Jet (AC: 18, HP: 28/28) Wednesday October 8th, 2008 11:44:58 PM
"WE came here to learn of your people and history, yet we are met with aggression instead of kindness. We offer you gifts and they are spit upon like some ant upon a hill. We too have our own history, none of which you are aware of and yet you tell us we are ignorant."
Jet attempts to calm down, but he was a warrior in the streets long before he became a man of peace and this side of him is what shows first.
"The earth can be harmed, I did not deny that, but it will still exist when those that walk upon it are all gone. You know nothing of how our own people turn on ourselves for greed and evil and it is that which we fight against or travel from. The fact you would torture someone for killing one of your own is not what bothers me, but to assume he was with us without asking us is your mistake, not ours!"
Jet tries to settle down, but the veins in his arms, neck and face still pound with each pulse of his heart.
"The fact is, we are here and we will remain here because we were sent here, just as you have been sent here for whatever reasons your ancestors had. Now we can either get along and become well known for our strengths and weaknessess or we can battle and further diminish the power of our people for whatever evil comes this way to have an easier prey then the two of us together. Either way, I will not tolerate anyone insulting those I have sworn to protect and if it continues further, we will indeed go, where we please and in the manner we choose."
It is only when Istaqa begins to speak directly to Jet that he stills his tongue, staring down any that were not intimidated by his words of action.
He sits back down and asks "Who is this Catori?" The warrior priest listens closely to make sure, they are not speaking about a god of testing.
Beren(AC 18, HP 23/23 Red AC 13, HP 25/25) d20-1=2 ; d20+9=18 ; d20+9=22 ; Thursday October 9th, 2008 9:29:56 AM
Beren meets the gaze of the clan priest without his glance wavering in the least. He does not uncover his face, and he does not speak. He kows too little of what is happening. He is a simple warrior who accepted a job to protect these people, and that he will do. He came here in the hopes of finding some acceptance inspite of his appearance, but he will fight regardless of his accpetance because he has given his word that he would.
When the old man invites everyone to sit down, he chooses a spot nearer the door, but still in the shadows. He hopes that his readiness to fight does not show outwardly and interfere with the negotiations.
spot 18 listen 22
Keela Thursday October 9th, 2008 1:54:31 PM
Keela wasn't raised to answer back to authority. So when Istaqa stops and speaks to her, she lowers her gaze and murmurs "Yes, sir."
She doesn't believe a word of it, though.
She sits when requested, arranging her skirts modestly around her.
Fatine [AC 16, HP 14/14] Dogs [AC 20, HP 13/13, 13/13] d20+9=15 ; Thursday October 9th, 2008 2:39:07 PM
Fatine gives Istaqa a wide grin. "Aye. I know dee man-bear. His name be Darketh." She admires his trophies as he passes. Pointing to the teeth hanging from her neck, and the ears dangling from her arm, she explains, "I beat dem in combat. Now deir souls help me along dee way, wit' dee next trial down dee road. Dese be ta honor dose I best, not ta brag."
When Istaqa calls forth the fire, Fatine watches intently, attempting to discern exactly how he does so.
Spell craft 15 DM Highlight to display spoiler: {Not trying to figure out the exact spell so much as see if he is using arcane or divine magic, spontaneous or prepared, maybe something like Fatine does with manipulating Ley Lines, etc.}
Caelnin AC:16 HP:21/21 Thursday October 9th, 2008 7:09:51 PM
When it's Caelnin's turn to be gazed at, he tries to keep calm, unknowing what Istaqa is really doing and when he passes him without saying a word, he feels slightly relieved. Caelnin likes to get some attention, but never likes to be in the centre of it.
When asked to sit, he does as he is told and sits quietly, amazed by the dancing lights of the flame in front of him.
Anrete Nanoc (AC17, HP32/32), Copper (AC17, HP22/22) Thursday October 9th, 2008 9:18:18 PM
Unamused by the entire affair, Anrete sits and prepares for the communion, his strange yellowish eyes gleaming from the reflected lights from the magical flame.
Alexi (AC: 17, HP:28/28) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Thursday October 9th, 2008 11:09:24 PM
Alexi tries to show that he is rather relaxed through Jet's altercation, but it is difficult. At least Istaqa seems to have a good grip on the whole situation. It was of some comfort to hear Istaqa refer to him as wolf brother and Alexi found himself swelling up with pride a little. 'If only my regiment could see me now', he wished.
When Istaqa comes by and looks him in the eyes, he relaxes and ties to look right back, probing the depths of Istaqa's eyes as well. If there was a connection there Alexi was not astute enough to feel it but he hoped anyway. He whispers, "Truth sometimes can be like a puzzle, and it can take two to put the pieces together."
'Where did THAT come from,' Alexi wonders after he'd whispered it. He certainly wasn't known as a bard to be spouting such stuff!
When they all sit down again, Alexi makes a point to sit next to Fatine. He whispers to her, "Looks like we should'a put you up front. Who would'a guessed? We'll treat you as a queen if you can get us out of this with some semblance of order and some mearsure of success." He then smiles at her and winks. "No pressure. No pressure at all. Nope. None at all."
He then focuses on the fire.
Mikal AC18 HP 23/23 Thursday October 9th, 2008 11:19:13 PM
Mikal grows silent, waiting for further dialogue before piping in.
DM Bob and Carla Friday October 10th, 2008 12:14:35 AM Istaqa shakes his head as the altercation between Jet and the warrior Tocho continued unabated. When Jet asks who Catori is, the older spokesmand replies that she is the spirit mother, the living essence of the land. "Catori is our protector and we in turn protect her" he explains.
He listens to Fatine explain her trophies and nods in appreciation. "Those who have died honorably by my hand have strengthened me, and I too do them honor in this fashion. We have much in common Pauwau." Fatine recognizes the magic that created the flame as an evocation, but she does not detect the presence of any ley lines near by. The spell appears to be divine in nature. produce flame
Istaqa nods at Alexi's comments. "Finding peace is much the same. There are always two pieces to the puzzle".
Seeing Beren seated near the door instead of near the fire, Istaqa motions for him to come nearer, and points to a mat next to Muata. "Sit here where Catori can look into your eyes and see who hides beneath the mask". His voice is calm and encouraging.
When all are seated and the fire is crackling, he begins to sing, more of a chant than a song, but the words are unintelligable to even those who speak elvish. Carefully, he leans towards the fire and with a quick movement of his wrist, casts a handful of grass, seeds, bark and other small dried plant parts into the fire. The flames leap up to embrace this new fuel. A cloud of smoke billows forth and encompasses all around the fire. The smell is sweet and pungent, and a mild dizzy sensation begins to overcome those near the fire. [A Will save versus DC 14 will allow any to overcome the effect, or one can simply allow the strange sensation to take hold]
Istaqa and Muata breath in deeply, inhaling the smoke and welcoming it's effect.
Beren(AC 18, HP 23/23 Red AC 13, HP 25/25) d20+6=11 ; d20+9=26 ; d20+9=10 ; Friday October 10th, 2008 9:19:19 AM
Beren reluctantly moves closer to the others. When the strange fragrance and smoke begin to issue from the fire, he tries to resist the effects he feels, but is unable to do so. He feels slightly dizzy, and for a moment wonders if this is some sort of attack, until their hosts breath in the fumes and smoke as well. He settles back to see what this brings.
Strangely, his vission seems very acute in spite of the haze, but a slight ringing in his ears still troubles him.
Spot 26 listen 10 will save 11
Keela d20+5=17 ; Friday October 10th, 2008 3:03:16 PM
As the smoke rises, Keela quickly ticks off what the they know of these strange people.
They tortured one of the raiders to death. The warrior-man yelled at Jet...well, at all of us, really. The older man seems wise. They claim to care for the earth, though we haven't really seen what they mean by that.
All in all, Keela decides she doesn't know enough about these people to inhale some strange drug solely on their say-so. She resists the effects, and manages to keep her head clear. [Will 17]
Jet (AC: 18, HP: 28/28) Friday October 10th, 2008 6:17:06 PM
Jet watches the one named Tocho carefully. To him, he is the enemy at this time. If Tocho does not partake of the ritual, neither will Jet, but instead pulls another long gulp from his wine skin, even more upset thinking about how he figured, by now, that beautiful cask of ale, just sitting outside the tent flap door could have been opened and enjoyed instead of this, this, stuff.
Yet, if Tocho joins the ritual, Jet will also not be out done and with his large human lungs will try to breath in twice as much as the others, to prove his fear was left behind the day he earned his manhood, killing a fellow teenager over cheating at dice.
Anrete Nanoc (AC17, HP32/32), Copper (AC17, HP22/22) d20+1=6 ; Friday October 10th, 2008 9:32:41 PM
Despite his intentions, Anrete soon fell under the hypnotic effects of the flames.
=============================================== Will 6
Alexi (AC: 17, HP:28/28) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Friday October 10th, 2008 9:35:52 PM
Gazing at the fire, Alexi's natural instinct is to resist the dizzyness, however Istaqa has instilled some sense of trust in their hosts. Although concentrating on the fire, he notices that Istaqa and Muata seem to be welcoming the smoke. As he would trust his commander, he relaxes and immitates Istaqa, breathing in the smoke. He wonders if he really will meet a spirit wolf. He'd always felt a strange connection with the wolf. Not the mean tales of childhood everyone heard, but the majestic animal of the wild. The calm and calculating animal. The... he lets his mind wander off.
OOC: no will roll for Alexi, just let the stuff do its stuff. :}
Caelnin AC:16 HP:21/21 Saturday October 11th, 2008 2:39:29 AM
Still being intrigued by the flickering flames of the fire, Caelnin lets the sweet aroma envelop over him as he lets Istaqa and Muata wherever they are taking him.
Mikal AC18 HP 23/23 Saturday October 11th, 2008 10:25:24 AM
Mikal nods to himself and mutters. "Alemi will protect me from evil." Then he takes a deep breath.
OOC: Go with the flow I always say.
Fatine [AC 16, HP 14/14] Dogs [AC 20, HP 13/13, 13/13] Sunday October 12th, 2008 6:32:10 PM
Watching Jet for a moment, then glancing at Tocho, Fatine smiles at the unspoken confrontation between the two. Finally, she leans as close as she can to Jet's ear and whispers, (Jet and DM) Highlight to display spoiler: {"Big Man. I no tink dee folk dat matter here -" she nods toward Istaqa -"be impressed wit' duff guy antics. Be dee Big Man here, and let out dee anger when we alone again, no?" She smiles and squeezes his shoulder, making sure he knows her meddling is meant with good intentions.}
After her brief diversion, she watches the strange smoke for a minute. Seeing Istaqa breath it in, she shrugs, leans forward, and inhales heartily. Sitting back, she closes her eyes momentarily to see what effect the smoke will have.
DM Bob and Carla Sunday October 12th, 2008 11:40:33 PM
As Istaqa and his followers breath in the smoke, so to do the defenders of the caravan of settlers. Only Keela resists the mind altering effects of the smoke. Jet takes in an extra deep lungfull as he matches the actions of Tocho.
At first, the effect of the smoke is mild and relaxing. The party (with the exception of Keela) feel the tension drain from their bodies, to be replaced by a warmth that seems to spring from their very core. The fire crackles and blazes in front of them, it's sound amplified in their mind. Whether it is but a few seconds or a few minutes later is impossible to tell, but the narcotic affects of teh smoke begin to intensify. Jet and his companions can almost feel their own blood coursing through their veins, their vision begins to blur, then darken as if a curtain were being drawn.
The next few minutes are a blur as a hail of images invade their thoughts. A sea of grass bending beneath a gentle breeze...and then something sinister...hidden in the shadows...moving towards the surface...drawing the life force of the grassland into it...lightning...a spark...and then fire...racing across the dried out grass, destroying all that lies before it...people running for shelter...screaming in terror as the fire races forward. Atop a mesa, a cloaked figure cackles in delight as it seemingly controls the beast and the flames it has spawned. The creature in the shadows retreats beneath the ground...it's glowing red eyes close and it sleeps, it's bidding done.
Beren(AC 18, HP 23/23 Red AC 13, HP 25/25) d20+6=15 ; Monday October 13th, 2008 9:21:26 AM
The strange vision confuses and bothers the elven ranger. He works to voerthrow the effects of the drug and leave this strange vision. (will 15) What could this mean? Is their some demonic being possessing these people, or do they think there is one against which they fight? Beren does not know what to think, he only knows he wants this experience to end, and not to repeat it. Let others deal with the supernatural, he is content to fight what he can see.
Whether he actually moves or not, he is not sure, but he attempts to rise and leave the hut and this strange fire.
Jet (AC: 18, HP: 28/28) Monday October 13th, 2008 12:06:52 PM
Jet still watching the image does not understand it's meaning. Fire is not just a destroyer, but provides life as well. The burning grass providing nutrients for future growth of that which feeds it. A dark figure? Oh well, even Jet is known to be dark and sometimes sinister. I am sure that punk that was left to die with his boots cut and a single horse didn't find the trial by Ebyeron all that benevolent. As for sensations, this smoke does really nothing more for him then a shot of fine whiskey and a dark ale chaser couldn't provide.
Come to think of it, they are all on a Mesa, this cloaked figue could well be one of their own. Tocho, Tonto, Roncho, whatever that twirps name is could be the figure or perhaps another with less to say.
Jet waits for the host to speak on whatever this vision may hold before he passes his own judgement.
Keela d20+2=6 ; Monday October 13th, 2008 12:19:14 PM
Keela does not see the vision, but she keeps a surreptitious eye on her friends--and on their hosts. Or at least, she tries to.
[Spot 6]
Alexi (AC: 17, HP:28/28) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Monday October 13th, 2008 1:08:00 PM
Alexi tries to pierce through the fog, see the details, see individuals. But it is a blur and shifts too fast. Is this the past? Is this the future? Did these people running from the fire look the same as the Ahote of today? Was the dark evil figure of supernatural origin or of human origin, twisted by evil?
Alexi continues to inhale the smoke and see more of the vision. He thought there'd be a wolf in there somewhere, and he looks for it.
Fatine [AC 16, HP 14/14] Dogs [AC 20, HP 13/13, 13/13] Monday October 13th, 2008 7:36:53 PM
Fatine sits back and lets the vision wash over her, trying to examine and commit to memory every detail she can.
Caelnin AC:16 HP:21/21 Monday October 13th, 2008 7:37:26 PM
"This vision hopefully doesn't suggest that one of the wagon is the one that is going to do this. When was this? A vision in the past.... i'm confused..." Caelnin thinks as the intense images invade his mind.
Anrete Nanoc (AC17, HP32/32), Copper (AC17, HP22/22) Monday October 13th, 2008 9:18:40 PM
Anrete said nothing
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