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#572
05-03-2012, 07:32 PM
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"Are we finished searching here?" Aozora asked the others. He was unsure why they hadn't left yet, but assumed the others knew what they were doing. If they had time to spare before returning to the citadel, he would wait with them.
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#573
05-04-2012, 07:02 PM
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Orianna had been a bit dismayed that Bregga had volunteered himself to look through the detritus of Urthix' lair. While he could move swiftly when pressed, his knowledge of the arcane arts potentially surpassed her own. If the group was to hold the portal open as long as possible, they would need all of the magi to work together to make it happen. Plus, she thought ruefully, Bregga's intelligence gave way quickly to his curiosity's and she wondered if indeed he could limit his searching to a few minutes. Better if Aozora stayed, she thought. That one is precisely effective and has eyes on the back of his head...
__________________Alas, she could not voice her concern - the gebasi and her had been through too much together and respected one another enough not to second guess each other. As she turned. Towards the cavern exit, she consoled herself with the numerous memories where she and he had disagreed with one another but things had turned out for the best. Pray zis is one of Zose times, she thought. Adjusting to the light after the darkness of the cave and the odd experience of seeing things in ultraviolet was a bit of a shock to Orianna. Raising her hand to shade her eyes, she scowled at the brightness and squinted towards the trees. Zis enemy is no more, another awaits. Torrians, prove to me your faith and courage by stepping forth. Where is my carrier when I need him most? It was a tad melodramatic, but so was the tiefling. If the Torrians runners remained, they would flock to the heroes with renewed vigor and inspiration. Had they just not marched into an ancient dragon's lair to kill or be killed, with a mind-warping demon also to contend with? Thoughthe battle had played out in painful brutality and slowness for the participants, it had passed in mere minutes to the rest of the world. To emerge so quickly appearing victorious was wondrous indeed; a fact not lost on the shrewd tiefling. And if the Torrians were not there? Well, no harm lost. Though I may need to run, and a lady does not care to sweat. Last edited by Dalinen; 05-04-2012 at 07:17 PM.
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#574
05-05-2012, 08:48 AM
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Cautiously, one of the Torrians sticks his head out of a shrub, a few tens of yards away from Orianna and the cave entrance. The furry brow was furrowed ferociously, in surprise, while branches and twigs stuck from the Torrian's mane. In a low voice, he growled, clearly in awe, "Hhmmmrrr!!! You... you did it? You defeated... rrrhhmm... Urthix? Can you prove it? Hmmmrrmrhrmrr...."
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#575
05-05-2012, 11:37 AM
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Satisfied with his search, Saath moved to leave the cave. Much had come to a close here - fifty years of slavery avenged, a life bound to a shell relieved, a demon driven back to his own little corner of hell. To top it off, he now found himself in the company of new warriors of Argent, a second chance to defend his adopted and adoptive home.
__________________Emerging, he heard the Torrian's request for proof. He strode forward, covered in the gore of the fallen dragon, holding aloft the tooth torn from Urthix' jaw. "It is done. He's passed on, and Physandos is back in Hell. You're free."
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#577
05-07-2012, 10:10 AM
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Bregga briskly strolls forth from the dark mouth of the cavern, behind the wisecracking mantis. This strange creature was unlike anything Bregga had encountered in his many years of adventuring, yet Saath's lightheartedness and sense of humor despite the hardships he'd endured was quite inspirational to the occasionally somber Genasi. Bregga tended to smile more since Saath emerged from his demonic slumber. The current grin on his mercurial face was unrelated to Saath's antics however. Orianna's tirade had echoed loudly through Urthix's lair, signalling to Bregga that the time to depart had arrived. He did not doubt that despite their giant stature, the Torrians would wither at the lashing delivered by the wickedly sharp tongue of his closest traveling companion. Bregga frequently winced when Orianna's wrath was aroused, often-times an easier task than the lady's diminutive stature would suggest. Yet Bregga had come to realize how much she enjoyed partaking in such verbal sport, another artistic avenue to creatively express herself and did not mind indulging her forays after all they'd been through together. He took his usual, stoic place at her side, arms folded across his broad chest to lend a touch more intimidation to the tiefling princess's air of authority. Seeing Rourke near-by, Bregga catches the man's attention and tosses the newly-acquired ring to the historian. "Aside from a sack-full of jewels, this is all we could round up. I recognize the enchantment on the frigid metal yet I wonder if you can divine the unfortunate tale of the one who gave this to the dragon!" Last edited by Halcyon; 05-07-2012 at 10:12 AM.
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#578
05-08-2012, 02:15 PM
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Rourke is content to sit in the sunlight for a few minutes while Aozora and Bregga search the cave, halfway listening to Orianna harangue the torrians, pondering idly the likelihood whichever one carries her will somehow find its path leading beneath a variety of low-hanging branches.
__________________When Bregga tosses the ring, Rourke lets it fall to the earth at his feet before bending over and retrieving a handy stick from the ground nearby, which he uses to pick up the item in question. "Overcautious, perhaps," he acknowledges with a glance at the warrior. "But then again, putting on a ring found in a dank cave can be a bit of a risk, can it not? There's even a very long saga on the matter of one such ring ... it ends with volcanoes and missing fingers. At any rate, the tale of this ring's last owner certainly had a sad end." Holding the stick closer, he peers at the ring, noting the details of its casting and looking for anything to suggest the provenance of this particular item.
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#579
05-08-2012, 03:27 PM
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The torrian's face droops into a sad, sad look. "You may forget... hrrmm... my lady... we have been oppressed by this draconic menace for as long as we have lived... hrrhrmmm... only a few of my people remember the days of Argent. Even though we are grateful for what you have done, some of us have known nothing but fear their entire lives... and now we seem to be thrown into the unknown again. Most villagers will follow you to Argent, I guess, but some might stay behind at the village... it's a choice each of us has to make." The torrian male steps out of the bushes, and walks up to Saath, who holds out the tooth. "It is true, then. But indeed, hrmrmm.... the fact that you walk out of there alive had already eased my fears. Let's go to the ford, the others will be waiting. BOYS, GET READY TO MOVE OUT!" The last words are growlingly shouted at the other torrian males in the shrubbery, who come out of hiding immediately.
__________________Taking his time to study the ice-cold white ring, Rourke senses no curses or other ill feelings. But the cold that the ring radiates brings up a story Rourke once heard. He is reminded of Kaseem the djinn, captain of the Percheron, a ship crafted from ice and imbued with the magic of storm and sea. Kaseem is said to roam the Frozen Sea, to the north of Aramil, and guards the village of Flotsam. The Frozen Sea, some say, flows near cracks in reality that connect the natural world to the Elemental Chaos, where the frost giants reside in Frost Spire. The fact that minor engravings on the inside of the ring, in primordial script, show the word "Kaseem", tells Rourke that this is in fact the djinn's ring. How it got here in Urthix's cave remains a mystery. The torrians stand ready to carry the heroes from Argent on their backs or shoulders. When everyone is set to go, they march back the way they came, taking a turn before the village that leads them to the ford, where they were supposed to meet up with the Torrian leaders. The jungle holds no new surprises, and without further ado the ford is reached. Grurang, leaning on his two sticks, and Glorf, the druid, stand on the other side of the Alligator river. It is a tranquil place, where the Alligator floats slowly across several rocky surfaces, with some potholes and short falls here and there. One can easily hop from one stone to the next, and cross the river. From the south, a caravan of torrian families comes up from the village. One by one, the torrians are crossing the fords, overlooked by Grurang and Glorf, who urge them on. When they spot the torrians carrying the heroes from Argent, a huge cheer goes up from every torrian throat. "HOORRRRRAAYYY!!! THEY MADE IT! THEY DID IT!" and other cries of disbelief and joy were heard. This is followed by a loud joined roar of triumph, as every torrian vocal chord trembles. On the other side of the ford, none other than Lyloni is trying to lay some quickly chopped off logs and branches in a huge, ornate letter "A", as instructed by Glorf.
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#580
05-09-2012, 01:56 AM
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Aozora didn't show any signs of impatience or urgency as the others moved back to the ford. He also still hadn't warmed to the idea of traveling on the back of the torrian creatures. For the most part, he ran alongside the larger folk, refusing help up to the point where he no longer could keep pace.
__________________At the ford, he asked those preparing the ritual, "Do you need my assistance? I know little about your magic, but if there is anything I can do, let me know." Last edited by hvg3akaek; 05-09-2012 at 01:57 AM.
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#581
05-10-2012, 03:43 PM
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As Orianna stretched out an arm with her magic baton, Nevara stood adjacent holding out one hand. Their magic was a mix of divine and arcane that made a cocktail of primal sorcery beyond the typical bounds of a ritual. Purple and green light moved in ways reminiscent of water from them to make cut a large oval in front of them The interior of which was clean and safe looking, the outside though looked like colored paint running down the rounded edges and dripping precariously all over the ground beneath. The droplets were twisting time in berserk ways. Rocks were eroding before their eyes, then returning. Plants were cycling through seed, to stem, to flower at random intervals. There were even crystalline facets appearing that no one could discern an origin for. The green and purple halves were soon as stable as they would probably get so the girls lowered their arms and displayed the safety of their portal by taking the first entry together, horns and wings vanished into whatever awaited them in Argent...
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#582
05-11-2012, 10:05 AM
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Saath's mandibles turned up into a broad, vaguely orc-like grin. "I like you people! Very handy talents!" He followed rapidly, hopping over the crowd so as to avoid getting in anyone's way.
__________________Last edited by sammichweasel; 05-11-2012 at 10:05 AM.
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#583
05-11-2012, 11:49 PM
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Reveling in the novelty of the intermingled streams of magic, Bregga attempts to strengthen the portal with a shot of his own arcane signature. He steps to the perimeter of the rushing, swirling magic and dips the blade of his sword into the stream, carving out a glowing magical rune that is whisked away like a leaf caught in an eddy. The rune glows golden as it swells and is soon completely absorbed by the time-bending portal. After Orianna and Nevara step through, Bregga lifts his sword high and swings it to the mystical gate while shouting,
__________________"THROUGH THE PORTAL, FRIENDS! ARGENT AWAITS!" Strong winds buffet his back and ripple the silver champion's cloak before lifting him slightly off the ground and ushering the Genasi into the portal.
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