|
Tricky posted:Sofia thinks about that for a moment, then says, "Yeah, that's not a bad idea, though the book I paged through was just one of the old Will campaign starts. Abandoned temple and all. I'm pretty sure we all have some sort of assumed history, though I haven't seen anything that screams Octavia yet... maybe if we end up in Pre--" She stops herself short, considering the contents of the tavern, then says. "If we end up where she's from. Hawkins is from Kheenai, so we should have something come up when we get there."
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2019 14:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 6, 2024 14:54 |
|
|
"That might be handy, especially if the aesthetic ends up linked to..." Sofia's eye flick up, "...that place. It looks good on you, though, and I guess it just keeps clean on it's own? That's gotta be useful."
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2019 22:30
|
|
|
NinjaPete posted:"Share our ride?" Jaymes grins. "Well...between our party and the....mercenaries...there'll be enough room in a wagon for you. Not as glamorous as riding into town on a stallion I suppose, but it'll do. Besides, we need every one we can get to fight these magi bastards." Riot gives Sof and Octavia a thumbs up at the confirmation of transport. "Works for me, dude. Just one "teensy-weensy" problem. A magi went and scrambled up my memories so I can't really remember why we're at war. So I should really get my hands on some cliff notes - erm, like, a summary of their wizard crimes or whatever - before the smiting starts."
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2019 00:37
|
|
|
Kheenai, City of Shadows broods in the valley below. The valley is the result of a glacier eons ago, one that dug a trench through the Earth as it retreated. A long and deep meltwater lake was deposited in the valley, fed by mountain streams and falls and spilling out into a river on one end About two hundred yards above the surface of the lake the slopes making the valley veer down suddenly into sheer cliffs. As if a giant has hacked them smooth. It was into these cliffs that Kheenai was originally built. A series of caves and wooden walkways, a defensive and protective settlement. Over the centuries, Kheenai grew outwards from the shores of the lake, and upwards, reaching to the sky. "As near as I can tell, the wizards went crazy," Jaymes tells the party on the trip towards Kheenai. "Preladan is led by the Archmage, right? Most powerful hexxer in the land. Now, for as long as folk can remember the Archmages have been semi decent to Kheenai. Stuck up yeah, but willing to help us defend ourselves from whatever forces of darkness happen to rise up." "Which, as we all know happens pretty loving often," Herk mutters to himself. If Jaymes is the plantonic ideal of Dashing Hero, Herk is the boisterous good natured big brawler. Everything about him screams loveable, but doomed in the Third Act. The towers of Kheenai rise above them, stabbing into the sky. After building a settlement that spiderwebbed across the surface of the lake, the builders of Kheenai discovered they needed more room. So they built up. And up. And up. Kheenai presently is a collection of massive towers, crookedly climbing up. These towers are covered with smaller buildings and boxes, like stone barnacles, each tower can hold hundreds of people, though perhaps not comfortably. Between the towers, suspension bridges thread through the sky. These bridges are massive, each acting as a city street and sidewalk combined. The bridges are not organized, creating a maze that is not easily traversed by outsiders. Because of this, the upper bridges create a thick net that covers the lower levels. Five levels down, anyone in Kheenai cannot see the sun. "Anyway," Jaymes picks up the thread. "There is a new Archmage. Some say he's a hedge mage, some say he's a dark necromancer, at least those are the rumors. He shows up, out of nowhere, kills the old Archmage, and declares war on the "lesser people". The wizards are bound to his word, though a few defect, and they lift Preladan out of the Earth, and start floating it Westward, conquering as they go." This of course has created a nearly literal social ladder. The more rich and powerful of Kheenai at the top living in sun-baked decadence, the poorer scratching out a life in the shadows. The exception to this is the Queen's Palace, a squat black some sitting off to itself on a small artificial island. The only way to reach it is through the lower levels. Perhaps this is an intentional choice, humbling the nobles and the rich by forcing them to walk among the poor. Or perhaps it is just bad civil planning. "Cagliostro, Florin, Redwall, Blackmoor, Camorr, and Amestris," Markus, the quiet thoughtful one, says. "All fallen, or in the process of falling. The magic haven't bothered the elves of the Dreamlands yet, or R'lyeh for that matter. But, they are heading here, make no mistake." Kheenai doesn't make sense economically of course. The city is known for making magically charged machines of war, steampunk with runes. The group never thought too much about how the get the materials, or why they make war machines, they just do. But as a result, Kheenai is a dark, damp, industrial place to live. Gotham by Gaslight with a heavy dollop of Lovecraft. Blade Runner by way of H.G. Wells. The main entrance to the city is a massive gate guarded by two steaming mech machines. These Titans are holding giant swords and watching silently as people flow into and out of the city. A pair of guards, looking far less intimidating than the mechs, are waving people in as a third guard is shouting. "Papers ready, have your papers ready. No undeclared active magic, no undeclared magic. Papers ready…." _________________________________ Everyone: Who was your best friend in highschool? Who was your biggest "enemy" Tony - These controlling girlfriends Tony had. Tell me about them. What did they have in common, how were they actually controlling, etc. Sofia - Looking back, does she realize how passive she was in highschool? Is she still that passive, and/or does she justify it? Win - Why does Win do the app jobs as apposed to something else? Is it literally all she can get, or is there more?
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2019 16:51
|
|
|
After Jaymes tells the group about the current situation in Preladan, Octavia pulls Sofia and Win aside. "Uh, does all that Archmage stuff sound like Will to either of you? That seems a bit more...evil than I remember him being."NinjaPete posted:"Papers ready, have your papers ready. No undeclared active magic, no undeclared magic. Papers ready..." -- quote:Everyone: Who was your best friend in highschool? Who was your biggest "enemy" His enemy was Mr. Jensen, who tought History. Tony had him his junior year, and the two did not get along at all. Tony found history boring as hell so he put the minimum effort possible into it to just pass, and Mr. Jensen didn't appreciate the perceived disrespect and would call Tony out on it in class. This carried over to senior year, where Mr. Jensen still butted into Tony's academic life and tried to get his current-at-the-time teachers to fail him. Tony's first girlfriend Natalie was the type of person who just used her personality to bulldoze over other people; the relationship started when she basically told Tony he was her girlfriend. She treated everything she did with Tony as if she was going out of her way to do him a favor, or that he was lucky to be in this relationship in the first place, and Tony was too naturally passive to push back. It didn't help that she'd threaten to tell everyone embarassing personal stuff he'd told her(which Tony later realized was so minor nobody'd care, especially after graduation). The best way to put it is that Natalie treated Tony like an accessory; she was a cheerleader, so Tony was her prerequisite jock trophy boyfriend. She dumped him like a hot potato once they graduated. Tony's second girlfriend was Ashley. They met early in their college freshman year and at first the relationship was pretty good. Unfortunately, Ashley didn't like how Tony was not overly motivated about things and not sure what he wanted to do with his life just yet despite only being a few months into his first year of college. She slowly began "running" his life for him (making appointments for him, "reminding" him of things she felt he should do, things like that). Tony finally got fed up and the two had a blow-up break-up two days before he headed to Will's cabin.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2019 21:29
|
|
|
Evil Mastermind posted:After Jaymes tells the group about the current situation in Preladan, Octavia pulls Sofia and Win aside. "Uh, does all that Archmage stuff sound like Will to either of you? That seems a bit more...evil than I remember him being." "Will got here at the same time as us, for whatever that's worth. Guess we can ask around if this archmage has a rock sticking out of their face." Evil Mastermind posted:Tony pats his clothes, checking for pockets inside his jacket while whispering to Sofia and Win. "Crap, I don't think we have papers, do we? Am I supposed to say I have magic powers? I mean, I guess I could say I'm seeking asylum? Maybe that'll get me in?" "If you want papers I can do papers. I'm cool with staying low-profile. But if we wanna meet Queenie we're gonna need to stick our heads out." Riot studied the guards and machines, trying to figure out how they detected magic, the better to baffle them. -- Winona's bestie in school was Liz the trendsetter. Stunning, snobby, loaded, and casually cruel. Win was the jester of Liz's clique, always ready with a one-liner, a scathing impersonation, or a scheme. They ate lunch together, went to concerts together, and vacationed together for over 3 years. Their relationship frayed near the end as Win suspected Liz of spreading gossip about her, but Win couldn't really say she was surprised by the turn. They still stayed in touch after school, though more as acquaintances. Every now and then Win still skims through Liz's exceedingly positive 'Gram, gets depressed, and tries to post something artistic. Her "enemy" was Kyle, Liz's boyfriend, the class valedictorian. Rich, handsome, ambitious, and stern. Kyle was convinced that Win was a bad influence on Liz, so he had her locker raided and got her suspended back in sophmore year. Kyle was also her first, in their senior year while Kyle and Liz were on a break. When they sobered up Kyle described it as a drunken mistake and insisted they never speak of it. They kept making the same mistake until Kyle left for college and managed to keep it a secret. Last Win checked Kyle was a lawyer and married. She ignored his friend request. Winona never intended for app-based employment to consume so much of her life. She'd gone to the coast because she had a bartending job lined up and was hoping to make it big as a comedian. That lasted a month before the bar was sold and closed for remodeling. With her savings running out she dipped her toe into the gig economy. Then her car broke down and she found herself taking out a loan on a hybrid and doubling down. She told herself it would be a short-term thing but keeping up with the bills ended up consuming her time and energy until she just couldn't spare the willpower to keep interviewing. Int: Perception. Detect the detectors.: 2d6t4 1 malbogio fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Jul 11, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2019 04:07
|
|
|
After a moment's thought regarding the Preladan stuff, Sofia says, "Well, it's certainly possible. He always was a hands-on GM, y'know?" Sofia's eyes flicker between the mechs, the guards, and her friends. She says, "I think... I think I have an idea. Hawkins is from here, right? Pretty famous? So if I say that I was on dispatch from the Queen, doing some sort of secret mission... I think I could get us an audience to 'report in.' I mean, I don't know what we'd do after that, but... that's a later problem." --- Sofia's best friend was a drama kid named Cynthia. They'd known each other since elementary and, early on, Cynthia had decided they'd be besties. If it weren't for that connection, they'd have been in different social circles entirely. Cynthia wasn't super popular, but she had a distinct crowd of friends that Sofia kind of got sucked into... if only as a +1 most of the time. For her part, Sofia found it a bit comforting to just float along in the group, so she didn't mind being on the outskirts much. They haven't really talked lately, since Cynthia ended up moving to a different state to do some capital-A stage acting. Her enemy was Ms. Harper, the guidance counselor. Harper seemed to have it out specifically for Sofia, to her utter bafflement. In hindsight, it seems pretty clear that Harper thought that the constant talks and pulling her aside for one-on-ones would help her push Sofia out of her comfort zone so she could live up to her potential. In the moment, though, it just made her wilt under the additional scrutiny. Ironically, she may well consider what Sofia is doing to be a success, even if Sofia doesn't really view it the same. Overall, yeah, Sofia realizes that she was a lot of a wallflower in high school. The complication with rectifying that is that she's ended up in a field that is tremendously still an old boy's club. Getting ahead either requires that she completely 180 into being a hardass, which is a bit of a bridge too far, or being a people-pleaser and making the right connections. The latter is still along the line of her struggles in school, so it's something she tries to justify away.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2019 04:27
|
|
|
malbogio posted:
As Riot watches one of the guards waves a wand over each person after they present their papers. On occasion, after looking at the papers, the guard waves the wand and it lights up. The guard double checks the papers and clasps a glowing manacle to one of the person's wrists and waves them on their way. "Hybrid of magic and technology probably," Jack whispers to Riot. "Very hard to trick. For you at least."
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2019 17:50
|
|
|
After a moment, Sofia gathers her courage and steps forward. She fishes out something that looks like ID from one of her many, many pockets and flashes it at the guards. She says, "Afternoon, gentlemen. My friends and I—" Sofia gestures back at Tony and Win. "—are on a special mission from the Queen and have vital information about the current... situation. If you'd be so good as to expedite our entry, we'll be able to make our report." As she speaks, Sofia looks between the guards hoping for the same flash of recognition and awe that she'd gotten in the bar. It wasn't her best story, not by a longshot, but it fit with the narrative that Will had set and... well, Hawkins was famous. Maybe that'd be enough. Two hits on a CHA roll, with one special that just kind of sadly fizzles.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2019 06:57
|
|
|
Tricky posted:After a moment, Sofia gathers her courage and steps forward. She fishes out something that looks like ID from one of her many, many pockets and flashes it at the guards. She says, "Afternoon, gentlemen. My friends and I—" Sofia gestures back at Tony and Win. "—are on a special mission from the Queen and have vital information about the current... situation. If you'd be so good as to expedite our entry, we'll be able to make our report." The guards look back and forth at each other. The one with the wand takes a hesitant step forward towards Hawkins but is waved off by his compatriot. "Godsdamnit Jerry, what are you doing?" "I just..I needed to check them for--" "Just look at them. Of course they're packing magic, you don't need to scry them," he turns to Hawkins. "Lady Knight. We understand and welcome you to Kheenai. Understand that we're supposed to mark those with magic, to monitor any possible spys or malcontents. We will let you pass, but without a marker should you or your allies perform magic it...it might be seen as hostile no matter the intent. I suggest seeing the queen and getting a scrip from her or something." ___________________ OOC: You have the run of the city. But anything noted as magic might lead to your arrest at best. What are some of the notable locations in Kheenai? The city is laid out more or less as it was when you designed it as teens. But there might be some surprises.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2019 17:23
|
|
|
"Of course, gentlemen. My companions would never dream of it." Sofia sketches a quick bow, then waves the others to join her at the gate. It was still a little odd, she felt, how easy it was to be gung-ho and take charge as Hawkins. Was the world affecting her, or was it just... not as hard as she thought? She looks at Tony and Win, "To the palace, then?"
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2019 04:14
|
|
|
Tony adjusts his jacket and walks past the guards as haughtily as possible, mostly out of generalized spite. "As much as I'd like to get a lead on...y'know, we still don't have any money. Unless the queen's willing to pay us in advance we need to figure something out soon."
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2019 01:36
|
|
|
Tricky posted:"Of course, gentlemen. My companions would never dream of it." Sofia sketches a quick bow, then waves the others to join her at the gate. It was still a little odd, she felt, how easy it was to be gung-ho and take charge as Hawkins. Was the world affecting her, or was it just... not as hard as she thought? She looks at Tony and Win, "To the palace, then?" “Do not get over confident,” whispers one of the swords. “This is a city that knows it will be under seige soon. It is nearing a boiling point.” “That was too easy,” the other hisses. “Even for you. There is something amiss.” Evil Mastermind posted:Tony adjusts his jacket and walks past the guards as haughtily as possible, mostly out of generalized spite. As the group walks towards a nearby square to regroup, they hear a loud and authoritative voice calling out. “.....numerous and sinister crimes against the citizens of Kheenai Including: smuggling, forgery, sailing under false colours, looting, poaching, brigandage, depravity, vandalism, impersonating a Royal Guard and other officers and a Clergyman, arson, kidnapping, piracy, perjury, theft and ransacking a shipment of spirits, staging an uprising, theft, kidnapping and cruelty to animals, manufacture of illegal fireworks, attempting to steal from the Royal Bank, defacing and destroying Royal property, numerous crimes against the Church including theft of property and assaulting a nun, running a bordello and gambling house, cutting off ears as souvenirs, sacking and pillaging numerous villages, collaborating with secret societies to systematically extort local merchants, creating own currency, and assaulting the person of Her Royal Majesty...” There is a gallows set up in the square. And a crowd milling about before it. There are three people on the gallows, an obvious hangman, a town crier, and Tony. Or rather a more rugged Tony. Tony as Fafhrd or Jack Sparrow. Tony as a scoundrel. “...and so, Gragnor the Fierce, for these crimes, you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May Gods have mercy on your soul."
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2019 15:59
|
|
|
NinjaPete posted:“...and so, Gragnor the Fierce, for these crimes, you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May Gods have mercy on your soul." Tony/Octavia spins, eyes wide, and runs to the edge of the crowd. When he sees himself on the platform with a noose around his neck, the blood drains from her face. "I...wh...that's..." "Oh god..."
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2019 16:37
|
|
|
Riot whistles appreciatively as they pass under the mechanical titans.Tricky posted:"Of course, gentlemen. My companions would never dream of it." Sofia sketches a quick bow, then waves the others to join her at the gate. It was still a little odd, she felt, how easy it was to be gung-ho and take charge as Hawkins. Was the world affecting her, or was it just... not as hard as she thought? She looks at Tony and Win, "To the palace, then?" "Works for me. Maybe Queenie'll lend us some of her toy soldiers. Enemy of her enemy and all that." Evil Mastermind posted:"WHAT?! Riot leans in close and whispers "It's not you. You don't have to watch." She took a moment to assess pirate-Tony. It was a shame he was about to die. He seemed fun. It would be so easy to ask Jack to alter the story for a favor later. But Graggy had pissed off the people they needed as allies and his crimes were far less amusing with a real bodycount attached. "Will's loving with us, isn't he? Do you think that means he's close?"
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2019 22:44
|
|
|
malbogio posted:Riot leans in close and whispers "It's not you. You don't have to watch."
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2019 02:09
|
|
|
Sofia's eyes flick between Tony-Tony and Octavia-Tony, finally venturing, "I don't think you need that body to change back? We were still us until we touched the dice, so this Tony should just be something that this world made."
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2019 08:32
|
|
|
Tony-Octavia just stares in silence. "Why is he doing this to me? Did he hate me this much for...what, not taking a game seriously? You two get all kinds of cool poo poo and get to be heroes, I get to watch myself get hung." He turns and starts to stagger away. "I can't deal w...I can't..."
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2019 02:23
|
|
|
There is no drum roll. No dramatic moment. The crier asks Gragnor if he has any last words, and the prisoner says something with a smirk. Though none of the party can hear it. The crier steps back and the hangman takes it from there. A short drop and a sudden stop. For a moment it looks like Gragnor has something planned. some sort of escape based on derring do and movie physics. But, it is of no avail. His body jerks on the line and then, nothing. As simple as that. "It's a shame," says Jaymes. He and the others have caught up to the party during the hanging. "Seemed like a strong fella. Smart, or at least clever. Making him conscripted to fight the mages would have helped the rest of us before he died. He would have done something noble at least, death wouldn't have been senseless..." He looks as the body is twisting in the wind. "Are you all heading to the palace then? We three need to report to the garrison, so it's along the way." _______________________________________________________________________________ Everyone: Tell me something about the queen, or the palace itself.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2019 03:31
|
|
|
NinjaPete posted:There is no drum roll. No dramatic moment. The crier asks Gragnor if he has any last words, and the prisoner says something with a smirk. Though none of the party can hear it. The crier steps back and the hangman takes it from there. A short drop and a sudden stop. For a moment it looks like Gragnor has something planned. some sort of escape based on derring do and movie physics. But, it is of no avail. His body jerks on the line and then, nothing. He does manage to run to an alley next to a temple before he throws up, though. -- quote:Everyone: Tell me something about the queen, or the palace itself.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2019 15:06
|
|
|
Sofia nods, a little distracted by the sudden death and Tony's understandable reaction to it. She says, "Yeah, the palace. Checking in with the Queen and all." --- The palace is new construction atop ruins from a forgotten age. It used to be a favorite go-to adventure to have some threat wake up underneath the castles.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2019 02:44
|
|
|
The Queen’s palace is a massive dome structure, crouching over the hollowed out ruins of black glass and gleaming chrome of some long-forgotten civilization. Will had gotten heavy into a “precursor race” trend at one point and folded that into Redmoon. So dotting the landscape, ruins of glass and steel poked through the earth like open sores. In Kheenai’s case, it formed the foundation for the palace and, rumors suggest, the secret of their magitech. After explaining who they are, and giving proper recountings of their exploits, the heroes are led to the Queen’s throne room. After their first few adventures in Kheenai, Queen Olia instituted an open door policy when it came to adventurous mercenaries. She viewed it as a way to quickly have troubleshooters solve her problems with little threat to her. Will saw it as a way to cut down on diplomacy rolls. The throne room is circular and massive windows and balconies provide a 360 degree view of the world outside of it. Olia’s throne sits in the middle. Surrounding her are what appear to be generic council members and advisors. And ghosts from the past. They all notice Eddie from the basketball team. Though he has filled out, heavy muscle adding to his tall frame. He is wearing a mantled long cloak over leather armor. A large clasp in the shape of an eye, identical to the one Hawkins is wearing, attaches the cloak to the armor. His left hand rests castually on the basket hilt of his sword. Liz looks as glamorous as always, dressed in jacket a bit more militaristic, but not less fabulous, than Octavia’s. Her blonde hair flows down to the middle of her back, and shifts colors to a glowing blue as she notices them. Ruby Starfist glowers at them from her place next to Queen Olia. She is wearing scarred iron armor, recently painted with the sigils of Kheenai on it. She crosses her arms and frowns. And of course, the queen herself. She is lounging, listening to an older man speak to her. She is the very idea of regal beauty and power. In her late 40s, though she looks much younger, with eyes that attempt to size up the party as they enter. As she smirks and cocks her head slightly she is a dead ringer for an older Sofia. And, in that pose she perfectly recreates the pose Sofia’s mother is holding in one of her favorite pictures. Older, more glamorous and...queeny, but the resemblance is uncanny. It is clear to Sofia that her mother is the queen. ____________________________________________________________________ How are you all introduced?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2019 02:42
|
|
|
The budding confidence and verve buoying Sofia in her travels in this strange, almost dream-like realm evaporate the moment she sees the Queen's face. It'd been years, really, since she last imagined meeting her. That fantasy that someday, somewhere, she'd find her mother and reconnect. Find, maybe, that there had been some reason she'd left. Witness protection. Some sort of secret government intelligence operation. Anything to explain why she'd decided not to be a part of her life. Sofia stands, staring, until the guard by the door sees her hesitation and assumes that's she's waiting and that's his signal to introduce her. The guard clears his throat, gravelly voice filling the chamber, "Dame Sandheaver, Knight of Eyes." Sofia whips her head around to look at the poor man, caught off guard, but reluctantly steps forward. What can she say? What is there to say? Is this her mom in this world, or is it just Will playing games? How would he even know what her mom looked like? The questions are endless, almost spinning out of control as Sofia fights to stop from hyperventilating. She has to say something, right? If she doesn't she'll look like an idiot and the last thing she wants to consider is reconnecting, only to be viewed as a disappointment. After a moment, Sofia puts on her best attempt at a strained smile and says, "It's been a while, your majesty."
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2019 18:40
|
|
|
The first thing Tony notices is Eddie...or not-Eddie? He hoped it wasn't really his friend, just another duplicate like a recent sight he was trying very hard not to think about. Seeing Liz is less of a shock than seeing her hair change color, and Octavia's hair tips change to the same light blue. What the hell was she doing here? Wait, wasn't she a friend of Sofia's? Which led to the Queen; while Tony had imagined her differently over the years, he never really thought of her looking like an older Sofia. Was this her duplicate? Did she play this character before Tony joined the game? Is this Will showing Sofia...something? Is this how he sees her? Octavia cleared her throat nervously, once again feeling very self-conscious about her appearance. tries to close her jacket and bows awkwardly. "Uh, I'm Octavia. Your majesty. The, uh, spellsinger?"
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2019 00:47
|
|
|
Riot purses her lips as she takes in the scene. It seemed Ruby had been doing better for herself than she would have expected given the Starfist mortality rate. Her breath caught on sight of Liz for a moment before she forced herself to act normally. She reminded herself that Liz didn't know about her betrayal, though Liz had been intimidating enough without magic entering the picture. Her eyes continued to scan over the background attendants, checking each face for a glimmer of recognition. She still wondered if Will might be shadowing them, or if the threats that came for them here would wear familiar faces rather than those cyberfreaks back in the forest. The stickish man steps forward as his turn arrives. "Hi. I'm... Hrm." Riot had so many questions she wanted them to answer. Questions it would be easier to find answers to if she weren't a stranger. The facade had grown stale anyway. And if Ruby was popular enough to be in the Queen's court then maybe the reputation of the Starfists was more asset than liability. "gently caress it." He inhales sharply and sneezes. Their skin bursts out in lines of ink then sucks inward as the tattoos swirl back into place across Riot's skin. Riot wiggles her limbs and stretches as she regains her original form. She emits a relaxed sigh. "Like peeling a band-aid. Hi. I'm Riot Starfist." malbogio fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Jul 26, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2019 01:56
|
|
|
There is a general shouting as Riot drops her disguise. Eddie reaches for his sword, Liz raises her right arm, which glows kaleidoscopically. “Halt!” Olia’s voice cuts through the room. “Everyone, halt…” “My Queen, “Eddie says, “Active magic being practiced in your throne room without a marker? That is dangerous. Worse is the spellsinger.” he pauses and looks at Liz semi- apologetically, her hair turns red in response. Olia says. “Commander Starfist, do you recognize this woman?” Ruby steps forward and grins at Riot. “Aye. She is who is says she is. Riot is one of my cousins. She’s subborn, uncouth, rowdy, dangerous--” “So a Starfist,” Liz mutters. “--but she’s no friend of the wizards. You have my word on it my queen.” Olia smiles at that and stands up from her throne. She turns to the nameless advisors and dismisses them with a curt nod. “Lady Octavia, Ms. Starfist, welcome to Kheenai.” she favors Sofia with a warm smile. “And Hawkins...welcome home my dear. You’ve come at the perfect time, or the worst possibly. You see we are debating the best way to die.” She gestures towards the three remaining courtiers in the room. “This is the current inner council, though we are short one. Commander Starfirst is in charge of our army, such as it is. All the way from our Titan units to the rawest foot soldier. Watcher Edward’s Knights have been our eyes and ears throughout Red Moon. Along with giving us Intelligence they are respected enough to get a lot of cooperation. For those that refuse to cooperate...Lady Lisbeth has proved invaluable. Though, she does necessitate a short leash.” Olia walks towards the adventurers. “The issue is we are horribly outnumbered and out magiced. Taking the field would result in our destruction. Sitting here would delay the inevitable. Now, I have been Queen long enough to know that even the most rough-and-tumble looking adventurer often has hidden depths and abilities. You are welcome in Kheenai, and welcome in my palace, but only if you help me save it.” She looks the three women in the eyes, “What do you say?”
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2019 02:11
|
|
|
NinjaPete posted:“My Queen, “Eddie says, “Active magic being practiced in your throne room without a marker? That is dangerous. Worse is the spellsinger.” quote:For those that refuse to cooperate...Lady Lisbeth has proved invaluable. Though, she does necessitate a short leash.” quote:She looks the three women in the eyes, “What do you say?”
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 02:19
|
|
|
Sofia nods, "Yeah, we're not about to let Kheenai be destroyed. And, um, Queen Olia... I'd trust To- Octavia with my life. I know full well what she can do, but I'd vouch for her character." She takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. Now the hard part of living up to those expectations. She just had to, casually, suggest a seeming suicide mission. It might even be one, if her sheet was lying or wrong or any number of those things. Maybe there was a reason Eddie and Liv hadn't taken care of things, or maybe that reason was just that Will had set things up so that they needed to solve everything. That kind of was the Will classic, wasn't it? Even in a world full of fantasy badasses, it always came down to the PCs in the end. Mustering her courage and stepping forward, Sofia says, "If it's an army that troubles you, we can handle that." She looks over at Tony. "Remember what we talked about?"
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 16:28
|
|
|
Octavia looks clearly uncomfortable, but nods. "Yeah, I remember."
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 19:06
|
|
|
Riot considers the prospect of fighting hundreds or thousands of wizards. She hopes that they aren't very good or tricksy in those sheer numbers. She reads the room and decides that pushing for a more cowardly approach won't get her anywhere. Win wished she had somewhere to just wallflower now that her disguise was gone but the middle of a throne room offered no such relief to her. She takes out her bulky nicotine vaporizer and inhales from it audibly. If she couldn't escape the spotlight then she'd embrace it instead. "An arrow's only as good as the aim behind it so I'm glad it sounds like you've got intel we can work with." She ticks off on her fingers "We need to know what Kheenai's objective appears to be, what troops they're fielding, how they attack, what they do with the cities they sack, who's missing from your council, and most importantly -" she closes her hand and gesticulates towards her forehead "- where you've seen the fucker with the stone third eye."
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 20:46
|
|
|
Sofia posted:"Yeah, we're not about to let Kheenai be destroyed. And, um, Queen Olia... I'd trust To- Octavia with my life. I know full well what she can do, but I'd vouch for her character." The Queen nods in assent, "Though their reputation may be well deserved, not all spellsingers are treacherous. Lady Lisbeth is proof enough of that. And your judgement has been sound in the past." Riot posted:"An arrow's only as good as the aim behind it so I'm glad it sounds like you've got intel we can work with."We need to know what Kheenai's objective appears to be, what troops they're fielding, how they attack, what they do with the cities they sack, who's missing from your council, and most importantly -- where you've seen the fucker with the stone third eye." "Edward" laughs, "At least this Starfist has a mind for strategy and the art of war. More than a good bruiser." "Though I suspect she's that too," mutters "Lisbeth". But the Queen looks stricken. She opens her mouth to say something when the gates to the throne room are flung open, as if caught by a strong wind. In strides a lean bearded man. He wears light robes and carries a white staff. Everything about him screams wizard. "My Queen," his baritone voice booms. "I have returned from reconnoitre and there is dire news about Preladan's mov--" his voice dies as he sees the others. The die sunk into his forehead flashes slightly. "Oh...hi guys." Queen Olia looks curiously at him, "Khovai, you know the Dame and her companions?" "Yeah," says Will. "We're old friends."
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 14:17
|
|
|
Tony turns, and Octavia's hair tips change to a light blue when she sees the newcomer...then into a fierce reddish-purple when she realizes who it is. "YOU!"
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 17:27
|
|
|
Sofia narrows her eyes at Will. With all the cold icy focus of the Vigilance rolling through her, she manages an equally icy "William." as she holds Tony back.
Tricky fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Jul 29, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 18:43
|
|
|
"Hey there Houdini." Riot crosses her arms with a smirk.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 18:50
|
|
|
“‘Will’? Queen Olia asks. “Khovai..Dame Hawkins...what is the meaning of this?” Will looks from the queen to the players, wild eyed. Finally he takes a breath and says, “"̬̮͚͜N̛͙͕P̥̙̪̰͍̗C̱̕s̟̮ͅ ̮͕̜̹̘̀a̪͈̜̜̠̝͜rḙ̰̭̙͙̭̤ f̷r̘̞̘̼̜̀o̖źȩ̼̗̳̬̫̖͎n͙͓̞̳͘ ͖̣͢u̻̗̱̳n̻͙̖̮̦̘̭ṱ͙͈̮i̝̳͓̯̹̻͖l͡ ͠w͏e͔͔͎͎̺̱'̻̲̫̬r͔̣̬̪̞̙e̴ I̗̖̝̰̺̪̰n̬͉͈-͞Çh̤̠ͅa̖̘͍̼̩͇͎͢r̰̗͎̞̜̞ͅa͙̙͔c̡̝̯̫̩͖t̩̗̦̜e̮̝͓̥̥͎̻r̰͎͡."̡ The players feel an immense pressure briefly. As if reality is squeezing hard enough to make them go blind for a moment. The pressure passes and Olia, Edward, and Lisbeth are standing frozen. Will glances at them and grins at the others. “Guys! Hey..I...I didn’t expect you to be here. I thought you would hang around Parham longer!” _____________________________________________ OOC: Will spends a token to change the rules.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 21:46
|
|
|
Win snorts and stares at Will, her voice taking on a sharp tone. "Don't play dumb. You knew you were loving us over or you wouldn't have run. You risked our lives for your ticket to Narnia. That's not just going to blow over. Stop trying to figure out how to squirm out of this and start asking yourself how you can make things right."
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 23:41
|
|
|
malbogio posted:"Don't play dumb. You knew you were loving us over or you wouldn't have run. You risked our lives for your ticket to Narnia. That's not just going to blow over. Stop trying to figure out how to squirm out of this and start asking yourself how you can make things right." "What? No! Listen," his brown furrows. "I didn't have time to explain because I need to get here asap. If I..er..Khovai, hadn't shown up, Preladan's advance force would have decimated the city's defenses. I figured leaving you at the starting area would be a good way to get you..acclimated..to the world. It's not Red Moon, not exactly, you guys figured that out right? But it's close enough for us."
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 01:12
|
|
|
NinjaPete posted:"What? No! Listen," his brown furrows. "I didn't have time to explain because I need to get here asap. If I..er..Khovai, hadn't shown up, Preladan's advance force would have decimated the city's defenses. I figured leaving you at the starting area would be a good way to get you..acclimated..to the world. It's not Red Moon, not exactly, you guys figured that out right? But it's close enough for us." "No, actually we hadn't figured that out. I've been preoccupied with almost getting killed, watching myself get executed, and being in the WRONG loving BODY! What the gently caress are you even talking about? Acclimated? You tricked us into this and abandoned us to a bunch of zombies!" Evil Mastermind fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Jul 30, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 02:00
|
|
|
A part of Sofia, one she's not entirely prepared to accept, is carefully considering the exact distances involved and whether she can cover the ground between her and Will before he can say anything. What she did if she would get there in time... well, that's something she's even less prepared to accept. The swords hiss and chuckle in her mind, the approval radiating off them. In a sense, her instincts are simply telling her the same things they have since she's arrived in this strange world: minimize variables, protect her friends, drat the consequences. Her footing shifts subtly, the better to run and fight, but Sofia holds steady for the moment. She says, "Damnit, Will, think about why Preladan is even attacking. It's your dumb plot, right? Why is the Queen my mom? How the gently caress did you make that happen?" She tilts her head in Tony's direction. "Speaking of zombies... Your little stunt back there almost killed Tony, so I don't think you're gonna need more than one guess as to how we're feeling about all this."
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 02:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 6, 2024 14:54 |
|
|
Evil Mastermind posted:
"I... listen Tony, I'm sorry. But I didn't make Gragnor get executed okay? His actions or your loving subconscious did that. Besides, he was just an NPC so I don't see what the issue.... " Tricky posted:"Damnit, Will, think about why Preladan is even attacking. It's your dumb plot, right? Why is the Queen my mom? How the gently caress did you make that happen?" She tilts her head in Tony's direction. "Speaking of zombies... Your little stunt back there almost killed Tony, so I don't think you're gonna need more than one guess as to how we're feeling about all this." Will throws up his hands. "I don't why she's your mom. You must have wanted to see her, or I might have unconsciously done it. The..the world plucks things out of our memories. I think." He sighs, dramatically. "Listen, I get that you're pissed okay. I just wanted to surprise you and I didn't even know if it would loving work. Can we please just get on with the game? We play the game, crush Preladan or flip on Kheenai.. whatever, and we can go home once we win. Okay?"
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 03:50
|
|