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Andra - Andaria "Bloody hell," Andra muttered, shuffling to her feet and wiping her mouth; she felt pretty damned good now, certainly, but hacking up gunk from her lungs for the last few days has tasted more than a bit unpleasant. Gathering her clothes and armor - and checking to ensure that she still has all of her possessions, human nature being what it is - she heads down to the common room of the inn she's booked. The innkeep - let's call him Angus - is cleaning up the common room, which makes it easy enough for Andra to get his attention. "I need eggs, bacon, as much bread as you can find, and a whole mess of mead," she tells the man, handing him several coins from her dwindling supply and considering, for a moment, that at some point she's going to have to find some bloody income. That point isn't now, though; there's still enough left in her mustering-out pay that she can afford to keep herself fed and housed for a bit longer yet. So why fret about it now? Once she's eaten enough for three - hey, she's got several days of sickness to make up for - Andra hits the town, chatting with locals and getting a sense of what's going on and where she might find some trouble. Hey, maybe there are bandits about that need killing or whatever. That's always exciting. Using Charming as Hell [+4] to get the lay of the land and get a sense of what's on the minds of the locals, for good or ill. DivineCoffeeBinge posted:Andra of the Verdant Isle
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Nov 17, 2012 03:23
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Andra - Andaria "Evil witch, eh?" Andra asks, lifting a brow. "Evil witches are interesting. What are the merchants planning to do about it? Have they gotten around to organizing an expedition? Wait, scratch that; I'll go find out for myself. Thank you, my good man." Additional coins are left on the table for the man's assistance; Andra sets out into town to go find some of the merchants whose caravans were attacked. If she's lucky, they're already talking about hiring adventurers to go hunt down whatever is harming the caravans. If not, well, surely she can convince them that it would be a good idea. Using Charming as Hell [+4] and Doughty Warrior [+4] to convince the merchants that organizing a retaliatory expedition would be in their best interests - the former should convince them, while the latter should demonstrate that Andra should be a part of it. Hell, maybe even in charge. Let's go kill some evil.
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Nov 19, 2012 02:53
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) As preparations get underway, Andra excuses herself to check her armor and get a moment's privacy... so that she can mutter to herself. "Lovely. I was hoping they'd've hired mercenaries, organized their guards... instead there's just a bunch of untrained yokels who barely know which end of a spear to hold." She pauses, then visibly brightens. "Ah, but what the hell. It'll be fun." Then she wanders back out and starts making definitive preparations. The first merchant who agreed to back her, a cloth-merchant named Juddson, and unilaterally declares him to be in charge of organizing the militia - finding out who has what battle experience et cetera. Flashing a bright smile, she assures him that this is important work that only a man of his obvious intellect can be trusted with, and before you know it, he feels like he's been done a favor by receiving the assignment. While this is being done, Andra finds the one thing that large gatherings of armed men are guaranteed to provoke - young children who want to see what all of the excitement is about. "Which of you kids wants to make a bit of money and help out the town, hmm?" In exchange for some copper coins, Andra asks the urchins to run throughout the town, finding anyone who knows more than 'there is a witch and it attacks caravans,' which is hardly enough data on which to base a proper military excursion. Find them, bring them to her, and let her ask questions... and any child who finds someone who actually knows something, or that Andra finds useful, will get not copper but silver. Using Charming as Hell [+4] to get the militia organized and to gather information on the enemy. Then we can get to work, as it were.
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Nov 24, 2012 08:09
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) "I'm glad to hear it," Andra tells Civar as he makes his introductions, offering a hand for the shaking. "Be even gladder if you tell me you know more about the situation than 'there's a witch,' which is all anyone's told me thus far, but I'll take all the help I can get. Fair warning - you don't look the combatant type, so I'll do my best to keep you out of any actual fighting, should it come up, but I can't make any promises. If you're still interested, I intend to see us underway in roughly an hour's time." Hooray for teamwork!
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Nov 26, 2012 07:46
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Andra (with Civar) (Arandia, Coltain) "Deep in the forest, eh? Well, I can handle forests. Thank you, children - now I know somewhat of what to look for." Copper is distributed to the kids - silver for the ringleader, as his information seemed most credible... but before dismissing them, Andra slips another silver coin to the girl Galariel, whispering to her, "Don't let him push you around too much, kiddo. If you let them call you stupid they'll never stop, even when you're smart. I'll check on you when we return, okay? Buy yourself something fun." With a wink, she withdraws, with much work to do. The organization of the militia meets with her approval; so there are some fighting men here after all. That is better than nothing. She takes a few minutes to learn the names of her fellow mercenaries (Eoghan, a fellow Verdant Islander; Niccolo and Vincenzo, two natives of Coltain; and Travis, who refuses to say where he comes from but has mahogany skin and a fearsome aspect), stressing to them that the militia will be counting on them to lead with clarity and decisiveness - and promising each of them a bonus from her own share of the payments, coin for each militiaman that makes it home alive. If she's done her math right she'll make plenty for this job; why not spend a bit of it to help ensure that she doesn't lead troops into another massacre? She's done that before; it was no fun. Thinking about it is no fun either, though, so she stops. Her final order of business before departure? To check on Civar and his scrying attempts. Truly, she placed little stock in them herself - while soldiers have always had their share of superstitions, she has seen too many men and women die clutching amulets of protection to consider them much more than psychological boosters - but it was worth a shot. Thus, Civar's lack of evident results doesn't seem to bother her. "Nothing definite, eh? Well, no worry - doubtless the witch is using some foul magic or other to hide, right?" She may not believe in superstition, but judging by the business the traveling salesman has done in amulets and charms among the militia, clearly they so, and a good officer knows better than to step on their peoples' morale like that, so she'll play along. "Between your know-how and the rough directions I've gotten from the townspeople, we'll find her. We're heading out - you stick close to me, Civar, I'll want your advice as we travel, I've no doubt." No sense putting things off any longer - it's time for the militia to set out. Deep into the spooky forest to look for skull piles. Yeah, that won't end badly.
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Nov 27, 2012 13:26
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Andra (with Civar) (Arandia, Woods near Coltain) "Niccolo, Vincenzo," Andra barks out to her fellow warriors, the two who are natives of Coltain, "round up the fleeing people. I don't want them to run into bears or anything, or even fight one another in their panic." They will be more likely to react favorably to fellow townsmen, she theorizes. "Eoghan, Travis, Civar - with me." Andra sets her jaw, her eyes hardening, flinty. Whatever just happened... she doesn't like it. No, she doesn't like it one bit. She stalks towards the witch's hut, her hand on the pommel of her sword - though she does not draw it, not yet. There is still a chance that this is all a misunderstanding - that the witch is being blamed for crimes not her own - and she does not intend to strike an unjust blow without at least making an effort to discover the true nature of things. "Civar, whatever protective charms you have, be ready to use them. Eoghan, Travis, stay to either side of me; if the witch attacks, let her strike me first. She will find me a harder prey than the average merchant." She reaches the hut, opens the door, and steps inside. Sending two of the mercenaries off to round up the fleeing militia instead of doing it myself means I probably can't use Charming as Hell [+4] to rally them - but I'll mention it anyways, because you never know, right?  Meanwhile, entering the witch's hut and being prepared for combat; if a fight breaks out, Doughty Warrior [+4] and Divine:Unstoppable [+2] will probably come into play.
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Dec 4, 2012 04:26
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Andra (with Civar) (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) The waves of magic wash over the two remaining... well, 'adventurers' might be the only apt word, really... and Andra grits her teeth. Fear. Insecurity. It's not as though she's not grappled with those before. Good men and women, cut down in their prime, lost for all time to a stupid, pointless battle in a stupid, pointless skirmish. Men and women who trusted her. Who looked to her for leadership. Oh, their deaths were avenged, but that doesn't make the voices silent at night. No... Andra won't be stopped by this. She can't let herself be stopped. If she stops the world will catch up with her. "If you have been wronged," Andra growls out at the witch-woman once she has discarded spells for speech, "I know aught of it; if you will surrender and return to Coltain with us peacefully, I give you my word that I will attempt to seek redress for whatever crimes have been committed against you and yours. But many deaths are laid at your feet, and you will not find solace in wanton slaughter. I give you this choice, woman - fight and die here, or stand down, and perhaps live to see those who wronged you pay without also harming the innocent." Her hand tightens on the grip of her blade, which is loose in its sheath. She does not, in truth, expect the woman to stand down and surrender peacefully, but she has to give her the chance. None were able to give her any reasons why this witch might be slaying the merchants, and so for all she knows the woman's actions were at least partially justified... so, the chance. But if she doesn't take it, Andra will be ready. Using Charming as Hell [+4] to attempt to talk the witch down. If she fails, Andra will go full defensive for the first part of combat, using Doughty Warrior [+4]. Shoulda gone with my initial "let's just lob molotovs at the witch's hut from out here" instinct. Welp, that's what you get for trying to be a hero.
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Dec 7, 2012 05:11
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Andra (and Civar) (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) Andra frowns at the moan's tale of woe, shaking her head - though her sword remains undrawn. "Ma'am, I can sympathize - better than you may think. But killing all the merchants isn't going to bring your son back... and it will only hurt the people who've done nothing to deserve it. There's hoarding starting up in Coltain, did you know that? People can't afford to buy clothing or food because there's no clothing or food to be bought anymore. You're not just hurting the merchants, you're hurting the people who depend on them, too. Is that really what you want? After all this loss, to be responsible for the deaths of other women's children?" She steps forward, struggling to keep her mind clear. "This isn't the way, Ma'am. How about we three sit down and talk and see if maybe we can work out a way to hurt the people who wronged you without getting innocents caught in the crossfire, okay?" What the hell, worth a shot. Still using Charming as Hell [+4] to talk the witch down before she melts my brain.
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Dec 11, 2012 00:44
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Andra (with Civar) (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) "Then we don't take you to Coltain," Andra says with a shrug of her shoulders. Civar's words... well, they stung a bit, but they were true enough... still. Time for memories later. "We take you to Harvan, or Fulkshire, or someplace else these merchants do business - someplace where your complaints will be heard without the bias of the people of Coltain getting in the way. Someplace where you can be heard on your own merits. Sound like a plan?" One last shot at talking the lady down before Andra gets bored and just tries to KO her. heh. Using Charming as Hell [+4].
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Dec 19, 2012 08:19
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Andra (with Civar) (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) ".....yeah, that could work," Andra admits. It would have been a lot easier if she'd been unwilling to talk, she thinks to herself, but even she is forced to admit it's an unworthy thought, and she pushes it aside. "Tell you what. Civar, you're a traveling fellow - can you take her to the Ita'Cha? Oh, and we're going to have to burn your house down. Sorry." It's not the most sincere of apologies. Briefly she outlines her idea - Civar spirits the witch away while Andra sets the cottage ablaze. 'The witch attacked us,' she will explain, 'and we were forced into battle with her. The uncontrolled magicks she unleashed caused her home to catch aflame, and, wounded, she fled. Civar, more versed in magick than I, took off after her, but my duty was to the people of Coltain, and so I remained here to rally the militia and lead them home.' The merchants will be satisfied, for the witch will have been 'driven off,' and the witch will be satisfied, because she won't be dead, and everyone lives happily ever after, especially Andra, since she'll get beer money. "Sound good?"
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Dec 24, 2012 07:03
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Andra (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) Andra bids Civar and Aideen farewell in front of the gutted wreck that was the witch's home; their paths must diverge here for a bit, and she leaves them to it. Maybe she'll meet Aideen again sometime. Stranger things've happened. She smudges a bit of ash on her cheeks and her armor, to give herself that whole 'been in a fight with a witch' look. At any rate, though, she's got militia to round up, and so she starts stalking the woods, looking for tracks (panicking warriors tend to leave obvious ones) and calling out names. She does her utmost to carry herself with a confident and noble bearing the whole while; soldiers, she knows full well, respond to that sort of thing. Using Charming as Hell [+4] and Naval Experience [+2] to gather up the troops (the latter comes into play by way of 'an officer's bearing' and the like) and start getting them back to Coltain. Give them the story agreed upon in the last post and we'll call it good. Let's all go drink away our reward money, boys!
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Dec 31, 2012 06:15
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Andra (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) "Like hell!" Andra tells the men, shaking her head angrily. In reality, she's angry at herself, for failing to sell the story properly - but they don't have to know that. "Look here - the witch is on the run, but she's not powerless, and who among you thinks you can stand up to her abilities again? You ran the first time, and Civar was quite clear - he can't take the risk of getting interrupted by someone in the witch's thrall! Her magic works on the mind, my friends, and if any of us fall victim to her again it could endanger all of us, and Civar as well." She sighs, then, and shakes her head. "Look, I don't like it any more than any of you do. But when it comes to a duel of magic... none of us here are wizards. We do not, as much as I hate to admit it, have any place in a wizard war." Using every trick at her disposal to keep the men from chasing after the witch (who will probably kill them and assume she's been betrayed if they chase her). Using Charming as Hell [+4] to induce the men to listen to her and trust her; using Doughty Warrior [+4] to project an aura of martial competence, giving the men the impression that she's someone who knows of what she speaks; using Naval Experience [+2] to use the proverbial Voice of Command, the kind of attitude that says 'every man on this ship needs to do what I say because I'm the Captain dammit' despite the fact that they're not on a ship. It's a stretch, I know, but still. Worth a shot. 
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Jan 9, 2013 03:16
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Andra (Arandia, Woods north of Coltain) Andra makes a show of considering the men's questions while she tries to recover from that... whatever it was... to the north. She'll have to go find out what the hell that was. Later for that. Reassure the men first. "Of course I'll guide you home, men. That's half the job of an officer, you know." She starts walking as she speaks, fairly willing the men to follow along... in the direction Civar didn't go. The sudden title doesn't faze her; she figures the men are impressed, is all. She was the same way when she was younger; her Sergeant wasn't really 'Sergeant' until she learned to respect the woman. "The first job is to see the goal completed - that's done. The witch is burned out and on the run and no longer in a position to threaten your caravans, yes? The second half of the job is bring your people home. And that's precisely what I aim to do." She grins broadly, clapping a nearby militiaman on the shoulder as she leads the men back towards Coltain. "As for how I stood up to the witch," she continues - though only once the group is well and truly underway, "I'll be the first to admit, I'm not entirely certain. I expect it was due to the way she attacked. You all felt it, I presume - the fear and dread. Well, I was a soldier for most of my life; fear and dread are part of the job. That's why soldiers train so much, you know, so that they can keep fighting even when they're scared. The training takes over when the conscious mind can't handle things. That's probably what it was.You men didn't have the benefit of all that training, and that's not your fault, so I don't want any of you feeling lousy about what happened, all right? I mean it. You did exceptionally well, and I'd be proud to have any of you under my command." Would I, though? she wonders as the march continues, looking pensive. After my last command... would I really be able to...? But she only has to look around, look at the faces of these men, to know the answer. Some of them, doubtless, have the itch - the willingness to throw oneself into the meatgrinder for a good and worthy cause, the curious mix of naivete and sheer brass balls that it takes to be a soldier. And if they don't have a commander, they'll just get themselves killed to no purpose, so someone'll have to do the job. When she leaves Coltain to head to the north - and she will head to the north, sometime, to find out what in the hell that sensation was - she may have company. Oddly, she finds herself less unnerved by the notion than she might have when she first left the Verdant Isle. Using Charming as Hell [+4] to lead the men back home. Since I seem to recall it being more than a one-day trip, Andra will begin drilling any of the men who want to volunteer in combat techniques, using Doughty Warrior [+4]. And if - as I suspect will happen - any of the men want to keep following her, well, she'll just have to bring a posse with her wherever she goes next. That's doable.
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Jan 15, 2013 21:29
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) Perhaps surprisingly, Andra doesn't seem all that bothered by the group's decisions - the way she figures it, those that want to fight will, and those that don't won't, and that's all good with her. What matters to her is that they're listening - that those that won't be taking up arms are smart enough to stay out of the way of those that will, et cetera. She wishes to prepare them for a dangerous world, and that doesn't always mean rushing out to face the danger yourself! Still... she's going to have to sit down and have a long think about leadership. What it means, how it affects those around her, whether or not she's ready to take up that mantle again. It was easy, here, because people needed her to do it, but... Eh. Later for that. Right now her priority is to get these people back home to Arandia and let the town's leaders know what has happened and pick up any reward money and check on the street urchin girl she promised to keep an eye on and also hopefully get a drink or seven. When she heads north... sure, she'll take people with her if they want to come. Why not? There are bound to be other towns that need help, too, and she can't do it all alone, right? It's not as though she's starting a mercenary company or anything. Okay, so she totally is. But she won't think about it that way. Freelance Peacekeeping Agents, that's the ticket, yes? poo poo. If she's going to create a group she'll need to come up with a name for it. Well, later for that, too. Town first. Drinks now. Hey, if we've made it back to Arandia it's time to celebrate being alive and not dying at the hands of a witch. And probably regale the local tavern with the tale Civar and I agreed on (using Charming as Hell [+4] to make sure people don't spot any logical inconsistencies). What to do with this little band of followers is Serious Business, and Andra can only handle so much Serious Business at once.
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Jan 22, 2013 23:41
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) "Mrphlghm." Look, hangover or no hangover, some people just aren't good with mornings. Andra is one of them. That's why she stays laying in bed for a while, trying not to wake up... but when that fails, she can do things that at least don't involve moving around much. Like thinking. Lot of thinking for Andra to do. See, first there was the whatever-it-was-in-the-sky that she was too busy puking to pay proper attention to. So that was odd. Then there's a witch. And not just 'a witch,' an actual loving witch with actual loving magical powers. Which, Andra has been given to understand, is not a thing that happens. Magic is... is charms and amulets and baubles, like Civar was selling. It's a sham. Isn't it? A whole fuckload of terrified militiamen would seem to disagree. Then there was that sense that... something... happened to the north. Something bad. Like, real bad. Like old stories bad. And now... "Meh, fuckit," the warrior woman grumbles, clambering out of bed and grumpily pulling on some clothes and heading down the stairs to the inn's common room. Thinking hurts. Food now. Only... Andra finds herself noticing something as she walks into the common room. It's the people, see. They're looking at her like... like they believe in her. Like if there's any trouble, she'll sort it out. And... maybe worse, she finds herself thinking that way too. Now, this isn't a strange or new thought for Andra. She's been in that whole 'I trust you to get me out of this incredibly stupid and dangerous situation that you may or may not have put me in' before. It's called 'being in the Army.' When examined critically, the whole reason that militaries have all that discipline and pageantry and folderol and 'sir-yes-sir' bullshit is all an adjunct to the basic social contract between soldiers and officers - that soldiers say, in effect, You're going to give me an order that I will almost certainly think is foolish, and following it could get me killed. But we have a deal, you and I. My side of the deal is that I'll obey that order, and trust that you're giving it to me for a good reason, or at least what you think is a good reason. Your side of the deal is that, having given the order, you will stay the gently caress out of my way while I do it, and you will run interference with the political side of things. That's the agreement every military runs on. Without that agreement, it all falls apart. All the other attendant military bullshit is just there to reinforce that agreement and to distract everyone involved from the fact that, when you stop and think about it, almost everything a military does is loving insane on general principles. So, anyways, the point is, she's used to this kind of notion. What she isn't used to is feeling it as a civilian. She left the Army. The last people who trusted her didn't get the better of that bargain. So... here she is. She's not their Sergeant, she's their... what, Champion, or something? The thought is slightly disconcerting. Suddenly she isn't feeling so hungry anymore, so Andra darts out of the common room and wanders the streets of Coltain. Maybe she can find those little kids she was talking to before she left, see how they're getting on. There was a little girl... she told the kid to stand up for herself. Way things work, that means now she's either doing well by herself, or dead in an alley. Andra's going to find out which. It's a small goal. An easy goal to focus on. Much easier than thinking about... well, everything else, really. Oooo, internal monologuing. Some of my favorite stuff to do! Anyways, Andra's gonna go track down the street urchins she bribed for info before she and Civar left, see what they're up to. 'Sides, if there's anything Fishy (tm) going on in Coltain, odds are they'll know about it, too, so maybe she can find a new Problem That Needs Solving to distract herself.
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Jan 29, 2013 10:42
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) "Serpent, hmm?" Andra considers these tales for a bit. "Well, we'll just have to look into that, won't we, then? But I'll tell you what - I'm going to need your help." Andra crouches, getting between Galariel and Tomos, lest they start arguing again, and places a hand on the shoulders of each child. "Galariel, I need you to go to the inn that I've been staying at; there are men there who came with me to fight the Witch, and they may want to come along for this as well. I want you to get them and let them know to meet me at the waterfront. Tomos, I need you to head down to the waterfront ahead of me and find some of the fishermen who claim to have seen this serpent, if there are any, and have them meet me by the wharf. Okay?" After the two children agree and run off (assuming they do, of course, but Andra is pretty sure they'll be excited to feel like they're a part of something), Andra turns to Baros, looking grave. "And you, Baros, you will have the most important task of all. If there's a Serpent, we will need harpoons and such to deal with it, yes? So I need you to run back to the smithy and tell your master what we'll need, and ask him to get some of his fellow smiths together and get ready to equip us. And I'll need you to help him. I know - the smithy isn't the place you want to be. But we can't fight a serpent without serpent-fightin' stuff, right? You tell the smith, if he makes me a harpoon and he lets you help, I promise you that not only will I pay well for it, I promise you that I will use it, personally. Sound like a good deal?" Okay, so maybe using the kid's own suggestion for Adventure as a way to get him back to work and out of trouble is a little manipulative, but it'll be good for him in the long run, Andra reasons. Using Charming as Hell [+4] to get the wheels turning for the Serpent Investigation And Extermination Excursion. Let's go swimmin'.
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Feb 7, 2013 00:42
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) "Let me get this straight," Andra finally says after about an hours' worth of stories, some of which are conflicting, from the fisherfolk. "There's a serpent. Its scales shimmer in the sunlight, and it's somewhere between ten and fifteen feet long, and it likes to coil itself around the boats and break them. And since it has no arms or legs, no one can tell how it swims up out of the water but clearly it does. That about covers it?" This being a fairly accurate summation of the most plausible common elements of the stories - Andra lends no credence to Old Jim's insistence that the serpent wears spectacles and tried to debate poetry with him before getting frustrated that Jim couldn't manage a decent couplet to save himself before wrecking his boat - the fishermen nod in grim agreement. "Well then," Andra notes. "That could be a problem. I'll need someone to volunteer to loan me their boat. I can't promise it'll come back in good shape, but I am hopeful that the merchants will reimburse you if anything goes wrong. I'll just have to get a harpoon, take a boat out there, and kill the damned thing, that's all." The fishermen cheer, and volunteers come forward; finally she selects the boat of a man named Reynard, because it looks sturdy enough not to turn over at the first sign of high waves and also because he looks healthy enough for his family to absorb a financial hit if his boat is destroyed; while making arrangements with the man, she asks him to run to the smith's to verify that the harpoon is in fact being made - and to pass along a message that she will personally be quite irritated if the smith is, in her words, "overly harsh" in punishing young Baros. Gonna get on a boat and find a serpent and kill it with a harpoon in the eye (or, failing that, a big-rear end sword). Unless it really DOES wear spectacles and discuss poetry, in which case something else will have to be worked out. Using Protector [+2] (because Andra is attempting to protect the fisherfolk of Coltain and the economy they support) and Unstoppable [+2] (because if she gets knocked off a boat and crushed by a sea serpent she still will not stop killing it).
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Feb 11, 2013 05:14
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Andra "So this is odd." What the hell, if she doesn't have to breathe underwater - or maybe at all, damned if she knows - maybe she can talk underwater too. So she sank, and watched the serpent's death throes, streamers of blood floating upwards to the surface in a crazy inverted fashion, with the sunlight dappling the water in a way that, were Salvador Dali alive in this place and this time and this world, would make a hell of a painting. Note to self, the warrioress thought, stop being so loving overconfident. She should have switched out her usual armor for some leather. She knew she was going out on the water. Stupid of her, really. Still, how is she not dead? Maybe it's the serpent. It must have some kind of magic about it. Or maybe the blessings and whatnot that Civar was tossing around when they were together were responsible. Or... oh, hell. Who cares? Not-drowning beats drowning. She can think about it later. So she had two options, as she saw it - try and struggle out of her armor so she could swim back up, which would be the smart thing to do, or... nah. That's boring. Besides, why not ride this particular (and metaphorical) horse as far as it'll take her? She knows which way Coltain is, after all. So when she hits bottom, as she eventually does, she just starts walking. Or, rather, she pauses, jabs the harpoon into the serpent's neck, makes sure she's got the enormous snake well-hooked, and then starts walking... dragging it along. Look, otherwise no one's going to believe her. You know, I honestly meant to include a line in my last post about Andra stripping off her metal armor so that she wouldn't drown, but I forgot. I mean, I figured since she had the Naval Experience mortal Trait she'd be bound to know better, and it slipped my mind to make it explicit. So it's my fault, really - and besides, you're right, this is way more interesting. So yeah. Andra's walking back to Coltain. Bound to be a shore somewhere. She'll just emerge from it. Eventually. You know what she won't do? Let go of this harpoon. Hell, for all she knows it's magic and lets her breathe. This harpoon is awesome, she's keeping it.
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Feb 13, 2013 06:30
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) "Yeah, hi," Andra calls over, taking a deep breath. Maybe she doesn't have to breathe, but it's nice to remind herself that she can. "You wanna maybe round some people up to give me a hand with this thing? It's really fuckin' big and if I gotta drag it all the way into town it's gonna get wrecked and then I won't be able to get someone to carve it up and cook the fuckin' thing." Drag. Drag. Drag. "And get someone to bring me some fuckin' booze, too." Shouldn't she be tired by now? Well, she can think about that by the time she gets back to town. Right now it'll just freak her out and make her miserable. Later. Later for that. Later for a lot of things. Using Charming as Hell [+4] to try and get a posse together to drag this drat thing back to town. The plan is to get the serpent back, and as a reward for killing the Serpent she will ask the town's merchants to pay for some chefs to filet and cook the drat thing and feed the town. Like, the whole town, anyone who wants some. Well, first a volunteer can eat some, in case it's poisonous. She'd be that volunteer, but she's not sure how or even if the poison will affect someone who apparently doesn't breathe. And can survive the pressure of being that far underwater. And who hasn't gotten the bends yet. So, yeah. Then there will be booze, and hopefully that will prevent her from having to think very hard about whether or not she's actually still human.
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Feb 13, 2013 21:44
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) Andra beams as she sees the townspeople feasting on the Serpent, knowing that this is a perfect plan that will not go wrong ever and that there is no possible way that this will backfire. She waves to young Baros, and then makes a show of going over to him to thank him for his help and to praise the hard work he clearly put into the harpoon and otherwise give the kid bragging rights for the next few weeks. It's the sort of thing that'll make his apprenticeship go more smoothly, she hopes. Then there is food and drink and more drink and storytelling and celebration and still more drink. Unfortunately for Andra, the booze doesn't seem to be hitting her the way it used to, but that's no reason not to try, right? Later, when the people of Coltain have gone to bed, Andra finds herself wandering the streets, pensively. Shrugged off magic, killed a sea serpent, apparently doesn't have to breathe anymore, hardly sleeping... she pokes her arm a few times to make sure she still feels human. Something is changing, and damned if she knows what. Why her? Why not someone else, someone more deserving? Maybe... she flashes back to the naval combat, the assault on the pirate fleet where she led so many good young men and women to their deaths. Maybe it's penance, somehow. Or maybe it's something else... she just doesn't know. She's no scholar, no magician, no one wise in the ways of fate. Maybe that's what she needs. As the sun comes back up, Andra is still wandering the street, looking to see if there are sages or scholars or someone smart that she can consult with.
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Feb 19, 2013 06:36
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) "Okay." Andra stares at the glittering radiance for a few moments. "That ain't exactly fuckin' normal, now is it?" So. That answers the 'am I still human anymore' question pretty damned succinctly. Andra is pretty sure that, nope, she's not. What she is is another thing entirely. She reaches out, taking the small knife from the herbalist - betting he's still too shocked to actually try and stop her - and promptly starts cutting away the skin of her left pinkie finger. See, if the glowy poo poo stays finger-shaped, then clearly she's a glowy-energy-being wearing a person's skin, whereas if it all falls out then, well, gently caress it, she'll call herself Andra Ninefingers from now on. One thing's for sure, she's doing away with the armor. It only protects internal organs that seem not to be there anymore, so gently caress it, it's uncomfortable. Yeah. Not really a dice action so much as the beginnings of a psychotic break that will probably traumatize this poor herbalist guy for the rest of his life, but still.
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Feb 22, 2013 07:30
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) "Okay, so that didn't work. Hey, you all right? Look, I'm going to think out loud for a minute. If you have anything to say, just feel free to jump in." Andra leans up against the herbalist's workspace counter, shrugging at the man's slightly vacant expression. "See, I'm pretty sure I'm not human anymore. Because, well, humans breathe and sleep and get drunk and have blood in them, and none of these things appear to apply to me any more. So the question becomes 'what am I,' followed by 'am I something that is too dangerous to exist?' And since you're all spaced out I'll just hafta think of an answer on my own, I guess. "My current working theory is that I'm turning into something else. Like, I heard stories of a thing... goalie? No, golem, that was it. Golems. Tireless metal-people things. So I suppose I could be turning into one of those, but it seems backwards, right? The changes are all happening internally, whereas I imagine that if I was gonna turn someone into a golem I'd start with the external changes first. Like, give them the metal skin so I'd know they wouldn't get hurt, then start working on changing all the squishy inside bits. So I'm probably not a golem. "I know I used to have blood, that's the bit that's messing with me. I bled enough, that's how I know. You know I don't even have most of my old scars anymore? Oh, yeah - I meant bleeding from getting cut, not the way you're probably thinking of, you turkey. I used to get cut and bleed, and now I don't. Means clearly something is changing. "The bit that worries me, though, is what if the glowy poo poo is, like, my... I don't know, my life force or something? What if it's burning up? Like, I'm super-tough right now because I'm getting a year's worth of healing crammed into every minute but by this time next week I'll have used up a hundred years' worth and it'll burn out? I could, like, have all the glowy poo poo evaporate and just collapse into a puddle of skin or something. Ugh. That is gross. I wish I hadn't just thought that. Ew. "....well, you're not being any drat help, now are you?" Nenji, I'mma try and catch up with you on IRC - if this guy has anything Interesting or Useful to say, she'll stick around and chat with him, but otherwise Andra's going to go out and get into more trouble. We'll see, one supposes.
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Feb 27, 2013 11:10
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Andra - Coltain Andra had her talk with the alchemist. It... did not go well (OOC: I'm having trouble figuring out exactly where that IRC chatlog got to, so the tl;dr is 'the alchemist said a lot of things, but none of them were the things Andra wanted to hear'). So she was back wandering the streets, still trying to figure out what the hell was happening to her. What she is. She's clearly not human. Not anymore. Humans breathe. Humans bleed. Humans sleep. Near as she can tell, she doesn't do any of those things. So now she has to figure out... ...well, she needs to figure out whether it matters. That's what the guy was trying to tell her, really. She was too freaked out to realize it, but that was the message he was trying to get across. Stalking the early morning streets of Coltain, seeing the people go about the business of waking up and getting their day underway... this calms her a bit, gets her to start chilling out a little. Gets her to start thinking rationally instead of just emotionally flailing. She pauses, mid-stride, and considers. "gently caress it," she decides, and concentrates. Screw this noise. Andra's not human anymore? Fine. Let's see if she can fly. After consultation, Unstoppable [+2] could apply, because not even gravity can stop her. Flight is a great way to clear one's head - Superman comics assure me of this.
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Mar 25, 2013 06:02
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