ihinka

🦄 Machiavellian Masquerade - Chapter 1

Director Kindle

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Location: Shadowell Forest: Front Gate
Skills: N/A
Hit Points: 4
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The Director's body lolled and swayed in the burly embrace of the giant man, uncaring of the happenings in the world of the waking. For even as the body was restricted to the confines of another man's arms, the mind... The mind was free to roam in the world of dreams and memories.

And it plummeted, right into a nightmare!

The stalker followed it's victim from the shadows, unseen. The victim, a noble lord on the prowl for some debauchery. Little did he know that he was being stalked by a more dangerous predator than himself. The Lord was strutting his stuff confidently, gathering the lustful eyes of proper maidens and lecherous ladies of the night alike. And he was loving it! As if the world belonged to him and everyone in it owed him. Women especially! Fret not, little Lord! You'll get what's owed to you! Soon!

The pregnant moon hung heavy over the Lord and the other denizens of the city, as the young man paraded himself along the streets of the capital. He soon came upon a darkened alleyway and sank into the shadows without a moment's hesitation. A mistake he would live to regret! For it was in that moment the stalker struck. The young Lord yelped in fear as he felt cold steel on his neck and a hot breath in his ear.

A shiver ran down Director Kindle's unconscious body.

"Hello, my lovely!" The stalker whispered sickeningly in the young Lord's ear. "I've been watching you, my young Lord!" The body of the stalker pressed harder into the trembling one of the young man. "Trying to sell yourself to all the pretty ladies... And even to the hookers." The stalker stroked the pointed end of the knife down over the horrified young man's neck, until a button on his high collar popped away. "But, see, I know your secret, sweet one! Them ladies, it's all an act. After all, you are the head of the family. Appearances must be kept. No one must know your true colors! But I see how you suffer, my lovely. So I'll give you what you need!" The stalker shifted his position, gripping the man by the throat from behind so the hand with the blade could be free to sneak lower to the young Lord's crotch.

Director Kindle's body shivered uncontrollably in the arms of Mr. Titian as if reacting to a vivid memory. The eyes behind the closed eyelids shifted left and right in lightning speed, looking for a way out of the nightmare.

"But you've been naughty, my sweet Lord. So you'll have to beg for it! Say 'please'!"

"Please!" The quiet word dislodged itself from the Director's lips, the body now limp once more, carried towards Shadowell Manor by a giant of a man.

The young Lord stared dumbstruck at his attacker, a thin saber skewered through his neck!

The Sunday Group

@Penny Not really a doctor, but she got stuck with one of the obsidian tendrils the demon thingy was hurling at us. Right bellow the clavicle. I think Morgan had put her t-shirt on the wound, but it fell upon exiting the SUVs. And the blade was magic-y, so...

Gaia Frontier (5e)

Shem'et listened to the orc's heavy accented, irritable rant. With every other word that fell from his mouth the feline eyes lit up with a realization. So it was you, damned Puck who made me lose my trek and go around in circles! That won't do. Without saying a word to the orc the Tabaxi swirled around and relying on her feline grace, made a grab for the pixie. Since the tiny creature was without a doubt pretty svelte Shem hoped the element of surprise will be on her side. And luckily enough, it was! Finishing her one-eighty the crafter ended up with a hand full of pixie.

"Now then, mistress pixie!" Shem'et purred ominously, showing off her needlepoint feline teeth. "It would appear you've been a very, veeeeerrrry naughty pixie!" Shem turned to the orc and presented her hand, clutching the pixie. "Isn't that right, Master orc?!" The Tabaxi brought her hand back to eye level and squared the tiny pixie with a hard stare. "So you have two options." Shem paused for effect. "One, I give you to my friend the orc here to do with you as he pleases." Another pregnant pause. "Or two... You stop messing with people's sense of direction while in the forest... And... You help me and this feathery elf gentlemen here find what we are looking for." Shem'et unsheathed her index finger claw and pointed it at the pixie. "And don't get any ideas about double-crossing us!" The crafter glanced at the orc. "What do you say, Master orc? Will you leave this one for me to punish if she helps you get back to wherever you need to get back?"

Rolls

Grab that pixie with an 8. Success! Against a 7

Gaia Frontier (5e)

@Lucius Cypher Well I'll be...!

*rubs hands* Mistress pixie's got some 'splainin' to do *evil laughter*

Gaia Frontier (5e)

@Lucius Cypher I was afraid you'd say that

That is a big nope! With an 8.

Gaia Frontier (5e)

@Lucius Cypher This is gonna be funny if my roll fails, but might as well give it a shot. If Shem wanted to try and swiftly turn and snatch the pixie up...? Would that be STR or DEX?

Shem'et already knows she's been messing with the poor orc. So she's inclined to believe him. And if this pixie is the one who's been leading Shem into doing circles in the forest... Bad pixie!

D&D 5E West Marches

You have my interest as well.

Experiment X

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Carolina Tamayo Camacho

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Location: Building in New York
Skills: Vintage Jefa Charm!

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Caro looked expectantly at Elle, but after a few moments without any reaction the Jefa just shrugged and turned to rummage through some files for any information on the security of the compound where Erik and Charles were held captive. She glanced up when she heard Moira warn them that they had no more than fifteen to twenty minutes to pursue the files until they had to leave. "Maldidos espias and their cloak and dagger shit!" Carolina grumbled as she redoubled her efforts to find something, anything really on the compound's defenses to help them with their mission. She was thumbing through some files, wondering why that young woman, Elle, was so angry and pinched all the time. Wait... Caro realized something. ¡Mierda! It was Ellie, not Elle, estupida! Maya resisted the urge to slap herself on the forehead, regretting the misstep. I mean why wouldn't someone be irritated if they were called by the wrong name, right!

As time was running short on them Maya concentrated on her search for information. An apology would have to wait for later. For now she wanted to search for any details on the security of the building. However, she wanted to see if she could find anything on the other captives in the compound as well. After all, the 'Good Doctor' Jiāng was experimenting with mutants there. Who knew what he could have done to those poor souls after Erik and Charles had managed to escape. Some of them could very well have been brain washed to act as guard dogs. And with the possibility of having their powers enhanced too! They couldn't be too careful.

Unfortunately Carolina was unable to find anything on the other captives. Only a layout of the security cameras and the location of the security room. "This will have to do, I guess." She muttered. "We don't have any more time to search anyways." Sighing she approached Ellie. "Em... Ellie, right. Sorry for before. I was thinking of someone I know and ended up calling you that. Lo siento." Although Caro was fluent in English, her Spanish accent was especially pronounced in her Ss. Apology done in the usual curt Jefa style, Carolina turned to look at Erik, who was hurriedly stashing away a page from the file she'd handed him. What was that about?! Maya thought, but said nothing. Simply filed it away for later analysis. "I found a layout of the building and some information on their security measures. I don't think we can find anything more for the time we have left. We should leave while we can, no?"

🦄 Machiavellian Masquerade - Chapter 1

Director Kindle

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Location: Shadowell Forest: Front Gate
Skills: N/A
Hit Points: 4
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There was really no other choice for the Director but arrive on foot. Even now as the smartly clad figure was shivering in the dusky winter cold, bundled up in top garments, the allure of the Shadowell Forest was too strong to be denied. So Kindle forged onward, following the enrapturing road with its rows of trees on either side. The evening mist was sluggishly rolling low, just a few inches above the dirt road. Director Kindle exhaled shakily and the small puff of air was quickly absorbed by the mystical fog. This trek was the perfect chance to experience the Shadowell in person and the Director would not trade it for anything. There was, of course, the other matter to attend to, hence the mask and fancy dress. But that bridge would be crossed when reached. At this very moment the forest was the only thing on the Director's mind.

The darkened woods with their foreboding silence, cut only by the lonely howl of wolf and croak of bird. Or the occasional snapping of twigs. The Shadowell was almost petrifyingly majestic in its sullen silence. As the Director shook and shivered the frosty winter air attacked the bundled figure with the ferocity of a school of angry, flesh eating fish, almost maniacally searching for exposed skin to sink their multitude of teeth into. And still Director Kindle persevered. The urge to veer off the road was almost overpowering. To lose oneself within the bosom of this dark mistress, but the other matter still loomed over the Director and needed to be taken care of first. And so the figure collected its remaining strength and pushed on until a gate appeared in the distance and a gathering of carriages and people in front of it.

"So this is it then." The Director muttered through chattering teeth. The trek had been long and arduous, even with the pull of the Shadowell so strong as to keep the lonely traveler motivated to move forward. Still, when Director Kindle reached the gate, winter had almost won the battle of wills and the poor soul wanted nothing more than to hide inside a warm place and thaw in peace. But the fates would not have it and as soon as the Director approached the gate with the intent to show the invitation and be let in, the guard dogs took interest in Kindle. They pulled on their leads and erupted in a series of vicious snarls and heinous barks. It was all it took for the tortured soul of Director Kindle to yield. The body already beaten by winter and the will tested by the Shadowell. The Director dropped to the ground, amidst the gathering of visitors, like a doll that had its strings cut. Unconscious to the world!

Gaia Frontier (5e)

One minute Shem'et was looking about her, claws out, her body in battle-ready posture, and the next one everything was happening at once. The colorful elf from Barthem's shop showed up after having followed her into the woods with an intent to help her with both of her errands. And then a green something was whizzing past her, followed by a large rock, and by a frustrated looking orc, cursing up a storm. The crafter was confused to say the least. She turned her keen feline gaze this way and that to get a better grasp of the situation. The green something turned out to be a small pixie, who sported a suspiciously mischievous look about them. Shem turned toward the orc. Somehow she thought she got the gist of what had happened. Considering the orc's irritable cursing when he'd burst onto the scene.

Shem'et put herself between the pixie and the orc, who looked mighty intimidating with that ore he wielded as a club. The tabaxi raised her hands, retracting her claws. "That we are indeed, Master orc!" She began with her most benign and soothing tone of voice. "We've come from Frontier Town on an errand for Master Bookie of the Black Mines. I am Shem'et, a crafter, and this..." Shem indicated at the peacock of an elf beside her. "... is Master..." Shem fell in stunned silence, realizing the feathery elf hadn't really given his name. "... um, a friend of mine who just arrived in Frontier Town and we have come to the woods in search of iron sand at the behest of Master Bookie as I've said. And as a side task we have been asked by Barthem the merchant to collect as much Greenwarish as we can." Shem indicated the disturbed herb by her feet.

The tabaxi crafter was praying the pixie behind her wouldn't do anything else to set off the orc again. She could tell by looking at the tiny creature, it had had it's fun on the back of the poor orc. "Is there something we can do for you, Master orc? May I ask what put you in such a foul mood?"

Rolls

Perception on the green light - 22
Insight on pixie - 20
Insight on orc - 16

_{@Lucius Cypher @Black Keys}