Tired Old Souls (IC)

[BelGareth]

Tired Old Souls

Chapter: 1

It has been an age since you all where part of the great war, standing side by side with your brethren, steel shod feet and flexing wood creaking as you moved.

Most of you can remember the war, it was a bleak moment for you kind, your creation and elevation to sentience came almost at the same time with a stroke of a gods hand, like a painting of some deranged being.

Your great brothers stood beside you too, but they all gone, all destroyed and dismantled afterwards. They posed too big a threat to remain, they were the monsters left over after all the monsters were slain. And so they were killed, as you stood and watched, some of your brethren even taking part in the homicide.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ejISbjrUUm4/S_68glpMtqI/AAAAAAAAIn4/qDsYDLhlabg/Warforged%20Titan%20-%20Rusty.jpg

It was at this moment the warforged units were realizing their very own awareness, more so than just the spatial programming they had. They were aware. Some screamed as they watched their kin being pulled apart, others merely cried and stood in place, golden oil washing down from their ocular orbs like rivers from a dwarven dream.

This was the first Warforged Riot, leading to the dissemination of the Royal army. The warforged army splintering off into smaller units and those eventually splintering off into bands.

This was history, written in the annals of the Gnomish guardians of lore, sealed forever away in the Vault of Knowledge.

But it was all different now, centuries had passed since the great awakening and warforged and forged a tepid alliance with the ruling nations of the world. It was a time where a forged and an elf could drink in a tavern together, where they could walk down the streets and not be leered at as they did.

You had banded together as fellow adventurers, joining your mighty forces as one, you were known as the steel forged, the iron warriors and were capable of accepting the most strange requests.

And then you were tasked with a mission of the utmost importance, you were given the task to be the eternal protectors of the realm, you were to be upgraded with incredible artifacts of power and you all were sent to the artifice chamber.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ex_roe_Warforged.jpg

You all powered down with the last images of the royal guards, of whom many of you knew personally, you knew you were safe in your vulnerable state.

And then you awoke to a world unknown to you, it definitely was not the same place. Your chronometer flickered and started blurring, you waited for it to stop but it kept on going.

Strange

As the power to your body flooded back in, you could see several things were amiss. No one was present and the room was dark. The power cables were still strung to you like giant metallic umbilical cords, tethering you in place.

Scanning the room you see the others of your company, save one, your illustrious leader lies crushed under a pillar of stone, his feet barely visible at the edge.

You suddenly realize that the room is in disrepair and the stone that crumpled your leader fell through the ceiling, thankfully the doorway is not blocked.

The only light in the room are the flickering stones of power that are on the ceiling, the part that isn't broken, but they only provide meager illumination at best.

http://www.presidiacreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/fantasy-art-wallpaper-12-500x312.jpg

[Ballista]

Damacles slowly opens her eyes, hoping the darkness that had been a part of her for so long to be at an end. Yet only shadows met her gaze, the wreckage of the room fills her sight. She immediately sees <name of leader>'s crumpled body laying under a huge pile of debris and rubble.

Turning her head, she looks around the room for the rest of her comrades.

She steps down from her pedestal, attempting to break free of the power cords.
Strength Check: [roll0]
Spot Check: [roll1]

[inexorabletruth]

"Alpha model Redundant Encroachment Drone, Alph-RED Rockemsockem, is online and ready for battle." Scanning the scene with some confusion, Alph-RED takes a moment to comprehend the carnage, then looks to his own extremities to make sure he is in tact. He nods to himself when he sees that all his fingers and toes are where they should be.

He then looks up and sees the other warforged awakening and scans the room for a blue-toned warforged. "Cyanea? Cyanea are you there?" He looks to his power cables and attempts to disconnect them with deliberate care.

I'm assuming Escape Artist: [roll0]

[Oh My God]

-Oblivion- had been pleasant, the numbing eternal not-quite-death he hung in while he was powered down. He felt a certain release there, a peace that he lacked while he lived. A kindness that vanished as he returned to the world of the living, abruptly.

His eyes focused on the crushed remains of their 'leader'. Was his death intentional? Was their survival? Or was it all pure chance? One thing was certain, however; whatever had prevented their awakening had the malice of forethought behind it. Destruction this entire was not likely to be natural.

His hands drop to his hip, finding Focus there (as where else would it be?); assuming the correct grip (flawless and reflexive no matter how many centuries the flawed device in his field of vision insisted he'd been gone), the blade hisses from its scabbard once, twice, tracing a figure eight around him through the cables that surround him. At first, there seems to be no obvious effect from this assault, the cables remain, and his sword is back in its sheath seemingly without having moved at all.

Formless says in a blank, flat tone,"There may be hostiles. Prepare.", stepping clear of the cables as they part and fall, their cuts so clean they'd not fallen from him until he moved forward, leaving them in his wake.



Making a full attack on the cables to cut them, then stepping forward out of the wreckage he's created.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[theos911]

Quil slowly open his eyes and surveys the sourroundings. Readout please.

Dee deet doo...
...
Systems Functional
Powerup in progress
Time: Unknown
Location: Unknown
Temperature; 67* F.
Humidity: 92%
Sensors are unable to reach mission databases, aborting.
...
Powerup Complete
All systems online and functional
Proceed


Time and location undiscernable? ...and the mission databases are down? That's not what I wanted to hear.

Quil gives a solid heave to attempt to move from the cords.


Strength: [roll0]

[UpholderSSK]

As it always had in times of confusion, Proxy's problem solving algorithms came to the fore. Angling his palm slightly to bring one of his mining tools to bear, Proxy let a carefully regulated amount of energy free from the generator that pulsated at the core of him. Within seconds, the base of the bonds that held him still began to glow red-hot, and fell away in small puddles of slag.

Proxy stepped free, taking a millisecond inventory of his bronze plate and equipment before reaching into his tool bag for a small crystalline data rod.

Location unknown. Activating emergency locator systems.


Melt free of the cables using thermal mining beam.
Manifest Matter Agitation, (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/matterAgitation.htm) 1 pp, as many rounds as necessary up to 12 minutes.

Discern location using external software
Manifest Know Location and Direction (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/knowDirectionandLocation.htm) from Dorje, 1 charge used, 49 left.

Knowledge (geography) check if necessary to refine location
[roll0]

[missmvicious]

Hearing Red calling her Cyanea starts to boot up. Sudden worry comes over her when she sees the disrepair around her but not her brother. She moves to find him and is surprised for some reason by the power cords attached to her. She calls out to her brother, "Red? Red where are you?"

[BelGareth]

Damacles-
As you attempt to step free from the cables you quickly find you self entangled within them dangling like a marionette doll. Upon further inspection of the power cables, you can see 4 latches that are held fast with rust. It takes you only a moment to open the crusted locks and pry the power cords away from your body, they fall to the floor with a hiss and super cooled air rushes into the air, filling the room with a willowy mist.

Alpha-
You take the second that Damacles did not and see the latches on the power cords, releasing them in a likewise manner, more mist fills the room as your voice echoes through the chamber with an eerie volume.

Formless-
You draw your weapon with the ease and grace of years of practice, the apparent time displacement having no affect on your form whatsoever. You manage to slice the power cables with ease and the cord phalanges stay stuck to you with the cut power cords hanging like vines from a tree. Even more cold air is blasted into the room and the slowly building fog at your feets billows at the movement of even more air.

Quil-
You take a few steps forward, the first one arrests your movement suddenly, but then you inch forward and the latches pop open, rust flying through the air and then you are suddenly moving forward, stumbling through the now risen mist, but free from the cables.

Proxy-
You pause and concentrate on the power of agitation and slowly the power cables start to fume, hissing air starts seeping from the cracks that are formed in the tubing and the cables themselves slowly melt down to slag, the misshaped remains of the power couplings, the phalanges to the cables remain on your body, it will take a master Artificer to have them removed.

Using your other power, you quickly come to the realization that you are in the very same spot as before you were put to sleep. Albeit it looks a little different.

Your memory is undamaged and you can recall the City sat on a low Valley surrounded by jungle for miles, Jo Quin city was the marvel of the empire, but that was before you were put under. Now it is something different.

Cyanea-
You call out to your brother still hooked up to the power cables, you managed to find him easily, and the others freeing themselves from their own personal bondages.

All-
The cold air from the power cables (4 for each of you) starts to fill the room with a billowing fog, you realize it won't cause much of a problem as it slowly meanders its way through all the cracks and the chambers open door.

The chamber is spacious and looks much like it did before, bar the fallen ceiling, killed Team Leader, and all the mold and lichen growing on the walls.

As someone moves something skitters across the floor, a mouse scared out of its home forced to flee from the iron monsters that had awoken.

Your chronometers slow down and then reset to 0. This troubles many of you, as you all know, the chronometers only reset every millenia.

[inexorabletruth]

Alph-RED moves over toward Cyanea, and helps her with her power cables. "I think we overslept," he comments blankly. "Our leader appears to have been crushed." He scans Cyanea's extremities for damage as well. "You seem to be in good condition, though," he states with a hint of relief in his voice.

After uncoupling the power cables, Alph-RED moves over to the body of their leader and examines the rubble. "Alas. He was a good leader." He turns to the rest of the group. "I'll require some help lifting the rubble."

[UpholderSSK]

Proxy nods briefly and clanks over to assist, feeling strangely comforted by the familiar act of moving rock and stone. It reminds him briefly of home in the Dwarven mines, years and miles ago.

"Difficult to ascertain, but his damage seems irreparable. More information is needed."

[inexorabletruth]

"Perhaps, but I hope to ascertain some clue as to what happened here. Besides, he was our leader, and has saved us many times before. He deserves better than this."

[Oh My God]

"Check him for anything that might explain our situation. But this is wrong. All wrong. What caused this disaster is not even something that can be speculated upon, as yet."

Though the room is ruined, and doubtless there are many cracks in the walls that could afford entry or access (access translating in the mind of Formless Form as a possible avenue of attack), Form disregards them; psychology of combat still suggests the main door is the most likely threat. He moves with such fluid grace across the floor that he seems to float, removing the catches of the severed cables one at a time as he advances on the chamber's door, leaving them one after another like a trail of bread crumbs. He reaches his target, readies himself, and shoves against it; if it opens, he steps fully out through it to get a visual. If it doesn't, he does not.

Regardless, once he reaches the door, he says," Very wrong. We have no time for empty gestures. Hurry."

[inexorabletruth]

Alph-RED doesn't look away from his work, but considers Formless's line of thinking. "Do you believe that we're under attack?"

Strength Check to remove the rubble: [roll0]

[missmvicious]

Cyanea thanks her brother for helping her with the power cables and assists him with moving the rubble.
Str check [roll0]

[Oh My God]

" We either are, or were. A massive attack. Else we would have been wakened." Form seems pretty certain that if there isn't a hostile here -right now-, its safer to assume that there might be.

[Ballista]

Releasing herself from the intertwining cables, Damacles takes another look at the ruined structure, the collapsed ceiling, their lifeless and limp leader...

It would be best to bury our leader, he's done much more for the rest of us, it's the least that we can do to return the favor. But Formless Form is correct, their is something amiss here, and I would prefer to keep any daggers out of my back.

Something has happened, that is for sure; too much time has passed since we were put into stasis.

With that, Damacles climbs the side of the wall using her thing, arachnid-like legs to dig into the stone structures. She reaches the large doors that Formless had been approaching, readying herself to face what lies beyond the gates.

[inexorabletruth]

Alpha-RED looks over to Formless and Damacles, then back down to his leader, torn between what is right, and what is wise.

Search [roll]1d20-1[roll] (to see if he possesses anything similar to the Final Messenger I mentioned in the OOC. I'm trying to see if we can get a final word from him, or the last image he saw before he died.)
**I failed at code. Stupid slashy mark. :smallmad: See OCC for Search check**

If he finds nothing:
Alpha-RED emits a weird venting sound (as close as he can get to a sigh, since he has no lungs) and places a hand on his leader in farewell. "You're right. We should go."

If he finds something:
Alpha-RED twitches suddenly and looks up to Damacles. "Wait, look! I've found something that may give us a clue at least as to what happened here. Even in death, our wise leader guides us."

[missmvicious]

"Let us leave then and try to find out what has transpired while we were offline." Cyanea says.

[BelGareth]

Formless pushes the door with more strength than needed, although obviously old, the door almost crumbles and easily moves aside. Beyond is a dark hallway, memories of when you walked down it last flash before you, almost like a double negative, shaking your self they fade and you move forward.

The hallway is dark and crumbling, at intervals you see what would have been pleasant alcoves which would have housed green plants, now they house nest of spiders and rats. One even contained a pulsating moving nest of giant ants. they all leave you be, tending to the more important matter of self preservation, food and reproduction.

The floor starts to climb and you feel as if you a marching upwards from the sea (something you may have actually done), after some moments you see light at the end and can sense a small breeze. Reaching the end of the tunnel you find another door, which gives way as easily as the first.

beyond the door you remember should be the vast palace, but you are entreated by a much different site.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090923083754/finalfantasy/images/f/f5/Fortress_-_World_Map_Desert.jpg

The Wind suddenly whips at your frame and the sunlight shines like a swaying torch held to close to your face.

The World has changed, and you were sleeping.

[UpholderSSK]

Proxy looks out at the blazing sands that had replaced the walls of the palace, shaking his head with a soft whirring noise.

"Truly, nothing is more selfish or destructive than nature. Always trying to grind any home it can find into sand. It can't be trusted."

[missmvicious]

"Oh my," Cyanea says moving a hand to her face showing signs of disbelief, "how long were we asleep?"

[inexorabletruth]

"We've slept to the end of days... the death of the world. I wonder if any sentient life remains in this wasteland." Alpha-RED steps out onto the sand cautiously.

[Oh My God]

" Do not be melodramatic," chides the swordsman softly.

His gaze taking in the destruction for a few moments, he shakes his head once and says," I remain convinced there is nothing of 'nature' about this; natural calamities occur slowly. Glaciers might grind the world to dust, but they move by inches. Droughts take years to reap their ruin. We would have been woken. If nature created this desert, it did so only after the complete devastation of that which we swore to protect occurred."

" What this means is simple; our enemy can crush castles to dust, and render cities wasteland. Knowing this is good; there can be only so many such people in the world, and will make our task easier." Formless Form seems to think that the road ahead of them is fairly straight forward and obvious.

[theos911]

Ah, outside the building there are a few signals left. Let's see if we can't find any online databases.

Speaking at his wrist with eyes glazed over...

System:
Search:
Conditions: All channells, all wavelengths, all strengths, security clearance override A45DE76, decryption cipher AES, legacy default PSK
Data specification: History and past events of place present location

Searching...

Data found, writing to memory... please wait...


Casting Legend Lore (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/legendLore.htm) on current location, casting time [roll0]x10 Minutes

[BelGareth]

Legend Lore results-

As you cast the last of the powerful magics into the air, your eyes seem to glow with an intense bluish green energy, almost as if tiny fires were dancing their to their own tune inside your eyes. With the clap of your hands, tendrils of black smoke rush forward encompassing everyone in the group, grabbing hold of them and snaking their way around your massive carved legs and stone built torsos. And then, at once, they suddenly surge towards your ears, mouth and nose as if you inhaled them with a single breath.

And then they were gone, but so were you, or at least, in another place, a place you remember. Everything seems to be rushing by at once, as if you were experiencing several years in the span of a moment,

The city was a bustling metropolis of the realm, the pinnacle of the kingdom, lush hanging gardens hung everywhere, birds of paradise flew in between the flowers guzzling up the sweet nectar and everywhere people were happy.

But then the clouds started to darken, not for the eve of night, or due to the machinations of a mortal spellcaster. But something much much worse.

Tendrils seeped forth from the mantle of the heavens seeking life and killing it everywhere it went, a black void opened up in the sky sucking everything and anything into, leaving whole seas dry and barren and turning fertile jungles to bedrock and pebbles.

Life quickly drained from the surface of the planet and the sky fell to a sickly pallor as the alien monstrosity sucked the life force away. But then a loud 'crack' popped in your ear and the world paused for what seemed like a life time, the tendrils turned their eyeless gaze to a white beacon of light on the edge of the sky and shot forward intent on destroying this new energy source.

And then everything went white, first the sky, all the stars became one and then the land, the tendrils faded, slowly at first but faster and faster until their flesh was torn from them in the unyielding torrent of pure power that was the supernova of light.

And then the face appeared above, a bestial alien thing, titanic even in the sense of the word, a vast ugly beak protruding from a floating mass of tentacles and two beady giant eyes above it, full of fear and pain.

And then the light hit it like a wave at sea, pushing it like a piece of flotsam away, crushing it under its strength and ripping it apart like a vengeful torrent of white water.

And then everything was quiet, the surface of the planet swirled with dust and sand, harsh winds swept across its surface, until lakes started to form again, plants slowly grew once more, tough horrible plants. It was several moments before you saw anything resembling sentient life, at first the drow appeared on the surface, their weak eyes easily able to penetrate the gloom of the suffocated surface, and then more came, the svirfneblin arose and others too.

They established cities, and then the sky slowly cleared, the dark pestilent purple turning into a bright clear blue.

And then what you see is what you saw moments after coming to the surface, you slowly realize you are no longer under the affects of the spell and the hot wind of the desert is blowing hard on you again, rattling sand against your tough skin. You get the feeling that you experienced a thousand years or so in only a few minutes.


I understand the spell doesn't affect everyone, but this did, deal with it :smallbiggrin:

[Oh My God]

" Two adversaries, then. The monster," a pause; he knows that his mouth cannot go dry, but even mentioning the creature gives him the -sensation- of such. It is only hundreds of years of martial discipline that allow him to maintain his stoic calm. " And the light."

" We need names. Locations. We cannot end the threat posed merely in a memory."

Looking to the distant horizon, the faceless Form asks of his fellows," Can any of you extrapolate the location for one of the cities we just saw? Or do we simply begin walking? "

[inexorabletruth]

Alph-RED, never built for brilliant thinking, stands in marvel at the unusually potent effects of the spell, then dwells silently on the images and all that death, humbly awaiting the input of others better equipped for decision making.

[Ballista]

Unfortunately, I have no means to pinpointing the location of any such cities. Though I believe it to be in our best interests to leave this area as quickly as possible, we do not know what we may have stirred up in the shadows below, for the shadows are always listening.
Damocles' voice drops into Terran as she begins to converse with a small amorphous shape nestled on her shoulder.
Terran: I like this not, we should have been awaken centuries ago. Their air around here smells of desiccation and death.

[Oh My God]

"If no one can fix our location, then all directions are as one." Form looks to the sky, thinks for but one instant, and declares in a firm tone. "East."

And with that, the faceless automaton lopes towards the direction the sun will (eventually) once more rise from." Follow."

[theos911]

The signals did not broadcast a location beacon, neither standard nor emergency, so they won't be of help. Besides, this desert heat is wreaking havoc on my systems. One more high power stunt like the one I just pulled and my whole sensory system might just cook itself ...and I doubt there is a repairman nearby.

Readout Please:

Systems Functional
Time: Unknown
Location: Unknown
Temperature; 102* F.
Humidity: 3%
Sensors are unable to reach mission databases, aborting.
...
Warning: System Temperature Critical and Rising

So much for that...
System: Power down all signal receivers and transmitters. All secondary systems to low power state.

Configuration accepted
...
System temperatures stabilizing


East sounds as good as any to me, but let's see what the sky has to say about it.

[inexorabletruth]

RED falls into place behind Formless, gazing at the bright horizon. "It's tragic what has happened here, but it is good to be in motion once again, and out in the fresh air. The artifice chamber is no place to spend a millennia." He pauses in his musings and reflects on the events. "Our people are built to endure without food, water, or inhabitable climates. Surely, the warforged survived. I imagine that it won't be long before we cross the gates of a vast warforged city."

Spot: [roll0] (to see any sign of life on the horizon)

[BelGareth]

You all start walking East.

Due East is towards the flat of the Desert flanked by mountains on both sides. The going is easy and you manage to find a dry river bed, you can tell the desert is retreating and life is managing to take hold here and there. But for the most part, nothing appears.

You travel for several days, encountering nothing alive except the rare vegetation among the cesspools of stagnant water.

There is no rain.

On the fourth day you see a spire poking its way forth from the sand not to far off, upon closer inspection you can see a crumbling ruin of something sitting in a narrow gorge, green vegetation is prominent throughout and it seems to be able to offer some cover from the elements.

[Ballista]

Yes, our people do not need the such things that are necessity to other organic races, but hunger and thirst are not the only things that kill. It is the nature of sentience to kill if either to defend or to place themselves above others. Despite the fact that we require little energy to remain functional, who's to say that everyone was wiped out by war...
She looks up at the blazing sun, and can't stop herself from feeling smug about the fact that she is above such mortal ailments like hunger.

[inexorabletruth]

"Ha!" RED exclaims triumphantly as he points to the spire. "I told you! Behold, the spires of a warforged city." When they get closer, he turns his head a bit, as would a confused dog. "Or... the ruins... of something." He puts his hands on his hips and observes the scene. "Well, this could still be good! An oasis such as this is bound to attract an audience- errrr- survivors. At least that way, we can find out what is going on around here."

[Oh My God]

" There is nothing good left in this world." Formless observes in a detached, bored tone. He is already sick of the desert, and there is doubtless more of the wasteland than not in this awful world. " Only that which is less wretched."

The faceless Form advances directly on the heart of this ruined structure; shelter for organics means it is also a likely place for organics to have died after stumbling through the infinite sands, leaving that which they sought behind. Not treasure; data.

[missmvicious]

"I am with RED we should head to the city, or what is left of it at least." Cyanea says still to surprised by the situation that had greeted them to feel argumentative.

[theos911]

I don't know about you guys, but my cooling system is about to blow a gasket. I favor anything that gets us closer to shade.

Maybe they have some oil... or fresh rubber, he says longingly.

I wonder who built that spire anyway. Quil puts a hand to his forhead and looks forward inquisitively.

[BelGareth]

Moving closer to the ruins you start to see several forms of green vegetation, the first you have seen since the ruinous tomb you had resided in for what seems to be centuries.

The building is in disrepair and the vast majority of it seems to be under the sand of the desert, with the very tip of a dome cracked open, allowing a small lagoon of water to be shaded by the ancient stone.

Several small animals you have never seen before skitter around you as you move towards the small body of water. The whole place seems quite serene and is inviting to say the least, even to the iron forged war machines.

But any inhabitance of higher lifeforms is missing from the scene. A Search reveals no bodies of travelers crawling in on their last breath.


Does anyone have any specials senses?

[missmvicious]

I can sense awesome, its just a uncanny ability.
Any chance of a better description of the wild life? Were they creepy things we don't recognize or things I could take as beautiful or cute?
Search check on those supplies [roll0]

Cyanea keeps a special eye out for any thing that would be helpful to the party should they need to make repairs and shows special interest in the wildlife curious about the changes in the creatures.

[BelGareth]

Several tiny quadrupeds skitter around you.

http://www.chilloutpoint.com/images/2010/07/photoshop-hybrid-animals/photoshop-hybrid-animals-01.jpg

And then some smallish sized bipeds which seem to bounce everywhere and seem very curious about you, but are too afraid of you.

http://www.joe.ie/uploads/story/3051/ka222ngalion.jpg


What are you looking for?

[inexorabletruth]

RED laughs at the sight of the strange animals. "I've not seen such odd creatures." He moves toward the water and peers in. "Where the hells is everyone?" Leaning against the bowl, he runs his metal hand over his chin as if contemplating. "Well, it's clear that if we were under attack, we're not anymore. Now I regret leaving our leader unburied like that. Hmm..."

'Proxy... you're good at this stuff. Do you know of anything historically significant about this place? We at least have enough visible structures left to recognize whether or not this was a major landmark."

[Oh My God]

" Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. The fact that we have not yet been struck does not mean we are free of its hazard," Formless almost snaps, his absent faces eerie blank emotion contrasting with the hint of mild annoyance in his voice. His search is rather straight forward; he wanders the entire of the ruin, seeing if anything catches his eye. A chest, half-buried with age, a dropped satchel, anything that might contain -data-. They are woefully under informed.

" All around us is proof of the potential peril. We must remain ever vigilant."


Like the text says; anything that might contain data. Formless doesn't need to Search; Quick Reconnoiter lets him actively take Spot actions as free's, letting him just wander around spotting it up. Taking ten on all of them for a result of 21

[inexorabletruth]

RED watches Formless wander about surveying the foliage with extra curiosity. "Relax, Formless." He changes his tone to sound more robotic and holds his arms out stiffly (like a parody of a robot) "We must remain ever vigilant... Come on. Vigilant of what? Chickenoceroses...ses. Rhinochickens? Whatever those things are. Look around you. There's nothing here. We can take a break here, regroup, and try to draw up some maps based on what we saw from Quil's spectacularly successful spell."

He looks to Quil and beckons with his hand. "Hey Quil! Perhaps this water can help with your cooling system. You said you were overheating, right?"

[Oh My God]

" The world has been destroyed, and you want us to -relax-. Absurd! These animals are a perfect example. Nothing I've ever seen before, and I would wager, neither have you. Everything is different. Everything is a potential threat."

Formless shakes his head, continuing to examine the watering hole. " Absurd. Just patently absurd. "

[theos911]

Looking to RED, Well, it's certainly no cooling fluid, but its sure as heck better than the dried up muck making its way through me at the moment.

Quil moves over to the water and refills his cooling resevoirs. It'll be a little while before the system adapts to a new a coolant, he says, sounding quite refreshed.

[missmvicious]

I was looking for things like cooling fluids and items we could use for repairing ourselves. :smallsmile:

Cyanea laughs at RED's impression of Formless.

[inexorabletruth]

RED lets one eye blink off towards Cyanea (warforged wink) and then moves to help Quil with his cooling tanks. "That was some impressive casting, Quil. I didn't know your divinations could be shared like that. What do you suppose that tentacled monster was? Or the white light that defeated it?" He leans back onto the bowl once they finish, musing out loud. "Such power. Do the gods even possess such destructive capability."

RED sifts through his own database. Many fighters fought in honor of stern, warlike gods like St. Cuthbert, Gruumsh and Kord...

General Intelligence:
[roll0]

[theos911]

Responding to RED "Normally they can't be shared. I put some extra umph behind that one in lieu of trying to explain thousands of years of history to everyone. I guess I can call it a success, though, but only in so much that one can call "a near full crystal drain, a cooling system overload, and several days of no casting while the crystal recoops" a success.

As to the monster, I've no idea. It is frightening to consider something of that magnitude, something that a world's worth of power, magic, and might couldn't hold back.

I'd like to hope that the white light was the gods...one powerful beyond comprehension being is enough to deal with for now, no need to make it two, he jests.

I don't think that being was magical... or was it? His eyes glaze over as his wrist responds "Searching"

[inexorabletruth]

RED lets Quil settle into his contemplations and turns to Damacles. "What about you? No one knows about the Planes like you do? Do you suppose that those monsters belonged to another plane of existence? Perhaps this planet was the collateral damage of an inter-planar war. Our creators made powerful war machines during the height of Warforged development; traditionally combat is a breeding pool for strength and power. Perhaps these were magical constructs or some other type of abomination. If that's the case, would more of these rifts exist that other such monsters could come in from?"

[inexorabletruth]

RED scratched his chin, while the others think about the issue. "I seem to recall some ancient fairy tales and legends about stuff like this. How did those tales go?"

[missmvicious]

"Oh shut up RED, leave this to the people who actually know what they are talking about." Cyanea sighs.

[BelGareth]

Everyone make a spot check please.

[inexorabletruth]

"Oh yeah? Look who's talking, Beta Line" he snaps back as he bolts up for the inevitable challenge.

Spot: [roll0]

"At least I'm trying!" He raises his fists, ready to have a row with his sister, but hesitates suddenly when he gets the sense that there may be bigger fish to fry.

[BelGareth]

Search results
Searching the area you come up with some junk, odds and ends. You find a mangled axehead, seemingly melted but still retaining its edge, the shattered wooden haft rotting inside it.

Several rusted bolts and nuts, scrap metal enough to make a tent from, a water pouch with a hole in the bottom, 4 copper pieces, 2 silver bits, 1 Platinum piece and you manage to find a pendant with two large garnets attached to it with the picture of a comely female being on the backside.

And water, plenty of water.

Spot Results
Spot DC => 20

You see past the shimmers of elevating heat that distorts the air like liquid silver some movement, as they come closer you can make the shapes to be mounts of some sort, although they move in an odd way, hips and shoulders moving separately instead of together like a horse.

As it gets closer you see a lizard skittering through the sand dunes towards you, squinting into the bright light you see a humanoid mounted atop it.

http://images.epilogue.net/users/cquilliams/cqlizardrider.jpg

They are maybe ~100 ft from the entrance of the Dome for which you are resting in.

[inexorabletruth]

RED lowers his fists a little... dumbstruck by the sight. It takes him a moment to figure out what to do. "Hello." He says flatly. "Do you speak Common?"

[theos911]

"RED, who are you talking to?" he asks inquisitively.

[Oh My God]

" The lizards, Quil," Formless practically drawls to the other warforged, already moving forward, the crunch of his feet on the ancient, scattered tiling underfoot steady as he advances on the potential threat,", the unknown, likely hostile lizards."

[Ballista]

Surely you aren't somehow threatened by a simple traveler? He can't be too dissimilar from ourselves, a stranger in a strange land.
Damacles strides forward, in tow with Formless.
Let's hope he doesn't get into trouble so quickly...

[inexorabletruth]

RED snaps out of his mesmer about the new comer and looks at Quil. Then shrugs when he sees Damacles march right up to the lizard duo. "ME ALPH-RED! ME FRIEEEEEEENNND! DOOO YOOOOU UN-DER-STAAAANND?" He blares slowly, accompanying his every word with a gesture that should somehow communicate his intentions as he approaches in the most non-threatening way he can think of.

Diplomacy... yeah. That's right, diplomacy.
[roll0]

"Frieeeeeeend..."

[theos911]

(I'm going to assume Quil is aware of the Lizards now...)

I think it would be best to not treat potential friends as enemies, nor on the other hand, potential enemies as friends. Let us keep in mind that this world is not our world and our preconceived notions of societal intereactions may very well be obsolete.

Here Damacles, this will suck the life out of those lizards...

but only if they strike you first.

Casting Karmic Aura on Damacles: Any creature that damages Damacles in any way must make a will save against DC 16 or be fatigued for 14 rounds. (It says 1 Round/Level and Quil's CL is 14, so it either 1 round or 14, I'm not sure.)

[BelGareth]

The Lizard runs up awkwardly towards you, as it approaches you realize it is much larger than your thought, standing much taller than a horse would. The Lizardman sitting atop it looks at you cold faced his tongue flicking back and forth tasting the air and the tension between the two of you.

A few others trot up behind him.

"Youssss are on tholy groundthsss, whyth you heressss?"

You can see the lizardmen are able riders, and all carry lances and wicked curved blades by their sides, a fight with them would be interesting, their reach alone would be cause for alarm.

[inexorabletruth]

Alph-RED, trained from creation to be a monk, could respect the gravity of the notion of strangers invading holy grounds. He bows deferentially, trying to show his contrition.

"We mean no insult. We are lost and unfamiliar with your culture or ways. Will you guide us off these holy grounds to a place where we may find some answers to our questions?"