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Rythin "Showoff," Rythin grumbles.
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Oct 14, 2014 22:15
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 06:30 |
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The druids(?) don't seem angry at your intrusion, and indeed they seem a little bit impressed by your willingness to attempt to recruit strangers into a suicidal assault against a fort. "That's a rather presumptuous claim, young man. None of us have children, for one. What makes you so sure we want this Skull gone?"
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Oct 16, 2014 08:32
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Avram "who wouldn't want the Skull dead? A vicious pirate-wizard who rules this island with an iron fist and despoils nature at every turn. Doesn't sound like a man who makes lots of friends to me" Avram responds passionately."Besides just because you don't have children now doesn't mean you might not want them in the future, remember the circle of life and all that." somewhat disconcerted that his speech did not go as well as he hoped. Ferrosol fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Oct 19, 2014 |
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Oct 16, 2014 10:07
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The man shrugs. "We're pacifists. Other men lead their lives by killing, we lead ours by sacred cleanliness, formal philosophical debate, and occasionally sweaty shirtless wrestling. We are clerics of Sand."
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Oct 18, 2014 09:33
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Avram "Greetings then brothers." Avram adds a shade more respectfully "I did not expect to find a single worshipper of the Lord of Debate on this godsforsaken isle. Let alone a whole community dedicated in His service." Avram continues "I have been charged by our lord to see to the overthrow of the vicious pirate Skull and I mistook you for simple common folk who might aid us in overthrowing the tyrant." He adds somewhat hesitantly "If you could but direct us in the direction of Skull's fortress I would be grateful. For the jungle is confusing to outsiders like myself and I fear we have become a trifle lost." Ferrosol fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Oct 20, 2014 |
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Oct 19, 2014 22:08
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"Well I mean-" One of them casts a glance at Eurydike. "It's a giant mountain the shape of a skull. It shouldn't be hard to-" Another, younger member points an accusatory finger at her. "GRAVEWALKER! YOU HAVE DARED TO LEAD THESE POOR SOULS ASTRAY?" Eurydike looks around. "...is he talking to me? I don't know this dick."
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Oct 20, 2014 09:30
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Colin Strange "Hm, yes, Orpheus seems oddly relevant." For the benefit of those without an education in mythology, he briefly summarizes the legendary figure who battled his way into the world of the dead in an unsuccessful mission to rescue his lover, also called Eurydike. "Given the nature of our foe, I feel an explanation of this nomenclature, and the title Gravewalker, is in order. "
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Oct 20, 2014 18:03
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Eurydike looks at Colin for a long while. "...the gently caress are you talkin' about? Eurydike was my grandmother's name, it's Old Miirsh. And I have no idea what this guy is bagging on about." She looks over at the druids and shouts. "You hear me! I'm not dead! It's just a pigmentation thing!" The druids begin murmuring to themselves: "Blessed tongue above in heaven, give us your blessings for this poor, wretched creature, cursed to walk the line between death and-" "Shut it!" Eurydike yells. She turns back to you. "These guys are nutters. We should probably just leave them out here to eat mushrooms and die, which I assume is what they do best."
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Oct 21, 2014 07:50
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Nate "Okay everyone," Nate steps forward, arms out and hands empty in the universal sign of 'Trying to make peace here, please don't kill me.' I'm sure we're all a bit tired from walking and foraging and drinking, so let's keep things peaceful - before our yelling attracts unwelcome attention." "Clerics of Sand," he nods towards them, "Any help you can give us is well appreciated. As someone who witnessed a ..." Nate paused trying to explain what he saw, "...a spirit bear fight, I'm sure Sand works in ...ways you'll familiar with."
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Oct 22, 2014 04:33
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The old men cease their chattering. "You have seen... a spirit bear? That... is a wonder to behold. If you are truly touched by the spirit of a great bear..."
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Oct 22, 2014 06:55
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The druids are confused, and look around wildly. It's only now that you realize that Sidnae has been gone for, like, a really long time. Actually you're pretty sure you left her back at the Rum and Whiskey. Whelp. "THEY LIE!" cries the most excitable of the druids, brandishing a large, primitive, yet still very painful-looking stick. "The Gravewalker seeks to deceive us! We must silence them before Skull's eyes find us!" The eldest among them sighs, pulling out a significantly larger stick. "I suppose he's right. If you're in line with a gravewalker, then we cannot allow you to leave this island. No one can be allowed to leave." Eurydike shakes her head. "See? Nutters."
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Oct 26, 2014 23:02
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Would I happen to have brought any alcohol with me from the bar? I feel like there could be some fun things I could do with that.
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Oct 26, 2014 23:17
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GeneralYeti posted:Would I happen to have brought any alcohol with me from the bar? I feel like there could be some fun things I could do with that. Is there a situation where you might not have  Who goes to a bar and doesn't grab a roadie?
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Oct 26, 2014 23:25
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Rythin Rythin sighs. "Alright. I see where this is going." He grabs the booze he brought with him from the bar and tosses some of it in the oldest druid's face. Rythin gets up in the guy's face. "Now, see, you're covered in alcohol. And alcohol is flammable." He grins pretty broadly, showing off his very sharp teeth. "And I can breathe fire. Do you still want to do this?" The tattoo is writhing wildly on Rythin's back, responding to the sudden aggression.
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Oct 26, 2014 23:42
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The druid locks eyes with Rythin, and speaks in a low voice: "Know this, dragonkin: you have-" He immediately turns and his heel and sprints away, followed closely by the other druids. They are off and away into the foilage before you can react. The matter is resolved, apparently.
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Oct 27, 2014 00:07
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Nothing to see here.
Ferrosol fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Oct 27, 2014 |
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Oct 27, 2014 00:16
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Nate The only thing Nate can say after that is "Thanks for the save, Rythin." "Should we go back to pick Sidnae up??"
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Oct 27, 2014 03:44
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Eurydike waves a hand. "Leave 'em, we've got bigger fish to fry. Bigger zombies. Whatever. C'mon." She hikes off into the jungle. "Seriously, 's a big fuckin' mountain shaped like a skull, how hard can it be to find?"  After another day of hiking, you find yourself by the shoreline, the waves crashing upon the craggy rocks covered in moss. Just on the horizon, you can see a large round lump of mountain, presumably the back of Skull's... uh, skull. "Was it always on the coast like that?" Eurydike mumbles to herself. "Could've sworn it was further inland. Learn somethin' new every day I guess." She stops up short, looking at something in the distance. It takes a moment, but then you see it: a few hundred feet ahead, the jungle comes to an abrupt end. It's replaced by grey, lifeless rock, revealing a flat stretch of stoneland between you and Skull Mountain. From here, you can get a better look at the place.  It's... not super inviting. More than just a skull, it seems like someone carved an entire murdered corpse from the mountain itself. It seems hard to believe it was manmade, but perhaps something bigger had a bit of an artistic streak. Most disconcerting is the heavily oxygenated water flowing around the great stone blade, giving the distinct impression of old blood flowing into the ocean. "Home sweet home, eh?" Eurydike nudges Nate.
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Oct 27, 2014 08:52
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Ziria Ziria whistles as she sees the skull. "Well, I have seen a lot of stuff in my time, but that's... pretty impressive." She crosses her arms. "... So what do you think, stone or giant corpse?"
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Oct 27, 2014 14:49
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Colin Strange Strange's boundless curiosity drives him to magically probe the massive skull for traces of life/unlife. "Science is a thirst for knowledge that must ever be quenched," he comments. Intelligence (They Called Me Mad!): 1d20+10 29
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Oct 27, 2014 18:28
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Avram Avram sighed, "it's always skulls. Just once I want an evil overlord with an obsession with something else. No doubt all the minions will wear black robes as wel."
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Oct 27, 2014 18:54
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Captain Walker posted:Colin Strange Oh poo poo. Yeah, that's a dead thing. I mean it's been dead for a super, super long time. Long enough that it's calcified, sort of like a petrified tree, but you're pretty sure there's no way someone would've been able to carve this, let alone for it to form naturally. Most likely some giant dude got run through a couple thousand years ago and got petrified. Fun times.
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Oct 30, 2014 07:17
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So all you really have to deal with is a necromancer(?) living in the body of a dead giant with an army of undead(?) pirates at his beck and call. That's much better than having to hike up a vaguely-spooky-looking rockface.
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Nov 3, 2014 06:04
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Colin Strange Levitating himself about four inches so as not to get his boots or cloak wet, Strange continues up the giant creature's arm, making a note to acquire some tissue from the being for later study.
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Nov 3, 2014 17:14
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Eurydike shrugs and follows Colin up the arm. It seems as good a method of ingress as any into the mountain itself. The front entrance (which, as you can sort of see from here, appears to be set into the base of the mountain near the "neck") is sure to be heavily guarded, but with some mild scrambling it should be easy to climb up and into the fortress. It's a long climb, but the slope is shallow enough that you could fairly easily stand if you so chose. Though with the strong wind off the ocean, that might not be the best idea. It's only a short way up when you hear the distinctive sound of metal scraping on stone. Eurydike looks over the side of the arm. "poo poo." Nestled among the crags below are several pairs of glittering red eyes staring up at you. You're currently far enough up the narrow arm that your options are a bit limited. There's someone/thing(s) down in the rocks below you. If they decide to attack, they'll easily be able to cut you off from the ground-end of the arm. That means you can haul rear end the rest of the way up the arm, turn around and fight, or try and jump over the edge and find better ground (I... wouldn't recommend that). As always, there may of course be other options. And also as always, I heartily recommend the most  course of action you can think of.
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Nov 6, 2014 22:13
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Colin Strange "Insolent children. Wait your turn!" So saying, Strange fashions an anachronox hex to briefly impede the progress of whatever lurks below, giving his allies a chance to reach higher ground. Intelligence (They Called Me Mad!): 1d20+10 26
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Nov 7, 2014 18:12
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There's a snarl from the crags, and a number of large dog-like beasts leap from the cliffs toward the hand calcified to the rocks below. "Barbellites." Eurydike snarls. "Nasty little bastards. They're native to the island, but I didn't think any would be this close to Skull's place. I'd rather not tangle with them if we can avoid it." The first of the pack leaps forward, bounding up the arm with terrifying speed. It hits the glyph at a run, a red flash and a yelp before it tumbles over the side. A haze still hangs in the air, and the rest of the pack is hanging back, but it won't be long before they gather up the courage to charge again.
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Nov 9, 2014 06:47
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Ziria Ziria gives a low whistle. "I like the way you work!" She glances up the arm. "Let's pick up the pace a bit, shall we?"
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Nov 10, 2014 13:04
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Avram Avram raises an eyebrow as the smell of burnt canine fills the air. "impressive work indeed. Now let's get to the top of this arm I'd rather not fight those beasts from here."
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Nov 10, 2014 17:20
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It takes a while to scramble up the arm, but you're able to fairly easily outpace the barbellites who seem to have lost the taste for the hunt, at least for now. You find yourself at the shoulder of the great mountain, and you realize that there is a manmade keep up at the top. That means you have seemingly two options at this point: A) You can climb across the mountain itself and through the eye sockets to try and sneak in. That would be more dangerous, but would also (presumably) put you right at Skull's sanctum. or B) Continue your way up and enter in through the keep at the top. This would require you to either sneak or slaughter your way through (presumably) a bunch of Skull's Undying, but it has much less of a possibility of you becoming a reddish smear on the jagged rocks below.
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Nov 10, 2014 21:30
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Colin Strange Any task worth doing is worth doing right, with no shortcuts. Strange makes for the keep as originally intended.
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Nov 12, 2014 21:44
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"Oh now they want to do things on the up-and-up Constantina." Eurydike grumbles to her axe. "Buncha goddamn zombie pirates, better give them a sporting chance!" She follows Colin up the arm. The fort at the crown of the mountain is a pretty ramshackle affair made from local timber and slapped into a vaguely fortress-y shape. You're guessing the walls protect a passage downward into the skull of the mountain. The walls are well-lit by a large number of torches dressing the parapets and the heavy gate, which is helpful considering the sun is starting to set and will be gone soon. You can only see two guards standing in front of the gate as of yet, but it's probably safe to assume there are more inside and/or on the walls that you can't see from here. They don't look dead...
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Nov 13, 2014 20:33
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Colin Strange Flush with his previous success, Strange steps forward, far ahead of the rest of the group, and approaches the front gate. "Stand aside, peons; I've business with your master. Resist and it shall be a waste of your pitiful lives." Intimidate (CHA): 1d20+10 11 The best part is I wasn't really hoping to succeed, just to announce my presence because he'd totally do that
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Nov 14, 2014 18:53
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The guard brightens. "Oh, yeah alright, that's fine. What's the business? I don't recognize you, but we're always open to new trade connections." The other guard nods solemnly. "Can I take your name? I'll let the big guy know you're here. Normally we're strictly appointment-only, but I think the ol' schedule's pretty light today."
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Nov 16, 2014 05:05
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Colin Strange Unexpected, to say the least. Strange alters his tactic somewhat, if not his insufferably smug tone. "Professor Colin Strange, late of the Arcanist's College. If your employer has any semblance of good sense, he's been expecting me, or someone like me, for some time now." The way Strange sees it, his walking into the fortress alone is either a brilliant distraction to allow his erstwhile allies to do what they do best, or the opening play in a high-stakes negotiation for the dark artifact Skull is probably unaware he possesses.
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Nov 16, 2014 06:35
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The guard scribbles something onto a scrap of paper and hands it to his compatriot, who grunts and trundles off into the mountain. "So..." The guard says, tapping his foot idly while he waits for the other to retun. "Been in town long?"
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Nov 16, 2014 06:44
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After a few minutes, the other guard returns, holding another sheet of paper. The first guard takes it and brightens. "Oh! It just so happens Mr. Skull has an opening right now. I know it's short notice, but are you prepared to see him now?"
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Nov 17, 2014 01:16
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Colin Strange "Capital! Well, don't keep me in suspense."
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Nov 17, 2014 01:27
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The man leads Colin - and, more pertinently, only Colin, the rest of the guards have made it clear you're not to pass - deeper into the fortress. Colin's lead down a long winding staircase deep into the, uh... spinal cord, I guess? Brain stem? Something like that. Several rough-looking pirates give Colin the stink-eye as he walks past, but make no other move. The guard (who introduces himself as Smitty) continues to lead Colin through a seemingly random series of tunnels through the giant skull until you find yourself, appropriately enough, inside one of the eye sockets. Looks like Eurydike was right.  The socket reveals the cloudy dusk sky up above, and appears to be home to nothing but a simple wooden hut built into some of the stone outcroppings. There is a rhythmic thumping sound coming from inside, like the resident is tenderizing some game. "Come on in!" Smitty says, pulling the leather flap aside. "Mr. Skull will see you-"  The burly orc lets the mangled body drop to the ground, wiping some of the blood from his knuckles. His white-painted face contorts into something between a smile and a grimace. "Smit! A little more forewarning next time, yeah? I fear I'm a frightful mess for my guest." He extends a huge hand, streaks of blood still visible on the back of it. "Skull, pleasure to meet you."
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Nov 17, 2014 01:46
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 06:30 |
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Nate Meanwhile, back on the mountain...Nate turns towards his fellow adventurers. "Did that guy actually just walk into the Skull Fortress, or did I just imagine it?"
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Nov 17, 2014 05:11
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