tell us also how you have made this change, as my companion Oliver may soon wish to join you."

Gerrod frowns pensively before raising his head to address the soothsayer. "I have had a vision...a viewing that showed the end of all. We are all consumed, as I always knew we must be in the end. But I hear something other in your words, that there is some possibility to prevent this. Can you provide us insight of how to counter our enemies? At present, we do not even know what they are trying to do, never mind how to slow them."

Annapuma sighs and shakes his head. "Alas, I am but a conduit through which your sooth is said. I have no insights beyond what I have told you."

Gerrod says his goodbyes and takes his elave of Annapuma.

They come upon a group of five scruffy looking locals looking down at a man lying in the narrow alley. The man is in some distress, writhing and moaning in an eerie, high-pitched voice. Even from your distance in the dark (you’re about 20 feet away), you realize one of the locals is the little girl Mehdi. She turns from the man on the ground and addresses you nervously. “It’s Raj, he’s taken some Green Welcome and he’s having a bad reaction. Do you know any healing?”

OOC: Does gerrod have any idea what's going on with the dude's fit?

Gerrod scans the area carefully, straining to see as far as he can with his strange glowing eyes. "I have some small knowledge of physiology. Please, bring the man forward so that we can analyze his condition."

OOC: If there's any delay, Gerrod will send his manservant to pull Raj into the street.

Turning to Oliver and ses'Shelk, Gerrod whispers a warning message to them. "Beware...our enemies may already be upon us, though it is also possible that this city's populace may undergo a transformation similar to the ones we have witnessed."

OOC2: Before anyone moves to them, Gerrod will cast a quick Detect Magic to see if Raj is transforming and if the "locals" have magic weapons and armor.

“There is much pain in your future, necromancer. You are the yin and the yang; your head holds the seed of the destruction of this world, while your loins have produced a dark agent of hope. There is a fork in the road, one way leading to prosperity, and the other to an Age of Madness and chaos. The Darkscape Dreamers block the path of hope, and will seek to drain your essence.”

Annapuma touches Gerrod in the center of the forehead with his stick, and the spiral mark there flares briefly. Gerrod sees a vision in his mind’s eye; a gargantuan creature of wholely alien aspect, made of scales and claws and tentacles, squirms its way up through a dark tunnel. It erupts from a stark mountainside, casting a dark shadow across the land, and all of humanity flees from its presence, driven insane by its unearthly power. The image winks out as suddenly as it appeared, leaving Gerrod dazed and woozy.

[Conversation with Annapuma?]

Gerrod frowns pensively before raising his head to address the soothsayer. "I have had a vision...a viewing that showed the end of all. We are all consumed, as I always knew we must be in the end. But I hear something other in your words, that there is some possibility to prevent this. Can you provide us insight of how to counter our enemies? At present, we do not even know what they are trying to do, never mind how to slow them."

Gerrod starts in surprise and then frowns with a look of intense concentration.

(Presuming they're on the street on the way back from Annapuma's)

Gerrod turns to Oliver with a troubled look. "I have just received a communication that our friends may have been destroyed by allies of the mad priests. They are coming for us next and we must be prepared. First we need a sheltered place to rest for a couple of hours."

Gerrod checks to be certain they're not being followed by anybody...especially looking for Mehdi. Satisfied, he leads the group to a different inn and pays for a single night's rest. He studies and casts an Alarm spell on the door, sets his Manservant to guard, and then prepares to take a nap.

"Oliver, we may not require rest but we do need allies. Gornalunga watches over dreams and I wish to attempt contact with her in my sleep. You must wake me after an hour, after which I will know if she can be reached."

(One he is asleep Gerrod tries to contact Gornalunga. If she responds, he will tell her 1) about the Green Welcome and what they know about the source and 2) that Genar and Aelfric have been taken by their enemies who are approaching the feverglades. Gerrod wants to know if a) she needs more information and b) if she knows of potential allies they can contact.)

The holder of the Raptor pin here's the following, in Aelfric's voice:

"Gerrod. Beware; Kravichak the mind-invader High Jester and Last Laugh guildsmen defeated us with poison and mind. Kravichak took from my mind that you have the Chalice of Essence of Madness. They seek you now in the Feverglades. Move and beware. Respond."

Not certain of the timing here...I'll presume the message doesn't come in right when the fortune telling starts.

Gerrod starts in surprise and then frowns with a look of intense concentration.

"It would be difficult to leave at the present time. There is work unfinished and much at stake. We will be on our guard. Is there anything we can to to assist you or do you believe yourselves beyond rescue?"

“And as far as Green Welcome goes, I tire of dealing with my degenerate suppliers, and have considered giving up the trade to the many free agents flogging their wares about town.” His eyes narrow. “If you were to purchase a fortunetelling for 25 gp, I might be inclined toward providing you the identity of my suppliers, so that you might…approach them with your questions.”

Does Gerrod have 25 gp? If not please void the post below.

Gerrod ponders the expense of the trade for a few moments before turning to the sage. "Very well, Annapuma. I will purchase your fortune telling, though I doubt you will be comforted by a true look into my future." The mage counts out the money and passes it to the augurer. "You pique my curiosity about your suppliers...I would have presumed them to be swamp men grinding up some roots and insects."

He rearranges himself into an upright position on the pillow, crossing his wiry legs and resting his hands on his knees. "But let us begin. What do you see in my future?"

Is our lizard man around or did he go off partying?

Now I'm posting fromm Afghanistan. See, look at me post! Let's step up, guys.

OOC: Heh. How do ya pronounce "Qatar" anyway?

Sorry bout the delay...I was in RI for thanksgiving and got back 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'm leaving for New Zealand tomorrow and have been trying to finish up all my Xmas stuff and end-of-year-at-work stuff. Ugh! Still need to finish packing.

Anyway, I'm posting tonight but will be off line until January 2. (Barring the appearance of an Internet Cafe next to Ginger's parents' house)

Jeff

PS How's the desert?

Back IC with my next post...

Master Annapuma, an older man with long, graying hair and fading green tattoos around his neck and winding up the sides of his face, hears you enter the shop and comes in from the back room. He welcomes you, gesturing with an intricately carved walking stick for you to make yourselves comfortable upon the several oversized pillows arranged around his low table. He sits gracefully, smiling at Mehdi. “So, weary travelers. How may Master Annapuma be of service to you? Do you have need of magical wards, love potions, alchemical delights? Or would you like a reading of your future fortunes?”

Gerrod sits down on a pillow and waves his servant to the back of the room. "I am Gerrod Skaitch, traveler and fellow mage. I have no need for magical empowerment, but am most interested in some information. We recently arrived in town and encountered the Green Welcome. Now, I have no interest in selling the material but I am fascinated from a technical perspective since I have never seen the like before. Would you be willing to tell me about the source of the drug? Is it a natural root or a magical concoction? I am more than willing to discuss the making of various potions with you."

The little girl looks at Gerrod suspiciously. “If you promise to buy only from me, I’ll show you where Green Welcome comes from.”

Oliver looks at her a long time, "A gold?" He asks, "Seems too much, more then I have for such things." Oliver looks at the girl and waits for the price to come down.

Mehdi tilts her head, considering. She hands Oliver a vial of the thick green liquid. “I’ll give you this vial for 6 pieces of silver. I can’t go any lower than that. Once you try it, I promise you’ll be willing to pay the full market price.”

(I still need to know where you decide to go in the city.)

"Very well girl, I will be happy to pay for the gnome's experiment. Should we constrain him before he takes any? It would be preferable not to chase him through the city if he becomes agitated."

"And we agree not to buy any of the material from anyone besides yourself. Please tell us, then, what you may know of the material's source."

OOC: If Mehdi wants us to physically move to see where the Green Welcome comes from, Gerrod will go along. If not, he would prefer to head up to the rooms and watch Oliver's test of the drug. If Oliver wants to think it over first, Gerrod will go out and try to meet Madam Zinigig. (He wants to meet her at some point regardless.)

OOC2: Thought for a minute that Oliver was talking to Gerrod's zombie. I was gonna have a field day with that. :)

"The dog bites back" smiles Oliver as he strokes Buttercup, "In fact I dare say she is meaner then I. She just needs to be a little better at sniffing out rats. Had a run in with a mean one but that was my fault no hers."

"Aye," says Gerrod darkly. "Aye...beware the rats. They hunt in the night and will come to visit us." His softly glowing eyes change to an angry purple as he continues. "They will feast, feast on the tasty dog and then will turn on the rest of us. They will leave nothing but our bones and our untouched faces staring blankly at the sky, wondering why this has happened. Ia!! Only a short while before we go to meet our fate."

Ukiah wisely chooses to stay curled in in Gerrod's back as the mage pauses for breath, panting slightly. His eyes shift are back to near normal. "I will not sleep tonight. Come, let us go out to explore this city."

(Since the room is taken care of, Gerrod will go out with his bodyguard and anyone else that might be interested.)

Panphar continues, “The citizens here have always scratched out a living, but they now have Green Welcome. The drug is very euphoric, I hear, and takes the peasants’ minds off of their troubles. It makes them lethargic and lazy, though, and as the number of users increases, productivity in the city plummets. The people will soon be starving. I can get you enough food through my local contacts, but I’m afraid it isn’t much. Father Banifar has done little, if anything, to stop the spread of addiction. He is the leader of the city, but he doesn’t seem to care about its welfare. If things keep up this way, I will likely give up my Inn and return to my native Thofia.”

"How curious," comments the mage. "It is unusual for such a drug to simply appear. Do you know from where it came? Perhaps some herb from the swamp whose use had been forbidden until recently?" Gerrod frowns philosophically. "Oliver, perhaps it would be useful for you to test this drug so that I can study its affect on your physiology."

<presuming Oliver says no>

Gerrod turns to the girl Mehdi. "I have a bit of curiosity about such strange things. Do you make the Green Welcome yourself or is it created by some herbalist? Do not worry, I don't wish to take your business. I am simply interested."

<later turning to Panphar>

"Are there any wise men in town that I might introduce myself to? Presumably your Father Banifar is not available, but I enjoy discussion with some of your other priests."

"I suppose we shall have to stay for one night, at least. Would you be so kind as to set us up with rooms for three...

OOC: Make that rooms for 4. I forgot all about ses'Shelk.

“Ah,” he smiles when he sees you. “It appears that we have a new crop of weary travelers. I do hope that you received a kinder reception by the good people of Exag than did my last guests, though I tend to doubt the likelihood of such an event.”

“Master Panphar,” the little girl interjects, “If the men want some Green Welcome, I can get it cheap.” She turns to you and adds, “You’d like Green Welcome, good sirs. It’s a pleasant aphrodisiac that brings peace of mind, strengthens the body, alleviates pain and aches, and fills the heart with unwavering courage.”

You can tell that the girl has memorized her sales pitch by rote, and she smiles sweetly when she finishes it. Panphar looks down at her, not unkindly, but says curtly, “Mehdi, please do not badger my new guests. I doubt they made the arduous journey here in order to sample such vile pursuits.”

He turns to you. “As to that, might I ask what brings you to our desperate town, and whether I might offer you rooms for the night, perhaps longer?”

Gerrod smiles briefly at Mehdi. "I do not believe any simple drug will give me peace of mind, though I appreciate the offer. My bodyguard feels the same as I, though the Gnome may wish to experiment with your local narcotics."

He turns to the innkeeper. "We are travelers and had been planning to rest here for several days. The state of the populace gives us pause, however. Has famine come to Exag? Or is there some sort of power struggle among the ruling class?"

The bald mage strokes his chin in thought. "I suppose we shall have to stay for one night, at least. Would you be so kind as to set us up with rooms for three...my bodyguard will stay with me. We will also require care for one...um. Oliver, what would you do with your dog at an inn? Should it stay in a stable or sleep in the room with you?"

A grubby, scrawny looking girl, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, motions you to follow her into a nearby alley, offering to act as your guide for a silver piece. Do you follow her or stay in the crowd and try to calm them?

Gerrod surreptitiously passes a coin to the urchin. "Oliver, I suggest that we remove ourselves from this location before we try to converse. This crowd does not seem to be inspired by the supernatural as yet, but it is still a mob intent upon us. And I would rather not damage them unless necessary."

"Come Girl, let us leave this place and retire to a quieter location. My bodyguard will follow you closely and we will be right behind."

“Gornalunga seems to have lost interest in the path of the conversation. “Tell you what. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. There’s an armpit of a village a few miles southeast of here, just where the glades meet the foothills. It’s called Exag. I used to enjoy visiting the dreams of the miserable wretches that live there, but recently I’ve begun to lose contact with them. You go down there and figure out why they’re no longer in the Dreamscape, and I’ll tell you where I sent your bouncing baby boy.” She contemplates for a second then adds. “Another roll in the sack wouldn’t go amiss, neither.”

"This sounds like a fair trade. Come, Oliver, let us go to this Exag and see what transpires there. It will also serve to introduce you to your new enemies."

"Gornalunga, do you know of any graveyards nearby?"

“Horrorborne and essense of madness?" Oliver says to himself, "And the sandman could pick them out." Oliver looks to Gornalunga, "No idea how he picked them out? Was it visual, by smell maybe? Reaction to an herb or a metal like a were creature maybe?"

Gornalunga looks down at the gnome. “Variss said they had some sort of mark on their foreheads that was naturally invisible. That’s all I know. We didn’t chat about it much.”

"I am quite certain that the Horrorborne do not smell," Gerrod comments. "I have met a few of them..." he continues by way of explanation.

>"You should care too, curly,” she pokes Gerrod in the chest, “you’re
>the real father. You killed Variss’ rug-rat at birth, and damn near
>killed me as well. I needed a replacement quick, and you were as handy
>as any. Variss thought the kid was his, even had his Prophetic
>Visions. Bull-hockey! I almost wish someone would bring him back to
>life just so I could see his face when he found out.”

For the first time in his life Gerrod is completely, absolutely stunned and speechless. "I...uh...mine?? But...but the Visions of Variss? He..."

The mage shakes his head, recovering slightly. "This is information of significance. It gives me hope for the future, as karlo believed his visions and were they true I feared his death would be the doom of us all." He clears this throat and continues. "I now have a further reason to find the boy."

Abruptly, Gerrod notices Oliver from the corner of his eye. His eyes glow an almost frantic purple as he turns to the gnome. "I had forgotten your presence, and would have preferred if you were not aware of this news. Know now that you have become one of us and you will be hunted by our enemies who seek this information. They will stalk you during your every waking hour...and especially in your depths of sleep. Do not give up the boy, or our world may fall. Just remember...if you reveal this secret, you will have to deal with sweet Gornalunga at night rather than the Drowned One."

OOC: I don't see the board for Gerrod and Oliver yet, but I have some time now so I'm responding. :)

OOC2: Hey! Your quote gets truncated in my response if it's too long!

Oliver and Gerrod

> Variss didn’t want me to tell anyone who I gave the kid to, he was >clear on that. Why should I break my word to him?”

"First of all, it does appear that Variss is quite dead. Your promises to him are now irrelevant...unless you're acquiring some paladinic tendencies. Second, with him gone, you may need assistance with the child and we are willing to do so if it furthers our ends. Finally, we have the same opponent here and should work together rahter than separately. It is clear that you see some potential in the child or you would not care who raises him."

"In any case, could you tell us more about the child? Is she human? What is his age? Who is the mother? Is she human or one that would give him special abilities?"

>“All right Chrome Dome, if there’s anything I know, it’s the
>Dreamscape. This Sleeping God normally has some presence in the
>Darkscape, but he’s been pushing into the Dreamscape lately, and
>muscling in on my turf. Tell you the truth, it’s starting to piss me
>off. There are folks out there getting messages in dreams, and going
>nuts. They dream of the Darkscape, and then they are cut off from me.
>I count on being able to get at folks through their dreams, and this
>Sleeping God is messing everything up. Once they connect with the
>Darkscape, they’re lost to me, and their actions become a mystery.

"I do not know enough about the Dreamscape and Darkscape, but I do know that the Sleeping God is different from normal creatures of darkness. You may have to go far indeed to be protected from him.

>I don’t know what a horrorborne is, but Variss could pick them out
>somehow, and he was collecting their essence to sell in Revin
>City. “Essence of Madness” he called it. I think it’s because all the >horrorborne are loony, and their essence is special.”

"Looney, eh? I have some friends who have been called Horrorborne, and they do not seem mad to me." He looks over towards the gnome riding the dog. "I have also seen this essence and it strikes me as particularly dangerous, though I am unaware of it's composition."

Ok...let me know if this is working. I couldn't figure out the whole "RSS Feed" thing, and don't even know what it means. So I hope it doesn't matter.

Q: Is there any way to keep the "Revinia" sections at the top of the messageboard list when you log in?

Heh. I haven't used a message board since the days of Doom I. I remember leaving my computer on overnight to download it at 4800 baud.