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  1. - Top - End - #61
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Apr 2020

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland

    "Verglas! Get away from the wagon!" Roland's first instinct is to hold on and try to save the wagon, but an instant later he realizes it would be folly. He tries push off of it even as it pitches back towards him, leaping back and away towards whatever remains of the half-crumbled mountain trail.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Jump (if it's appropriate): (1d20-5)[15]

    If able I pull out my ice axe and jam its point into the ground to try to stay planted on whatever remains of the trail.

  2. - Top - End - #62
    Titan in the Playground
     
    DrK's Avatar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Njal

    THe dwarf looks at the attempt to cross the now impressive tree bridge and waits patiently, a hand resting on the horses flank to keep him calm. As the tree creaks and cracks he darts forward, throwing out the rope that he still had in his hands from pulling up the horse. He hurls it towars Roland and the gnome cursing as the wagon looks like its about to tumble downwards
    Thanks to Emperor Ing for the nice Avatar

  3. - Top - End - #63
    Titan in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Verglas

    As the wagon began to pitch her off to the left into the abyss, Verglas grimaced. She had spent a long time designing that box and getting it just right, and now it was going to end up in a heap of splinters at the bottom of this stupid mountain. Also, she might die. But mostly, the box.

    With a petulant tone, she gestured and mouthed two words of power. There were times when her obsession with the elves of old got her into trouble, and times when it was the Father's greatest blessing to her. Because, say what you would about their ancient oppressors, they had style.

    In an instant, she doubled in height. Around the straps of her pack, a pair of magnificent white wings sprouted, unfurled and caught the violent updraft pitching up the mountain. It took Verglas a moment to stabilize, well away from the slipping wagon.

    Sorry, box.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Standard action to cast Alter Self into an Avariel elf.She really does specialize in ancient elven lore!

    Move action, get the heck away from the wagon.
    Last edited by Toliudar; 2020-05-16 at 11:01 PM.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  4. - Top - End - #64
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Planetar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Spoiler: OOC Verglas
    Show
    That'll need a Concentration check - DC 11, 10 for the motion, 1 for the level of the spell.


    Spoiler: OOC Everyone
    Show
    Assuming this check comes off (which it will absent a natural 1), people, then Verglas will certainly make it to the other side of the gap without a problem. One point, though, if it's of interest - whilst the avariel might be a relatively rare subspecies of elf, there is enough general familiarity from history (and indeed horror stories told around fires in Horizon's halls and holds) for people to realise that Verglas has assumed the form of one of humanity's hated oppressors. There might not be specific familiarity with the subspecies, but avariel are elven enough that they're recognisably elven in features.

    Your characters' reactions of course are completely a matter for you, but there might be any range of reactions from disquiet (for those who've most been trained or been around magic) to disgust. (Or indeed it could be just indifference or no reaction at all - again, your reactions are up to you/your characters.) An analogue might be one's reaction to seeing someone who's turned themselves into a living, breathing copy of a certain well-known political tyrant of history. Or another reaction might be your character considering invoking elven forms, tricks, or so on as invoking bad luck, something that needs the placation of the spirits, or even the gods themselves, a little like someone making the gesture of the evil eye in our own world. Or tossing salt over your shoulder after you've spilled it, or refusing to light three candles from one match - superstitions in our world have a stronger intensity in Horizon if only because the power of the gods and spirits is evident rather than supposed.

  5. - Top - End - #65
    Titan in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Verglas Concentration: (1d20+9)[17]

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Also, here's Verglas, smiling beatifically as she floats off of the wagon:

    Last edited by Toliudar; 2020-05-16 at 11:12 PM.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  6. - Top - End - #66
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Planetar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Early afternoon, Day 1
    Complication Pool: 3 of 6

    Verglas landed lightly on the far side of the gap, winged and terrible. Roland's journey was more precarious; he leapt clear of the lurching wagon, pulling his ice axe and smashing it into a temporarily-stable-looking cleft of rock. He nearly pulled his arm from its socket as the axe dug in and held, his whole weight on it - but Njal's rope dropped next to him a second later, leaving him a simple path up, assisted by the adventurers on that side of the gap.

    The tree-bridge gave way, the oak tearing loose of its moorings and commencing the long roll down the slope. The wagon preceded it, pinwheeling like a dying beetle, bits and pieces flying from it in seven different directions. The noise of it crunching down the slope ricocheted off the nearest slopes, a cacophony of crashes, bangs, and bongs. Finally, the half-smashed wagon hit the bottom of the slope.

    Where the oak's trunk found it. There was a final, apocalyptic crunch as the wagon smashed under tons of wooden weight, and then only the echo of the noise and the cloud of dust whipped up in its ruin.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Roland and Verglas are safe, but the wagon is pretty much beyond repair. However, some individual items stored in the wagon might have survived. You could make your way down (taking 10 on Climb checks) to recover what was in it, but that will involve some time passing, which in turn would raise the Complication Pool to 4 of 6.

  7. - Top - End - #67
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    HalfOrcPirate

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Mundstock

    The pain of her kin was transmitted throughout generations.

    Elves, the torturers.

    Not even the practicality of flying justified it.

    She looked at the gnome with disdain, but didn't say anything. She was worried for all the time lost saving the wagon.

  8. - Top - End - #68
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland

    Roland groans painfully as he reaches for the rope, pulling himself towards Njal as quickly as his arms can bear before the trail collapses further. He claps the dwarf on the shoulder breathlessly, nodding in thanks, though he can't quite manage words yet as he gasps for air. Roland drops his hands to his knees, trying to steady shaky legs. His shoulder was on fire, his head was pounding, and he'd just caused their supplies to rain down the mountainside, but Roland still found the time to grimace at Verglas' appearance.

    His heart had been in his throat moments before, not just due to his predicament but Verglas' as well. If you'd asked him what he'd do to make sure she could escape unscathed, he would've been hard pressed to come up with anything he wouldn't do. But then, Roland couldn't make someone appear to be an elf either. All of his attempts to learn how to become a cleric had met with disastrous results, and he wasn't even sure that was something a cleric would know how to do. With another groan, he rises to his full height and strips off his cloak.

    "Caileag," Roland started, forgetting himself. "Verglas...cover yourself," he says, stepping between Verglas and the others and holding up his cloak to hide her like you might a woman with a compromising lack of clothing. "You're indecent. Best change out of that skin. Please," Roland said, his tone contradicting the polite nature of his request.

    Silently Roland mouthed a prayer to the Firekeeper to continue keeping him safe, to keep them both safe, and to ward off evil. And if She should happen to have a few more moments to spare, could the Red Lady also lend Verglas her guiding light so that the gnome might have the sense to change back into her skin and stay that way?

  9. - Top - End - #69
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Aug 2018

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Maxis

    When the wagon falls down, she wants to curse loudly, as its loss would slow them down, and on top of that, had still carried some of her gear. But then, she witnesses the transformation of the gnome into what she has learned to hate from the beginning of her life. First from the stories told to children, later in history lessons, and finally in the lore training for her career as a Firemaiden. She had been open towards Verglas from the beginning, even if others might have had their prejudices towards her. But this... choosing the embodiment of the very creatures who had hurt the Firekeeper herself... who had shoved this world into darkness. The slavers of humans and other creatures alike. This was...

    "...blasphemy! An insult to the Gods and ourselves!". When Roland steps between them, she had already taken a few steps towards the winged creature, the big warhammer in both hands, apparently ready to strike. "Abandon this form, NOW!" A non-verbal "or else" is in the air.

    Roland is still in between them, but judging her fiery glance, she might not shy away from just hammering her way towards Verglas if required.

  10. - Top - End - #70
    Titan in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Edmonton, Canada

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Verglas

    The gnome's head whips around. Her eyebrow is not so much arched as alpine. Verglas alights gently on the far side of the gap and quickly, if awkwardly, dumps out the contents of her backpack in the snow.

    "Why yes, I am alive. Thanks so much for your concern. I'm jost going to go see if I can go gather some of our life-saving supplies from the twisted wreckage below, and then perhaps we can use some of the wood that we recover to build a bonfire that you can then use to burn me as a witch. I'm sure that it will be heart-warming, cathartic and festive for all of you."

    She soars down towards the remains of the wagon.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Verglas only has about 15 pounds of carrying capacity, even with an empty backpack, so this could take a few trips.
    Last edited by Toliudar; 2020-05-17 at 11:16 PM.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  11. - Top - End - #71
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Apr 2020

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland

    Roland's shoulders slump as Verglas makes her remarks and flies off in her new skin. Seems the Firekeeper was busy elsewhere today. Roland's head hurt and grinding his teeth together didn't seem to be helping any. He throws his cloak over his shoulder and turns to Maxis.

    "Easy there, lass. Easy," Roland says, holding his hands out in front of him, palms out. "That's the wrong tool for the job if I've ever seen one. A hammer's for pounding good iron and bad people. If you want to hit something, I understand. If you want to punish her, I get that too; the gods know my ancestors slaved in the fields back when the world was still green. But that child down there," Roland continues, pointing to where Verglas is floating down to the wreckage, "she's not one of the Oppressors. She's just a stupid little girl dressed up like one. Firekeeper help me, my brothers and I used to play 'Heroes and Elves' back when we were knee-high and didn't know any better. That's all she is Maxis. A fool-child that doesn't know any better." Roland takes half a step closer, eyebrows raised as he looks for any sign that his words are having an impact.

    "Maybe we could teach her, yeah? You and me? With words, I mean. I've known some folk to respond better to words than hammers," Roland says, forcing a tight half-smile. “In the meantime, what say we grab whatever’s left of that gear I dumped all over the mountain? When it starts getting cold later tonight, might be you’d rather hit me with that hammer than her.”

  12. - Top - End - #72
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland's step towards her is met by one step of her into his direction. She clearly listens to what he says, but apparently it makes her rather more furious.

    "A little girl? Have you even heard what she just said? Those were not the words of a child, that was mockery! Stop belittling those around you, neither is she a dumb child nor am I one to believe it! If you have any honor stop making up excuses for her." She takes a deep breathe. "I respect her power, but I do not tolerate such blasphemy. If it costs me a warm night, then I'm ready to take this challenge." Another deep breathe, as if she actively needs to control herself. "I am not stupid enough to attack her, as it might take two of the list of Lyssa's protectors. My word weighs stronger than my sensitivities."

    She averts from, takes off her backpack and rummages shortly, bringing forth block and tackle. "Njal, you look stubborn enough to hold this in position."
    Last edited by Niobaran; 2020-05-18 at 03:02 PM.

  13. - Top - End - #73
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland

    Roland bites back his own mounting fury as Maxis questions both his honor and his intentions. Unable to let it lie there, he responds slowly, trying hard to keep his voice controlled and even.

    "Aye. You may be right Maxis. Maybe I'm excusing her blasphemy and her mockery. Maybe the gnome is aware of the pain she causes and chooses to twist the knife anyway. Maybe she is all that you say and more. I don't know if you're right about her, but I do know you're right about one thing. We need each other if we're going to find Lyssa. I may not have given Lord Hardwalker my 'word' that I'd find his daughter without regard for whether I could promise such a thing, but I will certainly try as long as I draw breath and there is hope that she lives."

    Roland tries to allow things to settle there, grabbing his rope and securing one end to Ember before walking down the slope with the other end.

  14. - Top - End - #74
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Planetar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Twilight, Day 1
    Complication Dice: 5 of 6

    It had taken a good hour or so for the adventurers to find all that could be salvaged from the wreck of the wagon and then turn back to the mountain trail, leading their horses across the gap and then resuming their course.

    The ruin of the wagon and the loss of a good portion of their gear was not something easily forgotten. Now Mundstock was truly on foot, albeit she used skis to their best advantage. And they’d certainly lost potions and some portion of their food as well, as well as other useful items. The brief flare-up between Verglas, Maxis and Roland didn’t recur, though; even so, it was a quiet journey onward into the mountains.

    For a miracle, they didn’t run into any opposition. Njal had come across the old tracks of verbeeg once, and they had seen a flock of ravens which were too large for the distance they seemed to be at … but, fortunately, the gigantic birds had other business on their minds, and nothing confronted them.

    Even so, the loss of time weighed heavy. The sun was sinking into the west, and the first finders of night cold were beginning to caress their faces. After what seemed an endless hike along sharp trails and down precarious paths, their way finally dipped into a narrow dell, a cleft below a vast overhang of rock. And at last, turning around a bend in the road, they saw it, a hundred feet ahead.



    It was something more than a ranger’s hut; even from the distance it had been built with a high-arched roof to throw off the snow, and it was more the size of a small family’s home. There was a hint of a stable behind the main structure of the house, likely enough to keep their mounts and companions in relative comfort. The roof seemed intact and well-made from here, and the place appeared to be in good condition despite being apparently abandoned for a long time.

    Indeed, that was the troubling thing. The place seemed to be maintained. As if it were inhabited.
    The primary evidence for that supposition being the sign of a flickering light present in the window to the left of the front door.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    What do you do? You’re a hundred feet out from the structure.

  15. - Top - End - #75
    Titan in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Verglas

    Aware that she was on both literal and metaphorical shaky ground, Verglas was uncharacteristically silent for the next leg of the trip. She found a way to wedge herself in uncomfortably behind someone's saddle, and endeavoured to make herself as un-troublesome as possible.

    As the group paused outside the hunter's cottage, she observed the light in the window but the absence of smoke from a chimney, and didn't know what to make of the combination.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  16. - Top - End - #76
    Titan in the Playground
     
    DrK's Avatar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Njal

    Riding on his happily healed horse Njal lets the others chat amongst him, a wary eye on the gnome. Her transformation hadn't offended him as much as some of the others, she were still a gnome not one of the hated ones bit it was a form in poor taste. He pulls up on the slope overlooking the rangers hut. "That could be a good sign eh? A light on for a weary traveller."

    He hops down from the horse landing in a flurry of snow. "You want me and the dog to head up ahead and see what we can see? See if the boy here can smell any great cats?"
    Thanks to Emperor Ing for the nice Avatar

  17. - Top - End - #77
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Ethron

    Distraught by the loss of his wagon and the "much needed" supplies (despite not knowing what he truly needs), Ethron began to doubt if they really could accomplish this mission, and if he'd ever see home again, but with the ranger hut on the horizon, there were other matters to contend with. Looking to the others, he replied "I would rather knock first. If it can light a candle it can answer a door, and that's civilized enough for me, I think."
    Spoiler: List of Things You Don't Need To Know
    Show

    Quote Originally Posted by Venger View Post
    killing and eating a bag of rats is probably kosher.
    Gosh 2D8HP, you are so very correct (and also good looking), and your humility is stunning

  18. - Top - End - #78
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland

    As the others come to a stop one by one where the trail opens up, Roland guides Ember between them and looks at the others. Even though the window is lit like a beacon in the twighlight, Roland completely misses it at first. "What do you mean? What's going on?" Roland stares at Ethron and Njal before finally turning to follow their gaze. "Oh."

    Finally taking in the light, Roland doesn't quite recognize just how well-kept the place appears compared to what his expectation should be. Either way he's puzzled, wondering what could have made Lyssa stay so close to Hardwalker Hold. "Maybe she's here," he offers without much conviction. "No doubt if she is, six people wandering out of the snow at the same time is liable to spook her. Might be best if just one us does the knocking, but I wouldn't mind knowing what's in that stable back there first. A couple great cats, half a dozen horses, or naught but snow makes a difference," Roland says, looking back and forth between Ethron and Njal.

  19. - Top - End - #79
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    DrK's Avatar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Njal

    The druid looks at Roland and nods. "Aye lad. I ain't the most welcoming. Me and the mutt will head round the back. Let one of ye charming lads head to the door. Holler if ye get into bother." He lets out a low whistle and Gromnir bounds over to him. With a hand on the dog's furry head Njal stomps off through the thick snow heading around the back of the small hut looking for signs of tracks, animals or "beasts" in the stables or in the surrounding woods

    Spoiler: OOC
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    Spot / Listen (1d20+5)[17] / (1d20+5)[10]
    Survival (1d20+10)[22]

    + Scent from Gromnir
    Thanks to Emperor Ing for the nice Avatar

  20. - Top - End - #80
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Planetar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Twilight, Day 1
    Complication Dice: 5 of 6

    As he moved around the side of the building and to the rear, Njal had been expecting Gromnir to start growling. Or snarl. Or otherwise give some sort of indication that there was something wrong. But the big husky didn't. Quite the opposite. The dog had taken a few moments to tap his nose in the way dogs did when smelling something at the corner of the building, but, seemingly satisfied, had then moved right on, nonchalantly trotting around the back of the building with barely a look back.

    Spoiler: Njal
    Show
    Indeed, as Njal turned the rear corner himself, Gromnir was standing, tongue lolling, at the entrance to the building they'd suspected were stables. And indeed they were stables; solid, well-built ones, the timbers fine and the craftsmanship of the sort built to stand up to the weight of snow and the relentless pull and push of snow and ice. The stables were empty, but they'd been built to keep their door out of the prevailing wind, and there was certainly enough room for the adventurers' three horses and their dogs besides. They'd be well protected from the cold here.

    Satisfied nothing was going to try and accost him at least for the moment, Njal turned his attention to the ground. There was no sign of any large, four-legged animal here recently, but there were a decent amount of tracks trundling between the stable and indeed the house itself. There was a rear door to the place, too, and the way the tracks looked it seemed a good number of two-legged creatures had been coming and going. The spread of the prints was a bit odd; as a dwarf he knew he didn't have a long stride himself, but these prints were closer still, as if a fair number of small individuals, even smaller than Verglas's gnomish stature, were walking around here. The feet, too, were small; and they had a light tread from what he could see, as if the owner of the tracks moved light on his feet. It seemed to be a regular print; no sign of clawed toes or rear talons.

    And Njal had a certain sensation moving over him. Had been, since he'd crossed to a good fifty feet from the house. It was a feeling of rightness. Like the feeling you had in a warm fur coat that fully kept out the cold, but didn't overheat you. Or the 'ah' feeling one had when you first walked into a room with an open fireplace from a bitter cold day outside.

  21. - Top - End - #81
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland

    Watching Njal disappear around the side of the hut, Roland pulls his cloak tighter around his shoulders as the wind picks up for a moment. Glancing at the others, he clears his throat. "A bit cold to be standing out here waiting while whoever's in there is tucked away inside. You're right Ethron. I suppose no matter who it is, they'll know how to answer a door, friendly or no. Besides, it's been a long day. We could all use the comfort of four walls and a warm fire."

    Looking around for confirmation, Roland turns back to Verglas before looking over to Ethron, Mundstock, and letting his eyes settle on Maxis. "Let's go have a closer look, shall we?"

  22. - Top - End - #82
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Maxis nods, "Let's do it."and walks towards the entrance with whoever wants to come.

  23. - Top - End - #83
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland keeps an eye out for Njal, removing his helmet and carrying it under his arm as they walk up to the front door. Looking for any sign that someone might be watching them from inside, Roland hesitates just a moment before knocking.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Rolls if they're relevant.

    Spot: (1d20)[10]
    Listen: (1d20-2)[12]

  24. - Top - End - #84
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    BlueWizardGirl

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    Edmonton, Canada

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Verglas

    Whether she feels she can contribute or is just trying to get in out of the cold faster, Verglas slide/falls off of Roland's horse and plows through the snow toward the door with her companions.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  25. - Top - End - #85
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Maxis

    Seeing Roland hesitate, she also waits for a moment. Maybe he had heard something? Unless anyone hears something, she knocks.

    Spoiler: Rolls
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    listen - (1d20+3)[14]

  26. - Top - End - #86
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Planetar

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    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Twilight, Day 1
    Complication Dice: 5 of 6

    Spoiler: Maxis
    Show
    A wonderful feeling washed over Maxis as she crossed within fifty feet of the front door. It was a sense of rightness, a feeling not unlike that which she felt when in one of the Firekeeper's own temples, with the icons of fire and the forge all about. A sense of homecoming and warmth. And it was a feeling that sparked a recollection in her mind, though she couldn't place her finger on it right this moment...


    Spoiler: Roland
    Show
    There was a good feeling that came over Roland as he crossed over a threshold maybe fifty feet from the front door. It was akin to the first feeling he'd had when he believed the Firekeeper was calling him to become a cleric, even if that feeling ended in a certain sense of sadness some years later and the path of the crusader. A feeling like those one associated with warm clothes, and friendly taverns.


    There wasn't any answer to the knock for a moment, and their approach to the door hadn't been marked by any noise or any movement they could see at the frost-touched windows. But then the door swung wide, revealing a room beyond solid and well-kept.

    There were three little figures standing a foot or two inside the door. They didn't appear to have actually opened it. Dressed in rags, they seemed to be small, hairy men with thick beards and sooty skins. Not one of them was more than two feet tall, making Verglas feel gigantic for once in her life; Njal perhaps could have matched their beards, but he too would have been larger than them. There was a little glint of fire in their eyes for a second, but then the middle one, seemingly the eldest with wisps of white in his black beard, opened his arms wide. He smiled, his voice deep and his Common accented. "Yak czhe pani chuey! You comink in! Velcome!"

    Spoiler: Maxis and Roland
    Show
    Recognition poured over the two devotees of the Firekeeper, even if the first phrase wasn't familiar to either of them. There was no enemy here. These little men were a people known and fondly regarded by the Firekeeper's clergy. They were referred to by many names, the most common in church being the candle-men, "the sparks of the Lady's Hearth", but the name these little spirit-men referred to themselves as was domovoi, keepers of the flame. They were nocturnal house spirits, protectors of creatures that depended on hearth and fire to live in cold areas. While a domovoi watched over an encampment or a house, fires were a little warmer, illumination was just that tiny bit stronger, and creatures of the cold and night were less likely to strike. That said, they weren't worshippers of the Lady per se - merely their bent and their natural inclinations strongly aligned with the Firekeeper's own.


    Spoiler: Mundstock
    Show
    Ah. Domovoi. That was a pleasant surprise out here, and it went a long way towards explaining why the "abandoned" ranger's hut hadn't succumbed to the elements in the interim. Domovoi tended to move into abandoned ruins or campsites and maintained them as their own until the hunters or rangers returned. All it took to keep a domovoi happy was an offering of firewood or grain, which they seemed to actually enjoy as a snack according to all the stories.


    Spoiler: Verglas
    Show
    Some vague memory went through Verglas's mind of 'little grey men' who liked to tend fires, but otherwise this was one of the few times something friendly and smaller than her had said hello.


    Spoiler: Ethron
    Show
    The guardsman was startled. Just as there were horror stories about elves told around campfires, there were just as many stories of helpful (and sometimes mischievous) creatures known as Sooties told in taverns: stories of how a hungry traveller would, in desperation, leave half of the last of his firewood outside his cold, drafty shelter as an offering ... only to find that when he awoke, his fire was burning brighter than it normally would, the offering gone, and little footprints in the snow going to and from. And the stories of how one sometimes caught sight of them, little soot-covered men with black beards and little hints of fire in their eyes.

  27. - Top - End - #87
    Titan in the Playground
     
    DrK's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    UK
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Njal

    Njal paused and looked around the stables and then smiled as the feeling of rightness washed over him. He looked in the stables to make sure there was sufficient space for their mounts and the doors and the feed stations were in place. After checking the stables he slogged through the snow back to the front of the house and saw the door open and the small bearded creatures within the ranger abode. Grinning nodded to the others, "Aye ye be safe here. I'll see to the beasts, then join you inside."

    Taking the bridles of the horses he leads the collection of horses back to the stables, the darkness not an issue for him, as he saw that each horse was safely stashed in the stables, shared hay from his saddlebags between them and topped up their water buckets.
    Thanks to Emperor Ing for the nice Avatar

  28. - Top - End - #88
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

    Join Date
    Apr 2020

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Roland

    Road-weary and cold, Roland couldn't explain how he'd come to feel lighter on his feet. It was as if the clock had wound backwards as he stepped forward, the weight of countless experiences over a decade seemingly rolling off his shoulders. All the doors that had closed to him over the years melted away as he felt a spark, a whisper from Her just like the one he'd felt all those years ago when he knew he would be a cleric someday. As the feeling persisted, a new door opened.

    It was without reservation that Roland beamed down on the three figures, thanking them for their hospitality. "We would be honored, thank you! It is getting colder out here, but I can see you three have that well in-hand in there," Roland says, smiling brightly. He steps out of the way and tries to usher the others inside with a word of encouragement as Njal comes around.

    Before Roland can think to hand her reins over, Ember pulls away to approach the dwarf. "She doesn't usually take to strangers quite so fast," Roland says to Njal. "Thank you. I'll find out what the food situation is and see about heating up some grub." Turning back, Roland steps inside.
    Last edited by Riggdgames; 2020-05-25 at 06:22 AM.

  29. - Top - End - #89
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2018

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Maxis

    Seeing the Domovoi puts a big smile on her face. She slightly bows, not lacking respect even though they are so small.

    "Greetings, Keepers! I gladly accept your invitation." Once allowed, she steps inside, looking for the first opportunity to get out of her snowy boots.

  30. - Top - End - #90
    Titan in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Edmonton, Canada

    Default Re: A Gathering Storm

    Verglas

    Emboldened by the others seeming to relax at the sight of the dirty little men, Verglas simply darts inside and looks for a warm spot - a fireside, a blanket, something.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

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