Post by K Man on May 30, 2008 14:38:17 GMT -5
SEA GREEN
[Black-Jack, Spot Check] It seems that all the warriors have made themselves visible to you now for you see no more hidden within the rubble. Still, even exposed the men seem to take every advantage of the surroundings, providing you with little opportunity to strike back if you were to take such a foolish action.
Having identified all the ambushers, you breathe a little sigh of relief...but it is very small.
The man scans you visually, looking for a reason to drop his hand and loose his army of arrows. Finally he concedes and closes his fist.
"Lower!" He bellows, and the archers comply immediately. "The council does still rule Halfling and if you wish to speak to them, you would do well to bite your tongue lest it bite you back."
He orders the men back to their hiding spots. One by one, they conceal themselves among the rocks and rubble in the center city. They almost disappear from sight, but a keen eye can still pick them out. You shudder to think what a few hundred soldiers of this caliber would do to an unsuspecting opposing force.
The Half-Giant moves closer to speak to you in private, staying well away from Antyca's sharp beak.
"Come with me if you wish to speak to the council. Do not look at either side of the city too long lest you bring trouble you do not want." The man turns and begins towards a large bit of crumpled building and as an afterthought, he pauses. "Oh, and can you get your huge bird off our council building?"
{I will assume all dismount from Antyca and she is sent into the sky to await the command to come. Or she will also be safe in the city, just not on the current building.}
You follow the Half-Giant through the rubble strewn middle-city towards a darkened bit of crumpled building. He ducks his head and presses his large frame through the door. Once inside, you realize this was once an antechamber for a large gathering hall, the double doors and some decorative tiles on the floor are all that remain intact. A mosiac of an army of Half-Giants charging through sandy dunes is set into the floor. Those mosiacs on the walls are damaged beyond repair.
Once you have all gathered in the antechamber, the Half-Giant warrior introduces himself and begins with an apology.
"Forgive the hostile greeting. Normally visitors to our city would be welcome. We have been in this situation for four days now and only yesterday did hostilities on both sides cease. I assumed you to be the instigators."
"I am Madrigal Sandstrider. Captain of the Sandstriders." He extends a massive hand for a greeting.
{In an effort to speed up gameplay, I'll assume introductions go around and someone asks about the 'situation'.}
"You see," Madrigal begins. "The people of the Dune Palace have always been close to the Giants of our region. We work with them, we hold games with them, some of our citizens even choose to have relations with the Giants. It is how so many half-breeds are born, naturally."
"That precious balance has always been maintained by a mutual respect between Giant and man. There is a sacred place for the giants where man must not tread. Likewise, the sacred places of men are off limits for the giants as well."
"Recently, the giants arrived at the city walls claiming man had violated the sacred trust. They came in force, ready to crush the city and tread upon our sacred places."
Madrigal points to the mosiac of Half-Giant soldiers on the floor.
"The Sandstriders have always protected the city and upheld peace since they were formed. We quickly sealed the city and repelled the giant threat, but little did we expect an internal threat too."
"The human citizens feel the giants are lying, the half-giant citizens side with the giants. It began a civil war in the city center and it took nearly all our efforts to split the city and keep the sides from killing each other. Right now, my men are stationed in the middle-city and neither side dare tread there for fear of our arrows."
Madrigal moves to the double doors nearby, presumably the entrance to the Council of Gathered Nations. He pauses, hands on the door handles.
"What is your purpose here so that I may announce it to the Council?"
DARK RED
Before Iyllianna even speaks a response, it is clear what her choice is. She moves next to Wanderer and slips her forearm around his elbow.
"I will stay with Wanderer. Lenny, I wish you luck...be safe."
She smiles at the Halfling, sending her best wishes with him. With the matter settled, Lenny gathers two(?) of the horses and spurs them on towards New Ravenshead; the city of muted lights in the distance. The remainder of you set up camp for the night, moving far off the road and into the thick grasses and trees of the plains.
{Lenny, skip ahead for your section.
You get a small fire going, its flames no higher than the grass around you. If the Deathspeakers were out, they would have to be airborne to notice the camp. Just in case, you pack extras rocks around the edges to blur the light even more--it is the warmth you care about, not your sight.
Illyianna takes some time to clean herself up before the camp meal is served. Now, with freshly washed skin and straightened hair, she is beyond beautiful. She uses a few loose twigs and ties her hair up in a knot on the back of her head. Her dress--the last bit of clothing she owns--has been cut to be even and ever more revealing. Still, she remains modest never showing more than the briefest glimpses of forbidden skin.
What you wouldn't give for an interruption to get your mind off of her beauty...
The night seems to go well, with Illyianna speaking on more of her past and her possible future while you eat.
"The inn was good, but it never was very exciting. I would entertain adventurers that would be en route to someplace that always sounded fascinating; the Dune Palace, the high seas, a kobold den in the hills. I would always come to arguments with my husband about travel, he was quite content to stay where he was. He was happy, I was restless."
"I always thought about leaving one day with one of the adventuring parties..I just didn't think it would be under such grave cirumstances."
She turns to the three that remain.
"What were your dreams?"
{Feel free to interject a story here for RP-sake.}
When it comes time to lower the fire and make ready for bed, Illyianna looks to Wanderer. Her eyes look to the woods beyond and then back to the barbarian.
"Is it safe to wanderer a little for the sake of nature's call?"
LENNY -
You ride into the night, leaving your companions behind and keeping the lights of New Ravenshead in your sights. You can't help but spur the horses to a quick pace, wondering if any of the stars above are actually the eyes of Vorkal beating down on you. The horses keep pace easily, trotting along, but you also sense they are nervous as well.
[Spot Check] It is about an hour after leaving your friends when your fears come true. Overhead, about twenty feet off the ground an thirty feet down the road, those unmistakable yellow eyes flare up.
Vorkal.
The horses stamp their hooves wildly, snorting loudly. You think you can make it to the city in another hour of hard-riding and your friends are maybe half of that behind you. More eyes flare up in a semi-circle ahead of you, Vorkal's minions.
But the shadows do not advance.
There eyes did no have to flare up. They did not have to make themselves visible. This was clearly a tactic meant to scare. They hover silently, waiting for your next move...
{DM Note: This game kicks ass. What a fun thing to run!
}
[Black-Jack, Spot Check] It seems that all the warriors have made themselves visible to you now for you see no more hidden within the rubble. Still, even exposed the men seem to take every advantage of the surroundings, providing you with little opportunity to strike back if you were to take such a foolish action.
Having identified all the ambushers, you breathe a little sigh of relief...but it is very small.
The man scans you visually, looking for a reason to drop his hand and loose his army of arrows. Finally he concedes and closes his fist.
"Lower!" He bellows, and the archers comply immediately. "The council does still rule Halfling and if you wish to speak to them, you would do well to bite your tongue lest it bite you back."
He orders the men back to their hiding spots. One by one, they conceal themselves among the rocks and rubble in the center city. They almost disappear from sight, but a keen eye can still pick them out. You shudder to think what a few hundred soldiers of this caliber would do to an unsuspecting opposing force.
The Half-Giant moves closer to speak to you in private, staying well away from Antyca's sharp beak.
"Come with me if you wish to speak to the council. Do not look at either side of the city too long lest you bring trouble you do not want." The man turns and begins towards a large bit of crumpled building and as an afterthought, he pauses. "Oh, and can you get your huge bird off our council building?"
{I will assume all dismount from Antyca and she is sent into the sky to await the command to come. Or she will also be safe in the city, just not on the current building.}
You follow the Half-Giant through the rubble strewn middle-city towards a darkened bit of crumpled building. He ducks his head and presses his large frame through the door. Once inside, you realize this was once an antechamber for a large gathering hall, the double doors and some decorative tiles on the floor are all that remain intact. A mosiac of an army of Half-Giants charging through sandy dunes is set into the floor. Those mosiacs on the walls are damaged beyond repair.
Once you have all gathered in the antechamber, the Half-Giant warrior introduces himself and begins with an apology.
"Forgive the hostile greeting. Normally visitors to our city would be welcome. We have been in this situation for four days now and only yesterday did hostilities on both sides cease. I assumed you to be the instigators."
"I am Madrigal Sandstrider. Captain of the Sandstriders." He extends a massive hand for a greeting.
{In an effort to speed up gameplay, I'll assume introductions go around and someone asks about the 'situation'.}
"You see," Madrigal begins. "The people of the Dune Palace have always been close to the Giants of our region. We work with them, we hold games with them, some of our citizens even choose to have relations with the Giants. It is how so many half-breeds are born, naturally."
"That precious balance has always been maintained by a mutual respect between Giant and man. There is a sacred place for the giants where man must not tread. Likewise, the sacred places of men are off limits for the giants as well."
"Recently, the giants arrived at the city walls claiming man had violated the sacred trust. They came in force, ready to crush the city and tread upon our sacred places."
Madrigal points to the mosiac of Half-Giant soldiers on the floor.
"The Sandstriders have always protected the city and upheld peace since they were formed. We quickly sealed the city and repelled the giant threat, but little did we expect an internal threat too."
"The human citizens feel the giants are lying, the half-giant citizens side with the giants. It began a civil war in the city center and it took nearly all our efforts to split the city and keep the sides from killing each other. Right now, my men are stationed in the middle-city and neither side dare tread there for fear of our arrows."
Madrigal moves to the double doors nearby, presumably the entrance to the Council of Gathered Nations. He pauses, hands on the door handles.
"What is your purpose here so that I may announce it to the Council?"
DARK RED
Before Iyllianna even speaks a response, it is clear what her choice is. She moves next to Wanderer and slips her forearm around his elbow.
"I will stay with Wanderer. Lenny, I wish you luck...be safe."
She smiles at the Halfling, sending her best wishes with him. With the matter settled, Lenny gathers two(?) of the horses and spurs them on towards New Ravenshead; the city of muted lights in the distance. The remainder of you set up camp for the night, moving far off the road and into the thick grasses and trees of the plains.
{Lenny, skip ahead for your section.
You get a small fire going, its flames no higher than the grass around you. If the Deathspeakers were out, they would have to be airborne to notice the camp. Just in case, you pack extras rocks around the edges to blur the light even more--it is the warmth you care about, not your sight.
Illyianna takes some time to clean herself up before the camp meal is served. Now, with freshly washed skin and straightened hair, she is beyond beautiful. She uses a few loose twigs and ties her hair up in a knot on the back of her head. Her dress--the last bit of clothing she owns--has been cut to be even and ever more revealing. Still, she remains modest never showing more than the briefest glimpses of forbidden skin.
What you wouldn't give for an interruption to get your mind off of her beauty...
The night seems to go well, with Illyianna speaking on more of her past and her possible future while you eat.
"The inn was good, but it never was very exciting. I would entertain adventurers that would be en route to someplace that always sounded fascinating; the Dune Palace, the high seas, a kobold den in the hills. I would always come to arguments with my husband about travel, he was quite content to stay where he was. He was happy, I was restless."
"I always thought about leaving one day with one of the adventuring parties..I just didn't think it would be under such grave cirumstances."
She turns to the three that remain.
"What were your dreams?"
{Feel free to interject a story here for RP-sake.}
When it comes time to lower the fire and make ready for bed, Illyianna looks to Wanderer. Her eyes look to the woods beyond and then back to the barbarian.
"Is it safe to wanderer a little for the sake of nature's call?"
LENNY -
You ride into the night, leaving your companions behind and keeping the lights of New Ravenshead in your sights. You can't help but spur the horses to a quick pace, wondering if any of the stars above are actually the eyes of Vorkal beating down on you. The horses keep pace easily, trotting along, but you also sense they are nervous as well.
[Spot Check] It is about an hour after leaving your friends when your fears come true. Overhead, about twenty feet off the ground an thirty feet down the road, those unmistakable yellow eyes flare up.
Vorkal.
The horses stamp their hooves wildly, snorting loudly. You think you can make it to the city in another hour of hard-riding and your friends are maybe half of that behind you. More eyes flare up in a semi-circle ahead of you, Vorkal's minions.
But the shadows do not advance.
There eyes did no have to flare up. They did not have to make themselves visible. This was clearly a tactic meant to scare. They hover silently, waiting for your next move...
{DM Note: This game kicks ass. What a fun thing to run!
}
