Ashy's Oathbound Campaign, IC [ARCHIVED]

[Ferrix]

Kiera listens to her companions troubled tones, she knows all too well the horrors and banality of war. The sheer violence directed against those unable to mount a defence before they are cut down makes her face flush with anger, but she quells it before it is noticed by the others.

Looking to Xerxes she nods at his predictions, their being here is a call for battle in its own way.

Gazing out to the field of carnage she rests a hand on Tristan's shoulder and watches Baja dart about the field attempting to collect the tiny lizards. "It is time we moved on, perhaps we can make our way to some semblance of civilization before the laboring heat of the day finds us again. There is nothing we can do for these dead, and we are well enough provisioned for now."

OOC: I'm assuming we're all relatively rested so we can travel this night without much trouble, we don't have to worry about light (kiera glows like a bonfire), if we weren't rested before we arrived here we'll have to stop but camping twice, once during the hot portions of the day and the coldest parts of the nights should give us at least 8 hours to move a day.

 

[Ashy]

OOC: You are all fully rested and completely unhurt, as if you had just awoke from the best night's sleep of your lives.

Please post if your characters have any other desired actions (other than the ones posted by the party leader, above), please post them now.

 

[Ashy]

Julian crests the dune, looking down on the field of battle. Overwelmed by the dead being picked apart by scavangers, tears form in his eyes. "Perhaps I am young, but a waste of life like this just makes no sense. What type of place is this that people would just leave their dead to feed the crows in the middle of a desert? What could possibly be worth so many lives here?

Julian:

Spoiler

This last ponderance spawns a distant memory in your head - a segment of a lecture given to you by Father (the speaker in the first post) during your years of focused training.

"...The motivations of the Enemy are as confusing as they are mysterious. For instance, we have learned through our research, that within the domain of Arena, endless battles wage over nothing more than the accumulation of mineral wealth. Apparently, the earth beneath the red-blood sands of this domain are rich with thick and long-spanning veins of precious metals and gemstones and those within the confines of the domain fight endlessly for these treasures..."

 

[Ashy]

Baja did his best to nod and look like he was both understanding and paying attention to the holy man person. But he wasn't. He heard "Baja, were the Lizards red and little? - catch a few. - FOOD - blood - I do not eat (!!??) - sprain you (!?) - you are a horse (!?) - ride on Keira (?) - FOOD FOR YOU - somethingsomethingsomething" Though the main gist of it was that he should hunt the little red lizard things and ride Keira. (He wasn't sure she'd like that, but..... okay.

He nodded to Kyron. Munchy Lizard snackses comin' right up! And unhitching a throwing axe from his belt, he loped off as stealthily as possible to hunt the coldblooded creatures. (And to see if he could find anything "cool" amongst the corpses too if he was sure none were looking.)

Baja loped down the sand dune, the loose scarlet sands spilling outward from his large feet like thick, slow moving waves. Upon reaching the valley floor, he notices that the ground here is hard and solid - rock, not the deep sand found in the surrounding dunes. The pale-skinned half-orc flings two axes, their blades singing through the ever-cooling night air.

Both hit their mark with a repulsive-sounding splat. There are little spoils to be harvested from this hunt, so after retreiving his weapons, Baja decides to try another method. Sneaking stealthily up to a large pile of hacked and skewered bodies (where there are literally scores of the lizards), Baja lashes out with his bare hands as quick as a striking snake, snaring several (5) of the small creatures in his cupped hands.

Baja:

Spoiler

It is only after the remaining lizards scatter that you notice movement in the pile of bodies. A short furry tail (the body obviously buried somewhere in the pile) jerks slightly with the barest sign of life...

 

[Ashy]

Feeling similarly as Julian, Xerxes says, "A senseless waste of life. But then, why are we here? In the end, we too shall shed much blood and end many lives. And, if not us, our actions here will bring the same about. Whatever these spent their lives for, I hope it was for a cause noble and worthy." Xerxes lowers his head in shame. "And yet, my prejudices of the Forge make me think that it is fortuitous to find these dead without risk to us."

Xerxes looks up at the sky as he mulls over the thoughts in his head before shaking them away and watching after Baja as he chases off after the lizards. To assist Baja, Xerxes raises his a hand to his temple. Blue swirls of light and glitter-like sparkles form around him and spring forth from his mind in waves that form a gooey, unknown substance at a lizard that seems to escape from the Orc. ((OOC: Manifesting Entangling Ectoplasm: 1 Power Point to entangle one lizard for five rounds. This requires a ranged touch attack, +6. There is no save and the ectoplasm disappears after five rounds. Xerxes will do this when a lizard "escapes" from Baja but will do it no more than five times. He has 52 power points and doesn't want to waste his ability to manifest powers but having food is also important. How many times he actually will aid Baja this way depends on how well Baja can capture the lizards.))

The gooey strands flow outward from Xerxes like a patient snake, carefully selecting their target and hovering over it for a moment before striking. The lizard, feasting on the flayed flesh of an elf's face, is woefully unprepared and is captured with ease.

OOC: You can see how well Baja did above, let me know if you want to snare others.

Xerxes:

Spoiler

As you look up into the night sky, you notice yet another "heavenly" body that your group has not yet noticed yet. A small, reddish moon that lies *directly* overhead is barely noticeable against the ever-darkening night sky.

 

[hafrogman]

Tristan starts slightly when Kiera rests her hand upon his shoulder, but settles down as soon as he realizes who it is. He laughs slightly as Baja scoops up the little lizards wholesale, but is quickly sobered by the constant reminders of death surrounding them.

"There is an unwholesome air about this place. I agree that we should move on, just as soon as we are all gathered."

He calls out to the half-orc.

"Baja! You done?"

 

[ferretguy]

As he watches the half orc gather potential food, Julian recalles his own brush with the greed in his own church. He thinks to himself "Mankind always seems to be driven to riches on our own world...how could it be different here? Of course with all our senses heightened...or the "reality" being more real, it would make sense that our driving forces would be heightened. Hopefully we'll be able to keep our own needs and drives under better controll then those that populate this world."

Nodding to the others, "Aye, getting as far away as possible from this horrid place would be good."

 

[Vendetta]

ASHY:

Spoiler

What do we know about the heavenly body that I see above me? Is it another moon? My knowledge The Forge is +14. If it is a moon that we know about, that exists and carries no omens, I'll just move on. Otherwise, what do I know about it before I decide how to address it... if I know nothing of any other heavenly bodies, Xerxes will point it out to the party and ask if they know.

 

[deadestdai]

After stuffing the lizards into his packs and pouches, Baja sidles up to where he saw the tail move and after a little inspection as to whether it belongs to a daemon or some such (In which case he will refrain.) he reaches out and hawls out whatever the tail belongs to, by the tail. (A throwing axe in hand ready to dash it's brains out, should it prove to be something mean.)

 

[Ashy]

ASHY:

Spoiler

What do we know about the heavenly body that I see above me? Is it another moon? My knowledge The Forge is +14. If it is a moon that we know about, that exists and carries no omens, I'll just move on. Otherwise, what do I know about it before I decide how to address it... if I know nothing of any other heavenly bodies, Xerxes will point it out to the party and ask if they know.

Vendetta:

Spoiler

Knowledge (the Forge) check: 1d20+14: (16) + 14 = 30 - Thinking on this moon a bit more seems to unlock a wealth of information that was seemingly locked away within your subconscience - an excerpt from a lecture (either written or spoken you cannot recall) leaps forth to the forefront of your mind:

"...This smaller moon, Zadkiel, is red and composed of a stony metal and is singular in its ability to rotate perpendicular to the orbits of Anahita (the blue moon) and the two suns. This quirk allows it to pass directly above Eclipse for three days each month, providing that domain its only illumination. It completes its orbit in seven days and is normally used to mark the passage of the days of the week."