The Red Mountain IC: Peak Performance [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Anarion

2017-06-12, 05:48 PM

Kanno scans the peak, and scowls at the ground under her feet. It's too warm here, too fluid. "We should keep moving," she decides. "We're making good time, but we'll name no progress if we rest. Besides, I'll not sleep 'neath an avalanche waiting to continue."

"I'm sure we would if there were any place to move to." Suikkara steps lightly behind Kanno, her back straight, her deep blue robes brushing and rustling lightly against the piled snow. She stops when Kanno stops and stands waiting, her pale eyes gazing intently out from beneath her wide-brimmed hat to stare at the avalanche blocking the road. She carries her arms crossed, her hands tucked into the long blue sleeves for warmth like one of the itinerant monks, but her chin is raised and her bearing haughty in a stance that appears guarded and does not seek conversation unless directly addressed. "Ah, of course, you're offering to clear the path for us with your skillful arts. Please, don't hesitate on our accounts, I agree entirely with continuing."

Here's a question for all y'all. Has Kanno told you about the mountain's eruption?

Yes I would think so. Nearly all of us respect her, and it is for her honesty and trustworthiness, it would strike me as out of character for her to withhold such important information. I am, however, curious why you would think this outcome unclear and in need of answering by others?

Balmas

2017-06-12, 06:46 PM

Yes I would think so. Nearly all of us respect her, and it is for her honesty and trustworthiness, it would strike me as out of character for her to withhold such important information. I am, however, curious why you would think this outcome unclear and in need of answering by others?

Eh, mostly it's a matter of making sure that you all know that this ride probably ends with us dying. Also curious whether I'm a blunt truth speaker or the kind of person who takes the burden on themselves so others don't worry. Also because I, as a player, am the kind of person who is socially awkward and unsure of how or when to keep secrets.

TheAmishPirate

2017-06-13, 10:00 PM

Kanno scans the peak, and scowls at the ground under her feet. It's too warm here, too fluid. "We should keep moving," she decides. "We're making good time, but we'll name no progress if we rest. Besides, I'll not sleep 'neath an avalanche waiting to continue."

Avalanches are much more than earth. There's splintered trees, dead animals, years of detritus from other seekers, boulders strewn throughout, and half a mountain's worth of snow holding it all together. And no telling how solidly it's all held together. One wrong move, and the whole mountainside could come loose.

Would you care to Observe Carefully?

"I'm sure we would if there were any place to move to." Suikkara steps lightly behind Kanno, her back straight, her deep blue robes brushing and rustling lightly against the piled snow. She stops when Kanno stops and stands waiting, her pale eyes gazing intently out from beneath her wide-brimmed hat to stare at the avalanche blocking the road. She carries her arms crossed, her hands tucked into the long blue sleeves for warmth like one of the itinerant monks, but her chin is raised and her bearing haughty in a stance that appears guarded and does not seek conversation unless directly addressed. "Ah, of course, you're offering to clear the path for us with your skillful arts. Please, don't hesitate on our accounts, I agree entirely with continuing."

Your voice pushes back against the silence around you, before it too is overwhelmed and snuffed out. The snow gives no echo. The wind carries off all sound. The world is quiet here.

Out of purest curiosity, how often do you listen for the spirits?

Balmas

2017-06-13, 11:07 PM

Normally, my instinct would be to say "while we're standing under an avalanche? Are you crazy?" But if we don't, we don't progress. So, sure!

[roll0]

Anarion

2017-06-14, 12:57 AM

Your voice pushes back against the silence around you, before it too is overwhelmed and snuffed out. The snow gives no echo. The wind carries off all sound. The world is quiet here.

Out of purest curiosity, how often do you listen for the spirits?

Often, I suppose. I think sometimes that I spend more time contemplating the spirit than the physical. Voices like Kanno that seem to be asking me a question and pulling me back to my immediate, temporal surrounds are oft times irritating, a distraction from where my mind wants to be going. The spirit is always there beckoning, and I can see it in most everything if I take the time to look at it right. Even the humblest pebble has a spirit to call its own, after all.

Thanqol

2017-06-14, 03:44 AM

"That is a good wee bit of snow," says Sao Ri. It might have been surprising to learn that the one thing that doesn't seem to draw her anger is the natural world. If it was a bandit standing in her way she'd be blowing her top, but an avalanche she's taking as calmly as anything. "It's been here for a while, perhaps we'll find an eaglegoat trail we can follow rather than shifting this all ourselves."

With the serenity of one who has grown up on hills like this, she sets about looking for hidden paths.

BlasTech

2017-06-14, 06:46 AM

Kanno scans the peak, and scowls at the ground under her feet. It's too warm here, too fluid. "We should keep moving," she decides. "We're making good time, but we'll name no progress if we rest. Besides, I'll not sleep 'neath an avalanche waiting to continue."

Here's a question for all y'all. Has Kanno told you about the mountain's eruption?

I'd second Sukkikara. Lying would be beneath you. And a volcano would never deter Lao Kai.

Lao Kai, took in the avalanche. Tonnes of snow and ice were also something that would never deter him. In fact, the list of things that would not deter him was rather long. At least a few pages.

It'd definitely say more than he usually would.

Striding purposefully, and silently, he started the search for another path.

TheAmishPirate

2017-06-14, 04:53 PM

Often, I suppose. I think sometimes that I spend more time contemplating the spirit than the physical. Voices like Kanno that seem to be asking me a question and pulling me back to my immediate, temporal surrounds are oft times irritating, a distraction from where my mind wants to be going. The spirit is always there beckoning, and I can see it in most everything if I take the time to look at it right. Even the humblest pebble has a spirit to call its own, after all.

So what were you listening to before these simpletons pulled you into the present? And are you trying to hear it again?

"That is a good wee bit of snow," says Sao Ri. It might have been surprising to learn that the one thing that doesn't seem to draw her anger is the natural world. If it was a bandit standing in her way she'd be blowing her top, but an avalanche she's taking as calmly as anything. "It's been here for a while, perhaps we'll find an eaglegoat trail we can follow rather than shifting this all ourselves."

With the serenity of one who has grown up on hills like this, she sets about looking for hidden paths.

I'd second Sukkikara. Lying would be beneath you. And a volcano would never deter Lao Kai.

Lao Kai, took in the avalanche. Tonnes of snow and ice were also something that would never deter him. In fact, the list of things that would not deter him was rather long. At least a few pages.

It'd definitely say more than he usually would.

Striding purposefully, and silently, he started the search for another path.

Even the eaglegoats must land in search of food, and an avalanche can upturn all manner of tasty morsels, ripe for the snacking.

Sao Ri, it sounds as though you might be Observing Carefully, but perhaps you are Moving With Intention to find an advantageous path? It all comes down to the difference between looking or moving, really. Your call.

Lao Kai, whatever Sao Ri is doing, it sounds as though you are looking to Help her. As she does not Respect you, you'll be rolling [+nothing].

BlasTech

2017-06-14, 06:32 PM

Even bad dice rolls will not deter Lao Kai

[roll0]

Anarion

2017-06-14, 07:13 PM

So what were you listening to before these simpletons pulled you into the present? And are you trying to hear it again?

I was listening for the spirits of the snow. They move lightly, their presence like snowflakes leaving only the faintest pinpricks of cold upon exposed skin. But there are many of them, and they can grow angry. Seeing the avalanche here, in the perfect quiet that presages a great disaster, I thought perhaps that they sought either to warn us or to ensnare us, and so I searched for them, and have begun again now. Though to most observers, I am simply standing still gazing past the avalanche at the cliffside.

Thanqol

2017-06-15, 06:17 AM

Sao Ri, it sounds as though you might be Observing Carefully, but perhaps you are Moving With Intention to find an advantageous path? It all comes down to the difference between looking or moving, really. Your call.

Lao Kai, whatever Sao Ri is doing, it sounds as though you are looking to Help her. As she does not Respect you, you'll be rolling [+nothing].

Let's call this Moving With Intention at a 10. Environment is getting tagged with hidden trail and I'm safe from imminent attack.

Deadly

2017-06-15, 12:57 PM

Chae-won walked as far up the blocked path as she could without needing to start making an effort and gazed up the mountain, trying to follow the path the avalanche must have taken. When an avalanche moved, it was a lot like a wave. Frozen though the snow and ice was, an avalanche wasn't so different from, say, a river or a waterfall. While the others looked for a way past, Chae-won found herself curious and contemplated the avalanche itself, following its path back to its source ... and its cause. What had caused the snow to break loose and roll down the mountain? Had it been caused by someone, perhaps, deliberately?

TheAmishPirate

2017-06-15, 04:37 PM

Let's call this Moving With Intention at a 10. Environment is getting tagged with hidden trail and I'm safe from imminent attack.

Even bad dice rolls will not deter Lao Kai

[roll0]

Lao Kai, you're the first to see it; a faint set of hooves not yet blown over by the snow. A few paces away, another. A few paces more, another. (Eagle-goats are well-known for their hopping, clumsy landings.) Once you have a direction Sao Ri, it's child's play to find the rest of the path. Soon your boots aren't sinking quite so deep in the snow, and the eagle-goat trail winds up the mountain in front of you.

But unfortunately...

Normally, my instinct would be to say "while we're standing under an avalanche? Are you crazy?" But if we don't, we don't progress. So, sure!

[roll0]

...the rock that Kanno has chosen to stand upon is not so solid as she believed. It sinks, shifts, and the mountainside shudders.

Then it all comes loose. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blt7Rp4TJGo)

It starts small, oh so small. But once a ton of snow and debris begins on its way, little exists that can stop it. A band of churning snow flows down the mountain, rocks and trees thrown gasping to the surface for a moment before they are again buried. White powder fills the air, accompanied by a terrible rumble, like the bellow of a great dragon.

Sao Ri, the eagle-goats have led you well; you are safe on one side of the avalanche, but Lao Kai is not. For this moment, he is within your sight, but not for long.

Lao Kai, you were steps away from safety when the ground dissolved beneath your feet. You can just barely see Sao Ri as you're being swept down the mountain.

Kanno, you have a breath before you are forced to loose your connection with this rock, and either way you are in the thick of it.

Suikarra, Chae-won, you are standing on the opposite side of the avalanche, and you are still safe. You can see the silhouette of Kanno through the misty powder, but Sao Ri and Lao Kai are nowhere to be seen or heard.

What do you do?

[Kanno, you get 1 Chi for the failed roll]

I was listening for the spirits of the snow. They move lightly, their presence like snowflakes leaving only the faintest pinpricks of cold upon exposed skin. But there are many of them, and they can grow angry. Seeing the avalanche here, in the perfect quiet that presages a great disaster, I thought perhaps that they sought either to warn us or to ensnare us, and so I searched for them, and have begun again now. Though to most observers, I am simply standing still gazing past the avalanche at the cliffside.

You could Meditate here, but you need a little more uninterrupted time. If you wish to ignore the avalanche in front of you, and the plight of those caught within, you may roll to Meditate.

What do you do?

Chae-won walked as far up the blocked path as she could without needing to start making an effort and gazed up the mountain, trying to follow the path the avalanche must have taken. When an avalanche moved, it was a lot like a wave. Frozen though the snow and ice was, an avalanche wasn't so different from, say, a river or a waterfall. While the others looked for a way past, Chae-won found herself curious and contemplated the avalanche itself, following its path back to its source ... and its cause. What had caused the snow to break loose and roll down the mountain? Had it been caused by someone, perhaps, deliberately?

This particular river last flowed an age ago, but that does not mean there are no signs to read. Every river has a mouth, and this one may tell you its secrets, if you have the ear to listen. Or perhaps you'll spot something now that it flows anew?

Would you care to Observe Carefully?

Anarion

2017-06-15, 06:20 PM

You could Meditate here, but you need a little more uninterrupted time. If you wish to ignore the avalanche in front of you, and the plight of those caught within, you may roll to Meditate.

What do you do?

The scene is strikingly beautiful. The mountain air grows dim as it is faintly obscured with a cool, thin mist made of the loosed snow roused by the change in landscape. The sunlight, thin and pale as the sun itself struggles to assert itself above the mountain's great visage sparkles and twinkles upon the motes of ice dancing merrily through the air and the land is so kind as to constantly contribute to the show as it reorients itself. Suikkara gazes at the scene, still and distant, looking amidst the motes for the spirits of snow that may guide them. It is what she was meant to do, after all.

[meditate: 6+6+1=13. And I'm certain that this is some combination of trouble caused by -Arrogant and Zealous or -Intimidating and Secretive, so I think this ought to be worth a Chi.]

Suikkara grins as the little motes take on life and smiles. She can see that they bear Kanno no ill will and are glad to have been freed from the clogged up bundle of stone and dirt that had held them. When the snow has settled, they will begin their own ascent back up the mountain, and the path that they reveal right through the avalanche will be stable and easily climbed from either side of the break.

Deadly

2017-06-16, 11:50 AM

Suikarra, Chae-won, you are standing on the opposite side of the avalanche, and you are still safe. You can see the silhouette of Kanno through the misty powder, but Sao Ri and Lao Kai are nowhere to be seen or heard.

What do you do?

This particular river last flowed an age ago, but that does not mean there are no signs to read. Every river has a mouth, and this one may tell you its secrets, if you have the ear to listen. Or perhaps you'll spot something now that it flows anew?

Would you care to Observe Carefully?

Chae-won might have joined Suikkara in meditating for a time on the old flow of the snow, but the sudden new flow startled her out of her thoughts and brought her back to the present. Instead of rushing into action immediately, she remained where she was, carefully watching the renewed flow.

Observe Carefully: 4+6+1 = 11

What here is not as it appears to be? Holding 2

Balmas

2017-06-17, 03:02 AM

Kanno bit her lip in frustation, and used what little contact she had with the stone to call to its brethren underneath. It didn't have to be much; all she wanted was a wedge, a wall that would divert the snow's flow to either side.

Rolling earthshaping to add a tag to the battlefield: diverting wedge of rock.
2,5,+2. [9]

BlasTech

2017-06-17, 04:14 PM

Lao Kai didn't panic or yell. He just gritted his jaw in determination and seized an opening.

There would be a rock, the body of a tree, or simply a not-yet-fluid piece of snow to kick off. When one appeared, he kicked off of it, launching himself to the next position of strength, and the next and the next with the incredible agility born of a lifetime of training and conditioning.

[Not sure if Moving with intention or Standing Fast in reaction to the avalanche, bonuses are the same though.]

[roll0]

Thanqol

2017-06-18, 02:02 AM

Sao Ri, the eagle-goats have led you well; you are safe on one side of the avalanche, but Lao Kai is not. For this moment, he is within your sight, but not for long.

...

What do you do?

Sao Ri stands in cover and shelter and watches peoples' positions as the avalanche hits. Once the mountain has had its say and any of her companions are trapped she will melt the snow to free them. Mountains are not like people and the world must endure their moods quietly.

TheAmishPirate

2017-06-19, 11:38 AM

The scene is strikingly beautiful. The mountain air grows dim as it is faintly obscured with a cool, thin mist made of the loosed snow roused by the change in landscape. The sunlight, thin and pale as the sun itself struggles to assert itself above the mountain's great visage sparkles and twinkles upon the motes of ice dancing merrily through the air and the land is so kind as to constantly contribute to the show as it reorients itself. Suikkara gazes at the scene, still and distant, looking amidst the motes for the spirits of snow that may guide them. It is what she was meant to do, after all.

[meditate: 6+6+1=13. And I'm certain that this is some combination of trouble caused by -Arrogant and Zealous or -Intimidating and Secretive, so I think this ought to be worth a Chi.]

Suikkara grins as the little motes take on life and smiles. She can see that they bear Kanno no ill will and are glad to have been freed from the clogged up bundle of stone and dirt that had held them. When the snow has settled, they will begin their own ascent back up the mountain, and the path that they reveal right through the avalanche will be stable and easily climbed from either side of the break.

[If your comrades were any less skilled, they would be in trouble aplenty. Have a point of Chi.]

Do you bother to tell anybody your discovery? Oh, and what does it look like when you meditate?

Chae-won might have joined Suikkara in meditating for a time on the old flow of the snow, but the sudden new flow startled her out of her thoughts and brought her back to the present. Instead of rushing into action immediately, she remained where she was, carefully watching the renewed flow.

Observe Carefully: 4+6+1 = 11

What here is not as it appears to be? Holding 2

An avalanche ought to be like a careless word; hurled without thought, wounding wide and indiscriminate.

This avalanche - at least in its initial incarnation - is a cutting whisper; filled with spiteful intent, slicing at the knees.

You can see the path of the disturbed snow, up the mountain. It leaps up a cliff, continues higher, but stops an arrow-shot away from a set of low buildings, nearly at the peak. Too far for the inhabitants to have disturbed the mountain casually. Too close to be coincidence.

It is too far to make out any finer details, but upon a banner over what must be the main hall, you can barely make out a symbol; a golden tiger lily.

Also, Suikkara is beside you at the edge of the avalanche, not seeing the snow or searching for your comrades. She is looking at something beyond them all, and smiling.

What do you do?

Kanno bit her lip in frustation, and used what little contact she had with the stone to call to its brethren underneath. It didn't have to be much; all she wanted was a wedge, a wall that would divert the snow's flow to either side.

Rolling earthshaping to add a tag to the battlefield: diverting wedge of rock.
2,5,+2. [9]

The wedge of rock rises from the midst of the avalanche, with you perched on top. Mist and thunder fill your senses. You are square in the middle of the avalanche, you cannot see your comrades, but you are safe for the moment.

What do you do?

Lao Kai didn't panic or yell. He just gritted his jaw in determination and seized an opening.

There would be a rock, the body of a tree, or simply a not-yet-fluid piece of snow to kick off. When one appeared, he kicked off of it, launching himself to the next position of strength, and the next and the next with the incredible agility born of a lifetime of training and conditioning.

[Not sure if Moving with intention or Standing Fast in reaction to the avalanche, bonuses are the same though.]

[roll0]

[Standing Fast is reactive, Moving With Intention is proactive. Under the circumstances, I'll call this Standing Fast.]

You leap from rock to branch to boulder to snow, and spy a tree hurled spinning from the melee. It lands point-down in the snow like a flung javelin, and it is still quivering when you land among its broken boughs. You are free of the avalanche, and from your vantage point you can spy Kanno on her wedge of rock, stuck in the middle of the great river of snow.

What do you do?

Sao Ri stands in cover and shelter and watches peoples' positions as the avalanche hits. Once the mountain has had its say and any of her companions are trapped she will melt the snow to free them. Mountains are not like people and the world must endure their moods quietly.

Really. I would not have expected this wisdom from you, Firelord. If this was a dragon, would you endure its mood so readily?

In any case, you can see Lao Kai leaping to safety nearby, easy as you please. From your position of safety, you saw Kanno take the full brunt of the avalanche, though you cannot see her now, and you are certain Suikkara and Chae-Won are trapped on the other side of the flow. The mountain still has more to say, but you know it cannot bellow for long before it loses its voice.

Will you continue to wait?

Thanqol

2017-06-20, 05:39 AM

Really. I would not have expected this wisdom from you, Firelord. If this was a dragon, would you endure its mood so readily?

Of course not - don't be daft. Dragons feel pain. And if any great wee scaled reptile thought it was a laugh to sod my path down with snow it'd best not mind hunting sheep with only one bloody eye.

You can't burn down a mountain, though. And that's not for lack of trying by my people.

In any case, you can see Lao Kai leaping to safety nearby, easy as you please. From your position of safety, you saw Kanno take the full brunt of the avalanche, though you cannot see her now, and you are certain Suikkara and Chae-Won are trapped on the other side of the flow. The mountain still has more to say, but you know it cannot bellow for long before it loses its voice.

Will you continue to wait?

Aye, the bains'll scream if they need me.

Balmas

2017-06-20, 11:05 AM

Short of creating a wall of rock to divert the entire flow of the avalanche, there's not much I can do. With no sight nor sound, and with the feel of the mountain rumbling under my feet, I don't know where my friends are. If I knew that, I could pilot my pillar to them and help them up, but with no idea of their location I'd be just as likely to crush them inadvertently.

The only thing I can really do is sit and wait it out. That, and observe the avalanche, stubborn and resolute. I am here, and I will outlast the mountain.
[Observing the avalanche carefully: [roll0]]

Anarion

2017-06-20, 10:52 PM

No, I don't share my discovery. For one thing, it's far too noisy in the avalanche to speak without shouting. For another, sharing would require that I cease mediating, but the dance of the snow motes is supremely enchanting and I would not want to miss it for the world.

My meditation can vary. In this case it's simply an unnatural stillness and a lifted gaze of my pale eyes from beneath the brim of my straw hat.

Deadly

2017-06-21, 02:22 PM

An avalanche ought to be like a careless word; hurled without thought, wounding wide and indiscriminate.

This avalanche - at least in its initial incarnation - is a cutting whisper; filled with spiteful intent, slicing at the knees.

You can see the path of the disturbed snow, up the mountain. It leaps up a cliff, continues higher, but stops an arrow-shot away from a set of low buildings, nearly at the peak. Too far for the inhabitants to have disturbed the mountain casually. Too close to be coincidence.

It is too far to make out any finer details, but upon a banner over what must be the main hall, you can barely make out a symbol; a golden tiger lily.

Also, Suikkara is beside you at the edge of the avalanche, not seeing the snow or searching for your comrades. She is looking at something beyond them all, and smiling.

What do you do?

Chae-won kept looking, kept studying with a keen eye as she adopted a challenging stance and yelled at the mountain, at the snaking trail of the avalanche. "Is that the best you've got? An old and toothless avalanche! I laugh at your challenge! You dishonor yourself with your weak challenge! I'll scale your back and conquer your summit. I'll twist your arm and force you down with my boot, weakling mountain! Answer me now or bend your neck in shame and admit defeat to us!"

Last two questions: what do I need to do to be at an advantage here, and who is in control here?

Also, I'd say this is being Tempestuous.

BlasTech

2017-06-21, 04:34 PM

Lao Kai took a moment to watch the avalanche as well, seeking to understand where it was weak and where the flow might be stopped.

[Assisting Kanno]

[roll0]

TheAmishPirate

2017-06-22, 12:22 PM

Chae-won kept looking, kept studying with a keen eye as she adopted a challenging stance and yelled at the mountain, at the snaking trail of the avalanche. "Is that the best you've got? An old and toothless avalanche! I laugh at your challenge! You dishonor yourself with your weak challenge! I'll scale your back and conquer your summit. I'll twist your arm and force you down with my boot, weakling mountain! Answer me now or bend your neck in shame and admit defeat to us!"

The air about you thrums, the rumbling of the avalanche developing a slow, threatening character. Rocks and branches come spitting forth from the avalanche to fall into the snow before you. The flow is slowing, and it cannot strike you down where you stand, but the mountain hears. The mountain endures. And the mountain will test its full weight upon your words.

[Write down a new Oath swearing to defeat the mountain's summit.]

Last two questions: what do I need to do to be at an advantage here, and who is in control here?

Also, I'd say this is being Tempestuous.

[Tempestuous indeed to taunt a mountain. Gain 1 point of Chi.]

Control is a...delicate thing in situations such as these. You could say that the inhabitants of those Tiger Lily-marked buildings are in control, for blocking your path. But their avalanche is old, only holds sway over a tiny strip of mountainside, and already it is slowing again.

You could say that you are in control, for you stand free of the avalanche, able to go and act as you please. But every living thing on this mountain has heard the rumbling, and now knows of your passage. Some are on their way as we speak, and as they draw nearer, your freedom shrinks.

Control now belongs to Da Lang, the Wolf Spirit. She whose pack outnumbers the snowflakes, whose howl freezes blood. You are in her territory, and she now knows interlopers stalk her lands.

If you wish to be at an advantage, you must keep moving, keep climbing, up and away from here. Da Lang knows of your presence, but she does not have your scent yet. Here is where her pack will start looking. You must not be here when they arrive. And if you keep climbing, you will surely pass out of her territory, for she cannot hold sway over the peak; that is the domain of Sel.

No, I don't share my discovery. For one thing, it's far too noisy in the avalanche to speak without shouting. For another, sharing would require that I cease mediating, but the dance of the snow motes is supremely enchanting and I would not want to miss it for the world.

My meditation can vary. In this case it's simply an unnatural stillness and a lifted gaze of my pale eyes from beneath the brim of my straw hat.

Speaking of shouting, your meditation is rudely interpreted by Chae-Won's shouting. If it is any consolation, the avalanche is quickly coming to an end. As you predicted, the loose snow has been swept away, revealing safe paths up the mountain. Steeper than the road you have walked thus far, but safer than attempting to cross the veritable wall of loose snow and debris before you.

Chae-Won, Suikkara, what do you do?

Short of creating a wall of rock to divert the entire flow of the avalanche, there's not much I can do. With no sight nor sound, and with the feel of the mountain rumbling under my feet, I don't know where my friends are. If I knew that, I could pilot my pillar to them and help them up, but with no idea of their location I'd be just as likely to crush them inadvertently.

The only thing I can really do is sit and wait it out. That, and observe the avalanche, stubborn and resolute. I am here, and I will outlast the mountain.
[Observing the avalanche carefully: [roll0]]

Half a tree strikes the outcropping of rock, and is inconveniently diverted upwards instead of sideways. It strikes Kanno, hurling her from her perch...

Lao Kai took a moment to watch the avalanche as well, seeking to understand where it was weak and where the flow might be stopped.

[Assisting Kanno]

[roll0]

...and straight into Lao Kai.

The two of you land in the snow beside Sao Ri, but the journey is not a pleasant one.

[Both of you, get 1 point of Chi for failed rolls, and both of you take the Minor Tag Battered]

Aye, the bains'll scream if they need me.

No sooner have you had the thought than Kanno and Lao Kai tumble into the snow beside you. As the avalanche slows and the noise subsides, you can hear Chae-Won shouting defiance at the mountain from the other side of the flow. A mess of boulders and pulverized trees blocks you from reaching her, but that's most of your companions accounted for, at least. The eagle-goat path is before you, winding safely up the mountainside.

What do you three do?

Anarion

2017-06-25, 12:58 AM

Chae-Won, Suikkara, what do you do?

I let the dancing motes go with a sigh as Chae-won jerks me back to reality. But as they showed, the path is clear, so I start my way up the steep hill, beckoning her to follow. I'm sure we'll find the others eventually.

Once we move a little ways and get clear of the debris so we can see further, what's around here?

Balmas

2017-06-25, 11:31 AM

Kanno brushes herself off and glares daggers at the avalanche. "It would appear we're all alive, more or less," she remarks dryly. "I'm glad that nobody was hurt. Shall we continue?"

Deadly

2017-06-25, 04:03 PM

If you wish to be at an advantage, you must keep moving, keep climbing, up and away from here. Da Lang knows of your presence, but she does not have your scent yet. Here is where her pack will start looking. You must not be here when they arrive. And if you keep climbing, you will surely pass out of her territory, for she cannot hold sway over the peak; that is the domain of Sel.

I let the dancing motes go with a sigh as Chae-won jerks me back to reality. But as they showed, the path is clear, so I start my way up the steep hill, beckoning her to follow. I'm sure we'll find the others eventually.

Once we move a little ways and get clear of the debris so we can see further, what's around here?

Chae-won is already moving, striding along with purpose and determination. She's determined her course, for now.

Thanqol

2017-06-25, 06:46 PM

BlasTech

2017-06-26, 07:50 AM

Kanno brushes herself off and glares daggers at the avalanche. "It would appear we're all alive, more or less," she remarks dryly. "I'm glad that nobody was hurt. Shall we continue?"

Lao Kai stood silently, shaking himself free from the snow and debris. He nodded at Kanno, shaking more ice from his long hair, but there was a dangerous glint to his eyes. One that hinted at the violence and anger simmering just beneath the surface.

His hand twitched for the sword that should've been there.

He began to climb the path again, keeping an eye out to see if the others had fared any better than them.

TheAmishPirate

2017-06-27, 12:53 PM

The climb grows steeper here. No more of the easy, winding road around the peak; your climb takes you upwards, alongside the avalanche, aiming straight for the peak. Step wrong, and the snow will gobble your boots whole, and leave your socks irreparably damp.

Steel yourselves, for this is only the mildest of the perils before you...

***************************************

Chae Won, Suikkara, how are you faring now that your ready source of fire is gone? Were you banking on always being near Sao Ri for this journey, or did you pack with an eye towards self-sufficiency?

Your climb takes you to the edge of a pool on the edge of an evergreen forest. Steam rises temptingly from the crystal clear waters. Wildflowers grow in the banks where the wind cannot reach them, and fill the place with sweet aroma. A better place to rest from your toils, you'd be hard-pressed to find. But before you can approach further, an arctic fox emerges from the treeline, its head held high even as it drags an injured leg behind it. It reaches the edge of the hot spring, where it sets about drinking its fill and gingerly licking its wounds.

What do you do?

***************************************

Sao Ri, Lao Kai, Kanno, you're climbing a mountain that houses a portal to the Spirit World, and you're now missing the most spiritually-attuned member of your company. Are you on staying on guard for threats beyond the mortal world? Is there anything on the edge of your senses that gives you pause?

Your climb takes you to a curious shrine, somehow undisturbed in the mountain's rumblings. Four people are seated on a pedestal, back to back to back. Or perhaps, it is one person, who has come to possess four faces, and eight arms? Each side is dressed in the traditional garb of one of the four nations, and each side has an altar set before it. Offerings of trinkets and incense, of food and clothing litter the four altars. Though upon a second look, you can see that many of the food offerings have been surreptitiously nibbled at.

"Welcome, dear children, welcome!" A pile of furs beside the shrine croons, and an elderly, wrinkled face peeks out. "You'll leave an offering to the Avatar, won't you? For luck? For blessings? Come, come, don't be shy." Her eyes glint hungrily.

What do you do?

Thanqol

2017-06-27, 11:32 PM

Sao Ri, Lao Kai, Kanno, you're climbing a mountain that houses a portal to the Spirit World, and you're now missing the most spiritually-attuned member of your company. Are you on staying on guard for threats beyond the mortal world? Is there anything on the edge of your senses that gives you pause?

Are ye implying I'd be set back apace by the fooling of any namby faeries or jumped up woodland critters with delusions of grandeur? While I can't hit a mountain you'd better believe I'll show any bloody spirits that a Firelord is due respect.

Your climb takes you to a curious shrine, somehow undisturbed in the mountain's rumblings. Four people are seated on a pedestal, back to back to back. Or perhaps, it is one person, who has come to possess four faces, and eight arms? Each side is dressed in the traditional garb of one of the four nations, and each side has an altar set before it. Offerings of trinkets and incense, of food and clothing litter the four altars. Though upon a second look, you can see that many of the food offerings have been surreptitiously nibbled at.

"Welcome, dear children, welcome!" A pile of furs beside the shrine croons, and an elderly, wrinkled face peeks out. "You'll leave an offering to the Avatar, won't you? For luck? For blessings? Come, come, don't be shy." Her eyes glint hungrily.

What do you do?

Oh look, an excuse for Sao Ri to vocalize her inner rant! "Do ye truly speak to the Firelord of Eighteen Isles with such little respect?" she asks incredulously. "Ye name me child and you must think I'm just as simple if ye expect me to curtsey to this bloody four-faced coward? Ye know he's just a man? A man, aye - and a damn bloody fool of one if ye ask me. I'll have none of his luck and no more of your begging!"

Anarion

2017-06-28, 02:18 AM

***************************************

Chae Won, Suikkara, how are you faring now that your ready source of fire is gone? Were you banking on always being near Sao Ri for this journey, or did you pack with an eye towards self-sufficiency?

Your climb takes you to the edge of a pool on the edge of an evergreen forest. Steam rises temptingly from the crystal clear waters. Wildflowers grow in the banks where the wind cannot reach them, and fill the place with sweet aroma. A better place to rest from your toils, you'd be hard-pressed to find. But before you can approach further, an arctic fox emerges from the treeline, its head held high even as it drags an injured leg behind it. It reaches the edge of the hot spring, where it sets about drinking its fill and gingerly licking its wounds.

What do you do?

***************************************

I approach it to try and help with the leg. Cautiously, of course. If it seems shy, then I will call out its name, and if it will not answer, then I will call its big brother who is my Fox and ask him to speak on my behalf.

BlasTech

2017-06-28, 07:03 AM

Sao Ri, Lao Kai, Kanno, you're climbing a mountain that houses a portal to the Spirit World, and you're now missing the most spiritually-attuned member of your company. Are you on staying on guard for threats beyond the mortal world? Is there anything on the edge of your senses that gives you pause?

Lao Kai is always on guard for threats. But he has no special senses to detect spirits until they start to manifest themselves on the real world.

Your climb takes you to a curious shrine, somehow undisturbed in the mountain's rumblings. Four people are seated on a pedestal, back to back to back. Or perhaps, it is one person, who has come to possess four faces, and eight arms? Each side is dressed in the traditional garb of one of the four nations, and each side has an altar set before it. Offerings of trinkets and incense, of food and clothing litter the four altars. Though upon a second look, you can see that many of the food offerings have been surreptitiously nibbled at.

"Welcome, dear children, welcome!" A pile of furs beside the shrine croons, and an elderly, wrinkled face peeks out. "You'll leave an offering to the Avatar, won't you? For luck? For blessings? Come, come, don't be shy." Her eyes glint hungrily.

What do you do?

Lao Kai's face is a thunderhead as he looms up beside Sao Ri.

"I will offer nothing to the four-faced fool. If you stand with him, you will stop this. Now. And get out of my sight."

Those few words carry with them the promise of violence.

[Acting dishonourably - which I suspect works on his second Chakra.]

[roll0]

Ouch!

Balmas

2017-06-28, 12:10 PM

Sao Ri, Lao Kai, Kanno, you're climbing a mountain that houses a portal to the Spirit World, and you're now missing the most spiritually-attuned member of your company. Are you on staying on guard for threats beyond the mortal world? Is there anything on the edge of your senses that gives you pause?

Not really. Things of the spirit world can manage on their own, and I tend to leave well enough alone. I deal with earth and metal; spirits are neither. And if they get uppity, then I always have my hammer at my side.

"Welcome, dear children, welcome!" A pile of furs beside the shrine croons, and an elderly, wrinkled face peeks out. "You'll leave an offering to the Avatar, won't you? For luck? For blessings? Come, come, don't be shy." Her eyes glint hungrily.

What do you do?

Oh look, an excuse for Sao Ri to vocalize her inner rant! "Do ye truly speak to the Firelord of Eighteen Isles with such little respect?" she asks incredulously. "Ye name me child and you must think I'm just as simple if ye expect me to curtsey to this bloody four-faced coward? Ye know he's just a man? A man, aye - and a damn bloody fool of one if ye ask me. I'll have none of his luck and no more of your begging!"

Lao Kai's face is a thunderhead as he looms up beside Sao Ri.

"I will offer nothing to the four-faced fool. If you stand with him, you will stop this. Now. And get out of my sight."

Those few words carry with them the promise of violence.

"Stop it, both of you," barks Kanno. "Sao Ri, I expected better of the Firelord. Someone as powerful as you can afford a moment of kindness for those who are weaker. And Lao Kai, I understand your grievance with the avatar, but this is not he, and offering violence where it is undue is the mark of a fool."

Glaring at them, she turns to the crone. "All I have to offer is some food, and you're welcome to as much as you need. However, I carry something of even greater value: a warning. If we fail in our quest, this mountain will be destroyed; I urge you to flee, and seek safety."

[Speaking Honorably. I want you to get out of here to safety. [roll0]]

Deadly

2017-06-28, 01:36 PM

Chae Won, Suikkara, how are you faring now that your ready source of fire is gone? Were you banking on always being near Sao Ri for this journey, or did you pack with an eye towards self-sufficiency?

I have learned not to rely on any single person. It's far too likely to strand you somewhere with no way to survive on your own. I've been there; I came here prepared not to find myself there again. I may have packed a little heavy, but it won't stay heavy all the way, especially if we lose people at this rate.

Your climb takes you to the edge of a pool on the edge of an evergreen forest. Steam rises temptingly from the crystal clear waters. Wildflowers grow in the banks where the wind cannot reach them, and fill the place with sweet aroma. A better place to rest from your toils, you'd be hard-pressed to find. But before you can approach further, an arctic fox emerges from the treeline, its head held high even as it drags an injured leg behind it. It reaches the edge of the hot spring, where it sets about drinking its fill and gingerly licking its wounds.

What do you do?

For now, I stay in the background and I let Suikkara try to calm the fox, the better not to frighten it. But I watch, and I'm ready to help if it seems willing to accept us.

TheAmishPirate

2017-06-30, 01:24 PM

I approach it to try and help with the leg. Cautiously, of course. If it seems shy, then I will call out its name, and if it will not answer, then I will call its big brother who is my Fox and ask him to speak on my behalf.

The fox looks surprised to see you approach, then shocked to see you approach. He gamely limps to you as swiftly as his injuries allow. “Why are you here?” He cries aloud. “You should be far, far from this mountain. Of all the pools to drink from, why have you chosen this one?”

The leg is...well, you’re no expert in such things, Chae Won is the healer here, but if you had to hazard a guess, you’d say this leg spent an unwise amount of time in a hungry creature’s mouth.

I have learned not to rely on any single person. It's far too likely to strand you somewhere with no way to survive on your own. I've been there; I came here prepared not to find myself there again. I may have packed a little heavy, but it won't stay heavy all the way, especially if we lose people at this rate.

For now, I stay in the background and I let Suikkara try to calm the fox, the better not to frighten it. But I watch, and I'm ready to help if it seems willing to accept us.

The fox does seem willing to accept you, and you can hear his voice too.

Oh look, an excuse for Sao Ri to vocalize her inner rant! "Do ye truly speak to the Firelord of Eighteen Isles with such little respect?" she asks incredulously. "Ye name me child and you must think I'm just as simple if ye expect me to curtsey to this bloody four-faced coward? Ye know he's just a man? A man, aye - and a damn bloody fool of one if ye ask me. I'll have none of his luck and no more of your begging!"

Lao Kai's face is a thunderhead as he looms up beside Sao Ri.

"I will offer nothing to the four-faced fool. If you stand with him, you will stop this. Now. And get out of my sight."

Those few words carry with them the promise of violence.

[Acting dishonourably - which I suspect works on his second Chakra.]

[roll0]

Ouch!

“Yes, yes, he is a man now, isn’t he?” The crone continues, as if you’d just come by to tell her the weather. “But when I was a little girl, he was a she, wasn’t he? A man in this life, a woman in the last, a Waterbender now, and an Earthbender in the next. The Avatar is man [I]and spirit, you know. How else has the Avatar lived for a hundred lifetimes and kept so spry?” She cackled to herself. “Oh yes, oh yes, a person might not be much when they are so young, but the Avatar has accomplished many things from the day they are born. The work of their past lives hold the world in careful balance, and even if the world forgets, the Spirits remember their pacts with the Avatar. They see no difference from one life to the next. They have made their promises, and they will remember.”

A wolf appears from behind the shrine. Long as a man is tall, scarred from a hundred hunts, and eyes leaking an ice-white mist, it dips its head respectfully to the statue as it passes. The old lady rises to her feet, and it stands beside her, allowing her to lean heavily on its back for support. And it watches the three of you with teeth bared.

“It breaks this old heart to remind one of Lan He of such things.” She shook her head despondently. “Just what is the world coming to?”

"Stop it, both of you," barks Kanno. "Sao Ri, I expected better of the Firelord. Someone as powerful as you can afford a moment of kindness for those who are weaker. And Lao Kai, I understand your grievance with the avatar, but this is not he, and offering violence where it is undue is the mark of a fool."

Glaring at them, she turns to the crone. "All I have to offer is some food, and you're welcome to as much as you need. However, I carry something of even greater value: a warning. If we fail in our quest, this mountain will be destroyed; I urge you to flee, and seek safety."

[Speaking Honorably. I want you to get out of here to safety. [roll0]]

The crone lifts her head. “Destroyed, you say? Goodness me, that is valuable.” She hems and haws, looking back over the shrine and its offerings. “If the Avatar intends to keep his shrine in one piece, he can manage that without me.” she concludes.

“Ah! But if the mountain is to fall so soon, I will never make it to the foothills in time. Oh, what am I to do?” She takes hold of Kanno’s hand. “Please, my child. If what you say is true, then won’t you help me? If I had a sled, or something to take me down the mountain, I would leave this place at once.”

Deadly

2017-06-30, 02:19 PM

BlasTech

2017-07-01, 02:35 AM

“Yes, yes, he is a man now, isn’t he?” The crone continues, as if you’d just come by to tell her the weather. “But when I was a little girl, he was a she, wasn’t he? A man in this life, a woman in the last, a Waterbender now, and an Earthbender in the next. The Avatar is man and spirit, you know. How else has the Avatar lived for a hundred lifetimes and kept so spry?” She cackled to herself. “Oh yes, oh yes, a person might not be much when they are so young, but the Avatar has accomplished many things from the day they are born. The work of their past lives hold the world in careful balance, and even if the world forgets, the Spirits remember their pacts with the Avatar. They see no difference from one life to the next. They have made their promises, and they will remember.”

A wolf appears from behind the shrine. Long as a man is tall, scarred from a hundred hunts, and eyes leaking an ice-white mist, it dips its head respectfully to the statue as it passes. The old lady rises to her feet, and it stands beside her, allowing her to lean heavily on its back for support. And it watches the three of you with teeth bared.

“It breaks this old heart to remind one of Lan He of such things.” She shook her head despondently. “Just what is the world coming to?”

"The spirits are blind if they think the deeds of an ancestor excuse those of the son." Growled Lao Kai, in response. "The avatar is no different. Whatever his previous lives, this one is poorly spent. And is not worthy of recognition."

He went silent as Kanno interjected, but continued to watch the wolf closely. Not in fear, but in the way that one predator eyes another.

"I am not here to be preached at, Earthbender." he muttered to her, once she'd spoken to the crone. "Not by her, not by you. Get her out of here if it is within your power. We have a mountain to climb."

Thanqol

2017-07-01, 05:51 AM

"Stop it, both of you," barks Kanno. "Sao Ri, I expected better of the Firelord. Someone as powerful as you can afford a moment of kindness for those who are weaker. And Lao Kai, I understand your grievance with the avatar, but this is not he, and offering violence where it is undue is the mark of a fool."

Glaring at them, she turns to the crone. "All I have to offer is some food, and you're welcome to as much as you need. However, I carry something of even greater value: a warning. If we fail in our quest, this mountain will be destroyed; I urge you to flee, and seek safety."

[Speaking Honorably. I want you to get out of here to safety. [roll0]]

"Watch your tongue there, bain," said Sao Ri. "Respect is the backbone of civilization and I'm showing you an awful lot of it right now by not taking those words as a challenge."

She rolled her shoulders. One of the many things fire wasn't good at was evacuating civilians. "Aye, wise enough words Lao Kai, we do have a schedule to keep."

Balmas

2017-07-02, 05:58 PM

Kanno nodded. "I appreciate it. Now, crone, if you have anything of metal, I can make you a sleigh quickly enough. If not... well, the mountain not exploding relies on us making it to the top. I cannot justify staying here to craft an escape if doing so will risk everyone else around this mountain."

Anarion

2017-07-03, 12:10 PM

The fox looks surprised to see you approach, then shocked to see you approach. He gamely limps to you as swiftly as his injuries allow. “Why are you here?” He cries aloud. “You should be far, far from this mountain. Of all the pools to drink from, why have you chosen this one?”

The leg is...well, you’re no expert in such things, Chae Won is the healer here, but if you had to hazard a guess, you’d say this leg spent an unwise amount of time in a hungry creature’s mouth.

The fox does seem willing to accept you, and you can hear his voice too.

Suikkara seems surprised that the fox would say that. She allows Chae Won to deal with the Fox's leg while she speaks, her eyebrows arching and her hat raised so she can look the fox in the eyes. "Why should I be far from here? Sen is here, who offers knowledge. I have traveled halfway across the world to be here. I know the risks, the dangers of being here. Of the land, the dwellers, the hostile spirits, and even the mountain destroying itself. But there is nowhere else to go, is there? Where is it that you think I should be?"

TheAmishPirate

2017-07-03, 03:49 PM

Chae-won went and knelt down to examine the fox and its leg.

It's pretty clear this fox ran afoul of some wolves, and earned a bite for his troubles. Which is odd, as wolves generally go for bigger game than a measly fox. This fellow would make an unsatisfying snack for a wolf, let alone a whole pack. It's just not worth their time and energy.

There is ample water here in the pool. Would you like to try and heal him?

"It is where I must be, if not where I was expected to go. But that is my life. Why do you say we should not be here?"

Suikkara seems surprised that the fox would say that. She allows Chae Won to deal with the Fox's leg while she speaks, her eyebrows arching and her hat raised so she can look the fox in the eyes. "Why should I be far from here? Sen is here, who offers knowledge. I have traveled halfway across the world to be here. I know the risks, the dangers of being here. Of the land, the dwellers, the hostile spirits, and even the mountain destroying itself. But there is nowhere else to go, is there? Where is it that you think I should be?"

"I am but an honorable mountain fox." He dips his head respectfully. "I do not know the reasons, but I do know my orders. Heisui must be protected, she must be kept safe." He turns about to look at Chae Won, nuzzling her hand tentatively. "I have no orders for you, but you are a companion of Heisui, so you must be pretty okay too."

"And this mountain is the farthest from safe either of you could be right now. There are many places to find knowledge. Xiao Xue is greatest among foxes, clever in all things. Why did you climb this mountain instead of asking his aid?" He pleads with Suikkara.

He went silent as Kanno interjected, but continued to watch the wolf closely. Not in fear, but in the way that one predator eyes another.

[My mistake; you get 1 more point of Chi for rolling a 6-]

The wolf's eyes are pure white, without even a blemish to betray a pupil. Yet it meets your gaze readily.

Would you like to Observe Carefully? Act Dishonorably? Something else?

Kanno nodded. "I appreciate it. Now, crone, if you have anything of metal, I can make you a sleigh quickly enough. If not... well, the mountain not exploding relies on us making it to the top. I cannot justify staying here to craft an escape if doing so will risk everyone else around this mountain."

"Do you people just not believe in names?" The lady mutters as she sorts through the offerings.

Before long, she brings you a jumble of metal items; a lantern, cups for holding incense, metal trinkets on leather cords, and a clay bowl filled to the brim with fishing hooks. As far as wood goes, there's a fair share of uprooted trees strewn in the debris of the avalanche, so long as you have the means to cut and shape it.

"Watch your tongue there, bain," said Sao Ri. "Respect is the backbone of civilization and I'm showing you an awful lot of it right now by not taking those words as a challenge."

She rolled her shoulders. One of the many things fire wasn't good at was evacuating civilians.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Those altars look an awful lot like the anvils Kanno has shown you; wide, flat, heavy, the ideal height for bashing things with hammers. A rap of the fist, and it certainly feels like metal.

How far has Kanno's blacksmith training taken you? When was the last time you tried working metal on an anvil? What went wrong?

Anarion

2017-07-03, 04:00 PM

"I am but an honorable mountain fox." He dips his head respectfully. "I do not know the reasons, but I do know my orders. Heisui must be protected, she must be kept safe." He turns about to look at Chae Won, nuzzling her hand tentatively. "I have no orders for you, but you are a companion of Heisui, so you must be pretty okay too."

"And this mountain is the farthest from safe either of you could be right now. There are many places to find knowledge. Xiao Xue is greatest among foxes, clever in all things. Why did you climb this mountain instead of asking his aid?" He pleads with Suikkara.

Suikkara smiles. Really, honestly smiles in a way that dances in her pale eyes. She takes off her hat and bows her head to the fox, though she stays out of Chae's way so she can get to the business of healing the creature. "My sincerest gratitude to Xiao Xue. But truth be told, I have asked him his aid. And though he is the greatest among foxes and clever in all things, he did not know my destiny. It is Sen that I saw in dreams, and thus Sen that I must visit, whatever the danger."

Suikkara hesitates, but there is no good to be gained from leaving the trouble she sees unvoiced. "Here though, your leg is like unto a wolf bite. Are there such beasts nearby?"

Balmas

2017-07-03, 06:54 PM

"Do you people just not believe in names?" The lady mutters as she sorts through the offerings.

Before long, she brings you a jumble of metal items; a lantern, cups for holding incense, metal trinkets on leather cords, and a clay bowl filled to the brim with fishing hooks. As far as wood goes, there's a fair share of uprooted trees strewn in the debris of the avalanche, so long as you have the means to cut and shape it.

"I do apologize," Kanno murmurs distractedly. "Kanno. And your name is?"

However, her attention is taken up by the discordant symphony in front of her. Iron, steel, that brightly chiming amulet looked to be tin. And there wasn't a lot, either. "Sao Ri, normally I'd take this opportunity to teach you more of metal. In the interest of expediency, though, I'd probably have to take a shortcut. If you don't mind missing the lesson?"

Thanqol

2017-07-03, 07:22 PM

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Those altars look an awful lot like the anvils Kanno has shown you; wide, flat, heavy, the ideal height for bashing things with hammers. A rap of the fist, and it certainly feels like metal.

How far has Kanno's blacksmith training taken you? When was the last time you tried working metal on an anvil? What went wrong?

The main lesson so far has been just how little she knows. Previously metal was a mystery; a sword was either good or it was crap and if an armour link broke then who could say why? Now Sao Ri has an eye - she can see flaws, appreciate craftsmanship, and spare some appreciation for what is well worked and what isn't. She has the patience and temperament for prolonged periods of practice in front of the anvil, too.

Her main flaw is perfectionism - she won't call a sword done until assassins storm her smithy and she has to defend her life with it (which, coincidentally, is what happened). There's always some detail to twist, some highlight to accentuate, some adjustment to the balance to be made... Time just disappears.

However, her attention is taken up by the discordant symphony in front of her. Iron, steel, that brightly chiming amulet looked to be tin. And there wasn't a lot, either. "Sao Ri, normally I'd take this opportunity to teach you more of metal. In the interest of expediency, though, I'd probably have to take a shortcut. If you don't mind missing the lesson?"

"Aye, I haven't forgotten the reason we're on this bloody mountain, don't you fret," said Sao Ri.

Balmas

2017-07-03, 08:26 PM

Kanno nodded, and laid out as much of the metal as she could find on the altar. She frowned, adjusting each piece until there was some semblance of harmony, and then clapped her hands over the muddled mess. One second, there were fragments of metal--then there was a ball.

From there, Kanno worked her hands over the metal, cooing to it, whispering that it would be alright, just work with her. The ball became a bar, then two bars, and then Kanno rubbed them into a pair of rough ski tracks, each with a set of spiked mounting points.

The smith left the tracks to cool in the snow while she walked over to the log. Her hammer bashed a rectangle into the log, and Kanno set about prying the bark off the log and mounting it onto the skis.

"It's rough," Kanno admitted, pinching the mounting spikes into place, "and I'd not trust it to make more than one trip. But t'will hold for long enough to get you to the base, I think."

Deadly

2017-07-04, 12:55 AM

It's pretty clear this fox ran afoul of some wolves, and earned a bite for his troubles. Which is odd, as wolves generally go for bigger game than a measly fox. This fellow would make an unsatisfying snack for a wolf, let alone a whole pack. It's just not worth their time and energy.

There is ample water here in the pool. Would you like to try and heal him?

Suikkara had already asked the question that was just about to leave Chae-won's lips, so instead of asking questions she focused on the healing waters, gently tending to the fox's leg. As much as she had been assured that she had the talent, it still did not come naturally to her. But she did her best.

Healing: 6+1+0 = 7

BlasTech

2017-07-04, 06:54 AM

[My mistake; you get 1 more point of Chi for rolling a 6-]

The wolf's eyes are pure white, without even a blemish to betray a pupil. Yet it meets your gaze readily.

Would you like to Observe Carefully? Act Dishonorably? Something else?

You know what, sure. Lao Kai observes carefully. Something about this setup has seemed off since they got here, and he's not sure what.

[roll0]

TheAmishPirate

2017-07-06, 05:14 PM

The main lesson so far has been just how little she knows. Previously metal was a mystery; a sword was either good or it was crap and if an armour link broke then who could say why? Now Sao Ri has an eye - she can see flaws, appreciate craftsmanship, and spare some appreciation for what is well worked and what isn't. She has the patience and temperament for prolonged periods of practice in front of the anvil, too.

Her main flaw is perfectionism - she won't call a sword done until assassins storm her smithy and she has to defend her life with it (which, coincidentally, is what happened). There's always some detail to twist, some highlight to accentuate, some adjustment to the balance to be made... Time just disappears.

"Aye, I haven't forgotten the reason we're on this bloody mountain, don't you fret," said Sao Ri.

If you're intent on rushing up the mountain, when do you expect to finish your training? Will you be bringing Kanno with you when you return to court whether she likes it or not?

Kanno nodded, and laid out as much of the metal as she could find on the altar. She frowned, adjusting each piece until there was some semblance of harmony, and then clapped her hands over the muddled mess. One second, there were fragments of metal--then there was a ball.

From there, Kanno worked her hands over the metal, cooing to it, whispering that it would be alright, just work with her. The ball became a bar, then two bars, and then Kanno rubbed them into a pair of rough ski tracks, each with a set of spiked mounting points.

The smith left the tracks to cool in the snow while she walked over to the log. Her hammer bashed a rectangle into the log, and Kanno set about prying the bark off the log and mounting it onto the skis.

"It's rough," Kanno admitted, pinching the mounting spikes into place, "and I'd not trust it to make more than one trip. But t'will hold for long enough to get you to the base, I think."

The old lady coos and fawns over the rickety old thing. "It's wonderful, dear, just wonderful. Perfect." She clasps your hand. "My name is Baya, and I thank you, Kanno." And then she adds in a low whisper. "And if you value your life, you'll get away from those two as soon as you can. Some iron isn't worth striking."

With that, she finds a seat on the sled and whistles for the wolf.

You know what, sure. Lao Kai observes carefully. Something about this setup has seemed off since they got here, and he's not sure what.

[roll0]

Perhaps if your opponent was human, things might've turned out differently. Maybe if you had a proper pair of eyes to stare into, you could've gleaned some vital insight for the trials ahead. But you are facing a wolf without eyes, and it betrays nothing. At least you have the satisfaction of not being the first to break eye contact.

The wolf stands dutifully before the crone's sled as she loops one of her many furs about its neck. Whatever manner of creature it may be, it is not too proud to pull. Wolf and sled and lady alike go running down the mountain, towards safety. But just as they vanish from sight, the wolf lets out a long howl that clings to the air with unnatural fervor. And the howl is matched; one, two, four, seven, running together into a ceaseless wail. In the distance, level with you on the mountain, you see flashes of grey hides and pure-white eyes clawing through the trees and coming closer by the second.

What do you do?

Suikkara had already asked the question that was just about to leave Chae-won's lips, so instead of asking questions she focused on the healing waters, gently tending to the fox's leg. As much as she had been assured that she had the talent, it still did not come naturally to her. But she did her best.

Healing: 6+1+0 = 7

It's hard. For longer than feels right, the water is just water, lapping over the fox's wounds. There's a tingle of life, then it flits away. Then back, then away. Closer each time, but never fully at your command. Still, you shepherd it to the best of your ability, sending cool relief into the injuries and carrying away pain and foulness. The worst of the bites close completely, and the least ruinous are soothed.

"Ahhhhhhhhh..." The fox sighs, resting snug and happy in your hands. "You are a worker of curious miracles! Little wonder Heisui chose to bring you."

Suikkara smiles. Really, honestly smiles in a way that dances in her pale eyes. She takes off her hat and bows her head to the fox, though she stays out of Chae's way so she can get to the business of healing the creature. "My sincerest gratitude to Xiao Xue. But truth be told, I have asked him his aid. And though he is the greatest among foxes and clever in all things, he did not know my destiny. It is Sen that I saw in dreams, and thus Sen that I must visit, whatever the danger."

Suikkara hesitates, but there is no good to be gained from leaving the trouble she sees unvoiced. "Here though, your leg is like unto a wolf bite. Are there such beasts nearby?"

"Are there such beasts nearby?" The fox laughs and laughs and laughs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFh9MQAb5c), until he realizes that he is laughing alone. "Oh. Oh this is not a joke. The wrong place for laughing."

He straightens up to give a more fitting report. "Yes. Yes there are many such beasts nearby. This mountain - from the foothills to the cliffs about the peak - is Da Lang's territory. Something has her spooked; she's got her pack out in force up on these heights. They accused me of skulking and tried to seize me. Skulking!" He repeated indignantly. "I am an honorable fox. I was doing no such skulking. I was walking in broad daylight upon whichever paths they weren't watching."

As if to punctuate his report, a chorus of howls sounded in the distance.

"Not on our scent yet." The fox's ears perked "They're hunting other prey. Please, now is your chance to go away from here. Why can't you find your future out when it happens? Why run into the fangs of Da Lang for this?"

Anarion

2017-07-06, 05:24 PM

It's hard. For longer than feels right, the water is just water, lapping over the fox's wounds. There's a tingle of life, then it flits away. Then back, then away. Closer each time, but never fully at your command. Still, you shepherd it to the best of your ability, sending cool relief into the injuries and carrying away pain and foulness. The worst of the bites close completely, and the least ruinous are soothed.

"Ahhhhhhhhh..." The fox sighs, resting snug and happy in your hands. "You are a worker of curious miracles! Little wonder Heisui chose to bring you."

"Are there such beasts nearby?" The fox laughs and laughs and laughs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFh9MQAb5c), until he realizes that he is laughing alone. "Oh. Oh this is not a joke. The wrong place for laughing."

He straightens up to give a more fitting report. "Yes. Yes there are many such beasts nearby. This mountain - from the foothills to the cliffs about the peak - is Da Lang's territory. Something has her spooked; she's got her pack out in force up on these heights. They accused me of skulking and tried to seize me. Skulking!" He repeated indignantly. "I am an honorable fox. I was doing no such skulking. I was walking in broad daylight upon whichever paths they weren't watching."

As if to punctuate his report, a chorus of howls sounded in the distance.

"Not on our scent yet." The fox's ears perked "They're hunting other prey. Please, now is your chance to go away from here. Why can't you find your future out when it happens? Why run into the fangs of Da Lang for this?"

Suikkara kneels down and cradles the fox's head gently in her lap while Chae continues to work. "Oh, of course you were not skulking. What awful brutes to say such things of such a noble creature." She sighs and bends her neck down to meet the fox's eyes. "But truly, this is the place that calls me and I must find Sen no matter the danger. I must learn what I came here to learn, or else the future that comes to me will not be what it was meant to be. You should flee though. I will call to the Great Fox if I must, there is no need for you risk your life here. I would be so very sad if a beautiful young fox lost its life trying to protect me."

Thanqol

2017-07-06, 07:01 PM

If you're intent on rushing up the mountain, when do you expect to finish your training? Will you be bringing Kanno with you when you return to court whether she likes it or not?

As much as I appreciate your daft loony mouth gargling this great bloody mountain is set to blow higher than my bloody temper. Once I'm off this great wee shoddy molehill then I'll turn my full attention to metalwork. I haven't put much thought to how I'll be recovering a metalshaper to help me but I don't see dragging some unwilling bain across half a continent and half an ocean to be a particularly cunning plan - but once I've got the Fire Nation unified I'll have some better bloody options, won't I?

Balmas

2017-07-08, 01:34 AM

The old lady coos and fawns over the rickety old thing. "It's wonderful, dear, just wonderful. Perfect." She clasps your hand. "My name is Baya, and I thank you, Kanno." And then she adds in a low whisper. "And if you value your life, you'll get away from those two as soon as you can. Some iron isn't worth striking."

With that, she finds a seat on the sled and whistles for the wolf.

Kanno scowled. "Good luck in your travels," she grit out, not bothering to whisper. "And I'll remind you that no iron is too bad to be worked with. Reforged. Folded. Annealed. And even if this were not the case, I'd still stand by my companions, because they're people, and not something to be worked."

Because dammit, she'd known what she was getting into. And she didn't need some rusty old bint telling her what she was going to do, even if she'd been thinking it herself.

BlasTech

2017-07-09, 06:47 AM

Perhaps if your opponent was human, things might've turned out differently. Maybe if you had a proper pair of eyes to stare into, you could've gleaned some vital insight for the trials ahead. But you are facing a wolf without eyes, and it betrays nothing. At least you have the satisfaction of not being the first to break eye contact.

The wolf stands dutifully before the crone's sled as she loops one of her many furs about its neck. Whatever manner of creature it may be, it is not too proud to pull. Wolf and sled and lady alike go running down the mountain, towards safety. But just as they vanish from sight, the wolf lets out a long howl that clings to the air with unnatural fervor. And the howl is matched; one, two, four, seven, running together into a ceaseless wail. In the distance, level with you on the mountain, you see flashes of grey hides and pure-white eyes clawing through the trees and coming closer by the second.

What do you do?

Well, he warns the others. He doesn't draw Dirge yet, but his hand clasps the hilt reflexively as he scans the tree line.

"Wolves. From all sides." he growls, before turning to yell after the crone and that damnable wolf.

"Is this some kind of test, Spirit? Does it please you to impede our way?!"

Deadly

2017-07-10, 02:35 AM

It's hard. For longer than feels right, the water is just water, lapping over the fox's wounds. There's a tingle of life, then it flits away. Then back, then away. Closer each time, but never fully at your command. Still, you shepherd it to the best of your ability, sending cool relief into the injuries and carrying away pain and foulness. The worst of the bites close completely, and the least ruinous are soothed.

"Ahhhhhhhhh..." The fox sighs, resting snug and happy in your hands. "You are a worker of curious miracles! Little wonder Heisui chose to bring you."

"Are there such beasts nearby?" The fox laughs and laughs and laughs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFh9MQAb5c), until he realizes that he is laughing alone. "Oh. Oh this is not a joke. The wrong place for laughing."

He straightens up to give a more fitting report. "Yes. Yes there are many such beasts nearby. This mountain - from the foothills to the cliffs about the peak - is Da Lang's territory. Something has her spooked; she's got her pack out in force up on these heights. They accused me of skulking and tried to seize me. Skulking!" He repeated indignantly. "I am an honorable fox. I was doing no such skulking. I was walking in broad daylight upon whichever paths they weren't watching."

As if to punctuate his report, a chorus of howls sounded in the distance.

"Not on our scent yet." The fox's ears perked "They're hunting other prey. Please, now is your chance to go away from here. Why can't you find your future out when it happens? Why run into the fangs of Da Lang for this?"

Chae-won scratched the fox behind its soft, soft ears, satisfied with her work. It wasn't her best work, and certainly not the best work she'd seen done, but it was enough.

"We need to hurry to the top. If we get high enough, we'll pass beyond the wolves' territory, and it is where we must go anyway."

TheAmishPirate

2017-07-11, 10:44 AM

Chae-won scratched the fox behind its soft, soft ears, satisfied with her work. It wasn't her best work, and certainly not the best work she'd seen done, but it was enough.

"We need to hurry to the top. If we get high enough, we'll pass beyond the wolves' territory, and it is where we must go anyway."

Suikkara kneels down and cradles the fox's head gently in her lap while Chae continues to work. "Oh, of course you were not skulking. What awful brutes to say such things of such a noble creature." She sighs and bends her neck down to meet the fox's eyes. "But truly, this is the place that calls me and I must find Sen no matter the danger. I must learn what I came here to learn, or else the future that comes to me will not be what it was meant to be. You should flee though. I will call to the Great Fox if I must, there is no need for you risk your life here. I would be so very sad if a beautiful young fox lost its life trying to protect me."

It is a hard thing, to be an honorable fox. Wounds tended, ears scratched, praise heaped, all aimed to ply fox from duty.

But this truly is an honorable fox, and if you wish him to leave your side, then you must Speak Honorably.

Kanno scowled. "Good luck in your travels," she grit out, not bothering to whisper. "And I'll remind you that no iron is too bad to be worked with. Reforged. Folded. Annealed. And even if this were not the case, I'd still stand by my companions, because they're people, and not something to be worked."

Because dammit, she'd known what she was getting into. And she didn't need some rusty old bint telling her what she was going to do, even if she'd been thinking it herself.

Well, he warns the others. He doesn't draw Dirge yet, but his hand clasps the hilt reflexively as he scans the tree line.

"Wolves. From all sides." he growls, before turning to yell after the crone and that damnable wolf.

"Is this some kind of test, Spirit? Does it please you to impede our way?!"

The howls roll past you, and in their dying echoes you hear a mingling of voices. A message, a warning, sounding, fading, and repeating without end.

"...hunger....whelp...mountain...awake...hunger.... whelp...mountain...awake..."

The three of you are standing in the open, beside a shrine that offers little cover. You can see some white-eyed wolves approaching from the trees, but there are certainly more you cannot, and yet more are on their way. You lack position, you lack information, forewarning and strength are your only advantages thus far.

What do you do?

Thanqol

2017-07-11, 05:46 PM

The howls roll past you, and in their dying echoes you hear a mingling of voices. A message, a warning, sounding, fading, and repeating without end.

"...hunger....whelp...mountain...awake...hunger.... whelp...mountain...awake..."

The three of you are standing in the open, beside a shrine that offers little cover. You can see some white-eyed wolves approaching from the trees, but there are certainly more you cannot, and yet more are on their way. You lack position, you lack information, forewarning and strength are your only advantages thus far.

What do you do?

Aye, these great wee bloody puppies? We don't have them much more in the Fire Nation. For a while the wee runts caused us some bother, but then we as a culture figured out how to bloody aim. Nowadays roast wolf is a rare delicacy that only the rich can afford - and I'm familiar enough with the taste that my mouth starts watering and I open negotiations with a wide column of fire to catch as many of the bloody mongrels as I can.

Fireshaping: 5

I might take this moment to add, I ain't a bloody shepherd.

Anarion

2017-07-11, 07:03 PM

It is a hard thing, to be an honorable fox. Wounds tended, ears scratched, praise heaped, all aimed to ply fox from duty.

But this truly is an honorable fox, and if you wish him to leave your side, then you must Speak Honorably.

Well, I have already said my piece, so let's add the dice to the mix. 6+4+1=11. I assure the fox that I will speak well of him to Xiao and I seek only his safety. I'd like to tag him with "obedient."

BlasTech

2017-07-12, 07:05 AM

The howls roll past you, and in their dying echoes you hear a mingling of voices. A message, a warning, sounding, fading, and repeating without end.

"...hunger....whelp...mountain...awake...hunger.... whelp...mountain...awake..."

The three of you are standing in the open, beside a shrine that offers little cover. You can see some white-eyed wolves approaching from the trees, but there are certainly more you cannot, and yet more are on their way. You lack position, you lack information, forewarning and strength are your only advantages thus far.

What do you do?

Lao Kai surveys the land, seeking to spot a point of advantage.

[Observing Carefully]

[roll0]

[Welp ... so much for good rolls. At least one good thing about Lao Kai's terrible luck is that he's up for an advancement now :smalltongue:.]

Deadly

2017-07-12, 04:13 PM

Chae-won stood up, ready to get going. As far as she was concerned the fox was welcome to tag along, for surely it was a free fox and just as capable of judging the risk as they were. And who knew when a fox might prove useful. But it seemed Suikkara was determined to convince it otherwise. "If he wants to come, though ..." she said, with a shrug, as if to say leave it up to the fox.

Balmas

2017-07-12, 08:30 PM

Kanno set herself, and stomped once. They were outnumbered, and soon to be surrounded. So what they needed was a position of superiority. Something the wolves couldn't climb. Someplace where the firelord could rain down death from on high.

[Earthbending: [roll0] Environmental tag: massive pillar to stand on]

TheAmishPirate

2017-07-18, 01:19 PM

Aye, these great wee bloody puppies? We don't have them much more in the Fire Nation. For a while the wee runts caused us some bother, but then we as a culture figured out how to bloody aim. Nowadays roast wolf is a rare delicacy that only the rich can afford - and I'm familiar enough with the taste that my mouth starts watering and I open negotiations with a wide column of fire to catch as many of the bloody mongrels as I can.

Fireshaping: 5

I might take this moment to add, I ain't a bloody shepherd.

Of course, of course. If you weren't so busy being Firelord, you surely would have incinerated them all first try.

A wave of fire passes over the lead three wolves. They duck low, lower, into the snow until their bodies turn to angry white mist and surge forth as one. An amalgamation of mouths and limbs materializes before you with all the wolves' speed and thrice the weight. It slams you to the ground, pounces on you, and a storm of teeth work to pry the armor and furs from your body.

[Take the Mild Tag Lightly Chewed. Gain 1 Chi for the failed roll]

Lao Kai surveys the land, seeking to spot a point of advantage.

[Observing Carefully]

[roll0]

[Welp ... so much for good rolls. At least one good thing about Lao Kai's terrible luck is that he's up for an advancement now :smalltongue:.]

The good news is that you discover a second group of wolves approaching from your flank.

The bad news is that you discover this when they run you down from behind and get jaws on your sword arm.

Their strike doesn't lose an ounce of speed, and you are fast dragged away from your companions and into the woods. They're clearly interested in hauling your sorry hide away rather than chewing you to bits. For now, at least.

[Take a Moderate Tag: Dragged. Take 1 Chi for the failed roll]

Kanno set herself, and stomped once. They were outnumbered, and soon to be surrounded. So what they needed was a position of superiority. Something the wolves couldn't climb. Someplace where the firelord could rain down death from on high.

[Earthbending: [roll0] Environmental tag: massive pillar to stand on]

Though you are not quick enough to save Lao Kai, the pillar bears you up out of danger. A few wolves leap to nip at you, but you are out of their reach by inches and rising fast. It is just you, Sao Ri, and the wolfish monstrosity standing atop her.

Chae-won stood up, ready to get going. As far as she was concerned the fox was welcome to tag along, for surely it was a free fox and just as capable of judging the risk as they were. And who knew when a fox might prove useful. But it seemed Suikkara was determined to convince it otherwise. "If he wants to come, though ..." she said, with a shrug, as if to say leave it up to the fox.

Well, I have already said my piece, so let's add the dice to the mix. 6+4+1=11. I assure the fox that I will speak well of him to Xiao and I seek only his safety. I'd like to tag him with "obedient."

He might have resisted, but his fate was sealed when you scratched his ears and promised to praise him to Xiao. With a last whine, the fox bows his head. "As you wish, Heisui. If you have need of me, you must only call for Tomo, and I will come. Travel well, and who knows? Maybe we shall walk the same path soon." He reluctantly rose to his paws, and left the spring with his head held high and honorable.

The mountainside is teeming with wolves. They do not have your scent yet. You can hear them howling of hunger and pups, of butchers and mountains. How do you proceed?

BlasTech

2017-07-18, 04:27 PM

The good news is that you discover a second group of wolves approaching from your flank.

The bad news is that you discover this when they run you down from behind and get jaws on your sword arm.

Their strike doesn't lose an ounce of speed, and you are fast dragged away from your companions and into the woods. They're clearly interested in hauling your sorry hide away rather than chewing you to bits. For now, at least.

[Take a Moderate Tag: Dragged. Take 1 Chi for the failed roll]

If the wolves thought his sword arm the only danger, then they were fools.

An avalanche destroys much, but it can also provide. In this case, it provided a simple piece of wood - the right length, sharp along where it had been snapped in half.

Lao Kai makes a grab for it as he's dragged past, before ramming it into the eye of the wolf that's holding his arm.

[Committing open violence on the wolf spirit. Also seeking to trigger the Improviser and Survivor moves]

[roll0]

[Tagging the relevant spirit with "Incapacitated"]

Thanqol

2017-07-19, 10:44 PM

Of course, of course. If you weren't so busy being Firelord, you surely would have incinerated them all first try.

A wave of fire passes over the lead three wolves. They duck low, lower, into the snow until their bodies turn to angry white mist and surge forth as one. An amalgamation of mouths and limbs materializes before you with all the wolves' speed and thrice the weight. It slams you to the ground, pounces on you, and a storm of teeth work to pry the armor and furs from your body.

[Take the Mild Tag Lightly Chewed. Gain 1 Chi for the failed roll]

"Oh, that's it you aztecs!" yells Sao Ri, forgetting about Firebending and defaulting to wrestling wolves with her bare hands, as the ancestors intended. "You great gibbering ghosts, I'll show you who you tangled with! Numbskulls! Brutes!"

[Commit Open Violence: Inflicting Pinned, 7-8: a bad position]

Anarion

2017-07-20, 04:22 AM

The mountainside is teeming with wolves. They do not have your scent yet. You can hear them howling of hunger and pups, of butchers and mountains. How do you proceed?

Upward. There is a path after all. The others will find their way eventually, I'm sure. Or do you mean how we cover our tracks or some such? I am not worried about the spirits of wolves. I'm simply going to take the route that leads where I'm going.

Balmas

2017-07-20, 10:22 AM

"Oh, that's it you aztecs!" yells Sao Ri, forgetting about Firebending and defaulting to wrestling wolves with her bare hands, as the ancestors intended. "You great gibbering ghosts, I'll show you who you tangled with! Numbskulls! Brutes!"

[Commit Open Violence: Inflicting Pinned, 7-8: a bad position]

Kanno mentally added a colon in Sao Ri's sentence before hefting her hammer. Just pretend the wolf's head is a bit of iron, and you're about to forge-weld it. And that, for some reason, there's a flailing child occasionally blocking the iron.

[Committing open violence: 11. Inflicting My hammer embedded in its brain]

Deadly

2017-07-20, 03:15 PM

He might have resisted, but his fate was sealed when you scratched his ears and promised to praise him to Xiao. With a last whine, the fox bows his head. "As you wish, Heisui. If you have need of me, you must only call for Tomo, and I will come. Travel well, and who knows? Maybe we shall walk the same path soon." He reluctantly rose to his paws, and left the spring with his head held high and honorable.

The mountainside is teeming with wolves. They do not have your scent yet. You can hear them howling of hunger and pups, of butchers and mountains. How do you proceed?

Chae-won trailed behind Suikkara, spreading sheets of water over the path behind them. If any wolves should feel inclined to follow their trail, they'd find themselves on a very slippery slope.

(The Watershaping move says it's only for combat, so I'm not sure if this is a move or just a thing I do.)

TheAmishPirate

2017-07-22, 04:21 PM

If the wolves thought his sword arm the only danger, then they were fools.

An avalanche destroys much, but it can also provide. In this case, it provided a simple piece of wood - the right length, sharp along where it had been snapped in half.

Lao Kai makes a grab for it as he's dragged past, before ramming it into the eye of the wolf that's holding his arm.

[Committing open violence on the wolf spirit. Also seeking to trigger the Improviser and Survivor moves]

[roll0]

[Tagging the relevant spirit with "Incapacitated"]

The wolf goes down in a spray of white, and you get your arm free before you join the wolf in its abrupt, tumbling stop. So swift and so unexpected was your strike, that it takes the rest of the pack a good twenty paces to turn themselves around for another go. Ample time to rise to your feet and ready your sword.

This time, their approach is cautious. Measured. Four of them remain, and their prey is up and ready for them. They split into two groups of two, each group moving to slowly circle you in opposite directions. Searching for any sign of an opening.

"Oh, that's it you aztecs!" yells Sao Ri, forgetting about Firebending and defaulting to wrestling wolves with her bare hands, as the ancestors intended. "You great gibbering ghosts, I'll show you who you tangled with! Numbskulls! Brutes!"

[Commit Open Violence: Inflicting Pinned, 7-8: a bad position]

Kanno mentally added a colon in Sao Ri's sentence before hefting her hammer. Just pretend the wolf's head is a bit of iron, and you're about to forge-weld it. And that, for some reason, there's a flailing child occasionally blocking the iron.

[Committing open violence: 11. Inflicting My hammer embedded in its brain]

Kanno's hammer strikes true, thudding into the great beast's head. Sao Ri gets control of its shoulder, and flips it into a pin...straight off the side of the pillar. The wind rushes past you, the beast struggles, but none of it can break the mighty hold of the Firelord. When you hit the ground, you pin the mongrel two feet deep into the snow. The ancestors would weep to see it.

Is all this enough to kill such a creature? Difficult to say.

Is all this enough to convince such a creature that - perhaps - it's had its fill of fighting for one day? Absolutely.

However, you are now at the foot of the stone pillar, and the wolves that were running for cover from imminent flames are now advancing on you; spread out, and keeping to what cover they can find.

Upward. There is a path after all. The others will find their way eventually, I'm sure. Or do you mean how we cover our tracks or some such? I am not worried about the spirits of wolves. I'm simply going to take the route that leads where I'm going.

Chae-won trailed behind Suikkara, spreading sheets of water over the path behind them. If any wolves should feel inclined to follow their trail, they'd find themselves on a very slippery slope.

(The Watershaping move says it's only for combat, so I'm not sure if this is a move or just a thing I do.)

Suikkara, what a wonderful day for adventure it is! The path is clear, your goal is ever in your sight, and not a sniff of danger is in your way. Truly fate is ever at your side, ushering you to a grand destiny.

Chae-won, you are significantly less carefree. To you, every cracking branch could be a wolf ready to pounce. You aren’t taking this path willy-nilly, you are Moving With Intention. Let’s see how it goes.

Anarion

2017-07-24, 01:51 PM

Suikkara, what a wonderful day for adventure it is! The path is clear, your goal is ever in your sight, and not a sniff of danger is in your way. Truly fate is ever at your side, ushering you to a grand destiny.

I could not have said it better myself. Onwards and upwards towards the mountain's peak.

Deadly

2017-07-25, 04:09 AM

Chae-won, you are significantly less carefree. To you, every cracking branch could be a wolf ready to pounce. You aren’t taking this path willy-nilly, you are Moving With Intention. Let’s see how it goes.

Moving with Intention: 3+5+2 = 10

Adding 'impassable' to the path behind us - danger may yet find us, but not from behind - and taking +1 on my next roll.

Balmas

2017-07-25, 05:54 AM

Kanno's hammer strikes true, thudding into the great beast's head. Sao Ri gets control of its shoulder, and flips it into a pin...straight off the side of the pillar. The wind rushes past you, the beast struggles, but none of it can break the mighty hold of the Firelord. When you hit the ground, you pin the mongrel two feet deep into the snow. The ancestors would weep to see it.

Is all this enough to kill such a creature? Difficult to say.

Is all this enough to convince such a creature that - perhaps - it's had its fill of fighting for one day? Absolutely.

However, you are now at the foot of the stone pillar, and the wolves that were running for cover from imminent flames are now advancing on you; spread out, and keeping to what cover they can find.

I swear, nobody appreciates the work I do. I make a pillar, to keep us safe from the wolves, and both of these numbskulls immediately fall off. One job, Firelord: use the fire and make the bad dogs go away. But noooo, instead of using the range and altitude of a flarping tower, the firelord decides to PUNCH the wolves.

Grumbling like a greaseless engine, the smith bent down and shoved her hands into the rock, wrapping them in pointy shards of rock, before molding the stone around her feet and walking down the side of the pillar to swing at the wolves' skulls from above. "We need to find Lao Kai," she shouted. "Splitting up is dangerous on a trip of this scale."

Thanqol

2017-07-26, 12:56 AM

Kanno's hammer strikes true, thudding into the great beast's head. Sao Ri gets control of its shoulder, and flips it into a pin...straight off the side of the pillar. The wind rushes past you, the beast struggles, but none of it can break the mighty hold of the Firelord. When you hit the ground, you pin the mongrel two feet deep into the snow. The ancestors would weep to see it.

Is all this enough to kill such a creature? Difficult to say.

Is all this enough to convince such a creature that - perhaps - it's had its fill of fighting for one day? Absolutely.

However, you are now at the foot of the stone pillar, and the wolves that were running for cover from imminent flames are now advancing on you; spread out, and keeping to what cover they can find.

So this bloody puppy has its skull bashed in and is (probably) twitching its last in my headlock. But these others don't know that! And I think I heard in a story somewhere that wolves were loyal or something, I don't know, I ain't a bloody shepherd. Either way I light my hand up, hold it close to the wolf's head, and say "Back off you optometristic mongrels or your pal gets it."

[Act Dishonourably? 6 if so]

TheAmishPirate

2017-07-27, 04:17 PM

So this bloody puppy has its skull bashed in and is (probably) twitching its last in my headlock. But these others don't know that! And I think I heard in a story somewhere that wolves were loyal or something, I don't know, I ain't a bloody shepherd. Either way I light my hand up, hold it close to the wolf's head, and say "Back off you optometristic mongrels or your pal gets it."

[Act Dishonourably? 6 if so]

"Ach, comin' oop a mountain with nary a guard or escort?"

Beside you, leaning up against the pillar with his arms crossed, is the ghostly image of Firelord Sao Fa. And he is shaking his head sadly.

"Gud way t'git wolfed down."

[Take the Moderate Tag Haunted. Get +1 Chi for the failed roll.]

A lean, hungry-looking wolf at the front of the pack barks in a savage imitation of laughter. "You had better not try, interloper, or else Da Lang will rip you to shreds herself, and I won't get to eat today."

"Speak for your own hide, Ue." One of the mouths protested weakly.

"Is everybody else here yet? What's going on?" Another mouth facing the pillar struggled to turn itself about.

"My favorite dinner is purple..." The last mouth mumbled around a head-full of hammer.

Ue prowled from side to side, two of his kind flanking out wide, and none of them advancing closer. Behind them, wolves darted from cover to cover, appearing and vanishing, never staying still enough to count their full number. "Will you stay and feed us, interlopers? Don't run, don't leave us to starve here." He whined piteously.

I swear, nobody appreciates the work I do. I make a pillar, to keep us safe from the wolves, and both of these numbskulls immediately fall off. One job, Firelord: use the fire and make the bad dogs go away. But noooo, instead of using the range and altitude of a flarping tower, the firelord decides to PUNCH the wolves.

Grumbling like a greaseless engine, the smith bent down and shoved her hands into the rock, wrapping them in pointy shards of rock, before molding the stone around her feet and walking down the side of the pillar to swing at the wolves' skulls from above. "We need to find Lao Kai," she shouted. "Splitting up is dangerous on a trip of this scale."

Are you intending to strike now, or are you aiming to get a good position for an imminent attack? If the former, tell me who you're bashing and Commit Open Violence. If the latter, Move With Intention.

As far as I'm aware, you cannot see any ghostly Firelord beside Sao Ri. You deal with earth and metal, and this spirit is neither. But if you have reason to believe otherwise, I'm all ears.

I could not have said it better myself. Onwards and upwards towards the mountain's peak.

Moving with Intention: 3+5+2 = 10

Adding 'impassable' to the path behind us - danger may yet find us, but not from behind - and taking +1 on my next roll.

Suikkara, since you and I are so in sync, why don't you take over for the next part? The two of you are coming to the foot of the icy cliffs that stretch the full length around the mountain, and you can see where the avalanche began; ample room here to circumvent the debris and reunite with your friends. Tell me more about this place, and why you think it's absolutely the best place to forge ahead.

Chae-won, you tell me why moving forward here is one of the worst ideas you've heard today.

Thanqol

2017-07-27, 11:26 PM

"Ach, comin' oop a mountain with nary a guard or escort?"

Beside you, leaning up against the pillar with his arms crossed, is the ghostly image of Firelord Sao Fa. And he is shaking his head sadly.

"Gud way t'git wolfed down."

[Take the Moderate Tag Haunted. Get +1 Chi for the failed roll.]

"Oh stick it in your ear you bloody poltergeist," says Sao Ri before it really processes who she's talking to.

Then it does process. For a moment she freezes. For a moment -

But strewth, she can't exactly back down now.

"And if ye don't up your class of joke I'll toss you into the bloody pit myself."

A lean, hungry-looking wolf at the front of the pack barks in a savage imitation of laughter. "You had better not try, interloper, or else Da Lang will rip you to shreds herself, and I won't get to eat today."

"Speak for your own hide, Ue." One of the mouths protested weakly.

"Is everybody else here yet? What's going on?" Another mouth facing the pillar struggled to turn itself about.

"My favorite dinner is purple..." The last mouth mumbled around a head-full of hammer.

Ue prowled from side to side, two of his kind flanking out wide, and none of them advancing closer. Behind them, wolves darted from cover to cover, appearing and vanishing, never staying still enough to count their full number. "Will you stay and feed us, interlopers? Don't run, don't leave us to starve here." He whined piteously.

"Ye mutts had your chance," said Sao Ri. "Back in the bloody day we gave your kind a choice. Serve, obey and love us utterly and without question and we'd take care of ye for all the days afterwards. And as much as ye might preen and light and fancy yerselves bloody wolves it was the dogs who got the better end of that bloody deal, ye ken?"

Balmas

2017-07-29, 05:15 PM

I'm basically walking down the side of the pillars, stone gauntlets at the ready to pummel if need be. I think that'd be moving with intent.

[roll0] Adding tag intimidated to the wolves.

Anarion

2017-07-30, 08:25 PM

Suikkara, since you and I are so in sync, why don't you take over for the next part? The two of you are coming to the foot of the icy cliffs that stretch the full length around the mountain, and you can see where the avalanche began; ample room here to circumvent the debris and reunite with your friends. Tell me more about this place, and why you think it's absolutely the best place to forge ahead.

What's not to like about the path ahead? We're ascending the mountain so the clouds are beginning to break, letting in scattered snatches of sunlight that reflect off the ice like diamonds. The snow has already fallen, so the ground that remains is firm and sure. The joyful spirit motes of the ice and snow still dance ahead of us, laughing and singing as they dance in and out of the light from the sunbeams. Even the path ahead is gentle, curling around the steep cliffs so that no step is too steep and ones feet are on certain ground. I'm sure that we'll even see a lovely view of the forests below as we climb. I cannot imagine a more ideal ascent.

Deadly

2017-08-01, 06:07 AM

BlasTech

2017-08-01, 07:48 AM

The wolf goes down in a spray of white, and you get your arm free before you join the wolf in its abrupt, tumbling stop. So swift and so unexpected was your strike, that it takes the rest of the pack a good twenty paces to turn themselves around for another go. Ample time to rise to your feet and ready your sword.

This time, their approach is cautious. Measured. Four of them remain, and their prey is up and ready for them. They split into two groups of two, each group moving to slowly circle you in opposite directions. Searching for any sign of an opening.

Woah woah woah.

Okay, Lao Kai draws his sword, right? But he doesn't just go ahead and draw it. It's a sword of renown, a legendary blade. That sort of moniker doesn't come from something that you just pull out without any fanfare.

When he pulls it out, the blade shimmers with energy, ripples of colour along its length. Snowflakes nearby drift into it, drawn in like moths to a flame. Dirge hungers, and the spiritual sound of a gong rings out across the mountain as Lao Kai plunges it into the side of the incapacitated wolf.

"Be at peace"

The spirit wolf fuzzes, fading, its solid lines and colours disappearing before the eyes of the rest of the pack.

Standing, Lao Kai levels the blade at the other wolves. Testing to see which one is the most eager to join its packmate.

[roll0]

[Speak Dishonourably - Flee or die]

TheAmishPirate

2017-08-02, 05:57 PM

What's not to like about the path ahead? We're ascending the mountain so the clouds are beginning to break, letting in scattered snatches of sunlight that reflect off the ice like diamonds. The snow has already fallen, so the ground that remains is firm and sure. The joyful spirit motes of the ice and snow still dance ahead of us, laughing and singing as they dance in and out of the light from the sunbeams. Even the path ahead is gentle, curling around the steep cliffs so that no step is too steep and ones feet are on certain ground. I'm sure that we'll even see a lovely view of the forests below as we climb. I cannot imagine a more ideal ascent.

You know the saying "too good to be true", right? Surely, if anything was too good to be true, it's the view before us.

There are whispered tales among my people, of a place in these mountains that lures people and leads them down a path to their doom, and they never see it coming. It is said to be a place of extraordinary beauty, inviting and enticing you with the promise of a relaxing climb and a stunning view. Only those who turned away in time ever make it back to tell the tale. The rest ... their fate does not bear speculation.

"This path is too alluring, too ... perfect. It's not what it seems, I'm certain of that. We should turn around and find another." Do I sound serious? Like I mean it and intend to carry through? Alright, I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little bit curious to know what the tale never tells. For which there is another saying about cats and curiosity.

There you have it! The path ahead is immaculate. Not the barest sniff of danger, surrounded by the beauty of worlds natural and spiritual, a path so level and clear you could walk it in your sleep, but why would you close your eyes here? To even blink would rob you of sights unimaginable. You stand upon the center of the world, with all the lands of the earth arrayed before you. The things you could see if you climbed just a little higher, just a little further!

You could Observe Carefully, but why would you? When there's surely a much better view just around the bend?

I'm basically walking down the side of the pillars, stone gauntlets at the ready to pummel if need be. I think that'd be moving with intent.

[roll0] Adding tag intimidated to the wolves.

From your vantage point, you can easily spy a pair of wolves crawling their way around the pillar to flank Sao Ri. They sniff, look up, meet your eyes, and decide now is a good time to slink away quietly. Ue snarls, but he is no more eager to meet your fists. None of them are.

An uneasy stalemate settles over the field.

"Ye mutts had your chance," said Sao Ri. "Back in the bloody day we gave your kind a choice. Serve, obey and love us utterly and without question and we'd take care of ye for all the days afterwards. And as much as ye might preen and light and fancy yerselves bloody wolves it was the dogs who got the better end of that bloody deal, ye ken?"

Ue barks a laugh. "And yet, here you are, here we are, and soon you will not. The two of you cannot stay awake and alert forever. There are always more of us; fresh and ready. We have waited long enough for our meal, what is a sunset more?"

A chorus of whines erupted from the three-headed beast. "A sunset more feels an age longer from here!"

"Then next time, you'll be sure to wait for the pack! Sit quietly, and you'll get your share too."

"Oh stick it in your ear you bloody poltergeist," says Sao Ri before it really processes who she's talking to.

Then it does process. For a moment she freezes. For a moment -

But strewth, she can't exactly back down now.

"And if ye don't up your class of joke I'll toss you into the bloody pit myself."

"Now what kind of a way is that to greet your Father? No guard, no humor, no manners..."

He sighs. "This h'aint how I raised you."

Woah woah woah.

Okay, Lao Kai draws his sword, right? But he doesn't just go ahead and draw it. It's a sword of renown, a legendary blade. That sort of moniker doesn't come from something that you just pull out without any fanfare.

When he pulls it out, the blade shimmers with energy, ripples of colour along its length. Snowflakes nearby drift into it, drawn in like moths to a flame. Dirge hungers, and the spiritual sound of a gong rings out across the mountain as Lao Kai plunges it into the side of the incapacitated wolf.

"Be at peace"

The spirit wolf fuzzes, fading, its solid lines and colours disappearing before the eyes of the rest of the pack.

Standing, Lao Kai levels the blade at the other wolves. Testing to see which one is the most eager to join its packmate.

[roll0]

[Speak Dishonourably - Flee or die]

The gong sounds. The sky blackens. The wind howls.

It is difficult to read a wolf's face. But there are some things so fundamental no one race can lay claim to them. Shock. Fear. Anger.

Loss.

In the distance, a great bank of icy blue fog rolls through the forest like an otherworldly avalanche. It swells and builds, picking up raw, biting cold and creeping shadow, growing until it engulfs the treetops. It does not slow. It does not stop. It does not turn aside.

"Stay, and face Da Lang." The wolves counter.

[Bookkeeping note: Erase the tag Dragged as you are no longer being dragged.]

Anarion

2017-08-02, 07:00 PM

There you have it! The path ahead is immaculate. Not the barest sniff of danger, surrounded by the beauty of worlds natural and spiritual, a path so level and clear you could walk it in your sleep, but why would you close your eyes here? To even blink would rob you of sights unimaginable. You stand upon the center of the world, with all the lands of the earth arrayed before you. The things you could see if you climbed just a little higher, just a little further!

You could Observe Carefully, but why would you? When there's surely a much better view just around the bend?

There you have it. I wonder out loud to Chae "why do you think the rumors of this mountain were so harsh? Were all the previous climbers so heedless as to walk into such as obvious avalanche as our companions did? All things considered, a person with eyes to see merely needs to walk up the cliffside picking a path along sturdy ground and that shall be the end of it, don't you think?" And with that Suikkara begins her ascent. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Thanqol

2017-08-06, 09:44 PM

Ue barks a laugh. "And yet, here you are, here we are, and soon you will not. The two of you cannot stay awake and alert forever. There are always more of us; fresh and ready. We have waited long enough for our meal, what is a sunset more?"

A chorus of whines erupted from the three-headed beast. "A sunset more feels an age longer from here!"

"Then next time, you'll be sure to wait for the pack! Sit quietly, and you'll get your share too."

"Aye, wait till sunset," said Sao Ri. "And hope the bloody mountain holds together long enough for it to matter. And hope I don't think up a good trick - or nail you with an unexpected fireball. And hope no other hounds come and fight you for the bloody meal. Lot of bloody ifs, aren't there? And even if nothing goes wrong you'll still be hungry tomorrow. Live the wolf's life and at least you can be proud as you shrivel under the fleas.

"Or maybe, just maybe, if my mood turns just so, I might for a moment relent and offer you the dog's contract. I might let you be my pets and resolve all that uncertainty in your lives. Your obedience'd have be total, and I'd have final say over your life and death - no half measures with a pact like this, eh?"

[Speak Honourably: 7]

"Now what kind of a way is that to greet your Father? No guard, no humor, no manners..."

He sighs. "This h'aint how I raised you."

"Your bloody raising hasn't done me much good, has it?" grumbled Sao Ri. "Maybe if you'd taught me how to rule a kingdom rather than land a pun neither of us'd be all the bloody way out here."

Balmas

2017-08-07, 08:22 PM

BlasTech

2017-08-08, 04:46 AM

The gong sounds. The sky blackens. The wind howls.

It is difficult to read a wolf's face. But there are some things so fundamental no one race can lay claim to them. Shock. Fear. Anger.

Loss.

In the distance, a great bank of icy blue fog rolls through the forest like an otherworldly avalanche. It swells and builds, picking up raw, biting cold and creeping shadow, growing until it engulfs the treetops. It does not slow. It does not stop. It does not turn aside.

"Stay, and face Da Lang." The wolves counter.

[Bookkeeping note: Erase the tag Dragged as you are no longer being dragged.]

"Da Lang, more of your pack, I care not." replies Lao Kai.

"Bring him if you wish, I care only for the summit."

Deadly

2017-08-10, 02:27 PM

TheAmishPirate

2017-08-14, 12:40 PM

"Aye, wait till sunset," said Sao Ri. "And hope the bloody mountain holds together long enough for it to matter. And hope I don't think up a good trick - or nail you with an unexpected fireball. And hope no other hounds come and fight you for the bloody meal. Lot of bloody ifs, aren't there? And even if nothing goes wrong you'll still be hungry tomorrow. Live the wolf's life and at least you can be proud as you shrivel under the fleas.

"Or maybe, just maybe, if my mood turns just so, I might for a moment relent and offer you the dog's contract. I might let you be my pets and resolve all that uncertainty in your lives. Your obedience'd have be total, and I'd have final say over your life and death - no half measures with a pact like this, eh?"

[Speak Honourably: 7]

“Serve you?!” Ue laughs. “And betray Da Lang? Betray my pack? All because dinner may come late sometimes? When you put it like that, how can I refuse?”

“I don’t know how you humans do it, but we don’t follow just because somebody says to. Respect is earned here, human, and I don’t curry much respect for future meals.”

Sao Fa shoots you a significant look.

"I'll add that your current course holds only death," Kanno stated testily. "We can make your life miserable over the next few days as you try and fail to overcome us. You might eventually kill us, and then die in molten agony when the mountain explodes because we didn't stop it. Given the choice, a living dog seems to be better than a dead wolf. Food for thought, if the hammer didn't do the trick."

"Then we will hunt elsewhere. Da Lang's territory is vast. We can outrun a mountain." Ue tilts his head, baffled.

From behind the pack, the air splits. Separates. A band of trees and snow shift apart ever so slightly; wide as a man is tall, and at waist-height. The wolves are focused on you, and have taken no notice of this.

Would either of you care to Observe Carefully?

"Da Lang, more of your pack, I care not." replies Lao Kai.

"Bring him if you wish, I care only for the summit."

"So be it."

The wolves dissolve and join the tide of mist. It rolls through the trees, cold malevolence engulfing the wood, squeezing it to cracking. But it does not come near you. The fog recoils from Dirge; any wisp that touches the bare metal is consumed. You are left in an island of bare snow, surrounded by a dark, writhing cloud. A large shadow of a wolf appears and disappears in the fog, splits and reforms, difficult to pin down. In a voice low and taut with wrath, with pain, Da Lang speaks a single accusation:

"Cub-slayer!"

Tell me. Did you lose family in the fall of Lan He?

There you have it. I wonder out loud to Chae "why do you think the rumors of this mountain were so harsh? Were all the previous climbers so heedless as to walk into such as obvious avalanche as our companions did? All things considered, a person with eyes to see merely needs to walk up the cliffside picking a path along sturdy ground and that shall be the end of it, don't you think?" And with that Suikkara begins her ascent. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

"I think we will find out," Chae-won says, looking around as she follows. She's following out of curiosity, against all wisdom, which is bound to lead both of them into trouble. I think that's worth a Chi

As you step ahead, you can hear the sound of padded paws behind you, retreating.

The two of you hear the world grow muffled for a moment, and then-

Suikarra! You see the whole world arrayed before you, and you instinctively know it is all beneath you as it should be. You could lay claim to it with a thought, if you so desired. But why stop? Around the bend, there's surely bound to be even more, even higher destinies in view!

Chae-Won! The world around you looks - ah, I am sorry. I forgot myself. I do not believe it is something you have experienced before, but do correct me if I am wrong.

The place looks familiar, even though you have never been here before. With each passing turn the sense of familiarity grows, blossoming into peace and security within your heart. Though you have never seen it, you have often sought it, and now it is surely around the next bend; the place you belong. Your own country. Home.

Both of you know that if you close your eyes even to blink, you would miss such sights that the loss would be beyond counting.

What do you do?

Anarion

2017-08-15, 10:39 PM

Suikarra! You see the whole world arrayed before you, and you instinctively know it is all beneath you as it should be. You could lay claim to it with a thought, if you so desired. But why stop? Around the bend, there's surely bound to be even more, even higher destinies in view!

Both of you know that if you close your eyes even to blink, you would miss such sights that the loss would be beyond counting.

What do you do?

This is gorgeous, glorious. Truly a sight to behold and worth the joy of the climb. But I do not want the world. I never have. There are thousands of destinies out there, and I already knew that. I could try and seize them, but they are not mine and they mean nothing to me. I want my destiny, and it is Sen that I seek to get it, Sen to whom I have been guided, Sen for whom I will even betray a comrade. And though I see the whole world in its glorious beauty, I reject it, and ascend further and quicker. It is Sen and Sen alone that my eyes seek, and the faster we are to the peek the better. I climb heedlessly and let the world, and Chae-Won if she is slow, fall away.

[I also think this might count as my arrogant and zealous chakra if this leads to trouble, for a Chi.]

Deadly

2017-08-16, 03:16 PM

Chae-Won! The world around you looks - ah, I am sorry. I forgot myself. I do not believe it is something you have experienced before, but do correct me if I am wrong.

The place looks familiar, even though you have never been here before. With each passing turn the sense of familiarity grows, blossoming into peace and security within your heart. Though you have never seen it, you have often sought it, and now it is surely around the next bend; the place you belong. Your own country. Home.

Both of you know that if you close your eyes even to blink, you would miss such sights that the loss would be beyond counting.

What do you do?

The part of Chae-won that knew - but didn't heed - the warnings of her tribe was losing the battle to stay wary, to question everything she saw.

Hadn't she always known, felt deep in her heart, that her path did not lie where others expected or wanted her to go? And here she had followed her curiosity, gone her own way, despite all warnings, advice and expectation ... to find what she had always been looking for.

Yes, this was surely right.

With that thought, Chae-won picked up pace, walking around that bend with renewed energy and determination. Home. She was going to be home in a moment.

Balmas

2017-08-16, 08:46 PM

"Then we will hunt elsewhere. Da Lang's territory is vast. We can outrun a mountain." Ue tilts his head, baffled.

From behind the pack, the air splits. Separates. A band of trees and snow shift apart ever so slightly; wide as a man is tall, and at waist-height. The wolves are focused on you, and have taken no notice of this.

Would either of you care to Observe Carefully?

"And what will you do when the ash cloud spreads? When it covers the earth for the next nine months? When the plants disappear from lack of sunlight? When man and beast alike choke on the foul air? When rocks rain down from the sky? Does Da Lang's territory extend to the isles of the sea? Because they will be the only places to support life if we fail in our task."

You're darn tootin' I'm observing that. Hopefully my blustering--accurate as it may be--will keep them from noticing my furtive glances behind them.

[roll0]
What is about to happen?
What do I need to do to have advantage here?
Hold 1.

BlasTech

2017-08-18, 05:10 PM

"So be it."

The wolves dissolve and join the tide of mist. It rolls through the trees, cold malevolence engulfing the wood, squeezing it to cracking. But it does not come near you. The fog recoils from Dirge; any wisp that touches the bare metal is consumed. You are left in an island of bare snow, surrounded by a dark, writhing cloud. A large shadow of a wolf appears and disappears in the fog, splits and reforms, difficult to pin down. In a voice low and taut with wrath, with pain, Da Lang speaks a single accusation:

"Cub-slayer!"

Tell me. Did you lose family in the fall of Lan He?

Lao Kai lost everything in Lan He.

Wife, child, friends, hope. Some say his humanity died there too. Lan He was only death and ruin, save for the one thing born from its ashes.

Dirge glints in the sun as Lao Kai weaves it through the frigid air.

"If she was a cub, what was your excuse for sending her against me?"

Thanqol

2017-08-20, 02:29 AM

Sao Ri's said her bit. She stands quiet for a moment, rubbing her arms to build up warmth in case she needs to get right back into burning down everything, and waits to see if words are going to fix anything.

TheAmishPirate

2017-08-26, 07:02 PM

Lao Kai lost everything in Lan He.

Wife, child, friends, hope. Some say his humanity died there too. Lan He was only death and ruin, save for the one thing born from its ashes.

Dirge glints in the sun as Lao Kai weaves it through the frigid air.

"If she was a cub, what was your excuse for sending her against me?"

Then surely you recognize the cry of a mother who's just lost a daughter.

“She was mine. Raised in my pack. Sheltered by my den. Strong in the hunt, with the experience of many seasons. You invaded our home. You struck her down. And you devoured her.”

“What is your excuse?!”

"And what will you do when the ash cloud spreads? When it covers the earth for the next nine months? When the plants disappear from lack of sunlight? When man and beast alike choke on the foul air? When rocks rain down from the sky? Does Da Lang's territory extend to the isles of the sea? Because they will be the only places to support life if we fail in our task."

You're darn tootin' I'm observing that. Hopefully my blustering--accurate as it may be--will keep them from noticing my furtive glances behind them.

[roll0]
What is about to happen?
What do I need to do to have advantage here?
Hold 1.

Ue has nothing more to offer than bemused looks. "Da Lang has not said the mountain will fall, and we trust in Da Lang. She will care and provide for us, and we should starve, then she will starve along with us." But your blustering has the intended effect; while they struggle to comprehend the scale on which you're working, none of them notice you looking past them.

At the peak of the Red Mountain is rumored to be a Gate to the spirit world. Everybody knows this. What less people know is that there are other, lesser Gates in this world. They do not lead into the Spirit World proper; rather, they lead to specific, sequestered regions of the Spirit World. Often these are the domains of particular spirits who appreciate a little privacy.

That’s what you’re seeing here. One such Gate is opening before your eyes, and now that it’s open anybody - spirit or mortal - can pass through them easy as walking.

Which leads nicely to your second question. These Gates rarely come alone. If there's a Gate into...wherever this one leads, there's bound to be another Gate out of it, somewhere on this mountain. If you and Sao Ri can get through that gate, and come out the other side, you'll be far away from here, and the wolves will be hard-pressed to pick up your scent again. Act carefully once you’re out, and you could lose them altogether.

Mind, a few wolves are bound to leap in after you before Ue can get control of the pack. But the rest will fan out over the mountain in a vain attempt to find you when you emerge. And the two of you stand much better odds against a handful of wolves as opposed to the entire pack.

I climb heedlessly and let the world, and Chae-Won if she is slow, fall away.

She's following out of curiosity, against all wisdom, which is bound to lead both of them into trouble. I think that's worth a Chi

The two of you don’t so much lose sight of each other; rather, you simultaneously stop caring about where the other one is, and nature takes its course. For both of your contributions to getting yourselves into this mess, each of you take a point of Chi.

This is gorgeous, glorious. Truly a sight to behold and worth the joy of the climb. But I do not want the world. I never have. There are thousands of destinies out there, and I already knew that. I could try and seize them, but they are not mine and they mean nothing to me. I want [I]my destiny, and it is Sen that I seek to get it, Sen to whom I have been guided, Sen for whom I will even betray a comrade. And though I see the whole world in its glorious beauty, I reject it, and ascend further and quicker. It is Sen and Sen alone that my eyes seek, and the faster we are to the peek the better. I climb heedlessly and let the world, and Chae-Won if she is slow, fall away.

You climb upward, and the world below you fades away. But while the sights are gone, the sounds are not. You can hear people from all over the world, whispering your name, telling of Suikkara of the Water Tribe, she who knows the names of spirits. But as surely as you cannot see them, you know they cannot see you. Whatever destiny awaits will be done out of their sight. Your name and your deeds will not be spoken in the same breath.

There is a slight downward path you could travel, if you wished to see and be seen by them. But why would you do that? The path to your destinies lies just around the bend.

The part of Chae-won that knew - but didn't heed - the warnings of her tribe was losing the battle to stay wary, to question everything she saw.

Hadn't she always known, felt deep in her heart, that her path did not lie where others expected or wanted her to go? And here she had followed her curiosity, gone her own way, despite all warnings, advice and expectation ... to find what she had always been looking for.

Yes, this was surely right.

With that thought, Chae-won picked up pace, walking around that bend with renewed energy and determination. Home. She was going to be home in a moment.

As you climb closer to your true home, the vistas shift until you are looking out over the Foggy Swamp. Down below, you can make out the huts and firepits of your humble village, the place you grew up. It was not where you belonged, but it was where you were fed, where you were taught, where you were cared for when sickness laid you low. And beside your house, you can see your parents, watching the horizon anxiously.

There is a downward path you could travel, if you wished to visit them. Perhaps the last such path you’ll encounter on this climb. But why would you take that? The road home lies just around the bend.

Anarion

2017-08-28, 02:26 AM

You climb upward, and the world below you fades away. But while the sights are gone, the sounds are not. You can hear people from all over the world, whispering your name, telling of Suikkara of the Water Tribe, she who knows the names of spirits. But as surely as you cannot see them, you know they cannot see you. Whatever destiny awaits will be done out of their sight. Your name and your deeds will not be spoken in the same breath.

There is a slight downward path you could travel, if you wished to see and be seen by them. But why would you do that? The path to your destinies lies just around the bend.

Something feels deceptive about these paths. I am fixed on my destiny, surely, and yet it is almost too convenient. Why offer all this at all? And in such a manner. I ought to see the spirits directing this illusion, for there is without a doubt some intellect behind it. Perhaps this is a test from Sen. If so, I should consider my choice carefully and look for that which is hidden.

[Observe carefully: 5+1+1=7. What here is not as it appears to be?]

Balmas

2017-08-31, 03:42 AM

Ue has nothing more to offer than bemused looks. "Da Lang has not said the mountain will fall, and we trust in Da Lang. She will care and provide for us, and we should starve, then she will starve along with us." But your blustering has the intended effect; while they struggle to comprehend the scale on which you're working, none of them notice you looking past them.

At the peak of the Red Mountain is rumored to be a Gate to the spirit world. Everybody knows this. What less people know is that there are other, lesser Gates in this world. They do not lead into the Spirit World proper; rather, they lead to specific, sequestered regions of the Spirit World. Often these are the domains of particular spirits who appreciate a little privacy.

That’s what you’re seeing here. One such Gate is opening before your eyes, and now that it’s open anybody - spirit or mortal - can pass through them easy as walking.

Which leads nicely to your second question. These Gates rarely come alone. If there's a Gate into...wherever this one leads, there's bound to be another Gate out of it, somewhere on this mountain. If you and Sao Ri can get through that gate, and come out the other side, you'll be far away from here, and the wolves will be hard-pressed to pick up your scent again. Act carefully once you’re out, and you could lose them altogether.

Mind, a few wolves are bound to leap in after you before Ue can get control of the pack. But the rest will fan out over the mountain in a vain attempt to find you when you emerge. And the two of you stand much better odds against a handful of wolves as opposed to the entire pack.

First off, let's spend that last hold to see "What here is not as it appears to be?" Admittedly, that's mostly out of a desire to get my money's worth out of the roll, and may not actually be relevant given what comes next. Let's also tag that Spirit Gate.

Kanno nods. "Trust in your leader is good. Helping them learn new information is better. Please tell Da Lang that I respect her and her troops, but that we must decline her dinner invite."

Then I give a broad, sweeping stomp, arms tucked close to my side. It's one of the first positions that earthbenders learn, so anyone with even an ounce of familiarity with bending will know to expect a wave of hurled rock. Right now all eyes are on me. There's no way they'll miss the movement. And while they're so busy dodging, the spikes of earth that I'm actually bending underneath them can knock them into lala-land.

Earthshaping: 4,6,+2. 12. Tag: Spike Sneak Attack!

And then it's time to grab my hammer, run like hell for the portal, and hope that the Firelord has the good sense to follow.

BlasTech

2017-08-31, 06:39 AM

Then surely you recognize the cry of a mother who's just lost a daughter.

“She was mine. Raised in my pack. Sheltered by my den. Strong in the hunt, with the experience of many seasons. You invaded our home. You struck her down. And you devoured her.”

“What is your excuse?!”

"If she was your daughter, then I know your sorrow." replies Lao Kai "I have no quarrel with your pack, nor do I seek to usurp your home or hunting grounds."

"But I will climb this mountain. Anything that attacks me, or seeks to block my path, will meet the same fate."

Deadly

2017-09-01, 03:25 PM

As you climb closer to your true home, the vistas shift until you are looking out over the Foggy Swamp. Down below, you can make out the huts and firepits of your humble village, the place you grew up. It was not where you belonged, but it was where you were fed, where you were taught, where you were cared for when sickness laid you low. And beside your house, you can see your parents, watching the horizon anxiously.

There is a downward path you could travel, if you wished to visit them. Perhaps the last such path you’ll encounter on this climb. But why would you take that? The road home lies just around the bend.

Seeing the old huts and her parents, it was tempting to turn aside, to go see them one last time. But then why not another, and another, and soon that "one last time" has become "forever". Chae-won missed them, but she also knew that it wouldn't do to turn back now. Her parents worried, as parents must do, and she wished sometimes that she could go back and help them understand ... but she also knew that they would never truly understand with words alone. The only way she could help them understand was to find her place; to show them, and herself.

It was tempting, and it was hard to stay on course, but Chae-won had not come this far to turn back for nothing.

But it did feel like maybe someone, or something, was trying very hard to make her do so.

Well, she wouldn't let anyone or anything mislead her.

Chae-won continued, more determined than ever. Determined to move forward, and to get the upper hand on the situation.

Thanqol

2017-09-03, 05:32 PM

And then it's time to grab my hammer, run like hell for the portal, and hope that the Firelord has the good sense to follow.

Och aye I do. Nae bain me. Even though the Firelord is a touch faster in a foot chase, though, she stays slightly behind Kanno - no sense outrunning the folk with the plan.

TheAmishPirate

2017-09-05, 12:32 PM

Something feels deceptive about these paths. I am fixed on my destiny, surely, and yet it is almost too convenient. Why offer all this at all? And in such a manner. I ought to see the spirits directing this illusion, for there is without a doubt some intellect behind it. Perhaps this is a test from Sen. If so, I should consider my choice carefully and look for that which is hidden.

[Observe carefully: 5+1+1=7. What here is not as it appears to be?]

Would it be cheating to say “everything”?

You are no longer on the Red Mountain. You are not actually climbing closer to the peak. That path does not lead to the adoration of a generation. Behind you does not take you to where you came from.

And you are not alone here.

[Place a Tag or Environment Tag as appropriate.]

But even knowing this is all false, the moment you stop moving you are assaulted by a desire to keep climbing, and seize your destiny. Not a hard thing, for it is your own desire that has driven you this far, but now it burns in your blood and it seems nothing could quench it. If you have any desire for your name to be sung by the peoples of the world, then that desire too is awakened in force.

If you want to do anything other than walk down one of these paths, then Hold Steady first.

Seeing the old huts and her parents, it was tempting to turn aside, to go see them one last time. But then why not another, and another, and soon that "one last time" has become "forever". Chae-won missed them, but she also knew that it wouldn't do to turn back now. Her parents worried, as parents must do, and she wished sometimes that she could go back and help them understand ... but she also knew that they would never truly understand with words alone. The only way she could help them understand was to find her place; to show them, and herself.

It was tempting, and it was hard to stay on course, but Chae-won had not come this far to turn back for nothing.

But it did feel like maybe someone, or something, was trying very hard to make her do so.

Well, she wouldn't let anyone or anything mislead her.

Chae-won continued, more determined than ever. Determined to move forward, and to get the upper hand on the situation.

It happens like a dream; one moment you are at this crossroads, and the next you are at another, and though you can’t recall how you got here nothing about this seems altogether too surprising. Forward, the pull of your true home. But down the mountain, you see a familiar Firebender walking the paths below. The very same fellow you once traveled with, when you first tackled this mountain. He is unaware of your presence, unaware of little else than the road before him; isn’t that just like him? Ignoring whoever else may be beside him in favor of his own dream. Is he just as despicable as you remember, or has he somehow grown more vile?

There is a downward path you could travel, if you wished to visit all manner of vengeance upon him. But why would you do that? The road home lies just around the bend.

"If she was your daughter, then I know your sorrow." replies Lao Kai "I have no quarrel with your pack, nor do I seek to usurp your home or hunting grounds."

"But I will climb this mountain. Anything that attacks me, or seeks to block my path, will meet the same fate."

There is an updraft of wind as you hear her sniffing at you.

“Liar!” She barks. “I smell a hunger in you, human. You have consumed countless lives and spirits, and still it is not satisfied. Will one more be enough to slake it?! No! You will devour the Avatar, you will devour this mountain, you will devour my cubs, you will feast and eat and the world will be empty but for the gnawing in your heart!”

The fog around you lights up with the flashing of a hundred fangs, barring your way.

First off, let's spend that last hold to see "What here is not as it appears to be?" Admittedly, that's mostly out of a desire to get my money's worth out of the roll, and may not actually be relevant given what comes next. Let's also tag that Spirit Gate.

A good thought. You need all the help you can get, for you are not as lucky as you seem.

It would be all too easy to count this as a stroke of good fortune, stoked by your own cunning. You were on the losing side of a stalemate, when an opportunity for victory presented itself, and you took full advantage of it. But these Spirit Gates do not open without cause. Something caused this one to open. Or, perhaps I should say someone.

You climb the Red Mountain, seeking the domain of Sel the Gatekeeper, and a Gate has opened at just the right moment to ensure you continue upward.

You do the math.

Kanno nods. "Trust in your leader is good. Helping them learn new information is better. Please tell Da Lang that I respect her and her troops, but that we must decline her dinner invite."

Then I give a broad, sweeping stomp, arms tucked close to my side. It's one of the first positions that earthbenders learn, so anyone with even an ounce of familiarity with bending will know to expect a wave of hurled rock. Right now all eyes are on me. There's no way they'll miss the movement. And while they're so busy dodging, the spikes of earth that I'm actually bending underneath them can knock them into lala-land.

Earthshaping: 4,6,+2. 12. Tag: Spike Sneak Attack!

And then it's time to grab my hammer, run like hell for the portal, and hope that the Firelord has the good sense to follow.

Och aye I do. Nae bain me. Even though the Firelord is a touch faster in a foot chase, though, she stays slightly behind Kanno - no sense outrunning the folk with the plan.

The wolves fly out of your way with a chorus of undignified boofs. Ue - tumbling bum over teakettle in the snow - cries for his pack to stop you. But for a moment, no one stands between you and the Gate.

The way is clear, and you need only Move With Intention to take it.

[A friendly reminder: There are ample Tags present to take advantage of, and both of you have Chi to spend if you wish to.]

Thanqol

2017-09-05, 11:40 PM

The wolves fly out of your way with a chorus of undignified boofs. Ue - tumbling bum over teakettle in the snow - cries for his pack to stop you. But for a moment, no one stands between you and the Gate.

The way is clear, and you need only Move With Intention to take it.

[A friendly reminder: There are ample Tags present to take advantage of, and both of you have Chi to spend if you wish to.]

Sao Ri doesn't really trust in the spirit portal to stop spirit wolves from following her through the gate. So as she reaches the stonework she takes a deep breath to detonate the portal thoroughly and violently as she passes through - trusting in the Look-Not-At-Explosions Kata to shield her from injury.

[Move With Intention: 6, volatile and explosive may trigger.]

Balmas

2017-09-06, 12:03 AM

The wolves fly out of your way with a chorus of undignified boofs. Ue - tumbling bum over teakettle in the snow - cries for his pack to stop you. But for a moment, no one stands between you and the Gate.

The way is clear, and you need only Move With Intention to take it.

[A friendly reminder: There are ample Tags present to take advantage of, and both of you have Chi to spend if you wish to.]

Kanno dashes for the gate, hammer in hand. On the cusp of passing through though, she turns, and offers one more parting bit of earthbending to slam more rocks into the wolves. No real point in doing so, but darnit, these wolves are going to learn not to mess with me.

(If that causes trouble, I'd argue that's worth a chi for vengeful, but forgiving.)

(Move with intention: 6. Hooboy, we're in trouble.)

Anarion

2017-09-06, 02:39 AM

BlasTech

2017-09-08, 04:04 AM

There is an updraft of wind as you hear her sniffing at you.

“Liar!” She barks. “I smell a hunger in you, human. You have consumed countless lives and spirits, and still it is not satisfied. Will one more be enough to slake it?! No! You will devour the Avatar, you will devour this mountain, you will devour my cubs, you will feast and eat and the world will be empty but for the gnawing in your heart!”

The fog around you lights up with the flashing of a hundred fangs, barring your way.

"So be it." replies Lao Kai, flashing a rare smile.

"Dirge hungers."

And with that, he leapt. Higher than one would have thought possible. Over Da Lang's head and into the midst of her pack. He would see whether they were so quick to attack when their own numbers got in their way.

Moving with intention: [roll0]

Tagging Da Lang with "Disorientated" as she tries to target him.

TheAmishPirate

2017-09-08, 07:09 PM

I'm marking the environment around Suikkara as "illusory." I imagine that might come up. I'm going to attempt to Stand Fast, which is what I imagine you meant with hold steady. 4+1+0=5. And Suikkarra will not succeed at it, alas. Let's see where she goes.

You do have a tag you can make use of now. If you like, you can spend a point of Chi to upgrade to a 7-9 result.

Either way, which path tempts you the greatest? Which one would you choose, if you could only pick one?

Anarion

2017-09-10, 04:55 PM

You do have a tag you can make use of now. If you like, you can spend a point of Chi to upgrade to a 7-9 result.

Either way, which path tempts you the greatest? Which one would you choose, if you could only pick one?

Oh, no no, I'd much rather gain a point of Chi here than lose one. Much better to see what happens. If I must choose, it is the path upward to destiny. The praise of the world if meaningless without just and upright action to justify it.

Deadly

2017-09-11, 01:27 PM

It happens like a dream; one moment you are at this crossroads, and the next you are at another, and though you can’t recall how you got here nothing about this seems altogether too surprising. Forward, the pull of your true home. But down the mountain, you see a familiar Firebender walking the paths below. The very same fellow you once traveled with, when you first tackled this mountain. He is unaware of your presence, unaware of little else than the road before him; isn’t that just like him? Ignoring whoever else may be beside him in favor of his own dream. Is he just as despicable as you remember, or has he somehow grown more vile?

There is a downward path you could travel, if you wished to visit all manner of vengeance upon him. But why would you do that? The road home lies just around the bend.

No, Chae-won cannot let that vile betrayer go on his merry way unchallenged. She would find no peace anywhere, be it home or not, knowing that he was still alive and free out there. He must be made to pay for what he did.

Chae-won, tempestuous and vindictive, turns and heads down the path of vengeance.

TheAmishPirate

2017-09-13, 07:03 PM

"So be it." replies Lao Kai, flashing a rare smile.

"Dirge hungers."

And with that, he leapt. Higher than one would have thought possible. Over Da Lang's head and into the midst of her pack. He would see whether they were so quick to attack when their own numbers got in their way.

Moving with intention: [roll0]

Tagging Da Lang with "Disorientated" as she tries to target him.

As any seasoned veteran knows, a larger force is not always an advantage. What it has in overwhelming numbers, it lacks in maneuverability, a fact you neatly exploit with your sudden leap.

Da Lang howls in anger, jaws snap around you as wolves struggle to bring themselves to bear while keeping clear of that dangerous blade. Roll to Stand Fast against the tide.

Oh, no no, I'd much rather gain a point of Chi here than lose one. Much better to see what happens. If I must choose, it is the path upward to destiny. The praise of the world if meaningless without just and upright action to justify it.

The temptation is too great. No matter how you may command them, your feet are not listening to you. As you are forced up the path, the struggles of this journey weigh heavy on your body. How long have you been climbing? When did you last rest? What of the good things you left behind? Take the minor tag Drained.

However, though your feet are in open revolt, your mind is still your own. You have gained a valuable insight into this place, and now you see yet another crossroads approaching.

What do you do?

No, Chae-won cannot let that vile betrayer go on his merry way unchallenged. She would find no peace anywhere, be it home or not, knowing that he was still alive and free out there. He must be made to pay for what he did.

Chae-won, tempestuous and vindictive, turns and heads down the path of vengeance.

Every step down is one step further from home. Each tree you pass feels less familiar than the last, until the land resembles all that you’ve ever known; just another place you don’t belong. But below you-

“Help!”

Ahem. I said, below you-

“Help!”

Oh very well then.

Crossroads. Below you, the object of your hatred, threatening to escape justice forever. Nearly about to spend the rest of his life a free man if you don’t do something. To the side, a voice calls for aid.

What do you do?

Sao Ri doesn't really trust in the spirit portal to stop spirit wolves from following her through the gate. So as she reaches the stonework she takes a deep breath to detonate the portal thoroughly and violently as she passes through - trusting in the Look-Not-At-Explosions Kata to shield her from injury.

[Move With Intention: 6, volatile and explosive may trigger.]

Kanno dashes for the gate, hammer in hand. On the cusp of passing through though, she turns, and offers one more parting bit of earthbending to slam more rocks into the wolves. No real point in doing so, but darnit, these wolves are going to learn not to mess with me.

(If that causes trouble, I'd argue that's worth a chi for vengeful, but forgiving.)

(Move with intention: 6. Hooboy, we're in trouble.)

[Both of you, a point of Chi for a < 6 roll. And a point of Chi for sticking to your Chakras.]

You let loose with a mighty blast of fire and earth behind you, and leap through the portal. The explosion sounds much more muffled than you might’ve expected, nor do you feel the backblast...

The two of you land on packed earth. The sky above you is a misty shroud. As you pick yourself up, Sao Ri, you come to realize you are standing in a familiar place. Solid earth, marked out into a grid of squares. Bowls filled with fire standing on the corners. Two painted lines, on either end of the field.

It is an arena for an Agni Kai.

But this arena is surrounded by a wall of mirrors, all facing inward, tall enough to block your sight outside this place. On the far end of the field, you see the ghost of Firelord Sao Fa standing where Sao Ri’s reflection ought to be. All around him, the fireblast she loosed rages on, but doesn’t die. It closes in around him, the fire compressing into a white-hot, human form. A form that now wears her face.

“Perhaps ah didn’t teach ye enoof, daughter.”

The fire-spirit steps out of the mirror, and takes a knee at the opposite end of the arena.

“It’s time ta fix that.”

What do you do?

Thanqol

2017-09-13, 11:32 PM

But this arena is surrounded by a wall of mirrors, all facing inward, tall enough to block your sight outside this place. On the far end of the field, you see the ghost of Firelord Sao Fa standing where Sao Ri’s reflection ought to be. All around him, the fireblast she loosed rages on, but doesn’t die. It closes in around him, the fire compressing into a white-hot, human form. A form that now wears her face.

“Perhaps ah didn’t teach ye enoof, daughter.”

The fire-spirit steps out of the mirror, and takes a knee at the opposite end of the arena.

“It’s time ta fix that.”

What do you do?

"Och aye, perhaps it's now dawning on ye? Perhaps just now it's coming into yer mighty noggin that ye did an insufficient job?" said Sao Ri, fingers patiently clawing through the dirt until they come to rest around the hilt of her sword. "Did ye come up with that on your ownsome?" she said as she got to her feet and unclasped her cloak. "What, no joke? Because you certainly took the time to teach me plenty of those in between yer bloody feasting."

The sword went forward, back, shoulder - a striking stance. Her body knew the motions. She was undefeated in the Agni Kai ring.

Anarion

2017-09-15, 05:22 PM

The temptation is too great. No matter how you may command them, your feet are not listening to you. As you are forced up the path, the struggles of this journey weigh heavy on your body. How long have you been climbing? When did you last rest? What of the good things you left behind? Take the minor tag Drained.

However, though your feet are in open revolt, your mind is still your own. You have gained a valuable insight into this place, and now you see yet another crossroads approaching.

What do you do?

I stop, if I am able and allow my feet to go where they will if I am not. I am sore and the land is a lie. I close my eyes that I am not looking into such a lie any longer. I hum above the sound of snow. A light, haunting melody, a call to the dancing spirits. And I meditate.

4+1+1=6.

Well, I try to meditate, perhaps it wasn't so wise to close my eyes while walking a mountain.

BlasTech

2017-09-15, 05:48 PM

As any seasoned veteran knows, a larger force is not always an advantage. What it has in overwhelming numbers, it lacks in maneuverability, a fact you neatly exploit with your sudden leap.

Da Lang howls in anger, jaws snap around you as wolves struggle to bring themselves to bear while keeping clear of that dangerous blade. Roll to Stand Fast against the tide.

Teeth and claws flash as Lao Kai fends them off with his own.

[roll0]

Balmas

2017-09-16, 03:38 AM

You let loose with a mighty blast of fire and earth behind you, and leap through the portal. The explosion sounds much more muffled than you might’ve expected, nor do you feel the backblast...

The two of you land on packed earth. The sky above you is a misty shroud. As you pick yourself up, Sao Ri, you come to realize you are standing in a familiar place. Solid earth, marked out into a grid of squares. Bowls filled with fire standing on the corners. Two painted lines, on either end of the field.

It is an arena for an Agni Kai.

Am I in the same area, or did I get spit out somewhere different? Either way, I'm dropping into a defensive stance, and scanning the area to see what fresh hell we've landed in. The gatekeeper wants to play games with us, and that's okay. Doesn't mean I'm going to make things easy for it.

[Observe Carefully. 3,1,+1. I'm going to spend a chi to upgrade that to a partial success, and ask what I should be watching for.]

Deadly

2017-09-17, 02:42 PM

Every step down is one step further from home. Each tree you pass feels less familiar than the last, until the land resembles all that you’ve ever known; just another place you don’t belong. But below you-

“Help!”

Ahem. I said, below you-

“Help!”

Oh very well then.

Crossroads. Below you, the object of your hatred, threatening to escape justice forever. Nearly about to spend the rest of his life a free man if you don’t do something. To the side, a voice calls for aid.

What do you do?

What was this endless side tracking? Chae-won was starting to feel like she was being led down an endless path of endless choices, so that she'd never reach any of her chosen goals regardless of which one she chose, and she was having none of it any longer. Water only flowed one way - down, following whichever path was lower - but Chae-won had never been very good at doing that so that sometimes, when presented with two paths - one low, one high - she'd instead decide to follow the path right down the middle of the two instead, or turn around entirely.

Chae-won stopped and stomped her feet into the ground and yelled at the air. "Stop distracting me from my chosen path, or so help me, I'll turn right around and take none of them. Don't make me come after you, whoever is making these incessant choices! I'll rip you right down the middle and make you choose which half you want to keep, then I'll rip that half in half and repeat the question until you'd rather have nothing at all!"

TheAmishPirate

2017-09-20, 12:56 PM

Am I in the same area, or did I get spit out somewhere different? Either way, I'm dropping into a defensive stance, and scanning the area to see what fresh hell we've landed in. The gatekeeper wants to play games with us, and that's okay. Doesn't mean I'm going to make things easy for it.

[Observe Carefully. 3,1,+1. I'm going to spend a chi to upgrade that to a partial success, and ask what I should be watching for.]

Yes, you've landed right next to Sao Ri. You are in the same area she is, seeing what she is seeing.

If you join this fight, then you're going to need to watch your feet. This is a place of reflections, and joining the fight will give your opponent the ability to call forth lava plumes from the earth. Which it will then use to keep you contained and out of this fight. It really wants to duel Sao Ri, not you.

But this is only if you fight. If you're taking a different course of action, then I will tell you what you need to watch for there.

"Och aye, perhaps it's now dawning on ye? Perhaps just now it's coming into yer mighty noggin that ye did an insufficient job?" said Sao Ri, fingers patiently clawing through the dirt until they come to rest around the hilt of her sword. "Did ye come up with that on your ownsome?" she said as she got to her feet and unclasped her cloak. "What, no joke? Because you certainly took the time to teach me plenty of those in between yer bloody feasting."

The sword went forward, back, shoulder - a striking stance. Her body knew the motions. She was undefeated in the Agni Kai ring.

Your fiery reflection mirrors your stance perfectly.

Your opponent has a body of fire, the will of the greatest Firebender in recent history, and possesses knowledge of all your techniques.

This is not going to be an easy fight.

[The reflection of Sao Ri has the following moves:

Body of Fire: This spirit cannot be Tagged by being burned by fire.

Perfect Reflection: This spirit knows your moves, and can counter them easily. It must be surprised with something new or truly unexpected - and marked with a relevant Tag - before it can receive any other Tags.]

Sao Ri, Kanno is taking up a defensive stance next to you, as if she intends to fight alongside you in this duel. Your opponent looks on, clearly judging you for this.

What do you do?

Teeth and claws flash as Lao Kai fends them off with his own.

[roll0]

The icy fog surges over Lao Kai, striving to bury him in biting cold. The light vanishes, sky and setting sun stolen away, but Dirge devours even the darkness. Your blade sings as it meets tooth and claw, pulsing otherwordly colors with each strike. The pack of Da Lang - mother of wolves, queen of the hunt, voice of the winter night - finds itself thrown back by the ferocity of your defense, and the world reappears as Dirge cuts the fog to ribbons.

The wolves regroup. Quite literally, I'm afraid. They dash into each other, forming themselves larger and larger until the pack of many transforms into three massive wolves. Perhaps where sheer numbers failed, raw strength can win the day?

What do you do?

I stop, if I am able and allow my feet to go where they will if I am not. I am sore and the land is a lie. I close my eyes that I am not looking into such a lie any longer. I hum above the sound of snow. A light, haunting melody, a call to the dancing spirits. And I meditate.

4+1+1=6.

Well, I try to meditate, perhaps it wasn't so wise to close my eyes while walking a mountain.

[I must ask for due diligence before hurling you off an illusory mountain; would you like to spend a point of Chi?]

What was this endless side tracking? Chae-won was starting to feel like she was being led down an endless path of endless choices, so that she'd never reach any of her chosen goals regardless of which one she chose, and she was having none of it any longer. Water only flowed one way - down, following whichever path was lower - but Chae-won had never been very good at doing that so that sometimes, when presented with two paths - one low, one high - she'd instead decide to follow the path right down the middle of the two instead, or turn around entirely.

Chae-won stopped and stomped her feet into the ground and yelled at the air. "Stop distracting me from my chosen path, or so help me, I'll turn right around and take none of them. Don't make me come after you, whoever is making these incessant choices! I'll rip you right down the middle and make you choose which half you want to keep, then I'll rip that half in half and repeat the question until you'd rather have nothing at all!"

As with Suikkara, the moment you stop, you feel your own desires surge within you until the urge to take a path becomes almost unbearable. Roll to Stand Fast, tell me which path you would pick if you had to choose, and we'll see what happens.

Anarion

2017-09-20, 02:08 PM

[I must ask for due diligence before hurling you off an illusory mountain; would you like to spend a point of Chi?]

[Fiiiine. I'll spend a point of Chi and take advantage of the illusory terrain to ensure that Suikkara does not fall to her doom. You'll just have to tell me something about the scene now.]

Thanqol

2017-09-20, 09:43 PM

Your fiery reflection mirrors your stance perfectly.

Your opponent has a body of fire, the will of the greatest Firebender in recent history, and possesses knowledge of all your techniques.

This is not going to be an easy fight.

[The reflection of Sao Ri has the following moves:

Body of Fire: This spirit cannot be Tagged by being burned by fire.

Perfect Reflection: This spirit knows your moves, and can counter them easily. It must be surprised with something new or truly unexpected - and marked with a relevant Tag - before it can receive any other Tags.]

Sao Ri, Kanno is taking up a defensive stance next to you, as if she intends to fight alongside you in this duel. Your opponent looks on, clearly judging you for this.

What do you do?

Oh, aye then? I'm not going to stop Kanno. I even give the bloody spirit a smirk and bite my thumb at him. Why would I engage him in an honourable duel? The whole point of this bloody thing is that I don't respect him, and he doesn't respect me. There's only one thing in all the world that'd win his respect and that's me putting the Fire Nation's face in the dirt below my boot - where it belongs.

"Listen up you groaning bloody cadaver," I say, not shifting from my casual ready stance. I'm taking cue of his stance as I do. Typical he'd steal my form - Sao Fa was never much of a duelist. "I am the Firelord and I do not accept the challenges of those below my station," I let my sword drop into the sand and pick out my bow. "So if you come at me here I'm going to dispatch you like a bloody bandit."

I let the smirk grow a little as I nock the bow. I'm pretty sure I never got reliable at dodging arrows.

"Unless, maybe Sao Fa wants to drop the bloody house of mirrors clownshoe garbage and face me like a man? Then I might consider a fair fight."

[Act Dishonourably: I want Sao Fa to face me directly without the mirror opposite thing, or else I'm going to shoot him through with arrows with Kanno's help. Roll: 9]

Balmas

2017-09-20, 10:10 PM

I'm honestly kinda shocked right now. Given how prone the firelord is to solving her problems with violence, I thought she'd take this one more seriously, and I raise an eyebrow disapprovingly. So while Sao Ri is holding a bow on her fiery counterpart, I stand up straighter and drop my fists. I'll defend myself if attacked, but I see no reason to meddle in what is obviously a Fire Nation affair.

Instead, I'm looking at those mirrors more closely, trying to listen for the telltale song of metal. Are these mirrors like modern mirrors--glass, with a silver lining on the back--or made of a pure, burnished metal like bronze or silver?

Deadly

2017-09-21, 04:04 AM

As with Suikkara, the moment you stop, you feel your own desires surge within you until the urge to take a path becomes almost unbearable. Roll to Stand Fast, tell me which path you would pick if you had to choose, and we'll see what happens.

Stand Fast: 3+6-1 = 8

If she had to choose, Chae-won would go for the call for help. She's a healer, even if it doesn't come very natural to her, and if she abandons people to their doom in the mountain she's no better than the jerk she'd love to pay back, and that would be a moral victory for him, something she cannot countenance.

But she's not sure she really believes either path is real, and she won't be going anywhere without a bloody riot.

BlasTech

2017-09-22, 10:49 PM

The icy fog surges over Lao Kai, striving to bury him in biting cold. The light vanishes, sky and setting sun stolen away, but Dirge devours even the darkness. Your blade sings as it meets tooth and claw, pulsing otherwordly colors with each strike. The pack of Da Lang - mother of wolves, queen of the hunt, voice of the winter night - finds itself thrown back by the ferocity of your defense, and the world reappears as Dirge cuts the fog to ribbons.

The wolves regroup. Quite literally, I'm afraid. They dash into each other, forming themselves larger and larger until the pack of many transforms into three massive wolves. Perhaps where sheer numbers failed, raw strength can win the day?

What do you do?

Lao Kai deals with it in a typically direct manner - striking for the head.

Dirge flashes through the fog as he strikes at Da Lang. No warning, no mercy.

[Committing open violence]

[roll0]

[Tagging Da Lang with "Mortally Wounded"]

TheAmishPirate

2017-09-24, 05:32 PM

Lao Kai deals with it in a typically direct manner - striking for the head.

Dirge flashes through the fog as he strikes at Da Lang. No warning, no mercy.

[Committing open violence]

[roll0]

[Tagging Da Lang with "Mortally Wounded"]

I’m sorry, I think I described the scene poorly. Let me make sure you have all the information available to you.

There are three gigantic wolves forming. They are the only other creatures/spirits standing here. If one, all, or none of them are Da Lang, you don’t know. You can commit open violence against one of them if you’d like with that roll, or you can make a different move if you wish. Apologies if I wasn’t clear.

[Fiiiine. I'll spend a point of Chi and take advantage of the illusory terrain to ensure that Suikkara does not fall to her doom. You'll just have to tell me something about the scene now.]

Discontent.

That is the essence of this place.

Always moving. Ever sacrificing. Never stopping. Never filled.

Discontent has sapped you of your strength, and it is Discontent that will be the death of you here.

Stand Fast: 3+6-1 = 8

If she had to choose, Chae-won would go for the call for help. She's a healer, even if it doesn't come very natural to her, and if she abandons people to their doom in the mountain she's no better than the jerk she'd love to pay back, and that would be a moral victory for him, something she cannot countenance.

But she's not sure she really believes either path is real, and she won't be going anywhere without a bloody riot.

You are able to stand your ground, and may say your piece - and do whatever else you will - but the voice crying for help is suddenly cut off.

Oh, aye then? I'm not going to stop Kanno. I even give the bloody spirit a smirk and bite my thumb at him. Why would I engage him in an honourable duel? The whole point of this bloody thing is that I don't respect him, and he doesn't respect me. There's only one thing in all the world that'd win his respect and that's me putting the Fire Nation's face in the dirt below my boot - where it belongs.

"Listen up you groaning bloody cadaver," I say, not shifting from my casual ready stance. I'm taking cue of his stance as I do. Typical he'd steal my form - Sao Fa was never much of a duelist. "I am the Firelord and I do not accept the challenges of those below my station," I let my sword drop into the sand and pick out my bow. "So if you come at me here I'm going to dispatch you like a bloody bandit."

I let the smirk grow a little as I nock the bow. I'm pretty sure I never got reliable at dodging arrows.

"Unless, maybe Sao Fa wants to drop the bloody house of mirrors clownshoe garbage and face me like a man? Then I might consider a fair fight."

[Act Dishonourably: I want Sao Fa to face me directly without the mirror opposite thing, or else I'm going to shoot him through with arrows with Kanno's help. Roll: 9]

Before we continue, can you tell me a little more about the tradition of Agni Kai in your time? In the time of Aang, they are fire duels; a test of firebending prowess between two warriors, armed only with their flames. Combatants rarely sought to kill their opponents, but the loser would be put to the mercy of the victor. Scars of shame were common, and those choosing not to mark their defeated opponent were sometimes viewed as weak, or lacking in guts.

However, this is many many centuries before that time, and we are talking about the root of a tradition. Tell me more about it; the rules of the fight, the expectations for the combatants, the customs surrounding it, etc.

I'm honestly kinda shocked right now. Given how prone the firelord is to solving her problems with violence, I thought she'd take this one more seriously, and I raise an eyebrow disapprovingly. So while Sao Ri is holding a bow on her fiery counterpart, I stand up straighter and drop my fists. I'll defend myself if attacked, but I see no reason to meddle in what is obviously a Fire Nation affair.

The ground beneath your feet cools. Just enough to be noticeable.

Instead, I'm looking at those mirrors more closely, trying to listen for the telltale song of metal. Are these mirrors like modern mirrors--glass, with a silver lining on the back--or made of a pure, burnished metal like bronze or silver?

Metal-backed mirrors, certainly. But grander and stranger than anything you’ve seen. If you got on Sao Ri’s shoulders - which would be an impressive feat in and of itself - you wouldn’t be able to see above them. Their frames are all one, continuous piece, rather than several frames pushed together. They’re carved with stunningly fine detailwork, and each appears to be an exact copy of all the others...probably? It’s difficult to tell. As you look between one frame and the next, you find it devilishly difficult to keep your place. You think you spot a difference, only to come back to the first frame and find it matches the second, but then return to the second and can no longer find the troublesome bit of carving that aroused your suspicion in the first place, and to go further is to tread the path of madness.

Also, one time, when you pass across the mirrors, you see your reflection stare dead back at you, huff angrily, and a glow like a forge fire radiates from within its nostrils. When you look a second time, all is as it should be.

Balmas

2017-09-24, 07:25 PM

Metal-backed mirrors, certainly. But grander and stranger than anything you’ve seen. If you got on Sao Ri’s shoulders - which would be an impressive feat in and of itself - you wouldn’t be able to see above them. Their frames are all one, continuous piece, rather than several frames pushed together. They’re carved with stunningly fine detailwork, and each appears to be an exact copy of all the others...probably? It’s difficult to tell. As you look between one frame and the next, you find it devilishly difficult to keep your place. You think you spot a difference, only to come back to the first frame and find it matches the second, but then return to the second and can no longer find the troublesome bit of carving that aroused your suspicion in the first place, and to go further is to tread the path of madness.

Also, one time, when you pass across the mirrors, you see your reflection stare dead back at you, huff angrily, and a glow like a forge fire radiates from within its nostrils. When you look a second time, all is as it should be.

I think you misunderstand my intentions, friend. See, I'm not a hoity-toity waterbender or a firebender with their HONOOOOOR. No, I'm an earthbender, and a smith on top of that. Folks like me have a special way of seeing the world--one that I think is kinda weird that other people don't use. I look at a stone, and see a sculpture. I see bricks in clay, and tools in unworked metal. I have my hammer. I can conduct metal to do as I wish. Right now, I'm looking at metal and glass, and I'm seeing a door.

Metalbending: 3,5,+1. [9] Tagging door out of mirror pen.

Thanqol

2017-09-25, 10:32 PM

Before we continue, can you tell me a little more about the tradition of Agni Kai in your time? In the time of Aang, they are fire duels; a test of firebending prowess between two warriors, armed only with their flames. Combatants rarely sought to kill their opponents, but the loser would be put to the mercy of the victor. Scars of shame were common, and those choosing not to mark their defeated opponent were sometimes viewed as weak, or lacking in guts.

However, this is many many centuries before that time, and we are talking about the root of a tradition. Tell me more about it; the rules of the fight, the expectations for the combatants, the customs surrounding it, etc.

You win if you land a solid burn on the other bastard, which is why coming made out of fire is already counter to the spirit. As Firelord, I am making a rule against it right now. You lose if you severely injure your opponent. It's about skill and rage but it's also about control, and if you lose control of your fire then you're a bloody useless liability. Liabilities get sent to the fire priests to either be whipped into shape or done away with.

A lot of folks are cowards as a result. They fight like airbenders because they're too afraid of hurting their opponent; they just dance around and plink at you with weak little embers looking for a victory on a technicality. No one's ever won a real fight that way. I've been winning fights on the back of being more willing to walk the line than even more experienced duellists and I've been making a mockery of any foolson who shows off duelling 'scars' that look more like measles than battle wounds.

The Fire Tribes trade with airbenders and waterbenders, and they see their big fancy cities and shining ships, and they think that those bastards have it right and we should emulate them. The Agni Kai today is like a ceremonial airbender marital art display, devoid of any real practical use. And in doing they forget to consider what fire is - how seriously it needs to be taken. One of the many things I'll change once my reign is secure.

Anarion

2017-09-28, 01:34 AM

Discontent.

That is the essence of this place.

Always moving. Ever sacrificing. Never stopping. Never filled.

Discontent has sapped you of your strength, and it is Discontent that will be the death of you here.

This is difficult for Suikkara. Perhaps impossible. She has spent her life in discontent, always seeking, seeking, seeking. Looking beyond herself, looking beyond the world, leaving her family and friends behind to seek a destiny that she seeks. She is never content. Discontent drives her. She cannot just snap her fingers and say that now all is well. She cannot just clear her mind and be better. Deep within her, there's a voice of a scared child who thinks that if she is not special, then no one will love her. She doesn't hear that voice, it's too deep within her, but even knowing that discontent is the magic driving her to ruin, she cannot bring herself to let that go.

So instead, she removes her shoes. Walking a frigid mountain, this is madness. And that is precisely the point. "Discontent!" she shouts, to the great spirit whose power is attacking her here. "Show yourself. I summon you!" Her feet cannot stop, but her arms and her eyes are finished with this illusion, and as she steps, she grabs a stick and begins drawing lines in the snow, great summoning lines, made by her shoes placed on the end of the stick, offered to the spirit. "Discontent, show yourself, I summon you to guide me up the mountain. Bring me to the summit and to Sen, free me from this illusion!"

If this is Discontent's place of power, then it is Discontent who will serve. [Rolling +conditions for spirit summoning, +2 for an offering and a place of power. 5+5+2=12. The spirit comes and obeys my request before discussing payment.]

BlasTech

2017-09-28, 04:24 PM

I’m sorry, I think I described the scene poorly. Let me make sure you have all the information available to you.

There are three gigantic wolves forming. They are the only other creatures/spirits standing here. If one, all, or none of them are Da Lang, you don’t know. You can commit open violence against one of them if you’d like with that roll, or you can make a different move if you wish. Apologies if I wasn’t clear.

Ah, I see. I had thought there were three forming in addition to Da Lang.

Still, this looks like a shell game - which, admittedly, is something Lao Kai would probably not know by name.

Dirge weaves a complex barrier to discourage attack as Lao Kai watches the clearing around him.

[Observe Carefully] - [roll0]

- What here is not as it seems?

Deadly

2017-09-29, 01:02 PM

You are able to stand your ground, and may say your piece - and do whatever else you will - but the voice crying for help is suddenly cut off.

Chae-won thought she had said her piece already, now she awaited a response, but none appeared to come. Confused and angry, she didn't know what more to say, and it seemed she had nowhere to go, at least nowhere that she could trust to be real. So she sat down with a huff right in the middle of the road and closed her eyes as she waited, passing the time by trying to clear her mind with some simple water bending. Idly she let some of her water trickle out between her fingers and flow however it liked, watching the paths it took. Maybe the water knew what was real here.

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-04, 03:53 PM

which is why coming made out of fire is already counter to the spirit.

And you say your father didn't teach you well.

It pantomimes your motions perfectly. You reach for a bow, it reaches too, and a bow of fire arcs from its hand. You nock an arrow, it nocks too, and draws an arrow of fire against its cheek. You speak, and it speaks too, calling out in your voice, “I am the Firelord and I do not have the honor of those below my station. So if you come at me like this I’m going to keep you locked up in here like a bloody commoner.”

You know that if you fire, it will fire too, and your arrows of wood will not best its arrows of flame.

“Unless, maybe Sao Ri wants to drop the bloody bluster and face me like a Firelord? Then I might consider letting you go after a proper fight.”

I think you misunderstand my intentions, friend. See, I'm not a hoity-toity waterbender or a firebender with their HONOOOOOR. No, I'm an earthbender, and a smith on top of that. Folks like me have a special way of seeing the world--one that I think is kinda weird that other people don't use. I look at a stone, and see a sculpture. I see bricks in clay, and tools in unworked metal. I have my hammer. I can conduct metal to do as I wish. Right now, I'm looking at metal and glass, and I'm seeing a door.

Metalbending: 3,5,+1. [9] Tagging door out of mirror pen.

[For the record, the Metalshaping move is for in-combat only. You’re adjacent to a combat here, and I would allow you to make the door anyway, so no worries.]

You form a door, and find yourself on the other side.

Literally. You are face-to-face with yourself. It’s the same Kanno from the mirrors with a forge fire glowing from her nostrils, and she’s scowling at the fight behind you.

What do you do?

This is difficult for Suikkara. Perhaps impossible. She has spent her life in discontent, always seeking, seeking, seeking. Looking beyond herself, looking beyond the world, leaving her family and friends behind to seek a destiny that she seeks. She is never content. Discontent drives her. She cannot just snap her fingers and say that now all is well. She cannot just clear her mind and be better. Deep within her, there's a voice of a scared child who thinks that if she is not special, then no one will love her. She doesn't hear that voice, it's too deep within her, but even knowing that discontent is the magic driving her to ruin, she cannot bring herself to let that go.

So instead, she removes her shoes. Walking a frigid mountain, this is madness. And that is precisely the point. "Discontent!" she shouts, to the great spirit whose power is attacking her here. "Show yourself. I summon you!" Her feet cannot stop, but her arms and her eyes are finished with this illusion, and as she steps, she grabs a stick and begins drawing lines in the snow, great summoning lines, made by her shoes placed on the end of the stick, offered to the spirit. "Discontent, show yourself, I summon you to guide me up the mountain. Bring me to the summit and to Sen, free me from this illusion!"

If this is Discontent's place of power, then it is Discontent who will serve. [Rolling +conditions for spirit summoning, +2 for an offering and a place of power. 5+5+2=12. The spirit comes and obeys my request before discussing payment.]

You feel a tug on the end of your stick, and your bare feet come to a stop.

One pair of hands is feeling up your shoes, pawing at them from all sides.

One pair of hands never stops wringing, desperately clutching itself.

One pair of hands balances on the snow, constantly hopping for better ground.

Discontent turns its sunken eyes on your offering, its gaunt body jerking as it nods furiously. “Yes. Yes. A walk. A walk may do me some good. I have been here too long. A walk will do me some good. I can take you to the summit. I can’t take you to Sel. I can take you from my home. I can’t take you far from my home. What do you want? What will you give? What? What?” It clutches your shoes and the wringing intensifies.

Chae-won thought she had said her piece already, now she awaited a response, but none appeared to come. Confused and angry, she didn't know what more to say, and it seemed she had nowhere to go, at least nowhere that she could trust to be real. So she sat down with a huff right in the middle of the road and closed her eyes as she waited, passing the time by trying to clear her mind with some simple water bending. Idly she let some of her water trickle out between her fingers and flow however it liked, watching the paths it took. Maybe the water knew what was real here.

This place is momentarily...confused? Where you’ve been carefully and expertly led all this way, now that you’re sitting the world around you is holding its breath. The snow settles beneath you unevenly, uncomfortably, like somebody holding a child for the first time and not having the slightest clue what to do with it.

Perhaps you know what ought to come next? Roll to Meditate, and let’s see.

Ah, I see. I had thought there were three forming in addition to Da Lang.

Still, this looks like a shell game - which, admittedly, is something Lao Kai would probably not know by name.

Dirge weaves a complex barrier to discourage attack as Lao Kai watches the clearing around him.

[Observe Carefully] - [roll0]

- What here is not as it seems?

Da Lang is her pack, and they are her. You killed a part of her when you executed that wolf before. The answer to this shell game is that the ball is under all three shells, and each shell is made up of dozens of balls to boot.

This will make slaying Da Lang...difficult. Especially if she has more wolves elsewhere on the mountains. But harming her?

Well. Perhaps that just got a little easier.

Anarion

2017-10-04, 07:07 PM

You feel a tug on the end of your stick, and your bare feet come to a stop.

One pair of hands is feeling up your shoes, pawing at them from all sides.

One pair of hands never stops wringing, desperately clutching itself.

One pair of hands balances on the snow, constantly hopping for better ground.

Discontent turns its sunken eyes on your offering, its gaunt body jerking as it nods furiously. “Yes. Yes. A walk. A walk may do me some good. I have been here too long. A walk will do me some good. I can take you to the summit. I can’t take you to Sel. I can take you from my home. I can’t take you far from my home. What do you want? What will you give? What? What?” It clutches your shoes and the wringing intensifies.

What does Discontent want? Surely by its very nature, nothing can truly satisfy it. But it's always seeking. Newness, that's what discontent wants, newness. "I offer you the memory of my favorite food, delicious sticky rice cakes, the sugar on my tongue, the feel as you chew through it, the first time my mother made them when I was 3 and I tried to grab up the whole tray after I'd eaten just one and burned myself. For that price, you will free me from your illusion and guide me to the summit, and then leave me in peace."

Thanqol

2017-10-04, 10:42 PM

And you say your father didn't teach you well.

It pantomimes your motions perfectly. You reach for a bow, it reaches too, and a bow of fire arcs from its hand. You nock an arrow, it nocks too, and draws an arrow of fire against its cheek. You speak, and it speaks too, calling out in your voice, “I am the Firelord and I do not have the honor of those below my station. So if you come at me like this I’m going to keep you locked up in here like a bloody commoner.”

You know that if you fire, it will fire too, and your arrows of wood will not best its arrows of flame.

“Unless, maybe Sao Ri wants to drop the bloody bluster and face me like a Firelord? Then I might consider letting you go after a proper fight.”

"Och, aye?" said Firelord Sao Ri, and puts an arrow through its chest. "That so?"

Not that the arrow would do much - you're right to note it's wood and feather. But that's not all it is. It's also a little chunk of steel I forged with my own hand. And I doubt the bain'll notice but when that steel goes into its body it's not coming out - it's just going to swim there, melting, like I've stored it in a furnace. I add a few more for good measure before the counterfire forces me away.

[Responding to being treated dishonourably with committing open violence - hot headed means I mark chi. Rolled a 9; choosing to tag it with 'molten steel' and accept a disadvantageous position in return]

Deadly

2017-10-05, 01:03 PM

This place is momentarily...confused? Where you’ve been carefully and expertly led all this way, now that you’re sitting the world around you is holding its breath. The snow settles beneath you unevenly, uncomfortably, like somebody holding a child for the first time and not having the slightest clue what to do with it.

Perhaps you know what ought to come next? Roll to Meditate, and let’s see.

All is confusion.

Meditate: 3+6+0 = 9

Balmas

2017-10-05, 11:24 PM

[For the record, the Metalshaping move is for in-combat only. You’re adjacent to a combat here, and I would allow you to make the door anyway, so no worries.]

You form a door, and find yourself on the other side.

Literally. You are face-to-face with yourself. It’s the same Kanno from the mirrors with a forge fire glowing from her nostrils, and she’s scowling at the fight behind you.

What do you do?

Well, I'm proceeding on the assumption that what I'm dealing with is a mirror of myself as played by the spirit arranging this. As such, it's probably got the best of the worst in me--devotion to a craft, married to a stubbornness that would see a continent reverse in its tracks.

I frown, tilt my head a little, and quietly ask, "Can we agree that duels are dumb and immature? What's the real purpose of this?"

BlasTech

2017-10-10, 06:44 AM

Da Lang is her pack, and they are her. You killed a part of her when you executed that wolf before. The answer to this shell game is that the ball is under all three shells, and each shell is made up of dozens of balls to boot.

This will make slaying Da Lang...difficult. Especially if she has more wolves elsewhere on the mountains. But harming her?

Well. Perhaps that just got a little easier.

Well, in that case, her day will not be getting better anytime soon.

Lao Kai strikes out at the nearest megawolf - Dirge dancing through the snowflakes.

[roll0]

Tagging that particular spirit with [Incapacitated] and leaving him in a disadvantageous position.

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-11, 12:42 PM

What does Discontent want? Surely by its very nature, nothing can truly satisfy it. But it's always seeking. Newness, that's what discontent wants, newness. "I offer you the memory of my favorite food, delicious sticky rice cakes, the sugar on my tongue, the feel as you chew through it, the first time my mother made them when I was 3 and I tried to grab up the whole tray after I'd eaten just one and burned myself. For that price, you will free me from your illusion and guide me to the summit, and then leave me in peace."

Discontent licks its parched lips eagerly. “Only one? Only one? What if that is not enough? I should have more. To be sure. I will take you as far as I can take you. You give me all rice cake memories. Yes?”

All is confusion.

Meditate: 3+6+0 = 9

You see the water pooling in the snow by your feet. Though you are not moving much, the water ripples and flexes, refusing to stay still. This disturbance doesn’t come from you. It is the snow itself; you feel it moving against your legs, fighting the calm.

This place is not just confused by peace and stillness. It cannot abide it in the least.

Well, I'm proceeding on the assumption that what I'm dealing with is a mirror of myself as played by the spirit arranging this. As such, it's probably got the best of the worst in me--devotion to a craft, married to a stubbornness that would see a continent reverse in its tracks.

I frown, tilt my head a little, and quietly ask, "Can we agree that duels are dumb and immature? What's the real purpose of this?"

“Finally somebody with sense!” Your double heaves an exasperated sigh. “You’d think it’d be a commonly bad idea for two people to ritualistically beat each other’s heads in, but just look at them.” She motions broadly to the fight behind you. “‘What’s the purpose of this’ indeed.”

"Och, aye?" said Firelord Sao Ri, and puts an arrow through its chest. "That so?"

Not that the arrow would do much - you're right to note it's wood and feather. But that's not all it is. It's also a little chunk of steel I forged with my own hand. And I doubt the bain'll notice but when that steel goes into its body it's not coming out - it's just going to swim there, melting, like I've stored it in a furnace. I add a few more for good measure before the counterfire forces me away.

[Responding to being treated dishonourably with committing open violence - hot headed means I mark chi. Rolled a 9; choosing to tag it with 'molten steel' and accept a disadvantageous position in return]

[Absolutely you mark Chi for that.]

You get a few shots off before its arrows are incinerating yours in mid-air, and you’re forced to dodge a heated volley.

The spirit dismisses its bow and claps its hands together. The air ripples with heat. “No one defies the Firelord. No one!” it shouts, and strikes at the earth. The ground is engulfed by a jet of endless flame, emanating from the spirit and spreading to cover the entire floor. It’s fast approaching you, and in seconds you will have nowhere safe to stand.

What do you do?

Well, in that case, her day will not be getting better anytime soon.

Lao Kai strikes out at the nearest megawolf - Dirge dancing through the snowflakes.

[roll0]

Tagging that particular spirit with [Incapacitated] and leaving him in a disadvantageous position.

Dirge rips through pelt and bone, and the beast topples over howling. But the creatures move fast for their size. One of its companions barrels into you like an avalanche, sending you flying down the mountain.

You land painfully in a frozen, overgrown thicket, the thorny branches breaking your fall. Brush and branches surround you on all sides; you can barely see the sky. Outside, you hear the beasts loping after you, and then…

Nothing.

All is still.

All is quiet.

What do you do?

Anarion

2017-10-11, 06:28 PM

Discontent licks its parched lips eagerly. “Only one? Only one? What if that is not enough? I should have more. To be sure. I will take you as far as I can take you. You give me all rice cake memories. Yes?”

That took Suikkara aback. She had thought she had made a good offer. But this was asking for a lot more. How many rice cakes had she ever had in her life? When was she eating them? Had she had rice cakes when she set out, or munched on them as she chose her destination? Would the spirit take merely the rice cakes out of the scene, or would she forget everything she had been doing at the time?

After thinking a moment, she shook her head. "That's too vague. You may have the one memory and I will forget about rice cakes entirely from thereafter. I won't remember that I've ever had them, I'll forget the taste, if I were offered one, it would be like trying it anew. But I'm not willing to part with every memory in which I had rice cakes."

Deadly

2017-10-12, 12:53 PM

You see the water pooling in the snow by your feet. Though you are not moving much, the water ripples and flexes, refusing to stay still. This disturbance doesn’t come from you. It is the snow itself; you feel it moving against your legs, fighting the calm.

This place is not just confused by peace and stillness. It cannot abide it in the least.

Good. If following its whims had not led her anywhere, and words had not brought it out in the open, then she would force it out through silence. She would sit here, deathly still, like a lake in a world without wind, until her inner peace became too much for this place to bear. She'd force it to its knees and make it beg her to do something, anything, and she would exact her toll from it. She stilled her thoughts and sank further into meditation, her breath, even her heart growing slower.

Balmas

2017-10-13, 11:29 PM

“Finally somebody with sense!” Your double heaves an exasperated sigh. “You’d think it’d be a commonly bad idea for two people to ritualistically beat each other’s heads in, but just look at them.” She motions broadly to the fight behind you. “‘What’s the purpose of this’ indeed.”

"I was hoping that you'd know the answer to that," I say, and look for a spot to sit down. "Whoever is putting this on for us must have something in mind; they opened a portal right into this arena, with Sao Ri's father waiting for her. May I pass to discuss it directly with the one in charge here?"

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-17, 12:39 PM

That took Suikkara aback. She had thought she had made a good offer. But this was asking for a lot more. How many rice cakes had she ever had in her life? When was she eating them? Had she had rice cakes when she set out, or munched on them as she chose her destination? Would the spirit take merely the rice cakes out of the scene, or would she forget everything she had been doing at the time?

After thinking a moment, she shook her head. "That's too vague. You may have the one memory and I will forget about rice cakes entirely from thereafter. I won't remember that I've ever had them, I'll forget the taste, if I were offered one, it would be like trying it anew. But I'm not willing to part with every memory in which I had rice cakes."

Speak Honorably, then, and see how your proposal is accepted.

Good. If following its whims had not led her anywhere, and words had not brought it out in the open, then she would force it out through silence. She would sit here, deathly still, like a lake in a world without wind, until her inner peace became too much for this place to bear. She'd force it to its knees and make it beg her to do something, anything, and she would exact her toll from it. She stilled her thoughts and sank further into meditation, her breath, even her heart growing slower.

What is your center? What do you rest on, what do you return to after an errant thought passes through you?

And is this the first time you've meditated this deeply?

Deadly

2017-10-17, 02:43 PM

What is your center? What do you rest on, what do you return to after an errant thought passes through you?

And is this the first time you've meditated this deeply?

This may sound strange, but it makes sense to Chae-won. Her center is her hair, which she normally wears long and loose, falling like water around her shoulders. This reflects her normal, slightly wild and loose nature. Not now; when she needs to meditate, she weaves and binds it into tight braids, in a sense tying the thoughts down with each knot, working with her fingers until they are perfectly still. Once, many years ago, she had the idea of shaving it all off, thinking there was a reason many monks do that ... shave their heads to clear their heads. But she found that mastering her hair was preferable to ridding herself of it. She spent years growing it long again, and meditating deeper and deeper with each inch. Maybe if she grows it long enough, there's no end to how deep she could go.

BlasTech

2017-10-17, 03:27 PM

Dirge rips through pelt and bone, and the beast topples over howling. But the creatures move fast for their size. One of its companions barrels into you like an avalanche, sending you flying down the mountain.

You land painfully in a frozen, overgrown thicket, the thorny branches breaking your fall. Brush and branches surround you on all sides; you can barely see the sky. Outside, you hear the beasts loping after you, and then…

Nothing.

All is still.

All is quiet.

What do you do?

Lao Kai waits and listens. Just because something is quiet, does not mean that the danger has passed. He can only hope that Da Lang has left.

[roll0]

Questions:
What is about to happen?
What do I need to do to be at an advantage here?
What here is not as it appears to be?

Thanqol

2017-10-17, 04:34 PM

[Absolutely you mark Chi for that.]

You get a few shots off before its arrows are incinerating yours in mid-air, and you’re forced to dodge a heated volley.

The spirit dismisses its bow and claps its hands together. The air ripples with heat. “No one defies the Firelord. No one!” it shouts, and strikes at the earth. The ground is engulfed by a jet of endless flame, emanating from the spirit and spreading to cover the entire floor. It’s fast approaching you, and in seconds you will have nowhere safe to stand.

What do you do?

There are legends of firebenders who could support themselves on columns of flame - Sao Ri is not so skilled. She just strikes back with raw force, grasping the spreading fire and halting it in place through sheer exertion. Sweat pours down her face as the torrent of fire halts just inches away, buying her enough time to stab her sword into the ground and leap atop it.

It will take some time for her sword to melt but until it does she will have a safe platform to do what she must.

[Move With Intention: 8 - safe from imminent attack]

Anarion

2017-10-17, 08:30 PM

Speak Honorably, then, and see how your proposal is accepted.

3+3+1=7. Suikkara gets what she wants, but with immediate and troublesome strings.

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-20, 04:21 PM

Lao Kai waits and listens. Just because something is quiet, does not mean that the danger has passed. He can only hope that Da Lang has left.

[roll0]

Questions:
What is about to happen?
What do I need to do to be at an advantage here?
What here is not as it appears to be?

What’s about to happen? One of the great wolves is about to pounce on the first sign of sound or movement from this thicket. Both of them are still prowling out there, and they’re not about to let you leave. They are large, your mobility is restricted, they could easily crush you. But they don’t know where you are yet; it’s a large thicket, night is falling, and even with their keen senses they cannot see through this dense bramble.

To be at an advantage...you need to get out of here, for one. You’re in a bad spot for sure, but with some clever work you could turn this to your advantage. Da Lang is moving silently - impossible to truly hide when you’re that humongous - and trying to use scent and sound to find you. If you could find a way to slip - silently! - out of this hedge, you might be able to make a break for it. I’d advise against straight-up running though. She’ll run you down in the open easy as you please.

But that does raise a question, doesn’t it? If Da Lang doesn’t want you to escape, why is she hunting as two, massive wolves? All she would have to do is split the pack up, surround the thicket, and you’d have no chance to escape.

Except even if she did kill you that way, you’d take a great number of her children down with you.

These forms of Da Lang, they are not for power. They are for protection. When she walks like this, it is much, much harder for you to slay any more of her cubs, and she is loathe to give you that chance. Even if it means risking your escape.

There are legends of firebenders who could support themselves on columns of flame - Sao Ri is not so skilled. She just strikes back with raw force, grasping the spreading fire and halting it in place through sheer exertion. Sweat pours down her face as the torrent of fire halts just inches away, buying her enough time to stab her sword into the ground and leap atop it.

It will take some time for her sword to melt but until it does she will have a safe platform to do what she must.

[Move With Intention: 8 - safe from imminent attack]

You leap onto your sword bare inches ahead of the advancing carpet of flames. The spirit roars and redoubles its efforts; you can feel the heat rising from just below you. Your opponent has locked you down, has clear sight of you, and though your quick footwork has bought you a momentary reprieve, how long will your sword last before buckling in this inferno?

What do you do?

"I was hoping that you'd know the answer to that," I say, and look for a spot to sit down. "Whoever is putting this on for us must have something in mind; they opened a portal right into this arena, with Sao Ri's father waiting for her. May I pass to discuss it directly with the one in charge here?"

The flames go no further than your door; their business isn’t with you.

“Sure, why not?” Your double sits on the ground beside you, watching the fight. “You don’t seem so bad yourself. Few cracks here and there, but nothing you don’t already know. Though if you’re looking for the one who opened the gate, it wasn’t anyone in here. Still; might be something useful. Wouldn’t hurt to look.”

She rolls her shoulders, and toys with the hammer hanging by her belt. “Go on. If these idiots finish up, I’ll bash her head in for you.”

This may sound strange, but it makes sense to Chae-won. Her center is her hair, which she normally wears long and loose, falling like water around her shoulders. This reflects her normal, slightly wild and loose nature. Not now; when she needs to meditate, she weaves and binds it into tight braids, in a sense tying the thoughts down with each knot, working with her fingers until they are perfectly still. Once, many years ago, she had the idea of shaving it all off, thinking there was a reason many monks do that ... shave their heads to clear their heads. But she found that mastering her hair was preferable to ridding herself of it. She spent years growing it long again, and meditating deeper and deeper with each inch. Maybe if she grows it long enough, there's no end to how deep she could go.

The vibrations beneath you grow more and more violent, fighting to move you, until…

...you’re back on the Red Mountain. The real one. But then...

3+3+1=7. Suikkara gets what she wants, but with immediate and troublesome strings.

Discontent reluctantly agrees. It takes you up in two of its hands, and scuttle-hops straight through the mountain. There’s a blinding flash of light…

...and you’re back on the Red Mountain. The real one, minus your shoes and held aloft by Discontent. Right beside you is Chae-Won, sitting on the snow in a meditative pose. The spirit sighs.

“Oh. She got away.”

And without another word, carries you up the mountain.

Chae-Won, you have just seen and heard this exchange as well, and now Suikkara has been whisked up the mountainside by the spirit that was no doubt responsible for imprisoning you.

Also of note; there is a Spirit Gate closing behind you. Its frame is made of old, dried-up wood, forever on the verge of death. It lies in the snow at an awkward angle, and upon either side of the frame are two scorching claw-marks, burned deep into the wood as if a dragon had clutched at it.

What do you do?

Suikkara, Discontent deposits you in front of a monastery bearing the symbol of a golden tiger lily. You may pay the spirit now if you wish, but it knows your promise, and that your word is good. If you have nothing else to give it now, it will depart.

What do you do?

Anarion

2017-10-20, 05:16 PM

Suikkara, Discontent deposits you in front of a monastery bearing the symbol of a golden tiger lily. You may pay the spirit now if you wish, but it knows your promise, and that your word is good. If you have nothing else to give it now, it will depart.

What do you do?

I'll offer it the memory we agreed in payment and forget the taste of rice cakes. A sad parting, but fair in the grand scheme of things. I will even offer my thanks, much of my journey has been saved in the matter. Once the spirit departs, I will enter the monastery. I am not so fool as to enter with pride. I remove my hat, walk in on my bare feet, and will look around for where and how I might make an appropriate formal offering of incense and prayers.

Deadly

2017-10-22, 04:07 AM

The vibrations beneath you grow more and more violent, fighting to move you, until…

...you’re back on the Red Mountain. The real one. But then...

Discontent reluctantly agrees. It takes you up in two of its hands, and scuttle-hops straight through the mountain. There’s a blinding flash of light…

...and you’re back on the Red Mountain. The real one, minus your shoes and held aloft by Discontent. Right beside you is Chae-Won, sitting on the snow in a meditative pose. The spirit sighs.

“Oh. She got away.”

And without another word, carries you up the mountain.

Chae-Won, you have just seen and heard this exchange as well, and now Suikkara has been whisked up the mountainside by the spirit that was no doubt responsible for imprisoning you.

Also of note; there is a Spirit Gate closing behind you. Its frame is made of old, dried-up wood, forever on the verge of death. It lies in the snow at an awkward angle, and upon either side of the frame are two scorching claw-marks, burned deep into the wood as if a dragon had clutched at it.

What do you do?

Chae-won takes a moment to stand up and get her bearings, studying her surroundings and looking closely at the gate. She needs to follow after Suikkara, but first she wants to make sure she's not missing something here.

Balmas

2017-10-22, 04:27 PM

The flames go no further than your door; their business isn’t with you.

“Sure, why not?” Your double sits on the ground beside you, watching the fight. “You don’t seem so bad yourself. Few cracks here and there, but nothing you don’t already know. Though if you’re looking for the one who opened the gate, it wasn’t anyone in here. Still; might be something useful. Wouldn’t hurt to look.”

She rolls her shoulders, and toys with the hammer hanging by her belt. “Go on. If these idiots finish up, I’ll bash her head in for you.”

Kanno freezes, and eyes her fiery duplicate. "Bash Sao Ri's head in? That's not what I want, I don't think. Why would you say something like that?"

Thanqol

2017-10-22, 05:02 PM

You leap onto your sword bare inches ahead of the advancing carpet of flames. The spirit roars and redoubles its efforts; you can feel the heat rising from just below you. Your opponent has locked you down, has clear sight of you, and though your quick footwork has bought you a momentary reprieve, how long will your sword last before buckling in this inferno?

What do you do?

Seems as good a moment as any to meditate. Best place to meditate is in the tiger's mouth, so they say.

What, you think this is strange? You think the Firelord's never meditated while standing one-foot on a sword that's slowly melting into a pit of lava before? What kind of weak firebender training do you think we do? Nae, I'm standing here calm while the other guy burns and rages like a bloody idiot, so I'm going to take a moment to think through my approach. I'm thinking through my opponent's style, their form, and what I'll need to do to beat them until they stop being a problem and start being a sword.

[Meditate: 4.]

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-25, 12:13 PM

Chae-won takes a moment to stand up and get her bearings, studying her surroundings and looking closely at the gate. She needs to follow after Suikkara, but first she wants to make sure she's not missing something here.

Night is beginning to fall on the Red Mountain, and the temperature with it. Hope you brought enough coats.

The good news is that the Gate deposited you further up the mountain. You've landed past some cliffs, and further up the mountain you can see the lights shining from within low, squat buildings; very likely the same buildings you saw while waiting for the avalanche to subside. There's no sign of Da Lang or her pack. Her territory may not extend this high up.

As for the Gate itself, there's a few other features to note. The snow's been piling up around its frame and has collected on top of it as well. Digging around the posts reveal they reach much deeper into the snow than you may have realized. This Gate's been here for a long time; long enough for legend to spread of its tempting visions, and the fate that befalls those who walk through it.

The claw-marks are, as you noticed, burned deeply into the wood, and warm to the touch. The marks don't smoke or smolder, as if the damage was done recently. Rather, the heat lingers, and no cold of this world can swallow it up. Suikkara might know more about what such things mean.

Turning away from the gate, you see a lantern-light bobbing in the distance, and hear a man's voice calling out, "Hello? Is anyone out there?"

Deadly

2017-10-25, 12:39 PM

Night is beginning to fall on the Red Mountain, and the temperature with it. Hope you brought enough coats.

The good news is that the Gate deposited you further up the mountain. You've landed past some cliffs, and further up the mountain you can see the lights shining from within low, squat buildings; very likely the same buildings you saw while waiting for the avalanche to subside. There's no sign of Da Lang or her pack. Her territory may not extend this high up.

As for the Gate itself, there's a few other features to note. The snow's been piling up around its frame and has collected on top of it as well. Digging around the posts reveal they reach much deeper into the snow than you may have realized. This Gate's been here for a long time; long enough for legend to spread of its tempting visions, and the fate that befalls those who walk through it.

The claw-marks are, as you noticed, burned deeply into the wood, and warm to the touch. The marks don't smoke or smolder, as if the damage was done recently. Rather, the heat lingers, and no cold of this world can swallow it up. Suikkara might know more about what such things mean.

Turning away from the gate, you see a lantern-light bobbing in the distance, and hear a man's voice calling out, "Hello? Is anyone out there?"

Chae-won approaches the light and the voice cautiously, and silently. She doesn't want to reveal her presence before she knows who - or what - she's revealing her presence to.

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-25, 08:22 PM

Chae-won approaches the light and the voice cautiously, and silently. She doesn't want to reveal her presence before she knows who - or what - she's revealing her presence to.

A man riding a caribou-hare - or haribou, as they are sometimes known - is hopping along the mountainside. His head is shaved, and he wears thick red robes to ward off the cold. They are plain, with the exception of an emblem of a tiger lily.

He carries a lantern on a pole, but otherwise isn’t visibly armed. He calls again, concern etched on his face, but unable to see you outside of his lantern’s light.

I'll offer it the memory we agreed in payment and forget the taste of rice cakes. A sad parting, but fair in the grand scheme of things. I will even offer my thanks, much of my journey has been saved in the matter. Once the spirit departs, I will enter the monastery. I am not so fool as to enter with pride. I remove my hat, walk in on my bare feet, and will look around for where and how I might make an appropriate formal offering of incense and prayers.

Have you ever visited a monastery before? What was it like there? What did you do? And why did you ultimately leave, or why have you never visited before?

Kanno freezes, and eyes her fiery duplicate. "Bash Sao Ri's head in? That's not what I want, I don't think. Why would you say something like that?"

“You can’t tell me a kick in the pants wouldn’t do her some good. And you can’t tell me that you’re approving of any of this.” She motions to the fight before you. “Some metals need harder blows than others. That’s just the way it is.”

Seems as good a moment as any to meditate. Best place to meditate is in the tiger's mouth, so they say.

What, you think this is strange? You think the Firelord's never meditated while standing one-foot on a sword that's slowly melting into a pit of lava before? What kind of weak firebender training do you think we do? Nae, I'm standing here calm while the other guy burns and rages like a bloody idiot, so I'm going to take a moment to think through my approach. I'm thinking through my opponent's style, their form, and what I'll need to do to beat them until they stop being a problem and start being a sword.

[Meditate: 4.]

Sometimes we bend under pressure, and sometimes we break. Unfortunately, bending is a lot more difficult to notice, but no less destructive.

Your meditation is interrupted by a troubling view of the foggy expanse above as your sword bends, tipping you over until you fall back. But instead of an inferno, you land on solid ground. The flames retreat around you, and then they blast upwards, leaving you trapped within a pillar of fire.

“Warm your toes in there a while,” you hear the spirit from outside. "And think about what you've done."

[Major Tag: Trapped (In a Pillar of Fire). Gain 1 Chi for the failed roll.]

Your sword is glowing hot and bent in the middle; one good blow in the right spot could split it in two.

BlasTech

2017-10-26, 07:06 AM

What’s about to happen? One of the great wolves is about to pounce on the first sign of sound or movement from this thicket. Both of them are still prowling out there, and they’re not about to let you leave. They are large, your mobility is restricted, they could easily crush you. But they don’t know where you are yet; it’s a large thicket, night is falling, and even with their keen senses they cannot see through this dense bramble.

To be at an advantage...you need to get out of here, for one. You’re in a bad spot for sure, but with some clever work you could turn this to your advantage. Da Lang is moving silently - impossible to truly hide when you’re that humongous - and trying to use scent and sound to find you. If you could find a way to slip - silently! - out of this hedge, you might be able to make a break for it. I’d advise against straight-up running though. She’ll run you down in the open easy as you please.

But that does raise a question, doesn’t it? If Da Lang doesn’t want you to escape, why is she hunting as two, massive wolves? All she would have to do is split the pack up, surround the thicket, and you’d have no chance to escape.

Except even if she did kill you that way, you’d take a great number of her children down with you.

These forms of Da Lang, they are not for power. They are for protection. When she walks like this, it is much, much harder for you to slay any more of her cubs, and she is loathe to give you that chance. Even if it means risking your escape.

Well, luckily for Da Lang, Lao Kai is not looking to fight her if he can. He meant what he said earlier, that he bears the wolf no ill will - and only fought her because her pack attacked him.

Fortunately, there's another way out of here. The brambles make fighting from here disadvantageous, but they also provide the means to escape.

You see, Lao Kai realises that he's seen this type of plant before - it's Tanglethorn; a weed that's notorious for its wide-ranging tendrils and stiff branches. The whole patch is probably only two or three actual plants.

[Tagging the environment with "interconnected brambles" as a result of the above]

Carefully, Lao Kai makes his way towards the edge. The plan is to use those interconnected brambles to distract Da Lang, give her too many places to cover, before making his break for freedom.

Deadly

2017-10-26, 12:25 PM

A man riding a caribou-hare - or haribou, as they are sometimes known - is hopping along the mountainside. His head is shaved, and he wears thick red robes to ward off the cold. They are plain, with the exception of an emblem of a tiger lily.

He carries a lantern on a pole, but otherwise isn’t visibly armed. He calls again, concern etched on his face, but unable to see you outside of his lantern’s light.

He could be all manner of dangerous and deceptive, but since he doesn't appear aggressive, Chae-won decides to step out into the light, hands clasped in front of her and head bowed in greeting. "Greetings, stranger, what brings you here?"

Thanqol

2017-10-26, 08:40 PM

Sometimes we bend under pressure, and sometimes we break. Unfortunately, bending is a lot more difficult to notice, but no less destructive.

Your meditation is interrupted by a troubling view of the foggy expanse above as your sword bends, tipping you over until you fall back. But instead of an inferno, you land on solid ground. The flames retreat around you, and then they blast upwards, leaving you trapped within a pillar of fire.

“Warm your toes in there a while,” you hear the spirit from outside. "And think about what you've done."

[Major Tag: Trapped (In a Pillar of Fire). Gain 1 Chi for the failed roll.]

Your sword is glowing hot and bent in the middle; one good blow in the right spot could split it in two.

Well then. Nobody ain't ever said it was easy to be Firelord.

I take a deep breath and focus as best I can. The flame is all alike, and my instincts can't tell my foe apart from the wider conflagration. But I can feel the shape of the metal; glowing hotter and hotter - so I close my eyes, bring to bear all my willpower and control, and step on through the flames.

[Stand Fast. Roll: 4. Game does not like me. Spending 1 chi, down to 4, to boost it to 7-9 by taking advantage of the Molten Metal tag]

Balmas

2017-10-26, 10:49 PM

“You can’t tell me a kick in the pants wouldn’t do her some good. And you can’t tell me that you’re approving of any of this.” She motions to the fight before you. “Some metals need harder blows than others. That’s just the way it is.”

"You, more than anyone I've met, should know how I feel. While it would make my life so fantastically much more easy, you can't treat people like metal. Not least because they tend to object when you hammer limbs flat enough to fold over."

She growls, and begins to pace back and forth, fingers tapping the head of her hammer in a rapid, agitated staccato. "And while you might spark some neurons together in the right pattern, I think you'd be far more likely to make her even more resolved that violence is indeed the solution."

She snaps her fingers, and stares at her double. "So, what would it take to convince you not to crown her when she comes by?"

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-28, 02:09 PM

"You, more than anyone I've met, should know how I feel. While it would make my life so fantastically much more easy, you can't treat people like metal. Not least because they tend to object when you hammer limbs flat enough to fold over."

She growls, and begins to pace back and forth, fingers tapping the head of her hammer in a rapid, agitated staccato. "And while you might spark some neurons together in the right pattern, I think you'd be far more likely to make her even more resolved that violence is indeed the solution."

She snaps her fingers, and stares at her double. "So, what would it take to convince you not to crown her when she comes by?"

Your double stands and meets your gaze. "Tell me you've got a better plan than standing around and hoping she learns by luck."

Well then. Nobody ain't ever said it was easy to be Firelord.

I take a deep breath and focus as best I can. The flame is all alike, and my instincts can't tell my foe apart from the wider conflagration. But I can feel the shape of the metal; glowing hotter and hotter - so I close my eyes, bring to bear all my willpower and control, and step on through the flames.

[Stand Fast. Roll: 4. Game does not like me. Spending 1 chi, down to 4, to boost it to 7-9 by taking advantage of the Molten Metal tag]

Nobody indeed. I like where you're going, but answer me a few things first:

You say that you can feel the shape of the metal, suspended in the flames. What's that like? Have you done this before? And describe how you are using the feel of the metal to safely pass through these flames.

He could be all manner of dangerous and deceptive, but since he doesn't appear aggressive, Chae-won decides to step out into the light, hands clasped in front of her and head bowed in greeting. "Greetings, stranger, what brings you here?"

The stranger gives a cry of relief, bringing his haribou to a halt. "It is you who brings me here, seeker, and thank goodness I found you! When we heard the avalanche, we feared the worst, and with night falling fast-"

He shakes his head, before dismounting and meeting your bow. "My apologies; I forget myself. I am Ru, monk of the Last Shelter. I was sent to search the mountainside for any seekers I could find, and to offer them food and a bed at our monastery. Do you travel alone, Miss...?"

Well, luckily for Da Lang, Lao Kai is not looking to fight her if he can. He meant what he said earlier, that he bears the wolf no ill will - and only fought her because her pack attacked him.

Fortunately, there's another way out of here. The brambles make fighting from here disadvantageous, but they also provide the means to escape.

You see, Lao Kai realises that he's seen this type of plant before - it's Tanglethorn; a weed that's notorious for its wide-ranging tendrils and stiff branches. The whole patch is probably only two or three actual plants.

[Tagging the environment with "interconnected brambles" as a result of the above]

Carefully, Lao Kai makes his way towards the edge. The plan is to use those interconnected brambles to distract Da Lang, give her too many places to cover, before making his break for freedom.

It sounds like you're trying to Move With Intention, and you could take advantage of those brambles if you so wished.

Deadly

2017-10-28, 02:16 PM

The stranger gives a cry of relief, bringing his haribou to a halt. "It is you who brings me here, seeker, and thank goodness I found you! When we heard the avalanche, we feared the worst, and with night falling fast-"

He shakes his head, before dismounting and meeting your bow. "My apologies; I forget myself. I am Ru, monk of the Last Shelter. I was sent to search the mountainside for any seekers I could find, and to offer them food and a bed at our monastery. Do you travel alone, Miss...?"

"Chae-won. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ru," she greets. "I was traveling with four others. Three I lost track of after the avalanche, and the fourth I believe already made it up the mountain ahead of me, unless my eyes were deceived only a moment ago. But why were you sent to find us? Not that your hospitality is not welcome."

Anarion

2017-10-28, 07:52 PM

Have you ever visited a monastery before? What was it like there? What did you do? And why did you ultimately leave, or why have you never visited before?

Of course I did. I traveled across half the world to get here, and monasteries are places of rest and safety for travelers. I stopped at the Northern Air Temple as I journeyed south from my home, it was one of the first stops in fact. Of course, not being an air nomad myself, they didn't let me see much, I mostly slept on the ground level for a night and shared a meal in their great hall. The, um, statues were nice though, and the nomads were incredibly friendly, even if their table was perhaps a bit sparse for someone like me used to eating fresh venison.

I also stopped at a small earth monastery at some point as I neared the mountain. I can't really remember where it was. I mean, it was near a gathering of dust spirits in a rather large and dusty field who guided me to the temple as a place to rest, but that's probably not very helpful for anyone else. I stayed the night there, though it was little more than a one-room hovel and I slept on a bed that was barely more than a wooden board with a moth-eaten quilt next to it. The monks were kind though. They kept their space and meditated on the nature of stone and the immovability of the earth. It was...I'm surprised to say, it was one of the happiest nights that I've ever spent. The place was simple, the spirits there were joyful, and the people lived in harmony with them, rather than ignoring them or bending and beating them relentlessly as some people are wont to do.

BlasTech

2017-10-29, 04:11 AM

It sounds like you're trying to Move With Intention, and you could take advantage of those brambles if you so wished.

They see me movin', they hating.

[roll0]

Well, as much as I'd love to take advantage of the tag here, I don't have any chi until after the failed roll.

Thanqol

2017-10-29, 04:25 PM

Nobody indeed. I like where you're going, but answer me a few things first:

You say that you can feel the shape of the metal, suspended in the flames. What's that like? Have you done this before?

Most of fire isn't that hot, right? Well, comparatively - ever flip your hand across a candle? You barely feel it. There's hot and there's hot. Molten metal is hot. It just keeps absorbing heat, drinking it like a Waterbender on shore leave. It's on a different scale to regular heat and should be easy to navigate by.

Every Firebender worth their saltpetre can sense differences in heat, but last time I did this was while sweating over a forgetop.

And describe how you are using the feel of the metal to safely pass through these flames.

It's not going to help me pass through, it's going to help me land in the right place so I can come out swinging.

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-29, 09:14 PM

"Chae-won. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ru," she greets. "I was traveling with four others. Three I lost track of after the avalanche, and the fourth I believe already made it up the mountain ahead of me, unless my eyes were deceived only a moment ago. But why were you sent to find us? Not that your hospitality is not welcome."

Ru looks shocked and slightly deflated that somebody managed to slip past his post. "We heard the avalanche from here, and feared that seekers may have set it off by accident. Our Master ordered us to search, in case there were any lost, or injured, or without supplies. The Red Mountain is a bitter place to spend the night for the ill-equipped."

Balmas

2017-10-29, 11:28 PM

Your double stands and meets your gaze. "Tell me you've got a better plan than standing around and hoping she learns by luck."

"That wasn't the plan to start with," Kanno grumps to herself. "By teaching her metalworking, she was supposed to learn that you can't force things into the shapes just by beating them. You need timing, patience, to work with what you have. Instead, she's just taken all she's learned and never applied it to her own life.

"Admittedly, I don't have much of a plan besides 'beat her head in if she doesn't change,' but dammit, that's going to be me swinging the hammer. I'm gonna be the one making the call if it's needed, and I'm not gonna let some doppleganger make that decision for me. No offense meant, but you need to back off.

"Tell you what. If, by the end of this, she's not dead or reformed, I'll come back and you can bash in mine? How's that for collateral, huh?"

[Speak Honorably: [roll0]]

Deadly

2017-10-30, 06:56 AM

Ru looks shocked and slightly deflated that somebody managed to slip past his post. "We heard the avalanche from here, and feared that seekers may have set it off by accident. Our Master ordered us to search, in case there were any lost, or injured, or without supplies. The Red Mountain is a bitter place to spend the night for the ill-equipped."

"Your master?" Chae-won asks.

TheAmishPirate

2017-10-31, 12:38 PM

"Your master?" Chae-won asks.

"Master Guan. He's the head of our order at the Last Shelter. He’s tended to the spiritual health of this place for longer than I've been alive. And he always makes time for those seeking the peak. There are food and spare beds for all there.” He gestures to his hairbou questioningly. "Will you come and stay awhile?"

Deadly

2017-10-31, 05:03 PM

"Master Guan. He's the head of our order at the Last Shelter. He’s tended to the spiritual health of this place for longer than I've been alive. And he always makes time for those seeking the peak. There are food and spare beds for all there.” He gestures to his hairbou questioningly. "Will you come and stay awhile?"

Chae-won hitches up her heavy backpack and nods. She's not really looking for rest, although maybe a short one isn't the worst idea, but this seems like a good chance to maybe learn more about what awaits her from local sources. "Thank you," she says as she follows.

TheAmishPirate

2017-11-02, 02:27 PM

Most of fire isn't that hot, right? Well, comparatively - ever flip your hand across a candle? You barely feel it. There's hot and there's hot. Molten metal is hot. It just keeps absorbing heat, drinking it like a Waterbender on shore leave. It's on a different scale to regular heat and should be easy to navigate by.

Every Firebender worth their saltpetre can sense differences in heat, but last time I did this was while sweating over a forgetop.

It's not going to help me pass through, it's going to help me land in the right place so I can come out swinging.

You emerge from the fiery pillar, and the spirit is right in front of you, in a striking stance. Waiting expectantly. Lining up a shot.

And your momentum is carrying you straight towards it.

What do you do?

"That wasn't the plan to start with," Kanno grumps to herself. "By teaching her metalworking, she was supposed to learn that you can't force things into the shapes just by beating them. You need timing, patience, to work with what you have. Instead, she's just taken all she's learned and never applied it to her own life.

"Admittedly, I don't have much of a plan besides 'beat her head in if she doesn't change,' but dammit, that's going to be me swinging the hammer. I'm gonna be the one making the call if it's needed, and I'm not gonna let some doppleganger make that decision for me. No offense meant, but you need to back off.

"Tell you what. If, by the end of this, she's not dead or reformed, I'll come back and you can bash in mine? How's that for collateral, huh?"

[Speak Honorably: [roll0]]

“What? No. Why would I want to bash your head in?” Your double makes a disgusted face. “If she comes out of this alive and still on the wrong path, you leave your hammer on this mountain. If you’re not prepared to use it properly, then you shouldn't have it.”

They see me movin', they hating.

[roll0]

Well, as much as I'd love to take advantage of the tag here, I don't have any chi until after the failed roll.

You tug on the bramble you think will make the thicket shake over by its edge, only to have all the branches around you quiver.

Oops.

One of the wolves come down on you like a boulder. It’s sitting on top of you, the brambles are all around you, and it’s getting ready to take a bite out of you.

What do you do?

[Get 1 chi for the failed roll. Take the Moderate Tag: Crushed and pinned]

Of course I did. I traveled across half the world to get here, and monasteries are places of rest and safety for travelers. I stopped at the Northern Air Temple as I journeyed south from my home, it was one of the first stops in fact. Of course, not being an air nomad myself, they didn't let me see much, I mostly slept on the ground level for a night and shared a meal in their great hall. The, um, statues were nice though, and the nomads were incredibly friendly, even if their table was perhaps a bit sparse for someone like me used to eating fresh venison.

I also stopped at a small earth monastery at some point as I neared the mountain. I can't really remember where it was. I mean, it was near a gathering of dust spirits in a rather large and dusty field who guided me to the temple as a place to rest, but that's probably not very helpful for anyone else. I stayed the night there, though it was little more than a one-room hovel and I slept on a bed that was barely more than a wooden board with a moth-eaten quilt next to it. The monks were kind though. They kept their space and meditated on the nature of stone and the immovability of the earth. It was...I'm surprised to say, it was one of the happiest nights that I've ever spent. The place was simple, the spirits there were joyful, and the people lived in harmony with them, rather than ignoring them or bending and beating them relentlessly as some people are wont to do.

This is your third time visiting a monastery then, and each time has been a different experience. The first was disappointingly lacking in meat, and otherwise completely passable. The second was a peaceful night spent in simple communion with the spirits. And now the third, where a hand of stone has formed under your bare feet, picked you up, and carried you into an ornate, inner room. And here, you are not alone.

“Aha! Here; we will have an end of it!”

The speaker is a woman, but not a woman. She wears the shape of a woman, clad in green with a wide, flat hat, but her body is made of living rock, and her clothes - upon further inspection - of creeping vines. Across from her, a small badgermole with eight legs stands upright, two pairs of legs crossed angrily, and what you assume to be a scowl on its face. Between them sits an elderly monk, a staff laid across his lap, and gold trim adorning the hem of his robe. In direct comparison to the others, he is the only one seated, and the only one yet to lose his composure.

The stone woman yanks you close to her side, and holds you in place. “Help us settle the matter; isn’t a rock garden just as beautiful and magnificent as a field of flowers?”

There is a pause. You find yourself in the silence of an argument that’s just about to erupt anew, but here and now you have a chance to speak before anyone else can.

Thanqol

2017-11-02, 07:57 PM

You emerge from the fiery pillar, and the spirit is right in front of you, in a striking stance. Waiting expectantly. Lining up a shot.

And your momentum is carrying you straight towards it.

What do you do?

I bring my hands up and blast it directly with as much fire as I can. The sheer force of the explosion arrests my fall and knocks me on my ass. Catch is I've just burned up someone who's made of fire to begin with. They're not one of them piddly little fires now, we're talking serious flame, enough to make metal liquid.

I bet the smart arse reckons that was just a big dumb Sao Ri move, making her more hot, more powerful, more dangerous. I was already on the back foot and this makes my position even worse.

But the way I see it, now? Now this room's a bloody smithy. I know my way around one of these.

[Fireshaping: 9. Applying the tag 'furnace heat' to the spirit, and also, the environment is tagged as 'on fire' which it technically wasn't already]

Balmas

2017-11-05, 10:20 AM

One hammer for one human life, no matter how spoiled and aggressive, is a steal in Kanno's books. "Ye have my word, both as an earthbender and a smith, that if she does not learn to control her aggression by the time we leave this mountain, either she or my hammer will not leave this mountain."

Now, with that done, I'm going to look around to see if I can't find that second spirit gate that will hopefully take us further up the mountain.

BlasTech

2017-11-05, 05:47 PM

You tug on the bramble you think will make the thicket shake over by its edge, only to have all the branches around you quiver.

Oops.

One of the wolves come down on you like a boulder. It’s sitting on top of you, the brambles are all around you, and it’s getting ready to take a bite out of you.

What do you do?

[Get 1 chi for the failed roll. Take the Moderate Tag: Crushed and pinned]

Well, there aren't many options remaining for Lao Kai here, so I guess the simple plan is the best.

Step 1: Look over the wolf's shoulder and yell "Now!"

Step 2: Whilst wolf is, hopefully, distracted - grab nearby bramble and shove it into her soft underpaw.

Step 3: Profit! Use the opening to get away, or to at least to get more options.

Anarion

2017-11-06, 11:22 PM

The stone woman yanks you close to her side, and holds you in place. “Help us settle the matter; isn’t a rock garden just as beautiful and magnificent as a field of flowers?”

There is a pause. You find yourself in the silence of an argument that’s just about to erupt anew, but here and now you have a chance to speak before anyone else can.

Suikkara looks at the stone woman, the gathered entourage, and then to her own sore bare feet, already beginning to chill with the mountain. How long had she been walking? Clearly they didn't care, they were far too caught up in their own arguments to treat a guest with any sort of propriety. She reserves judgment for the monk, he seems to be weathering his own storm. The woman and the mole were completely self-centered fools though.

"Myself, I prefer ice sculpture" she says, remembering fondly the winter festival of the village when great castles of ice would be erected by the water benders beneath the glow of the northern lights. "But I should imagine that beauty is not such a comparable thing. A rock garden raked with care is beautiful. A field of flowers tended with care is also beautiful. To some, one is preferred, to others the other. Neither is the worse beauty."

TheAmishPirate

2017-11-08, 07:53 PM

I bring my hands up and blast it directly with as much fire as I can. The sheer force of the explosion arrests my fall and knocks me on my ass. Catch is I've just burned up someone who's made of fire to begin with. They're not one of them piddly little fires now, we're talking serious flame, enough to make metal liquid.

I bet the smart arse reckons that was just a big dumb Sao Ri move, making her more hot, more powerful, more dangerous. I was already on the back foot and this makes my position even worse.

But the way I see it, now? Now this room's a bloody smithy. I know my way around one of these.

[Fireshaping: 9. Applying the tag 'furnace heat' to the spirit, and also, the environment is tagged as 'on fire' which it technically wasn't already]

The torrent of flame you’ve unleashed jets harmlessly through the spirit, into the mirror behind him, and then out of a dozen others. The fire multiplies and splits and arcs across the battlefield until the entire place is a veritable furnace, plagued with random gouts of fire.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see one such fireball heading straight for Kanno. Directly in front of and above you, the empowered fire spirit is scrapping the whole idea of ranged bombardment, and is instead simply looking to step on you. With a forge-hot foot.

What do you do?

One hammer for one human life, no matter how spoiled and aggressive, is a steal in Kanno's books. "Ye have my word, both as an earthbender and a smith, that if she does not learn to control her aggression by the time we leave this mountain, either she or my hammer will not leave this mountain."

Now, with that done, I'm going to look around to see if I can't find that second spirit gate that will hopefully take us further up the mountain.

“And I know your word is good for it.” Satisfied, your double steps back into the mirror door you created. “Now get up the mountain in one piece.”

A blast of heat comes from the dueling ring, and her image is replaced with a fast-approaching wall of fire. Roll to Stand Fast.

Well, there aren't many options remaining for Lao Kai here, so I guess the simple plan is the best.

Step 1: Look over the wolf's shoulder and yell "Now!"

Step 2: Whilst wolf is, hopefully, distracted - grab nearby bramble and shove it into her soft underpaw.

Step 3: Profit! Use the opening to get away, or to at least to get more options.

If I’m not much mistaken, I think you’re looking to Commit Open Violence. If that’s the case, roll away with your improvised weapon. If not, make me a case for the move you want to roll.

Suikkara looks at the stone woman, the gathered entourage, and then to her own sore bare feet, already beginning to chill with the mountain. How long had she been walking? Clearly they didn't care, they were far too caught up in their own arguments to treat a guest with any sort of propriety. She reserves judgment for the monk, he seems to be weathering his own storm. The woman and the mole were completely self-centered fools though.

"Myself, I prefer ice sculpture" she says, remembering fondly the winter festival of the village when great castles of ice would be erected by the water benders beneath the glow of the northern lights. "But I should imagine that beauty is not such a comparable thing. A rock garden raked with care is beautiful. A field of flowers tended with care is also beautiful. To some, one is preferred, to others the other. Neither is the worse beauty."

Both spirits talk at once.

“You see? She agrees!”

“She isn’t involved with this! She’s not even a member!”

“Bah! What does being a member have to do with seeing sense?”

“She doesn’t have to live with the consequences. She can turn the whole peak to shambles and it won’t affect her backyard.”

“Well it’s my backyard, so I think I ought to choose what garden I will!”

“Well it’s our backyards that must suffer when your rock heaps bring down the value of-”

The elderly monk drove his staff into the floor with a sharp rap. The spirits instantly quieted.

“You have both said enough. More than enough.” He spoke with authority, no faster or slower than he meant to. His eyes moved purposefully between them, coming to settle on the woman of earth. “Are you going to keep hold of our guest? After I forbid,” The spirit flinched, as if struck. “Bringing in further witnesses?”

The spirit put Suikkara on the ground with speed and care that belied her rough appearance. She mumbled, like gravel underfoot.

“Would you repeat that? Louder?” The monk questioned. “I’m afraid I couldn’t hear you.”

“...you said not to fetch any of your monks. She is not one of your monks.” She shifted, looking at the ground. “I did her no harm.”

“Did you now?” The monk turned to Suikkara. “What say you; are you harmed? Do you believe you are due an apology for your treatment?”

Thanqol

2017-11-09, 11:39 PM

The torrent of flame you’ve unleashed jets harmlessly through the spirit, into the mirror behind him, and then out of a dozen others. The fire multiplies and splits and arcs across the battlefield until the entire place is a veritable furnace, plagued with random gouts of fire.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see one such fireball heading straight for Kanno. Directly in front of and above you, the empowered fire spirit is scrapping the whole idea of ranged bombardment, and is instead simply looking to step on you. With a forge-hot foot.

What do you do?

I could help Kanno, but she didn't bloody stand with me a few minutes ago, did she? Reckon she can sort herself out.

Nae, I've put up with this long enough. I've done what I need to. Now it's time to beat my new sword into shape.

This isn't a matter of skill at this point, this is a matter of endurance. I just need to stand in the heat and punch it. Knuckles burned, back aching, just don't think about it and stand pounding over and over until the metal gets the idea. And hey, what's better? If I'm not doing anything fancy it won't be either. It'll just swing back at me just the way I need it to. Think you're so clever, you bloody copycat? Well the only thing your bloody scheme had going for you was attrition and now that skinny bitch works for me.

It's all downhill from here, I reckon. I never lost a duel and I ain't starting now.

[Commit Open Violence: 13. Tagging with Forged Into A Sword]

Balmas

2017-11-10, 12:00 AM

BlasTech

2017-11-10, 05:14 PM

If I’m not much mistaken, I think you’re looking to Commit Open Violence. If that’s the case, roll away with your improvised weapon. If not, make me a case for the move you want to roll.

Sounds fine to Lao Kai.

[roll0]

[Triggering both Improviser and Survivor rolls (given the moderate tag), so +1 to the roll and one chi]

[Tagging Da Lang with "Lamed"]

Anarion

2017-11-10, 07:56 PM

Both spirits talk at once.

“You see? She agrees!”

“She isn’t involved with this! She’s not even a member!”

“Bah! What does being a member have to do with seeing sense?”

“She doesn’t have to live with the consequences. She can turn the whole peak to shambles and it won’t affect her backyard.”

“Well it’s my backyard, so I think I ought to choose what garden I will!”

“Well it’s our backyards that must suffer when your rock heaps bring down the value of-”

The elderly monk drove his staff into the floor with a sharp rap. The spirits instantly quieted.

“You have both said enough. More than enough.” He spoke with authority, no faster or slower than he meant to. His eyes moved purposefully between them, coming to settle on the woman of earth. “Are you going to keep hold of our guest? After I forbid,” The spirit flinched, as if struck. “Bringing in further witnesses?”

The spirit put Suikkara on the ground with speed and care that belied her rough appearance. She mumbled, like gravel underfoot.

“Would you repeat that? Louder?” The monk questioned. “I’m afraid I couldn’t hear you.”

“...you said not to fetch any of your monks. She is not one of your monks.” She shifted, looking at the ground. “I did her no harm.”

“Did you now?” The monk turned to Suikkara. “What say you; are you harmed? Do you believe you are due an apology for your treatment?”

Suikkara dusts herself off and stands up straight, ignoring the shoddiness of her bare feet, or the harm of the elements upon her clothes. She removes her hat and bows deeply. "Honored sir, I know not where I have entered, but thought as a guest that it was my duty to answer when directly addressed. I do not feel that I have been harmed, though as you ask me fully and I wish to be honest, I did think it rather rude to enter a new place and immediately be swept off my feet and questioned rather than received and perhaps offered something warm to drink after my journey. I do not know your customs however, and it is not my place to determine if an apology is due for such an act."

TheAmishPirate

2017-11-13, 12:15 PM

I could help Kanno, but she didn't bloody stand with me a few minutes ago, did she? Reckon she can sort herself out.

Nae, I've put up with this long enough. I've done what I need to. Now it's time to beat my new sword into shape.

This isn't a matter of skill at this point, this is a matter of endurance. I just need to stand in the heat and punch it. Knuckles burned, back aching, just don't think about it and stand pounding over and over until the metal gets the idea. And hey, what's better? If I'm not doing anything fancy it won't be either. It'll just swing back at me just the way I need it to. Think you're so clever, you bloody copycat? Well the only thing your bloody scheme had going for you was attrition and now that skinny bitch works for me.

It's all downhill from here, I reckon. I never lost a duel and I ain't starting now.

[Commit Open Violence: 13. Tagging with Forged Into A Sword]

Finally, a duel! This arena has been denied for too long. A crescendo of close quarters and furious blows, where two walk in and one walks out.

But before you beat a sword in your opponent’s body, there’s some steps we must take. You may have more work to do first.

For starters, you will need a hammer of some kind. An anvil would be preferred too, but as the spirit is holding the metal within itself you can do without in a pinch. But what you can’t do without is something to strike the metal with. You can try, but when metal meets hand, hand tends to lose. Unless it’s Kanno’s hand, but she’s special.

Second, there’s the matter of approach. Your fireblast and arrows have not posed enough threat to warrant a defense, nor are you in the context of an Agni Kai where a defense would be required. But you are a firebender, moving to deliberately strike a spirit of fire in hand-to-hand combat. It will not let you move as you please here. If you simply walk in and start swinging like you normally do you will find fiery limbs blocking your every blow. Besides; you’re not looking to wildly land punches, are you? You’re looking to accurately hit the metal within its body, where it needs to be hit. Simply punching at your opponent’s guard won’t do.

Tell me how you try to precisely punch a spirit that knows how you punch, and does not wish to be punched. Or how you try to charge through anyway. Whatever your approach, we will take it from there.

You know, I've lost my share of eyebrows to heat, and I'm pretty sure that just throwing up a wedge of stone wouldn't stop the convection from cooking me alive. So, if I can focus through the thoughts of "oh gosh I'm gonna be a Kanno-Kabab," I'm gonna throw a nice stone coffin don't think of coffins right now around me.

Stand Fast: [roll0]

The blast comes stronger and faster than you expected. You get your stone shell up, but you have to dig in your heels to keep from being blown away. Even so, you feel yourself getting pushed back, back, gradually back. You're seperated from the outside world, alone in the dark, your only sense of the passing seconds is a trickle of heat seeping and spreading where the earth meets, and all you can do is wait and endure. Wait and endure.

In time, you stop moving. The roaring ceases. You carefully peek out of your shell, and - miraculously - you seem to have weathered the firestorm. Only, the blast has knocked you back into the arena with two firebenders locked in close combat and a maze of fireballs jetting around you.

What do you do?

Sounds fine to Lao Kai.

[roll0]

[Triggering both Improviser and Survivor rolls (given the moderate tag), so +1 to the roll and one chi]

[Tagging Da Lang with "Lamed"]

Da Lang staggers back, and you get just the opening you need to dive back into the brambles. A wall of teeth and jaws rip through the thicket behind you; they may have lost sight of their prey, but they know you can’t be far. Both wolves tear through the thorns, heedless of the pinpricks in pursuit of a greater prize.

What do you do?

[Remove that Moderate Tag]

Suikkara dusts herself off and stands up straight, ignoring the shoddiness of her bare feet, or the harm of the elements upon her clothes. She removes her hat and bows deeply. "Honored sir, I know not where I have entered, but thought as a guest that it was my duty to answer when directly addressed. I do not feel that I have been harmed, though as you ask me fully and I wish to be honest, I did think it rather rude to enter a new place and immediately be swept off my feet and questioned rather than received and perhaps offered something warm to drink after my journey. I do not know your customs however, and it is not my place to determine if an apology is due for such an act."

You know, I am curious; is there anything you desire from the stone woman? The monk? You have Spoken Honorably indeed, and might persuade them with your gracious words.

Anarion

2017-11-13, 01:08 PM

You know, I am curious; is there anything you desire from the stone woman? The monk? You have Spoken Honorably indeed, and might persuade them with your gracious words.

I'm uncertain. I suppose if I've truly ascended the mountain, than what I want is to understand where I am and who these beings are. I've been seeking Sen for all the rumors around The Red Mountain, and now I'm here and entirely uncertain what's going on.

BlasTech

2017-11-17, 04:26 PM

Da Lang staggers back, and you get just the opening you need to dive back into the brambles. A wall of teeth and jaws rip through the thicket behind you; they may have lost sight of their prey, but they know you can’t be far. Both wolves tear through the thorns, heedless of the pinpricks in pursuit of a greater prize.

What do you do?

[Remove that Moderate Tag]

Its funny how the tactics of the pack can be applied, even when the one hunting you is a giant wolf.

Lose them in the brambles and wait. Wait for the weak, or the injured, to become separated.

And then, when they're vulnerable, strike.

Dirge flashes as he leaps at the wounded Da Lang.

[roll0]

[Tagging the wounded wolf spirit with "Dying"]

TheAmishPirate

2017-11-17, 05:50 PM

You know, I've lost my share of eyebrows to heat, and I'm pretty sure that just throwing up a wedge of stone wouldn't stop the convection from cooking me alive. So, if I can focus through the thoughts of "oh gosh I'm gonna be a Kanno-Kabab," I'm gonna throw a nice stone coffin don't think of coffins right now around me.

Stand Fast: [roll0]

You get your shield of earth up in time, but not before the heat catches your shoes on fire. In the dark, you are able to stomp them out, but by the time you do they are thoroghly obliterated. The rest of the walk up the mountain will be a cold one.

I could help Kanno, but she didn't bloody stand with me a few minutes ago, did she? Reckon she can sort herself out.

Nae, I've put up with this long enough. I've done what I need to. Now it's time to beat my new sword into shape.

This isn't a matter of skill at this point, this is a matter of endurance. I just need to stand in the heat and punch it. Knuckles burned, back aching, just don't think about it and stand pounding over and over until the metal gets the idea. And hey, what's better? If I'm not doing anything fancy it won't be either. It'll just swing back at me just the way I need it to. Think you're so clever, you bloody copycat? Well the only thing your bloody scheme had going for you was attrition and now that skinny bitch works for me.

It's all downhill from here, I reckon. I never lost a duel and I ain't starting now.

[Commit Open Violence: 13. Tagging with Forged Into A Sword]

It is brutal work.

The metal is not stationary. You have to choose the right moments to strike, so that the counterstroke hits your stomach and not your heart. And every hit sends lances of pain shooting up your arm as the bones creak, threatening to break. Your finery is reduced to scorched tatters. Your skin blackened and burned. But you manage it. Somehow or another, you manage to fight through the aches, the burns, the unbelievable heat draining you dry. You feel the sword taking shape, and then-

Your opponent draws back, a burst of heat blowing you two apart. He pauses. Tilts his head. And then he whips his arm and your newly-forged sword in his hands.

If your work before was marred by perfectionism, this lastest attempt takes the opposite extreme. It is an ugly, terrible hunk of metal that is - in every sense of the word - roughly sword-shaped.

Sao Fa studies the sword. He looks to you, all battered and scorched and yet still on your feet, and there's no pride there. No respect won.

There is only grief.

"Here's your trophy," he spits, and casts the sword at your feet. He turns to walk away, and vanishes into a hazy mist. The fireballs around you dissipate, and one of the mirrors shows the snowy mountainside in its reflection.

The way back is open. The duel is over. Sao Ri remains undefeated.

Balmas

2017-11-18, 02:09 AM

You get your shield of earth up in time, but not before the heat catches your shoes on fire. In the dark, you are able to stomp them out, but by the time you do they are thoroghly obliterated. The rest of the walk up the mountain will be a cold one.

I'm okay with this. I may have lost my shoes, but I've kept both my feet and my life. Cold toes are a small price to pay.

The way back is open. The duel is over. Sao Ri remains undefeated.

Hah. That's a laugh. Sao Ri couldn't have lost that duel more thoroughly if she'd tried. That's writ across her face as she joins the would-be Firelord at the exit, her eyes hard. "Is that how I can expect my gift to you to be treated? As a weapon? As a brute-force tool in a duel?"

Thanqol

2017-11-19, 04:41 PM

Hah. That's a laugh. Sao Ri couldn't have lost that duel more thoroughly if she'd tried. That's writ across her face as she joins the would-be Firelord at the exit, her eyes hard. "Is that how I can expect my gift to you to be treated? As a weapon? As a brute-force tool in a duel?"

"Oh, because you think you're so beautiful and subtle?" said the Firelord. She's different now, but not in the way you might think. "I'll let you in on a secret, Kanno: Nobody cares how beautiful the swords you make are. They're swords. They are things of hate and war despite all your attempts to dance around the fact." She hefts her sword, smiling at it, feeling the weight and the balance. It's simple. Unadorned. brutal. The perfect manifestation of her message. "Look at it. It's the greatest sword ever made. No crossguard, no engraving, no wasted metal, no wasted space, no distraction. A brute force tool. It, alone amongst swords, is truthful. I would wager it against any blade you've ever forged."

She spins it and it feels like fire in her grip. No safety, no solidity, no control. If it touches it will cut. Pure. Earth transformed into fire. Flame made form. She moves through the beginning of a kata, loose and playful, improvising the steps - inventing the steps. Curious feet trace a pattern that will be studied for centuries to come.

"Sao Fa thinks I didn't understand, but I did. I saw what he was trying to say clearly. I am my greatest enemy, he said. I need to be like him - weak, effeminate, laughing. I shouldn't rule - I should get everyone to like me. I should spend my life partying while outside the cold wind howls and ice cracks across the backs of the sheep," she laughed as the sword whirled. "You know, I never actually saw him firebend? More than turning candles on and off, I mean. I think he was afraid of it, can you imagine? It'd be like you being afraid of the earth."

The pattern briefly intensified - so sudden it was impossible to follow. The sword moved through a spellbinding web so fast and powerful it could hardly be said to move at all. It finished as abruptly as it started, with the Firelord casually leaning on the newly forged sword as though it were a cane. No reverence for the thing that had cost her father. It was just a tool.

"It's why the best he could do, now, when it truly mattered was just emptily copy me. He didn't have a single original thought in his head. He didn't take the form of a mirror because he really thought that would show me the error of my ways - if he knew me at all he'd have known that was stupid. He took the form of a mirror because that was the only form he understood. Laughing, joking, blending seamlessly into the world around him, vanishing invisible - that was who he was. He might as well not have existed at all. History won't remember him."

Sao Ri patted Kanno's shoulder playfully. "And no matter how many fancy swords you forge, friend, history won't remember you either."

She walked past, feet full of energy. "Now excuse me, I've got a mountain to climb."

Balmas

2017-11-21, 12:39 PM

"You... You think," Kanno sputters for a few seconds, before marching to stand straight in Sao Ri's path. "You think this is about the quality of the sword you forged? Is that really the only reason you think I'd be upset?

"I took you from a backwater hick, with your island and your rocks and your firebending and your sheep, and gave you the ability to make tools. To make industry. Any fool can make a fire, but a good smith can turn a fire into a forge. And with a forge, you can make anything. A forge is the hearth, is order, is warmth, is creation; an unrestrained fire can do nothing but consume."

Kanno fixes Sao Ri in her gaze. "Your father understood that. Your people huddle in their huts while the sheep are in the cold. What do you intend to do about that? Will you duel the elements into submission? Will you distribute these most perfect swords to your troops so they can slice the wind away? The only way you can help your people is to build. And you can't build unless you have people who will help you.

"You were presented with a challenge. You could have done anything. You could have chosen not to accept the duel. What would people say--'ooooh, that Sao Ri, refused to beat herself up in a duel of honor'? That's an option, you know, is to refuse to fight when fighting has no purpose."

She shakes her head, and looks at her hammer. "You fight because fighting is all you know how to do. You forge nothing but swords, because swords are the only thing you find useful. You've no concept of diplomacy, of kindness, of what you can achive when it's more than just you and the world. And just like that sword and that agni kai record you're so proud of, all you can do is destroy.

"I hoped to teach you, by means of how to forge metal, the patience and discipline you'd need to be Firelord. Instead, the child just learned how to kill people more efficiently. That is why I'm upset, not because of your bloody chisel."

Out of curiosity, is my fiery duplicate still around?

Thanqol

2017-11-21, 06:46 PM

"Why do you say 'fighting has no purpose'?" said Sao Ri, tapping her foot impatiently, itching to be ascending towards the summit. "Fighting is the purpose. Destruction is the purpose. What else is there? You look at this sword and ask me how I could use it to cut away the wind and the cold that besets my people? Can you not see it? I'll use this sword to find somewhere which isn't cold and take it for myself. You wonder how I'll use this sword to build? I'll conquer a nation of builders and make them build for me."

She laughed. "I'm not a menial labourer, Kanno - did you really think I desired the life of a blacksmith? I am the Firelord. I learned this skill to pass on to my subjects that they might serve me better. You think it's me against the world? No, Kanno, it's my nation against the world. You talk about order? I'll re-organize the world from a million feuding princelings into a single inviolate polity."

She leaned forwards on her sword. "And here's your chance, Kanno. You're accusing me of hot-headedness, but if you stopped and really thought you'd see that this is the natural order of things. Every nation has kings. Every king has subjects. Every king drives her nation against all others; those that do not are consumed by those who do. I merely propose to be an extremely effective ruler. Meditate on it for a moment and you'll see the truth of this, and that there is still a place for you to live out your life in peace and plenty sheltered by my perfected art of destruction."

Her eyes were hard. "All you must do is kneel."

[Act Dishonourably: 14. Give in or face my wrath.]

TheAmishPirate

2017-11-22, 05:19 PM

Its funny how the tactics of the pack can be applied, even when the one hunting you is a giant wolf.

Lose them in the brambles and wait. Wait for the weak, or the injured, to become separated.

And then, when they're vulnerable, strike.

Dirge flashes as he leaps at the wounded Da Lang.

[roll0]

[Tagging the wounded wolf spirit with "Dying"]

Dirge feasts upon the wolf from neck to haunch. It collapses hard onto the snow, its form bubbling and writhing as it tries in vain to find a shape that will staunch the bleeding. Maybe it will succeed. Maybe it will not. But it cannot do it on its own.

The last, great wolf leaps in front of its fallen twin with a wail so keen the trees split in two. She turns on you, eyes mad with grief and foam flecking her muzzle. "Devourer! Demon! Foul thing of the night! Curse you!"

But she cannot attack. Though the slayer of her children stands before her, to attack you would be to leave more of her family to die.

She gnashes her teeth, consumed with agony. "May you choke upon the bones of this mountain! May your sword find your own heart! When next you look upon your children, may they see the face of a stranger!"

But she cannot attack.

What do you do?

I'm uncertain. I suppose if I've truly ascended the mountain, than what I want is to understand where I am and who these beings are. I've been seeking Sen for all the rumors around The Red Mountain, and now I'm here and entirely uncertain what's going on.

[No need, then. You have said plenty, and you will have answers soon enough.]

The stone woman can say nothing. There is no sharper cut than the gracious one.

“Wisely spoken.” The monk nods approvingly. “Then it would fall on one more familiar with our customs to settle the matter. What say you?” He looks back to the earth spirit. “Can you provide our guest with a suitable answer?”

“...my apologies, Seeker.” The stone woman bows her head with an effort. “I am Vines-Upon-Stone, and I welcome you to the Last Shelter. If you have need of your food or other necessities, you will find them here with Master Guan.”

“Indeed.” The monk rises to his feet, leaning upon his staff. “It has been some time since Seekers have visited our home, but what we have we will gladly share. I am Master Guan, head of my order, and Master of the Last Shelter. It is a pleasure to meet you, Seeker.”

(The badgermole spends this whole exchange ensuring she remains as small a target as possible.)

Out of curiosity, is my fiery duplicate still around?

Your double did pop back into the mirror as the fireblast came your way. But though she is not with you right now, you do still see yourself reflected in all of these mirrors. It is well possible she is still near.

Balmas

2017-11-22, 10:38 PM

Her eyes were hard. "All you must do is kneel."

[Act Dishonourably: 14. Give in or face my wrath.]

Your double did pop back into the mirror as the fireblast came your way. But though she is not with you right now, you do still see yourself reflected in all of these mirrors. It is well possible she is still near.

So it comes down to this. Alone or with allies, there is no universe where Kanno--earthbender, mother, smith, teacher--will willingly lie down before a monster of her own enabling. The thought that somewhere, somehow, her student is using what she was taught to bring death and devastation to someone else, would sting worse than any other fate. If that means she dies here, fighting... then so mote it be.

(And, arguably, I'd say that this is both of her chakras activating at once.)

"You could conquer nothing, organize nothing but plots to stab you in the back, and build nothing but an empire of slaves, each of whom works to bring you down. Your legacy ends here, and there will be none to mourn. You, daughter of Firelord Sao Fa, are no Firelord."

And with her piece said, there's no point in waiting or in formal challenging. Fighting for no reason is pointless; fighting in defense of your home and your family is the most worthwhile cause imaginable. She stomps, and razor-edged stone spears jab towards her earstwhile student.

(Commit Open Violence: 6,5,+1hot. [12.] Sao Ri is now Impaled by multiple stone spears, anchored in the ground.)

Thanqol

2017-11-22, 11:09 PM

[Given the recent excision of my Haunted tag that'll be a Mild tag. Also a chakra activates bringing chi to 6 (I don't think two chakras can activate at once)]

"Firelord's not yours to decide," I say, pulling bloody stone out of my side.

I think the most remarkable thing is when people think they can beat me by fighting me dishonourably. The ceremony, the procedures of the Agni Kai duel, those aren't there for my benefit. You go through all that to demonstrate respect - if not for your opponent's motives, then for their ability to cause destruction and chaos on a scale larger than the duel itself. If you don't chose to make it a duel then you've chosen to make it a war.

And in a war it's about territory.

I don't need to fight Kanno. I just need to get to the top of this bloody mountain. She had her chance and she wasted it scratching me because she's got no vision.

Sao Ri plunges her hand down and the burning lava and flaming wreckage intensifies. Sudden and violent explosions scatter from all directions. Glass shatters. Sand melts. Lava gouts into the air. Choking smoke fills the air.

And a single, sudden strike lashes out of the smoke to leave a long and terrible burn along Kanno's leg.

Sao Ri backs out of the ring slowly, sword tracing the conducting forms that bring the chaos and destruction to the fore. Time, that's all she's buying. Time and a solid head start and a clear way up the mountain.

[Move With Intention: 8, point of chi to buff that to a 10:
- Place a tag on Kanno (Burned leg)
- The target needs to stand fast to move against me]

Anarion

2017-11-23, 12:58 AM

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Master Guan, and Vines-Upon-Stone.” Suikkarra nods to both in turn, and very briefly to the badger mole, trying not to draw him attention he does not want, but acknowledging him as well. “I am Suikkara of the northern water tribe. Blessed among my people for my ability to see and speak with spirits. I have journeyed all this way to seek Sen, and with Sen, a destiny to give my life purpose.”

Suikkara bows formally. “I admit my confusion though. I bargained with Discontent to bring me to the mountaintop, where rumors say that Sen awaits. If this is the Last Shelter, is there yet a further journey to be made to find Sen?”

Then she straightens and blushes slightly. “And, as to provisions I seem to have given away my shoes to get here. If there might be a pair to replace them, and a warm cup of tea, that would be lovely.”

TheAmishPirate

2017-11-25, 05:50 PM

Sao Ri plunges her hand down and the burning lava and flaming wreckage intensifies. Sudden and violent explosions scatter from all directions. Glass shatters. Sand melts. Lava gouts into the air. Choking smoke fills the air.

You have a lot of Chi. Does this mean you are taking the Lavashaping move? Otherwise, you're working with intense heat and flames, but not lava.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Master Guan, and Vines-Upon-Stone.” Suikkarra nods to both in turn, and very briefly to the badger mole, trying not to draw him attention he does not want, but acknowledging him as well. “I am Suikkara of the northern water tribe. Blessed among my people for my ability to see and speak with spirits. I have journeyed all this way to seek Sen, and with Sen, a destiny to give my life purpose.”

Suikkara bows formally. “I admit my confusion though. I bargained with Discontent to bring me to the mountaintop, where rumors say that Sen awaits. If this is the Last Shelter, is there yet a further journey to be made to find Sen?”

Then she straightens and blushes slightly. “And, as to provisions I seem to have given away my shoes to get here. If there might be a pair to replace them, and a warm cup of tea, that would be lovely.”

"You passed through Discontent's domain?" The monk looks surprised. "You are blessed indeed, Suikkarra of the Water Tribe. Few can claim to have walked his realm and lived." With a tap of his staff, he summons a robed acolyte, whom he promptly sends off to fetch you a warm drink and a spare set of shoes, if any are to be found.

"...did you say," Vines-Upon-Stone looks at you, an eager light in her eyes. "That you planned on visiting Sel?"

"As in visiting him tonight, after you have refreshed yourself?" The badgermole adds, also turning to you.

Behind the both of them, Master Guan subtly raises a hand of warning, meets your eyes, and shakes his head vigorously.

It seems you're in some uncharted conversational seas, and working with painfully little information. Would you like to Observe Carefully?

Balmas

2017-11-26, 04:54 PM

Sao Ri plunges her hand down and the burning lava and flaming wreckage intensifies. Sudden and violent explosions scatter from all directions. Glass shatters. Sand melts. Lava gouts into the air. Choking smoke fills the air.

And a single, sudden strike lashes out of the smoke to leave a long and terrible burn along Kanno's leg.

Sao Ri backs out of the ring slowly, sword tracing the conducting forms that bring the chaos and destruction to the fore. Time, that's all she's buying. Time and a solid head start and a clear way up the mountain.

[Move With Intention: 8, point of chi to buff that to a 10:
- Place a tag on Kanno (Burned leg)
- The target needs to stand fast to move against me]

The bite of flame is agony, but not one she's unfamiliar with. You don't become a master smith without getting burned at least once.

Still, this is a bit more than she'd anticipated. Normal people, when speared through the gut, don't tend to react by blowing up the immediate vicinity.

So. How to respond to this? Play to your strengths, obviously. Her life does't matter, so long as Sao Ri is incapable of leaving here. This is Kanno's arena, where she doesn't have to worry about the mountain exploding under her if she plays too hard. Kanno creates, Sao ri destroys. So, she's going to effectively take the earth away from Sao Ri.

Kanno stands firm [7, upgraded to success with chi] against the raging inferno, and begins to chant an old smith's hymn. Her hammer pounds her palm, rings out clear, and the earth responds. It shakes, rumbles, cracks, and fissures, dropping lava, glass, molten rock, and Firelord into a chasm hundreds of feet deep. Kanno alone remains on a pillar of rock in the center of the arena, continuing her psalm of destruction. If she were a better person, maybe she'd have funneled away the debris from Sao Ri, but Kanno's too focused on incapacitation to have any pity on her former pupil.

Move with Intention: 5,4, +0. 9.Let's spend a point of chi to upgrade that to a full success.
-Environmental tag: Massive chasm full of lava and molten debris
-Tag Sao Ri with being at the bottom of the chasm

BlasTech

2017-11-27, 05:59 AM

Dirge feasts upon the wolf from neck to haunch. It collapses hard onto the snow, its form bubbling and writhing as it tries in vain to find a shape that will staunch the bleeding. Maybe it will succeed. Maybe it will not. But it cannot do it on its own.

The last, great wolf leaps in front of its fallen twin with a wail so keen the trees split in two. She turns on you, eyes mad with grief and foam flecking her muzzle. "Devourer! Demon! Foul thing of the night! Curse you!"

But she cannot attack. Though the slayer of her children stands before her, to attack you would be to leave more of her family to die.

She gnashes her teeth, consumed with agony. "May you choke upon the bones of this mountain! May your sword find your own heart! When next you look upon your children, may they see the face of a stranger!"

But she cannot attack.

What do you do?

Lao Kai's hand tightens momentarily on Dirge at the mention of his children, but he doesn't leap to the attack again.

Instead, he straightens, Dirge flashes in the sun one last time as he returns it to its hilt.

"Say what you must, Spirit." he replies, eyes hard.

"But know that I have no quarrel with you, save the one you have made. None of this would have happened had your pack not attacked me."

"My only concern lies on the summit of this mountain. Leave me and my companions to the climb - and no more blood will need to be shed today."

[Speaking honourably: trying to convince the spirit to leave them alone - feel this is possibly enough to trigger the "Ruthless, but Respectful" chakra for trying to defuse this with talk due to his innate respect for another fighter.]

[roll0]

[Edit: Orrrr I could just roll 11 despite a -1 natural, we'll see how this goes :smalltongue:]

Anarion

2017-11-27, 01:53 PM

"You passed through Discontent's domain?" The monk looks surprised. "You are blessed indeed, Suikkarra of the Water Tribe. Few can claim to have walked his realm and lived." With a tap of his staff, he summons a robed acolyte, whom he promptly sends off to fetch you a warm drink and a spare set of shoes, if any are to be found.

"...did you say," Vines-Upon-Stone looks at you, an eager light in her eyes. "That you planned on visiting Sel?"

"As in visiting him tonight, after you have refreshed yourself?" The badgermole adds, also turning to you.

Behind the both of them, Master Guan subtly raises a hand of warning, meets your eyes, and shakes his head vigorously.

It seems you're in some uncharted conversational seas, and working with painfully little information. Would you like to Observe Carefully?

Observing carefully seems like an excellent plan. That was keen, if I recall correctly? 6+4+1=11.
first question: what is about to happen?
second question: what is not as it appears to be?
third question: what do I need to do to be at an advantage here?

Will add a tag after I get the answers.

TheAmishPirate

2017-12-08, 05:22 PM

The bite of flame is agony, but not one she's unfamiliar with. You don't become a master smith without getting burned at least once.

Still, this is a bit more than she'd anticipated. Normal people, when speared through the gut, don't tend to react by blowing up the immediate vicinity.

So. How to respond to this? Play to your strengths, obviously. Her life does't matter, so long as Sao Ri is incapable of leaving here. This is Kanno's arena, where she doesn't have to worry about the mountain exploding under her if she plays too hard. Kanno creates, Sao ri destroys. So, she's going to effectively take the earth away from Sao Ri.

Kanno stands firm [7, upgraded to success with chi] against the raging inferno, and begins to chant an old smith's hymn. Her hammer pounds her palm, rings out clear, and the earth responds. It shakes, rumbles, cracks, and fissures, dropping lava, glass, molten rock, and Firelord into a chasm hundreds of feet deep. Kanno alone remains on a pillar of rock in the center of the arena, continuing her psalm of destruction. If she were a better person, maybe she'd have funneled away the debris from Sao Ri, but Kanno's too focused on incapacitation to have any pity on her former pupil.

Move with Intention: 5,4, +0. 9.Let's spend a point of chi to upgrade that to a full success.
-Environmental tag: Massive chasm full of lava and molten debris
-Tag Sao Ri with being at the bottom of the chasm

Sao Ri.

Good news: You are gaining territory. And gaining more of it by the second.

Bad news: All of it is downward.

Worse news: You can’t stop gaining territory.

Your campaign takes you a remarkable distance down the chasm before you’re lit up from below by a molten river of lava. The heat is intense; greater than any fire, greater than any forge built by human hands. This is earth that has grown weary of bearing all things. Now it bears nothing, and its rage burns all.

It is not the impact that will kill you; firebending can sufficiently slow your descent. It’s the landing in lava that will instantly liquefy you.

Can you find a safe place to land?

Kanno, you manage to open the rift in the earth, but as your student tips over the edge the careful concert of chaos she was conducting conflagrates into a cacophony of calamity.

Simply put: There is a massive explosion that knocks you clean off your feet, and tears the arena to shreds. You are flung through the air, the wall of mirrors approaches, you brace yourself…

...and land softly in the snow.

You lie upon the Red Mountain once again. There is no sign of your pupil, nor the arena from whence you came. Up the mountainside, you can see the lights of a monastery, and wandering lanterns searching the snow.

What do you do?

Observing carefully seems like an excellent plan. That was keen, if I recall correctly? 6+4+1=11.
first question: what is about to happen?
second question: what is not as it appears to be?
third question: what do I need to do to be at an advantage here?

Will add a tag after I get the answers.

What is about to happen: You are about to become the newest object of strife between these two spirits, as they compete to see who can impress you the most before you visit Sel - a spirit they evidently hold in the highest regard.

What do you need to do to be at an advantage: Bluff. Lie. Sidestep. Do whatever it takes to cut off their interest at the pass, and they will leave you alone. Otherwise, they will tear you apart in their competition to impress you.

What is not as it appears to be: It’s clear that Master Guan wants to spare you from this fate. But there’s more to it than that. On the slim - oh so slim - chance that you survive their attentions, you would reach the peak of the mountain. Sel’s domain. And Master Guan does not wish this to happen. For both those reasons, he is advising you to drop the subject.

Lao Kai's hand tightens momentarily on Dirge at the mention of his children, but he doesn't leap to the attack again.

Instead, he straightens, Dirge flashes in the sun one last time as he returns it to its hilt.

"Say what you must, Spirit." he replies, eyes hard.

"But know that I have no quarrel with you, save the one you have made. None of this would have happened had your pack not attacked me."

"My only concern lies on the summit of this mountain. Leave me and my companions to the climb - and no more blood will need to be shed today."

[Speaking honourably: trying to convince the spirit to leave them alone - feel this is possibly enough to trigger the "Ruthless, but Respectful" chakra for trying to defuse this with talk due to his innate respect for another fighter.]

[roll0]

[Edit: Orrrr I could just roll 11 despite a -1 natural, we'll see how this goes :smalltongue:]

[The chakra hasn't caused you trouble, so no Chi in this case.]

“We defended our lands against the coming doom.” Da Lang growls mournfully. “For your journey will end in the doom of this mountain, the doom of our lands, and the doom of us. You have even robbed us of the chance to flee.” She nuzzles at her wounded young. “How long will these injuries take to heal? I do not know. But I will not leave my own to die.”

“Demon. If there is any honor yet hidden away in some corner of your empty heart, then let your quarrel be with the Avatar alone. Swear you will spare this mountain, and none of my pack will hinder your climb. Yours, and your companions. I swear this.” Da Lang begs; bowing her nose to the snow even though the motion is like a spear through her heart. She has no power to bar your passage anymore, no other means to save her pack. If she must kneel at the feet of the one who slew her daughter, then she will swallow her pride and kneel.

What say you, Demon?

Balmas

2017-12-10, 06:40 PM

Kanno, you manage to open the rift in the earth, but as your student tips over the edge the careful concert of chaos she was conducting conflagrates into a cacophony of calamity.

Simply put: There is a massive explosion that knocks you clean off your feet, and tears the arena to shreds. You are flung through the air, the wall of mirrors approaches, you brace yourself…

...and land softly in the snow.

You lie upon the Red Mountain once again. There is no sign of your pupil, nor the arena from whence you came. Up the mountainside, you can see the lights of a monastery, and wandering lanterns searching the snow.

What do you do?

First things first. It's time to breath a sigh of relief, because surely nobody could have survived that.

Second, Kanno lets out a healthy stream of curses and rolls in the snow, because that bastard just about took her leg off with that fire. She pauses to muster the energy to stand up, before packing snow onto the wound and limping towards the monastery.

Thanqol

2017-12-10, 07:24 PM

Sao Ri.

Good news: You are gaining territory. And gaining more of it by the second.

Bad news: All of it is downward.

Worse news: You can’t stop gaining territory.

Your campaign takes you a remarkable distance down the chasm before you’re lit up from below by a molten river of lava. The heat is intense; greater than any fire, greater than any forge built by human hands. This is earth that has grown weary of bearing all things. Now it bears nothing, and its rage burns all.

It is not the impact that will kill you; firebending can sufficiently slow your descent. It’s the landing in lava that will instantly liquefy you.

Can you find a safe place to land?

The Fire Sages told me, 'the best place to meditate is in the volcano's mouth'.

I used to think they were being allegorical.

Other benders have it easy when they want to learn the mysteries of their element. Sit around on a rock, breathe air but harder - whatever. That's probably why firebending has been such a stagnant discipline - because nobody is hardcore enough to literally pitch themselves head first into a volcano in the hopes they get enlightened before they get dead.

So, given that I'm heading down into the volcano anyway I might as well take the opportunity to reflect on it all. Partly because it will take my mind off what is looking to be my instantaneous death and partly because if I die swearing and cursing I'll leave a hungry ghost and that's a miserable way to go.

And really, I've been on fire before. This might be a difference in scale but not in kind.

[Mediate: 3. Point of chi by taking advantage of the 'on fire' tag to upgrade that to a 7 - tell me a fact about lavabending. Brings my Chi down to 5]

Anarion

2017-12-13, 12:17 PM

Suikkara smile humbly, but with the slightest glitter in her eye. "Indeed. Well, I must admit confusion if I have mistaken the name. Sen or Sel, I am uncertain..." a slight blush. "But I am here for the spirit whose rumor reaches the furthest corners of the world, who is said to grant wishes to those who make the climb to the height of the Red Mountain, and who came to me in a dream and offered to reveal the destiny I seek."

She looks to the three spirits gathered. "As I said, I had thought to have reached the mountain's peak, but perhaps there is one step remaining. I would be most grateful for your assistance in taking this final step, for I do not know the way. I ask for your kindness and your patience, and I will be forever in your service for such an aid." Suikkara takes a sip of the tea they offered her and waits to see what sort of stuff this sets off.

BlasTech

2017-12-14, 06:46 AM

[The chakra hasn't caused you trouble, so no Chi in this case.]

“We defended our lands against the coming doom.” Da Lang growls mournfully. “For your journey will end in the doom of this mountain, the doom of our lands, and the doom of us. You have even robbed us of the chance to flee.” She nuzzles at her wounded young. “How long will these injuries take to heal? I do not know. But I will not leave my own to die.”

“Demon. If there is any honor yet hidden away in some corner of your empty heart, then let your quarrel be with the Avatar alone. Swear you will spare this mountain, and none of my pack will hinder your climb. Yours, and your companions. I swear this.” Da Lang begs; bowing her nose to the snow even though the motion is like a spear through her heart. She has no power to bar your passage anymore, no other means to save her pack. If she must kneel at the feet of the one who slew her daughter, then she will swallow her pride and kneel.

What say you, Demon?

Lao Kai shakes his head, this creature really did not know him at all.

"I promise you, my quarrel is not with this mountain. It is with the Avatar." he began, before remembering what Kanno had told them.

"Whatever danger you sense is not of our doing. One of our number is an Earthbender. She has said that the mountain will erupt soon of its own accord. She seeks to stop that, not to trigger it."

"Whether or not you believe me, if it is sanctuary you seek, I may also know of a way to help you flee - There is a waterbender with us. She can heal. You can still be away from this place with your pack"

TheAmishPirate

2017-12-29, 03:59 PM

Lao Kai shakes his head, this creature really did not know him at all.

"I promise you, my quarrel is not with this mountain. It is with the Avatar." he began, before remembering what Kanno had told them.

"Whatever danger you sense is not of our doing. One of our number is an Earthbender. She has said that the mountain will erupt soon of its own accord. She seeks to stop that, not to trigger it."

"Whether or not you believe me, if it is sanctuary you seek, I may also know of a way to help you flee - There is a waterbender with us. She can heal. You can still be away from this place with your pack"

“‘Of its own accord?’” Da Lang snorts. “If that were so, the mountain would’ve erupted an age ago. It has been as you see it for years, thanks to our vigilance.”

“If you send your Waterbender down, and the rest of your companions climb up, then she will die along with us. Every time a seeker reaches the peak, the fire within the mountain stirs and grows. I have seen it a thousand times over, and the mountain can bear no more.”

“I do not know why this is so. My territory only extends so high and so far. But if you discover the reason, and prevent this long-feared calamity, then we will not harm you or your companions. Swear it, and it will be so.”

The Fire Sages told me, 'the best place to meditate is in the volcano's mouth'.

I used to think they were being allegorical.

Other benders have it easy when they want to learn the mysteries of their element. Sit around on a rock, breathe air but harder - whatever. That's probably why firebending has been such a stagnant discipline - because nobody is hardcore enough to literally pitch themselves head first into a volcano in the hopes they get enlightened before they get dead.

So, given that I'm heading down into the volcano anyway I might as well take the opportunity to reflect on it all. Partly because it will take my mind off what is looking to be my instantaneous death and partly because if I die swearing and cursing I'll leave a hungry ghost and that's a miserable way to go.

And really, I've been on fire before. This might be a difference in scale but not in kind.

[Mediate: 3. Point of chi by taking advantage of the 'on fire' tag to upgrade that to a 7 - tell me a fact about lavabending. Brings my Chi down to 5]

Lava is not fire, and lava is not earth. As such, it cannot be moved like either of its cousin elements.

Lava does not care if you are more stubborn than it. If you try to hold your ground against it, it’ll just roll right over you and burn you away until all your stubbornness is turned to ash.

Lava does not care about your passion. Fire plays upon your limbs and channels where your heart wishes it. If you touch lava, it will destroy you without a second thought.

So what does Lava need to be moved?

A target.

Let your spirit align with that of the lava. Be the all-consuming fire, be the new growth, be something that is neither and both all at once. And when you and the lava are of the same mind, bring all of your collective might to bear upon your target, and it will spend itself for you until it is Earth once more.

Suikkara smile humbly, but with the slightest glitter in her eye. "Indeed. Well, I must admit confusion if I have mistaken the name. Sen or Sel, I am uncertain..." a slight blush. "But I am here for the spirit whose rumor reaches the furthest corners of the world, who is said to grant wishes to those who make the climb to the height of the Red Mountain, and who came to me in a dream and offered to reveal the destiny I seek."

She looks to the three spirits gathered. "As I said, I had thought to have reached the mountain's peak, but perhaps there is one step remaining. I would be most grateful for your assistance in taking this final step, for I do not know the way. I ask for your kindness and your patience, and I will be forever in your service for such an aid." Suikkara takes a sip of the tea they offered her and waits to see what sort of stuff this sets off.

You don’t even get a chance to set down your teacup.

Vines-Upon-Stone seizes one of your arms, and the small badgermole the other. Each is only too quick to say how happy they’d be to show you to the peak, how the other hasn’t the first idea of how to get you there safely (if they can do it at all, have you ever seen a finer example of dishonorable trash?), if you’d just go with them then you’ll be on the peak in no time, and together they simultaneously usher you out of the room and nearly yank your arms out of their sockets.

Behind you, Master Guan takes one look at what’s happened, and comes to a decision. He takes his staff and strikes a gong next to the shrine. Once, twice, thrice, in a rapid beat. The alarm is taken up all over the monastery, and you hear him cry, “The spirits have kidnapped a Seeker! Stop them!”

The kidnapping spirits in question double their pace, vines and earth rising to block the door behind you.

First things first. It's time to breath a sigh of relief, because surely nobody could have survived that.

Second, Kanno lets out a healthy stream of curses and rolls in the snow, because that bastard just about took her leg off with that fire. She pauses to muster the energy to stand up, before packing snow onto the wound and limping towards the monastery.

Kanno, you arrive at the monastery around the same time as Chae-Won and her helper. The two of them usher you into a guest room at once, where Chae-Won draws cool water from the snowmelt to soothe your injuries. The burns melt away, along with a hundred and five smaller bruises you’d almost forgotten you’d accumulated until they were gone. For the first time in an age, you can breath easily.

[Remove all Tags.]

Which, naturally means that this is when the gongs start sounding the alarm.

You hear a cry of “Kidnappers!” taken up by the monks, and you’ve hardly got both feet out the door before you see Suikkara caught between a woman made of vine-covered stone, and a person-sized badgermole.

Suikkara, as you are dragged into a long hallway, you see Kanno emerge from a guest room.

Both of you, you see a trio of monks emerge at the other end of this hallway with quarterstaffs in hand. They take fighting stances, and demand the spirits let their prisoner go free.

What do you do?

Balmas

2017-12-29, 08:48 PM

Anarion

2017-12-30, 01:24 PM

"Kanno!" Suikkara's face fills with relief at seeing her companion. Kanno, especially, was a sturdy and reliable friend, perhaps moreso than any of the others. Suikkara looks different than when you last saw her. Her hat is off and her strange distant eyes and long silver hair are on full display, as are a few of her water tribe tattoos that the hat normally hides. And, is she wearing new sandals? She is.

Suikkara tries to explain quickly as the trio comes bursting into the room. "Kanno, I asked these spirits for their help and patience and they..." She had been about to say whisked me off, but several things clicked in her mind in that instant all at once. First, while this was all rather abrupt, both spirits clearly wanted to reach Sen. Second, that the monk had called her a "seeker" implying this temple had procedure for this he had chosen not to share, and third, that it was quite odd he had called the guards all at once. So, she said something a little different. "...are working together to help us. This is a misunderstanding" She looks pointedly at the guards as well.

Thanqol

2018-01-01, 04:42 PM

Lava is not fire, and lava is not earth. As such, it cannot be moved like either of its cousin elements.

Lava does not care if you are more stubborn than it. If you try to hold your ground against it, it’ll just roll right over you and burn you away until all your stubbornness is turned to ash.

Lava does not care about your passion. Fire plays upon your limbs and channels where your heart wishes it. If you touch lava, it will destroy you without a second thought.

So what does Lava need to be moved?

A target.

Let your spirit align with that of the lava. Be the all-consuming fire, be the new growth, be something that is neither and both all at once. And when you and the lava are of the same mind, bring all of your collective might to bear upon your target, and it will spend itself for you until it is Earth once more.

Sao Ri still doesn't hate Kanno. Certainly, she's almost killed her - always a consideration when deciding who to hate - but she did that because she's a peasant with no vision. Hating the common folk is a waste of time for a ruler. They are like the elements; raw ingredients to be shaped and herded. It is not hate, then, that fuels her power in this moment. Rage neither; she knows well what a dangerous ally rage can be.

What fuels her power here is contempt. Pride and frustration and disgust in one. The smouldering discontent that the mountain feels for the castle, that the king feels for the unwashed. She disregards all the little people as the mountain is indifferent to the insects on its surface. She has her goal. Her target is the summit where she shall make her wish.

A goal that should be familiar to the lava. Like a crown it erupts from the mountain's peak. She will lead it there.

TheAmishPirate

2018-01-03, 08:42 PM

Kanno is tired. Weary. She could sit in a spa for a hundred years, and she'd still want a nap. But she's also familiar with an old smith's saying about hot irons and striking, so when the cry goes up, she hauls herself to her feet and joins the monks in striding towards the spirits.

"You know, I'm not sure who you are," she starts, settling into a relaxed stance. "How about we start with introductions and see if we can all get this worked out without some undue unpleasantness?"

"Kanno!" Suikkara's face fills with relief at seeing her companion. Kanno, especially, was a sturdy and reliable friend, perhaps moreso than any of the others. Suikkara looks different than when you last saw her. Her hat is off and her strange distant eyes and long silver hair are on full display, as are a few of her water tribe tattoos that the hat normally hides. And, is she wearing new sandals? She is.

Suikkara tries to explain quickly as the trio comes bursting into the room. "Kanno, I asked these spirits for their help and patience and they..." She had been about to say whisked me off, but several things clicked in her mind in that instant all at once. First, while this was all rather abrupt, both spirits clearly wanted to reach Sen. Second, that the monk had called her a "seeker" implying this temple had procedure for this he had chosen not to share, and third, that it was quite odd he had called the guards all at once. So, she said something a little different. "...are working together to help us. This is a misunderstanding" She looks pointedly at the guards as well.

You have to raise your voice to be heard over the ringing gongs and cries of alarm. Suffice to say, the monks aren't looking too convinced.

What about you, Kanno? You buying this story?

Sao Ri still doesn't hate Kanno. Certainly, she's almost killed her - always a consideration when deciding who to hate - but she did that because she's a peasant with no vision. Hating the common folk is a waste of time for a ruler. They are like the elements; raw ingredients to be shaped and herded. It is not hate, then, that fuels her power in this moment. Rage neither; she knows well what a dangerous ally rage can be.

What fuels her power here is contempt. Pride and frustration and disgust in one. The smouldering discontent that the mountain feels for the castle, that the king feels for the unwashed. She disregards all the little people as the mountain is indifferent to the insects on its surface. She has her goal. Her target is the summit where she shall make her wish.

A goal that should be familiar to the lava. Like a crown it erupts from the mountain's peak. She will lead it there.

Yes. To the peak. To a prize long-denied and much-deserved, and blast anything in the way with extreme indifference. The lava recognizes your contempt. You are of the same heart

Spend your Chi, get the Lavashaping move, and tell me how you're trying to make a safe landing.

Thanqol

2018-01-07, 09:12 PM

Yes. To the peak. To a prize long-denied and much-deserved, and blast anything in the way with extreme indifference. The lava recognizes your contempt. You are of the same heart

Spend your Chi, get the Lavashaping move, and tell me how you're trying to make a safe landing.

[Chi: 0]

Sao Ri recognizes quickly that the most important thing about Lavashaping is maintaining one's footing. It's a deep, low, slow physical style of motion and there's no way to leverage the earth while not being a part of it. She focuses on the rock she's standing on, keeping it whole and safe, and she makes sure it never leaves the surface of the lava.

Standing on this floating rock, she allows the lava to swell and lift her up like a tide. She does not ride the great explosions or gouts, as tempting as that clearly is. She stands firmly upon her island, her nation, her throne and allows all the world beyond to turn to chaos.

BlasTech

2018-01-09, 05:49 AM

“‘Of its own accord?’” Da Lang snorts. “If that were so, the mountain would’ve erupted an age ago. It has been as you see it for years, thanks to our vigilance.”

“If you send your Waterbender down, and the rest of your companions climb up, then she will die along with us. Every time a seeker reaches the peak, the fire within the mountain stirs and grows. I have seen it a thousand times over, and the mountain can bear no more.”

“I do not know why this is so. My territory only extends so high and so far. But if you discover the reason, and prevent this long-feared calamity, then we will not harm you or your companions. Swear it, and it will be so.”

Lao Kai looks Da Lang in the eyes.

"I promise I will do what I can to prevent the eruption of this mountain. But know this, my own quest with the Avatar supersedes all else."

"I do not believe our goals are in conflict, but I will not swear to subserve my own quest to anything."

"This is all I can give, wolf spirit." he finishes, voice stone hard. "Is that enough for your bargain, or must we finish this here and now?"

Balmas

2018-01-09, 02:59 PM

You have to raise your voice to be heard over the ringing gongs and cries of alarm. Suffice to say, the monks aren't looking too convinced.

What about you, Kanno? You buying this story?

Not exactly. The guards look too uneasy and angry for this to be just a misunderstanding. However, I trust Suikkara. If she's lying to the guards, there's a reason, so I'll play along and see where this leads.

"Glad to hear it," Kanno says, and strides over to match Suikkara. "Now, how about we send someone to shut down that alarm, since it's obviously a misunderstanding. You, in the orange--who'd need to be told that?"

Anarion

2018-01-09, 06:23 PM

Not exactly. The guards look too uneasy and angry for this to be just a misunderstanding. However, I trust Suikkara. If she's lying to the guards, there's a reason, so I'll play along and see where this leads.

"Glad to hear it," Kanno says, and strides over to match Suikkara. "Now, how about we send someone to shut down that alarm, since it's obviously a misunderstanding. You, in the orange--who'd need to be told that?"

Suikkara looks relieved, and nudges both spirits to play along.

TheAmishPirate

2018-01-15, 05:01 PM

Lao Kai looks Da Lang in the eyes.

"I promise I will do what I can to prevent the eruption of this mountain. But know this, my own quest with the Avatar supersedes all else."

"I do not believe our goals are in conflict, but I will not swear to subserve my own quest to anything."

"This is all I can give, wolf spirit." he finishes, voice stone hard. "Is that enough for your bargain, or must we finish this here and now?"

So let me make this clear; right now, she’s seeking an Oath from you that you will prevent the Red Mountain from erupting. If you do that, then she’ll do as you asked, and leave you and the rest of your friends alone. You are free to break that Oath later, and accept the consequences for going back on your word, but right now all that matters is whether or not you’re willing to take that Oath.

[Chi: 0]

Sao Ri recognizes quickly that the most important thing about Lavashaping is maintaining one's footing. It's a deep, low, slow physical style of motion and there's no way to leverage the earth while not being a part of it. She focuses on the rock she's standing on, keeping it whole and safe, and she makes sure it never leaves the surface of the lava.

Standing on this floating rock, she allows the lava to swell and lift her up like a tide. She does not ride the great explosions or gouts, as tempting as that clearly is. She stands firmly upon her island, her nation, her throne and allows all the world beyond to turn to chaos.

Yes! Arise! Arise to the peak, and claim your birthright - wait, one moment, you’re just back at the arena. Looks like this is as high as you can go here. Darn spirit portals.

Hey, at least the way out is still open.

Peeking out the portal, you find yourself back on the mountainside, further up than when the wolves attacked, and night is falling. Upwards, you can see a monastery abuzz with activity and hear the clanging of gongs. Some sort of alarm, perhaps? You can clearly see a trail leading from here to there; that must’ve been your former teacher.

So how are you approaching? Where are you approaching? You’ve taken a rather severe beating, do you plan on pressing on or tending to your wounds first? What is Sao Ri’s next move, and how does she go about it?

Not exactly. The guards look too uneasy and angry for this to be just a misunderstanding. However, I trust Suikkara. If she's lying to the guards, there's a reason, so I'll play along and see where this leads.

"Glad to hear it," Kanno says, and strides over to match Suikkara. "Now, how about we send someone to shut down that alarm, since it's obviously a misunderstanding. You, in the orange--who'd need to be told that?"

Suikkara looks relieved, and nudges both spirits to play along.

Kanno trusts you. The monks do not. (Did I mention that wasn’t hyperbole when I said the spirits nearly tore your arms off? You certainly look as though you’ve been dragged off against your will.) In any event, Suikkara, roll to Speak Honorably to the orange-clad monk who’s stepped forward as chief among these three.

Thanqol

2018-01-17, 08:29 PM

Yes! Arise! Arise to the peak, and claim your birthright - wait, one moment, you’re just back at the arena. Looks like this is as high as you can go here. Darn spirit portals.

Hey, at least the way out is still open.

Peeking out the portal, you find yourself back on the mountainside, further up than when the wolves attacked, and night is falling. Upwards, you can see a monastery abuzz with activity and hear the clanging of gongs. Some sort of alarm, perhaps? You can clearly see a trail leading from here to there; that must’ve been your former teacher.

So how are you approaching? Where are you approaching? You’ve taken a rather severe beating, do you plan on pressing on or tending to your wounds first? What is Sao Ri’s next move, and how does she go about it?

As sensible as pausing to deal with the fact that she's been severely stabbed would be, we're on a clock until the mountain explodes and Sao Ri is literally riding the wave of lava to the top.

She's just going to keep bending and liquefy anything in her path. No pausing, no hesitation, no compromise. The monastery is in her way; and like the mountain shaking off its debris it won't be for long. Stone and fire are one and the red mountain seethes with boiling contempt for this tiny human parody of its magnificence.

As she surges past lava begins to crackle all around the ancient stone, surrounding the temple in a moat of lava. To the top. No compromise.

[Lavashaping: 11 Environmental tag on monastery: Melting in lava. With my 10+ I'm also tagging anyone inside with trapped in a melting temple as severely as their current tags allow.]

BlasTech

2018-01-18, 02:58 AM

So let me make this clear; right now, she’s seeking an Oath from you that you will prevent the Red Mountain from erupting. If you do that, then she’ll do as you asked, and leave you and the rest of your friends alone. You are free to break that Oath later, and accept the consequences for going back on your word, but right now all that matters is whether or not you’re willing to take that Oath.

And it's clear that Lao Kai will not give it.

His oath to seek retribution on the Avatar - to seek the top of the mountain - is supreme.

With what Da Lang has told him, there is a chance that preventing the eruption is mutually exclusive with this. He will not, therefore, swear a potentially conflicting oath.

Ironically, if she'd just kept her mouth shut about the eruption being triggered by pilgrims, then Lao Kai would have been happy to swear. But he will brook no chance of interference, and he will not lie to her.

Anarion

2018-01-19, 03:12 AM

Kanno trusts you. The monks do not. (Did I mention that wasn’t hyperbole when I said the spirits nearly tore your arms off? You certainly look as though you’ve been dragged off against your will.) In any event, Suikkara, roll to Speak Honorably to the orange-clad monk who’s stepped forward as chief among these three.

[3+3+1=7. So, we get what we want, but there are strings attached.]

TheAmishPirate

2018-01-24, 05:49 PM

[3+3+1=7. So, we get what we want, but there are strings attached.]

How about the room catching fire? That seems mighty troublesome.

There’s an odd, low rumbling from outside; Kanno, you’d swear it was volcanic in nature, only those tend to be accompanied by a lot more shaking. And that’s when the fires start, springing up from the wooden floors like hungry weeds.

Smoke and panic fill the hallway. The monks are scrambling for a way out, but the way behind them is an impenetrable wall of heat and smoke. Vines-Upon-Stone manages to keep a hold of Suikkara, while the badgermole spirit dives through the floor in a shower of dirt and vanishes.

Kanno, Suikkara, what do you do?

Trapped in a Burning Temple[/I]]

And it's clear that Lao Kai will not give it.

His oath to seek retribution on the Avatar - to seek the top of the mountain - is supreme.

With what Da Lang has told him, there is a chance that preventing the eruption is mutually exclusive with this. He will not, therefore, swear a potentially conflicting oath.

Ironically, if she'd just kept her mouth shut about the eruption being triggered by pilgrims, then Lao Kai would have been happy to swear. But he will brook no chance of interference, and he will not lie to her.

No Oath, no promise.

“I shouldn’t have expected honor from a demon.” Da Lang grouses as she returns to tending her young. “Go. Finish your noble quest and die in your hunger.”

I won’t bore you with the journey between. It is nothing that you could not handle, though perhaps a little lonely without your companions. You can’t find sight or sound of them anywhere. Do you wonder if they’re alright? Who among them do you have faith in?

After a long climb, you see a glow up ahead in the dimming light. A monastery, surrounded by a moat of lava, and burning. Monks come barreling out doors, windows, anywhere they can find to escape the flames, only to find themselves trapped by the lava. Haribou shriek in terror from the stables, nowhere to run from the searing heat.

You can see how this might’ve happened. A shallow, smouldering ditch runs through the snow, blackened rock standing out against the white snow. It runs to the moat, then away up the mountain, where you can see a figure riding atop a lump of lava and heading upward. You could pursue them, and enact justice for this crime, or you could let them get away, and save as many as you can.

What do you do?

As sensible as pausing to deal with the fact that she's been severely stabbed would be, we're on a clock until the mountain explodes and Sao Ri is literally riding the wave of lava to the top.

She's just going to keep bending and liquefy anything in her path. No pausing, no hesitation, no compromise. The monastery is in her way; and like the mountain shaking off its debris it won't be for long. Stone and fire are one and the red mountain seethes with boiling contempt for this tiny human parody of its magnificence.

As she surges past lava begins to crackle all around the ancient stone, surrounding the temple in a moat of lava. To the top. No compromise.

[Lavashaping: [B]11 Environmental tag on monastery: Melting in lava. With my 10+ I'm also tagging anyone inside with trapped in a melting temple as severely as their current tags allow.]

“Hail, oh Lady of Lava!"

Your journey is interrupted by a human-sized badgermole, who’s just erupted from the ground beside your path. She bows to you respectfully as she speaks.

“Welcome to the Red Mountain, and the domain of Sel, The Gatekeeper. Will you allow me the honor of guiding you to him?"

Anarion

2018-01-24, 07:22 PM

How about the room catching fire? That seems mighty troublesome.

There’s an odd, low rumbling from outside; Kanno, you’d swear it was volcanic in nature, only those tend to be accompanied by a lot more shaking. And that’s when the fires start, springing up from the wooden floors like hungry weeds.

Smoke and panic fill the hallway. The monks are scrambling for a way out, but the way behind them is an impenetrable wall of heat and smoke. Vines-Upon-Stone manages to keep a hold of Suikkara, while the badgermole spirit dives through the floor in a shower of dirt and vanishes.

Kanno, Suikkara, what do you do?

[Both of you take the Minor Tag Trapped in a Burning Temple]

Suikkara sighs and politely removes Vines-Upon-Stone's hands from her arm as she steps forward. "Xiao Xue. Xiao Xue, my friend, we need you." Her voice is gentle, probably more gentle than any of you have ever heard it. The fondness for a distant friend is in her throat. The Artic Fox, Xiao Xue, promised her his head, and he comes with the cold and ice of the north. "Bring a blizzard, my friend, we have need of your ice, and come quickly."

Suikkara blows her breath unto the wind, and the rising heat carries it off. Xiao Xue had promised her and given to her his name, she knew he would race to her side.

Balmas

2018-01-26, 07:56 PM

See, there's something amazing about being in a building made of stone. Means she doesn't need to worry about seismic activity. Or at least, she doesn't need to worry about her own seismic activity, given that the mountain seems to be erupting on its own.

With that in mind, she's going to ground herself, reach into the heart of the monastary, and pull it apart like a child with building blocks so she can stack it up in a taller, less lava-y form. It's not perfect, but it means that at least for now, the people here should be slightly less on fire.

Thanqol

2018-01-28, 04:33 PM

“Hail, oh Lady of Lava!"

Your journey is interrupted by a human-sized badgermole, who’s just erupted from the ground beside your path. She bows to you respectfully as she speaks.

“Welcome to the Red Mountain, and the domain of Sel, The Gatekeeper. Will you allow me the honor of guiding you to him?"

She considers obliterating the creature, but there is nothing for her anger to latch on to. The creature's protocol is perfect. She nods - "make haste. This mountain is in its final moments."

BlasTech

2018-01-29, 01:59 AM

No Oath, no promise.

“I shouldn’t have expected honor from a demon.” Da Lang grouses as she returns to tending her young. “Go. Finish your noble quest and die in your hunger.”

I won’t bore you with the journey between. It is nothing that you could not handle, though perhaps a little lonely without your companions. You can’t find sight or sound of them anywhere. Do you wonder if they’re alright? Who among them do you have faith in?

After a long climb, you see a glow up ahead in the dimming light. A monastery, surrounded by a moat of lava, and burning. Monks come barreling out doors, windows, anywhere they can find to escape the flames, only to find themselves trapped by the lava. Haribou shriek in terror from the stables, nowhere to run from the searing heat.

You can see how this might’ve happened. A shallow, smouldering ditch runs through the snow, blackened rock standing out against the white snow. It runs to the moat, then away up the mountain, where you can see a figure riding atop a lump of lava and heading upward. You could pursue them, and enact justice for this crime, or you could let them get away, and save as many as you can.

What do you do?

Well, Lao Kai is not one to leap into a burning building without cause. I mean, who knows? Maybe the monastery deserves to be buried in lava?

Besides, he's just one man with a sword. What could he do?

[roll0]

[Observing carefully: What here is not as it appears to be? What do I need to do to be at an advantage here? What should I be on the lookout for?]

TheAmishPirate

2018-02-05, 10:05 PM

Suikkara sighs and politely removes Vines-Upon-Stone's hands from her arm as she steps forward. "Xiao Xue. Xiao Xue, my friend, we need you." Her voice is gentle, probably more gentle than any of you have ever heard it. The fondness for a distant friend is in her throat. The Artic Fox, Xiao Xue, promised her his head, and he comes with the cold and ice of the north. "Bring a blizzard, my friend, we have need of your ice, and come quickly."

Suikkara blows her breath unto the wind, and the rising heat carries it off. Xiao Xue had promised her and given to her his name, she knew he would race to her side.

Roll Communion. It’s a hasty summoning, but you know the spirit’s name, and this temple - for however long it stands - is a place of power.

See, there's something amazing about being in a building made of stone. Means she doesn't need to worry about seismic activity. Or at least, she doesn't need to worry about her own seismic activity, given that the mountain seems to be erupting on its own.

With that in mind, she's going to ground herself, reach into the heart of the monastary, and pull it apart like a child with building blocks so she can stack it up in a taller, less lava-y form. It's not perfect, but it means that at least for now, the people here should be slightly less on fire.

I’d call this a battle to get out, so sure; roll some Earthshaping.

Well, Lao Kai is not one to leap into a burning building without cause. I mean, who knows? Maybe the monastery deserves to be buried in lava?

Besides, he's just one man with a sword. What could he do?

[roll0]

[Observing carefully: What here is not as it appears to be? What do I need to do to be at an advantage here? What should I be on the lookout for?]

This is the last stop before the peak. The last chance to sit, rest, and recover your strength for the final climb. An ideal location for a peaceful monastery. Only thing is, why would a place of peace and meditation keep such a large stable of haribou? A few would make sense, but a dozen or more? What need could they possibly have to give mounts to their entire order?

Taking a second look, you’re struck by the uncanny resemblance to the stables you’ve seen garrisons use...

These monks are not here to study the peak, they’re here to guard it. Ensure that all travelers who make it this far wind up at their doors. For what point or purpose, you’d have to ask the Master here.

For that matter, that’s probably not a bad idea. This place is old, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable about Sel and the peak. Rescue the Master and his monks, and you’d be sure to earn their respect, gratitude, and maybe even trust if you play your cards right. (And for that matter, if you wish to make it to the peak before that Lady of Lava does, you’ll likely have need of their guidance and their haribou.)

As for looking out, there’s two things. Looking up the mountain, you notice odd twistings of the light beside the lava trail. They look almost like doors in the air, straining to open. It would seem that Sel the Gatekeeper has more than a few gates strewn around the peak, and stumbling into one would be unwise. The firestarter seems to be avoiding them with a rather circuitous route, so if you stick to her trail than you ought to be fine, though you’d have to wait for the lava to cool first. And she’d see you coming a mile away.

The other, should you choose and stay with the fire, is panic. The fire is spreading quickly, and it’s evident that the monks inside are somewhat divided and without clear direction. They are looking for a strong voice of leadership, and hearing nothing but the crackle of flames. Be that strong voice, and they will heed you. If you waver, their hearts will surely follow suit.

She considers obliterating the creature, but there is nothing for her anger to latch on to. The creature's protocol is perfect. She nods - "make haste. This mountain is in its final moments."

The badgermole buries her nose in the snow with bowing, an eager light dancing in her eyes. “We can only hope, your Ladyship. Right this way...” She digs speedily through the ground in front of you, leading you up the mountain, then around the side, then back down, then back up, then through an out-of-place rock garden, then twisting again...suffice to say, it’s not as direct a route as you might wish, but the reason for the detour quickly becomes apparent.

Splits in the air - reminiscent of the gate you and Kanno entered earlier today - appear and disappear all around you. It is difficult to count them all, or even keep track of their positions, but there must be hundreds of them adorning the mountainside. One misstep could send you straight to the Spirit World, and no telling how long you’d stumble around in there. Or if you’d ever find your way back.

But your servant is faithful. Though twisting, the route is a safe one. Though tedious, you will surely reach the peak.

I will get back to you when you do. Have patience, and you will soon meet Sel.

Anarion

2018-02-06, 12:01 AM

Roll Communion. It’s a hasty summoning, but you know the spirit’s name, and this temple - for however long it stands - is a place of power.

6+3-1+2=10. Xiao Xue comes, and we'll discuss the cost afterwards. Do be sure he freezes the lava column if that's possible.

Balmas

2018-02-10, 08:52 PM

I’d call this a battle to get out, so sure; roll some Earthshaping.

Whoops, spaced on making this roll. Sorry for delaying the game.

[roll0].

BlasTech

2018-02-16, 04:56 AM

This is the last stop before the peak. The last chance to sit, rest, and recover your strength for the final climb. An ideal location for a peaceful monastery. Only thing is, why would a place of peace and meditation keep such a large stable of haribou? A few would make sense, but a dozen or more? What need could they possibly have to give mounts to their entire order?

Taking a second look, you’re struck by the uncanny resemblance to the stables you’ve seen garrisons use...

These monks are not here to study the peak, they’re here to guard it. Ensure that all travelers who make it this far wind up at their doors. For what point or purpose, you’d have to ask the Master here.

For that matter, that’s probably not a bad idea. This place is old, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable about Sel and the peak. Rescue the Master and his monks, and you’d be sure to earn their respect, gratitude, and maybe even trust if you play your cards right. (And for that matter, if you wish to make it to the peak before that Lady of Lava does, you’ll likely have need of their guidance and their haribou.)

As for looking out, there’s two things. Looking up the mountain, you notice odd twistings of the light beside the lava trail. They look almost like doors in the air, straining to open. It would seem that Sel the Gatekeeper has more than a few gates strewn around the peak, and stumbling into one would be unwise. The firestarter seems to be avoiding them with a rather circuitous route, so if you stick to her trail than you ought to be fine, though you’d have to wait for the lava to cool first. And she’d see you coming a mile away.

The other, should you choose and stay with the fire, is panic. The fire is spreading quickly, and it’s evident that the monks inside are somewhat divided and without clear direction. They are looking for a strong voice of leadership, and hearing nothing but the crackle of flames. Be that strong voice, and they will heed you. If you waver, their hearts will surely follow suit.

Lao Kai will rest when he's dead.

But, if it aids his passage to the summit, then a little lava won't stop him.

Lao Kai heads into the temple grounds. Shouting as he goes and directing fleeing monks towards safety.

TheAmishPirate

2018-02-21, 04:24 PM

6+3-1+2=10. Xiao Xue comes, and we'll discuss the cost afterwards. Do be sure he freezes the lava column if that's possible.

Through the smoke, through the leaping flames, through the air shimmering with heat, a single, perfect snowflake brushes your nose.

And Xiao Xue leans down from his perch on your wide brimmed hat to lick it clean.

"My friend! I have brought you my best snow. It is cool relief to your feet and biting blindness to your foes. And the taste is most refreshing!" He laughs, licking his chops.

"As if the neighborhood wasn't crowded enough," Vines-Upon-Stone grouses to herself.

Whoops, spaced on making this roll. Sorry for delaying the game.

[roll0].

The stone foundation is your plaything, and you reshape it to your will. The sinking stops, the floor levels out, and - as the lava cools - you feel it stop eating away at the stone.

[B]Both of you: You're still in a building that's on fire, but at least it's not about to be consumed by lava. And you have a foxy friend with you. What do you do?

Lao Kai will rest when he's dead.

But, if it aids his passage to the summit, then a little lava won't stop him.

Lao Kai heads into the temple grounds. Shouting as he goes and directing fleeing monks towards safety.

A blizzard whips up around you; all snow, no wind, cooling the lava without fanning the flames. The building shudders, then finds its footing again, sinking into the earth no further. But still, the fires burn.

You're guiding the monks out to safety, one by one, when one of them cries out. "The master! Where is the Master? By the spirits, where is he?!" And nobody knows. And everybody can see that nobody knows. And the cry is spreading, competing with your firm voice of command. Some are starting to waver, and they may break ranks and scatter if this continues.

What do you do?

Balmas

2018-02-23, 11:05 PM

Through the smoke, through the leaping flames, through the air shimmering with heat, a single, perfect snowflake brushes your nose.

And Xiao Xue leans down from his perch on your wide brimmed hat to lick it clean.

"My friend! I have brought you my best snow. It is cool relief to your feet and biting blindness to your foes. And the taste is most refreshing!" He laughs, licking his chops.

"As if the neighborhood wasn't crowded enough," Vines-Upon-Stone grouses to herself.

The stone foundation is your plaything, and you reshape it to your will. The sinking stops, the floor levels out, and - as the lava cools - you feel it stop eating away at the stone.

[B]Both of you: You're still in a building that's on fire, but at least it's not about to be consumed by lava. And you have a foxy friend with you. What do you do?

Kanno turns to his friend, and tersely explains, "Sao Ri. She intends to conquer and enslave the world using what I've taught her. We fought. I thought I'd killed her, but I think I might be mistaken. We need to beat her to the top somehow. Orange Robe--sorry, haven't caught your name yet--I'm sorry for playing with your building. So long as it's in pieces, may I borrow one of your flagstones?"

Anarion

2018-02-23, 11:09 PM

Through the smoke, through the leaping flames, through the air shimmering with heat, a single, perfect snowflake brushes your nose.

And Xiao Xue leans down from his perch on your wide brimmed hat to lick it clean.

"My friend! I have brought you my best snow. It is cool relief to your feet and biting blindness to your foes. And the taste is most refreshing!" He laughs, licking his chops.

"As if the neighborhood wasn't crowded enough," Vines-Upon-Stone grouses to herself.

"It is never a crowd when you are among friends." Suikkara smiles warmly at the fox's face and scratches him behind the ear if he will tolerate such familiarity. But then it is on to business, haste is called for.

"Well, Vines-Upon-Stone was it? It seems that your companion has left us for the foolish firelord, who rides here on a plume of lava. Is there a path we can take with haste? I will not be beaten to Sen if it can be stopped."

BlasTech

2018-02-24, 03:33 PM

A blizzard whips up around you; all snow, no wind, cooling the lava without fanning the flames. The building shudders, then finds its footing again, sinking into the earth no further. But still, the fires burn.

You're guiding the monks out to safety, one by one, when one of them cries out. "The master! Where is the Master? By the spirits, where is he?!" And nobody knows. And everybody can see that nobody knows. And the cry is spreading, competing with your firm voice of command. Some are starting to waver, and they may break ranks and scatter if this continues.

What do you do?

"Be silent!" yells Lao Kai.

"You may exit this place safely, or die in here." he continues, once he has their attention. Dirge glints ominously in the firelight. "The choice of how is up to you, but leave worrying over your master to me."

TheAmishPirate

2018-02-28, 09:38 PM

"It is never a crowd when you are among friends." Suikkara smiles warmly at the fox's face and scratches him behind the ear if he will tolerate such familiarity. But then it is on to business, haste is called for.

He will allow three scratches.

One must maintain a public image, after all.

"Well, Vines-Upon-Stone was it? It seems that your companion has left us for the foolish firelord, who rides here on a plume of lava. Is there a path we can take with haste? I will not be beaten to Sen if it can be stopped."

"That scheming - how dare she!" The spirit stomps in frustration. It's unclear if she's frustrated at the betrayal, or because she didn't think of it first. "She'll have taken your Firelord up the quickest path we know. You'll be chasing behind her, and they've got a head start. You'll never catch them. Unless-" The words are cut off by chunks of flaming debris falling from the roof. The smoke thickens, and her voice quickens. "The Master of this place. There is none closer to Sel than he. If there is another way, then he will know."

Of course, the last time you saw the Master, the spirits had locked him in the shrine room via a pile of boulders blocking the door.

Oops.

What do you do?

Kanno turns to his friend, and tersely explains, "Sao Ri. She intends to conquer and enslave the world using what I've taught her. We fought. I thought I'd killed her, but I think I might be mistaken. We need to beat her to the top somehow. Orange Robe--sorry, haven't caught your name yet--I'm sorry for playing with your building. So long as it's in pieces, may I borrow one of your flagstones?"

"If it gets us out of here unburnt, then yes! Of course!" Orange Robe shouts, pleading with you to hurry.

"Be silent!" yells Lao Kai.

"You may exit this place safely, or die in here." he continues, once he has their attention. Dirge glints ominously in the firelight. "The choice of how is up to you, but leave worrying over your master to me."

This depends. If you are making use of your threat to silence them, then roll to Act Dishonorably.

If you are making use of your promise to save their master to silence them, then roll to Speak Honorably.

Anarion

2018-03-01, 03:31 AM

He will allow three scratches.

One must maintain a public image, after all.

Of course. Very important.

"That scheming - how dare she!" The spirit stomps in frustration. It's unclear if she's frustrated at the betrayal, or because she didn't think of it first. "She'll have taken your Firelord up the quickest path we know. You'll be chasing behind her, and they've got a head start. You'll never catch them. Unless-" The words are cut off by chunks of flaming debris falling from the roof. The smoke thickens, and her voice quickens. "The Master of this place. There is none closer to Sel than he. If there is another way, then he will know."

Of course, the last time you saw the Master, the spirits had locked him in the shrine room via a pile of boulders blocking the door.

Oops.

What do you do?

"If it gets us out of here unburnt, then yes! Of course!" Orange Robe shouts, pleading with you to hurry.

It seems Kanno has her own ideas as well. Was she listening. Suikkara will turn to her. "What are you thinking? Your talents here might free the master from the stone barrier that certain spirits may have put up in their haste. Is there some other plan you would see done?"

Balmas

2018-03-01, 07:40 PM

"That scheming - how dare she!" The spirit stomps in frustration. It's unclear if she's frustrated at the betrayal, or because she didn't think of it first. "She'll have taken your Firelord up the quickest path we know. You'll be chasing behind her, and they've got a head start. You'll never catch them. Unless-" The words are cut off by chunks of flaming debris falling from the roof. The smoke thickens, and her voice quickens. "The Master of this place. There is none closer to Sel than he. If there is another way, then he will know."

Of course, the last time you saw the Master, the spirits had locked him in the shrine room via a pile of boulders blocking the door.

Oops.

What do you do?

"If it gets us out of here unburnt, then yes! Of course!" Orange Robe shouts, pleading with you to hurry.

It seems Kanno has her own ideas as well. Was she listening. Suikkara will turn to her. "What are you thinking? Your talents here might free the master from the stone barrier that certain spirits may have put up in their haste. Is there some other plan you would see done?"

"My reasoning is thus," Kanno explains, as she rushes her hands over the flagstone, adding runners, some protective barriers around the edge, and--because some things demand style--a crest of a hammer and anvil on the front. "Sao Ri has a guide, and is bending her way to the top at speed. We're not going to catch up on foot. But if we were to load up into this sleigh, and I were to bend it up the mountain... Well, we probably all still burn to death in lava, but we might stand a chance of getting to the top before she does.

"But first, of course, we have a master to save." Tell me, just how much rock are we talking about? I mean, I just kinda casually rearranged a stone building, so the answer is probably "not enough," but I need to know what I'm up against.

Anarion

2018-03-01, 08:28 PM

"My reasoning is thus," Kanno explains, as she rushes her hands over the flagstone, adding runners, some protective barriers around the edge, and--because some things demand style--a crest of a hammer and anvil on the front. "Sao Ri has a guide, and is bending her way to the top at speed. We're not going to catch up on foot. But if we were to load up into this sleigh, and I were to bend it up the mountain... Well, we probably all still burn to death in lava, but we might stand a chance of getting to the top before she does.

"But first, of course, we have a master to save." Tell me, just how much rock are we talking about? I mean, I just kinda casually rearranged a stone building, so the answer is probably "not enough," but I need to know what I'm up against.

“Just a doorway. And I imagine the Master might be able to direct us better. We ought to save him regardless too, I suppose.”

BlasTech

2018-03-04, 03:50 AM

This depends. If you are making use of your threat to silence them, then roll to Act Dishonorably.

If you are making use of your promise to save their master to silence them, then roll to Speak Honorably.

Threat. Let's stick to what he's best at.

[roll0]

Shoulda tried to speak honourably Lao Kai!

Balmas

2018-03-08, 10:23 PM

Kanno sets herself, and does her level best to get the master monk free.

Do I need to roll for this?

TheAmishPirate

2018-03-09, 06:05 PM

Threat. Let's stick to what he's best at.

[roll0]

Shoulda tried to speak honourably Lao Kai!

Did nobody ever teach you to say please? Kids these days...

The monk's eyes go wide as dinnerplates, reflecting the terrible gleam of your sword, and in the face of death the lot of them flee before you. Some run stumbling down the mountain, others kick down the stable doors to race off on haribou-back, while some even run back inside the burning building. Fire may have mercy on them, but they will find none here.

Oops.

Well, your path inside is clear, and there's nobody else to help and/or threaten. What do you do?

Kanno sets herself, and does her level best to get the master monk free.

Do I need to roll for this?

You're trying to free a person from a burning building, all while not trying to get toasted yourself? Sounds like a fine time to Stand Fast.

Balmas

2018-03-10, 12:40 AM

Standing fast!
[roll0]

BlasTech

2018-03-10, 05:41 AM

Did nobody ever teach you to say please? Kids these days...

The monk's eyes go wide as dinnerplates, reflecting the terrible gleam of your sword, and in the face of death the lot of them flee before you. Some run stumbling down the mountain, others kick down the stable doors to race off on haribou-back, while some even run back inside the burning building. Fire may have mercy on them, but they will find none here.

Oops.

Well, your path inside is clear, and there's nobody else to help and/or threaten. What do you do?

Lao Kai heads into the burning temple, looking for any sign of where the head monk may be.

[Observing Carefully]

[roll0]

[I guess the question is "what do I need to do to be at an advantage here (in terms of finding the head monk)?]

Anarion

2018-03-12, 04:45 PM

Standing fast!
[roll0]

While Kanno works, Suikkara assists along with Xiao Xue. She carries the little fox around to each place where the fire is closing and takes a small bow so that his frigid breath can blow upon it and hold it at bay. She does so hope that he is not put out by all of this, but they needs must find Sen and all here can play a part in the effort.

[rolling to aid: 3+5+0=8. So, that should improve Kanno's result. Not quite sure how it works for Suikkara here.]

TheAmishPirate

2018-03-14, 09:43 PM

Standing fast!
[roll0]

It's rough going. A lesser Earthbender might've collapsed under the strain. But you've spent most of your life enduring the forge's heat, and you are made of sterner stuff than most. The cooling breath of Xiao Xue keeps you from catching alight, and is plenty refreshing to boot.

You shift aside the vine-covered stone, and reveal Master Guan, leaning heavily on his staff and coughing. He steps out, unaided, in sheer defiance to the smoke choking his lungs. "Windows! Down the hall, first right! Run!" He shouts.

While Kanno works, Suikkara assists along with Xiao Xue. She carries the little fox around to each place where the fire is closing and takes a small bow so that his frigid breath can blow upon it and hold it at bay. She does so hope that he is not put out by all of this, but they needs must find Sen and all here can play a part in the effort.

[rolling to aid: 3+5+0=8. So, that should improve Kanno's result. Not quite sure how it works for Suikkara here.]

Xiao Xue leans down to your ear, and speaks, "Suikkara, clever one, you know that I do not give my aid freely, and I have carried my breath a long way. How long will it be until we will speak again?"

Make an Oath to reach an agreement on your payment before you climb the mountain. There will be trouble for you if you refuse.

Lao Kai heads into the burning temple, looking for any sign of where the head monk may be.

[Observing Carefully]

[roll0]

[I guess the question is "what do I need to do to be at an advantage here (in terms of finding the head monk)?]

Using your head before leaping into a burning building? Wise move. That's something you might only get to do once, so you'd better be sure you do it properly.

Now, given that you know this monastary's entire purpose is to watch for travellers climbing up the mountain, and that Da Lang waylaid you for a long time, it's not too far a stretch to imagine that your companions wound up here too. The sudden blizzard and re-arranging stone foundation are a pretty good vote of confidence on that front.

With that in mind, the path to victory becomes clearer. Multiple ally agents, already deployed in the field, closing in on their objective. You are the reserve force, awaiting in safety. Your job is to preserve a route to that safety, and if none exists? Create one. Sally forth - not into the heat of the battle, but far enough to forge a path out of it. Might I recommend the rear of the temple? If the Master is trapped anywhere, then surely the odds favor them being trapped closer to the rear. The most sacred places always tend to be farthest from the front door.

Anarion

2018-03-14, 10:50 PM

Xiao Xue leans down to your ear, and speaks, "Suikkara, clever one, you know that I do not give my aid freely, and I have carried my breath a long way. How long will it be until we will speak again?"

Make an Oath to reach an agreement on your payment before you climb the mountain. There will be trouble for you if you refuse.

Suikkara nods, bobbing the little fox along. They were friends, were they not? And Xiao Xue was still a spirit. It was right and proper that she offer him payment and she would not disrespect a friend by refusing. [An Oath is sworn.]

Then she is running, and the old monk is running, and Kanno is running, and all is confusion.

BlasTech

2018-03-15, 04:52 AM

Using your head before leaping into a burning building? Wise move. That's something you might only get to do once, so you'd better be sure you do it properly.

Now, given that you know this monastary's entire purpose is to watch for travellers climbing up the mountain, and that Da Lang waylaid you for a long time, it's not too far a stretch to imagine that your companions wound up here too. The sudden blizzard and re-arranging stone foundation are a pretty good vote of confidence on that front.

With that in mind, the path to victory becomes clearer. Multiple ally agents, already deployed in the field, closing in on their objective. You are the reserve force, awaiting in safety. Your job is to preserve a route to that safety, and if none exists? Create one. Sally forth - not into the heat of the battle, but far enough to forge a path out of it. Might I recommend the rear of the temple? If the Master is trapped anywhere, then surely the odds favor them being trapped closer to the rear. The most sacred places always tend to be farthest from the front door.

Lao Kai nods to himself, before running towards the rear of the temple.

What would he find when he gets there?

Regardless, he will carve his way through to the snow outside.

Balmas

2018-03-17, 01:31 AM

It's rough going. A lesser Earthbender might've collapsed under the strain. But you've spent most of your life enduring the forge's heat, and you are made of sterner stuff than most. The cooling breath of Xiao Xue keeps you from catching alight, and is plenty refreshing to boot.

You shift aside the vine-covered stone, and reveal Master Guan, leaning heavily on his staff and coughing. He steps out, unaided, in sheer defiance to the smoke choking his lungs. "Windows! Down the hall, first right! Run!" He shouts.

It's the mark of a good smith to be able to tell when metal is getting too hot and needs tempering. I'm pretty sure you can't douse flesh in oil to get rid of heat, but right now I'd kind of welcome that. I'm running, stopping only to bend if and when the fire encroaches too close. Also, if that master slows us down, I'm gonna pick him up and just carry him along. I am a squat brick made of muscle, and I'll wager my second-best hammer I can run faster carrying him than he can on his own.

TheAmishPirate

2018-03-20, 09:16 PM

It's the mark of a good smith to be able to tell when metal is getting too hot and needs tempering. I'm pretty sure you can't douse flesh in oil to get rid of heat, but right now I'd kind of welcome that. I'm running, stopping only to bend if and when the fire encroaches too close. Also, if that master slows us down, I'm gonna pick him up and just carry him along. I am a squat brick made of muscle, and I'll wager my second-best hammer I can run faster carrying him than he can on his own.

Master Guan - true to his pride and title - keeps pace with you, only with significantly more coughing and hacking. The man needs fresh air, and quickly.

Suikkara nods, bobbing the little fox along. They were friends, were they not? And Xiao Xue was still a spirit. It was right and proper that she offer him payment and she would not disrespect a friend by refusing. [An Oath is sworn.]

Then she is running, and the old monk is running, and Kanno is running, and all is confusion.

Lao Kai nods to himself, before running towards the rear of the temple.

What would he find when he gets there?

Regardless, he will carve his way through to the snow outside.

The rearmost room of the temple commands a spectacular view of the Red Mountain's peak. It is a wide, open room where plenty can meditate, while windows and folding screens give minimal obstruction to the sacred peak.

It is now profoundly on fire.

Kanno, Suikkara, you have led the Master and the three monks to the entrance to this room, but the smoke is too thick to pierce. It's difficult to see a safe way through. However...

Lao Kai, you have clear air, moonlight, and sharp eyes. You can just barely make out human shapes moving in the smoke. You have fought man and spirits in your time; can you fight smoke and fire too?

What do you do?

BlasTech

2018-03-22, 04:40 PM

Lao Kai, you have clear air, moonlight, and sharp eyes. You can just barely make out human shapes moving in the smoke. You have fought man and spirits in your time; can you fight smoke and fire too?

What do you do?

Lao Kai can fight anything. No special powers, no magic, no bending. Just pure strength and determination.

He will stand fast against the smoke and fire, to lead the others out to safety.

[roll0]

Balmas

2018-03-25, 03:35 PM

The rearmost room of the temple commands a spectacular view of the Red Mountain's peak. It is a wide, open room where plenty can meditate, while windows and folding screens give minimal obstruction to the sacred peak.

It is now profoundly on fire.

Kanno, Suikkara, you have led the Master and the three monks to the entrance to this room, but the smoke is too thick to pierce. It's difficult to see a safe way through. However...

Lao Kai, you have clear air, moonlight, and sharp eyes. You can just barely make out human shapes moving in the smoke. You have fought man and spirits in your time; can you fight smoke and fire too?

What do you do?

Now, I may be a bit of a one-trick pony, but you have to admit that it's a really darn good trick. If the room's on fire, then the best way to stop it is to get rid of the bits of the building that are on fire. So, like Moses, I stride forward, plant my feet, and part the floor to each side.

Earthbending: [roll0]

Or maybe I don't, I guess. Marking chi.

TheAmishPirate

2018-03-28, 07:43 PM

Now, I may be a bit of a one-trick pony, but you have to admit that it's a really darn good trick. If the room's on fire, then the best way to stop it is to get rid of the bits of the building that are on fire. So, like Moses, I stride forward, plant my feet, and part the floor to each side.

Earthbending: [roll0]

Have you ever seen people walk over hot coals? It's actually a lot less impressive, once you know the trick. Even though the coals are unbelievably hot, the cooler ash forms a protective layer on top of them, keeping the surface surprisingly cool. And so long as the firewalkers don't jam their feet into the coals, they're only touching them for a second or two. Hardly enough time to sustain a burn.

In any case, you jam your foot right into the coals. Mark Burned Feet as a Minor tag.

Or maybe I don't, I guess. Marking chi.

Lao Kai can fight anything. No special powers, no magic, no bending. Just pure strength and determination.

He will stand fast against the smoke and fire, to lead the others out to safety.

[roll0]

Fire curls. Fire wavers. Fire flares up. Fire dies down.

You possess none of these weaknesses. With a steady step, you brave the inferno, neither pausing nor rushing through the peril. You take one of the figures by the hand, and lead the group of them out to safety; under your care, they do not suffer so much as a singed hair. Even as the roof caves in around you, the old building breaking apart under the strain, you stand tall.

[Everyone who had the Tag Trapped in a Burning Building, clear it.]

Standing in the snow, the three of you finally have a moment to breath, and take stock of your situation, grim though it is.

The monks have scattered, taking their speedy mounts with them. A few of those who remain kept enough of their wits about them, but the rest are too burned and broken to stand. The survivors - along with the three you rescued - will have their hands full tending to the wounded. Beside you, the temple continues to burn, and will likely burn until nothing but the foundation remains. Up the mountain, you can see a faint glow, rising steadily towards the peak, as Firelord Sao Ri makes her grand ascension.

Master Guan hobbles over to you. A monk hurries to steady him, but he waves off the help with a curt gesture. "Thanks would be in order, if I knew we would live long enough for them to be appreciated." He fixes each of you with a piercing stare. "Listen to me closely, for all our fates depend on it; do you know the person responsible for this? The one now climbing the peak? And..." He leans closer. "Do you know what she was going to wish for?"

Anarion

2018-03-29, 08:29 AM

“She is Firelord Sao Ri. And while I could not tell you her wish, I would suggest it is one of power and strength for herself. I would encourage haste.”

Balmas

2018-04-01, 10:22 PM

Kanno--wincing gingerly with every step--nods agreement. "Sao Ri. Firelord by virtue of murdering all who opposed her in ritual combat. My former student. She seeks to conquer the world, using what I've taught her to wreak enslavement and death on all who will not bow. I don't know whether her wish will reflect that, but it would surprise me me if it didn't involve her sitting on a throne of skulls somehow."

BlasTech

2018-04-02, 04:02 PM

Lao Kai looks at the two of them in mild confusion.

"You will need to let me know what I have missed." he notes, before going back to watching the exchange with the head Monk.

TheAmishPirate

2018-04-04, 03:38 PM

Mast Guan shakes his head. "I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. Few climb the Red Mountain to ask for dinner." The Master silently weighs his options, as if wondering which finger he'd least mind losing. "...if what you say is true, then there is little time, and there is much I need to tell you."

"Master-!"

He silences his acolyte with a sharp gesture. "They saved our lives. It is only just we try and repay the favor." Yet even now, the way he speaks is measured. Guarded. It could be the gravity of the situation, he could simply be a careful man, but perhaps there is more in his heart than he lets on.

[Would any of you care to Observe Carefully?]

"We haven't time for the full story of Sel the Gatekeeper. It is a tale I tell to all Seekers of the peak, but nevermind the great spirit's history. It is enough to say that he is as greedy as he is powerful, and he covets all he sees. He took many Gates for his own, but longed to have the Gate of the Red Mountain as the crowning jewel of his hoard. In greed he seized the peak, and in greed he was bound to it as its eternal guardian. All his power, all his gain, and he cannot leave the mountain's peak. Such has it been for ages.

"But Sel is cunning. He realized that he was bound to the Red Mountain, and if the Red Mountain should cease to be? Then nothing would bind him here any longer. So grew the legend of Sel, granter of wishes. He trades wishes - jealously, and at great price - and hurls the tolls he exacts into the mountain's heart. Centuries of joy and agony, strength and memory, hopes and dreams now lie stockpiled beneath our feet. The mountain is bursting at the seams. If the Firelord has her wish granted, and pays her price..."

The mountain rumbles, shaking beneath your feet.

"Then the mountain will be no more. We will die, all surrounding the mountain will die, and Sel will be free once more."

He holds up a finger. "There is a chance. The peak is guarded by thousands of discarded Gates; the rubble of a thousand fruitless escape attempts. The Firelord has taken one path to the peak, but only I know another way, more direct. I can show you a path to the peak. You may be able to intercept her. You may be able to stop her. But..." He leans forward on his staff, pinning each of you with his gaze. "Knowing now what you know, Seekers, what do you plan to do?"

Anarion

2018-04-04, 04:18 PM

TheAmishPirate

2018-04-07, 09:25 AM

Suikkara observes carefully. She's already had one encounter with Master Guan, and wonders why, even now, he hesitates. [6+2+1=9. What here is not as it appears to be? Based on the answer, I'll add a tag based on the answer.]

This man has spent his life guarding the peak with an iron fist, keeping Seekers from the peak. He may be grateful, and he may need you to stop the Firelord, but that trust has limits. Even as he helps you, he's watching you. Waiting for one or all of you to try and get your wishes granted. And he may well decide it's best to take matters into his own hands before that happens.

Not yet, though. There's still a Firelord to deal with.

Anarion

2018-04-07, 11:43 AM

Balmas

2018-04-07, 10:04 PM

He holds up a finger. "There is a chance. The peak is guarded by thousands of discarded Gates; the rubble of a thousand fruitless escape attempts. The Firelord has taken one path to the peak, but only I know another way, more direct. I can show you a path to the peak. You may be able to intercept her. You may be able to stop her. But..." He leans forward on his staff, pinning each of you with his gaze. "Knowing now what you know, Seekers, what do you plan to do?"

"Quite frankly, I'd intended to wish the mountain into space," Kanno confesses. "Or, failing that, to drop it into the Fire Islands and let Sao Ri enjoy her newly conquered land. That plan goes out the window in light of new information though." She thumps her hammer into her palm as she thinks. "Stopping Sao Ri is not enough. It does not stop the mountain from exploding, only postpones it until the next foolish intrepid climbs the mountain. The only way to a lasting solution is to deal with Sel, either by bargain or violence."

Suikkara slaps him, hard on the cheek. "I plan to determine what is right. Now stop playing games old monk and get us up there before it's too late!"
[tagging master Guan with chastised]

Kanno misses her palm with her next swing, and she scowls. "While I don't approve of her methods, my friend's message is well said. Any plans we put in place will only be of use if we get there before Sao Ri wishes the mountain's top off."

BlasTech

2018-04-09, 06:30 AM

Lao Kai mostly remained silent as he watched the exchange of his companions. His way with words is limited, and he will only respond if pressed.

TheAmishPirate

2018-04-09, 02:35 PM

Anarion

2018-04-11, 04:09 PM

The slap rings out, sharp as a bell. Master Guan is slow to recover, his head swiveling slowly back to you. But though his expression has lost none of its steel, is there a flash of regret you see? "...you have my apologies," he says, and all the other monks release their collectively held breath. "The oldest habits are the hardest to break. Perhaps this day would not have come had I not acted alone?" He shakes his head. "It's useless talk, now. You are right; it is an hour of action, and we must act. One of you asked about using our stone...?"

This is your last chance before your final assault on the peak. If you wish to make plans, or have any unfinished business to attend to, then speak now, or forever hold your peace.

Suikkara smiles brightly, her mysterious eyes almost glowing. "All is forgiven. Haste is our companion now." And she looks ready to go, a slim maiden, her white hair hanging behind her in the wind, her dress blowing loosely, ragged around the legs, and a fox perched upon her hat.

She does have two thoughts though. First, she turns to the assembled and asks this: "Do any of you have a token for a spirit sturdy enough to stand against a raging fire?"

Second, she puts a hand up to Xiao Xue and asks him. "So, how can I aid you before we ascend the mountain, my friend? I would seek your continued help as well. You have but to name a favor and I am at your command."

Balmas

2018-04-12, 12:09 AM

The slap rings out, sharp as a bell. Master Guan is slow to recover, his head swiveling slowly back to you. But though his expression has lost none of its steel, is there a flash of regret you see? "...you have my apologies," he says, and all the other monks release their collectively held breath. "The oldest habits are the hardest to break. Perhaps this day would not have come had I not acted alone?" He shakes his head. "It's useless talk, now. You are right; it is an hour of action, and we must act. One of you asked about using our stone...?"

This is your last chance before your final assault on the peak. If you wish to make plans, or have any unfinished business to attend to, then speak now, or forever hold your peace.

"I did," Kanno admits, and then shifts uneasily. "Admittedly, my plan to bend a stone sledge to the top of the mountain will be much less comfortable now." Still, burnt feet or not, she must be the rock. Unbending, unwavering. Set pain aside for a later date. She slides her hammer into her belt and begins the work of again crafting a sleigh. No time for adornments now, just runners and bed.

Suikkara smiles brightly, her mysterious eyes almost glowing. "All is forgiven. Haste is our companion now." And she looks ready to go, a slim maiden, her white hair hanging behind her in the wind, her dress blowing loosely, ragged around the legs, and a fox perched upon her hat.

She does have two thoughts though. First, she turns to the assembled and asks this: "Do any of you have a token for a spirit sturdy enough to stand against a raging fire?"

The smith gives a wry smile. "All I can offer is my hammer. It has stood the test of many a forge's fire, although I am not sure that is what is meant."

TheAmishPirate

2018-04-17, 05:56 PM

Suikkara smiles brightly, her mysterious eyes almost glowing. "All is forgiven. Haste is our companion now." And she looks ready to go, a slim maiden, her white hair hanging behind her in the wind, her dress blowing loosely, ragged around the legs, and a fox perched upon her hat.

She does have two thoughts though. First, she turns to the assembled and asks this: "Do any of you have a token for a spirit sturdy enough to stand against a raging fire?"

The assembled looks to their ruined monastery, currently being ravaged by a raging fire.

“If we did, I don’t think they worked particularly well.” A monk comments dryly.

Second, she puts a hand up to Xiao Xue and asks him. "So, how can I aid you before we ascend the mountain, my friend? I would seek your continued help as well. You have but to name a favor and I am at your command."

Xiao Xue leaps onto your hand, spirals down your arm, and lands softly on the snow. “I’m so glad you asked. In all the hurry, I had wondered if you’d forgotten.”

[Mark Chi for fulfilling your Oath.]

He drew himself up into a proud, majestic pose, ideal for such negotiations. “Now then. You asked for my snow and my breath to deliver you through fire, and you have been delivered. Asking for help up the mountain is another matter entirely, but perhaps both bargains could be covered at once?” He sniffs at your feet. “I have wondered; since you have sold your shoes, would you give me your footsteps? Seven of your footsteps you have yet to take? The peak will be fraught with danger and peril, and there is no telling what may happen to you, my friend. Were I to hold this gift, though, I could place those steps on the North Pole, and at once you would be safe.”

There is no smile on his face anymore. He speaks gravely of a sure intention. “Were I to hold this gift, and were I to see your life could be in peril, I would take you far, far away from this dangerous place, never to return. I wonder; would you give me this?”

What do you do?

"I did," Kanno admits, and then shifts uneasily. "Admittedly, my plan to bend a stone sledge to the top of the mountain will be much less comfortable now." Still, burnt feet or not, she must be the rock. Unbending, unwavering. Set pain aside for a later date. She slides her hammer into her belt and begins the work of again crafting a sleigh. No time for adornments now, just runners and bed.

Tell me more about this sled. You say ‘no adornments’, but I know you, Kanno. To you, an adornment is merely a piece that serves no purpose. So what pieces are you adding, and what purposes do they serve?