D&D 5E [IC] THE CURSE OF AMBERSTAR

[Neurotic]

The last slopes were the most tiresome, but his tardiness demanded extraordinary effort, and he knew it. As he reached high, almost at the first camping spot, Thulwar heard the clamour of steel and magic. A battle! His faster pace drove him towards the road leading up, only to place him in the way of danger! The first thing Thulwar meets is a horse, running down his path uncontrolled and without a rider! Thulwar has to be quick if he is to escape the trampling hooves of the frightened beast!

Metal beast crouches in front of its diminutive master and charges headlong into the frightened horse. It swipes at the beast of burden, but goes too low as the horse simply jumps over the monster using the paths incline, soars above and keeps going. Thulwar dives out of it's way on the narrow path.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

OOC: I have large metal protector who can prone things. Unfortunately, natural one means he didn't do his job

 

[JustinCase]

Coming back from his battle rage, Aanzu wipes the blood off his sword with the clothes of the felled barbarian Zanga. Then, producing a fine dagger, the dragonborn prince opens their mouths and with a practised hand, cuts out the tongues of both Zanga and Isobel. One he wraps in a cloth ripped from the body's tunic, putting it in his pack; the other he puts in his mouth and starts chewing. Gore drips down his draconic jaws and onto the ground.

After cleaning the blade, Aanzu turns to the others. "Disrespect spoken, and punished," the outlandish prince states matter-of-factly.

 

[Greenmtn]

Harfik Human Monk

OOC: Either I missed something or did we just hand wave actually killing Isobel?

Harfik looks at the bodies with a bit of sorrow, crouching beside Isobel to recover his spear. Pausing for a moment. "You were not free, you merely traded one master for many."

He rises, feeling pain in his chest as he lifts the spear he looks down at the cut in his chest an frowns examining it like a craftsman would examine a defect in a bowl they had just finished. Thinking back to how it happened and what he did wrong to allow it.

"Is everyone ok?" He says absent mindedly looking around for verification.

 

[JustinCase]

OOC: OOC: Either I missed something or did we just hand wave actually killing Isobel? That's what I thought, too. Not complaining, though.

 

[hafrogman]

Yttrian looks up at Atir's frantic approach. He shakes his head slowly, repeating the merchant's words. "'There was no way we could have known'? Perhaps there was no way YOU could have known... Perhaps. But, your friend seems far more complicit, and now uncooperative." He winces a little as Lyllie's spell hits the defenseless dwarf, but steels himself against necessary actions. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him. Quickly."

OOC: It's more that we got slightly divorced from turn order. Archon went back to do their attacks which he has skipped, and then didn't bother to update all the last two pages of damage as it was more than enough to kill her.

 

[Archon Basileus]

LYLLIE/YTTRIAN/KETHRA/HARFIK/AANZU

Dvalin twists under Lyllie's spell, his cries lost in the mountains. Atir's eyes follow the interrogation with fear and concern. After Yttrian's words, his countenance seems to ease up. He rises to his knees and, with pleading eyes, waves his hands at the captors. "Please, do not harm me... I assure you, I had no knowledge of it!"

Dvalin's face becomes carved with tears as his body shivers beneath Lyllie's spectral touch. "Alright alright! Just leave Atir alone... He's nothing to do with it..." - He twists his body amidst the branches, trying to face Lyllie and the others. "There are eight more... They looked for us. They said they were our only chance... That either the Duke or the mages would claim the Sanctum and rid the city of us." - Dvalin tries to take his breath, pacing his words carefully.

"The Duke... Would sooner see us gone. Everyone knows it. And he'd sooner see the Fairwalkers gone. How could we surrender without a fight?" - Atir's face shows surprise, and fear takes hold of him once more. He looks at the heroes, but above all at Kethra and Harfik, knowing them to be particularly linked to the Duke. Such an act might be considered blatant betrayal, and the Duke might not be so merciful, considering the state of things...

(...)One he wraps in a cloth ripped from the body's tunic, putting it in his pack; the other he puts in his mouth and starts chewing. Gore drips down his draconic jaws and onto the ground.

Amidst the servants, Aanzu's gesture turns a few heads. Prosper and Caliban watch in awe and horror as the prince chews the ripped-off tongue. Caliban makes a remark, potentially offensive, but his fear seems to suffocate the words. Surely he does not wish to have the same fate. Both of them resume their tasks, as Portis reaches out for a fountain and throws a bucket of water over the cart, beginning the mechanic and repetitive labor.

"You were not free, you merely traded one master for many."

Harfik notices a singular reaction from Portis as he says his farewells to the dead sand-fleas. Portis says nothing, but for a second Harfik meets an approving, suffering gaze. He almost feels as if Portis was far older than (s)he seems, and his words find a hidden truth within the servant's mind. It is just a moment, though, and Portis continues to work on the cart, trying to control the fires.

ICOSA/THULWAR

Soon after the horse's prowess, Icosa finishes his short flight, having a full view of the scene, the vanishing horse and the strange arrival. A sense of familiarity pervades both of them, though, given the presence of the defensive machine near the metallurgist.

@Charwoman Gene @industrygothica @JustinCase @Greenmtn @hafrogman @Shayuri @Neurotic

It's more that we got slightly divorced from turn order. Archon went back to do their attacks which he has skipped, and then didn't bother to update all the last two pages of damage as it was more than enough to kill her.

[Precisely! Did you see the amount of damage you piled on her? It wasn't hand-waved, I assure you! But considering that I couldn't update every day on account of that appointment I mentioned earlier, I thought it'd be easier to let you guys roll and update any sorts of damage you might have taken. The outcome was pretty much set by that point. Also... Don't get used to it, mwahaha!]

 

[Shayuri]

On seeing the pair climbing up towards the others, Icosa reprioritizes swiftly. Shifting his balance point in midair so that his head is pointed skyward, as if standing, he begins a rapid descent!

No sooner had the fleeing horse clocked Thulwar a good one than something sailed down onto the path in front of him and struck the ground heavily. A thing of worn metal, wreathed in shimmering blue flames that went to one knee and planted a fist onto the ground to help distribute the force of its impact...then looked up at him through the visor of its helmet, or perhaps armored head.

It rose to its feet, quiet whirrs audible as it did. When it spoke, its voice was surprisingly unthreatening though; a humanlike voice, if difficult to distinguish the particulars of accent and gender of.

"There's been some trouble ahead of you. If you don't want to be part of it, you may want to re-think coming up this way. And if you do want to...you may want to re-think that as well."

The apparition's head moves slightly, and while Thulwar can't see its eyes, he intuits that it's looking at his own companion now.

 

[Neurotic]

"What...!?" small humanoid dusts himself off before realizing what he's talking to.
A look of wander passes his stony face and he almost forgets the plight he is in.
"You're not an automaton. You're a person. Do you know how you got your erm...personhood? Yourself? I saw two of your...species? earlier in life, I even revived one."
Thulwar approaches the being making as if he wants to touch him before snapping out of it.
"Uh, sorry about that. I find all things mechanical fascinating." he motions toward his own machine and speaks quickly as if by well rehearsed rote.
"My name is Thulwar Metallurgist, coming from Grundubopigrad to Duke Wellington. But my party suffered loses and we were waylaid by some bandits and scattered. As far as I know, someone may already be at ducal palace. But I am charged with finding the cause of the Great Quake which our divinations indicate had its source here. I have nothing to hide and mean no harm to people of the surface. I come in peace." Thulwar looks up at the metal man, still fascinated by the way it moved naturally. "And I hope not to go in pieces" he thinks.

The guardian recovers from the horse jump and comes back looming over svirfneblin artificer.
"Was that your horse? I'm sorry I didn't manage to stop it."

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Kethra recomposes herself after being discomfited by Aanzu's "snack" and starts looking around for a respectful place to stuff the bodies.

 

[Shayuri]

"It is not my horse," says the machine-man. "I am Icosa. I am part of a group sent here by Duke Wellington. A competing group of mercenaries became hostile."

He focuses on Thulwar again, taking in his claims to have met others, and aided them in regaining consciousness.

"I will take you back to the others, if you wish. Otherwise I can provide directions to continue on your way to the Duke."