The gnome sets the portable hole down on the floor, twists a ring on one finger to activate some sort of telekinetic effect, and slowly remotely raises an item out of the portable hole.
Arielle watches with fascinated dread.
"Explain your intent before proceeding further."The gnome sets the portable hole down on the floor, twists a ring on one finger to activate some sort of telekinetic effect, and slowly remotely raises an item out of the portable hole.
Readying action to hurt the gnome's feelings...
The item is a piece of twisted flesh and metal, a living artifact, shaped in the fashion of an unholy symbol of Lamashtu. It is about two feet long, drips mucus, and little tendrils scrabble at the air around its edges.
Somewhere in the depths, a star is tangled, one with the flow of unholy power which drives the artifact.
The stone beneath/around the portable hole starts losing substance
The stone beneath/around the portable hole starts losing substance
Sidestep if necessary, waiting for a reason...
Arielle looks really angry. There is a low rumble of thunder.
"That isn't something to make light of. And I want the rest of the pieces back, too."
The item is a piece of twisted flesh and metal, a living artifact, shaped in the fashion of an unholy symbol of Lamashtu. It is about two feet long, drips mucus, and little tendrils scrabble at the air around its edges.
Somewhere in the depths, a star is tangled, one with the flow of unholy power which drives the artifact.
Any reasonable means of smashing an artifact will dismantle it. (Although any followers of Lamashtu who eventually hear about it might be unhappy).
Allura pulls a shirt out of her pack and positions it just underneath the artifact so that she can safely catch it when it falls.
The living artifact thumps onto the shirt, and immediately starts scrabbling across it, heading for the nearest person.
Allura folds the shirt over trying to keep the thing from touching her.
"Quick, the portable hole," she says, panicked.
The air elemental grabs the hole and quickly brings it over to Allura, who drops the artifact into it.
The punch simply seems to send the kobold into a frenzy, and he comes at Little Kiba in a berserk frenzy, hacking and slashing with the axe.
Meanwhile, the man with the knives has circled around so that Little Kiba and the kobold are between him and the giant, an unpleasant smile on his face.
The giant seems to have decided that its best chance of hitting something is to send a boulder at the 'group' (basically a bigger target to hit), and sends a boulder hurtling through the air, whilst readying the next.
The man with the knives readies a couple of knives whose blades gleam silver and whose edges are coated with something sickly green.
Meanwhile the armoured half-fiend with the glaive stands alone and ignored.
Lk's ears pick up something big flying toward him, and jumps back farther than needed to avoid the kobold's swing. He looks away as the he finds the kobold's ears were not nearly as good as his own. That glance away is enough to allow him to barely turn away a sickly green and silver knife with his axe. (Oh dragon dirt! Poisons are bad enough but this guy's got silver! I need to change my style if I'm going to get the shiny.) Dropping his axe, Lk chrouches and lets his lycanthropy lend its strength. Suddenly he sees it, the day he entered the rank of Hunter. He had to defeat older members of the pack and his weapon had proved to be only a handicap. Flexing his hands, he lets his claws pierce the gloves he wears. Still crouched, Lk leaps at the man with knives, using primal hunting tactics passed down through his blood to try and bring the knifer down.
The air elemental grabs the hole and quickly brings it over to Allura, who drops the artifact into it.
From inside the portable hole, the living artifact can be heard scrabbling around, attempting to get out of the shirt. It makes an attempt to mentally dominate the bearer of the hole, but as a practitioner of the art of psionics, Allura is easily able to resist these efforts.
JH can feel LJ's presence through the Green. She is full of an emotion that isn't particularly common for her, which is pure rage.
"Get that *thing* away from Arielle as quickly as possible. It is damaging to her to be near it. It should be taken to the Sanctum. Sunny Godhead will be able to break it. Tell him to subject the star to a strong Hallow effect after it is extracted. I don't want any of those energies still lingering on it when it is given to Arielle."
JH can feel LJ's presence through the Green. She is full of an emotion that isn't particularly common for her, which is pure rage.
"Get that *thing* away from Arielle as quickly as possible. It is damaging to her to be near it. It should be taken to the Sanctum. Sunny Godhead will be able to break it. Tell him to subject the star to a strong Hallow effect after it is extracted. I don't want any of those energies still lingering on it when it is given to Arielle."
JH passes this info on and gets Arielle away from the portable hole. The gnome's master just made an enemy of a reborn Earth Champion.
Still clutching the portable hole:
"This thing keeps trying to take control of my mind. I don't have a problem keeping myself free of its influence, but some of the rest of you might. I should take this to the Sanctum."
JH passes this info on and gets Arielle away from the portable hole. The gnome's master just made an enemy of a reborn Earth Champion.
Arielle is crying as he leads her away.
Arielle is crying as he leads her away.
JH passes this info on and gets Arielle away from the portable hole. The gnome's master just made an enemy of a reborn Earth Champion.
JH tries to comfort Arielle as best he can, but without the barriers in his mind his rage is barely containable.
Stepping forth from a mid-air portal, the war-merchant proceeds to his shop. Eager to "drop" its supernatural wards, he motions his hands and the bound spirits protecting the shop and its contents part. His zombie servants labor mindlessly carrying an iron-bound chest. As he proceeds up the short stairs, they follow him slowly as he motions the door to open. Once he enters, his wicked laughter can be heard from its interior.
Once the zombies enter the shop, the door closes shut once more.
Are you leaving the arena, or just taking awalk here in the stands to attempt to clear your minds? one of the nymphs assigned to Arielle inquires of Arielle and Jack Hammer.
Are you leaving the arena, or just taking awalk here in the stands to attempt to clear your minds? one of the nymphs assigned to Arielle inquires of Arielle and Jack Hammer.
"We can't leave," Arielle sobs. "There's still a shiny here. We can't leave without it."
Are you leaving the arena, or just taking awalk here in the stands to attempt to clear your minds? one of the nymphs assigned to Arielle inquires of Arielle and Jack Hammer.
JH turns at the question. The green and grey in his eyes replaced by the fiery glow of lava.
"We're leaving. We'll deal with this sideshow once the perversion, and those that delight in such things, have learned that some genies are better left in the bottle."
"We can't leave," Arielle sobs. "There's still a shiny here. We can't leave without it."Are you leaving the arena, or just taking awalk here in the stands to attempt to clear your minds? one of the nymphs assigned to Arielle inquires of Arielle and Jack Hammer.
JH staggers, struggling to hold it together in front of Arielle.
"I...I can't stay..."
Allura and Devlyn head for the omniportal and the Sanctum at best speed.
"We can't leave," Arielle sobs. "There's still a shiny here. We can't leave without it."Are you leaving the arena, or just taking awalk here in the stands to attempt to clear your minds? one of the nymphs assigned to Arielle inquires of Arielle and Jack Hammer.
JH staggers, struggling to hold it together in front of Arielle.
"I...I can't stay..."
"I will stay, little one. I will watch and see who gains the star and make sure to acquire it from them. Go with your father."
Understand that we are only assigned as protection here within the arena. We will escort Arielle to the exit, but under our current orders once you are outside, you leave us behind.
One of the nymphs says slightly apologetically.
Understand that we are only assigned as protection here within the arena. We will escort Arielle to the exit, but under our current orders once you are outside, you leave us behind.
One of the nymphs says slightly apologetically.
"Protection? The only protection anyone in this place has is if I leave."
Understand that we are only assigned as protection here within the arena. We will escort Arielle to the exit, but under our current orders once you are outside, you leave us behind.
One of the nymphs says slightly apologetically.
"Thank your mistress for her help. The Earth Champion is right. He should go, and the girl needs to stay with him."
"Arielle, I can fly again but it's different than how your Grandpa does. We can 'fly' thru the earth together, like your mom and I sometimes do. Wanna see?"
to the nymphs "Thank you for your help."
"Arielle, I can fly again but it's different than how your Grandpa does. We can 'fly' thru the earth together, like your mom and I sometimes do. Wanna see?"
to the nymphs "Thank you for your help."
"Okay, Daddy. That sounds like fun," she sniffled.
Telepathic communications take place and over on the far side of the arena, one of the nymphs says something to the half-elven woman.
The air shimmers, and suddenly the half elven woman has arrived by teleport to join the two nymphs accompanying Arielle.
It is unfair to expect my guards to explain this directly, the half-elven woman says. I do not know the dragon, Daelemos, inside out, but he will have had a complex scheme in place for Arielle's abduction, which it will take a while to stand down.
Unless your intention is to risk her abduction, as a means of getting her directly to whichever of Daelemos' lairs the dragon is currently operating from with regard to stars, I would counsel against immediately leaving this place, or at least not unless you are headed for a stronghold of your own.
Telepathic communications take place and over on the far side of the arena, one of the nymphs says something to the half-elven woman.
The air shimmers, and suddenly the half elven woman has arrived by teleport to join the two nymphs accompanying Arielle.
It is unfair to expect my guards to explain this directly, the half-elven woman says. I do not know the dragon, Daelemos, inside out, but he will have had a complex scheme in place for Arielle's abduction, which it will take a while to stand down.
Unless your intention is to risk her abduction, as a means of getting her directly to whichever of Daelemos' lairs the dragon is currently operating from with regard to stars, I would counsel against immediately leaving this place, or at least not unless you are headed for a stronghold of your own.
"What is the point of waiting? The drake is a fool if he thinks his lair is outside of the Green's reach, and my vengeance."
If your anger is against the dragon, Daelemos, and not against the followers of Lamashtu and their friends of Leng who did that to the star in the first place, you are going after a dragon, in one of its own lairs, who the stories say levels kingdoms, and who I guess has been interested only in toying with you thus far as part of a game of one upmanship with another dragon, rather than in making any real effort against you. Please do not think because his agents show some respect to the guards my mother has assigned me, that he himself is easily defied.
If you are setting out against the dragon Daelemos, at least leave Arielle somewhere safe and well-protected before you do that, sir.
This last is addressed to Jack Hammer.