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"Gorum is disappointed in that one. He will not fight." Moneta directs her bladehawk to the fleeing one. "I wish to read his future. Bring me his entrails." (If I am within range to do so - I am having trouble identifying targets on your map, I will attempt to do a Single Target Intimidate after moving closer to the one fleeing, to get him to stop.)
Moneta will dismount and take Sadie's bridle in hand. (Move action) She'll gesture with her free hand, and a glittering bird of razorblades and wire manifests itself in the air 25' away from her, towards the wagon. "Kill any Gnolls in the wagon!" And it takes off. Summon Bladehawk (Standard action) Bladehawk moves 60' towards the wagon; I don't know if it will make it there with anything to attack with.
What are we waiting on to move this one forward?
Ride check Moneta manages to get a firm grip on the reins and reaches an understanding with Sadie, moving in roughly the right direction. 100' double move closer to the wagon. This gets her about 40' from Karg if I'm reading the maps right.
Ride Check Moneta spends the entire round riding after the wagon.
Moneta will sweep her arm down and around, as though throwing a bone. Her voice rings like a cascade of bells, the chime of blades rung in battle, the choir of Our Lord in Iron. Ride check to control Sadie; this isn't enough to get Moneta thrown, but it's reasonable to have the GM put Sadie and Moneta at his whim (plus, I really can't read the map well enough to be able to try and position on it.) Concentration, DC 10 to use Summon Monster SLA from horseback. A shimmering nimbus of distortion ripples through the air, taking form as a vaguely dog-shaped manifestation of steel and razor wire, surrounding a roiling ripple of seething chaos that burns as chill as the northern lights. The knifehound manifests next to the Gnoll on top of the wagon, attacking it and trying to throw it forward off the wagon, the better to be rolled over and crushed by the wheels. to hit - Gnoll (?) in the wagon.
The bite does grievous damage to the Gnoll, the otherworldly mastiff's steel-and-heat distortion mouth glistening with gnoll blood, and its dead eyes ablaze with an otherworldly lust for more...but the gnoll keeps its balance by grabbing at the back of the rail behind Priggle rather than be bowled off the wagon. There's now a skeletal, and not-quite-all-in-this-reality dog menacing the gnoll. It will try to interpose itself between the Gnoll and Priggle if possible, or the Gnoll and Evan if not. Move action: Where Moneta manages to guide Sadie, I leave up to the whim of the GM, since I didn't beat a ride DC of 20. Make it less than perfect position, and entertaining, Black Fang.
Moneta will spur her horse forward a bit (30' straight south on horseback to ride where the wagon can conceal her). "Gorum only asks one question: WILL WE FIGHT?" She holds her left hand high overhead, calling down the auspices of her deity. Concentration check - DC 10. Casting 'bless' if this succeeds. This should get everyone BUT Karg, who's a little too far forward.
Moneta Combat Stats:: AC 15/11/14, 13/-13 HP Spells Used: S1: 0/2 O1: 1/4
"Gentlemen, please don't be alarmed by what's about to happen." Moneta moves as far back under the covering of the wagon as she can, loosens the shoulders of her gown and stretches her arms and legs, undergoing the transformation described here.
"Right. It wouldn't be kind to Sadist here to grow all the cutlery while I was riding her." She rides on ahead, dismounts, hands the reins over and swaps places with Niko.
Moneta rides up to consult with people, keeping the Message spell on Karg, nodding to Schmitty to relay to Priggle. "Ambush or charge?"
Moneta, as it happens, was the one eating trail dust when this occured -she's behind the wagon while the other two riders are taking a break from getting dirt in the face. She will gesture stiffly with one hand, touching her lips for a moment, then hold a small piece of copper wire before her eyes, and then touching her ear. She'll make contact with Schmitty first, then Karg, then Priggle, then Niko, then Evan. the spell a few times to communicate with each person in turn.
"There's a large group trying to hide from us. I can't make out what they are, but I'm assuming they're hostile - they don't know if we've spotted them yet, I don't think. They're a fair distance off. Concentration (DC10) to use Message to talk to Schmitty. If you can cast this spell, please do so so that we can coordinate an ambush if they strike.
"Not bad. How far do we intend to go today?" Knowledge (arcana)
Moneta transforms back as Niko suggests, and curls up in her cloak, using her chain shirt, turned padding side out, as her pillow.
It gives an exaggerated nod. "I still have enough traces of...who I was before the Wastes...to worry about rejection when I manifest. I did not want to risk it with...too large of a group." And with that, it, she...something...lopes off to do a perimeter run with a gliding, skating gait.
It doesn't move like Moneta. It's somewhat more...fluid. More birdlike. It turns its head a little further than a human would. If you think about that too much, your neck hurts a little in sympathy... "When the Lord in Iron is within me, I am still present; this is but a small amount of His essence. Pain borne in His service is a sacrament. But not one that is easily...accepted by others." Again, her voice is nothing human - a cascade of tinkling bells, or the clamor and clangor of battle off in the distance. "I see with His eyes when His Aspect is upon me."
Moneta's skeleton seems to be growing, her skin stretching in a peculiar distortion, her skull...elongating. A crown of spikes that glint like steel rises from her scalp, her hair flowing around them...and she stretches to her full height, more than seven feet tall. She's taller than Karg is, but goes beyond lean to looking like a thin layer of skin over a skeleton that's far too large, her flesh sort of half-heartedly stretched over bones, and her clothes held on more like the fabric of a kite on a frame. She...it...whatever it is...bends at the knees. The shoulders, free from the gown, widen - the wrists come down to its ankles. When the head turns to face Niko, its eyes glint like stars reflected at the bottom of the well. Her voice is softly metallic, the chime of bells, the ring of steel on steel. "The Wastes took my life. Our Lord in Iron gave it back to me. But not without...an obligation." And with that, blades slice outwards from her elongated bones, through her skin, turning her hands and arms into a forest of razors.
"I'm not really a source of a good answer - he's never betrayed me, but...I owe him a marker. I've never been stiffed by him for pay, but he's a sharp dealer. To the best of my knowledge, he's never double dealt. That could mean he's good enough he never got caught, or has enough self preservation not to try it." She shrugs. "We've taken his coin, he'll stick by that, I think." She stands, and steps farther away from the fire, taking off her cloak. Shakes out her hair. Appears to be unlacing the back of her gown, and shaking her shoulders out. She's shivering. "Wastes change a person. Some more than others." And with that, she stretches. "Want to take a look around the perimeter. This might be a bit alarming." And with that, a strange sigil on her forehead starts to glow with a ruddy light, and steam starts to rise from her skin.
"Chummy? More like...I owe him. Sort of." She looks over the northern horizon, taking a moment to stand up and adjust her cloak. "I got taken out here to...make someone do something they didn't right want to do. Escaped, and ran off into the Wastes, almost got skinned alive by a sandstorm." She pauses for a moment, peering deeper into the dark. "Was one of his salvage teams that I stumbled across after...what happened...and got me back to Quantium. Since then, I've owed him, and he keeps reminding me of the debt to get me to do some work for him." "You don't volunteer much. What should I call you?"
The wastes get cold at night, and even after the fires coals have been banked, Moneta is still huddling close enough to it that it shows she's chilled to the bone. Her cloak is shapeless and gray and a little large for her, and she routinely keeps her back to it, taking her turns scanning the horizon to the extent her eyes will go as dusk shades to night. The man with the scuffed banded mail and the greatsword - who volunteered to share a watch with her, and hasn't actually given his name - paces a little farther from the fire, not as tethered by the need for warmth as as she. Evan Markhale, whom she'd had a few polite words with while running outrider during the trip out, is sitting a fair distance from the fire, carefully measuring powders and alchemical components with a scale and a small paring knife. Moneta periodically casts light on the decoration at the front of his hat, so he can see what he's doing, tinting it red to minimize its effect on night vision. The light highlights his face oddly, and the blue of his shirt, and the nearly silvery gray of his vest; it's nicely tailored and is flattering to him. The rest of the party is in their bedrolls, some snoring, some not. Not wanting to disturb the man measuring things she's pretty sure are explosive or caustic, Moneta turns to her watchmate. "Been in the Wastes before?"
"I'll take first watch, after supper." And with that, she takes what care of her horse as she's heard of; she's also a little stiff from a day in the saddle, and it shows. When supper is cooked, she sits closer to the fire than most do - the deserts get cold.
"Understood, Priggle - didn't figure they were threats, but figured two riders could drift back, watch and catch up fairly easily. If you don't think it's necessary, it's not necessary."
"I'd rather talk to them first. Maybe, as Karg believes, I can talk them to death. I'd rather not damage the road we have to return on when we've got only fifteen days of food."
Moneta will, when it's her turn to switch out from the wagon to horseback, suggest that Evan mount up as well. She'll say to the rest: "There's a dust trail a good hour or so behind us. I spotted a team of horses and two wagons with outriders. We'll see if they're heading on the same course we are, or stick to the stage coach road." "If they don't break course for parts hither, it might be worth saying 'hello' just to avoid misunderstandings."
Moneta will look at the wagon, will look at the 'loaner' horses, and shake her head. Her plan of riding in the wagon seems to have vanished at seeing Niko and Evan climb in. She watches as Markhale starts measuring out ingredients...the wagon hits a cobblestone and powder spills in his lap. "It's only going to get worse when we're off these roads and in the badlands." she says. "Recommend you save the fiddly stuff until we're in camp. With only two horses pulling, we're not going to cover much over 24-30 miles per day, so there'll be downtime.
Moneta will arrive leading a light riding horse with saddle and bridle and reins; it's still getting used to her. "Had to sell off some old clothing for this." She takes a moment to go through, with Priggle, the status of stores and how many water casks. (She now has about 7 GP of clothing at her apartments, rather than 10.) She will, given the opportunity, ride in the wagon as much as possible, while her horse is tethered and lead.
"I'll be riding on whatever horse Dachs rents for me. Other than that, normal provisioning rules pertain - he says it's 7 days out - which means we probably want eighteen days of food to have some time to deal with delays without having to eat the horses."
Moneta will check out where to meet up with the wagons, head back to her apartment, and pick up the rest of her adventuring kit. She'll also swing by a potion merchant and pick up a potion of shield of faith. She'll have 83 GP in spending cash and will be willing to help others reach goals and such.
"Not all castings have...bad outcomes. If you focus tightly and ignore the distractions, you can get past some of it." She turns to Karg. "Our Lord in Iron speaks through me as well." She smiles, showing her semi-metallic teeth. "Battle is worship. All who will fight are His."
Karg's slap on Moneta's shoulder barely moves moves her at all...it's like her body is much denser than expected. Karg does feel the protective chain shirt she's wearing... "No harm done. The Wastes are unkind to the ill prepared."
"I'll want to get a few things settled, but they'll only take a few hours. Where do we meet your man? And for a week out and back, there's only a day of food for contingencies." "Can anyone here create water? If so, it'll be handy, as we can fill up the casks any time we find a place where magic works, rather than having to route through springs." She stands; she seems heavier in doing so than her frame would indicate, and steps up to take Dach's gold. "I trust your man knows what you're looking to salvage? Do make sure he's competent enough to stay alive. It would be unfortunate if we went to all this trouble, and didn't recover whatever it is you're being so secretive about."
"Dachs, you know you're going to want to have two men you trust working that wagon - they'll need to take shifts. This fellow..." she nods at Evan, whom she's not been introduced to yet, "makes some sound points. You want something from this, and want it on the cheap - sending us out underequipped is going to be worse than not sending anyone at all." Diplomacy (aid another) on Evan's roll.
"Can't speak for the others - but I'm willing to act as a guide and local expert as needed. You got any connections we can use for renting horses - or anyone who's business you've got a stake in, so that what we rent comes back to you a little bit?" She has noted the non-response on what to do with any survivors found, and will wait to see anyone else comments.
"Got a map of the area? How far out? How many days travel, and how big is the salvage? With the exception of the short fellow there, I doubt any of us are exactly teamsters..." She pauses, thinks about the costs in horses and wagons. "Given what you're paying..." she shrugs... "If you're not providing mounts and drayage, whatever it is you want salvaged can't be...that large." "How long ago did this happen? If we find survivors, who should we turn them over to? You, their creditors, the city watch, or whatever temple will promise to heal them and take payment later?" She turns in the chair - it's not so much a stiffness as a mechanical motion, and looks towards Niko, with his obvious scarring, nods politely. Smiles, almost as an afterthought. Yes, those teeth are...metallic...under the enamel. She glances at Karg for a long moment, and continues. "While I've been in the wastes...it wasn't exactly by my choice - and I...had some help getting out of there. I've got some knowledge of the place and how to survive there." Without any explanations of it, she says "Someone else will need to hold the compass." GM Black Fang - Assorted Knowledge Rolls: Knowledge (arcana) Knowledge (planes) Survival Use these if you need a check before I post again, or if the story suits. These will represent what Moneta knows about the wastes.
Moneta moves with a deliberate caution - more like she expects things to break if she's not gentle with them, and settles into the chair. It creaks a tiny bit under her. She's dressed in loose fitting trousers and a half-wrap-around shirt, with a gray cloak. She's got the latter bundled about her, though in response to general normsy, has the hood back and her face and hair showing. Her face seems a little...unnaturally stiff. Her hair is a lustrous brown with some bronze highlights in it, and a few strands of what looks more metallic still. She turns her eyes towards Dachs, and narrows a little bit. "I suppose that's...one way to describe what happened." Her teeth seem faintly metallic when she speaks. "What're you talking these folks into, Dachs?"
Some appearance notes added to Moneta's profile. -1 ACP applied to relevant skills.
Profile is up. Moneta's summoned creatures always look like animated wire and metal sculptures.
Moneta takes her letter and grimaces. The Golden Badger. If I weren't worried about rent in two months, I'd tell him where to shove that bar, sideways... She does take the usual precautions - she's got her chain shirt on under her cloak, with a loose fitting tunic over it. She's made sure her face isn't too stiff by massaging it until the muscles work again; her transformation doesn't always leave it entirely under her control. Her spear is in hand, and her assorted job sundries are about her person. |
