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"I'd agree that the eluf leader is out of his senses. Whether we're going to scout or negotiate, we need to get a bit closer. The power of flight he granted us will not last long, and I'd like to have it available for our retreat if we need it. Let's approach the city and see if we are welcomed or attacked, and respond accordingly." With this, Zellyser begins flying at top speed toward Arl, his weapons sheathed.
"Finally, you people speak of gods I have heard of! Though I have never heard mention of Calistria's toe-rings, I have heard many other things about her indeed. But that is a tale for another time..." Looking up at the wall of the plateau rising before them, Zellyser says to Variel, "The eluf maiden is right, general. We should take a look and see what lies before us. That is what I am trained to do. Use your magic to let me fly up, and I'll scout around a bit. Elkay, Valai, wee one? Any of you want to join me? How about you, goat?"
Zellyser looks down at the shoulder where he was poked, then raises his eyes to look at Valai, a puzzled look on his face. "That is what I said, "Eluf". I do not hear a difference in the way we are pronouncing the word, Mistress Eluf."
Zellyser smiles a somewhat creaky, scaley smile and says, "I fear the small, enthusiastic one is right. We carry on, and hope to make it through. Without Variel, we have no way of returning to the ship. I guess you said it best, Elkay - we have only our welfare to look towards. And at the moment, our welfare is dependent on the mad eluf who leads this little army."
"This is indeed a tricky situation," Zellyser says quietly to his friends. "I have no wish to take part in an invasion that I know nothing about - except that we seem to have been tricked into it. But Variel is our way back to where we came from, and where we left the ship, so we may not want to endanger our relationship with him, as seriously flawed as it is. In other words, we may be stuck with this nut."
Zellyser leans close to to the elf wizard and responds quietly, "I agree, Valai, it is peculiar. It is possible that the giants are marshalling their troops wherever we are headed, and Variel means to take them by surprise. But a forced march across a dusty plain is a poor way to do that, for our troops will be tired, and the 'enemy' will surely spot a cloud of dust rising into the sky. I have to say, though, this does not feel like a defensive tactic either. The eluf commander may be a liar, a fool, or both." Pausing for a moment, Zellyser studies the troops around them, then continues, "And I have never seen soldiers fighting to defend their home need to be ensorceled to maintain calm and discipline. We must watch our allies as closely as our enemies today."
Just wanted to let everyone know that this weekend I will be leaving to go here for work. I will be gone 2-3 weeks, and my internet connection will be very spotty indeed, and I’ll be on a very different time zone as well. I will post when I’m able, but if I’m holding things up, feel free to bot me as needed.
@Celia - I just noticed we both did the same thing. Leveled up lots of stuff, forgot the change the description that appears with every post, saying what level we are.
go 2hf then! =D we can flank with each other! Done. Sounds like fun.
Do all of us level up? I expect the answer is yes, for simplicity's sake, but just want to confirm before Zell gets even awesomer. Edit: Should Zell go with 2H fighting or archery combat style? Totally specialize in that melee badness, or go the tried and true switch hitter? Leaning 2HF, as I've never done that with a ranger - but the feats are a bit meh. But Cleave and 3d6+7 damage could clear a room pretty quick, and Great Cleave would clear a battlefield pretty nicely. Opinions? Advice? Guesses?
Zellyser's face undergoes a strange contortion, his red, patchy scales rippling as his mouth widens, and a peculiar noise, half-strangling and half-clucking, comes from his mouth. Though it is hard to see warmth in his snake-like eyes, his companions soon realize that he is laughing, for the first time since he emerged from the stasis pod. He turns to Valai and, looking down upon the top of her head and continuing to chuckle, says "Miz eluf, you tempt me so. I would greatly like to see you kick my rump even half so far. But I have no wish to die today, after sleeping for centuries." Beginning to turn away, Zellyser pauses, as if a thought has just occurred to him, and adds, "Speaking of centuries, it has just crossed my mind, I am a good deal older than you, am I not, eluf? Your kind live for hundreds of years, but I have been alive some 2600 years! Worry not, youngling, I will keep you safe." Turning serious once again and addressing all of his companions, he then says "One thing, before we pass through the portal. I have not fought these Shobhads before, but I have always made my living finding the weaknesses of foes and providing that information to those who fight by my side. Stay close as we first encounter them, and I will tell you what I can see that we can use against them."
"Well thanks, Keth. I think." Turning back to Variel, he asks "Any particular weaknesses we should know about? Susceptibility to strong drink, or a paralyzing fear of goats?"
Zellyser looks at the elven leader and says "These zuits work for us like your air crystals - somehow. And yez, I do have a question. How will we know the enemy? How do we tell them apart from you, our newfound allies? Are they all 'four-armed bastards,' as you said? That will help us tell them apart, but it doesn't sound like it'll make them easier to fight." Turning and seeing Celia standing behind him, he adds quietly, "I do hate not knowing a thing about my enemy. Who wasn't my enemy a moment ago. Ah well, you just stay behind me and keep an eye out and we'll get through just fine."
Good to know about Keth. Now that you mention it, I recall something about his being a floating orb. But the Wheatley reference is perfect, now it'll stick.
Zellyser hands his sword to Keth to hold for a moment. He climbs into his suit and closes the seals. Accepting the sword back from Kethans, Zellyser experiments a moment with placing it in the strangely large pocket, before turning to the elf leader and saying calmly "I am ready."
I say we go for it. At the risk of metagaming, I'd like to think Mr. Donato didn't set this up so he could trap us away from the ship and our friends there. Plus, we're adventurers, right?
"Well, I only understand a little of what's going on, but I have generally known elves to be decent folk - if a bit full of themselves. And I haven't gotten to fight anyone in over 2000 years." Zellyser turns to LK-X85A, and says "I'm guessing you're not going to need any of these air crystal things Valai described, but if I'm going to fight whatever's through that portal, I'd better grab some." Holding his sword in one hand and laying the great blade on his shoulder, he extends his other hand to Variel and says in Common, "Give me some of your crystals, and I'll join your fight. Though I have to say I'm used to better pay than just being allowed to keep breathing. Then again, some days that's all you can hope or wish for."
"Elkay, are you asking them them what they are preparing to fight? What is about to come through that portal? Or are they about to step through it themselves?" Zellyser grips his sword tightly, unsure what is going on.
Zellyser looks around at the silent city. He says "I like this not," and draws his sword over his shoulder.
Remember, Thursday and Friday is when Donato is off, so less likely to post. And I'm going to be busy this weekend and then uh, busy, I guess (if skiing is busy) on Monday and Tuesday, so posting will be intermittent at best.
"Well, I would welcome zomething to look at other than the inzide of thiz ship, and it zounds like the little one likes what she zees out there." Zellyser removes his suit and leaves it inside the ship. He steps through the door, eyes scanning all around him and hands ready to draw a weapon.
"I'll zay it waz, Valai. Two thouzand years and more I slept on that ship, and the day I get off it, it gets eaten by a dragon that zwims between the ztars. I don't believe I haf zaid it yet - thank you all for awakening me." After the rough landing, Zellyser asks Valai, "why were you so upzet to learn that we were landing on Castrovel? Hisn't any world better than being up there in space with that monzter around? What iz so bad about thiz place?"
Zellyser tries not to struggle as he is put into the suit and belted into the strange chair, but having only just been released from two millenia of inactivity, he finds his body wants to move. He resists Kethans' efforts to get him contained at first, though Zellyser knows he means well - he just can't help it. Finally, accepting the inevitable and distracted by the gnome who appears to be fluent in Goatese, Zellyser takes his seat and consents to being buckled in. Even so, he can't help wiggling and looking about for the Ship Eater, and his fingers twitch and reach for his sword every few minutes.
Zellyser continues to be amazed by all the strange things that occur and appear around him. Distracted by all this, it takes him a moment to realize it, but once the meal is served, it occurs to him he has not eaten in over two thousand years, and he is insatiably hungry. He eats far more than his share, but cannot help himself. Once sated, he sits back contentedly and lazily, looking not unlike a bizarre serpent that has just eaten a number of small beasts. He and the other members of this odd crew talk further about their backgrounds and how this place works, and he begins to accept his new surroundings. He also pays careful attention to how the others pronounce their words in Taldan, and works to adjust his own pronunciation to better match theirs, so they can understand each other more easily. Hearing LK-X85’s description of what he has seen out the windows, Zellyser asks in an alarmed tone, ”The size of a city?” He rushes over to the window and looks out, but seeing nothing continues with his questions, ” Hwhat zort of mammal? What waz it doing? Where did it go? The size of a city? Really?”
Sorry to hear it, hope you're feeling better...
Zellyser looks down on the tiny acolyte of The Accidental God and a smile crosses his face, though it is a somewhat frightening smile, as his snake-like eyes convey no warmth and the rise of the left side of his mouth causes a patch of red scales on his cheek to ripple slightly. "Zell-ih-sir, little whun, iz how my name iz said. I ham glad to zee a being I recognize, even iff yoor god iz unknown to me," he tells her, in a deep, but surprisingly gentle, voice. Turning to look at the others in the room, he says, "It hwill tayk zum time to make sense uf hall this. Elkay iz not an armirred man, but a metal man, made to talk. Valai iz an eluf, returned to Golayrion zince I knew that land, long yearz ago it seems somehow. Hand why haff yoo named the orb hand the goat? Does either answer hwen called?"
Zellyser stands in stunned silence after the elf tells him he has been somehow been in…storage…for thousands of years. And that, somehow, Taldor has fallen from greatness, eclipsed by something called Cheliax? Isn’t that what the land beyond Taldor’s western border is sometimes called? he thinks. It’s a wilderness, how can it be greater than the empire? How can I begin to make sense of this? Shaking his head, he understands that the elf is speaking to the strangely armored man as if he too has newly arrived. Before the man responds, a small person and a goat come rushing into the room, and Zellyser thinks to himself Ah, a gnome and a goat. At least these are not creatures out of legend and fantasy, like this ‘elf’. On hearing the introductions, Zellyser says, ”Az I haf said, my naym iz Zellyser, eluf. But yoor introwductions confooze me. This being naym’d Elkay Exaytifive - he iz not halive? And forgiff me, high priestess, but thear iz no god by that naym.”
The scale-skinned man looks at Valai in amazement, and some amusement, and says ”Yew har an ‘elf,’ yew say? Yew can herdly say tha wurd – eluf. And tha elufs harn’t extinct, thay left. I sippose yew’r from Kyonin, eh? Whull, I’fe bean threw Kyonin, fought thear. Thear har no elufs thear.” He pauses, then continues ”Az to me, my naym iz Zellyser. I ham a scowt and guide foor tha Fifth Harmy uf Exploracion, uf tha Hempire uf Taldor. I…it iz comming back…I was ahn patrol, in a swamp, hunder attack, and wounded,” he puts a massive hand to his right side, brushing his fingers against it and inspecting them as if he expects them to come away bloody, amazed that he is unharmed. ”Badly wounded, and running foor mine life. That iz awl I remimbur, until awaking up hear.”
Hey y'all - just wanted to let you know I won't keep up the odd, phonetic spelling of Zellyser's speech forever. Just trying to convey the strangeness of how his Taldan sounds, but he'll adapt to the way the rest of you speak pretty soon.
The snake-man-thing stands upright, fully recovered now, towering over Valai by nearly a foot, his eyes flicking from her to the android, then watching the goat run out of the chamber. His attention returns to Valai, and his eyes appear to widen once again in surprise, and he says ”Wut har yew? Yew luhk like un eluf wud luhk, buht the elufs haf bin gawn foor thowzinds uf yares.” Turning his eyes to LK-X85, he says ”And yew, arrmirred whun? Wut mannir uf creechur har yew?” Finally, he looks back at the stasis chamber he emerged from and says ”I do naht no how I kaym to be thear, mine memuhree is clowdy. I hoap it wyll return.”
As the liquid drains away from the interior of the stasis chamber, a truly bizarre form is revealed, just as odd in its own way as the metallic creature that stepped out of the first chamber. It appears to be some sort of cross between a human man and a giant serpent, with the addition of something…inexplicable. It is quite tall and slender, with two arms and two legs, and a human-looking head and face – all fairly normal, though the facial features are quite sharp and the head is devoid of hair, covered only in skin. Except its skin is a strange patchwork of sun-bronzed human skin and what appear to be hard scales, reddish-orange in color, with black mottling scattered about. As peculiar as all this is, the most unusual visible feature of this being is his arms - they are very long, and hugely muscled, with enormous hands - too large for his body by far. And a quick glance at the hands shows they are rather different from each other – one has but 4 fingers, and the other 6 or possibly 7. As the door of the stasis chamber slides open, the thing slowly opens his eyes, revealing orbs of a dappled yellowish-green with black pupils and no whites. He stares blankly for a moment, then blinks, and when he opens his eyes this time the pupils run vertically, like a serpent’s, then return to their more human appearance with another blink. Abruptly, his eyes widen greatly, as if in surprise, and he takes a sudden, deep breath before coughing violently and stumbling forward out of the stasis chamber. His hands cast about blindly for a moment and then connect with the edge of one of the Mechanic’s work tables, which he uses to recover his balance, his head hanging down and his breath coming in ragged gasps. As he pauses to recover, one can see that he is clearly a man of war, though a strange one, and one dripping with the liquids of the stasis chamber. Across his back he wears a truly massive sword, next to an equally giant bow and quiver of arrows. A huge, battered flail hangs on his right hip, and a brace of daggers on his left. He wears a simple chain shirt over a worn black leather tunic, and faded brown leather pants and boots. This mundane clothing looks peculiar indeed next to the long, slender tail, bright green in color, that snakes out from behind him. His breathing quiets and he stands still for a moment, appearing to return to himself. Still holding to the table for stability, he raises his head and looks around, then speaks. ”Uwerr hem I? Uwatt iz diz plaize?” he says, in a language that sounds vaguely like Taldan. ”Uhu har u peeble?” |
