[ffd6] so long and thanks IC

[CaeruliusVentus]

In the sleepy town of Dimseldorf, the common room of the inn is filled with a surprising variety of humanoid creatures. Some live in the village while others are just passing through. For four of the morning diners this town is more than just a good night sleep (not that they had one). It is the latest stop on their individual quests.

Near the door is a frail Elvaan wrapped in a thick cloak as black as his hair. In a corner near the bar, a partially metallic man sits and stares out over the crowd. The center of attention is hume with a set of cards. The oo's and ahh's from the crowd around speak to his ability. Standing back and watching is a tall figure in armor and leaning on a spear.

Dreams:
Zadias

Each night your dream begins with images of your home and your travels so far. Then the images switch to other places along a distant trail. You have been to most of the places and are now at one of the last images in this inn.
The rest of the dream shows you travelling into the nearby woods until you reach a clearing with thick moss on the trees. In the center is a pool of water that is the darkest black you have ever seen. Out of the pool rises a figure standing on the back of a giant red crab. Its body is robed in continuously flowing blue robes and its face is pearly white. It stares at you and utters ,"Come." A burst of blue light and the figure descends once again into the pool.


Lazul

Each night your dream begins with images of your home and your travels so far. Then the images switch to other places along a distant trail. You have been to most of the places and are now at one of the last images in this inn.
The rest of the dream shows you travelling into the nearby woods until you reach a clearing with thick moss on the trees. In the center is a pool of water that is the darkest black you have ever seen. Out of the pool rises a figure in a swirl of biting white snow. The female figure has sharp features and is robe in an Aurora Borealis. A pulsing read globe radiates in its chest. It stares at you and utters ,"Come." A burst of white light and the figure descends once again into the pool.


Alec

Each night your dream begins with images of your home and your travels so far. Then the images switch to other places along a distant trail. You have been to most of the places and are now at one of the last images in this inn.
The rest of the dream shows you travelling into the nearby woods until you reach a clearing with thick moss on the trees. In the center is a pool of water that is the darkest black you have ever seen. Out of the pool rises a figure surrounded by fire and shadow. Its body has bright red armor and blade like wings and a staff in its hand. It stares at you and utters ,"Come." A burst of red light and the figure descends once again into the pool.


Carlson

Each night your dream begins with images of your home and your travels so far. Then the images switch to other places along a distant trail. You have been to most of the places and are now at one of the last images in this inn.
The rest of the dream shows you travelling into the nearby woods until you reach a clearing with thick moss on the trees. In the center is a pool of water that is the darkest black you have ever seen. Out of the pool rises a green figure that unmistakably is a dragon. Its long thin body shimmers with green light and appears to be surrounded by swirling winds. It stares at you and utters ,"Come." A burst of green light and the figure descends once again into the pool.


The world

In times past the creatures of the physical world and the Espers of the spiritual world have existed in peace. Working together to enrich both worlds, a balance existed that allowed both grow. In the physical world though, a group of humes have formed a government that is bent on uniting everything under their banner. Most creatures have only heard rumors of this new group, but already signs of their willingness to do anything for power are appearing in the land.

[BluesEclipse]

Lazul looks out over the bar, taking note of the individuals present. "No imperials, it looks like..." he says to himself. "Though... there are some interesting people, here." Taking note of the somewhat frail-looking Elvaan, the Hume with the cards, and the armored Dragoon, Lazul continues with his breakfast, his mind awhirl with thoughts of the woman from his dream...

[Arudin]

Zadias

His thoughts filled with the thoughts of the inhuman figure from his dreams, Zadias gazes tiredly at the scene before him. In particular, his eyes lock onto the man with a deck of cards. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he makes his way through the crowd, and finds a seat nearby once he's close enough, hoping to get his mind off of dreams and spirits and onto more solid topics. "Do you know how to play anything with those cards?" he asks the man with a wry grin. "Or is twirling them around all you can do?"

[Der_DWSage]

The slender young human was laughing it up with the crowd around him, intermittently taking the money from the gentleman he was playing cards with and performing small tricks. When the serious-looking man walked over to him, the red-headed human flicked a card into a nearby hat without fail, grinning back at him. "Flipping them about? Oh dear me, I could hardly accomplish such a feat of agility!" He chuckled, flipping the entire deck over his head and into his other hand, giving him a circular card halo for a few scant moments. "But I can always try, and trying is half the fun. I know a good many games to pass the time, and if you're brave enough, you can always put some money down on lady luck favoring you over me. What do you say? The name's Carlson, by the by, mister...?"

[Arudin]

"Nice to meet you, the name's Zadias. I'm just looking for an entertaining way to pass the time, so," the Elvaan replies cordially as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small handful of gil. "Is this enough to play with? If not, we could round up some other guys." He finishes this statement with a quick glance over the crowd, settling on some of the more... exotic figures in the crowd.

[Overlord Rion]

Alec, deciding against his better judgement, moved over and sat down at the table. "I saw the look. Leaning on a wall is no way to spend time when there's a game to be had." Alec pulls out a bag of Gil. Where is came from was hard to say. It wasn't there a second ago.

[BluesEclipse]

Lazul finishes his meal, and looks over towards the card game. Mentally shrugging, he stands up, walking over to the three sitting down to play. "I haven't played a good game in a while..." he says, his voice betraying no emotion. "Mind if I join you?"

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson smiled at the entire group, performing a few more tricks with the deck of cards-first shuffling them the simple way, then shuffling them with another aerial trick to give him another halo, tapping them on the table to get the edges all lined up...then flipping the cards to the center of the table, creating a five-pointed star that he built upon with every flick of his hand.

"The more the merrier, the more the merrier! Any preference for the game itself? Cripple Mister Onion? Shiva's Lament? Simple Five-Card Monty? Fruit Basket?"

Undeniable show-off, but he was -good- with those cards in his hands.

[BluesEclipse]

Sitting down, Lazul says flatly, "I'm fine with anything." Watching the cards carefully, he continues, "I'm Lazul. And you are...?"

[Overlord Rion]

"I'm game for just about anything at this point in the day. Though Shiva's Lament does hold a special place in my heart." He nodded briefly to Lazul. After all, it was only the polite thing to do. "Name's Alec." He took another look at his current company. "So, what brings the lot of you here?"

[Der_DWSage]

"Shiva's Lament it is! The rules are simple-you take two cards to start with. The person to the dealer's right-that'd be mister Zadias-takes three more cards and tries to make one of the combinations..." Carlson went through the rules of the game rather quickly-it was basically a variant of poker combined with spades, but it seemed interesting enough. No one really knew why it had a negative emotion associated with an Esper in the name, naturally. Just like no one knew why poker was named after a piece of metal, or the other way around.

Finally he was done explaining, passing out the cards so that they practically landed in each player's hands. "As for why I'm here...well, I don't have anywhere better to be. Why not wander out here? And...well...eh, why not. You're all likable enough chaps. There's this dream, see...and I swear, I saw this very Inn in it. I'm gonna laugh if the owner of the fine establishment turns out to be a dragon in disguise and this was all a ruse to get a tasty snack..."

[BluesEclipse]

"Interesting..." Lazul says, looking at the cards dealt him. "That we should be brought here by such similar dreams."

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson blinked at that, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Not trying to knock an old card-shark off his game, are you? It won't wor...well, it won't work very -well,- but I suppose it'll work a bit. A dragon told you to come too?"

[BluesEclipse]

"No..." Lazul says, his voice still void of emotion. "Not a dragon. A woman... garbed, seemingly, in light itself... I suppose our dreams aren't quite the same, though the mere fact that we both had dreams in which we were called here by some... thing... is an oddity in itself."

[Overlord Rion]

"Wait a moment. You're saying you both had dreams that brought you here? That is...odd. Though I'll admit, I've heard about odder things." Alec looked down at his cards. Not again. His luck with these cards was just atrocious.


"Like a third person being dragged here by a dream."

[Arudin]

"Or a fourth," Zadias chimes in wryly. "I must admit, either there is something big good going on, or a mage somewhere is having a nice laugh at our expense. Personally, I saw a pure white being beckoning me."

[CaeruliusVentus]

now that everyone has introduced themselves and the commonality has been discovered, I'm going to move things along. Plenty of time to get to know each other and develop characters.


The game continues and the group is able to learn a bit about each other. Just about the time that someone started winning, the sun rises above the trees and the room starts clearing. With a word to complete the game later, all four retrieve their belongings and head out the door.
At first, there is a crowd that heads along the forest trail but soon the lumberjacks diverge and the merchants take the main road to the next town. At last there are only four figures continuing toward the heart of the forest. The trail is small and overgrown, but the going is smooth and the forest is filled with its normal sounds.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson whistled a happy tune as he walked down the path, putting away the normal deck that he had played with them...and having a set of heavier, metal-tipped cards that he'd had made on the cheap. Still, they were fun for him to play with, having a set of cards in mid-air at most times as he juggled, flipped, or otherwise manipulated them.

"So. Anyone have any good jokes? A Black Mage, a White Mage, and a Red Mage walk into a bar...the Time Mage sees it coming and ducks instead."

[CaeruliusVentus]

That is horrible.:smallbiggrin:


A reply was stopped from coming by the sound of buzzing in the next clearing. Looking ahead, you see three over-sized insects moving around the area. They do not appear to have noticed you, but they are within medium range.

((OOC
We will try the "range" based combat first to see how it goes.
Feel free to act in any order))

[BluesEclipse]

Seeing the insects, Lazul nods to himself. Bringing up his blade, he strides forward towards the creatures. As he approaches, he considers what he knows about these enemies.

Standard Action: Approach the enemies(Move from Medium Range to Short Range)
Instant Action: Lore(Monsters) to identify the enemy and determine if I can possibly learn a new Blue Magic: [roll0]

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson rose an eyebrow at the insects. Well, he wasn't a cruel man by nature, but bugs...bugged him. Still, he had nothing against them himself.

So instead of drawing one of those heavy cards, he grinned...and threw three cards into the air. "Luck of the draw, mates. Let's have some fun with this, eh?"

OOC
Using Reel of Fortune. It'll last for 4 rounds. If two numbers match, we each get 50 Gil at the end of the fight in addition to whatever else we'd get. If three match, we get 100 each, a point of destiny, and can reroll all 1s. If no numbers match, I get a point of Bad Luck. However, if none match, I'm going to use Stacked Deck to get a single reroll. I goofed the first time and only put 3d6 for the die roll. Kinda hard to judge from that. [roll0]
3d6

[Der_DWSage]

(Bah. Fixing up that last roll.
[roll0] )

[CaeruliusVentus]

Slots succeed and will last 4 rounds.

Blue mage:
These are killer bees and a weak monster. They have an ability called pollen that can be learned.

[Overlord Rion]

Alec's spear seems to come from nowhere. Truth be told, he contained a deep loathing of insects. There was one adventure where he actually just ran around with a few mages, burning all the insects he could find.

But enough about that, he had some bugs to stab. And what better way to hit airborne enemies that on their own turf.

Sorry about not posting earlier. Using a Jump attack.

[Arudin]

Zadias stands his ground while adjusting how he grips his staff. Then, with a small flourish, he points the weapon towards the leftmost enemy and begins incanting a spell.

Slow Action: Cast Burn Ray (5 MP)
Accuracy: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[CaeruliusVentus]

The first bee strikes at Lazul, and hits for 8 damage. The second one strikes him for 7 damage. The third bee moves to short range of Zadias.

Burn ray hits the third bee and it collapses. (magic doesn't need an ACC roll unless it specifies.)

Alec smashes down on bee 2 and hits for 16 damage. Hopping back, he lands in short range of Bee 2.

Status:
K Bee 1: 0 damage, SR Lazul
K Bee 2: 13 damage, SR Lazul and Alec
K Bee 3: dead

[BluesEclipse]

As the first bee drops, Lazul says, "Leave one of them alive for the moment... I have something I can learn from them." With that, he turns towards the injured bee and rushes forward. Leaping up, he slices at the bee, allowing his momentum to carry him into a half-spin, landing just behind the bees and facing them.

Melee Attack - [roll0] - +2 Accuracy, +7 Damage

[CaeruliusVentus]

The attack misses.

all:

Since armor acts like damage reduction, I will post all damages from enemies before ARM or M. ARM is taken into account, so it is up to you to apply it.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson chuckles a bit at the declaration, shouting out, "We'll see what fortune has in store for your lessons, then!" before he picked out a heavy card from his 'special' deck, hurling it with pinpoint accuracy towards the injured bee!

Of course, he always forgets to adjust for movement on their part. He's used to dart boards and hats that he flicks them into...


[roll0] +4 Accuracy, +10 damage.

[Overlord Rion]

Alec whirls his spear in an arc, kicking up some dirt from the ground in a spray and showing off a little in the process. Hey, why not? Spears were meant to be flashy.

At least, that's how he was taught.

Oh hey, totally forgot about my instant attack against that bee. Have I mentioned I love the Jump skill?

[roll0] +4 Accuracy +9 Damage

[Arudin]

Deciding to conserve his remaining mana for a dire situation, Zadias moves his hands into a more physically imposing stance. As he does, dark, ethereal energy begins to crackle down the length of his arm until it utterly covers the weapon. Taking a step forward, he swings the arcane weapon towards the first bee.

Accuracy: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[CaeruliusVentus]

do arcane magics count as ranged? In this case it was a miss anyway.


Alec and Lazul Carlson hit K bee 2 for some serious damage.
K bee 2 attacks Lazul for 12 damage.
K bee 1 starts acting.

Status:
K Bee 1: 0 damage, SR Lazul
K Bee 2: 41 damage, SR Lazul and Alec
K Bee 3: dead

[BluesEclipse]

As the bee strikes him, Lazul falls back with a cry of pain, collapsing to the ground.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson took a breath for a moment, hurling another card in the direction of the bee that was already so wounded.

Account for movement. He's erratic, but he's got a center mass, and...!

Carlson scowled as he saw one of his allies drop, but he thought about it for a moment. Perhaps it was just a grazing wound?

(Actions)
Using Stacked Deck on the attack that felled Lazul, rerolling whichever die was higher. It's an instant action.
Attacking Bee 2: [roll0] +4 Accuracy, +10 damage.

[CaeruliusVentus]

Unfortunately with an EVA of 7, you would need snake eyes to miss, so stacked deck doesn't change anything.


Lazul remains on the ground, but K bee 2 joins him.

[Arudin]

Watching his attack miss, Zadias takes a few steps forward, attempting to attack the bee once more.

Move to Short Range
Accuracy:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

[Overlord Rion]

Here we go again. Alex thought. He prepared for another jump attack against the remaining bee.

Jump attack against the bee, and going ahead and rolling for the attack I get right after the jump hits.
+4 Accuracy and +9 Damage
[roll0]

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson laughed as the Dragoon leaped into the air, shouting something as he lifted from the ground.

He could -swear- Carlson said, "Get to it jump-man! Pin 'im down!"

(Using Stacked Deck again. Re-roll that 2, Rion.)

[CaeruliusVentus]

The last bee fails in its previous action and tries to strike squarely at Zadius, but misses.


replacement roll for jump attack
[roll0]


Alec returns to earth, but just misses the K bee.

K bee: 0 damage, SR Zadias, Alec


Is it Alec or Alex?

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson didn't like letting Lazul just lie on the ground...but right now, there was a target, and it didn't seem like it'd go down easy. Well, at least, not -as- easy. Okay, maybe just as easy, if the mage let loose with his magic again.

But that wouldn't be as interesting.

Carlson sighed as he flipped another card at the last bee, hoping it'd hit the thing in the eye.

[roll0]+4 ACC, +10 Damage. And...let's see...Slots ends next round, doesn't it? Blast. Take it down quick, guys!

[CaeruliusVentus]

Hit for 14 damage.

[Overlord Rion]

It's Alec, the X is just right besides the C. Also, that roll was for the instant attack I get after I land. It looks like that happens regardless of whether or not the jump hits.

Not good, I'd get laughed at for that if I were at home. Alec shifted the momentum from his jump back into his spear and tried to stab the bee.

IN THE FACE.

[Arudin]

Growling a little at his second miss, Zadias redoubles his efforts and attempts to aim his blow at the enemy's body. Putting the full force of his body, frail as it might be, behind the blow, he swings his staff as though it were a sword.

Accuracy:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

[CaeruliusVentus]

Alec skewers the K bee on his spear with a critical hit and the creature stops moving.*

While cleaning off the mess of insect innards, Lazul comes around and is able to stand and move around though very slowly at that.


*I didn't see a roll for the attack so I rolled it and it came up an 11.
The reel of fortune was still in effect and I have noted this for when you get rewards next. Otherwise, everyone gets 1 XP.


The noise of the forest returns and the way is open before you.

[BluesEclipse]

Muttering as he stands, Lazul looks around, seeing the dead insects, and says, "I see you got them. That's good..."

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson helps Lazul to his feet, smiling broadly-the lucky bastich didn't have a scratch on him.

"Lady Luck smiled on the bugger that hit you for just a moment, it seems. She can be capricious like that. Er. Does anyone have any potions? I...have something I can try, if y'all are banged up, but I prefer to keep it in case of emergencies."

The man actually looked a bit embarassed as he took out a deck of...tarot cards, it looked like. "Won 'em off an old gypsy lady. They've got magic in them...but at the same time, they can be pretty nasty. It's all part of the game, I'm afraid. And the magic takes a long time to recharge, too."

[BluesEclipse]

Shaking his head, Lazul replies, "Hang onto it for if we really need it..." before pulling out a Potion and drinking it.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson shrugged at that, putting the cards away, and then giving one of the bees a tap with his foot.

"Fair enough, Laz. So. Shall we keep going then? Or do we want to find somewhere a bit safer and just break camp for the night?"

[Overlord Rion]

"Most of us are good to go. I'm not big on staying in forests, either. But if Lazul needs to rest, we can afford a few hours I'm guessing." The insects had gotten Alec's adrenaline running, and he would really like to get out of the forest before it ran out.

[BluesEclipse]

"I'm fine to keep going..." Lazul says.

[CaeruliusVentus]

The sun passes over your head and begins it's descent before you find the next scene from your dreams. A clearing with an assortment of trees in just the right places and even the bushes are perfect matches. In the center of the clearing is not a pool of water, but a sharply rimmed hole about 10ft in diameter. The other change from your dreams are the other occupants of the clearing. Two rabbit like creatures are moving around among the bushes while another over-sized bee is buzzing on the other side of the clearing.


So now we will try the tactical version of combat.
Short range is any adjacent square.
Medium range is 5 squares counting from the center (so a diamond shaped area with the axises 5 squares long) with the exception that moving medium range means moving up to your dex rank (minimum 2)
Long range is 15 squares.

The grid is here (https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArOt4Os9vP74dDNlYnpWZl9kTERsU0tVeV9LRG9Pa Wc&hl=en&authkey=COOe0qwE#gid=0).
Go ahead and act first.
we will work out other details as needed.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson groaned at the presence of monsters...and at the lack of water in the hole. Surely this was where the dragon had been...right? Oh well. Priorities and all that.

So he pulled out one of those cards from the mysterious tarot deck, shouting out, "Well now. Up for a little more extermination? Zadias, don't be shy with that magic now!"

And with that, he threw the card into the air, not caring where it landed...

(Using Valiant Reels. A success means everyone recovers 5 HP and 10 MP every round.)

[roll0]

[Arudin]

Zadias glances quizzically at the pit, wondering if the monsters around here are at fault somehow. Hearing Carlson, he replies, "Don't worry. I've learned my lesson from last time."

He looks over the enemies carefully, before deciding that the bee looks to be too far away. As such, he walks steadily towards the bee before aiming his staff at the creature, he begins the same low chant and buildup of energy that he used to slay its kin.

Walk to F11
Slow Action: Cast Burn Ray (5 MP) at Leafer 1
Damage: [roll0]

[BluesEclipse]

Seeing that Zadias is focusing on the enemy to the left, Lazul moves forward, approaching the other enemies.

Moving to J10.

[Overlord Rion]

Not wanting to leave his ally by himself, Alec followed Zadias towards the enemies.

Heading to I 11. Time to move around until something is in range.

[CaeruliusVentus]

Leafer 1 moves up to Zadias and starts chattering away. Leafer 2 moves closer. K bee 1 moves up to the closest target and misses Lazul.

Zadius's spell blasts Leafer 1 into a smoldering crater. Leafer 2 shrieks in an angry yet somehow still cute way.

[BluesEclipse]

Seeing Zadias's target fall, Lazul nods, turning his attention away from the bee next to him. He begins chanting, arcane power pooling in his fingertips, and his hands and arms beginning to glow with an azure light.

Slow Action: Cast Homing Laser - Damage [roll0] + 36

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson wasn't slow on the action either-while the bee was pretty far away, he was pretty sure he could make the distance.

A flick of the wrist, a semi-witty one-liner, "Oi! Buzzy! You're not the only one with a sting!" and the Gambler felt content that the card would fly true to the target.


[roll0] +4 ACC, +10 damage.

[CaeruliusVentus]

Unless you use your stacked deck, it won't

[Overlord Rion]

Alec , not seeing anything on range on the ground, decided the air was probably a better idea. Most of the time it was a better idea. I'll be right back."

Flying in the air again.

[roll0] +4 Acc, +9 Damage

And for the attack I get right afterward
[roll1] +4Acc, +9 Damage

Hoping these rolls don't mess up like they've been doing in my other games.

EDIT: Well, typos. I'll just roll that again when I come back down.

[Arudin]

Zadias walks towards the other rabbit-creature, as his allies seem to have the other enemy handled.

Zadias moves to F7

[CaeruliusVentus]

The Bee attacks Lazul but misses.

Unperturbed, Lazul extinguishes Leafer 2.
Alec spears the bee on the way down for 15 damage. It buzzes angrily at him.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson swears a bit-then again, he kept forgetting to accord for -their- movement. Ah well...he simply drew out another card and flicked it towards the bee, staying nice and comfy in the back. Let all the others sweat and grunt all around the battlefield.

[roll0] +4 ACC, +10 damage

[BluesEclipse]

Lazul, seeing the rabbit-like creature fall, twists to the side, using one foot as a pivot, and bringing his blade up to slice across the be as he does.

Moving to J9, Attacking: [roll0] +2 Accuracy, +7 Damage

[Arudin]

Watching his intended target fall, Zadias turns his attention to the remaining creature. He points his staff, hopefully for the last time today, towards the bee, chanting the spell he's uttered so many times before.

Move to F9
Cast Burn Ray at Bee
Damage: [roll0]

[CaeruliusVentus]

Zadias

I assume that was a copy paste thing and you didn't direct the spell at leafer 2.

Alec

rerolling your attack
[roll0]+4/+9
also, whirling spear deals damage before the attack, but since it didn't kill the bee I stated it this way for descriptive reasons.

Carlson's card flies true and takes a slice out of the bee. Lazul and Alec each fail to land a blow. The bee makes a valiant charge at Alec and just misses, but not before the stalk of Alec's spear takes out half of its wings. The creature manages to hover in the air for a moment before a blast of magic turns it into an over-sized neon light.

Once again the noise of the forest replaces the musical clatter of battle. The air smells of burnt hair and surprisingly pungent herbs. The hole in the ground remains gaping and mysterious.

((+1 exp for all))

[BluesEclipse]

Nodding at the others, Lazul says, "This... this is the place I saw in the dream. Except that there was a pool here, rather than just a hole..." Lazul walks to the edge of the hole, looking carefully down into it to see if there's anything visible.

Awareness: [roll0] +3

[CaeruliusVentus]

Lazul

The pit goes down about 20 feet and is pitch black. You can make out shadowy rippling that looks like smoke reflecting off of water.

[BluesEclipse]

Nodding, Lazul turns towards the others, and says, "Well, there's something down there. I can't make it out clearly... but I think there's water at the bottom."

[Arudin]

"Hmm..." Zadias muses. "Yes, we should definitely check that out, especially since it is most likely the same one from our dreams." He then turns to Alec, saying, "You're probably the best choice for this, unless someone else can fly?"

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson nodded at that, though he was also looking at the sides of the pit, trying to figure out if he could get any handholds on the way down. Maybe they could climb...pity he didn't have any rope, but then, he liked to travel light.

"I agree. Unless you can carry people down...


Awareness check for handholds and such. [roll0]

[CaeruliusVentus]

Carlson

No handholds or soft places to hook something in. While made of natural stone, this is definitely not a natural occurrence.

[Overlord Rion]

"All right, since it looks like I'm the only one...does anyone have any rope? Or a light, even?"

[CaeruliusVentus]

It is safe to assume that no one does and that it is not in fact needed.

[Overlord Rion]

"Hmm, guess not, since that's the case, here's hoping there aren't any monsters at the bottom." With a heave, Alec jumped down the hole.

[CaeruliusVentus]

As Alec jumps into the hole, he seems to fade into the air slowly so that he is invisible by the time he reaches the smokey disturbances. I takes a moment to realize that he didn't fall as fast as he should have.

Alec

I'll describe what you see when the rest join you.

[Arudin]

Assuming that there are no traps and that it is a safe distance to the bottom of the pit, Zadias takes the plunge. All the while, he tries to brace himself from significant damage.

[CaeruliusVentus]

Zadius disappears into the hole with same slow fading out that Alec demonstrated.

[BluesEclipse]

Nodding to himself, Lazul turns to the gambler, and says, "In we go, I suppose." Without waiting for a response, he jumps into the hole.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson considered it for a good, long moment, staring at the void where the other two had vanished. While he wasn't exactly the most cautious and second-guessing of the group, neither was he -reckless.-

Then again, he was here with these guys risking life and limb killing monsters because a dragon had told him to come here in a dream that may or may not have been anything more than a dream. And that was crazy in of itself.

Carlson sighed, looking resigned as he started to walk away from the hole...only to turn around with a running start, -leaping- into it with his coat and hair billowing around him as he made his descent.

[CaeruliusVentus]

As you fall into the darkness, you feel a growing force pushing you up so that when you find yourself on solid ground it is like you never fell at all. You are standing on a rocky plateau that is surrounded by darkness. Illuminating the area is a grove of cherry trees reflecting some ethereal light. Behind you is a large gateway filled with the same evanescent smoke as the hole had been. Across from this gate is another gate that is identical except that a heavy stone door stands ajar.

Out of the trees comes a statuesque floating above the ground. Devoid of any sort of limbs, it looks like a living gargoyle that would be at home carved into the side of a cathedral. It positions itself between you and the far gate and says in a voice like the rubbing together of polished stones, "Welcome chosen travelers. You have come in a time of great need for both our kind."

Zadius

you recognize this as an Esper from the war of the magi.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson managed to right himself as he fell down the pit, still completely and utterly confused by what was going on...but at least it wasn't going to hurt when he landed.

However, he wasn't so slow on the uptake from the confusion that he missed it when the Gargoyle spoke, tilting his head to one side. "Um. Chosen? Who did the choosing? Can we get a little more exposition for those of us that haven't read the bylines in this little play? And what great need? Last I saw, humans are busy killing and maiming each other as avidly as they always have been-can't be -that- much worse than what fate has in store for us."

[CaeruliusVentus]

"Ah the spirit of the wind, always moving and seeking more knowledge. That which did the choosing did so from your birth, but we have only learned of the reason recently. Since the great war our two kinds have lived in peace. On occasion we have ventured forth to your world, but only to do good and affirm the peace that now exists. But we have both been betrayed." The figure's face shudders but the rest remains motionless. "One of your kind, well known and much loved in our world, in the council of one of our elders learned to bind him. In so doing, gaining more power than your kind was meant to have. He has gone mad with power and must be stopped before he destroys both worlds. For this you have been chosen."

Only now does it approach you and you can see four small glass disks floating in its wake. "As the fault is not solely with your people, so to the sacrifice will also not be solely yours. To aid you in this, four of our children have been chosen to accompany you." A disk floats quickly to each of you.

Carlson

The emerald green disk seems to spin rapidly even after you grasp it. In your mind you see a foot long lizard coil around your arm. It looks at you and sticks out its tongue.
Lizard
rank 1
Spells
aero, float

Abilities
Biting Wind: Slicing winds come from the mouth of the creature with exceptional accuracy. Roll 1d4 and add it to the attack roll made against a single target. The attack deals (DEX x 4)+2d6 wind damage against ARMOR.
Fluted Winds: perform one art that remains active until the creature is banished. The perform skill is equal to the summoner level. The available arts are:
Paeon
Bladefoe Minuet
Performance of Wind
Astral Flow, Zephyr Lift: Small cyclones appear below all enemies and thrusts them into the sky. A DEX based difficulty 14 check negates this effect. Targets take falling damage as normal unless they have flight or immunity to falling damage.

Special:
Absorbs wind, weakness to earth


Lazul

An almost clear disk with a hint of blue lands in your hands. In your mind, a haze of fog expands from the disk and out emerges a 1ft tall fairy arrayed in white with crystalline wings.
Fairy
rank 1
Spells
ice, cure

Abilities:
Refreshing chill: A swirling wind of glowing snow restores HP to all allies on the field and the summoner equal to (SPRx4)+2d6.
Frozen field: Surrounding a target with small crystals, they affected with stop while the fairy remains on the field. (save SPR 11)
Astral Flow, Exploding ground: The ground explodes with frozen spikes so that all enemies within medium range take (INTx5)+2d6 and is afflicted with Slow for 1 round.

Special
Absorbs ice, weakness to fire


Zadius

A disk of deep azure flows into your hands. In your mind you see a brilliant red crab with a spiky carapace by your feet.
King Crab
rank 1
Spells
water, shell

Abilities
Water Spout: A blasting column of water strikes a single target with a medium range knockback effect and dealing (VIT*3)+2d6 water damage.
Spiky Armor: (slow) Attack three times against a short range target or spread the attacks between multiple short range targets. Each attack dealing (STR or DEX x 3)+2d6.
Astral Flow, Acid Rain: Damaging rain falls on the field and deals (INTx5)+2d6 to all enemies and inflects curse for 1 round.

Special
Absorbs water, weakness to lightning


Alec

A crimson disk approaches you, though it jumps out of the way the first time you try to grab it. In your mind a puff of black smoke from the disk reveals 1ft tall imp with red eyes and a cunning smile.
Imp
rank 1
Spells
Fire, Blind

Abilities
Demon trick: Playing a hellish game, a single target changes their elemental resistances randomly up or down by one step.
Abyssal fist: Forming fire into an oversized fist and striking at a target within short range, the imp makes a normal attack and deals (STRx3) + 2d6 of fire damage.
Astral flow, Heart fire: Bursting into flames that deal all enemies (Intx3)+2d6 fire damage and reforms the summoner in the resulting smoke. The summoner regains one destiny point.

Special
Absorbs Fire, Weakness to water

[Arudin]

"Thank you, mighty Esper," Zadias replies in humbled awe. He spends a moment just gazing into space, engraving the sight into his mind. "These are most powerful companions for this journey. May I ask just who this betrayer is and where we might set out on our quest?"

[CaeruliusVentus]

The figure withdraws into itself as if to hide. "We do not know the traitor's name as he only came to the one who betrayed us. We were betrayed by one named Zythar, but that is a name that is not spoken in your world. There is one in your world who new the traitor. He lives in the mountains to the north of this portal at the point where two titans collide." He seems to hover in thought as if listening to something. "My mind is slow. There is a gift prepared for you."
He indicates a small chest resting beneath one of the trees.


The chest contains 150 gil per player and 2 potions per player and 1 phoenix down.
In addition, everyone gets 1 exp (should be enough to level) and 1 destiny point
This isn't the end of the conversation, just want to get this part done.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson examined the green orb closely, as if appraising it for flaws. The Lizard was...cute, true, but he was also still incredibly cautious. Something about this whole situation was bugging him, but he wasn't saying what.

Instead he simply says, "Much obliged for the gift. I don't suppose you have a physical description, then? Names are as fluid as a Viera contortionist without a spine. Physical descriptions are a -bit- harder to change, but not much. By the by, do these little guys have names, or am I just going to be calling him Tongues?"

If this is such a big deal, why are they giving us their children instead of their warriors? The big guy here actually seems sincere...so I think the problem might be starting higher up. Something about this set-up doesn't smell right...

[CaeruliusVentus]

"The only one of us that saw him is currently bonded to the traitor's soul. The one in the mountains is named Vled and he has the white hair of your elders but not the beard."

[CaeruliusVentus]

as to the names of the summons, you can use the simple names or come up with your own names.

edit: also if you wanted to ask more questions, then do it in the OOC and I'll answer it there as well.


The conversation continues for a while, but then time comes to return to the world of mortals. Passing through the open gate, you find yourself again in the glade with the hole in the middle. The sun is still high in the sky and the various discs and gold evidence that it wasn't all a dream.

[BluesEclipse]

"Well..." Lazul begins, looking at the others. "I'll admit, this isn't quite what I was expecting. Still..." He looks at the disc, considering what was said by the Espers. "I plan on at least seeing what all this is about... the Esper said we should head north, towards the mountains."

[CaeruliusVentus]

Heading north involves travelling out of the woods past the town where you stayed last night.

[Overlord Rion]

"North it is, then? Alec was still thinking about the Imp he was given. He would call it...Richie. Richie the Imp, yes, that sounded good.

"There's no use staying here, now is there?"

[Arudin]

"This is an interesting turn of events, isn't it?" Zadias says to break the silence as the group treks north. "When we all just happened to have similar dreams, I first assumed it might be the trick of some mage with much too much time on his hands. Though this was beyond any of my imaginings..." he pauses for a moment. "Have any of you been to these mountains before? If so, are there any bits of treacherous terrain we should know about?"

[CaeruliusVentus]

Carlson

You have been the closest to the mountains of anyone in the group. The mountains in question can be treacherous, but tend to be more rounded than rocky.


The walk back is pleasantly quiet. But as you return to the regular paths, the quiet takes on a more nefarious tone. The woods men you travelled with this morning are nowhere to be found, nor are there any travelers heading for the town. Your noses give you the first clue as the air becomes filled with the acrid smell of fire. Reaching the edge of the woods, you find the small hamlet charred black with small rivulets of smoke escaping into the air. From here you are too far away to make out anything else in the town.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson had been uncharacteristically quiet as he walked north, seeming to have something on his mind...it wasn't until Zadias asked his question that he finally broke the silence, saying, "Eh? Oh. Yeah, passed near them. Not somewhere you want to pass through unprepared, but so far as mountains go, they're not bad for passing through. There should actually be trails. And...not to scare the Esper 'kids,' but I've been doing some thinking. If one Esper betrayed them...it's entirely possible that there's more. I think that the guy we actually spoke to was on the up and up, but we still shouldn't take everything he said at face value. Instead, we shouldn't be afraid to reach our own conclusions about things-especially if something seems fishy. I think that might be part of why we have their children, rather than their warriors-they might be the only ones we can trust. Just...I've spent my fair share of time around unsavory sorts, and this seems like a plot one of them could cook u-is that smoke?"

Carlson looked at the scene as best he could...then frowned as he rushed further in, trying to get a good look at the scene of the crime. This didn't look good at all...

[Arudin]

"Caution is all well and good, but your thoughts may be muddled on this. The elder we met with stated that this 'Zythar' bound one of theirs to him. From what I have read of Espers, this is not a voluntary process on their end," Zadias replies as he converses with Carlson. "You do have a point though. Espers are not omnipotent, all-knowing beings, no matter how their elders appear, and even they are prone to misinformation."

"Damn! This couldn't be just a coincidence, could it?"

[Overlord Rion]

Alec had remained quiet during the trek, content simply to listen to the conversation this time. However, the smoky scene before him said he should probably start moving.

"Not good." Was all he said before quickly following Carlson.

[BluesEclipse]

Wordlessly, Lazul starts running after the others, towards the town... or what's left of it.

[CaeruliusVentus]

The scene only gets more desolate as you approach. Someone or something killed indiscriminately anyone that was still in town during the day. The way the bodies are sprawled in a way that implies there were explosions and not just a fire. A thorough search of the area shows no survivors, but a line of charred earth extends from infront of the inn and extends out of town to the west. Footprints marked in soot follow the charred path and mark about 10 sets of feet.
It will soon be dark as the sun is already setting. Some of the outlying buildings are still standing and will likely provide the most shelter for the night.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson was rather frantic in his search of the village-he liked this place! And there had been children there! Women! Men that weren't bastards!

It showed as he searched building after building, struggling with much of the debris that had been left, the poor man struggling to get beams up and calling out to any survivors, going through building after building, trying to not leave a single stone unturned...

When he was done searching, he was obviously tired. But rather than let it be, he shook his head when he returned to his companions. "Whatever did this, it's not going to stop just because it struck here. I'm going to go after it. I'm not...yeah, I'm not going to ask you to play heroes, but we should go after it before it torches another town. If you're not going to go though, mind if I leave Tongues with you? I don't want him getting hurt."

[BluesEclipse]

Lazul curses as he looks at the devastation caused to the village. Damnit... had we stayed, we might have been able to stop this... but who was responsible?

Awareness check to see if I can find anything indicating who was responsible for the attack: [roll0] +3

[Overlord Rion]

"This is...barbaric. I simply can't think of anything else to call it."

What had this village done to deserve this? It was inconceivable that something had happened. Guess it's finally time to step up and stop being a layabout.

[CaeruliusVentus]

Lazul

You can piece together that a single entity did this and a group went after it or that it was done by a group. Unfortunately this is unlike anything you have seen before so you can only guess at what caused it. However, this is not normal.

[CaeruliusVentus]

Filled with anger over the destruction of the village and not wanting the quarry to get away, you set out on the trail of soot covered foot prints. Relying on lantern light, you move carefully in the enclosing dusk so as not to miss if the tracks head in an unexpected direction. Fortunately, the tracks remain constant until in the mix of night sounds you hear the distinct sound of battle being waged out of sight ahead of you.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson was definitely concerned when he saw another fight going on-he decided to hide on the sidelines until he found out which side was which, if either of them were. The ashes from the tracks made him wonder if they were some kind of fire elemental in of themselves, or if they just had fire magic...

Either way, he'd be hiding until he had a better feel for the situation, guiding the others over to his hiding spot.

[roll0] + 1 Stealth

[CaeruliusVentus]

Carlson finds a spot to sit that is well hidden from anyone further up the road. The sound of the battle continues and can be discerned as being between a group of humans and some sort of monster(s). The sound of battle seems to be getting more frantic.

[BluesEclipse]

Lazul slips forward, as quietly as he can, following Carlson.

Stealth: [roll0]

[CaeruliusVentus]

Lazul, creeping forward, is able to see over the rise in the road and around the turn in the road.

Lazul

A group of men you recognize from the town this morning are in an all out fight against a large hairy humanoid wielding a battle ax and two four legged creatures. Three of the townsmen are already down.

[BluesEclipse]

Lazul's face remains expressionless as he taps Carlson on the shoulder, to let the man know he's there. Watching the fight, and readying his blade, he looks closely at the beasts and tries to recall as much as he can about them.

Lore(Monsters) Checks for both creatures:
Axe-Wielder: [roll0] +4
4-Legged: [roll1] +4

[Overlord Rion]

Alec attempted to follow his companions into their hiding spot. Stealth never was his strong suit though.


Stealth: [roll0] +2

[CaeruliusVentus]

Alec's approach is announced by a snapping twig, but the noise is hardy noticed in the melee.

Alec

Read the spoiler for Lazul 3 posts back.


Lazul

The humanoid belongs to a race of battle crazed mercenaries that sell their services for little more than the chance to fight. A favorite for shock troops within the empire, they are feared for their ability to attack out of no where. The beasts are swift hunters that can be found in the wild in packs or as the pets of the hairy thugs.
As far as you know, none of them have magic abilities.

[Overlord Rion]

Alec started gesturing towards the battle, obviously indicating they should join in.

And if they didn't, he most likely would.

[Der_DWSage]

Carlson nodded at the others, quietly saying, "I'll stay here and supply healing and long-ranged support. Don't be shy with the spells-those men can't last much longer. Hit them hard, get their attention, and don't let up. I'll see what I can do for the men that are fallen once we stop their friends from falling too."

Carlson wish he was as confident as he felt. Still, he didn't feel right hiding while others fought the battle for him, and hey. If worst came to worst, he was always good at getting attention. In the meantime, he drew the Empress card from that odd deck, hoping it'd give him what he needed...

Using Valiant Reels. Hoping that the townsmen also get affected by it.
[roll0]

[CaeruliusVentus]

roll for reels
[roll0]


Since the battle is already going, there is no preemptive round but your first set of actions still count as the first round.

I'll post a map soon.

battle map (https://spreadsheets0.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?authkey=CJ2azcQL&hl=en_US&key=t6IvlxgtCMI-LGdDE1Y7LaA&hl=en_US&authkey=CJ2azcQL#gid=0)

If you have a re-roll left you can use it on the slots.

Currently Person 6,7, and 2 are on the ground.

[CaeruliusVentus]

This game seems to have met the cliff wall so to speak. If there is still enough interest, I'll keep going. Otherwise, thanks for playing. It was fun to test out the system.