DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

Haynuus then sees Helm on the floor through a bloody haze of his own making. "Ooops." He makes up for his lack of tact by whispering sorry to his spirit and then picks up just one leg and continues. "All ready here." Any headgear that Helm may have been wearing would fall off... Eventually after a couple of thuds as he tramples through the dungeon.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

OOC - It just occurred to me that Ameena can actually sit on Helm if she so wishes, thereby saving her back and utilising a somewhat tasteless form of transportation.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

OOC - I'm sure Haynuus could carry Helm over one shoulder and Ameena under his other arm, or in the crook of it or whatever. She's about the size of a smallish dog and slim in build so she's ahrdly a cumbersome weight - then again, Deephold could always resume carrying her, or else she'll make her own uncomfortable way along eventually ;).
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by beowuuf »

Again, a nice bit of sylvian background raixel. Ian, of course, demonstrated the more basic orcish customs. And poor Ameena just shows how much more evil I've inflicted on a poor sensative murafu

It seemed, perversely, that the attack of Dolo had been the best thing for the group. Petal was already asking questions of herself and the repercussions of her loss. Haynuus was, perhaps, reminded why he hated violence, and why he planned on leaving behind his sword when he left this place. Well, unless it was useful for cutting errant screamer roots, of course.

And for Ameena, it allowed her to be reminded that no matter how desperate things got, her friends were by her side. Haynuus already kneeling down on one side, and Deephold the other - ignores Soorec for the moment. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Deephold asks too. "We're ok now, we're not attacking each other now." Deephold was perhaps speaking of the time before that had seen Ameena injured, and not what had just happened. "The priest is gone too. Gone from our minds." Deephold risked a look to Soorec, perhaps not trusting the fact the priest was defeated, or perhaps simply hating who had defeated him. "I was carrying you before, can you stand or do you need me to carry you for a while longer?"

I'm going to assume someone carries someone else, and move us on a little

Soorec still seemed overjoyed, as the group got back under way. "well, I suppose we can speak freely, no need to wait for getting back to my rooms. I'm so glad, I've never understood how you people keep all your lies and half-truths straight. So much effort. So much easier not to lie, for the most part." The gnome stops distracting himself. ""Though we are not far now!" Soorec pointed ahead, and the corridor seemed to carry on straight in to darkness. "So, when last we saw each other, Westian - and the rest of you - were going to see to the priest for me. And you did, partially. So why is it some of you are missing?" Soorec raised an eyebrow. "No need to be coy anymore, no one but me listening in. What does Westian think he is doing? Where is he, sneaking about? What's going on in that brain of his?" Soorec taps him head.

The group carried on, until soon in the dimming light of Soorec's light spell, the corridor appeared to turn a sharp right. Soorec did not appear concerned with that, though, and the leading two grak-graks moved off through the wall. None of the four monsters had changed back since the incident, and all stood in their loathesome natural forms. Soorec turned. "It's just an illusionary wall, nothing to concerned about. THiough it does twist and turn, so please don't get too lost!"


Ok, I'll pause there. Obviously, Ameena will want to react to her friend's concern, and Petal has a decision about how long to allow the group to go forwards - presuming they do - before she follows, and any actions she wants to take to ensuring she can naviagate smoothly.

And obviously the main group might want to take a precaution before following a mad gnome in to what could be a maze of illusionary walls.

Assumine you guys want to follow him - there's a whole new corridor you can dart down while the fromt two grak-graks are distracted! What could go wrong :D
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

Ameena looks up and gives a weary nod, allowing Haynuus/Deephold to pick her up and carry her onward. She doesn't respond much as the group moves on, instead taking comfort in the close contact of her friend and wishing she was free to simply enjoy such things without the constant nagging fear of what might be coming next. She is almost relieved when that turns out be simply another not-wall, and makes no comment. After all, if the gnome tries to lead them into some kind of maze, all she has to do is follow her nose to get out again - the trail of her friends will be most distinctive, even if her own scent is somewhat dispersed due to the fact that she herself isn't walking on the ground.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by raixel »

Petal stops close enough to the party that she can hear them talking.

"Great, an illusionary wall maze..."
she thinks to herself. She waits for the party to go through and starts casting a spell. The sorceress sings some of her power into the air around her, charging it with energy. Then using the mystical rune EW, she shapes it like a lens in front of her. She reaches out and touches the lens with hr mind, charging it with RA mana and allowing it to penetrate even stone. "EEOHEWRA" hse whispers to herself as she draws the runes of magic on the lens with her power. The lens flickers to her sight, and then suddenly she can see directly through the wall in front of her. Now she can stay one step behind the party, but they couldnt see her still. After casting the spell, she uses the lens to find the party and again starts following behind them. As she flies along, she recahes into her bag and pulls out an apple, as it has been a while since she has eaten, ans she can feel her mana growing sluggish.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

"Ohhh Westian?" Haynuus can't look at the gnome now, he's gone through too much. "I was wondering about that as well. He said he's on a mission, a mission from God. I don't know..." He pauses for a moment and tries to work out how much he actually knows and then how much he should tell the gnome. He decides on maximising both options. "... A flippin' thing. Completely forgotten I'm afraid. Maybe something to do with Trolins?" He tells the truth. But withholds the fact that they were supposed to meet up again at the waterfall.

"Shit for brains, me..."

"... In fact can someone hold my hand in this place, I'm confused!" and appropriately punches a real wall instead of a false one.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

Uff.*

* Reproduction of the sound of a party hitting a wall in DM.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by beowuuf »

"Oh," said Soorec sadly, listening to Haynuus's words. Deephold once more goes quiet, although stiffens a little when Haynuus casually throws aroudn the term 'a mission from God.'

"Yes, I'm aware the Westian is with the Trolins. I do have ways to plant spies, you know...as long as I remember to concentrate..." Soorec smiles blandly, and waves his hand as if sudden massacres of Trolins were unimportant. "It seems Westian decided to ask the Trolin King's help to kill all the...what was the term...'blackskulls?"...in the mountain. And I do beleive he succeeded." Soorec looked to deephold, and then Haynuus. "So did he lie to my face? Claim to only want to free the dwarf, when in reality he doens not seem to care, those not loyal to his beliefs go off on a suicide mission, while he went to stir up a war with those more powerful?"

"Westian would not lie. He probably thinks we are still captured," said Deephold. Even Haynuus, as unskilled at determining truth, could tell the dwarf was simply saying something he thought the gnome would believe.

Soorec simply raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you followers of Larethian would say that," said Soorec with an unfriendly tone.


The group were swallowed up by the wall, except of course that was not how it was at all. As soon as a wall was entered, it became invisible fro mthe inside. It was a strange thing they has all, now, experienced, but noless strange from ther repetition. The linked fasle walls did cause some small disorientation, when those infront were swallowed up, and for a moment one way was the same as another. Even worse, suddenly it was very claustrophobic. After all, it appeared the group were surrounded by walls on all sides, and certainyl there was a deep chill that spoke of then moving through an area of mostly rock. It could be a horrible trick for some magic to fade, and suddenly the walls came back to claim the space. Was the area around shrinking?

Fortunately, it did not take long - and there was only one worrying kink - that led to the secret entrance to Soorec's private area. It was an open area of short tunnel that ended in - depressingly - another wall However, this wall said 'Turn Back' in scribed letters. "Facinating, facinating," said Soorec to no-one in particular, amnd then looked around. "I do so love the puzzles of Chaos," he said conversationally, "they make such excellent security against casual intruders. I never really think on it, for I never come this way usually."

Soorec hopped up once or twice, and then finally made a grak-grak do something complicated to the wall at the side of the inscribed one. There was a loud grinding sound, and the the rock wall collapsed in half internally, and then collapsed again, and then again, until it was little more than a upraised step in a doorway. There was no sign of any of the collapsing rock.

"Please, enter my inner most sanctum. So very interesting." As with Soorec's other room, the center of this one was dominated by a large, stone table. However, the smell was sickening, and Deephold already gagged as the door opened. However, this may have been less from any smell, and m,ore from the obvious evil radiating from the slab. It was stained with all manner of corrosive colours, looking as if it was oozing. The rest of the room was dark, though there was hints of jagged shapes everywhere, as if collections of things all along the various walls.

Of course, Petal was a step behind, and even though she had seen well what was happening, the last kink had thrown her. Sudden'y, she realised there was an open doorway that might very well close, lokcing her from the group.


Quickly leave it there, because you guys have one last chance to decide if you wanna be locked in with Soorec. And of course, Petal needs to decide what she will do here - heistate and be locked out, or rush forward and risk detection. And I'm sure Ameena, with her quest to look for the soul stone shard, may still be on the lookout right away.

Speaking of soul stone shards, who has Dolo's one again that you guys recovered from Fex? I'm a horrible DM, and have quite lost track!
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

OOC - Well, I know I certainly haven't got it - beyond that, unfortunately, I have no idea either ;).

BIC - As the party moves on, talking about things Ameena isn't really listening to, suddenly she finds her sense of smell is almost overwhelmed by the stench of...of whatever it is Soorec keeps in this room. But at the point the gnome uses the term "innermoat sanctum", she suddenly realises that she should probably be paying attention.
She looks around, as best she can, but tries not to instictively sniff at the air too much, full as it is with the almost tangible smell of whatever Soorec keeps in here. She tries to remember where Soorec kept the item before, though is still confused over the concept of the group having to find it again because...because they haven't found it yet...or something. She tries to see what she can from within the arms of Deephold/Haynuus*, and tries to recall whether any of it seems familiar. Maybe if it's not here, something else useful is. She is having the inklings of a thought, though she isn't sure how accurate these inklings are, and certainly doesn't want to speak up about it right now. Better to let Soorec think she's looking around with mere curiosity than because she's searching for something specific...


*(whoever's carrying her at this time)

OOC - Perception roll for Looking For Stuff That Might Be Useful = 15 (4+11)...hmm, maybe whoever's carrying her is managing to do so in a way that doesn't grant her the best view of the room...plus it sounds like it's pretty dark around hte edges so I suppose that has something to do with it too ;).
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by raixel »

Petal hesittates at the open door. She doesnt want to run the risk of getting locked in with everyone else. At least out here, she is still an unknown factor. Perhaps she could remember what the grak-grak did if the door needed to be opened agian from the outside. 1d20=17 Or perhaps she could find this 'Westeean" they were all talking about. But in any case, if she went inside she would get too close to the gnome and the formstealers and run the risk of being spotted. So as the party enters the disgusting cavern, from which Petal can feel SAR mana flowing lik blood from a wound, the puxie hangs back. She trusts her magic lens spell to be able to see through the door if it did indeed close.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

OOC - Deephold can carry you then, Ameena. We'll try to stop him mauling the gnome that way.
Let's say Deephold carries the shard, shall we?


"Westian tries to do what's best..." says Haynuus trailing off as the smell hits him.

Next up was the room itself. The half-orc paused at the door for a moment. How on earth could he exist in a place like this for more than an hour, it was horrible! He wanted to get in and then out again as soon as possible. He even the picked up Helm off the floor and threw him over his shoulder so as to avoid any taint from this evil place affecting his corpse. Would the goblin skin souls of his shoes be strong enough for what magics worked here? He moved over to the stone slab and cast a glance over and around it (1d20+2=21).

"This place is...." again, he trails off. This gnome must surely perish by one of his own creations, some day.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by beowuuf »

Yeah, I recalled Deephold had it too. Anyway, unless anyone objects, that's who has it now if he didn't before. I'll have to look back and check on that, I hate losing track of stuff but it's been a while since it was mentioned, so seems liek a weekend skimming!


Haynuus walks in to the room first of the group, following Soorec and his two grak-graks. Soorec gives an unpleasant look at Haynuus's comment regarding Westian, but shrugs and for the moment lets the matter drop. Soorec gestures, and the front two grak-graks move off another illusionary wall in the very corner of the room, disappearing. "Quite extraordinary," says Soorec, although it is not clear what he is referring to.

Haynuus moves forwards to the stone slab in the centre. To start with, he thinks it is - disguised - like the Vi altar up in Soorec's other room, the one that brought Soorec, Westian and Farel back to life. However, the slab gives Haynuus a weird feeling in his head and chest, and he notices the watery rune on the side had been defaced, and chipped away to almost being some other shape he recognises.

The circlet allows Haynuus to have a flash of memory. This slab is the place where Soorec is still creating, through trial and error, each of his grak-graks. Haynuus even realises the horrible stench does not just come fro mthe slab, and that there is a secondary stench from the other far corner of the room. Haynuus can see perfectly clearly body parts, and even a severed scorpion arm propped up in the corner.

"Home?" asked Soorec, perhaps trying to work out the half-orc's train of thought. "THis is where I work. I create my children when I am inspired, and I play when I need inspiration." Soorec gives a small pale smile and has a faraway look in his eyes.

Ameena, meanwhile, is encumbered by the reluctant Deephold. Looking aroudn the place in worse lighting - Soorec's spell is lower than the torches she rememberes from the last time she was here, the time that has not happened. OR not happened yet. Though never will happen because of how thigns are happening now...

"Odd, I've never felt a tremor in the mountain before..." says Soorec, feeling something through his feet. Haynuus's circlet whispers something about not dwelling too much on knowledge that should not be.

Ameena can still recall in some cases, and guess in others, the contents of the room. Far messier than his other room higher up, there are a few weapons and shileds around, a few staves crossed over each other, odd items like square mirrors and hourglasses, an oversized astrolabe - though Ameena has no idea what it is other than a complex cirle of flat metal - and there are the occasioanl small open chest with clusters of herbs, plants, weeds, flasks, bottles, scrolls, parchments, rags, and slates.

Annoying, two weeks apparently makes a difference in Soorec's existence. He apparently does play aroudn wiht and shift items around. Two weeks from now, this rooms looks the same in some ways, yet different in others. However, she feels there is something she is forgetting. Something...

The item could not move. For it was hidden. Hidden behind a removed brick. But where was the brick? She recalled it behind a shield and cluster of spears, however there is nothing like that here. The shield was mirrored and shining, and there seemes to be nothing that new here.


I might give you a bonus to searching when Ameena is free to search the room. For now, of course, she's not going ot get to poke around.


Outside, Petal tried ot work out what the grak-grak had done. There did not seem to immediately be anything to play with nor press. Although the grak-grak seemed to do something at around its chest height, and seemed to do it again in the other direction just before the group finally went inside.

The final two grak graks entered the room, and the door - with finality, closed. It looked like an actual stone door from this side, with a small push button on one side of the wall.

Still outside, Petal found herself facing the mocking inscription of the wall, looking to all intents and purposes as if it was a solid wall. Still, the true sight spell - when refreshed - allowed her to dimly see the room beyond, and see the cluster of evil creatures, gnome, and her friends around.


Obviously, it's up to you if Petal keeps looking at the scene unfoldling, or if she will divert her attention to trying to figure out how to open the door. One way means she won't be slow to react if something goes on, but won't necessarily be able to instantly open the door to help if she needs to. The other way solves the issue of the door, but puts Petal at a timing disadvantage if someone does something qwuickly, like open the door!

Or of course, Petal can retreat and head aaaaaaall the way back to the deicion point where the grak-graks first intercepted the party. Though of course who knows if finding Westian would be a simple case of going the other way :)



Back in the room, Soorec stood slightly off from the group. He looked to them all. "Hmm, I seem to recall a request. Something about restoring the life of your friend..." Soorec looked to Helm. "That seems simple enough." Soorec then looked to Deephold, nastily. "How about a simple exchange. The life of one of LArethian's acolytes for the life of the thief?" The gnome raised an eyebrow. The grak-graks at either side of the group tenses.

"You monster," hissed Deephold, but he looked briefly to the still injured murafu in his hands, and across to the dead Helm as if feeling the responsbility of the lifes that had been snuffed out. Use everything, Haynuus had said. Deephold was, in the back of his mind, clearly waying up if that meant his life.


And we shall stop there for the weekend, well, except you guys usually post, so I guess update over the weekend!
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

Ameena looks over at Soorec at his apparent suggestion that Deephold trade his life for that of Helm's.
"But then you'll be taking two lives." she says. "You've already taken Helm's, and if you take Deephold's too then you'll still have taken one, even if you return Helm's."
She has to work this through in her head after she's said it, trying to decide whether it made sense, and decides that it did - the use of several numbers in the same sentence has confused her slightly, murafu not capble of being particularly numerate.
She goes on, quickly.
"Maybe...well, actually, I suppose if you really wanted another life in return, you could probably take it. You could probably take all our lives, through your grak-graks. But if you really wanted to do that, wouldn't you have done it already? Then you could have just carried us all back here without worrying that any of us might try to harm your grak-graks. So maybe there's still something we can talk about. But I won't talk to you if you take another life. Give one back, but don't take any more. You've said you think I'm interesting, yes? Well, if I don't talk to you, I suppose you might get angry and kill me, and then you won't have me to talk to. And I won't be able to tell you things about...about what's happened...or what might happen, and...and all that."

OOC - Diplomacy roll for what in a slightly tangled way amounts to "Bring Helm back and don't kill anyone or you'll probably have to kill me too, and then probably the rest of us, and then you won't have any of us to talk to..." = 13 (4+9)...bleh, I think Ameena's having a really off-day today, isn't she? :P
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by raixel »

Petal watches the scene unfolding in front of her after she casts her spell again. That apple helped just a bit, but she needs to eat more, and so pulls some more food out of her satchel and munches on it as hse watches the party.

Annoyingly, just trying to mentally copy the grak-grak's actions didnt lead to her figuring out how to open the door. Not that she'd want to right now, anyway. But if she needed to open the door quickly, it would help if she knew *how*. She touches the door in the general area she saw the grak-grak touch it and closes her eyes, feeling the Song of the door itself Burn a 0lev . The YA mana of the door was strong, as would be expected from a door made of rock. The sorceress searches within the YA mana matrix of the door for a catch or trigger, something that shouldnt be there if the door was just a wall. Of course, if it was a non-magical mechanism made of stone, she wouldnt be able to tell the difference between it and the door itself. But it was worth a shot, otherwise she might have to spend a long time searching, and it might be to late to help her friends by the time she finds it. After searching the door with her magic sight, she searches the door with her natural senses, hoping to find a trigger mechanism. KNOW ARC, PERCEPT (1d20+8=12, 1d20+5=24)

Petal is not actually trying to open the door right now, shes just trying to find out how to do it. If she figures it out, she makes a mental note and then watches the party through the wall some more.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

Haynuus was appalled by Soorec's suggestion yet still couldn't bring himself to look with horror at the gnome. It was as if his very appearance would taint him. The half-orc was beginning to get quite unnerved by him. "Mister Soorec. If you wanted body parts then I'm sure Mister Westian would supply some after finishing off any blackskulls floating around the dungeon. Hey, I can even help you..." he grasped for a word in his mind, but then the circlet interjected. "... harvest them for your work." He hated himself for saying it, but it was in fact a jolly fine idea.

OOC - A d20 (1d20=4)
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by beowuuf »

Soorec looked as if his head would explode when Ameena started her confusing speech. He waved a hand as if trying to ward it away. "Why am I facinated by you?" he asked, an odd quetsion with an odd tone. He shook his head, and then grimaced at Haynuus's offer. "I'm sure Westian will be creating a great many bodies. If only I believe you would bring me his head..."

Soorec actually shivered. "A perversion, and I cannot believe he thinks it wonderful. The stink of his mind makes me sick. To corrupt what should be pure, to cobble together liek the tinker he is what should be glorious under the queen..."

It perhaps too a chilling moment to realise Soorec's speech patterns were all wrong, and therefore the 'his mind' comment was not a comment on Westian's mind.

'Soorec' smiled at Deephold. "It was worth a try, but I doubt your friends would let you. I wonder if I could have got you to forsake Larethian if you were on your own..."

There was already movement from the grak-graks, however they came to grab Soorec, not the people around. Soorec looked around lazily. "Soorec might have killed you, or let you live a glorious existence," and 'Soorec' looked deliberately to Ameena, "however I will ensure you have enjoy the same luxury as you left me in."

Soorec blinked, and then looked around surprised. "What...what's going on?" he asked in a small voice. HE noticed the grak-grak holding him on the left now wore Dolo Smitre's gloating face. The grak-grak on the right was its normal self, other than the fact it plunged a taloned claw directly down in to the small gnome's chest.


And...in a moment...say goodbye to Soorec in perhaps a permenant way. Unless you guys want to rescue him, of course. I think Ameena wished it a while ago, and Ian called it like two days ago. Poor liltte gnome killed by his own creations.

And hey, it's all good, they aren't going to go insane! Cause they're now apparently under the diretc crontrol of Dolo Smitre. What could possibly go wrong with that :D



Petal meanwhile was distracted by searching for the release mechanism. Irritatingly, there seemed to be no magic, no unnatural hooks for her to discover. Some of the places in Chaos's domain were instead imitations of mundane yet no less fantastic constructions of the dwarves and other mechanically adept races. Disrtacted as she was by the view through the door, she moved on to the wall at the side where the grak-grak had passed its hands.

Luck was with her, the faint glow of the truesight spell I forgot to ask how you were lighting your way with the door gone, or if you were to her sensative eyes allowed to her to see the thing the grak-grak had interracted with. Apparently its inelegant hands had not quite reset the mechanism as it should be. Cunningly hidden in the brickwork was a triangular stone that could rotate, and was set imperceptibly forward. 'Turn back' obviously meant turn the stone in one direction - and Petal had seem well enough to know which was the grak-grak had pushed the block - and it seemed likely that turning the stone the other way would turn it back again., just as the grak-grak had also done.

Petal, perhaps relived to have found the ability to get beyond, looked around and saw the silent horror being innacted. The grak-graks had moved forwards , though not to attack her friends, for now. They seemed to be attacking Soorec. And one seemed to wear the odd elven face that Soorec had mocked earlier.


Ok, so Petal can open the door. Does she? Or does she do something else first/instead?
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

Ameena sees teh change come over Soorec, and realises what has happened when his body language and speech patterns change. Again she wonders just why he mentioned That Name so many times, when he was the one who told them how important it was that they never even think about it or the person it belongs to. And now That Person seems to have taken over Soorec's mind and body as a result.
At the comment aimed at her on leaving her in "the same luxury you left me in", she puts her head to one side.
"Alive, you mean?" she suggests.
She looks at the grak-graks. Is The Elf controlling them, too? Will they still go on a rampage if Soorec dies? Will they fight with what That Person wants them to do and end up tearing themselves apart? She has no idea, but as none of them are focused on her right now she decides she might as well try to make the most of it.
She slithers out of Deephold's arms and lands somewhat awkwardly on the floor, her limbs and back still feeling stiff and uncomfortable. She then immediately begins to rummage through the nearest pile of objects, trying first to find something, anything that will help against Soorec, the grak-graks, the mind of the elf...
The mind of the elf...
As an afterthought, Ameena starts running through her mind scenes of times spent with her fellow murafu, just in case the Nasty Elf should try that trick again.

OOC - Perception for Finding Anything That Might Be Useful In the Immediate Situation = 20 (9+11).
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by raixel »

Petal is watching the unfolding scene through the door. She is a little surprised by the grak-grak attacking its creator, but is reminded of something her mentor once told her about dabbling with the natural laws.

"Mana itself doesnt like to be forced into unnatural configurations." the crotchety old sorcerer had said. "If you do things with magic that harm the natural Balance, mana itself will eventually find a way to rebalance itself, usually by eliminating the source of the disbalance. This is why creators of the soulless ones as well as those who traffic with the dark spirits must constantly exert their will over the mana binding the unbalanced beings to this plane, lest their creations and summoned fiends turn on them." Petal wonders if this is a case of the balance of mana re-establishing itself. But something about the situation doesnt seem to fit. For one, the grak-grak is wearing the face of an elf. Something about that strikes Petal as odd, something from the recent past.
The face of the elf...an elf... It must be that one everyone's afraid of. The one that keeps attacking the group mentally. But why would the elf kill Soorec? To make the grak-graks go out of control? As the pixie hovers there musing, she realizes two things. One, her friends are trapped in a room with soon-to-be-uncontrolled grak graks and two,the elf could attack her mind at any minute. Petal finds the odd triangular projection on the wall and turns it. As the wall opens she yells "Hurry! through the door you all should come!" As the wall begins to move, the pixie focuses her will on keeping the elf out of her thoughts.

K, so if the party runs throught, Petal will turn the thing aagain, hopefully trapping the grak-graks in the room abd buying the party some time.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

The half-orc makes a scream like a scared little girl upon seeing the gnome fall to the floor dead. He's verging on insane for the briefest of moments as all of his sources of fear and hate about Soorec just exploded outwards surfacing as if Deephold had whacked a cancer out of Haynuus's head with his hammer...

"Oook" was the best he could vocalise as what he actually wanted to say was lost somewhere in his cortex. The gnome was dead, and now the grak-grak's were all under Dolo's control. "Run?" he said, but accidentally in orcish. Not accidentally however was the door magically opening behind them and a squeaky pixie was getting up to mischief once more. What a good idea! he thought after hearing what she said.

He then grabs Ameena (if she let's him!) and flings himself towards the door. "Less chat!" and casts a really worried look over to the dwarf. They weren't going to escape these grak-grak's but maybe they could squeeze a few in the doorway. Perhaps even Dolo doesn't know how to open it again, and the automatons that he now controls will maybe have a memory of an undead gold fish. Too many suppositions Haynuus!
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by beowuuf »

The grak graks, with some damn broken, kept attacking and ripping apart the poor gnome. The little body fell backwards, and the grak-graks surged forwards to bend down, fists and claws rasing and falling. However, there was a certain reluctance and spasming in the movements. And certainly, not the insane fury that some of the watchers had had the unfortunately displeasure to witness.

Ameena scuttled sideways, to the shock of Deephold who was too slow to react. Clearly, the horror of everything infront of him, despite his years of experience, froze him for a moment.

Petal had no such hesitation, and had opened the door for her friends to escape. Haynuus had no hesitation, and Deephold's only hesitation was to call to Ameena.

The murafu moved swiftly, partially drawn by experience and her odd memories. She spotted a large green box, the twin of one that had helped the group immensely last time against Soorec and his foes. Also, some instinct made Ameena recall important things were possibly aroudn them. Sadly, all she foudn with them was a a little green strip of wood, snapped like a broken twig though it seemed deliberate. A few rags, abandoned clothes. A Shining yellow potion. And...

Ameena suddenly had a stir of memeory. There was a small, fist sized for a human globe, transparent and apparently filled with water. A little fish - impossibly alive - small in the sealed container. A little black fish with wide white eyes, and deep green pupils if one looked very, very closely. Ameena recalled touching the sphere, and-

There was a flash of white light. Last time, the light had come from a brick in the wall. This time, it came from two positions. One was in Deephold's pocket. The other was in some innocuous box on the other side of the room, behind where the gnome was being butchered.

For some reason, the sphere was revealing where the pieces of the soul stone were. How, she could not recall. Of course, it was drawing the attention of one of the grak-graks to the group. And of course, getting the soul stone shard from this room would involve her getting around such horrible foes, instead of running with her friends.


Ok, so if Haynuus wants to make a grab for her, he can - do opposed rolls, liek a grapple check. Or perhaps Ameena will decide not to do it.

Obviously, if you guys leave, you can seal the door and perhaps manage to flee without being followed. There's no indication Dolo knows much about the area, and perhaps Petal can figure out a way to jam the mechanism.

Or maybe Ameena will decide the soul stone shard is more important, and decide to grab it then look for alternative exists.

Or perhaps her friends actually pull focus.

Who knows? Not me! As always, excited to see what you guys do!
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

Ameena stares at the strange fish-ball, at the flash of light, at the illuminated box.
And at the green box.
Quickly, she then grabs the fish-ball, as it's right in front of her, shoving it into a pouch. Then she darts for the green box, trying to open it in whichever way it's supposed to open, remembering that these things can be really quite helpful.
"Not yet!" she squeaks at Haynuus, as quietly as she can yet loudly enough for the half-orc to hear, should he try to pick her up.
Things are moving quickly, yet this is how murafu often live, how they think, and certainly how they speak - she can't pass up this opportunity to perhaps get hold of something vitally important...

OOC - I'm assuming the green magic box is closer than the one illuminated by the flashy fish-ball thingy, and also obviously that picking up said fish-ball is safe. If I can't do anything described in the above post, let me know and I'll retcon it ;). And if needed, here is an Acrobatics roll to avoid being dragged off by Haynuus, should he ignore her slightly frantic request...WOOT natural 20, muahahahahahaha, about time I got one of those :twisted:. So, 35 in total (20+15) :D.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

Haynuus grabs thin stale air (he was THAT slow) as Ameena is once more on a mission that only she knows about. The Gods moves in mysterious ways, he recalls his old shaman once saying, but I'll be fucked if I know what my wife is thinking. It was just like that only this time it's Ameena. "....Ohkhaye." was all he could muster looking at his empty hands where a small furry rodent should have been.

He pulled himself together and strides to the door (he'd have picked up that yellow potion if he'd have seen it, lol). "Come Mister Deephold, let's hold here for Ameena." and readies for a strike against a grak-grak should it approach... And should it approach in Haynuus' form he'll be striking himself with the flat of his sword - take that! Standing next to Petal, just shy of the doorway on the other side he waits to see the gnome being torn to ever smaller pieces ranging from large giblets, severed limbs to quarter pounders. Soorec ceased to be a thing in Haynuus's mind.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by raixel »

"AMEENA'TE KRAATI HALI'TIL, AKASH-ITA!" Petal shouts at the murafu, forgetting in her fear to speak Common, as she sees Ameena dart from underneath Haynuus' hands and towards an object in the room. As the companions rush by and Petal turns the thing to close the door, the murafu still hasnt left yet. "Hurry! Important, it is not!" the pixie again shouts.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by ian_scho »

"Yes it flippin' is!" shouts the half-orc misunderstanding that Petal meant that it was the object that was not important, and not Ameena's well-being.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

OOC - Yeah, what he said...only I am referring to the object...but on Ameena-murafu's behalf, since she's a bit busy to yell back at the moment and anyway doesn't really fancy Dolo hearing about it ;).
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by raixel »

Petal blinks at the half orc. She seems confused. "What? A friend sacrifice for an object you will?" she asks him. Turning back to the frantically scrambling murafu she yells "Hurry! Through the door, you should go! Closing, it begins to! Not important the thing looking for you are!" Realizing she has at most a few seconds before either the grak-graks react to the situation on Ameena gets trapped she turns back to the murafu and forcefully sings a wave of OH mana to bodly drag the rogue through the open door.

"ONOHKATHROS" she shouts, while pointing her hands at the murafu and miming a jerking motion towards her body. ONOHKATHROS (1d20+3=21) "Sorry, I am," she calls to Ameena as she releases the mana she has Sung into form.

If I can, I want to burn a 0lev and boost the result of that by 1.
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by beowuuf »

Since Ian didn't roll to oppose, I'll have to take Ameena's escape artist-style tumble out of the pull against Petal's pull. Despite a great pull check, Ameena beats it I'm afraid! That may be a good or a bad thing...

Ameena was already spinning out of the way of Haynuus's grab, then sudden'y felt an odd tug at her. Instinctively she span out of the way incase it was a foe, but there appeared to be nothing behind her. Ameena grappled for the objects she had found, one indicating her ultimate objective, though one more instantly useful.

Meanwhile, Deephold simply started aghast as Haynuus and Petal seemed to be talking insnity, both apparently not caring about Ameen, and then caring about her. His brain got up to speed at about the time that that Petal started casting a spell. "No!" he yelled, apparently hearing the first two syllables and misunderstanding her intentions (and recalling that she had attacked him once, for a 'greater good'). He stopped short when he realised the last rune uttered was wrong, confused.

Meanwhile Ameena hadn't touched one of these items before, it had been Falkor. At least, in this life. In another life, she and Falkor had both used them, and the second hand memory allowed her to open the box just correctly...

Suddenly the room was a frozen tableau. Petal was frozen in mid-air strangely, still gesturing where Ameena had been. Haynuus was standing resolutely where he had been ready to defend the door to buy Ameena time. Deephold was frozen where he had stopped dead rushing towards Petal. Soorec was - as Haynuus had already realised - just gone, no more than parts already. The grak-grak with Dolo's face was frozen looking away form the mayhem, its face entirely focused on the group at the door with aggression. The other grak-grak was turned away from the slaughter it had inflicted. Instead, it was looking with its obscene eyes directly at Ameena.

Nothing, still, moved. Ameena remembere that when Falkor had used the box both earlier and - in a way - later, he had the ability to not freeze his friends. Ameena did not know how. All Ameena recalled was that, as powerful as the effect of the box was, it did not freeze time, it just paralysed the lives around. They would still not what she was doing. Worse, they could unfreeze within moments. She needed to act swiftly, and ensure she was prepared for her foes to instantly come after where she had gone.


Ok Ameena, you have an unspecified number of rounds to act, with everyone else frozen. Since I'm not going to stop everyone else from playing for the rest of the week to run this blow by blow, basically Ameena can act a few actiosn for free without fear. So after posting her immediate reaction and first few actions, can you then OOC what she will do given more time. I assuem one of the first thigns will be to run over to the other box - whcih is more a small chest, and not a small green box - and look for the soul stone shard she will assume was being indicated? Will she take anything else? Will she look for anything else? Or will she run right back to the door once she is done?
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by Ameena »

OOC - Hahahahahha, yesss, it worked - this is exactly what I was hoping would happen - I is happy :D.

BIC - Her vague memories having successfully guided her to cause exactly the effect she was somehow hoping for, Ameena wastes no time but keeps hold of the green box (in case dropping it will cause its magic to affect her, too) and scampers as quickly as she can over to the other box, the one which glowed when she touched the bizarre fish-ball.
She quickly attempts to open it, undoing the catch, lifting the lid, whatever works, in order that she can look for the one thing that's keeping her from simply bolting for the exit, which, she notices, the magically-reappearing pixie has opened.

OOC - As stated, Ameena wants to open the box...in case it's locked, have a Thievery check...24 (12+12). Assuming she can get it open, she'll then try searching for that precious bit of rock...Perception in case the box is full of other stuff...24 again :D (13+11). Assuming she can find it, she'll yoink it and stuff it into another pouch (assuming it fits), and then she'll try and bolt for the door but only if she sees that someone's still got Helm with them - considering the Vi rune on this altar seems to have been a bit fooked by Soorec, I don't imagine she'll want anyone being rezzed on it, just in case they come back as a grak-grak or something. Poor dead human - everyone else seems to keep forgetting about him :(. Let me know if you need any more actions/rolls stated :).
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Re: DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

Post by beowuuf »

Ameena scurried around in a room with two statues. None made a move, and the grak-grak's foul eyes did not follow her aroudn the room, though probably wished they could.

She scurried to the obvious box, discovering to her surprise that it was simply an open wooden box filled with junk. Still, this was Soorec. In a week or two from now, without the interference of Ameena and her friends, the gnome would have realised what he possessed and hidden it well. For now, it was buried in the bottom of the box.

If Ameena had not had the confirmation, she might have given up, but knowing the glow had come from this place she kept searching, and was rewarded y the gentle white glow of the stone as she uncovered a piece of parchment and some canvas from it.

Victorious, Ameena then bounced back around the grak-graks and onwards to freedom...

Except, on the floor, dropped when Haynuus had tried to grab Ameena, was Helm. He was still dead, though laying on the ground as if asleep.

Ameena could not abandom a friend. And so she stopped. Even as, behind her and infront of her, the frozen statues became less frozen.


Sorry, it's 1d4+1 rounds of freeze life, and I rolled looooow. Move, search, move back, stop - three rounds go pretty darn quicky in combat! :D

Obviously, good for everyone else, they can all react without missing a beat. Bad, because now you guys need to roll some initiative! Distances aren't really needed risght now, the narrative space was small enough that you can move forward and attack, or move back and be out the door. If it starts getting really simultaneous I'll do some maps. DOn't make me do maps...be cool and come up with cool, quick ways of dealing with all this craziness before it kills you! :D
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