#31
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"We should not stay here long, or camp anywhere nearby. The one that survived could come back with more warriors seeking vengeance." Kiriel aids Sev in his searching of the bodies, being sure to gather the heavy cloaks of the warriors, cast a cantrip that cleans them of blood and whatever other substances might be staining them, and put them in her magical haversack. There's no telling what might happen out here, and having extra warm cloaks can't possibly hurt.
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#32
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Jenna pauses to Taking 10 on a Concentration check to regain psionic focus.collect herself while her companions loot the bodies. "Find anything good?" she asks, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair back under her hood. The wind felt like it was picking up, and Jenna was hopeful for a break from the incessant noise and swirling whiteness. Granted, all the woods was likely to do was redirect the swirling a bit, but it would at least be a change.
As was typical, Jenna's curiosity eventually got the better of her, and she walked over to the others to take a first close look at their victims. "I don't know why I'd think I would know anything about these guys, but it can't hurt to take a look, I suppose. How they survive here is beyond me." She followed Sev and Ki into the woods. "But I agree we shouldn't camp nearby. They probably know every inch of this forest—" Jenna glanced at the tops of the trees, or at least as much as she could see "—above and below." The psion took a last glance at the corpses, likely doomed to be buried in snow and remain undiscovered for centuries, before trudging on silently with the others.
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#33
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"Actually, I'm goin' out on a limb here and saying that those barbarians don't know this wood as well as they might like. I'm going to further deduce that the tree markings were left by them as a warning." Sev talked as he became increasingly aware he smelled heavily of tobacco. "Notice how they ambushed us on the edge of the woods, rather than following us into it. Notice how they all came from the opposite direction of the woods. Notice how they even seemed to spring their trap a tad early to try and stop us from entering." It was at that moment that Sev began to think down a tangent. They did miss their opening volley. Maybe the guy with the axe was trying to warn them and waved his big stick around in an effort to tell them what the wolves would do to them rather than he and his compadres... Maybe Sev just pulled his sword on a guy who was only trying to help the best he knew how?
"Where was I? Werewolves, yes. Let us assume that we are now in the heart of Werewolf territory. I'd certainly bet on it."
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Oct 28th, UPDATE: Things appear to be settling down. Returning to normally scheduled posting |
#34
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Kiriel warned, Jenna studied, and Sev postulated several theories. Yet, no matter the tact, nothing changed the parameters of their current situation. A few corpses strewn in the snow, a blinding, blowing wall of snow covering their route home, and a forest full of undisclosed carvings before them.
Jenna's cursory observation of the bodies gave her little to no information. Human in ancestry, perhaps, but now something else entirely. Their skin seemed immune to the effects of the cold, and they were obviously much larger than your run of the mill man. Other than that, bubkiss. In any event, the group set out along the trail in the woods. Their hasted movements proved a rather large boon as the howls and shouts of pursuit soon carried between the large trunks. Apparently their lone escapee had indeed brought reinforcements, and they were now being pursued into the woods. Magically enhanced, they easily outdistanced the pursuit at first. Jenna's scholarly mind couldn't help but study the carvings on the trees as they passed. Seldom were there any new images added to the menagerie. Moons, wolves, and a lake on fire. It made little sense, nor did it seem prone to reveal it's secrets of it's own accord. As the magic wore off, the group found their pace now felt like a crawl. The sounds of their hunters, while still distant, grew louder with each passing moment. The crunching snow at their feet hindered their movements, but seemed to prove no such impediment to their erstwhile pursuers. It was a matter of time before shapes begin flitting through the trees at their flanks. Glimpses of barbarians passed in the blink of an eye, but none had made sufficient ground to make an attack plausible. It was a matter of time without a doubt. The first arrows had begun to pass wildly by when Sev caught sight of an opening ahead. The three burst out of the snow shrouded trees and struggled to keep their footing as they slid upon the icy surface of a moderately large body of water. Exposed, unstable, a reasonable mind could only expect the worst. They were likely soon to be up to their cloaks in barbarians. Indeed, the shores of the frozen lake were now lined with a great many hostile faces. Some wearing wolf skins, others resembling those from their early encounter, an entire host of the Tribe had turned out to chase them. Numbering at least a hundred, they circled the group. But not one set foot upon the ice. They taunted, jeered, and waved their weapons in the air, but not a single tribesman would place a foot upon the solid waters of the lake. After a time, the threats died down, and now a hundred sets of eyes simply observed the three foreigners treading upon the surface of Blue Fire Lake.
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If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill GM: Echoes of Divinity II Player: The Lost Coast(Breck&Earl) Last edited by Toba; Apr 21st, 2014 at 12:28 PM. |
#35
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Kiriel works on catching her breath slowly, great puffs of moist exhalations erupting from her mouth in white clouds. Surveying the surrounding barbarians, she contemplates the idea of trying to fight their way out, but what would the point of that be? So far as what little information we have points, this is exactly where we are supposed to be. Why would we leave? The bard looks down that the ice beneath her feet. And how are we supposed to find Varraquez' Library?
Quietly she speaks, turning her head slightly toward Jenna and Sev, "I think this is where we are supposed to be, but how are we going to search with Team Icicle out there ready to put their axes through us?" Ki looks around at the forest edge behind the beasts and their frosty miens, hoping for...something. Slowly her eyes travel back down to the ice beneath her feet, and an idea forms. "Be still and silent," she says with a look at Sev. With small motions she begins casting a spell, muttering the words as quietly as possible. Kiriel places her hand on Sev's arm and a finger to her lips for both Jenna and the pirate, as she gets comfortable and waits to see what the barbarians do in response to her spell.
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#36
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There were a few murmured exclamations of surprised as the cracks in the ice began to appear, though Kiriel couldn't help but notice the lack of shock on most of the faces. More to the point, it was the knowing nods more than half made that put her in a bit of unease. It was as though the barbarians had expected something like this to happen. What did they know about this lake that Ki, Sev, and Jenna did not?
Knowledge deficits are rarely a friendly handicap. In any event, after standing for a moment to make sure the foreigners did not resurface somehow, the war party began to disperse back into the woods, many making strange gestures in the direction of the lake. Either signs warding against evil, or sigils of respect. One would have to have been a Tribesman to understand. It looked as though Kiriel's spell had the intended effect, and they were now alone upon the frozen water of the lake. The only sounds now were the howling of the wind over the tree tops and the occasional creak of tree limbs. The sun must have been setting, as the daylight was waning upon the group. They had perhaps an hour or so of daylight left, as their flight had eaten a better part of the day.
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If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill GM: Echoes of Divinity II Player: The Lost Coast(Breck&Earl) |
#37
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Jenna stood still at Kiriel's command, although part of her silence was from efforts to figure out what to do should the ice give in under them. The psion wasn't concerned about herself, as she had three immediate options to survive such a scenario (Four if you counted shifting to another plane, but given the difficulty of arriving exactly where you wanted to be, Jenna didn't like to count that one.). She just wasn't sure she could carry both of the others to shore.
The CRACK sound effect was loud enough that it forced Jenna to check her peripheral vision to see whether it had been real. Deciding that as best as she could tell (and Jenna had been the one to spot Nihlus in the first place, so she felt confident in her judgment), the ice was fine, she stole a glance at Ki. The bard appeared to be working some sort of arcane magic – maybe an illusion? Out of everything Jenna knew about arcane magic, which wasn't all that much to begin with, illusions puzzled her the most. Why not just invade everyone's mind and trick them at that level? It seemed simpler than some big projection or however it actually functioned. Still, the tribe left, and Jenna wasn't one to complain about results. "So now what?" she said as softly as she could. "Think there's a safe way for all of us to get to whatever's under here?"
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#38
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"Well," Sev mumbled, "that was entirely unexpected. " He wasn't entirely sure what had moved the barbarian horde away, but he was happy for it. He was confident he could take any one of them on mano a mano but being easily outnumbered 100-1 he had his doubts. With the last few stragglers dismissed, Sev scanned the tree line and the open field of ice & snow. "I get the feeling that this isn't going to be as easy as drilling a hole and jumping down into the freezing water. Ki, how did that rhym go again? There might be some hint in there." The profesional treasure hunter knew to give some credit to the stories of myths and legends. They were always exaggerated and often put in prose, the the truth was almost always hidden underneath.
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#39
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Kiriel holds up her hand to silence any further questions or comments. For a full minute she keeps the hand up, waiting to
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"Let us speak quietly," Kiriel says, quietly. Even with her mind distracted by keeping the illusion active Kiriel easily remembers the words of the short poem. She's gone over them in her head hundreds of times in the past few days after all. Quietly she recites the words, "In the lands of the Nihlus, where winds freeze flesh and soul; Where men possessing sanity and reason dare not go; A lord from lords holds watch over eternal night; Else fangs drip with ripe divine might; Ware to the curious seeker, life's light is nigh; To be snuffed by passions in only a passing sigh; All secrets go as secrets must; Fleeing safety from light and dust; Below the waves of mountain tears; Varraquez's mind did wander to page; A torrent of apprehensive denials and fears; Swallowed whole by his impotent rage; Thus misjudged, thus miguided, met in demise; Deemed by Slint, below the Sun Rise." The bard heaves a sigh, spotting Sev's eye as it watches her chest rise and taking note. "Not much more to go on there, sadly."
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#40
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Alone now, the three stood upon the quiet, frozen waters of Blue Fire Lake. Ki recited the rhyme as they all listened, her voice carrying musically through the frozen air. Her breath came in frozen puffs, as did both Jenna's and Sev's, reminding them of the freezing temperatures they now found themselves in. Not for the first time, they were each thankful for Olaf's gifts.
Ki was just finishing the last stanzas of the rhyme when Sev caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. The bottom corner, at that. He stared down at the ice beneath his feet, and saw the movement again. Perhaps movement was the wrong term, as what he observed was a brief flicker of blue light. Similar to a spell he'd seen a circus conjurer perform, blue lights weaving in an indiscernible pattern. Out of place in this mountain wilderness to be sure. Out of place, beautiful, and strange. Most concerning of all, they were coming closer to the surface.
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If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill GM: Echoes of Divinity II Player: The Lost Coast(Breck&Earl) |
#41
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Sev took a dive into the think tank while Ki recited the poem. Her cold bosom only a slight distraction.
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Ki finished the poem and took a deep breath. Sev snuck another look, pretty sure no one saw. It was at that moment, admiring the huge tracks of land that Ki was the proud owner of, that he noticed something strange coming from below. "Well, looks like we're about to discover why this lake glows. It's either getting brighter, closer, or both. I would recommend that we vacate the ice to the nearest shore line and watch from there. Those vikings didn't seem too surprised at our disapearance so I would imagine it's a pretty regular thing out here on the ice. Let's move says I."
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Oct 28th, UPDATE: Things appear to be settling down. Returning to normally scheduled posting Last edited by irishking7777; May 14th, 2014 at 06:20 AM. |
#42
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Jenna had been turning the poem over in her mind. "His library has to be under the lake, where it would be 'safe from light and dust.' I think 'below the waves of mountain tears' confirms this; water runs like tears down mountains into lakes. At some point, this wretched place was warm enough for this lake to form. It's the 'life's light' bit I'm still not sure of. The lake apparently glows regularly enough to make me think this is some kind of installed magical feature." Jenna takes a breath. Figuring out ancient riddles is easy enough, but she has no idea what do do with her hands. Normally, she'd play with her hair when thinking this hard, but it was all tucked under her hood and probably better left there. In the end she just twiddled her fingers in a mindless pattern that mimicked the fingerings of the recorder her parents tried to make her learn to play when she was eight. Jenna had no idea that she even remembered recorder fingerings.
"The glow might be a death ray, but it might also be a teleportation beam or something. There has to be a way to get in and out. Did anyone ever catch what color it glows? I saw a death ray once. It was green. Does the lake glow green?" Her train of thought is interrupted by Sev's comment, along with one of his classic exasperated looks. She looks down at his comment. "Blue. That's not green." The shortest of pauses. "Yeah, I'd like to see what the lights do before I try riding one. Let's get to shore." She starts hustling back to land, taking one glance at the lights to see if something (teleportation beam? blue death ray?) comes to mind.
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#43
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Beneath their feet, refracted by the ice, the blue glowing lights spiraled towards the surface at a ponderously slow rate. Their patterns spread further, drifting after the group almost leisurely as they made their way to shore. As the twin lights grew closer to the ice separating them from the world above, a hazy blue glow engulfed the surface of the ice. It gave the impression of the ice being lit aflame, yet no heat radiated from the spectral seeming glow.
As each of them stepped foot onto shore, 3 pairs of eyes followed the approaching lights with caution. A cold, sinking feeling of dread settled into the pits of each stomach as it became readily apparent these weren't random apparitions of light meandering through the lake. They were seeking out the group actively. As the lights approached the thick layer of ice, their shapes came into a slightly sharper focus. The glows were not spherical in shape, but elongated. The explanation of this shape came when the lights began emerging from the surface of the ice. No longer nondescript forms of light, but clearly humanoid in form. With eyes of shining white, the spectors appeared similar to the barbarians that had harassed and followed the group to the lake. Their clothing, skin, and hair all glowed a translucent blue, and was opaque enough that the landscape behind them was vaguely visible. The blueish light radiated off them like flame, and the air began to cool rapidly around the group, freezing their breath and sending waves of cold through their cloaks. The eyes narrowed in stares of rage, and their mouths opened in silent cries. With that, they began hovering towards the warm, living bodies standing on the shores of their lake.
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If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill GM: Echoes of Divinity II Player: The Lost Coast(Breck&Earl) |
#44
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Sev looked up with steel determination. Feckity-feck-feck-feck! His eyes gave a squint as he sized up the ghostly antagonists. Of feckin' course it's bloody spectors. Why wouldn't it feckin' be bloody ghosts. Where's Duncan when I need him. It's shyte like this that I feckin' pay him for.
Then the lightining bolt hit him. "Don't panic. Keep them over the lake." he said to his female companions. Sev dropped his pack and began to rummage through it. Within seconds he pulled out two sealed bottles and two smaller corked vials.
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#45
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Kiriel reacted to the threat exactly as she had in every single fight that the group had previously found itself in, by casting a spell of speed that infuses her and her nearby allies. Almost without conscious thought she continues her efforts to aid her friends, and reaches to the small badge currently holding her heavy winter cloak shut. The badge, which should a heavily defensed fortress with the rising sun cresting its walls, flashes brightly briefly before going back to its normal luster.
Then she begins to sing. Her pure voice rings out across the frozen lake, filling Captain Sev and Jenna's arms with strength and wills with fortitude. The words are irrelevant, the meaning nonsensical, it is the power behind the voice that matters, and that power comes from Kiriel's belief and heart and soul. Pouring forth from her lips one can almost see the strength flowing from her and into her friends as they stand against this newest threat.
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