[Nexus] Outside XXIV

[iElf]

[Plains]
One of the goats breaks from the herd, running toward the area where the plains get less and less lush.
It trips, toppling into a dry riverbed.

Plains

Fletch frowns...she stops her horse, and jumps off. this was no fun , if they couldn't even put up a fight. she tries to approach the beast "it's ok....I'm not here to hurt you...you#re not hurt are you?"

[Murkus]

Lakeside

"GLoG." Legion blinks, as if just now remembering something. She baps her wrist against her forehead. "GLoG. Yeah. Let's go. But you might wanna put some pants on first." The Lady gives a small smile.

Airship

((Hadn't seen LOTRfan post >.>))

"That's right. Coilguns, also." Bellan says, looking curiously at the bowl. He takes a spoon, far too small in his tremendous hand, and starts daintily scooping out some of the food. The giant glances at Cerebrian, spoonfuls of beef disappearing amidst his mandibles. "Cannons? Of what sort?"

[Beans]

Plains

Fletch frowns...she stops her horse, and jumps off. this was no fun , if they couldn't even put up a fight. she tries to approach the beast "it's ok....I'm not here to hurt you...you#re not hurt are you?"

The beast would be easy to approach... if it hadn't just been dragged around a bend in the riverbed.
There's a sort of clicking around the bend.

[iElf]

The beast would be easy to approach... if it hadn't just been dragged around a bend in the riverbed.
There's a sort of clicking around the bend.

Fletch follows...she will knock an arrow, and get ready to face what ever can drag a giant goat away, gulping slightly

[Beans]

[Plains]
The goat's bulk obscures the low-slung creature that's hauling it around the curves and bends.

Eventually, they'll reach what looks like a failed set of canal locks. Concrete foundations.
There's a maintenance tunnel. The goat's legs disappear into it...

[iElf]

[Plains]
The goat's bulk obscures the low-slung creature that's hauling it around the curves and bends.

Eventually, they'll reach what looks like a failed set of canal locks. Concrete foundations.
There's a maintenance tunnel. The goat's legs disappear into it...

Fletch runs foreward, trying to leap up onto the goat, and see what was pulling it away!

[Beans]

[Canal Locks]
It's a bit too fast for her. And dark in here.
The goat's feeble flailing may push her off balance, possibly giving the goat-dragger a few seconds of headway.

[iElf]

canal locks

she stumbles off, but leaps up quickly again, running after the goat dragger , using her night vision to help her!

[Beans]

[Canal Locks]
Suddenly, the goat stops and there's a noise like a bunch of empty suitcases falling down stairs. Something tumbles in the gloom, clicking.
Oww!

[iElf]

Fletch frowns, placing some light into her hand "who are you?"

[Beans]

[Locks]
It's... a scorpion gal! ((Her body structure is pretty much like this, but no random spikes and whatnot.))
She rubs her head.
A person you chased for no reason.

[iElf]

[Locks]
It's... a scorpion gal! ((Her body structure is pretty much like this, but no random spikes and whatnot.))
She rubs her head.
A person you chased for no reason.

Fletch frowns "well...i wanted to know what could be able to move a half ton giant goat as easily as that...i'm fletch by the way"

[Beans]

[Locks]
I'm Ourana Varsk.
... So, um, yeah.

[iElf]

[Locks]
I'm Ourana Varsk.
... So, um, yeah.

"well...why do ya live down here? I mean...it's pretty dark and stuff..."

[Beans]

[Locks]
Well, I don't like really bright light and there's some actual light in the place I was heading to. Lemme show you.
She grips the now-dead goat in her claws and continues her backwards journey around a couple of corners. Up a ramp, around another corner, and they're in a room bathed in soft light.
First of all, the girl can be seen now. She's pale, with brown hair and large dark eyes. Her scorpion body is a dusty brown, which matches the color of the camisole top she's wearing.
There's a pile of softworn tarps and army blankets in a corner, a battered and scraped old set of lockers on one wall, and other stuff.

[DoomITP]

The Sky

Moore's Flying Ship the Swift Scale is now flying in the sky.

[iElf]

[Locks]
Well, I don't like really bright light and there's some actual light in the place I was heading to. Lemme show you.
She grips the now-dead goat in her claws and continues her backwards journey around a couple of corners. Up a ramp, around another corner, and they're in a room bathed in soft light.
First of all, the girl can be seen now. She's pale, with brown hair and large dark eyes. Her scorpion body is a dusty brown, which matches the color of the camisole top she's wearing.
There's a pile of softworn tarps and army blankets in a corner, a battered and scraped old set of lockers on one wall, and other stuff.

Fletch smiles "hey...nice place you have here...and you don#t look bad either"

[Beans]

[Locks]
Thanks!
And yeah, I guess I didn't fall that bad when I tripped earlier.
She's a little ditzy, to be sure.
She drags the goat to a door and goes in.

[iElf]

[Locks]
Thanks!
And yeah, I guess I didn't fall that bad when I tripped earlier.
She's a little ditzy, to be sure.
She drags the goat to a door and goes in.

Fletch follows her, looking around

[happyturtle]

Slaver Plawt

Spoiler

Show

Oh look! All the other guards ran away! Which means Keld arrived too late to make absolutely any difference in the battle! Yay.

[Slaver Plawt]

Solid stone of what kind? Such things may suddenly be called into question as stone meets steel. The steel of Keld's gauntleted fist as he simply attempts to slam it through the stone armor. And possibly grab Cessie. He's quite strong that way.

Slaver Plawt



Ezra is walloped by a walloped by a water elemental and then hit by Jasper's bullet. He drops the fey, staggers back, and then is suddenly being drowned by the elemental, coughing and flailing. I think he's out of the fight, and will drown in 4 minutes, if the elemental remains in his lungs.

Whisper, satisfied that Ezra is getting his just punishment, even if it's by water instead of fire, returns to searching for Grass-bringer.

Since most of the fight (except Cessie and Keld) is over, I'll go ahead and reveal what is found in the wagons:

Spoiler

Show

Wagon 1: Purna's wagon, with Grass-bringer. Fled!

Wagon 2: Supplies

Wagon 3: Slaves (one human male, one elf girl, that Harnel has seen) ON FIRE!!!

Wagon 4: Slaves ('Up' and the troll woman)

Wagon 5: Slaves (6 slaves)

Wagon 6: Supplies

Wagon 7: Slaves (6 slaves) Empty, slaves rescued and at the forest's edge

Wagon 8: Empty slave wagon (formerly Whisper's)

All of the slaves are gagged and manacled, hands behind back. The keys will be found on Ezra. The woman called Up in wagon 4 is half dead from starvation and dehydration. The two slaves in wagon 3 have suffered a bit of smoke inhalation, but should recover quickly once put in the open air and ungagged. The rest are in good health.

Back at the forest's edge, Richard remains encased in glass, one goblin man is unconscious after losing his arm, one human man is unconscious from near asphyxiation, and the other three rescued slaves are healthy.

Whisper is distraught that Grass-bringer is gone, nearly catatonic with grief.

Since I'm travelling this weekend, please treat the slaves as npcs and Ezra as godmoddable (or dead, if Cessie chooses to drown him) and carry on without me.

[Slaver Plawt]

Pure granite actually, though the elemental is actually very dense despite it's form and it's need to move. But if Keld is just running up to the mage and attempts to punch through her armor, he might find himself punched back by elementals granite fist with bone and armor shattering strength. It's most likely larger then him and also pretty determined to protect it's summoner, slamming him with a surprising speed as he attempts to get close.

Cessie won't drown the centaur however, the elemental will retreat from his lungs eventually and choose to just keep the centaur in place. I can't imagine him going anywhere any time soon after nearly having drowned though.

[Slaver Plawt]

And, having contributed absolutely nothing to the plot so far whatsoever, Keld is now epically curbstomped. Brilliant.

Countryside


"Scars n' stories. How exceedingly macho." The Lady scooches over to Jasper and tries to put an arm around him, grabbing the sake to take another swig. "Tell me one."

Valley

"Tis good to hear ye're so eager." Cornelia smiles and gets pulled close. The gunslinger tries to give him another lengthy kiss, holding his arms. "See you then, love." With that, she'll start to button up her shirt and make her way out of the forest. Toward NO.

Slaver Plawt

With the fight wrapping up, hopefully no one will noticed the glamoured glass-head moving at a slow jog into the forest. He's invisible now, and since Cessie's occupied, Nayir hopes she won't be able to spot him leaving.

((I'm going to do a bit of godmodding to wrap things up. Let me know if I went too far and I'll edit.))

Captured slavers:

1. Keld
2. Ezra

Rescued slaves in good health:

1. Nogri: Troll woman
2. Renetta: Redhaired elf girl** (Ghar)
3. Kent: Young blond man
4. Usha: Older human woman
5. Fili: Goblin female
6. Pansy Applehill: Halfling woman ** (HT)
7. Brand Applehill: Halfling man ** (ht)
8. Lily Applehill: Halfling girl age 7 ** (ht)
9. Tiko Applehill: Halfling boy age 8 ** (ht)
10. Waterstrider: Wolfen male** (Wolfy)
11. Pathfinder: Wolfen male** (Wolfy)

Rescued slaves in poor health:

1. "Up": human female, emaciated and dehydrated** (ht)
2. Balik: A male goblin with an amputated arm, unconscious but stable
3. Arturo: Unconscious human male
4. Lisor: Female goblin, missing a few toes** (Harnel)
5. Richard: human male, encased in glass

Rescuers:

1. Cessie
2. Harnel
3. Seth
4. Isabel
5. Jasper

Escaped slavers:

1. Nayir
2. Darkrad
3. Purna

((If anyone wants to claim a slave to make a PC of them, let me know. The ones with ** already have players.))

"The nightskinned owner woman took Grass-bringer away," Whisper says mournfully. "What if I never see him again?" She doesn't appear to be talking to anyone in particular.

[Beans]

Fletch follows her, looking around

[Locks]
Um, it's been a while since I've had anyone over... um, if you're planning on staying for dinner, there's steak...
It's got a meat freezer on one side, which she opens and puts the goat in.
The middle has a bunch of drying racks full of jerky, and the other side has a meat-smoker.

[Shadowcaller]

Slaver Plawt

After having taken Keld and put him with Erza (and possibly having someone tying them up). She goes to unravel the glass spell on Richard and let's her other elementals keep a good check on the slaves.

She summons a water elemental to help the dehydrated woman.

"Nightskinned owner woman? I didn't see her, you don't know where she went? There might be ways of tracking her." The mage glances at the others for ideas.

[Halae]

[Slaver Plawt]

Harnel will attempt to pat Whisper on the back, trying to comfort her, "I promise you, I'll do my best to find her. If I have anything to say about it, You'll see grass-bringer again."

"Whisper's talking about an elf with midnight skin, Cessie. She was one of the leaders of the group, I think."

((I'd like to claim Lisor, if you please. We can finally let Morty stop complaining that there aren't any Female goblin PCs in the Nexus . How extensive is the damage to her feet?))

[iElf]

[Locks]
Um, it's been a while since I've had anyone over... um, if you're planning on staying for dinner, there's steak...
It's got a meat freezer on one side, which she opens and puts the goat in.
The middle has a bunch of drying racks full of jerky, and the other side has a meat-smoker.

Fletch smiles "thanks. how long have you been living here?"

[happyturtle]

Slaver Plawt

"She means Purna," Kent says. "A drow or dark elf of some kind. She was Ezra's partner - some kind of magic user."

"Priestess," Ushna says. "She used potions to control us."

"Up" is helped a bit by the elemental, but it's going to take time for her to be healed.

The halfling family is huddled together, hugging each other and crying in relief.

((As extensive as you like, Harnel. It was the damage done by Jasper's overstrained teleport. ))

((Going to wait for Murkus to say if Richard's glass spell was undone or not))

[Beans]

Fletch smiles "thanks. how long have you been living here?"

[Lock]
Since I was 20, so about 20 years.
She looks around 20. I guess her race ages at half-speed.
Anyway, she gets a pair of large steaks in her claws and heads out into the main room and into another room, this one a kitchen. This place is the old crew quarters for the engineers...

[iElf]

[Lock]
Since I was 20, so about 20 years.
She looks around 20. I guess her race ages at half-speed.
Anyway, she gets a pair of large steaks in her claws and heads out into the main room and into another room, this one a kitchen. This place is the old crew quarters for the engineers...

"oh dear...don't you get lonely?"

[Beans]

"oh dear...don't you get lonely?"

[Locks]
I sometimes go to the nearest town. It's not that bad, and I don't like large crowds, so...

[ThirdEmperor]

Lakeside

"GLoG." Legion blinks, as if just now remembering something. She baps her wrist against her forehead. "GLoG. Yeah. Let's go. But you might wanna put some pants on first." The Lady gives a small smile.

Jasper quickly pulls on his clothes before attempting to take Legion's hand and teleport them both to GLoG.

[UncleWolf]

Slaver Plawt

The pair of wolfen found with the halflings had been heavily chained, shackled until they could barely move. Both were muzzled, and their claws look like they were clipped down to just a nub. It's not visible under their ratty tan fur, but they've been badly beaten for killing a guard who came for Pansy one night, and mauling a couple others. The only visible mark on one, is a swollen eye, a few days old.

When they're finally unchained, one, with red stripes painted down one arm, kneels down next to the halfling family, holding them all close, trying to make them feel safe and comfortable.

The other, blue chevrons painted onto his back, staggers out of the wagon and begins making his way to Renetta, his good eye showing deep concern.