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Old 02-05-2007, 03:17 PM   #161
Man Who Fights Like Woman
Manshoon
 

Join Date: January 4, 2007
Location: USA
Age: 36
Posts: 218
Lorath nodded his agreement with Tamora. "I think we can all agree to rest now," he said. "I'm not so sure a watch will be necessary though, unless we have some reason to not trust the lizardmen around us. Still, if the party deems it necessary to keep a look-out I'll take a point on second watch." With that he laid in the moonlight and began memorizing his spells again before resting.
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Old 02-05-2007, 08:14 PM   #162
Encard
Quintesson
 

Join Date: June 13, 2001
Location: Darkness
Age: 37
Posts: 1,033
Evon nodded, still uncertain of where he himself would rather travel. Seeming less distracted now, he said, "It can't really hurt to keep watch - after all, we don't know what else might sneak into the camp, even with reasonably friendly lizardmen here. I can take one of the watches."
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Old 02-06-2007, 11:06 AM   #163
PurpleXVI
Emerald Dragon
 

Join Date: April 6, 2005
Location: Denmark
Age: 38
Posts: 903
Everyone

The night passed without incident and everyone slept dreamlessly after their first day on the new world.

By morning, they had all recovered from the bruises and scratches they'd suffered the day before. Gan's face was still somewhat swollen and blistered, but they looked less urgent, aside from a bit of numbness, even the half-elf himself hardly noticed them any longer.

The red sun had yet to rise above the horizon, so for the moment the air was fresh and pleasant, but the choking heat of the midday would soon come. The sky was painted a beautiful shade of violet and as they looked to the western horizon they were met with an incredible sight. Halfway above the edge of the world was another, a titanic moon, possibly even bigger than the world they were on, was looming. It's pale white surface was marked with gigantic pockmarks, but otherwise it seemed as dead as the smaller moon they'd seen last night, no lights, no cities, no forests and no oceans.

A brief breakfast later and they had said their goodbyes, they were splitting into two groups. Evon, Lorath and the quiet Ulik set out for the swamp, while Gan followed Tamora, Bas and Anne towards the fabled Cliffs of Drriam. Both were seeking rumoured knowledge, but none had any idea what they were going to find...

(OOC: Everyone's fully healed and not suffering from anything other than the occasional bruise or scratch.)


Evon, Ulik, Lorath

The three marched along the shores of the lake till they reached the southwest edge, then set off into the jungle. At first it seemed no different from where they'd been before, except for slightly soggier ground underfoot, but just an hour into the thick vegetation they were wading through water up to their ankles, and it got deeper the farther they got in.

Around them, it looked as though the jungle was decaying, greens were replaced with blacks and browns got darker. The stench of rotting plant matter soon became overpowering and swamp fumes left them gagging, the silver lining was that the swamp had much less thick vegetation which sped up their advance, and when the sun stood directly overhead the water, disgusting as it was, provided a welcome respite from the heat.

Insects were buzzing everywhere, and by the time they saw the first sign that there was something worth looking for in the swamp, all three were nursing several stings and itches, though Evon seemed to have gotten off lightly compared to the other two. The insects avoided him.

Stained and overgrown with rotting vines, they spotted a fallen pillar made of white stone, half-sunk into the water. It had obviously been made by a skillful artisan, for they could still see the outlines of images carved into it's surface, and despite the tooth of time the images were still of amazing quality.

After passing the pillar, a new ruin came into sight with almost every step. Either the arms of a broken statue would reach out of the water like a drowning swimmer begging for aid or a short stretch of cobbled road would make the going easier for a few minutes. Occasionally their feet would strike hard rock instead of soggy mud and they'd know they were walking across some sunken piece of construction.

The one thing they gained from the ruins was that the Rhulisti had likely not been human, the proportions of all the statues and carvings were off, almost child-sized.

By noon they finally reached something worth investigating. Following another stretch of ancient road, they found that it, unlike the others, didn't just peter off and sink back into the swamp after a few hundred yards. Rather, it lead to a crossroad where it met another road, and at the crossroad were buildings, halfway intact ones.

Not counting the few broken walls that were just marking the outline of where a building had once been, they saw three. One with two stories that looked like it had once been a house, a circular building with a domed roof that might have been a temple and, located a bit away from the others, a single-storied rectangular one. The house-looking building had window-holes, but neither of the others did, whatever doors or glass that might once have barred any entrances were long gone.


Bas, Tamora, Anne, Gan

Striking out on an east-southeast course, the four made swifter progress than the trio. They were guided by two rangers and whenever Bas took the lead, it was as if the plants bent aside to offer them passage.

They came across nothing of interest for many hours, passing the time with small-talk and otherwise focusing on keeping an eye out for threats, but no natives or animals of the jungle seemed swift to attack an armed and trained party of four. At one point, what looked like an eight-legged, horned tiger, striped in black and orange, wandered across their path, it sized them up and then moved on, apparently not considering them a threat or worth eating.

Shortly past noon, they gauged that they'd made good progress and Anne, being the most nimble of them, climbed a tall tree to see if she could spot the chasm that the Sage had spoken of as being a landmark on the way. The rogue spotted it easily, it was a break in the jungle, several miles long and at least a hundred yards across, and a gray haze hung above it. Considering their current speed, they'd likely reach it before nightfall, with time to consider a way across or around.

She both made it up and down without any breaks, injuries or incidents, and they proceeded onwards.

They had barely resumed walking before there were sharp and sudden sounds from up ahead, however. Clangs of metal against metal, sounds of pain and anger, it sounded like a fight. Carefully advancing, it sounded like they weren't approaching a battle. Judging by the voices they heard, there were only two people fighting.

When they got closer, they could see what was going on. In a small clearing ahead, two creatures were, indeed, locked in battle. One was obviously an elf, though he was taller, almost seven feet, and leaner than any they'd ever seen before. He was covered in scars, long of limb and using a wooden shield and bronze scimitar to hold a terrifying creature at bay.

It was taller even than he, standing ten feet tall on two legs, it had four arms and was covered in chitin, resembling a giant praying mantis. It was coloured a dark, sandy yellow, but in many places it's chitin plates were cracked and discoloured with streaks of gray. While it still moved with amazing speed for a creature of it's size, it was obvious that it was ill.

One of it's four arms hung limply at it's side and looked like it had started to rot, and one of it's two large eyes was missing, only an empty hollow, weeping pus, remained. It didn't wear clothes, but several packs and bags were slung around it's torso. Many of them looked close to breaking or had been torn, the creature hadn't taken good care of them for a while.

Despite obviously being a tool-using creature, it was fighting unarmed, slashing at the elf with it's sharp claws and trying to maneuver around his defenses. It was visibly drooling a sticky, translucent substance, and the elf seemed particularly intent on avoiding the occasional attempt at biting him.

Neither combatant had spotted the party yet.

(OOC: Posting a picture of the creature in the OOC thread.)
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Old 02-06-2007, 11:47 AM   #164
Man Who Fights Like Woman
Manshoon
 

Join Date: January 4, 2007
Location: USA
Age: 36
Posts: 218
Lorath looked at the three remaining structures, wondering what they could hold. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to alleviate some of the discomfort from the bug bites while making his survey. Now that he was here, he was very glad he had brought a backpack.

Since the house was closest, he took his weapon and shield in hand and stepped through the empty doorway. He entered cautiously, keeping an eye out for anything moving, and began to look for any artifacts.
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Old 02-06-2007, 02:00 PM   #165
Armen
Symbol of Cyric
 

Join Date: February 11, 2003
Location: UK
Age: 53
Posts: 1,375
Tamora

As they cautiously approached the sound of combat Tamora had drawn her bow and knocked an arrow. They halted just before the vegetation gave out and she leant her spear against a tree as they watched the combat. Her immediate instinct was to help the elven warrior but her first responsibility was to the group and particularly to Bas’ journey to the cliffs. Getting herself killed wouldn’t help that purpose and she couldn’t order Gan or Anne to fight. On the other hand if the insect creature killed the lone elf it would still be in the same area as them and in any case could she really let that happen? She caught the eyes of the others and indicated the combat with the point of her arrow. She held up her hand to indicate the higher of the two fighters, mimed the clawing action of the insect, drew her finger across her throat and looked questioningly at the rest of the party.

(OOC: Tactics PM'ed for if we attack the insect)

[ 02-06-2007, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: Armen ]
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Old 02-06-2007, 04:26 PM   #166
Kazilan
Elminster
 
Mahjong Solitaire Champion
Join Date: October 31, 2003
Location: USA
Age: 42
Posts: 485
Bas

Bas watched intently as the elf battled the creature. While he wanted to avoid interference with the natural order of this place, the elf might provide an opportunity to learn a good deal. In addition, the creature's obvious sickness suggested it would not survive long regardless of the battle's outcome. If it infected the elf or any of Bas' companions with its sickness, the situation would become far worse.

Bas set his staff on the ground and removed his sling, readying a stone. The druid nodded at Tamora's suggestion to attack.
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Old 02-06-2007, 05:25 PM   #167
Encard
Quintesson
 

Join Date: June 13, 2001
Location: Darkness
Age: 37
Posts: 1,033
Evon looked around, his enthusiasm dampened but not dissipated by trudging through the swamp. "Well... here's something standing, at least. Hopefully there's something interesting inside." Seeing that Lorath had already started moving toward one of the buildings, Evon quickly yanked his shield off his back - nearly dropping it in the process - and reluctantly placed his hand on the hilt of his short sword before following the elf inside.
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Old 02-07-2007, 06:32 AM   #168
Calaethis Dragonsbane
Legion Symbol
 

Join Date: May 29, 2002
Location: Somewhere in between
Age: 39
Posts: 7,029
Gan Vahnsen

Despite his face and the numbed, but blistered flesh, Gan had slept well and had kept up well too. He had made his way towards the cliffs with the others bemused and pleased at the prospect of exploring this strange new world. The horned tiger had filled him with awe and made him ponder what other manner of strange beast may lurk.

Upon stumbling across the elf and the strange insectoid beast battling, he drew his swords as silently as he could. It seemed that Tamora had notched an arrow to her bow the same time as he drew his blades. He caught her signal and frowned; they did not know who the aggressor was here nor why such a fight took place. Moreover, neither insect nor elf may appreciate any ‘help’. On the other hand, hanging back may insult the survivor and earn them a second battle… choices, choices.

His eyes shifted to the druid’s and he frowned as Bas readied his sling. It would seem that his companions were preparing for a fight. Of course, Gan himself had drawn his swords…

Stepping towards Tamora, the half elf murmured in her ear, “Is this wise? We know nothing of this situation… but if we act, let us end this quickly. What are your orders, ‘commander’?” His last word held a touch of the sardonic but he would act as Tamora instructed. As long as one of the others was in charge, it meant he did not have to bother with the decision making. That, and it was on their head. Let everyone have a chance at leading… see where it got them.
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Old 02-07-2007, 07:08 AM   #169
Armen
Symbol of Cyric
 

Join Date: February 11, 2003
Location: UK
Age: 53
Posts: 1,375
Tamora

Tamora looked back at the fighting in the clearing – neither combatant seemed to have heard Gan’s whispered question so she risked replying in kind. “Kill the insect creature quickly”, she answered. She had heard the condescension in the worldly warrior’s tone but chose to ignore it. Instead she raised her bow, pulled back the string and aimed for the creature. She turned to Gan “Ready?” she mouthed.
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Old 02-07-2007, 04:15 PM   #170
PurpleXVI
Emerald Dragon
 

Join Date: April 6, 2005
Location: Denmark
Age: 38
Posts: 903
Lorath, Evon, Ulik

Despite the relatively intact appearance of the outside, the dwelling that Lorath and Evon entered was ravaged on the inside. Inch-high swamp water lapped over their feet thanks to the floor having sunk, and the only remaining sign that there had once been furniture on the ground floor were abnormally large piles of rotten wood here and there. The same odd dimensions that were prevalent among the statues and carvings also had an effect on the inside of the house, doorways were only about five feet tall and windows were located around chest height.

One stone stair lead upwards and another down, though water reached to the top of the downwards leading one, and it was impossible to see more than a few inches into it, any number of aquatic horrors could be waiting there to snag an unwary diver for dinner.

Upstairs things were in slightly better condition, even a few pieces of furniture remained intact, a wobbly, worm-ridden cot that looked like it could collapse if someone looked at it wrong and a rotting shelf attached to the wall around the height of Evon's groin were the only ones, though. On the shelf were numerous glass cages with tops hinged so that they could be opened, they also to feature airholes, but whatever had once been kept in them had either rotted to dust or a few pieces of unmoving chitin.

Extensive searching located a waterlogged book under the bed, it was a slim tome and time had damaged it so badly that the pages were all a uniform green-gray with only suggestions of letters here and there. Unless some way was found to restore it, it was as useless as everything else in the house.


Gan, Bas, Tamora, Anne

The four readied themselves for a battle that never came. As they were preparing to intercede on the elf's behalf, the insect-man leapt at him, apparently trying to pin him down with it's mass, ignoring the fact that his blade got stuck halfway through one of it's arms.

It swiftly got him on the ground, knocked his shield aside and held his arms as it's mandibles descended inexorably towards his throat. Tamora's shot was swifter than the creature, though, and the moment it's swift activity slowed, she expertly placed a single sheaf arrow right through it's head. For a moment it froze, then it collapsed, further pinning the elf who had to spend a few seconds getting himself free from under it.

His next move was to non-chalantly gather his gear while waiting for his rescuers to show themselves, he even wiped his scimitar clean on a broad-leafed plant while waiting. He didn't seem hostile, but not entirely convinced that whoever had rescued him had his best interests in mind either.
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