Esojah had become rather somewhat crowded in the few weeks since the delegations began pouring into the city. Little less could be expected when several of the important members of the ruling parties of the various nations were converging in one location, with there personal guards accompanying them. Then came the expected to many, unexpected to other, increase in merchant traffic. Some following the hype, other having trailed them all the way from there elite's home nations.
And they also brought new dangers with them. Rogues and other opportunistics have made good use of the increased chances to give the crime rates a boost that most would have been better without. It's been a lot for the local population to deal with, and the local guard to handle. So, the local adventures still had their work cut out for them.
Such as the rumours of a lycantrope that had made a home in the woods. The Lupin on the team was most insistent that they take care of it. He didn't really leave them much choice of the matter. Which is how the party ended up on the outskirts of the forest, closing in from the north east, hoping to back the lyncantrope against the river.
The Noble Terry Odom :: Human Binder [Fighter] {Necar}
The Archer Baneard Sodec :: Human Archer 3/ Cleric [Barbarian] {Sikako}
The Greater Deities are divines created by the Firsts as a side effect of them adding life to the world. They define the major characteristics of the world, and are found at the abstract basis of alignment. They don't have a definite gender, though some prefer one over the other.
The Yellow Hound
The Hound (or wolf, fox, any canine in general) is the Spirit of law. He (or she) embodies the concept of order and accountability, with or without concern for good or evil.
The White Mystery
The Mystery is those named because that is what it is. Aside from the fact that it is the aspect of neutrality, not much else is know. More often manifests as a cloaked and hooded figure, rarely seen directly.
The Grey Cat
The Cat is pure chaos, and motivated only by self interest and desire. He can be the most difficult to get along with, as well as the easiest. He is also known as the
The Red Lady
As the embodiment of evil, the Red Lady is more often seen as battlegrounds and places of conflict.
The Blue Bound
The Bound is the aspect of Goodness. His chains are the links to all those around him.
The Hound - Law, healing, protection, animal, Sun, strength, plant, nobility
The Mystery - knowledge, magic, Nobility, Rune, Creation, Good, Evil, Earth
The Cat - Chaos, Trickery, Madness, Darkness, Animal, Charm, Luck, Air
The Lady - Destruction, Death, Fire, Evil, War, Glory, Darkness, Healing
The Bound - Good, Knowledge, Protection, Community, Repose, Creation, Healing, Water
The Lesser Spirits are the children of the Greater, and are the gods more commonly worshiped among mortals. Some are mortals who were ascended into divinity at some point in their life by the actions of the Greaters. The lessers are the deities generally worshiped by the populace and the
Si'ako, the objective judge
The bird of fate, he is seen either as an eagle or a raven depending on the fate of the judged. His symbol is a scale. He is worshiped by judges and those who seek to be objective in all matters. He is more aligned with neutral good, to true neutral, and views all matters equally.
Khaan, the impartial crafter
A large spider being who weaves and oversees the threads of destiny for all matters. He is a true neutral deity, and rarely takes undue interest in mortals unless their path takes them to some extraordinary event involving several souls and threads.
Cait, the capricious alterer
A feline who determines fortune. He is The Grey Cat's child, and a master of going against fate and destiny and predetermination. A true chaotic deity, he, like his Sire, is self-motivated and can be swayed to ones cause with the appropriate appeals and offerings, or if it pleases his whim.
Barbelo, the Maiden of War and Grevan, the Face of Vengeance
Children of the Red Lady and the Blue Bound, they are the gods of war, combat and honor/vengeance. Barbelo is a lawful good deity while her brother is Chaotic evil. However, they do not always hold fast to the Lawful/Chaotic markers, and their adherents come from all alignments.
Sage, the knowing
Sage is one of the Mystery's offspring or followers (it is always unclear when it come to him). He is the god of knowledge, secrets and magic (arcane).
Sis Aman, the Forceful
A deity of power, force and determination, he was the first of the dragons, and one of the foremost reptilian gods.
Neeis, the Deceiver
The god of deception, lies, music, seduction, inebreity and fertility. It was with his influence that the magic schools of polymorph, illusion and enchantments were developed. His followers are known for either having little restrain, or being schemes and deceivers. A popular saying is 'The Neeist is either the guy pulling the strings, or the guy passed out in front of the tavern."
Helein, the Enchantress or the Seducer
Helein is Neeis' daughter, born from just one of his many liaisons with mortal women. She is much like her father, and holds all but lies and deception, being a goddess of seduction, inebreity, fertility and song. She is known as the enchantress and the seducer.
Wanderer, the Curious
The Wanderer is well known as the deity of discovery and travel, but also is one of the weather deities as well. He sometimes called the earthborn wind do to his itinerant nature. He commonly appears as a cat, and was spawned through the Mystery and the Grey Cat.
Fen, the Dusk
Fen is the child of The Hound and The Cat, appearing in a form somewhat like a black fox, cousin to Wanderer and Cait. He is the god of the night, shadows and hope. His symbol is a shadowy fox, often in black, dark red, or dark blue.
Fidelas, the Nurturing
Fidelas is the spirit of nature. She is something like the spirit of earth, and has dominion over many lesser animal spirits, some of which are referred to as gods by other races (eg. the god wolf, Hunter god, etc). She herself is one of the Mystery's offspring, and is a neutral deity, commonly worshiped by Druids.
Marvan, the Crafter
Marvan is the greater dwarven god of invention, crafting, precious metals and fire. He is believed to have been one of the dwarven folk heroes who unlocked the secrets of the forge and ascended to godhod. His symbol is a golden circle or a hammer.
Nemue, the Crow, Jovis the Heron, Kari the Falcon
Nemue is one of the death gods, concerned with those who die on the battle field or in combat situations, also called the choser of the slain. She escorts their souls to their determined fate. Jovis escorts souls of those who die peacefully, and is called the Divined Wings. Kari escorts the souls of people who fall in traumatic situations and is referred to as the Hunter. They are more commonly viewed collectively the death god Lois.
The Meddler
The Meddler was once a powerful mortal, ascended to godhood by Cait and his father the Cat, his habit of interjecting and meddling amusing them. However, the other gods eventually turned upon him and banished him, so he is something of a fallen deity. The Meddler is both one and many, as Cait often tips a hint of The Meddler's or his own power into other mortals, making them more or less Meddler Favored Souls. Some consider it a curse.
The Reaper
The reaper is/are an ascended mortal who works with the Lois. It is unsure how many they are, but they are associate with each aspect of Lois.
The Builders/Muses
The Builders or Muses are god of creativity, design, progress and inspiration. Another ascended mortal collective, they are they who left great marks in their life. Often worshiped by Bards.
The Maidens
Divine spirits that tend to take the form of beautiful women of various races, sheep, butterflies or spiders. They take orders from the Mistress of Fate, and are the lesser spirits of fate, but tend to arrange fate as prescribed, rather than changing it.
The Mistress of Fate
Also known as Miss Fate or Lady Fate, she is the wife of Khaan and Si'ako. She more often is depicted with a broomstick which she uses to clean the Weaving Room and chase away Cait if he tries to upset the pattern too much.
'Though a candle burns in my house, there is nobody home'
'Please remain calm…as we attempt to rectify this most unfortunate circumstance.'
'Well, let me see; we have slow death, quick death, painful death, cold lonely death...'
'Holy crap, we dialed Pittsburgh.'
Turr-Ralt took point, moving slowly and carefully through the forest. Slipping through the forest, he sniffed the air. The lycanthrope's scent was still in air. Not willing to take any chances, he readied his bow. Arrow up aginst the string while his heightened Lupin senses scanned the area. At the first sign of it, he would fire. The arrow was silvered, perfect for killing lycanthropes. Of course, he just had to find it first. On the entire way over, Turr didn't say much. His mind was completly focused on the task of killing the lycanthrope. A departure from his usual talkative self.
Vellina could only wonder at the chain of events that led her here...One of the perks of being tiny is that you required less resources to be provided for. And so it was that she found it somehow exhilarating to soak her troubles away in a mug of beer. The tavern keep was nonplussed about the matter, but most of his patrons weren't less than 2 ft. tall and about the size and weight of a child's doll so he didn't object. The rowdy ruffians kept him busy even as she found that a single mug of good beer could satisfy her for a while.
In any case that part of the day was over and she walked alongside the rest of the party, To the back of the formation. She came only to the knees or lower when compared to most of her companions and for that did not get a clear view of the situation. She would have ridden in Rasvek or someone else's pack, pouch, satchel or other such bag but this day she needed to be vigilant. This day they were hunting.
She would be ready.
Actions
Following along.
No need to cast anything yet.
A train in Rapture. Cause they won't let me blow a hole in it.
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Check Results:
There were traces of the passage of a large creature. Bark was scraped off the tree in a few places, and there were hoof marks un the dirt. A tuff of hair had even been caught on a branch of the shrub. He didn't hear much more than the rustling of the wind on the trees and leaves, though that didn't really account for much.
~~~~~
Snik sniffed the air, then snorted. One thing he hated about his humanoid shape was that it didn't really have a useful sense of smell. He sighed, rubbing the nose in question. He glanced at Turr. The Lupin has a keen sense of smell no matter what form he was in. And it was his insistence that they take this task. If Snik was left to his own devices, he would have gone and made the best of the crowds. Street performers made a great profit in times like these. And he wanted that apartment. It was just a bit too pricey for him at the moment. He padded slowly over toward Turr. "Did you scent anything odd?"
'Though a candle burns in my house, there is nobody home'
'Please remain calm…as we attempt to rectify this most unfortunate circumstance.'
'Well, let me see; we have slow death, quick death, painful death, cold lonely death...'
'Holy crap, we dialed Pittsburgh.'
Rasvek moved through the forest, following the group, holding his crossbow tightly. By the way their Lupin acted it was obvious that the werewolf they were after was near. Rasvek was a bit afraid of the possible meeting with it - Turr always told how the werewolves were horrible creatures and Rasvek believed that he was saying so not without a good reason. And then he noticed that his nervousness was showing up on him - his actions became sharper and probably his face didn't show anything else but fear. Realising that Blitz would make another remark on his cowardice, Rasvek tried to collect himself and even managed to put up a straight face. It wasn't the first time he fought, not the first time he fought horrible creatures. Why is he so scared?
And to proove himself that he is not coward, Rasvek decided not to follow the group tightly and get aside, watching the forest from another angle. And, obviously, instead of getting confident, young Artathi just gave him yet another reason to be afraid. He did a deep breath and decided to focus on the objective. The first thing he did to help himself was checking the crossbow - it was loaded and ready... Now he looked into the forest, trying to see and hear the enemy before it sees him first.
Turr's canine mouth pulled into a snarl. They were in the area. Close to. Something had crashed through the forest and he went close to the hoof marks and the tuff of fur. "Ahhh... A wereboar. Over quickly. Large though." He said and lowered his bow, but still kept it ready. Keeping an eye out, he moved to the next piece of cover he could see: another nearby tree. As eager as he was to kill the Diseased One, he knew that it was best to take his time. He was best at a long range. Staying as far away from the diseased one as possible. "When we find it, keep clear. I need a clear line. You won't hurt it much." He said quickly. Really, the fact that he was talking at all showed the others that he was comfortable with them. Especially when a lycanthrope was around.
Move to: D8 (assuming the center of the tree is E8.
Ready bow.
Hide: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3857415/ 17
Move Silently: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3857416/ 24
spot: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3861573/ 10
Baneard was walking. He was walking through a forest. Scratch that, he was walking through briar patches that he assumed could swallow small hamlets. By the time they had stop to look for tracks again his outfit had several tears in it, along with a few of the thorns. He huffed and adjusted his hat, which was currently in the shape of an elks antlers. He knew he must look a sight, dressed in armor that was covered in sharp hooks, his trademark antler hat, and leaf camouflage survival gear.
His eyes were a standard blue and his hair was a greasy messy of blonde and brown. His marking of his most troublesome god, Cait the Capricious stamped on his neck was proudly displayed. As he pulled his bow from a quiver that looked to only house arrows. It was made of a sturdy and light waxwood material that was marked with the symbol of his cleric order. His hands moved the loose hair from his face as he looked down to his fellow team mate.
Vellina was small by any standards and was currently beside of him. Being one of the two humans of there group he didn’t feel as if he were the strangest. However his duty to his deity and his longing to be in the wilds left him slightly awkward around some. He felt comfortable around these chosen few, a Lupin that seemed to dislike werebeasts, Vellina the pint sized Illusionist, “Snicker” the Tiddbit sneaky one, Rasvek the cat that “loved attention of the carnal sort”, and Terry the other human that had some oddly strange powers.
Trailing back with Vellina he offered his free hand out, “Want a ride eh? Be careful of the hooks, but you can take a seat on my shoulders if you like. Don’t imagine you will be much good ifin’ you can see over the blasted weeds here.”
His stomach growled and his throat seemed a little parched. He looked about for any sort of plant his survival training taught could help quell the feelings. Eh, while he was at hit he might as well look around a bit. Searching about he, moved about twenty-five feet east to see if anything interesting would appear.
Now I get to pull out one of the Clockwork Man's parlor tricks
I have to admit I'll never grow tired of the 'pretend you're badly hurt' trick though, let's fight until Skallagrim has to close it.
Originally Posted by GrievousKhan
Sikako always has interesting fights. :K
Originally Posted by MelonHead
I was hoping for a fight with Tanis after reading Sikako's fight with Bushido.
It has been one of my favorite arena fights so far.
Originally Posted by Skallagrim
I knew you two facing each other with the similarities in character concepts would make this a fun fight...great job guys.
Originally Posted by Skallagrim
That's why Sikako is our leader in the team battle, hopefully his tactics lead us through to victory.
Originally Posted by whiteglint77
Badass post Sikako. To clarify, first, you blew up the kinetic energy dial to get up to speed. Next you combined the claw and the spear to make a kind of heated lance, which is combined with dark magic that will inflict your wounds unto me as well as reopen my own. And you also intend to shank me with said lance. Correct?
Originally Posted by Rilla
Likely the best fight all year. Congratulations you two.
Originally Posted by Skallagrim
LOL Yes I love you too Sikako...now go beat his ass
Originally Posted by MelonHead
It has been a good battle friend, enjoy this complimentary melon which will soon regenerate.
Vellina was lifted on Baneard's shoulder. She whispered a quick thank you to him and sat on his shoulder. She held on as best she could as the warrior walked along. Vellina could sometimes ride on people's shoulders, although as long as she had air riding in backpacks was fun as well. She ran her tiny finger through his hair for a moment before she realized what she was doing and then sat still, doing her best to stay on.
The morning started out as many of Terries would. He ate a large breakfast and would go outside to prepare of the morning. This consisted of him drawing a five foot symbol in the dirt with his sword and then kneeling down to concentrate on his will. Once he felt that he was reaching out through the barrier of this world to the beyond he called out a name.
"Dahlver-Nar, The Tortured One I summon thee!"
A being was pulled threw the veil and floated about his symbol. It was human shaped but covered in teeth with gum like flesh under it. His eyes were gone and replaced with teeth and the only spot that did not have a tooth covering was his mouth. Terry held up a hand and started to command the creature.
"You will give me your power this day."
It was a typical thing for him to say. The entity would give him its power regardless but one must keep up appearances. Just as he was taking the power in Dahlver-Nar opened his mouth and let out a mind numbing wail. Terry blank out for a moment and Dahlver-Nar came a long for the ride. There was an intense pain on his head as a row of teeth sprouted from the skin. It made it look like he had a crown of canine teeth. He could feel the spirit inside of him rattling around in there. This had not happened to Terry in a number of months and he always hated what happened when they did. It was all part of career though and he would just have to suck it up.
That was a number of hours ago and now they were walking through an overgrown forest. The flora did not bother him as his full plate armor would not let any of it in. On the other hand he was having a hard time concentrating. He would be scanning one side of the forest and the next moment he would be wonder what he was going to have for dinner. This was going to make for a very long hike.
He could see that many of his group were sneaking forward like true hunters while they searched for their target. The binder on the other hand was in heavy armor with a heavy shield and a number of weapons. He sounded more like a gnomes wagon then like a hunter. He did feel sort of bad about that as he was giving away their position. But then again. . . meatloaf. That is what he will eat tonight. A nice big hunk of meatloaf.
A train in Rapture. Cause they won't let me blow a hole in it.
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Rasvek, the poor guy, sees nothing. I blame the drugs. Ever since he lost to a kitten, his ego and self worth just wasn't the same. He turned to alchemic preperations, and sometimes we would find him passed out in the back alleys and gutters. If he couldn't get his fix, he would hit the tavern and drink his weight in mead, them head out with whatever floozy he could find. It was a real low for him. Still, the Noble was a big help. Terry managed to get him to The Church of the Moon, and he finally got some help. Still, he's only half the cat he used to be. The uphill battle is not an easy one.
Turr, a rather poor ranger, don't see much either. Rather shocking for one in his field, he was known for having someone sub-par skills at spotting. While he was a decent archer, it wasn't until recent times that he overcame his weakness of accidentally shooting allies in battle. The skills of Baneard, the second bow wielder on the team, probably inspired him to improve. Still... he still need to work on his scanning abilities. He was still prone to see only the general. An interesting balance. One could assume that he prefers to rely on his nose, rather than his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I can just tell the others to turn back and leave you on your own, you know," Snik muttered to himself at Turr's response. He really did mind doing it either. Trees were nice. In moderation. He liked the city a bit more than he liked the forests. And Turr was confident, so why not let the ranger do it all on his own? He sighed. Because if he didn't he would miss the chance to wrestle with a werebeast, as well as the public adoration for taking it out. Not that he got that part. But he did like hearing the second hand stories.
As most of the team headed roughly parallel to the river, Snik decided to head straight for the river, then cut across closer to the water line. No real reason, it just seemed as if it would be more dramatic that way. He melted quietly into the underbrush. He felt a slight bit odd in the silver woven gloves and foot wraps, but they didn't hamper him much as he moved.
'Though a candle burns in my house, there is nobody home'
'Please remain calm…as we attempt to rectify this most unfortunate circumstance.'
'Well, let me see; we have slow death, quick death, painful death, cold lonely death...'
'Holy crap, we dialed Pittsburgh.'