Oswald The Penguin

Protea - The Ebon Flow

While I've opted for a general plan of action for this most recent post, I would like to know how you intend to handle exploration like this in the future. Should we just state where we're going, what we're doing, and leave any findings and encounters up to you? Or should we instead craft the scenarios for ourselves. Perhaps it'll just be an uneventful trip down a hallway, but maybe Edwin will round a corner and an amorphous blob will rise from the water with a sickening squelch, forming into a human shape as it drags itself towards him. Although it seems like blob people prefer snatching the legs of those who walk to close to the water these days.

Protea - The Ebon Flow

“Guess not.” Edwin shrugged, and placed the rebreather in his pocket once more. He looked around. Most of the surface team had already made their way up the ladder. Ghurst had drawn his revolver, possibly because he had sensed some sort of danger that went unnoticed to the others, but it was more likely an act of caution. And Marriane and Ricard were off doing something at the back of the group. Edwin considered speaking with them. He still wanted to ask about Ricard and whatever magic was behind his abilities, and Marianne seemed like someone worth making friends with, but he was uncertain of speaking with them right now. They were on a time limit in the sewers, and he wasn't sure as to how the wolf would react.

“I'm going to look up ahead.” He stated, opting to engage in a bit of exploration. “Flare.” With a whisper, an orb of light formed, orbiting above Edwin's head and illuminating the dark. He would walk till he reached a fork in the path of the sewers. Along the way he would examine the walls and floors, noting any oddities he found either mentally or on a notepad he carried with him. He would watch the waters as well, looking for any objects that might be floating about, or movement that might warn them.

Once he had reached a forking path, assuming he didn't hurt himself or come under attack before then, he would return to the group to report his findings. From there they would presumably discuss anything of importance, and determine their new route.

With this plan in mind, Edwin went onward into the dark.

Protea - The Ebon Flow

"Hold on guys. Before we do anything else, I've gotta nerd out over this rebreather."

I knew that creepy face was cause for concern.

Protea - The Ebon Flow

Edwin pocketed the communicator, and began studying the rebreather, mumbling his thoughts along the way. "I wonder..." His main consideration was methods of extending the conduit's time limit. "Hmm. Without knowing it's design I couldn't do much to improve the spell itself, but..." Maybe he could extend it's ability by compounding spells of a similar nature. He sighed. "The spell's design is still an issue. The effects of a compound enchantment would be unpredictable." He placed the rebreather within another one of his coat pockets. "It would probably be easier just to make one from scratch." Tinkering with the rebreather would have to wait. Right now he wouldn't have the time or the resources for it anyways.

A few minutes later another thought came to mind. If I were to work on it later, somebody with expertise in related affinities could be helpful. As the group came to a halt, about to split into two, Edwin spoke out towards them. "Is anyone here skilled in the use of the Aura or Aqua affinities?" And took the rebreather back out of his pocket, tossing it up and down in his hand. "There's something I could use your help with. After we're done with the expedition of course."

Protea - The Ebon Flow

We're going to embark toward the city bottom tomorrow afternoon, so you all know.

@Lugubrious

Tomorrow afternoon in role play time or the actual real life tomorrow afternoon? Or maybe both?

Protea - The Ebon Flow

Edwin was taken aback by the great wolf's sudden outburst. Literally, as it had startled him, causing him to take an involuntary step back and into the wall, where he bumped his head. He took a hand out of one pocket and rubbed the back of his head, while the slither, also shaken by the event, readjusted itself. And with a puzzled expression he stared at the snarling beast, preparing a plan of escape in the event that Ricard took further action. Luckily, before anything too terribly bad could occur, the elven girl, Marriane, had pulled the beast away and ordered it outside.

Then she made her apologies to Edwin who was more confused over the situation than anything. Towards the end of the sentence he raised his hand as if to say “Stop,” and calmly, with a polite tone, he replied “Thank you for the kind words miss, but you really needn't apologize. You're not to blame for the actions of others, and while a tad startling, your companions actions have done nothing to harm or upset me,” he brushed the wet hair away from his face “If anything, I should be apologizing for the embarrassment this has caused you, as he seemed to be reacting to something I said.”

Protea - The Ebon Flow

The group had piled into the building before Edwin's words could reach them, assuming that the rain hadn't already drowned them out. Letting his waving hand drop, and placing it into the pocket opposite of the other, he made his way into the parlour as well. He arrived just in time for the mayor to start her speech, while he found a spot in the back of the room. He listened intently to her words and those of the detective. When they both had finished he took to observing the people he would be working with.

He thought for a moment that there may have been something in the shadows. A faint shape, slight hints of movement, but he wrote it off as his mind playing tricks on him. His attention was next drawn to the goblin questioning his purpose in this expedition. Then to the kind elven girl, and the hound assisting her. She seemed to be a bit of an oddity among this group of theirs, but the one that really got his attention was the dog. It's behavior coupled with the rune on it's head implied the involvement of magic. An involvement made more than an implication when it began to speak. "Fascinating..." The word slipped out from under his breath. He would have to speak to the girl when the meeting was over. Then the man in the shadows proved himself real, moving from his position, stating the facts of their current subject. Next was the golem, another subject of interest for him, but again, something that would have to wait.

Then the well dressed man with the antlers, Mr. Ghurst apparently, proposed a plan to split into two teams, to which the detective agreed. Edwin closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall in thought. To search the depths for whatever mysteries they may hold, or to investigate the city and it's workings. It was a hard choice, but one that was made quickly. Removing himself from the wall he spoke "If I may, I would like to claim a spot on the subterranean expedition. I imagine it could lead to quite the adventure."

Protea - The Ebon Flow

The pouring rain soaked Edwin's clothes, causing them to sag and cling to his skin, along with staining them red. "How bothersome..." He muttered, though the rain drowned out his words. He had managed to lose track of where he was in relation to the parlour while watching the slithers, as if getting caught outside in this weather without an umbrella wasn't bad enough. The white snake-like creatures usually stuck to the water and the shore, but during the storms they would make their way inland, coiling their bodies around whatever they could find. These 'slithers' also happened to be one of many creatures only he could see. Most days he was comfortable with the assumption that they were just a figment of his imagination, an unfortunate side effect of the spell, but sometimes he wondered. Sometimes they just seemed too real. This town made him wonder as well. The apparitions appeared in greater numbers here, and Edwin couldn't help but wonder if it was just his nerves, or if perhaps they too were living things drawn in by whatever mystery lies within this city.

He was pulled away from this train of thought when one of the slithers made it's way up his body, and gently wrapped itself around his neck. "Well, whether you're real or not, you're here." Edwin smiled faintly. With his new companion he returned to his search for the parlour, taking in his surroundings as he walked. Even through the blood rain, which slowly chipped away at the stones, you could see some of this city's former beauty. Even in this weather people walked the streets, persevering in whatever task brought them outside in the first place. A few of which seemed as though they were prepared to leave. Edwin hoped that they were just moving out of the city, but he knew that some were on their way to the Ankou. It was a sad sight which he could respond to with little more than a sigh. To think that these people would just throw their lives away. It made Edwin wish he could have come here before all this.

It didn't take him too long to find his way back to a recognizable street. The hotel where he had been staying, and from which he had begun this walk. After taking a moment to laugh at the situation, he had started the journey anew, and before long he found himself at the parlour where he would meet the mayor, and his new companions. Rounding the corner, he observed the rather odd group of people that had gathered in front of the Exeter Parlour. He approached them, placing a hand in one pocket, waving with the other, and shouting through the rain "Hey! I'm here to meet with the mayor. This is the Exeter Parlour right?"

Protea - The Ebon Flow

<Snipped quote by Oswald The Penguin>

That's pretty darn cool. Did you think about having ghouls playable?

@Lugubrious

I don't see why they couldn't be.

Protea - The Ebon Flow

As it turns out, I did indeed come up with some monsters, along with a couple of other things.

Shades

The shades are creatures of pure malice. They form in areas where many have died, or where suffering is high. Their bodies are solid masses of shadow, cruel mockeries made to resemble the living serving as a shell to protect the stone heart that sustains their being. One can cut the shadows away forever, but their bodies will continue to reform until this heart is destroyed. The nature of the shades is a mystery, and a subject of much debate. Some believe them to be a variety of demon, feeding on suffering and the lingering memories of the dead. Others think them to be angry souls still anchored to the realm of the living, lashing out in jealousy and rage. Others still see them as personifications of negative emotion that have formed from an excess of fear, grief, sorrow, hatred, and pain. The worse off an area presently is, or the more death it has seen, the more powerful the shades will be. This has led to a system of tiers, ranking the shades by power and rarity.

Tier I shades are the weakest and most common of the bunch. They can be seen in small numbers in areas struck with poverty or crime, terrorizing the populace and bringing in more of their kind. This tier usually takes on a humanoid form, ranging in size from that of a dwarf to a human, with clawed hands and feet paired with dagger teeth. They're fast and ferocious, but their weak bodies will quickly crumple and fade after a good swing from a sword, making them a threat to unarmed peasantry, but only an annoyance to most armed fighters.

Tier II shades are a bit tougher. They're uncommon, usually only appearing on battlefields, inside plague stricken lands, or within places of dark and bloody history. They take on a larger humanoid form, standing at or above the size of a traveler. They trade tooth and claw for weapons and armor formed from the same shadows as their body. They seem to be more intelligent, often serving as leaders for bands of weaker shades, organizing them into a more effective fighting force. With their troops they can be quite fearsome, but even alone they can put up a good fight with their weapons, and larger, more armored bodies.

Tier III shades are powerful and fearsome creatures. They can rarely be found wandering ancient battlefields, where battles of a grand size occurred, or sleeping in the depths of ruins that were once home to long dead civilizations. Their bodies are large, often of enough size to fill a moderately sized room, and varied in form from wolfish monstrosities, to slithering snakelike beings. Their tough and thick forms serve as an excellent defense for their core, and their attacks can fell the strongest men. These are the kinds of monsters that heroes face in legend.

Tier IV shades are in possession of both great power, and surprising intellect. They're very rare, to the point that nobody is entirely certain as to what causes them to from. Theoretical causes are: Long wars of a grand scale, calamitous events resulting in mass destruction and casualties, the death of civilizations, and even the suffering of those in Gehenna. These shades tower above buildings, and their forms are more varied than those of any other, often morphing whatever it is their based off of greatly, some even taking on forms that are unrecognizably alien. Some will happily roam the land causing terror and destruction. Others have taken over entire lands, becoming powerful rulers over the kingdoms of man. A few have been content to lie in rest in secluded homes, offering dark deals and impossible tasks to those who cross their paths. There have even been recorded cases of these powerful shades being worshiped as gods. The slaying of these creatures is extremely difficult, and success is a monumental feat. Those who have successfully done so have become legend, ingrained in history for ages to come.

(To put it into video game terms, Tier I are Mooks, Tier II are Elite Mooks or Mini-Bosses, Tier III are Bosses, Tier IV are End-Game Bosses.)

Willows

The Willows, also known as "Squigglys", are a variety of a demon. These poor souls have long since lost their humanity, their minds decayed and their bodies twisted into an impossible form. Willows are easily distinguished by their great height, twisted black flesh, and incredibly thin stick-like limbs. These creatures are incredibly flexible, able to contort their bodies in ways that shouldn't even be possible. A wide grin is usually plastered across their faces. There are a great many stories about Willows killing livestock and stealing children, but despite their appearance, Willows tend to be harmless. They like to play pranks on people, and they tend to scare any children unfortunate enough to come across them, but they're actually quite cowardly themselves and will flee at the slightest sign of danger. They're also fairly weak, posing little threat in direct combat.

Ghouls

Ghouls are dead souls corrupted by the influence of Gehenna. Ghouls largely retain their human form, and some even escape to Protea with their minds unaltered. They look as they did in life, but with varying degrees of decay. The majority are violent and mean, a memento from their time in Gehenna, and many of those who's minds remain uncorrupted would still be called monsters for what they did before. However, there are a small few who have managed both to avoid the influence of Gehenna, and to become a better person than who they were before. The threat of a ghoul varies greatly, as they retain their skills and attributes from before death. They are also known as "Zombies", "Rotters", "Blighted", and less commonly "Robes", due to the tendency for less brazen ghouls to cover themselves with robes and similar garments.

Sand Sifters

These creatures resembling giant millipedes make their home in the deserts of Feldspar. On average they reach a height of about 6 feet, and a length of 20. Their soft and squishy flesh is covered by a thick carapace, usually colored black or brown, but sometimes white and dark green varieties are seen. They can be spotted wandering the desert on their many legs, but their name comes from their ability to borrow beneath the sands, both as a defensive measure and a means of catching prey. They've also been known to float along the sand seas. The Sand Sifters are carnivores, but haven't been known to eat people outside of rare circumstances. People have been known to tame for use as mounts, but they're more commonly hunted for their tough shells, which are given a variety of uses, such as armors, dishes, oddly fashionable outfits, and even toys.

Mums

Peaceful herbivores that make their home on the plains of Chalcedony. These creatures are a little bigger than your average truck. They have tough leathery skin, and a rock-like shell covers their central body. They have a symbiotic relationship with an algae-like substance that grows over their shells, and down their blocky eyeless heads. They walk on four large feet similar to those of an elephant. While they could potentially kill somebody if they were to step on them, the Mums are benign unless threatened. Some people harvest the plants that grow off them for food, and a few have tried to use their hide in place of other leathers, but Mums and people generally live independent of each other.

As you can probably tell, I spent most of my time on the shades.