Copperheads: Betrayal and Strange Runes and Burning Dead, oh my (short update 02/12)
- Thread starter arwink
- Start date
arwink
Clockwork Golem
Khynal said:
Very little. Bellhold, as things go, doesn't have much by way of an adventurer industry
And you have to keep in mind, the way empire law works Geoffrey's just one step away from being a Justicar - essentially town guard and jury in one. (actually, he took that one step last game, but it's still a distance away as storyhours go).
And, as things go, they didn't do too much damage. Only one innocent bystander was hurt
arwink
Clockwork Golem
Thursday, August 24th, 508 AF, continued
As they leave the barn, Blarth hears something inside his head.
"Puny half-orc, you're going to die."
He shakes his head, trying to clear it. The voice sounds like his. Exactly like his. But he's pretty sure he didn't say it. Blarth can't remember the last time he called himself puny, but the fact his mind says so worries him.
"Blarth not puny," he snarls. Everyone turns towards him.
"What?" Halgo asks.
"Blarth not puny," Blarth repeats. "Blarth's brain tell him he is. Tell Blarth he going to die. Blarth say no. Blarth strong. Blarth live."
The half-orc pounds his chest, hard, to prove the point. Halgo and Geoffrey exchange glances.
"Something's out there, sending messages into our heads," Halgo says.
"So Blarth not think he puny?"
Nobody answers him.
Geoffrey hears a voice in his head.
"The beasts of the mountain made us strong. Stronger than you."
He repeats it for everyone else.
"Nothing to do with the mountain, huh?" Goeffrey mutters under his breath, cursing Hobb. "When do they learn. Once an evil stronghold, always an evil stronghold."
In the field, two horses stand apart from the rest of the herd. While most are clustered against the far fence of the paddock, Blaze and Broadsword are grazing quietly halfway through. Everyone agrees that this is at least a little suspicious.
THey treck accross the field, hands staying warily close to weapons and spells on the tip of the casters tongues. Everyone is on edge, nervous. Halfway between the gate and the two warhorses, Yip suddenly yelps and leaps a foot in the air. Everyone whirls, blades at the ready, but there's nothing there.
"What?" Geoffrey demands.
"Voice in head," Yip says quickly. "Told me to hurt Blarth."
"Do you feel like doing it?"
Yip looks at the half-orc, considering the question carefully.
"No," he mutters. Then his mind is suddenly bombarded with heavy pressure, and his fist lashes out towards Blarth's unprotected kneecap of it's own accord. Yip yelps again, and just manages to get control of his limbs before the blow connects.
"Something nasty," he tells everyone. "Something making Yip hit. Not Yip's fault."
Everyone turns again, looking accross the paddock. One of the horses is looking at them, Blaze, his eyes afire with saphire light.
"Demon horse," Blarth yells.
Then Broadswords mouth drops open, impossibly wide and filled with sharp wolf-like fangs. Everyone stares at the fang-filled maw in disbelief for a space of seconds, then brings weapons up as the horse charges towards them. This time, everyone hears the voice in their head.
"Diiiiieeeeee."
As they leave the barn, Blarth hears something inside his head.
"Puny half-orc, you're going to die."
He shakes his head, trying to clear it. The voice sounds like his. Exactly like his. But he's pretty sure he didn't say it. Blarth can't remember the last time he called himself puny, but the fact his mind says so worries him.
"Blarth not puny," he snarls. Everyone turns towards him.
"What?" Halgo asks.
"Blarth not puny," Blarth repeats. "Blarth's brain tell him he is. Tell Blarth he going to die. Blarth say no. Blarth strong. Blarth live."
The half-orc pounds his chest, hard, to prove the point. Halgo and Geoffrey exchange glances.
"Something's out there, sending messages into our heads," Halgo says.
"So Blarth not think he puny?"
Nobody answers him.
Geoffrey hears a voice in his head.
"The beasts of the mountain made us strong. Stronger than you."
He repeats it for everyone else.
"Nothing to do with the mountain, huh?" Goeffrey mutters under his breath, cursing Hobb. "When do they learn. Once an evil stronghold, always an evil stronghold."
In the field, two horses stand apart from the rest of the herd. While most are clustered against the far fence of the paddock, Blaze and Broadsword are grazing quietly halfway through. Everyone agrees that this is at least a little suspicious.
THey treck accross the field, hands staying warily close to weapons and spells on the tip of the casters tongues. Everyone is on edge, nervous. Halfway between the gate and the two warhorses, Yip suddenly yelps and leaps a foot in the air. Everyone whirls, blades at the ready, but there's nothing there.
"What?" Geoffrey demands.
"Voice in head," Yip says quickly. "Told me to hurt Blarth."
"Do you feel like doing it?"
Yip looks at the half-orc, considering the question carefully.
"No," he mutters. Then his mind is suddenly bombarded with heavy pressure, and his fist lashes out towards Blarth's unprotected kneecap of it's own accord. Yip yelps again, and just manages to get control of his limbs before the blow connects.
"Something nasty," he tells everyone. "Something making Yip hit. Not Yip's fault."
Everyone turns again, looking accross the paddock. One of the horses is looking at them, Blaze, his eyes afire with saphire light.
"Demon horse," Blarth yells.
Then Broadswords mouth drops open, impossibly wide and filled with sharp wolf-like fangs. Everyone stares at the fang-filled maw in disbelief for a space of seconds, then brings weapons up as the horse charges towards them. This time, everyone hears the voice in their head.
"Diiiiieeeeee."
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Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
Eeeek! Psychic horses!
arwink
Clockwork Golem
Thursday, August 24th, 508 AF, continued
The charging horse's teeth rasp accross Blarth's armorerd arm, the sound of resisting steel echoing accross the paddock. Blarth winces, but the armor holds. Blows lash out from Yip and Geoffrey, battering the horse enough that the half-orc can rip his arm free.
"Puny horse," he snarls, the sound combing from deep within his throat. His sword hammers down on the the beasts head, opening a bloody cut that drops the horse to the ground.
Blarth has scant moments to celebrate his blow, as he feels a sudden pressure on his mind demanding he lash out as his comrades. His arm raises into the air, twitching of its own volition, but the half-orc manages to pull it back under control. "Horse Out Blarth's Head," Blarth yells. He hears halgo rush through an incantation, tracing runes in the air, and the second horse suddenly stumbles to the side.
"It's stunned," Halgo yells. "Move fast, it wont last."
Geoffrey and Blarth run forward, smashing heavy sword and mace blows against Blaze's flanks. The horses squeals in fright, it's mind still reeling as it tries to comprehend the attack. Then Blarth's blade finds it's lung and it never gets the chance.
Everyone looks at the dead horses, breathing heavily after the momentary excitement.
"Horse dead?" Yip asks quietly.
Blarth plunges his sword into both corpses to be sure.
"They look like ordinary horses," Halgo mutters. He stands over the bodies, chanting the words to a spell. ""Nothing magical about them now. No spells cast on them."
"Why would there be?" Geoffrey asks.
"The beasts of the mountains made us strong?"
"Ah, of course."
The young cleric draws his dagger out of its sheath and kneels by the first dead horse. With swift precision he plunges it into the skull, digging around until he finds a small splinter of crystal wedged into the creatures brain.
"What about this?" he asks, holding it up to Halgo. "Think it has anything to do with it?"
Halgo stares carefully at the sliver, examining it with his spell.
"It's not magic," he says finally. "Doesn't even give off a faint light."
"Wait, Blarth check," the half-orc says, suddenly appearing at Halgo's shoulder. Both Halgo and Geoffrey look at him in surprise.
"Check for what?" Geoffrey demands.
Blarth doesn't say anything, but his eyes roll slightly in his head then take on a faint glow.
"Rufis tell Blarth magic not always magic," the half-orc explains. "Something about purge...Mind magic no longer the same."
"Mind magic?" Halgo asks.
"Psionics," Geoffrey explains.
"And the purge?"
"Not one of the empires greater moments," Geoffrey shrugs. "About five hundred years ago an emperor decided to eliminate all psions from the kingdom. It appears to have had some lasting effects."
Blarth suddenly yells with glee, nodding happily.
"It mind-magic," he says confidently. "Blarth see glow, faint but there."
Everyone stares at the crystal shard in Geoffrey's palm for a few seconds. Then Halgo starts swearing vehemently in dwarvish.
"What wrong?" Blarth asks.
"The diary at the Inn," Halgo says between curses. "The one written by the adventurers who fought the dragon."
"What about it?"
"There was something in there about the dragon controlling minds..."
The charging horse's teeth rasp accross Blarth's armorerd arm, the sound of resisting steel echoing accross the paddock. Blarth winces, but the armor holds. Blows lash out from Yip and Geoffrey, battering the horse enough that the half-orc can rip his arm free.
"Puny horse," he snarls, the sound combing from deep within his throat. His sword hammers down on the the beasts head, opening a bloody cut that drops the horse to the ground.
Blarth has scant moments to celebrate his blow, as he feels a sudden pressure on his mind demanding he lash out as his comrades. His arm raises into the air, twitching of its own volition, but the half-orc manages to pull it back under control. "Horse Out Blarth's Head," Blarth yells. He hears halgo rush through an incantation, tracing runes in the air, and the second horse suddenly stumbles to the side.
"It's stunned," Halgo yells. "Move fast, it wont last."
Geoffrey and Blarth run forward, smashing heavy sword and mace blows against Blaze's flanks. The horses squeals in fright, it's mind still reeling as it tries to comprehend the attack. Then Blarth's blade finds it's lung and it never gets the chance.
Everyone looks at the dead horses, breathing heavily after the momentary excitement.
"Horse dead?" Yip asks quietly.
Blarth plunges his sword into both corpses to be sure.
"They look like ordinary horses," Halgo mutters. He stands over the bodies, chanting the words to a spell. ""Nothing magical about them now. No spells cast on them."
"Why would there be?" Geoffrey asks.
"The beasts of the mountains made us strong?"
"Ah, of course."
The young cleric draws his dagger out of its sheath and kneels by the first dead horse. With swift precision he plunges it into the skull, digging around until he finds a small splinter of crystal wedged into the creatures brain.
"What about this?" he asks, holding it up to Halgo. "Think it has anything to do with it?"
Halgo stares carefully at the sliver, examining it with his spell.
"It's not magic," he says finally. "Doesn't even give off a faint light."
"Wait, Blarth check," the half-orc says, suddenly appearing at Halgo's shoulder. Both Halgo and Geoffrey look at him in surprise.
"Check for what?" Geoffrey demands.
Blarth doesn't say anything, but his eyes roll slightly in his head then take on a faint glow.
"Rufis tell Blarth magic not always magic," the half-orc explains. "Something about purge...Mind magic no longer the same."
"Mind magic?" Halgo asks.
"Psionics," Geoffrey explains.
"And the purge?"
"Not one of the empires greater moments," Geoffrey shrugs. "About five hundred years ago an emperor decided to eliminate all psions from the kingdom. It appears to have had some lasting effects."
Blarth suddenly yells with glee, nodding happily.
"It mind-magic," he says confidently. "Blarth see glow, faint but there."
Everyone stares at the crystal shard in Geoffrey's palm for a few seconds. Then Halgo starts swearing vehemently in dwarvish.
"What wrong?" Blarth asks.
"The diary at the Inn," Halgo says between curses. "The one written by the adventurers who fought the dragon."
"What about it?"
"There was something in there about the dragon controlling minds..."
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arwink said:
LOL! What a great line -- kudos to Goeffrey's player. Meanwhile, nice to see this wonderfull story hour getting updated again. As I'm planning on running OSM in the nearby future, it is very interesting to see what you've done with it Arwink. I particularly liked the idea of Blaze making them attack each other with her power ... creepy.
Yours,
Altin
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