This is a role-playing game through e-mail, started by Jeffrey Kolb (dkolb@borg.com).
Let the game begin!
Asuro posts 9/29
Asuro posts 10/1
Asuro posts 10/3
Asuro posts 10/5
Asuro posts 10/7
Asuro posts 10/9
Asuro posts 10/11
Asuro posts 10/13
Asuro posts 10/15
Asuro posts 10/17
Asuro posts 10/19
Asuro posts 10/21
Asuro posts 10/22
Asuro posts 10/24
Asuro posts 10/26
Asuro posts 10/28
Asuro posts 10/30
Asuro posts 11/1
Asuro posts 11/3
Asuro posts 11/5
Asuro posts 11/7
Asuro posts 11/9
Asuro posts 11/11
Asuro posts 11/13
Asuro posts 11/15
Asuro posts 11/17
Asuro posts 11/19
the battle
battle
battle...
the battle continues...
the battle -- round 5
Asuro -- after the battle
Asuro -- after the battle...
after the battle
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!...
Asuro posts 11/26
Asuro 11/27
Asuro 11/27 (evening)
Asuro 11/28
Asuro 11/28 (evening)
Asuro
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Let the game begin!
GM Note: Thank you to all those who have been waiting patiently. I now have five confirmed players, and two others who have expressed interest. To those two who haven't officially joined (you know who you are) I'm putting you on the list so that I don't have to re-send this later. If you are NOT interested, tell me and I'll take you off. If you ARE interested, start posting. :)I will be sending out postings, on average, once every second day. If I get responses quickly, I'll change this to every day. If it's been two days and you haven't received a posting, one of three things has happened:
1. I am ill, or am having trouble accessing the Net.
2. There's been a glitch somewhere, and the message that you were supposed to receive disappeared in the ether.
3. I haven't received any posts.
Let's try to keep all three of these from happening!
And now, on with the story...
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Late one night, each of you (wherever you happen to be) encounter a strange man. He is very tall, and wearing a robe with the hood pulled up. You can't see his face, because it is covered by the shadow. He greets you by name, and tells you that he wishes you to meet someone. Then, he raises a blowpipe to his lips, you feel a sting at your neck, and the world disappears.
* * * * *
drip... drip... drip...
You open your eyes to see that you are lying in a circular stone chamber. Water is slowly dripping from a leak in the ceiling. The room is lit only by the gibbous moon shining through the barred window, which is about seven feet up. You notice that all your equipment is gone.
(all)
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GM Note: For those of you who haven't played a PBEM game before, the name in parentheses at the bottom indicates who is expected to respond. (In this case, everyone.)
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Asuro posts 9/29
GM Note: Okay, we now have seven PC's, and I expect that will be all we have. Since you're all in the same cell, I assume that you'll introduce yourselves; to save time, I'll give a (very) brief description (name, gender, race, profession) of each PC; if you want the others to know more about you, put it in a post.You are:
Kale (male human peasant paladin)
Talon (male human monk)
Richard Cramb (male human fighter -- former infantry captain)
Jason, aka "Jason the Lover" (male elven mage/thief)
Arista Lonsidotter (female human druid)
Rodamic Tokeltry, aka "Tock" (human engineer)
Jenaya n'Haere (female fighter; race: half-human/half-Haere. The Haere are a sentient cat-like race.)
In case there's someone I haven't told, all of these characters have been approved, and you can start posting.
Also: It is best if you write your posts in third person. This is to help keep straight who's talking. Alternatively, if you prefer to write in first person, sign it with your character's name. My own posts will have "GM" at the bottom.
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From Richard:
1. Inspect myself: I want to know where I've been injured and how (if I can figure it out). Am I clothed?
2. Pull myself up to look through window, stand on heels, or jump to do same (depending on position, wall composition, etc).
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You are completely uninjured, as far as you can tell. You are clothed.
Unaided, you can get just high enough to see directly through the window, but at that angle (parallel to the floor) all you can see is the sky. You can hear the crashing of waves, however.
--GM
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Kale stands up and stretches his aching limbs.
"Gracious Father, to where have you delivered me?" he whispers darkly.
::Steel me, Lord, for I have fallen to the Enemy's hands::(silent prayer)
He begins to take stock of the room and its contents, fumbling along the wall for a door.
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There are no obvious doors in the room. --GM
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Kale calls to Richard, "See anything? Why are we here?"
He continues to look for a door.
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Richard responds: "It looks like we've been put in some kind of prison". After a pause: "There is a large body of water nearby"
Richard inspects his companions, and asks Kale "Could you lift me up to the window? I'd like to get a better idea of our surroundings. I might also be able to damage the bars if they are of low quality".
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Jason looked at his new surroundings and groaned. He replayed the events that led to his current situation, but couldn't think of what he had done wrong. It mattered little anyway. The important thing was to determine where he was and how he was going to get out. Putting on his usual winning smile, he hollered cheerfully to anyone who would listen, "Hello? Is anyone out there. There seems to have been a mistake. Hello?" While he waited for some kind of response, Jason closely examined his surroundings. Maybe there was a loose stone somewhere, or maybe he could find something to help his predicament.
(all)
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From Jenaya:
I open my eyes and look as well as I can at where I am and what condition I'm in (Am I suffering any residual effects from that dart? Did I fall on my head? etc.), but apart from my eyes I'll stay motionless until I'm certain there's no imminent danger.
Assuming none, I'll rise very slowly into a low, guarded crouch, and if I'm not in a shadow, i'll ease quietly into the nearest dark place and stay there without moving, my eyes narrowed to little slits, surveying the room. I pay little attention to the window and instead look carefully around my apparant prison to see what's there. I generally carry little in the way of equipment, but obviously I can see that my weapons are gone. (I'm guessing I still posess the essentials: shirt, belt, skirt.) I therefore regard myself as being in a hostile environment...I'm on the defensive, claws out, listening intently and trying to appear inert. Until I see something requiring action, I would stay on guard (unless an excessive amount of time passes, at which point I'd consider myself safe from threat and try to find a way out...) but right now I don't know what I see yet.
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Since I've been asked the same question twice, I'll answer it for everyone: All of you are clothed, and suffering no residual effects from the dart. :)
--GM
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Tock looks around the room dazed. His first thought upon seeing the dripping water is that perhaps he is in a room under a body of water. But then he sees the window, and considers the possibility that he is above ground in a room with a leaky ceiling and that it is raining. He mumbles to himself quite confused, "This cannot be, the moon is shining brightly. It can't be raining. What in the name of Zaphenitia is going on?" Tock attempts to rise from the ground in order to get a better look around the room. His major goal is to find a way to take a peak out the window. Too bad he is only 5.7".
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Suddenly, a figure appears in the center of the room -- a middle-aged, balding man in black and dark green robes. He speaks. "I AM PARINDES. YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT HERE IN THE HOPE THAT YOU MAY PROVE USEFUL. SOON, VERY SOON, I AND MY ALLIES WILL BEGIN THE RECONQUEST OF ANSIGOURE. YOU AMY SERVE US -- OR YOU MAY DIE. I SHALL RETURN IN ONE HOUR TO HEAR YOUR DECISION." He vanishes.
--GM
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Asuro posts 10/1
GM Note: Some guidelines on forwarding posts.1. Please do not quote the entire post when you respond to it. (I already know what it says.
2. You may have noticed that some characters are posting twice in the same batch. This is because if a post is directed towards a specific other PC, I will forward it to that player to give him/her a chance to respond quickly. This is to keep the game moving. In some cases, whether or not to do this will be a judgement call on my part; however, I will forward a post if specifically asked to do so.
Also, there are two players who haven't posted yet. The reason for this is that they are having trouble with their phone line. Please be patient, I'm sure that they'll start playing as soon as the problem is fixed.
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Tock shrugs his shoulders and says without much passion, "Um. Nice guy eh? Now about that window," turning to look at Richard, "I think it might be best for Kale or someone else to give ME a lift up to that window. I am lighter and I know a great deal about construction and materials. If you can break the bars with brute force, then I will gladly let you have a shot at it. If it won't work though, then I would like to see if there are other possibilities available to us." Tock takes a few more steps closer to the window, returning his gaze to the window itself.
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Richard says: "I suggest we accept. It seems we have little choice. What do you know of Ansigoure?" Richard is trying to remember what he knows of the place. Quietly, to himself: "I will fight and die if honor demands, but immediate death serves no purpose".
Richard then says: "If anyone knows of a way to escape, I suggest they say now, for we have little time. Otherwise, we must accept their offer".
Richard is careful to make sure he stays far enough from Jenaya for her to remain reasonably comfortable with the situation. She looks individualistic.
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Kale gazes at the place where the man disappeared, then at the woman-cat-like shadow.
"Let's have a go at that window" he says to Richard and helps him up on top of his shoulders. Straining with effort, he holds Richard's ankles. "I don't, uurrrgh, know about you, friend, but I'm not fighting for any crazy, stuck up wizard. It profits a man little to, harrr, sell his soul for the whole world. But for *ow* Ansigoure? I'm no hero, but I'd rather die than to give in to some bleemin', hhrrrmm. Hey are you done yet up there?!"
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Richard, you discover that you could probably damage the bars with sufficient time and effort, but that it is hopeless, because outside the window the wall of the tower you are in descends for sixty feet before it reaches the ground. The tower is in turn built on a 10-foot cliff, at the bottom of which is the sea.
You do notice, however, a small discolored patch on the outer wall, just below the window. -- GM
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As Jason began to notice the people in the prison with him, (how he missed them before, he didn't know) he stood tall and put on a confident aire. "Hello gentlemen, quite the predicament we've landed in aye? You may call me Jason. As he noticed Arista and Jenaya, he made a deep bow, "Forgive me my ladies, I did not mean to exclude you. What could possibly be going wrong with the world that beauties such as yourselves would bring you to such a dreadful place." Jason gently took Arista's hand as kissed it as he talked, but he was not so unwise as to not notice Jenaya's denfensive stance and merely nodded at her, appearing unconcerned.
About that time, the man made his appearance and announced his dreadful ultimatum. "Well I must say, I have never helped reclaim an empire before," he said said with a sheepish grin, not overly intrigued with the thought of his own death.
(all)
OOC:
Jason is medium height and medium build for an elf. He has long blonde hair, and pure blue eyes. His skin isn't as pale as typical elves, as he gets more sun then they do. The most striking feature is his incredible good looks. He carries himself like a nobleman, and he looks as if he could be swift of foot.
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Richard says: "Thanks for the lift, but unless somebody has a method to drop 60 feet without breaking their legs, we're all stuck." "Can these walls be climbed? Somebody might be able to get away". "If they're thin enough to fit between these bloody bars, that is"
"I will fight and die if honor demands, but immediate death serves no purpose".
OOC:
Is the building material really concrete? If so, the characters probably don't recognize it, and the engineer would be quite interested.
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I don't remember saying it was concrete; if I did, I erred. (Unless you mean "concrete" as opposed to "abstract".) It's stone. Nothing particularly special about it. (Tock, if you care, it's the same kind of stone that C.J. is built out of.)
Richard, you manage to fit an arm through the bars and feel around the discolored patch. It turns out that slightly to the right of it is what feels like a lever of some kind.
-- GM
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Obviously, there is nothing to be gained by staying in the shadows and remaining silent, they were not under attack. Jenaya comes out of hiding and looks to see if she can help. Nodding politely to Jason, she offers her assistance to the two active fellows, more to open a channel of communication than because she thinks there's anything she can actually do. Then she begins to examine the walls and the floor, to see if there's anything to be gained by closer inspection, trying to stay out of the way of Kale and Richard. She figures that they know what they're doing and will ask for help if and when they need it.
Anyone who has ever irritated a cat could see that Jenaya was angered by that abrupt ultimatum...but she clearly isn't going to begin any discussions. As she inspects the room, she considers her options and I tries to see if she can judge the others' reactions...
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Asuro posts 10/3
GM Note: If anyone is interested, it is now twenty minutes since Parindes appeared with his ultimatum. Forty minutes remain until his promised return.Also, I have been asked what happens if a PC dies during the adventure. Those of you who have played with me before know that I don't kill off PC's very often, but it does happen. In the unfortunate event that one of your characters is killed, all it means is that you're out of the game until we get to a convenient point to introduce your new character.
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Tock replies rather impatiently to Richard, "What is with that brown patch! What is it made out of, what do you think it might be for?" Much to impatient to wait for a reply, Tock decides to explore the walls more carefully. His eyes brighten for a bit as he surveys the room, and then he manages to notice the cat-human. "You! You have claws? I would bet you could get your claws into some of the crevices between these stones and manage to climb somewhere. Big guy (referring to Richard), you said you could move the bars a bit, well why don't you do so and let the cat have a go at finding what else is out there on this tower. All of us sure aren't doing much good in here." In an almost aside fashion Tock says to Jason, "Oh, I am Rodamic Tokeltry, but you should all call me Tock."
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Jason watched his fellow "inmates" in there attempts to escape with an amused look on his face. His situation was perfect for now. If they suceeded, then he could escape with them, but if they failed, they would be the ones punished for trying, and maybe he could barter with this wizard. After all, Jason never did anything for free. It just wasn't good for business.
A little bit bored, Jason turned his attention to Jenaya. Now this was interesting. He especially liked the way her tail twitched.
(all)
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Richard says to Kale and Tock: "Okay, that's a good idea. Kale, let me down, I'll hold up Tock." Richard lifts Tock up. "Take a look at that patch under the window if you get a chance, and if you can recognize anything about the kind of the materials used or the world outside, please tell me. I'd like to know where we are before our probable movement from this area, it seems like a good idea with the kind of mage trying to employ us." "Does anyone else wish to venture an opinion about death vs. doing this mage's bidding?"
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Tock carefully and meticulously examines the brown patch hanging around outside of the window - as much of it as he can based on the limitations of a barred window. He notices the lever and examines it with greater intrigue. He wonders what the lever might be for, and makes an attempt to determine this. (Any further clues that Tock might be able to discover from examining the lever without actually activating the mechanisms might be helpful here.) He also makes note of the large body of water preventing much of an escape out the window. Being not very knowledgeable about the overall geography of the lands, he cannot determine much about where the tower is located, nor about what might be on the other side of the tower.
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Remember that you're trying to examine it while hanging out of the window. You're viewing it upside down, you can't see it very well anyway, and lest I forget, it's nighttime and you have no light source other than the moon. ;)
Considering all this, I'm going to rule that you can't determine anything more without pulling the lever to see what it does.
By the way, you also notice that the wall is slightly slippery, owing to the recent rain. This will make trying to climb down it hazardous, even for Jenaya. -- GM
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After Richard steps off him, Kale takes a deep breath, and bursts angrily, "So, Lord, these are my noble comrades? A pansy ladies man and sell-swords to be had at the price of a threat? Now, a broken leg doesn't sound as bad a price for freedom. Others would pay more. Come on, men, courage for once, eh?"
Kale responds to Richard's Angigoure question while helping Tock up on his shoulders:
"Well, we all are speaking Ansigourean now, y'know. It is written: 'The faithless Ansigourean Empire once ruled all the land west of the mountains, but crumbled having incurred the Lord's wrath in denying the Saulinders their faith.' Maybe a small remnant remains, but I'm not inter'sted in killing anyone there. (Up you go, lad. Just lemme get ahold o' ye ankles.) Is it 'honorable' to be a tyrant's tool? If he treats us like this, how is he gointa treat the Ansigourean lads, eh? Give 'em wood for the winter and candy for their babies? Don't think so, lad, and I'm not gointa be a part of it. I'll jump if I have to and alone if I have to. Cling too closely to ye life and you'll lose it just the same."
"So, Tocky-boy, ye see anythun up there?"
OOC(Still experimenting with that rural accent...)
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Since both Richard and Kale wrote that they were lifting Tock up, I'll assume that they're each holding one leg. :)
Also, for the benefit of those who haven't played in this world before: Kale's statement about Ansigoure is coloured by the fact that he is from Saulind, Ansigoure's traditional enemy. All of you except Talon would be aware that Ansigoure is still a reasonably populous and powerful nation, although not nearly as strong as it used to be. -- GM
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"Honor dies with the body if no one remains to carry the tale." Jenaya remarks, her voice flat. She looks to Kale with a small smile to relieve some of the tension, for she can see that they are no less wary of her than she of them. "I have fought many battles and served many men, but I serve because I choose to. If I must yield to this man with my actions, I lose no part of my soul because I choose not to surrender it. I will owe him no allegiance; a contract is not binding unless both parties act of their own will. If to escape I must join his army, then I will do so...but only until such time as I can flee his power...I count no dishonor in this." She turns to Richard, offering the same brief smile, should he happen to look. "I agree with you, my death here would serve no purpose, and I will not accept it unless there are no 'other possibilities'." She nods to Tock, then addresses Richard again. "What have you found?"
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Tock, then thinks to himself, "I hate barred windows. If only I had some tools to work with." He yells down to those in the room, "Tell the cat to forget my idea from before. The walls outside the tower are too slippery from whatever rainstorm came by here recently. Oh, and brace yourself for something unusual to occur. There is a lever out here and I really want to know what it does" Overcome by too much curiousity, Tock then decides to attempt to move the lever slowly. He does not wish fully activate the mechanim. His hope is to get a glimpse of its function either by observing what actions it causes and/or by listening to the actual gears, pulleys, etc. that might be involved with the device.
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As Tock pulls the lever, a section of the wall opposite the window begins to swing inward. It stops swinging when he stops moving the lever. At present, the gap created by the wall's movement is not large enough for anyone to fit through, nor can you see what is on the other side. --GM
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Asuro posts 10/5
"pansy ladies man?" Jason thought to himself, then grinned. Jason was most successful when he was underestimated. Now all he had to do was maintain that image. "Are you sure it's wise to do that?" he said to the men checking outside the window. "Perhaps we should just see what this wizard wants," he said timidly. About then, the wall opposite the window moved. "Damn fools," he thought to himself and prepared for danger. Even the greenest theives knew you didn't just pull on levers without first knowing what they did. Jason just hoped the warriors foolishness didn't get him killed.(all)
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Tock glances back at the room to observe the results. He notices the adjustment to the wall. "Well, that might be helpful," Tock comments. Tock is very pleased that the degree to which the door is opened can be controlled by the lever. He was worried it would be an all or nothing type deal. Wishing to approximate how much the wall has moved, he adjusts his position ever so slightly to let more moonlight enter through the window - the shadows caused by the moonlight allow him to better approximate the walls displacement. Tock does some quick calculations in his head developing an approximate correspondence between the amount of wall movement caused by lever movement. He yells down to the others, "I think I am going to try to open the thing just enough for someone to look out. If none of you have any objections with this plan, then I am going to go ahead and open the door some more." If there are no objections, then Tock proceeds to open the door just enough. ---------------
Wincing at Tock's semi-accurate description, Jenaya corrects him mildly. "I am no cat. My name is Jenaya n'Haere. I cannot climb these walls, I regret... but in either case, a wall this high would be foolish to climb." She then turns to Jason, returning his stare with calm disinterest and a hint of warning. Her stare does not precisely invite comment. She then returns her attention to Kale and Richard. Somewhat insulted by Kale's generalization, she replies firmly but gently, without anger, "You are firm in your convictions, k'sere. But consider: Yes, I sell my /sword/. I do not sell my spirit. I decide what cause I fight for, and here I would fight for my freedom. I cannot defeat any tyrant by dying in this tower, nor can you by leaping from it. You should not mistake foolhardiness for courage. If you want to battle injustice, you must join the side of those who oppose it. Who would you serve by dying needlessly?"
As the wall starts to move, Jenaya turns quickly, her eyes wide. This opening introduces another possible threat, and she has briefly lost interest in her companions until she can assess the new situation. Naturally, she strains to see what the too-small gap there conceals, and prepares herself in case something should happen.
OOC- Jenaya is half human, half Haere, which results in an unusual combination of features. I thought I'd best give you a description. She has shoulder-length red brown hair and amber, cat-shaped eyes. Her face is somewhat shaped like a muzzle, though less pronounced than that of a full blooded Haere. Yes, she has both claws and tail, her hands are somewhere between paws and fingers. Her skin is covered with a very fine, pale golden-tan fur. She wears a short greyish brown shirt and short pants to match, and a split skirt over that, attached by a plain brown belt into which a series of metal rings have been sewn (for carrying the weapon she no longer has as well as any pouches and things, should the need arise).
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Kale brightens visibly. "Ay, Mr Tock, there 'tis. Just a bit farther, eh and 'll be gettin' somewhere. Now, I don't know what's worse. Slavery or being in prison with a bunch o' sour-sorts. It's always, 'Can't be done' 'Shouldn't risk it.' One wonders if you could help conquer a tavernhouse much less Ansigoure. C'mon now."
And to Jenaya more pointedly, "None of that nonsense now. Honor has nothing to do with the body. If it did, the honorable thing would be save yourself from danger everytime like sheep from the wolf. Surely if I believed in nothin' but me own self, my life would be empty indeed."
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Richard says to Kale: "Though I like your spirit, Jenaya is right. We can join them, but honor is better served if we die by sabotaging them than die here". "We might even survive it, who knows?". "And if you want to jump down there, first we've got to get enough space to fit you through, and second, the fall will probably break more than your legs, even if you know how to fall properly".
Richard says to Tock "In all probability, that lever is doing nothing good, but push it some more anyway, enough for one person to go through and look. We don't know if some large beast is on the other side waiting". To Jenaya "Since you are the only one of us still armed in any fashion, I think you would be the logical choice, but if you are unwilling, then I will go".
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Jenaya looks to Kale, and replies earnestly "I agree that it is better to die for what you believe than to compromise your integrity. But very often you can serve honor better by living through indignity to continue working /for/ those beliefs. Death is not always the best answer, merely the simplest. The question is, must you surrender your soul in order to survive? I do not believe that is the case here. For me, it is not. I have no problem betraying a man who uses such methods to gain my cooperation. Coercion fails to inspire my loyalty."
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Intent on maintaining balance and controlling the mechanism for the door, Tock does not have an opportunity to apologize to Jenaya. While fumbling with the lever, however, he mumbles to himself, "Mr. Tock? MR.. Tock? Do I look that old? When I get out of hear, I am going to have to start making clock work toys again. Once you start playing with the big machines, everyone thinks you are an adult! Mr. Tock, indeed!"
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Talon (Ta-LAUGHN) opens his eyes, unfolds his legs from his meditative position on the floor and stood up to his full 5'6" height. His brown cloth gi (Traditional Martial Arts Outfit) gave very little indication if his body build, although it was obvious he was NOT overweight. Looking around the room, his almond shaped eyes took on a hawkish look as he surveyed the room.
"I, for one, agree with Madame Cat (no offense meant to you Madame, I haven't learned your name. Mine is Talon). I, also, am not out to sell out my services to a bully such as this Parindes. I appologize for my late start into this discussion, but seek to help."
Saying his fill, Talon walked over to the opening in the wall and inspects the gateway.
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Kale softens his tone for a moment, "Aye, sorry to offend, lady-cat. I ask ye to forgive me rough country way o' talkin'. Certainly, a long view is a good one to take. But there can be no compromisin' the Lord's command, no matter what the reason. All evil comes from compromised good intentions. Perhaps the bastard thinks 'e's doin'the poor Ansigoureans some good by ruling them. Doesn't mean 'e's right. Doesn't mean 'e's a good man. Just means the crazy bloke is foolin' hisself."
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Arista looked around the room at her fellow captives. Besides her, there were four men, an elf, and a feline. She was still a little confused as to what was going on. Where were they?
Arista had woken up on the cold stone floor with her cat companion, Rani, curled up next to her. Everyone else was already up and talking, so she had slunk into the shadows. She was a little shy and bewildered. Rani sat next to her and began cleaning her fur.
After a while, when Arista thought these people posed no danger, she stepped out of the shadows. The elf noticed her and kissed her hand, which, of course, made her blush. Half of the people were trying to check out the window, while the rest watched. Arista decided to explore the walls. She figured it was better than nothing and she could also surreptiously watch everyone else.
The walls seemed to be solid stone. There was a small breeze coming from a crack in the back wall. _Hmm. This is interesting. Rani, you could help out and do something other than preen yourself_, she said in her mind to the cat. Rani looked up, walked over to her friend, and rubbed against her leg. ìYouíre such a lover, Rani,î Arista giggled as she bent down and scratched the cat behind her ears. Rani began to purr loudly when the wall in front of them suddenly moved. Both of them jumped back startled. Then, after seeing the movement stop, they crept forward. The opening was small, but would be just big enough for Rani to squeeze through...
OOC:
Here's what my character, Arista, looks like: sky blue hair with highlights of pure white and gold, kind of wavy and goes to mid-back; golden skin with some freckles over the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks; emerald green eyes; medium build, toned; about 5' 2.5"; weight-132.
She's wearing a loose, forest green tunic, brown pants, leather boots, belt, and a small pouch slung over her shoulder and across her chest.
She has a cat companion, Rani, who is a regular-sized, warm brown cat with medium-length fur.
What does everyone else look like?
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Asuro posts 10/7
Talon looks at Richard and says "Weapons do not make one dangerous."(Richard)
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Richard responds: "Maybe you can fight well without weapons, but if I meet a armed and trained man as I am equipped, running would be my only option. How do you fight without weapons?"
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Jenaya nods to Tock, realizing that in all probability, he isn't looking. "I have no objections." She looks to Richard, gravely. "I will go...my claws will be considerably better than no weapon at all, I have fought unarmed before. In addition, my feline ancestors have left me the gift of night vision...it is very likely I will be able to serve you well as a guide. I appreciate your making this suggestion," she added, her voice approving. "I have known far too many who would refuse the logical choice for reasons of misplaced chivalry." Clearly she is impressed by his judgement.
She smiles gently at her companions to show that no offense is taken at their terms of address. She does, after all, look like a cat, and has gotten far less complimentary introductions. She nods in greeting to Talon. "You may call me Jenaya, if you like. Excessive formality seems misplaced, under the circumstances, and I doubt many of you are familiar with my tribe." To Kale, she replies easily, "There is no offense. Your beliefs are as vauled to you as mine to me. Perhaps we may agree to disagree? I believe that though our methods may differ, we are no so far apart that it will prevent us from working toward the same goal."
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Tock turns back to the opposite wall just in time to see a cat's tail sneak in between the cracks. "Hey! How did Jenaya do that?" He then sees the Haere woman still standing on his side of the door. "What have I missed, whose cat was that?" Tock scratches his head - almost losing his balance in the process. He says to Kale and Richard, "Careful holding me up here, and stop the philosophical chatter. It makes me nervous to be held by people whose minds are off in another place." He then remembers the whole point of looking back at the door, "Well, Jenaya, what do you see? If all is safe, then I would like to open the door more so that we can get out of this place."
--------------
From Richard:
"Masters Tock and Kale, I think we should stop this tiring exercise and go check out the passage our helpful engineer has opened for us". To Kale: "I think escaping will be harder than conquering a tavernhouse, which this "lady's man" could surely handle on his own". Richard lets Tock down and heads for the opening.
------------------
Jenaya heads toward the opening, her eyes widening as the strange cat unfolded herself from the shadows. Inclining her head respectfully, Jenaya lets her gaze linger long enough for the cat to acknowledge her, then returnes her attention to the doorway. "There is a stairway here, leading downward. It seems we may have discovered out exit" Jenaya stoops to address the cat. "We have the same arsenal, cirai," she said agreeably, "though perhaps I can do more damage, you are less likely to be seen. Do you prefer to lead?" She pauses to see if the cat will precede her, watching the opening carefully, eyes and ears straining for any hint of what may lie beyond her immediate view.
-------------
Kale waits eagerly the opening of the wall. "Listen, with any luck, we won't have to make this decision. But barring that I want you to know I don't give a tuppence about honor. It's a silly code that stuck up knights invented themselves to prove how much better they were than everyone else. What I care about goes beyond even the highest of human codes of conduct. So I tell you: Since I can neither join an evil cause nor lie and pretend to join. I...will...not...go.
You must do what you please of course, but lemme tell you, these wizards are tricky and having pledged service to him he may put you under a geas to fulfill your word. Then what will you do? After the battle is done and the ashes of Ansigoure lie about you, what will you do? Say to the children who you've just orphaned, 'We did what we thought right at the time.' 'We had no choice.'?
We all have a choice. And I tell you. I will not risk it. Yes, I will die if need be, because my death will be as glorious rebirth compared to the soulless death I will have if I go with you and kill the people of Ansigoure. My body will eventually die and return to the soil from where it came, but my soul lives forever having guarded it so jealously. A small price to pay, my life is."
Kale appeared to be a humble peasant with skin and hair brown as the earth he came from, but as he speaks he seems grow to his true size. He is quite a large man, and angered by the weakness of heart he views around him. And if you look closely enough, you might catch his face glowing a bit with that light that only those with a close relationship with the eternal are crowned with.
------------
Jason was getting a little nervous now. Here was a bunch of probably half drunk, bloodlustful, dim-witted warriors, probing around in territory they didn't know. Human warriors never seemed to think, they just acted, like they couldn't wait to die. Jason's dilema, was whether to stop the men from their task and by that showing himself to be more than he appeared to be, or keep his act and just hope things went ok. At least the warriors were being cautious about it. Perhaps they just needed a little guidance. "Excuse me, I'm not one used to being locked up, but isn't the purpose of jail, to keep one from going anywhere?" he asked pretending to be innocent of such matters. "I'm just wondering why would there be a secret door in a jail cell? Just thought maybe you guys would want to answer that before you decide to see what's behind it, but then again, you guys are the adventurer types, so I suppose you know what your doing," he finished with a puzzled look on his face. Indeed, what was this door doing here? Jason didn't know for sure. A test maybe?
(all)
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In order to keep the game moving, I'm going to adjudicate some actions that were implied, but not actually stated, in the posts. If anyone thinks I'm misreading their intentions, tell me.
After Jenaya reports on what she's seen through the opening, Tock opens the door the rest of the way and Richard lowers him back to the floor. Then, Tock, Jenaya, Richard, and Kale go to the stairway, Jenaya in the lead.
You notice two items of interest as you begin your journey downstairs. First, to your left is a lever set in the wall. (Now that the door is fully open, enough moonlight comes in that you can all see this. It will get progressively darker as you move downstairs, however. Tock will recognize that the lever is identical to the one outside the window.)
Second, the third stair down creaks audibly as Jenaya steps on it.
--GM
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Asuro posts 10/9
GM Note: I have been asked about the time at which the posts will be released. They will always be in the evening (unless all seven of you post sooner), but because my schedule varies from day to day, the posts will sometimes be as early as 6 and sometimes as late as midnight.It has now been 40 minutes since Parindes' last appearance.
----------------
From Jason:
Well it was too late. It seems the fighters were going ahead with this plan. Might as well see what comes of it. Those were the thoughts in Jason's head as Tock opened the door the rest of the way. Richard's reference to him, caught his attention, and he smiled and bowed towards Richard then turned his attention back to Jenaya to see what happened. Most curious he thought. Perhaps this was some sort of test. Maybe they had to escape in order for the wizard to decide whether they were worthy enough. Very wise. Reverse psychology. Make a demand that is surely to cause the imprisoned to attempt an escape, then test them to see if they will do. Jason couldn't wait to see how things turned out, if he was right, and how he could profit from it.
--------------
Kale responds to Talon and Richard's conversation, saying quietly, "Ye assume too quickly that a dangerous man is one who can fight.
"Now Jason, ye may have a point about this door, but as I can see no point in staying here... unless ye think ye can bargain with a mad tyrant who obviously is not interested in a fair deal. In that case good luck and good riddance."
And then silence as further speech does not befit those trying to escape prison. Kale follows Jenaya's lead in a tacit but clear gesture of respect.
Listen very closely and you can hear a faint murmur from Kale's lips.
---------------
Talon smiles. "I assume nothing." With that, he steps out the door.
---------------
Richard says: "Tock, could you take a look at that stair and lever? Don't pull this one, I think it might be a trap, especially if that stair is covering a gap".
Richard asks Jenaya: "While you're scouting ahead, could you periodically tap 3 times so that we know where you are and don't blunder into you while you're investigating something?"
"A combat commander who can't trust scouts to do their job doesn't survive long".
Richard says: "That stair could also be a warning. We can't pause too long, especially with that fellow we left behind, I'm worried that he'll cause trouble".
---------------
Jenaya nods in the dim light. "Yes," she answers, "I will make my location known.
Go slowly, for if danger appears, we will most likely have little warning." Ignoring the second lever, for her job right now is to scout out the passageway, Jenaya cautiously proceeds down the stairs...and then the stair creaks. As soon as she hears the sound, Jenaya freezes, wary of a trap. She neither adds nor lifts weight from the step, listening carefully to see if she can tell what, if anything, resulted from her action. She looks around as well, trying to see if anything has changed.
"Hold!" She whispers urgently, holding up her hand in warning. "I think I may have released a trap. Tock, can you tell what this step might have been hiding?" She does not want to move from the step until she is certain there is no pressure-sensitive mechanism hiding there.
----------
"Thank you for the fine care while by the window," Tock politely says while Richard and Kale lower him to the hard stone floor of the tower. While straightening out his shirt and pants, he says to Kale, "You won't do any god any good dead. If I were you, then I would want to use any means possible to see to it that I made sure this wizard did not get his way - even if it meant joining his ranks for some time." With a more confidence voice, Tock continues, "Zaphenitia once told me a story about how he and some friends spoiled a plot to take the city of Ansigoure by joining ranks with the offending army. I believe they ended up poisoning the food supply. You can do a lot behind enemy lines. Then again, what do I know about these matters? I am not even a warrior!" Tock proceeds to follow the rest of the group through the tunnel entrance. He notices the lever on the wall, and realizes its similarity to the lever outside the window. Tock indecisively states, "Too bad we can't shut the wall back up. If this wizard didn't know about the door, then we could possibly throw him off track. But without the light source from the window, it would be absolutely pitch black in here. "Jason, what do you think? You seem to be a cautious thinking fellow. Leave the door open? Close the door? I could wait here till we find a torch or another light source?" Tock hesitates by the lever trying to decide what he should do with it.
----------------
Rani looked up at the cat person talking to her. She meowed, bowed her head and circled around her friend. She rubbed up against Aristaís legs, letting the other feline know that she could go first.
Arista watched the others walk out the door, deciding if she should follow. She turned around and noticed the elf who had introduced himself was still there. Arista walked up to him.
"Hello. I'm Arista. Do you really think we should go? It does seem strange that the door is there. I mean, don't you think the wizard would know about it? It just seems too easy to me." She paused and turned toward the door. "Although, I donít think that we should just let them go on their own either....."
-----------------
Richard replies to Tock, "That's a moot point now, we've agreed to escape. Please put your mind to the current task."
-----------------
Jason frowned as he considered both Kale's and Tock's words. "Yes, the wizard may very well be sane, but wizards aren't known to be stupid. I'm sure he knows of this door. Closing it or leaving it open won't make much difference. He could be watching us now for all we know. It is wise to always leave options, so I say we should leave the door open. As for dealing with this wizard, we may end up doing exactly that no matter our decision."
(Kale, Tock)
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"Nothing is ever moot, especially since we have not yet escaped," Tock says to Richard as he walks past him to examine the loose step. Tock actually skips over the loose step to a lower step.
-----------
Unfortunately for Tock, the loose step is loose because the step immediately _below_ it -- the one he's just skipped to -- is a dummy. As he lands on it, it collapses. His right foot is impaled on a stone spike. --GM
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Asuro posts 10/11
(GM Note: This probably occurred before Tock fell into the trap.)Kale replies to Tock softly,"As I, as a peasant, cannot understand yer constructs nor can ye, as an artisan, understand the invisible laws that govern our lives. When we have time, perhaps we'll discuss this further..."
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Tock's face distorts into one of great pain. He holds in the urge to scream out, and instead quickly releases the following string of words, "Gadgets, gears, levers, and clocks!" Slowing his pace, Tock says to the others, "Father always said the best way to test a gadget was to dive right into it. I knew I should have never listened to him!" Imapled in Tock's right foot is a stone spike. The spike is not that large, and the pain is not much more than that associated with a severe sprained ankle, however the bleeding is quite noticeable.
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Talon: "Are you okay?"
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"Do not worry milady. Stick with me, and I will make sure you do not come to harm," Jason replied to the Druid in his most charming voice. Shortly after, Jason heard a scream of pain come from beyond the secret door. "Oh dear. I must say, that did take longer than I thought," he said shrugging his shoulders.
(Arista)
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Richard gets down and lifts Tock up (with or without the help of Jenaya), and sets him down on a stair, taking a look at the wound. "Well, it looks like you found the trap for us, but I'm sure we would both prefer a less dangerous method", he says.
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"Come on. Someone's hurt," Arista said to the elf. She ran down the hall to where the others were. She slipped by the men and the cat lady, who were caught off guard and let her pass.
"Are you alright? I heard you scream and rushed over. I know some healing techniques and might be able to help you. Let me take a look," she said to the injured man, while gently holding his arm.
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From Tock:
Directly to Richard says, "I figured out what the step does. Just skip over the step after the one Jenaya is on and you will be just fine. As for me, well, I have had worse injuries. There was that time when the catapult dumped its load of stone right this very same foot." Despite the pain and the blood, Tock attempts to proceed to examine the step.
Noting extraordinary about the trap mechanism, he exclaims, "Hmph! You would have thought they could have been a bit more creative with the design!" Returning his gaze upon the others in the group, "Do any of you have some extra cloth on those garments of yours. I should probably attempt to wrap this foot of mine." With these last words, Tock's body leans to the left for support. He is clearly a bit dazed.
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Kale remains silent. His countenance is as set as granite in the faint moonlight as a man who has obviously decided that the time and place for speech has ended and action has begun.
Especially as Tock fumbles into the trap. The urgent, sick smell of blood and pain is all too familiar to the warrior. He steps down to hold the little man. As others help to identify and extract the wound, Kale places his warm, generous palm over Tock's head.
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Richard says "Okay, I'll take your word for it." He carefully goes past the trap.
To Jenaya "Still willing to stay at the fore?" -------------
GM: As Richard steps on the fifth stair down -- the one immediately past the spikes -- that stair creaks also.
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Asuro posts 10/13
Richard says "This is going to get pretty tedious". He then asks "Has anyone seen a pole I could use?". Richard will try to keep his balance (maybe leaning a little on the wall) while testing the strength of the step 2 steps down (ie, skipping the next).He'll compare it to the one right below him, preparing for either to collapse while he's testing them. This shouldn't take too long (at most a minute), and if the one 2 steps down is significantly stronger, he's going to continue this process going down, testing each one before putting his full weight on it, but not touching the steps only one step down. (Ie, going two stairs at a time, and testing at each step).
Richard realizes that in 20 minutes he might be attacked, so he's not going to spend forever testing each step, he'll just be cautious, spending a few seconds per step, if he starts trusting them.
"Jenaya, it would be nice if you could at least follow a little behind me, I'll test the steps with my greater weight and you can see past me. I can't see well down here".
"Any tough guy want to try running down 2 steps at a time?" Richard jests.
-------------
Neither of the steps immediately below you seems likely to collapse.
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Seeing that Tock is being attended to, Jenaya nods slowly. "I am not afraid, k'sere. I can see, and you cannot. Let us go together." Jenaya walks close beside Richard, never committing her full weight to a step until she has determined if it will support her. She is naturally wary of this new creaking step, and looks carfully at the steps just below it. "Go cautiously, I will alert you if I see any changes." She strains her eyes and ears to see if any new sound will reveal a clue, or anything moves within her range of sight. Her eyes narrow suddenly, and she whispers without turning her attention from the steps before her "I do not agree, concerning the door. If the wizard knows this route exists, then it is true, closing the door makes no difference. But on the chance he does not, if it remains open, there is no way to hide. If we do not close it, we have removed our only hope of secrecy. I had hoped to reach the bottom before the time ran out, but we may no longer have that choice." That said, she steps as lightly as she can, hoping that the next trap will not be too different from the first, but not really believing it will be. She cautiously follows Richard's lead, letting him know everything she can see.
-------------------
Jason watched Arista run off to help Tock, and followed slowly behind her. He kept his distance, not wanting to get in the way. Although it was probably more traps he was worried about getting in the way of. He recalled a time when he had just come to the thieves guild, and a lesson his guildmaster had taught him. "Never do any work that others are willing to do for you." These warriors seemed more than happy to find all the traps themself. Jason was not against offering his own advice though. "I would not be so hasty to declare the way free Tock. A chain of traps would be most appropriate for a secret passageway in a prison cell meant to keep people locked up."
(Tock)
OOC:
Jeffrey,
I've been working on my own PBEM game for a while and finally got some stuff together. I don't want to intrude on your game, but If you don't mind, I was wondering if you or any of the others would like to play another one time permitting. Here's the web site:
http://www.orwell.net/~casedeis/LOD/LOD.htm
--------------
Tock tenses at Kale's touch and looks on in astonishment as his wound stops bleeding. He stares into Kale's eyes with a look of amazement coupled with fear. Tock pushes away from Kale's grip and grabs onto the stone wall for support as he stands up. His stare returns to his foot as he slowly puts more of his weight on his leg. He looks up to see the others party, except for Richard who has proceeded on ahead, looking at him. To the entire company he says with a shaken voice, "Stop looking at me. I will be fine, just fine. We still have to get out of this tower." Just then, the sound of yet another creeking step reaches his ears. He quickly peers forward to where Richard is standing still on yet another step. "This is going to be one long journey down a flight of stairs."
-----------
Kale stays with Tock until he declares his willingness to go on. In the meantime, he begins to rip at his robe to fashion some bandages. He whispers aloud to Jenaya, "Can you see the traps well in this light?"
--------------
Tock says to Jason with a somewhat puzzled look on his face, "I never had any intention of declaring the passage completely free and clear. However, with yet another trap, I am wondering if there might be some sort of mechanism to completely disable the things or perhaps some sort of pattern for the traps." Tock begins to forget about his foot's misfortune, and instead examines the 3rd step (the first trap they found first) more closely. He nods to Jenaya in order to express his intentions to examine the step she is standing upon. He carefully attempts to remove the top slate of the step for the purpose of looking more closely at the trap mechanism. Specifically, he is looking for some evidence that the trap might be turned off. "It would be nice if that lever at the top of the stairs turned off all of these traps, or if there was one at the bottom of the stairs that one of us could reach without endangering everyone."
OOC:
(Jeff, do I or can I notice anything that might lead me to such a conclusion?)
----------------
You can't remove the top slate of the third step; it's solid rock. The trap mechanism is simple -- the fourth step was designed to not support anything heavier than a large cat. This means that the only way to disarm the trap is to set it off, and the only way to identify whether or not a step is trapped is by testing it, as Richard is doing.
Note: When I say "the only way," I mean the only way I've thought of given the information that you currently have. I'm generally very pleased if someone comes up with an ingenious and creative way to defeat my traps. :)
In this case, however, it's a moot point. Jenaya and Richard proceed to the bottom of the stairway, and discover that no other steps are trapped. From Richard's perspective, they are now in complete darkness, but Jenaya can still see well enough to notice the ordinary, wooden door at the bottom of the stairs.
--GM
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Asuro posts 10/15
GM Note: Richard's post contained a number of conditionals -- "If A happens, then I'll do B, otherwise I'll do C." This is allowed, and is a good way to move the game along. It does mean that I had to take some things out of his post, however, especially as I needed to consider the effect Jenaya's actions would have on the conditions.------------------
Kale kneels briefly. He then whispers to the group, "Maybe we could test the lever in the chance it might close the door. Although, the wizard will know we escaped either way." Kale, not wanting his robe to be left with a hanging rip, rips more of his robe off so that he has a band of cloth in his hands.
-----------------
Tock quickly stops in his effort to remove the solid stone step. He then turns to Kale, but avoids eye contact, and says, "Thank you for that thing. Sometime I might want to talk to you about that further. If you please, though, I would like some hand going wherever we are going. I still do not feel quite up to walking unattended. Perhaps I can fashion a cane for myself once we get out of this place." Tock squints down the stairwell to attempt to figure out how much success Richard and Kale are having.
----------------
Jenaya looks carefully at the door in front of her. Realizing the others probably can't see it, she turns to Richard. "There is a door here, but I cannot yet tell if it, too, is trapped. If there were more light, perhaps the engineer could take a look...though on a door such as this, there might just as easily be a trap of a magical nature. Either way, I am a poor judge, and we may not have time to find out."
--------------
As soon as Jenaya tells Richard about the door, he says "Jenaya, let's listen to see if we can tell if there is anything on the other side". He puts his ear to the wall and listens for a few seconds, trying to find noises.
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Richard doesn't hear anything on the other side of the door. -- GM
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Jason was relieved that the rest of the stairs carried no more traps. He was still wary to follow however, just in case somehow his "cellmates" somehow just missed tripping one. He'd heard of a fellow guildmember buying it that way. A sticky trigger failed to activate a trap when one thief passed, only to snap when the next thief had passed. Jason observed the passage way as he followed the group. He was curious about the purpose of such a passage. He looked for evidence of use, and age. He also examined the trap that Tock had fell on. Had it claimed previous victims? How long ago?
O.O.C. What is the condition of these stairs? Is there a lot of dust/mildew/cobwebs? Did the door creak much when it was opened? Did this trap show any signs of wear? Dried blood? Is the air in the stair way fresh or stale? Anything else suspicious, that Jason may have noticed, that would hint to the passage's use?
(i.e. items that could be dropped, debris, markings?)
-------------
The stairs are in good condition, except for the rubble left by the collapse of the fourth step. There is dust, but no mildew or cobwebs. The door did not creak. As far as you can tell, Tock was the trap's first victim. The air is not as fresh as that in the forest where Jason was born, but it is not unpleasantly stale. You notice nothing to tell you what the passage is used for (besides the obvious, i.e., it's meant to get back and forth from the cell to wherever it is it leads to).
--GM
------------------
After examining the passageway for a moment, Jason replied to Jenaya's desire to close the door. "Looks like this passageway is a bit too well cared for to be unknown. But then again, closing or leaving the door open probably won't matter much. If the wizard wants to kill us, he probably will no matter what we do."
-----------------
"Any time, lad." Kale whispers to Tock. "I can lend a hand fer now."
-----------------
Richard says to Jenaya: "If you don't see anything unusual about the door, and it's unlocked, open it and take a look".
-----------------
OOC:
Allright then. If my fingers were long enough, I'd cross 'em.
IC:
Jenaya moves cautiously and slowly to attempt opening the door, concentrating on preparing herself in case something should be behind it.
----------------
You discover that the door is locked. --GM
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Richard asks Kale, "Could you help me bash this door down?"
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(He is particularly interested in stones around the size of a golf ball, or in pieces of stone that might have splintered off with sharp jagged edges.)
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Tock is the third PC to tell me that he's trying to collect the debris; at this point, he'll have to try to borrow some stone from Talon or Kale. -- GM
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Jenaya backs out of Richard's way so that he and Kale can make their attempt, anxious to put more distance between herself and the captor she knows will return all too soon. Still uneasy about the top door, she glances upward and shakes her head slightly...but having made her opinion known, she tries to concentrate on the new obstacle instead.
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I should remind you all that the staircase is curved. This means that the bottom of the stairs are not visible from the top, and vice versa. -- GM
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Asuro posts 10/19
Kale says to everyone, "If no one of ye thinks they can pick this lock without tools or light, Richard and I can try 'n break it down." He hands a golf-ball sizes stone to Tock."Go 'n try, lad, but I dinn't know when the wizard is comin' back. We should hurry."
---------------
Jason pondered in his head on what the deal was with the rocks, and wondered if a new market was opening. Must be a warrior thing, he figured. Jason was also weary about bashing the door down, but as he did not have his lock picks on him, or even a dagger, he could be of no help. He'd been trying to learn that spell that unlocked doors, but getting captured and put in jail kinda got in the way. So the only thing Jason could do, was keep his distance and hope for the best.
--------------
Richard says "Jenaya, if you wish to help, jump at the door at the same time as me, otherwise, get out of the way while I do so". He makes sure he knows where to hit the door, and aims for a weakpoint (nearby the lock, left of a right-side lock, right of left-side lock, but close). If he feels part of the door give more than another, he'll try to retarget there, though with difficulty due to the darkness.
Richard will try an initial leap at the door, closest shoulder first. If he doesn't feel the door giving way, he says "It's not budging, I think we'll need more than one person to do this". He'll then try to rush the door at the same time as another person. If it does give way, he moves back, then leaps at it again, repeating until the door fails. Richard will brutally abuse his shoulder(s) if necessary to get through the door, he is straining at maximum force.
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Richard, you feel the door give as you slam into it, and on your fourth leap, you break through, tumbling out into the corridor beyond to land at Parindes' feet. He looks down at you. "I see that I shall have to replace my door," he says. "But it is of no consequence. You will soon find that there is no way to escape from this tower. Return to your cell when you are ready to surrender." He vanishes again.
Looking around, you see that the hallway you are in is lit by candles around both walls. (They provide enough light for everyone to see.) The ceiling is unusually high, and there is a faint stench in the air. The hall is about thirty feet long. One end is the stairs you've just come down; the other is an arched doorway (no door). You cannot see what lies beyond the arch.
--GM
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Asuro posts 10/21
Jenaya's tail lashes in irritation. "Well, then. Apparantly he does not intend to kill us." She scowls at the place their captor stood, if she is grateful for the reprieve, it sure doesn't show. Lifting her head, she attempts to identify the odor in the air. "Since we are granted permission to explore," she answered with obvious contempt for Parindes, his permission, and perhaps his near kin, "I do not intend to 'return to my cell'." She looks to the others to get their opinions before deciding on a course of action, trusting that if anything can be gained by working together, she now has the time to wait for consensus.---------------
"HA!" Jason could not contain his outburst. He was impressed and amused with the wizards wit. He was also quite pleased with himself for figuring the wizard was up to something. "A test! I told you! He's not gonna let us go. Now, do we go back, or do we show him a "don't quit" attitude to try and impress him?"
------------------
"Aye, this is starting to look more like a test than anything else. Maybe this wizard is appearing by means of illusion or sommit like that, eh? I can't believe he can just appear and disappear whenever pleases. Tock, canna you give me my rock back?"
Kale takes a candle from the wall and walks down the hallway to the arch.
------------------
Richard rubs his shoulder, trying to remove stiffness and hunt for damage. "Thanks anyway Kale, it seems the door wasn't as sturdy as I feared". "Well, this seems pointless, but it's worth a try, isn't it?" He tries to figure out what that smell is, (he knows the smells of blood and death).
Richard says "There is light down here, but it also appears that Parindes knows of our presence".
Richard says to Jenaya "Jenaya, do you wish to continue scouting?".
-------------------
Jenaya nods. "I intend to explore, yes. There may indeed be no way out, but I will prove that on my own before I consider surrender. Those who wish to join me are welcome, though it is clear that our captor no longer concerns himself with our immediate submission. Anyone who prefers to return should do so, I think. Our chances are better if we are united, and that includes our purpose. I do not want to have any unwilling companions. Shall we take a candle? It is better if I am not the only one who can see, should we find anymore unlit passages. We must be wary if we continue, however...we are not alone in this tower." Jenaya makes a face at the unpleasant odor to illustrate her point, the warning clear in her eyes.
------------------
Tock hears a loud bang. He assumes Richard has broken through the door. Upon first hearing the door break, Tock pauses and listens for signs of aggressors. Since he does not hear the sound of fighting, he hobbles down the stairs still nursing his right foot. He stops as he reaches the broken door. Tock examines the door looking for any small pieces of metal that might be easily acquired from the lock mechanism or door hinges. Spare parts can always be used somewhere, and so Tock would love to put any parts he finds into the many pockets lining his pants. If he finds some,then he puts them in his pockets for later use or, perhaps, to get lost among the many other items he will pick up along this journey. He then examines the contents of the room he is in. He looks up at the ceiling and the walls looking for any particularly interesting features (holes, windows, odd indentations, wood support beams, etc.). Finally, he notices Richard, and says, "Oh. Are you alright? You must have taken quite a beating getting through that door. I presume you found the room as empty as it is now when you broke through?"
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Richard replies to Tock "No, that bloody magician was standing over me when I entered the room. He said to go back when I'm ready to surrender".
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Kale walks down the hallway and arrives in a circular room with three exits -- the one he came in by, and two identical others spaced 120 degrees apart. There is a very loud sound coming from the left-hand corridor. -- GM
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Asuro posts 10/22
GM Note: I am pleased to say that I have posts from all 7 of you within 24 hours of the last batch! Therefore, I'm sending them out early. Next posting will be 10/24 (unless this happens again, of course).-------------
Jenaya follows Kale down the hall to the circular room. Lifting her head yet again, she tries to determine where the scent is strongest, and listens to hear what the loud sound is being made by, if it is at all familiar to her. She stays in the doorway without entering the room, inspecting the room and the other arches from her doorway to see if there is any clue as to where they lead.
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"Rock? Oh! The rock! I completely forgot you gave it to me. But why do you want it back? Didn't you give it to me?" Tock says as Richard walks away from him towards the arches. "What is that smell?" Tocks looks at Jenaya sniffing the air. "Jenaya, can you place the scent? What do you mean we are not alone?" Tock hobbles forward to keep up with the rest of the pack. He enters the circular room with the two doors. "And what is that sound?" Tock listens more carefully to try to discern what the sound might be.
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Arista was a little upset at having her offer of help ignored and her shyness crept back up. _ Why was I even chosen to be here?_ she wondered. _They seem to be more skillful than I, and more helpful._ She picked up her cat and stroked its head. "Oh, Rani. Why are we here?" she said quietly to the cat.
As Arista walked down the stairs, she took in everything around her. She had never seen a castle before, let alone been in one. Everything amazed her. _Could you ever imagine stone walls like this? I wonder how long it must have taken to build it. Where could they have gotten all this rock?_ she said in her mind to the cat as she reached out and touched the wall. It was cold and slightly wet. She looked closely at a small patch of dark green mildew and touched it with her forefinger. She smeared it between her finger and thumb.
"Yuck," she said to herself as she smelt it and tried to wipe it on her pants. It left an oily smudge. "Through all my years in the forest, I have never met a fouler mold," she grimaced and said offhandedly. As she backed away from the wall, she bumped into Talon.
"Oops. Sorry," she said quietly, blushing and looking away.
-----------
"Quite alright, "Talon replied. Looking at the blushing lady in front of him, he smiled. "Arista, it really was not a problem." With that he stepped down the stairs. Pausing before the breakaway stair, Talon knelt down and collected a few small pebbles from the sprung trap. Looking up, he smiled at Arista. He held out his hand to her "Come on, it's okay."As she took his hand, he led her down to the chamber with three paths.
"So, what's the noise from?" he asks the rest of the group.
------------
"C'mere, guys, I want ya to hear sommat. This place has a loud sound I can't put my finger on." Kale obviously ignoring Jenaya because it wasn't the time for democracy and the elf because he's dealt with too many smug bastards who do nothing and then congratulate themselves when things get complicated.
"Hey, elf-genius, If this is a test, do you honestly think the right answer is to go back?"
And more pointedly, "If you want to stand with us, have some respect, or crawl back into that hole up there where you were too scared to escape. These men are hurt because of your precious test. What have you done for us today?"
"Aye, there's no use for fearin' the cracks in the sidewalk here. Have faith, for the Lord loves the faithful. If this is the wizard's lair, and 'e can see us and pop in and out at will, then he can kill us anytime he wants. Never thought of that didya? Hiding won't get us anywhere, and if he wanted us dead, we wouldn't have ever woken up. And if he wanted to stop us, he would've. So either he wants us to go on, or he's full o' hot air. Either way, going back won't solve anythun"
Not waiting for anyone, Kale approaches the left exit, shines his light and sees what is contained therein. He forgoes stealth because the sound makes it too loud to hear him and the candle makes it too easy to see him. There's not much he can do now about the other senses either.
--------------
Richard says "How do you know whoever set this up really wants what the wizard is asking for? Maybe they're just trying to test our resolve, and they'd kill us if we stayed in the room. We don't know".
Richard picks up a candle and quickly catches up with Kale. He goes and looks down the left-hand corridor, wondering what the source of sound is. He follows Kale at a brisk walk until he is about two paces behind, at which point he slows to Kale's pace and looks and listens for anything unusual.
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Jason smiled at Jenaya. "Milady, you are very brave, and I admire your spirit. I would gladly accompany you to explore this keep. I'm not found of cells, and a walk would do me much good."
Jason responds to Richard's questions, "I don't know exactly what the wizard will do. I'm hoping to find more information by exploring with Jenaya."
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The left-hand exit leads to another corridor identical to the one you were just in, except for the noise -- which you can now identify as snoring -- and the fact that the smell is now much stronger. -- GM
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Asuro posts 10/24
GM Note: As you will read at the bottom of this posting, Richard has just discovered where your equipment has been stashed. However, only Talon and Arista have told me what they were carrying when they were captured. I didn't press the rest of you for an equipment list earlier, because I wasn't absolutely certain that you'd find it; now, of course, I need to know what's there. I'll accept any items within reason (e.g., weapons, armor, food, basic tools, etc. would be fine, but a chariot or a magic staff would probably be vetoed.)--------------
Jason simply ignored Kale, for just then Arista and Talon walked in, and Talon held her hand. Besides, he'd already stated his intention to explore. "Milady!" he spoke to Arista. "Would you care to accompany us? I find your concern for us, most uplifting. I could not bear this place without your company," he said as he smiled at her.
-----------------
Richard says "I guess we should go see who is sleeping here. Rapid action is necessary when there is impending danger, but I'm in the mood to take a look at the situation before doing anything hasty. Sure, the wizard could see exactly what we're doing, but what if he left a few nastier traps just to see if we're not cautious enough? Faith is nice, but I tend to prefer a careful review of the facts, when there is time".
-----------------
Jenaya does not turn. "Minotaur." She replies shortly, her voice low. Nodding her head in the direction of the sound, she adds, "I assume /that/ is the snoring we hear." Jenaya does not appear pleased. She does not follow Kale's lead. "K'sere, I would again caution you. Certainly the wizard could kill us if he chose to, but there is no reason to make it easier for him. If he merely intends to let us kill ourselves through foolhardiness, I do not intend to satisfy him." That being said, she stays in the doorway, and looks to see what the others seem to be doing. She nods at Jason. "It is a matter of necessity. I have no wish to take unnecessary risks, but I cannot remain idle in a cell." She smiles briefly. "My talents, such as they are, have become obvious. Have you any knowledge which might aid us here? I am largely unfamiliar with minotaurs."
--------------
"Kale? Richard? Are you really sure it is wise to proceed so quickly? You saw what that trap did to my foot?" Tock watches the two men proceed through the left archway. Talon and Arista enter the room from the stairwell. He says to them, "Hello there. Do you mind if I stay in the rear of the pack with you? My foot doesn't allow quick movement."
---------------
Kale brightens at the spirit of the group "Aye, lad, that's what I like to hear." he whispers aloud.
"So, now, someone want to check whoever's snoring? Someone quieter than meeself? Jason, Jenaya?"
"I'll shine a light down the other corridors to see what's there." And Kale proceeds to do just that.
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You've already seen two of the three corridors. The third is identical to the first two, except that it appears to end in a blank wall. -- GM
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Richard says "Whoever is sleeping may have been doing so for quite some time. Either that or they're quite unhygenic". Richard will go ahead of Kale cautiously (holding a candle) and looking around.
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The corridor Richard is exploring ends in another circular room. This one is well lit -- at least, well lit enough to reveal the minotaur sleeping on a pile of what you recognize as your missing equipment. -- GM
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Asuro posts 10/26
Arista smiled back at Jason. "Thank you, kind sir," says Arista, blushing slightly. "I appreciate it." Talon and Arista walk over to Jason. She smiles brightly at the elf. "Have we found anything interesting?"Arista turns to the injured man. "Sure. You can walk with us. Can I look at your foot? I know some healing techniques and may be able to help you."
-----------------
Kale continues to speak in whispers, "Aye, maybe ye could wrestle Sir Minotaur... if ye could bear e's stench. Now the last exit seems to end in a blank wall. Seems odd to me. Now, for those of you who seem to think that faith involves blind bungling, how many of you have noticed that I am now armed?" He smiles as he places the stone from the floor into the loop of cloth from his robe to make a makeshift sling. He twirls it around, testing the weight and swing, for the possible fight to come.
"Now," he says very carefully, "let's make sure I don't have to use this. I'm not bad with a sling, but I've never fought one of these things before. If there are planks left of that door laddy Rich broke down, perhaps we could bop 'im over the head with one. Or the whole door for that matter..."
"Now what kind of brilliant wizard would have made his prisoners' weapons so readily accessible? I would've put them in another place altogether. Something's weird here, and I kinnit put me finger on it. He could have woken up the monster by now if he really wanted us shut up with nowhere to go." Kale wonders aloud.
Kale places his candle on the floor for whoever wants it and goes over to examine what's left of the door.
-----------------
"Minotaur," Jason repeated to Jenaya, only with dread and disgust. "I know a little about them. Big, smelly, not too bright. I hope he's sleeping though, because with a minotaurs smell, he knows we're here if he's awake. I suggest the upmost stealth. Perhaps we could ambush him," he finished.
-----------------
"I have never yet fought a minotaur. If I could get my Itathyk from underneath it, I would be far more comfortable fighting the creature...as it is, though we are many, we are unarmed. Has anyone any suggestions, or better still, any measure of what we are about to encounter? It sleeps now, but I doubt it will remain asleep for long." Jenaya looks at each of her companions, clearly hoping one will have some experience with this sort of beast, and can provide an appropriate plan. She appears hesitant to simply attack. "I prefer to know my enemy before I engage him."
-----------------
"Minotaurs I have not dealt with before . . . can they be reasoned with?" Talon asks quietly. Nodding pardon from Arista's company, Talon walks quickly to the hall's end to join Richard.
----------------
After a thorough examination, Richard backs off to the rest of the party, and puts his candle down. He explains what he saw in the room. "The minotaur is over 7 feet tall, is unarmored, and wears a black and green armband. I think he uses a battle-axe, there is also a quarterstaff in the room. I suggest someone get the battle-axe out of his reach while we're knocking him down. I we should get together in front of the entrance, and rush in two at a time. Kale and I will be in front, me going for the right arm, him for the left arm. Two people should go for the legs behind us, then everybody else should rush in, one get the axe out of the room, while the others grab their weapons and kill him while he's down. This way, the minotaur should be too surprised to do much, and we'll be able to keep him down with 4 people on him. Any of you could try talking to the beast, once we wake it up, and if it doesn't fight we could find some way to bind it, but if it fights, don't let talking slow you from fighting it. It probably will not be willing to listen to reason, but if it is, I'm willing to reason with it from a position of strength. Currently we do not have the strength to risk that it will fight us, it would probably kill at least one of us if we just walk in and start talking. Civilized rules of conduct are for civilized places where they haven't imprisoned you without reason. We can all walk in and surround the beast. I'll count down from 5 fingers on my right hand. When I pull the last finger in, everybody goes for it at the same time."
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A backpack suddenly flies out of the room and into Talon's hands. -- GM
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Asuro posts 10/28
Richard says to Kale "You could try beating this beast with rocks or beating him with wood, but I'd prefer to take him while he's down. That axe could cleave any of us in two, and we don't have any powerful weapons with the reach to fight it armed." "What do you say to my plan?""Are you still so sure we're dealing with that wizard? I think somebody is trying to test us."
Richard goes back and peeks into the room. He looks curiously at the backpack, but if he doesn't see the source, he's not asking questions.
-------------
Jenaya looks to Richard and comments quietly, "If the only way is to attack, then I will do so, though I am uncomfortable about fighting a creature I know nothing about. I am experienced in battle, yet my weight is less than perhaps is necessary to subdue the minotaur. I am agile, however, and if I could secure my Itathyk from underneath the creature, I am confident in my fighting ability."
-------------
Kale goes up to Richard and begins to follow Richard's plan, approaching the entryway, "Wouldn't it be better just to take the axe and behead 'im before he even wakes? That would be more painless even for him. One does not consort with evil, one smites it with cunning. Killing is not evil, cruelty is. I've split many a log in my day..." he whispers to Richard.
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Jason just wasn't a fighter, and he didn't like the idea of tackleing the minotaur. Especially with no weapons, so he could no longer depend on the others to do the work. "Perhaps we don't have to wake him. I've been known to be pretty good with my hands. I could try to get what equipment I can. At the very least, I could get that axe away from him, before we wake him."
It may have been too late though, for then, a backpack came flying towards Talon. "Aww troll dung," he said unpleasantly.
-------------
Tock nods his head at Arista. "Thank you. I don't think there is much time at the moment for dealing with my foot. Besides, whatever Kale did to it seems to have worked rather well." Tock's eyes grow more distance as he recalls Kale's actions.
He snaps back to reality to listen to the plan laid out by Richard concerning the Minotaur. Tock was just about to speak when the backpack flew out of the room into Talon's hands. "Zaphenitia! What was that?" He stares at Talon. "Either you have a few tricks you have not told us about, or that Minotaur is throwing our stuff around!" Tock looks towards the room, and then shifts his gaze from person to person in the group. "I think it is about time we all started laying out our abilities on the table. If we are going to get through this thing, then we must know how best to utilize each other. I for one have a nasty crossbow lurking in that room which I would like to get my hands on. I am an expert shot with the thing. Other than that, all I can do is play with gadgets. I do, however, play with them quite well." Tock looks down at his foot clearly expressing disproval with the situation he had "fallen" into.
--------------
Richard whispers back to Kale, "If you can be sure of killing it before it wakes, go ahead, but I'm worried that it may move fast, when we step into the room". Richard says to Jason and Talon, "Jason and Talon, Please follow behind me and Kale, and keep the legs of the beast down so that it won't stand up or kick. Breaking his legs should be better, if you can manage that".
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Asuro posts 10/30
Kale whispers to Richard, "Alright, if he wakes up when we go in, we'll hold 'im an' take it from there. If he doesn't, we grab weapons and cut 'im down. I'm going for the axe."Kale walks over to the entry to the minotaur room. Kale puts his fingers to his lips and is silent, waiting for Richard's count. He looks at the axe, trying to judge its weight.
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"Well, isn't this a violent method of dealing with things." Talon noted aloud. "Did anyone ever consider that this poor beast might also be a prisoner of the wizard? He certainly doesnt smell like a voluntary occupant of this tower - one would think if the wizard meant for him to be employed, at least he might request a bath or two sometimes." Talon pauses, then pulls his daggers from his rucksack and places them on the ground in front of him, and his bag to his side. "Although, considering your negative attitudes, may I suggest restraining him to find out his true intentions?" With that, Talon unties the belt on his gi, holds it in front of him, and stares at the beast.
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Jenaya glances briefly at Talon and then looks at Jason oddly. "If you had another alternative, why did you not say so when I asked?" With a frown, she continues, addressing the group. "I agree with the inventor, for us to conceal our skills may have initially been a good precaution, but it can be a deadly liability now. I do not want to fight this beast if another solution can be found. But we must act now. Every minute of delay could make the difference between success and failure, but we must know what we can rely on. If we do not choose to trust each other, we will not escape this prison. You know who I am, my abilities are evident. I did not hesitate to volunteer what I have that might benefit the situation. I expect that you will no longer withhold your own talents in the hope of preserving some mystique that could result in our deaths. Now is not the time for deception. I worry of not knowing my enemy, and yet I find I still no not know my allies!" She looks back to Richard, holding up her slender hand in apology. "I regret that I can use no weapon, save my Itathyk." As she speaks, she bends her fingers slightly so that he can see they are not quite the same as a human or elven hand. "My fingers lack the final joint a human would posess, and I cannot properly grip a sword or staff." A hint of a smile touches her face. "And it has been many ages since my people have brought down such large prey with claw and tooth."
----------------
Richard holds out his right hand for everyone to see, and lowers his fingers one at a time, finishing with the thumb.
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"AHEM! Excuse me," Jason said irritated, but was careful not to raise his voice, not wanting to wake the minotaur. "If you fighter types could let one thought get through your thick skulls. In case you haven't noticed, there are a few of us that are not quite warrior material. I am NOT tackling a minotaur. Now as hard a concept as it is, there are alternatives to fighting. Now, the minotaur is sleeping. Any moron whose muscles haven't closed the flow of blood to his brain, can see that it is to our benifit to keep him that way. Let's see if we can sneak and get our stuff, and save fighting for if that fails," he finished. "Besides, it would just kill me if Arista were to come to harm," He added, giving Arista his most charming smile.
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"Wait a second!" Tock turns to Richard. "We don't even know if the creature is an enemy. It might very well be held here against its will as we are! Why don't we try to trap it in the tower room. I am pretty sure that lever outside the room would close the door. If we could lure him up there and then make it back out the door before him, then we could simply shut him up in that room. We can test the lever to see if it does close the door. That won't take that long at all. Many of you claim to be quick and agile, so getting out of the room before the minotaur and closing the door shouldn't be more difficult than actually trying to murder the beast."
Tock looks questioningly at the rest of the group. He searches their faces to try to gage their opinions.
--------------
GM Note: The three immediately preceding posts happen approximately simultaneously. As Tock shouts "Wait a second," the minotaur stops snoring and opens his eyes.
Richard and Kale charge into the room as the minotaur grasps his axe and stands up. Richard grabs the minotaur's right arm and attempts to twist it behind the creature's back. Kale takes hold of the axe and tries to wrest it away. Meanwhile, the black belt of cloth rises from Talon's hands and flies across the room. One end dips down to the minotaur's left ankle and knots itself around. The other end of the belt reaches to the beast's other leg, and loops around. The two ends meet and tie. Talon then sags to the floor, an exhausted look on his face. Weakly, he reaches for his daggers.
Although in a one-on-one wrestling match, the minotaur would be a formidable opponent for either Richard or Kale, he cannot deal with both at once. He manages to prevent Richard from breaking his arm, but Kale snatches the axe away. The minotaur shouts, "You leave now! Go back to your cell!"
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Asuro posts 11/1
Tock's eyebrows raise further than what seems physically possible. He looks into the room and sees the Minotaur wrestling with Richard. Turning, he glances down at Talon who is lying bent over on the ground. "That is why we all need to start talking about our particular talents." He looks at Jenaya and nods in acknowledgement, and then once again faces the room where Kale and Richard are subduing the minotaur. "For one thing, it would keep some hot-blooded axe wielding maniac from killing out of impatience. Be careful with that axe! If you are going to do anything with it, put it down out of the minotaurs reach. Don't kill the thing. Anyone got anything else to tie the minotaur up with in that supply pile?"Tock begins to walk into the room. He abruptly turns back to look at Talon, "Hey, are you ok?"
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Closing his eyes for a moment of personal concentration, Talon's strength seems to reappear. Looking over at the worried Tock, Talon nods a "Thank you" for the concern. He slides a dagger out towards him saying "For self defense, if you like..." then turns back to the Minotaur. Standing and assuming a fighting stance, he readies himself in case the Minotaur can not be contained.
To Jenaya he calls, "Do not fear what you dont know yet... but now is hardly the time to talk! I shall explain later."
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Jason wasn't kidding when he said he wouldn't wrestle a minotaur, so when the fight began, he kept clear as best he could. He carefully watched the fight and waited for an oppurtunity for it to move away from his equipment. "Sorry Jenaya, looks like we'll have to discuss this later," he quickly said.
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Arista walked up to Jason. Standing next to him, she watched the two men attempt to tackle the minotaur. "I agree with your sentiments totally. Thanks for the concern, but I can take care of myself. It is very flattering, though," she says as the minotaur struggles harder. She takes a step back and stands slightly behind the elf. "Should we do something to help? I have never dealt with a minotaur before. We didn't see very many in the forest," she said anxiously as she rested her hand lightly on Jason's shoulder. "Um, while they're holding it, maybe someone should rush in and grab our things before it gets free. I volunteer if no one else will. I've had to deal with animals before and have developed very quick reflexes." She stood a little closer to Jason, not liking the suggestion, but steeling herself up for the sprint if no one else stepped forward.
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Jenaya's eyes widen as everything happens at once. Though she watches Talon's belt fly of its own will across the room, she knows there is no longer time for questions or answers. Scanning the pile of equipment, she attempts to locate her Itathyk as quickly as she can, temporarily unconcerned for her pack or her other weapons and items.
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She successfully finds her Itathyk amongst the scattered equipment. -- GM
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While everyone is talking, including the minotaur, Kale takes the axe away up high and immediately brings it low, wasting no movement, thrusting the butt into the minotaur's gut.
His blow is meant to take advantage of the beast's lack of balancing arm and tied legs, to knock the wind out of him and throw his balance back where the belt around his legs and the pile of equipment would trip him up.
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The minotaur takes a step backwards, gets tangled in the belt, and crashes ignominiously to the ground. I'm assuming that Richard will let go of the arm at this point. -- GM
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Jenaya grips her Itathyk in her right hand, and the blades spring out of the handle. Though tensed for a fight, there is no longer any concern in her face...properly armed once more, she is obviously more comfortable and confident, minotaur or no minotaur. She keeps her eyes on the minotaur, her Itathyk ready, but making no move to attack, as it is well restrained and it appears Richard, Kale and Talon have it under control. Finding that it can speak, she tilts her head slightly, curious, but does not relax her stance, nor does she appear interested in its demand. "Well." she comments softly. "That answers /that/ question."
---------------
Kale swings his axe over his head and down onto the minotaur's head, using the flat of the blade. "YIELD," he commands as he swings.
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CLANG!!! Kale nearly loses his grip as the axe bounces off the minotaur's horns.
The minotaur looks from Kale to Richard and back. "I choose death, not shame," he says.
-- GM
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Asuro posts 11/3
"Milady, I would not be a gentleman, if I allowed you to jeopardize yourself," Jason replied to Arista. Considering the minotaur's situation, he felt it was fairly safe to chance going for his equipment.He does his best to slip unnoticed and retrieves as many items as he can (his own first), then he returns to Arista's side, and hands out any other equipment he could retrieve. "At your service, milady," he tells Arista.
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Since the room doesn't exactly offer a multitude of places to hide, I'll let each player decide whether or not their character was too distracted by everything else going on to notice Jason. -- GM
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Kale snatches away the axe before the beast can grab it. Letting it drop to his side in his right hand, "We give no shame nor death, just freedom from the wizard if you just help us."
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Tock smirks at the sight of the dagger being offered by Talon. Thanks, but no thanks. I am not sure I would know what to do with it." Looking back into the room with the struggling warriors, he attempts to visually locate his own equipment lodged in the pile. Within the room, he sees Jenaya pick up a quite unusual weapon. It is unlike anything he has seen before, particularly the hand grips. The blades of the weapon spring out. Tocks eyes widen. "Wow!" Mumbling under his breath, "I wonder how that works. It could be a simple sliding mechanism, but there would have to be some sort of lock to keep the blades from sliding back in unintentionally. Perhaps it works like a switch blade." He is distracted by the clang of horn against axe blade. "Warriors! - Why is living so shameful!" He turns to Jason and Arista. "Well, we have a healer of sorts and Jason, whatever it is you can do. Can either of you put a minotaur to sleep, or do you have something that might be of use to incapacitate the creature? Maybe among the equipment? Perhaps tie it up? I think we should do something before it ends up dead. I am still not precisely sure it is entirely the enemy here." Tock looks back to the pile of equipment, hoping to see a rope or some other item that might be of use.
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Jenaya watches with interest as the minotaur responds to Kale and Richard. She comments calmly, "There is no need for either. I see no reason to cause shame to any captive, if he is restrained and does not threaten his captors..." She looks at the minotaur solemnly. "Defeat itself is no shame. And death is not always the correct alternative." Her eyes leave the minotaur, and she speaks to no one in particular, "But I have said as much before, and I do not desire to begin again." She looks at Richard, then glances at Kale. "You will ask him his purpose here, and see if he can aid in our escape? If we share a common captor, perhaps he will assist us. I trust you both are honorable men, and will not act rashly?" Clearly, Jenaya is strongly opposed to the idea of harming the minotaur in any fashion now that he is their prisoner and unlikely to free himself of all the men who hold him.
----------------
Richard yells "Kill him NOW!", and searches for his shortsword. Once he grabs his shortsword, Richard stabs the minotaur in the gut, yelling, "What do you think you're doing, fighting a helpless little boy? This is a warrior who knows how to fight. Don't waste your time talking with him!"
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Arista takes her dagger from the proffered items. "Thank you, sir. This will come in handy," she said smiling to Jason. She held the dagger and looked at it. It had a double-edged steel blade. The handle was made out of the strongest wood, painted green with leaves carved into it. It fit perfectly into the palm of her hand. "My father made this for my mother. He gave it to her as a courting present." Tears came to her eyes and she turned her head away.
At that moment, Rani walked over. Arista nodded to the cat and thought of her protectiveness. She thought deeper on this stranger.
Arista pushed back the tears and turned to Jason. "There has to be an exit around here somewhere. Should we start looking for it? We can't really help with the minotaur. Or should we wait for the others? One of those passage ways looked suspicious." She looked over to Jenaya and sent her a nod, letting her know she understood.
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Talon, quite unnerved at the finality with which the minotaur condemned itself, stared at it incredulously. "Do you really want to die?!" he yelled at the creature. "You're outnumbered seven to one. I don't care how good a fighter you are. Are you truly sane? You will lose!"
Tightening his grip on the rock and dagger, Talon leapt forward into battle.
--------------------
The minotaur is badly wounded but not killed by Richard's blow. Richard tries to finish the job by slashing him in the neck, but the minotaur manages to grab Richard's wrist, keeping the sword inches away from his face.
Realizing that the negotiations are over, Kale raises the axe again and strikes with the real blade in between the horns. The minotaur screams and releases Richard's wrist. Richard then stabs him once more, and he is permanently still.
All of you who have not already done so should now recover your equipment. -- GM
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Asuro post 11/5
As Kale raises the axe Tock screams out, "No!" Tock watches in horror as the blade begins to fall. He abruptly turns away from the site of execution just as the blade strikes the minotaurs skull. A tear can be seen trickling down his cheek.----------------
"There there now dear lady, I can not bear the sight of a beautiful lady as yourself crying. Whatever it is, perhaps I could help ease your pain," Jason told Arista, give her a slight kiss on the her forehead. "But alas, now is not the time," he continued, then was interrupted by the minotaur's scream. Not much later, the minotaur was on the ground apparently dead. Knowing this could upset Arista, he led her away, "Come milady, this is not the place for us to be. Let us see what we can find to help get us out of here."
------------------
As Jason led Arista away, she heard the minotaur and snapped around. What she saw brought a look of horror to her face. "No!" she screamed as if stricken. She tried to go to the minotaur, but Jason held her arm. Tears started to run down her face at the injustice of it all. "How could you? How could you! It wasn't harming you. Why did you have to kill it? That was very cowardly," she said between tears, giving Richard a condemning look.
"There were eight of us and only one of him. Furthermore, he was sleeping. You had already taken away his weapon and he was defenseless. After he was obviously mortally wounded, you stabbed him yet again. I cannot believe the cowardess of that act. You should feel shamed to have treated this poor creature so," she said looking at the two warriors.
"Merry part and may you walk in the light," she whispered sorrowfully, looking at the fallen minotaur. She blew it a parting kiss to send it off as she let Jason lead her away.
-----------------
Jenaya wordlessly swings her pack over her shoulder and ties her pouch to her belt. For a moment she looks at Richard, her eyes full of icy anger. Holding her claw weapon in her hand, she lowers her Itathyk to her side, allowing the blades to retract. She turns and walks away without speaking, clearly furious, but declining to respond to the fighters. She stalks down the corridor without turning back to the party, glancing up only as she passed Arista to return her nod as she passed without pausing.
----------------
Wiping his brow, Kale collects himself. Angrily he says, "Next time we argue for stealth and mercy, let's do it QUIETLY. You are all right, we didn't have to kill this one, but woke him up with our jabberin' so we had no choice. Please realize that before ya go hurlin' curses."
"Besides," he smiles, "I thought elves never lost their temper."
"As for my abilities," he continues, donning his pack and taking up his staff and sling from the pile, "Me, as a mere peasant, can do little. My Lord, as the architect of the Universe, can do anything. So, I try an' keep good terms wit' Him. As should you. Speaking o' which..."
Kale unlaces his pack and pulls out a book. He kneels over the dead beast, closes its eyelids, and begins to pray:
"Lord, we give up the defeated to thy perfect judgement.
If thou findeth him worthy, let him enter into thy kingdom
as thou doest with all the faithful departed.
And cleanse our hands from innocent blood.
If thou find him vile, we thank you for the
gift of your might that we didst smite him with. Amen."
--------------
Richard is red-faced with anger, but says softly "Kale, thank you for assisting me". He wipes his blade off on an unbloodied section of the minotaur, then finishes cleaning it with his cloak and sheaths it. He drags the minotaur over where it is not on any equipment anymore, and dons his hauberk. Once that is done, he wraps his cloak around his waist, then puts on his equipment belt. Richard sips from his wineskin, until he is only mildly thirsty. Richard asks Kale "Are you thirsty? We will need to be ready for further problems", while offering the wineskin. Richard takes some jerked meat and hard biscuit out of his food sack, offering some to Kale also. He eats standing up.
----------------
Talon calmly collects his items and walks over to the slain minotaur. "I thank you and Richard both," looking at Kale, "for defeating our adversary. Myself, and the others as well, wish mearly that the end had not been so violent." Retrieving his belt, he stands and faces Kale. "Thanks to you and your Creator." Bowing solmnly, he turns and walks to the circular room.
----------------
After Kale is done with his ministrations, he takes the offered water and food with thanks. "Well done, Richard."
----------------
Richard replies to Kale "We needed to work as a team, neither of us could have fought that minotaur alone".
Once he is done eating, Richard puts his shield on his back, shoulders his sack, and grabs his pike, bringing it out of the room carefully, backing out with the pikehead kept up and in front of him.
----------------
As Richard arrives in the circular room, he discovers Jenaya leaning against a wall, checking through her bag to see if all of her equipment is there.
----------------
Richard says to Jenaya: "Are you upset that I fought the minotaur? We cannot afford to keep a captive who is not willing to surrender at this point, and I suspect any attempt to capture the minotaur would have caused some of us to be gored. I would have accepted a surrender if offered, but we did not have enough strength to demand surrender while not fighting. I've seen men die trying to convince their weaker opponent to surrender."
Richard goes down the third hallway, testing the floor with the side of his pikehead, putting pressure on it, but not enough to damage the pike. This means that he's testing the floor 10-12 feet in front of himself. Richard is looking for trouble as he's heading forward at a slow walk.
OOC:
What is the hallway made of?
------------
The hallway is the same stone construction that you've been seeing all along. Clearly the architect of this tower was not particularly imaginative.
The floor is completely solid. You can continue walking until the pikehead bumps into the aforementioned blank wall, at which point of course you'll stop.
-- GM
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Asuro posts 11/7
Walking up to Jenaya, Talon holds out a small stone in his hand. "Reguarding unresolved conversations, " he grins, " this is what I do." The stone raises from his hand, rotating, and procedes to circle his head. Gently resettling into his hand, Talon's fingers curl around the stone. Smiling, he turns to follow Richard into the hall.Talon walks down the hall and stands next to Richard. "Thank you for saving us. I realize that you did not mean to offend or harm anyone, however your ways are more, well, violent than the others." Putting his hand on Richard's shoulder, he said "Now let us wait for the others. What you said reguarding You and Kale as a team can only be made stronger by all seven of us working together."
-------------
Kale sighs, "Many like to talk, few to listen, even fewer to act."
"I told it to give up. He chose death. We did his will. I only split 'is skull because he was gonna break Richie's wrist off. Now ye wouldn't want that wouldya?"
To Arista, "I dinnot know what forest yer from, lass, it must be a place of life and beauty. But where I grew up, ye can find only death and darkness in the wood--and the wood is everywhere." Briefly he stares off into the air, remembering his boyhood with mixed emotions.
To Talon, "You are most welcome, sirrah. Yet the Creator is not 'mine.' that sort o' thought leads to self-righteousness. He is ours, but belongs to no one."
Kale packs away his sling and his holybook, uses his cloth to clean the axe and the beast of blood, and dons his pack. With axe and quarterstaff slung over shoulder, he follows the crowd.
--------------
Tock turns slowly back towards the room with the slain minotaur. Seeing that the creature is no longer lying near the equipment pile, he enters the room to gather his belongings careful not to look at the edges of the room where he figures the minotaur's body lies. He picks up his backpack and some of the various pouches lying along the stone floor. Many of the pouches are tucked away into the pockets sewn on the outside of his pants' legs. He walks out of the room leaving behind those pouches which are thoroughly soaked in the minotaur's blood.
Once outside the room, he slumps down against one of the stone walls. Out of his backpack, he pulls out two small wooden boxes. Noticing that both boxes are intact, he returns one to his pack and opens the other box up. He carefully turns the box over. Another smaller box with intricate carvings on it falls into Tock's palm. He lifts open a lid on hinges. A small figurine unfolds itself out of the center of the box. The figurine begins turning as music can be heard emanating from the box. The melody heard is from an old love song from Tock's home city of Ansigoure (some of the humans - in particular the warriors may be familiar with the piece). Tock watches the dancing girl and listens to the music with intent. Another tear can be seen flowing down his cheek.
After the music has repeated itself three times (approximately 3 minutes), Tock places the music box back in it's protective box. He returns the box to his backpack and removes another rectangular object from his pack. He unfolds the object which appears to be some sort of crossbow. After checking over the weapon, he folds it back up and places it within a long slender pocket on the left hand side of his pants. He also removes some minature arrows from his pack and places them in a corresponding pocket on the right side of his pants. Finally, he straps the pack onto his pack.
--------------
Jenaya looks up from her pack, her eyes still hard, but attempting to curb her emotions. "I do not agree with your decision, k'sere. But I think now is not the time to discuss it. If you wish, I will explain my reaction to you once we are out of danger...suffice it to say, my thinking is along the lines of the lady's...I think you had sufficient advantage to allow for bargaining. But what is done is done, and we have much yet to do if we are to escape...on this point I still strongly agree. We can do nothing alone, we must work together." She allows her face to relax and meets his eyes squarely as she speaks, hoping to show that though she does believe he has acted wrongfully, she bears him personally no ill will.
--------------
Jason did not miss how unpopular Richard had become for killing the minotaur. "Always use popular opinion to your best advantage," his guildmaster had taught him. Though he would have agreed that the minotaur should be killed, Jason thought he could use Richard's unpopularity against the fighter, in the future, should the need arise.
Seeing the pain on Arista's face, however brought an unusual moment of compasion to Jason. He did his best to console her, "They are fighters milady, they know nothing but death. I'm sure the minotaur will find his peace in the afterlife, and one day, justice will be served."
Looking to Jenaya, Jason addressed her, "Jenaya, I believe you were right about one thing. We will need to cooperate better if we are to survive. I believe we need to get some things straight between us. These lame-brained fighters need to stop just acting on their own. They will get us killed with their bumbling. If they don't start working with us, I personally will just take my chances in the cell."
---------------
Jenaya finishes searching her bag, and follows the others down to the final corridor, keeping a bit of distance without appearing to lag. She does not attempt to interfere with any of their actions, she just keeps her eyes and ears open in case something should come to her attention. She notes where the others are, and what they are up to in order to determine where, if anywhere, she should offer asistance. Though she still seems to be greatly disturbed by the executuon of the minotaur, she has her anger well under control and is again able to interact normally.
-------------
Tock stands up, still not saying a word to the other members in the group. He especially avoids looking at Richard and Kale. He picks up one of the many candles lying around the room, and proceeds down the blocked hallway. Seeing the others examining the hall, he carefully attempts to get by them. Without looking up from the dancing flame of his candle he says, "If you would please let me through, I have an idea which might be of assistance." Tock carefully and gently guides the candle along the wall. He stops and holds the candle perfectly still at various points along the wall. He meticulously watches for any movement in the candle's flame which might indicate a draft through cracks in the wall - cracks that may indicate a hidden doorway.
-------------
The candle flickers at all points. Obviously, air is moving toward you from the other side of the wall. But you can't detect any significant variation in the draft -- it's completely uniform, almost as if the wall weren't even there. -- GM
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Asuro posts 11/9
Kale walks over to Tock and places his large palm on his shoulder when the music is playing. Kale whispers, "Aye, 'tis beautiful, laddie."He sings an old verse from another far away home:
'Lord, If I sing, let me sing for the joy
That first borne in me these songs,
And if I weep let it be as a man,
who is longing for his home.'
There is a place, lad, outside these terrible walls, where we all call home. And I'll help ye get there, if you help me."
Kale turns to Jason, "I'll be glad to work together with all of ye. Just that shooting ye mouth off is neither work nor does it help 'togetherness.' If you truly revered the afterlife, you would not say such things. I'll forgive ye all that ye ha' said if you forgive me."
"Besides," he laughs in jest, "if ye dagger be as venomous as ye tongue, I'll be happy to count you as friend and ally." Kale smiles broadly and extends his large palm generously towards the elf. "Forgive me."
"Eh, Tocky-lad, you found sommat?"
----------------
"Curious. Either this wall is made of extremely porous rock, or it is some sort of illusion. More magical trickery." Tock looks at Richard's pike and says, "Richard try putting the end of that pike through various parts of this wall. Be gentle. If the wall really doesn't exist, then you won't need to exert much pressure. If it seems to be giving slightly but with resistance, then try exerting ever increasingly small increments of pressure."
---------------
Richard pokes the wall that's letting air through with his pike, to make sure it really is there. "Looks like we're stuck here; anybody want to try the lever back in the stairway?".
"We must work together, and that means that if we're fighting a strong creature unarmed, we should fight together. We can also afford to plan ahead more, now that we're armed, fed, and don't have a sleeping, armed creature ready to wake up at an upredictable time. I request that once we commit to a plan of action and are being fought, that people at least fight, whether they're trying to negotiate or not."
--------------
Richard can see and feel his pike stop at the wall. As far as he can tell, it is completely solid. -- GM
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Asuro posts 11/11
GM Note: This is a letter I received from Kale's player. I'm reprinting it with his permission so that everyone can comment and suggest possible solutions.Hey Jeff,
I just wanted to say that you're doing a great job. I'm loving it so far.
There's just one problem that is completely not your fault:
It's hard to interact with everyone.
There's so much I want to do and say that I can't possibly respond to everyone's action w/out filling the whole post with my stuff. In a way it's a great problem to have, but I think alot of the in character bad blood is due to out of character problems with responding to people. Since I can't address everyone's concerns, it seems as if we are not listening to each other. And OOC shouldn't affect iC stuff.
e.g. It would have taken so long to settle what the best policy to the minotaur would be, that he would've woken up with axe in hand before we gotten around to agreeing. That's why I just went in. Even in table-top this is a problem, but over email this is multiplied. I can't think of a solution, can you?
btw, it's OK to give out my email address to all game-related concerns, even this one.
-------------
Jenaya frowns at the uncooperative wall. "There must be more to this puzzle. What is it about air that it alone may pass through?" She looks toward Talon. "Your demonstration suggests that you can control objects..does your talent extend to an examination of their nature? Can you determine anything about this strange wall?" Jenaya steps closer to the wall and breathes the air that escapes so freely from the stone.
To Richard and Kale, she nods gravely. "I offer my support in any way I can. My talents are at your disposal. But I do not wish to see a repeat of our earlier encounter, and you must understand I will not agree to any action that will diminish my honor. In all other things, you may depend on me, and rest secure in the knowledge that I am not so foolish as to dispute tactics when to do so will result in our deaths. There is a time for questions and a time for action. I will not confuse the two. Once a battle is begun, the time for questioning is past, right or wrong. I must, however, ask that you make absolutely certain there is no better choice before you begin such an action. I prefer to act according to reason and not out of haste and necesstity."
------------------
Kale says to Tock and Richard, "I'll go back there to throw the lever if you guys want. I would prefer if Tock went with me."
He turns as if to go and waits for anyone to come along.
-----------------
Jason considered Kale's hand for a moment, then took it with a big smile on his face. "So be it then!" he said cheerfully. "Now what do we do next?"
-----------------
Before respoding to Kale, Tock reaches out to touch the wall. He runs his hand over the surface making note of the texture and feel. Tock, then, turns to Kale and begins following him up the stairwell. He says to Richard as he is walking away, "Yell loudly if anything unusual happens down here. You may also want to try looking for some loose stones in the wall that might trigger the wall's movement." Under his breath, but still audible, "I bet that minotaur knew how to get through the wall." Walking up the stairs behind Kale, Tock is careful to avoid the step of his misfortune.
----------------
Richard says to Kale "I'll follow and make sure nothing walks up behind you". Richard will follow Tock and Kale, watching behind, with his pike pointed back and ready to shift into fighting stance pointing back, while walking. Richard looks very calm.
-----------------
Kale, Tock, and Richard reach the top of the stairs without incident. Kale throws the switch, but all it does is close the door to the cell in which you first found yourselves. --GM
-----------------
Closing her eyes, Jenaya slowly reaches her hand toward the wall, curious to know if there is any difference in feeling between the strange stone here and the other walls that surround them. As Richard did with his pike, she would stop as soon as she felt the wall, applying slight pressure and trying to determine why the air can move through the stone. "There is no difference in the air behind this wall," she reports. "Whatever it conceals must be similar to the room we are in now."
-----------------
Jason, Talon, and Arista see Jenaya's hands pass _into_ the wall. She then starts walking forward, and disappears through the wall.
Meanwhile, Kale returns down the stairs. -- GM
-----------------
Kale says to Jason, "Well, I think Tock has stumbled upon a secret passage of some sort there has to be *some* way outta here. I have no experience with this stuff, do you know how to open it?"
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Asuro posts 11/13
Kale says, "Where's Jenaya? The lever just closed the cell door. Did it do anything here?"---------------
Tock walks back down the stairs a few steps behind Kale. "Well, that was rather noneventful. The lever did just what I thought it would. Has anyone had any luck down here?" Tock returns to the hall with the mysterious wall. "Why is everyone looking at the wall? What happened?"
---------------
Richard returns with Kale. He asks "Where is Jenaya?"
---------------
"Well people let's not keep Jenaya waiting, she may need our help," Jason said, now curious as to what was on the other side. He stepped through the wall, and prepared for the worse.
---------------
Stumbling backward, an off-balance Jenaya re-emerges from the wall, her manner tense and her Itathyk, blades out, in her raised hand in what must have been a battle posture before she lost her balance. Her eyes are wide and she is clearly both surprised, relieved, and anxious. "Minotaurs!" She exclaims breathlessly as she regains her balance. "Three... behind the wall..." She glances around quickly to see who is present, and who can fight if the minotaurs also know the wall's secret.
----------------
Jason quickly followed Jenaya. "Uh trouble guys!"
----------------
Richard pulls his pike back, then carefully presses his (left) hand against the wall, and tries to go through it as Jenaya did.
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Asuro posts 11/15
Kale puts down his pack and staff, brandishing the axe. "Are they awake? What are they armed with? Did they see you? How did you get through the wall?" he asks with concern.---------------
"More Minotaurs! I suppose we have no choice about fighting these?" Tock reaches into the long pocket on the side of his pants and pulls out his crossbow. "Unfortunately, they will now be ready for us when we go through the wall. We can either wait for them to come through, or we can go through to meet them. If we choose to go through, then I would suggest using the broken door in the other room as a sort of shield or battering ram. We can hold it in front of us and charge straight through." Tock pulls out a bolt and loads it into his bow. He places other bolts loosely in his pocket for reloading.
---------------
Too late to prevent Richard from walking through the wall, Jenaya scowls in frustration. She keeps her voice steady as she adresses her companions. "There are three more minotaurs, all armed, and none too pleased at my arrival. I do not know if they are aware of the secret wall, but I think we had best assume they are, and that they will soon be joining us on this side. There is no way to escape battle this time, especially if they realize we have already killed one of their number...I suggest we prepare ourselves for attack." Jenaya watches the wall intently, waiting for Richard to return, ready to fight or defend whenever necessary.
----------------
Richard backs up through the wall. He says: "A minotaur on the other side is pulling a lever. We should go through with all short-ranged weapon wielders in front, and longer ranged weapon wielders supporting from right behind. We haven't fought in formation before, so this'll be confusing, but if people can fight in teams, we can beat these opponents. There are 3 minotaurs, one with a greatsword on the left, one with an axe on the right, and one across from us holding a spear. I suggest that I would be better able to deal with the axe-wielder, as greatswords are often designed to cut pikes. We should move rapidly, as they know of our presence. It is best if we can concentrate on then one at a time. I suggest not going after the spear-wielder at first."
------------------
As Richard finishes speaking, an alarm starts ringing. -- GM
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Asuro posts 11/17
"That is never a good sound." Tock moves to the back of the group with his bow armed and ready for the impending attack. "I believe I would definitely be considered one of the longer range weapon wielders. Talon, if possible, you might want to use your talents to throw whatever lever is controlling the alarm."-------------
"Here we go again, " Jason sighed in an irritated manner. "Surprise will be on our side if we let them come to us. Minotaurs are pretty dumb, but just in case we ran into a couple geniuses, I don't want to take the chance they'll use the wall to ambush us. At least this way, one of us can get behind for a rear strike."
-------------
Kale readies his axe, "So, it seems we are in agreement. It doesn't seem like we can take these guys by surprise. Luckily, they can only come in one at a time right? So if they intend to come, we can cut'em down one at a time. They think that there are only three of us at most. Claymore, axe and spear are all long weapons. So we engage them when close while those unengaged slip underneath with shorter weapons. Unless they're not coming through."
Kale positions himself right on the right side of the portal to strike the left side of any minotaur that comes through..
"Unless they don't come through then we consider attacking them. It seems our only exit is through there. Maybe someone could go through and taunt them to attack. I'll do it if it's obvious thy're not attacking.
------------------
Talon looks at the group and says, "I think Richard's plan has merit, yet I don't think we should ignore any of them. I say we split into two groups, one for the axe-weilder, one for the sword-weilder. I will attack the spear-weilder myself to keep him busy and prevent him from interfering. Ready?"
Dropping his sack, Talon readied his dagger and stone.
-------------------
Arista takes out her dagger and readies herself for the fight.
"I don't believe in fighting if it can be avoided, but we might be in a little danger here." Arista stands by Jenaya.
She looks at the feline, "I'll fight by your side, friend. I think we might have similiar styles and would work well together. I have been told I was quite cat-like myself." She smiles and looks around to the others.
"Richard and Kale, you two are the warriors and should be out front. Pick your targets and we'll take what's left. Tock, I like your idea about the door. Maybe someone could plow through with the door first as a ram, a warrior perhaps." She looks around and thinks. "I might be able to distract them, but not by much. Try to keep one of them alive, so we can get some information, please guys?" she says, looking at the warriors, with a smirk.
----------------
Richard yells: "Kale, Talon, and Jenaya, take point and go through. Tock, come with me. We need to move fast. I think Jenaya's speed would work well against the axe-wielder."
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Asuro posts 11/19
Jenaya nods, prepares herself to attack should the minotaurs appear. "I agree that we should try to wait for them before we go through...but I am ready to fight." She raises her Itathyk with a touch of pride, and smiles reassuringly at Arista. "As you say, k'sera. I believe may well defend each other." Jenaya glances at Richard. "I assume we are still each better to judge our own talents at this point...If Talon says he can handle the one with the spear, I will believe him. The lady and I will therefore attack the one with the axe, as you suggest. We are small and quick, and both have weapons for close range fighting." She then waits, standing to the right where the axe bearer was reported to be, ready to fight when it becomes necessary.----------------
"Someone remind us that after this battle we must set up some sort of command chain. When in imminent danger we must all defer to someone as commander. Most other times debate is permissable. I am not versed in close combat, so I will defer to the rest of you for this decision. Make it a good one." Tock stands ready to fire his crossbow at any minotaurs coming through the wall. He is also prepared to follow the group into the wall, if that seems to be the wishes of most people.
----------------
Kale says, "I'm with Jason on this one. I think we should wait if they attack. I don't think there's any problem about the damned bell. Parindes knows we're here. It doesn't change anythn'."
Next to the door, Kale listens for movement to hear if he can hear through the portal.
"Besides, no need to hurry if we haven't got surprise on our side. They may be waiting to chop us down right when we jump through and are helpless."
----------------
Richard says "Well, it looks like surprise isn't an option anymore. I could have charged the guy who set off the alarm, but I figured that nobody would come in an support me, so I'd just die to no effect." "In my company, I wouldn't have even hesitated".
Richard sets his pike pointing straight at the wall at (Minotaur) center chest level. The pikehead is 6 feet (2m) back from the wall (thrusting range), and about 4.5ft (1.4m) high. The butt is on the ground around 17ft (5m) behind him. The pike is parallel to the side walls, and divides the corridor in 2.
Richard says "I guess we'll wait here, imprisoned. If anyone comes, I hope people can fill the gaps to the side of my pike. If people can walk around it, the pike is useless." Richard is in relaxed squatting position about halfway down the pike, waiting calmly for something to happen. "Let's see who gets nervous first, of course, they might just wait for us to starve".
----------------
"Good idea Tock" Talon says aloud "except i have no idea where the lever is and without knowing that i wouldnt be able to do anything."
"Well, if no one else wants to make a move, " Talon crouches then leaps through the wall.
----------------
GM Note: Tock, Richard, Jenaya, and Kale have all said that although they wouldn't be the first to cross the wall, they would follow if someone else did. There will be a separate follow-up to those four players shortly, describing what they see.
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the battle
As Kale, Jenaya, Richard, and Tock (I think -- since it was a conditional post I'll give them a chance to change their minds, but I doubt they will) charge into the room, the form of Parindes appears once more. "So this is your answer," he says. "Die, then." He vanishes.--------------------
GM Note: I've changed my mind slightly about how to run the battle. My intent was to explain to each of you what your character sees from his/her perspective. However, I've realized that I'll go horribly insane if I try to describe everything that happens seven different ways. Thus, I'm going to send everything I receive to the general list and trust you not to react to things that your character wouldn't be aware of.
However, now that combat has begun, there will be no set posting schedule. I'll adjudicate each action as I receive it (although only one at a time per player. Those who have designated multiple attacks will have to wait until tonight for the next one.) We'll return to the normal every-other day schedule after the battle is over.
For those who haven't been told, I'm going to refer to the minotaurs as A, G, and S. "A" is the one with the axe, "G" is the one with the greatsword, and "S" is the one with the spear.
Here's a re-hash of what's already happened, since no one has read the whole thing:
Rolling away as he crosses the barrier, Talon propels one dagger towards the throat of the nearest minotaur. In one fluid motion, he grabs the dagger hidden in his belt and sends that one to the eye of the second minotaur.
The first dagger hits G at the base of the neck and lodges into his collarbone. The second narrowly misses A's eye; instead, it cuts the skin of the forehead.
The minotaurs turn towards Talon to attack. As those who are following him come through the wall, the form of Parindes appears appears once more. "So this is your answer," he says. "Die, then." He vanishes.
-------------
Now, here's the adjudication of the posts I've received since then:
Tock manages to get a clear shot at S, but the crossbow bolt only grazes him.
Richard charges the greatsword wielder, pike aimed at mid-chest level.
G is focused on Talon and is completely unprepared to be attacked from behind. Richard hits him in the back with the full weight of his charge. The pike pierces through the ribs to reach the heart. Scratch one minotaur.
A and S attack Talon -- and their weapons are deflected by an invisible barrier.
Jenaya follows Richard into the room and strikes at A, also from behind. Fortunately for A, although he didn't notice her behind him, he was moving quickly to attack Talon. This prevents her from duplicating Richard's result. Her Itathyk scratches a gash in his side.
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battle
While reloading his crossbow, Tock shouts, "Remember, we should keep at least one of them alive for questioning!"Richard pulls his pike out of the dead minotaur, turning on A. He says to Jenaya:
"Jenaya, get on the other side of the minotaur." Richard holds the pike out of axe range, waiting for an opening to thrust into. "Kale, please help keep this minotaur busy".
A turns around and tries to decapitate Jenaya, but she easily ducks and, getting under his guard, stabs him in the belly.
S attacks Talon again, with the same result as before. Talon gets to his feet and backs up slightly.
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battle...
While A is preoccupied with Jenaya, Richard stabs him in the head and he topples to the ground. Two down.Tock fires another bolt at S, but misses.
Seeing what has happened to his companions, S runs for the far door. Anyone who wishes to may follow him. If no one does, the battle is over and the next posting will be Monday night.
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the battle continues...
GM Note: It seems that you don't want to let him escape. :)Also, Kale's player wasn't able to post until now due to technical difficulties. Assume that he came through the wall near the end of this morning's posting.
---------------
Tock gathers the two crossbow bolts which missed their targets. He examines their twisted tips and puts them away in his pack to repair when he has some free time.
---------------
Richard drops his pike and charges the minotaur, yelling "Stop him!"
---------------
Kale sprints at the minotaur, dropping the axe. When the beast stops to open the door (or stops at all), he will dive low at the beast's feet to knock him down, avoiding spear thrusts.
---------------
Kale's momentum carries them both forward, into the door, but isn't sufficient to knock the creature down. -- GM
---------------
"Don't let this one escape!" Talon yelled as the minotaur began to run. "We want this one alive!" Running to intercept the minotaur, Talon leapt onto the beast's back.
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the battle -- round 5
GM Note: Richard's and Talon's stated actions each make the other's unnecessary, as they would have led to essentially the same result. I decided to print Richard's; Talon, no offense is intended.-------------
Tock looks at Jenaya and shrugs his shoulders. "Should we assist in some way, or do you think the three of them can handle the situation? Maybe we should keep watch for other minotaurs?" Tock walks closer to the door and attempts to look through the door past the fighting.
-------------
In case I didn't make it clear before, the door is closed and all four combatants are directly in front of it. However, all is not lost; see below. -- GM
-------------
Jason could only hear what was going on behind the wall, but it seemed like the battle was about over. The minotaurs were running away at the very least, so he felt it was safe to walk through the wall. Only Kale had wanted to listen to him, so he decided to let the bull-headed (in one way or another) fighters kill each other off. He now watched as they tried to bring down the last minotaur alive.
-----------------
Richard pulls his shortsword out and cuts at the minotaur's legs, trying to hamstring him.
-----------------
With the minotaur more or less immobilized by Kale and Talon, for Richard to hamstring him is about as simple as cutting a rope.
Unfortunately, the effect of this is that the minotaur falls _backwards_. Talon feels the shift in weight and manages to jump free at the last second. Kale is not so lucky. The minotaur lands on top of Kale, knocking the wind out of him but doing no serious damage.
Tock, you can now open the door and look through.
The battle is now definitely over, but one of the players has asked me to continue the practice of sending the posts out as soon as I get them. Since that does seem to make the game move faster, I will do this _unless_ somebody objects. If anyone does, I think that fairness would dictate returning to the original every-other-day schedule.
-- GM
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Asuro -- after the battle
Tock chooses not to actually open the door at this point. Instead, he examines the room and any levers lurking around - doing his best to avoid the fighting. He also has his crossbow ready in case future trouble develops.--------------
There is one lever in the room. You can tell that it doesn't open the door this time, as the door has its own handle. -- GM
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Kale grunts with the impact. He struggles to get out from under the beast and to regain his breath.
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The minotaur is futilely jabbing the air with his spear. Futile because he can't move and I doubt anyone would be standing within his reach. Kale manages to wriggle free. -- GM
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Asuro -- after the battle...
Tock walks over to the lever on the wall. He examines the lever more closely looking for any unusual objects.As the alarm is still ringing, he slowly pulls the alarm in an attempt to turn it off.
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As Tock pulls the switch, the alarm stops ringing. -- GM
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Richard uses his shortsword and left hand to disarm the minotaur (if the minotaur doesn't let go, he loses his fingers). He then puts his sword down out of reach of the minotaur while carrying away the spear.
Richard asks: "Does anyone else know how to use a spear, or is anyone willing to use one? Two polearms are far better than 1." He offers the spear to anyone interested.
Richard cleans his shortsword on one of the dead minotaurs' garments, then with his cloak, and sheaths it. He then picks up his pike.
Richard says, "We'll have to move fast, as the alarm has been given. I suggest a moving down the hallways with a fast person in front, a spear-wielder behind, me behind them, Tock behind me, and the rest covering the rear. The pike, spear, and crossbow will all be able to reach in front of the front person, allowing 4 people to attack inside of a small space. The person in front may want to scout ahead, as the rest of the group may be a little noisy."
----------------
Gasping, Kale takes a deep breath and grabs for the beast's arms to restrain him. "It's question time, buddy." he rasps to the minotaur.
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The minotaur says, "Tor. Corporal. B-545-SK." -- GM
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after the battle
Arista watched Talon cross the wall, followed by Tock, Jenaya, Richard, and Kale. Although she had told Jenaya that she would fight with her, she changed her mind."Well, Rani. There are already five people going through. That should be enough to battle three minotaurs. Besides, shouldn't someone stay on this side to watch from this area? They can't see through the wall and would be blind to anyone coming from the hallway," Arista said, looking at the false wall in front of her. She turned around and stood ready, facing the way they had come. _I wish someone would find the switch to that alarm. The loud ringing is hurting my ears,_ she thought.
The cat bristled and growled at the sounds of battle behind the wall. Arista would occasionally look back, wondering how her comrades were doing, and send a worried glance at the elf.
Finally, the sounds quieted and Jason walked through the wall. Soon after, the alarm stopped. Arista looked around, relieved at the quiet, but still hearing the ringing in her head. "Well, I'm glad that's over. Should we cross now and see how it turned out?" Arista said to the cat. Rani gave her a nod and the two walked through the wall.
Arista looked around at the post-battle scene. There were two minotaurs on the floor, dead, and one flailing, injured. Tock stood by a lever which must have been the alarm. She gave him a grateful smile and walked over to Talon.
"So how goes it? Is everyone okay? I stayed on the other side to watch the hallway. I figured it would be a serious blind-spot and someone should stand watch," she said to him. Rani walked over and curled around her ankles. Arista watched the minotaur with a pained expression.
"It looks like you've done well. Could we please hurry up with this and get our information? I can't stand to watch him in so much pain. I would like to ease it, if you will allow me . . . " Arista said to the group.
---------------
Jenaya shakes her head. "I have no experience with such weapons, but I am still willing to lead, or to scout ahead. My reflexes will best serve in such a position. What are we to do with our new captive?" As she speaks, she carefully cleans her Itathyk and returns it to her belt until they start moving again.
---------------
Richard says "Name, rank and serial number? I suggest we kill him, he won't give us anything useful, and we need to move on."
Richard asks Kale "Do you know how to use a spear? I think a good formation would be Jenaya scouting ahead, you carrying the spear, me behind you with my pike, Tock behind me, and Talon covering the rear. Jenaya would move back to right in front of you for combat, so she'll be covered by our spears. Tock will fire his crossbow whenever he sees an opening. Talon will move to the front if we have more frontal area than a small hallway. If no one knows how to use a spear, then you can use your best weapon right in front of me, and Jenaya will scout ahead, but leave the fighting to us in enclosed spaces. In open spaces we'd fight much like we did here, Kale, Jenaya, and Talon in front, me and Tock in back."
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Kale retrieves his pack and staff from the other room seeing that Cpl. Tor isn't going anywhere. He returns to the room and has a peek through the opposite door, staff ready.
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Beyond the door is a long, curving stairway descending as far down as you can see. The stairs are unlit. -- GM
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Happy Thanksgiving!
GM Note: I hesitated whether or not to post on Thanksgiving, but since I've received some messages, here they are.---------------
Tock looks over Kale's shoulder into the doorway ahead. "Anyone still have one of those candles from the other room? It is pretty dark in here. If you would like, I will go back and retrieve a few."
---------------
Arista looks over at Richard, angered. "Is that all you think about? Fighting and killing? Why must you be so destructive? Also, have you forgotten Jason and myself? Your plans seem to exclude us. Your plans also do not give any weight to the back of our party. Shouldn't we have one of the fighter's in the back to protect in case of a rear attack? You seem to know a lot about fighting, I'll give you that, but I'll not follow you. You are too eager for blood. I think our leader, if there is need for one, should be one who thinks things out as well as acts. I personally don't think we need a leader, though. I think we are best deciding things together, as long as we decide fast. I have not spoken too much, but feel I can no longer just watch. If you want to go off and fight, then go your way and peace be with you, but I would rather find a way to get out. I am very uncomfortable being inside this castle or whatever it is and that wizard gives me the creeps." Arista shivers thinking about him and loops an arm through Talon's.
Arista turns towards the beast and compassionately watches him. She disengages from Talon and takes a step closer. "Hello, Tor." She cautiously walks closer, still staying at a safe distance. She kneels on the floor with her arms out. Arista looks the minotaur in the eyes and says, "I come to you in peace. Please can you tell us anything about this wizard or how to get out of here? I can help relieve your pain. Let me help you."
---------------
Collecting his knives, Talon murmured a short passing over prayer for each fallen minotaur, closing the eyes of them both. Cleaning his knives, he resheathes them both.
Talon leans over and whispers something to Richard that no one else hears.
Aloud to Richard, Talon states,"Now, about that minotaur..."
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Tor looks up at Arista with pain-filled eyes. "You would help?" he asks.
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Happy Thanksgiving!...
(from Jason)"Well said, Arista. We tried your way Richard, and look where it got us? Now that wizard just wants us dead. You've given away all our bargaining power. We probably couldn't even volunteer to help him now. You fighter types are really p*ss*ng me off. I won't follow any of you. I've been alone most of my life, and I've survived, and I can continue to survive on my own. Arista, It would be my honor to stick with you," Jason said finishing his speech. He walks over to the minotaur by Arista and asks her, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
-----------------
Richard replies to Talon:
"You're welcome to try interrogating that minotaur, any information would be useful, but we need to get moving fast."
Richard replies softly, quietly, and calmly to Arista:
"I suggest you look at your surroundings before judging me. First, we woke up in a cell and were threatened with death if we did not agree to servitude. We encountered a trap on our escape, though it was not lethal. Our equipment was help by a sleeping armed minotaur who refused to surrender when in an unwinnable fight. When Jenaya went through a hidden wall to look ahead, the minotaurs outside activated an alarm and prepared to fight us. Five of us were able to defeat them, fighting as a team. Two people stayed behind, not joining a difficult fight against trained, armed opponents who have reinforcements CURRENTLY (spoken softer) coming. If you are willing to join us in fights, that's fine. If not, don't tell me or the others not to kill the people imprisoning us. I have seen no evidence they are willing to listen to reason, so I'm not adding more unnecessary risks. We have plenty of evidence they won't give us as many chances as we've given them. I intend to live, not be slain while bickering with and protecting those unwilling to fight. Teamwork in quickly getting out of this situation is what we need."
"Other minotaurs are going to be highly unlikely to listen to reason because we have killed some of their number. I don't think it's worth the time to try, as time is currently precious."
Richard turns to Jenaya "Jenaya, could you please scout down that stairway? We may have to set up an ambush there, and we at least want to get moving before reinforcements arrive."
Richard puts down his pike with the butt against the wall, and starts dragging the dead minotaurs through the wall they entered through, one at a time.
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Asuro posts 11/26
GM Note: Because there's so much dialogue in this installment, I don't see anyway to try to arrange the posts chronologically without creating a paradox. So I'm putting them in the order they were sent, and hoping that it won't be too confusing.--------------
Tock passes a quick look of disgust at Jason. He looks away and says, "A clock fails to work properly if it is missing pieces. We were brought together for some reason. Someone thought we had talents that could assist each other - whether it be this evil wizard, Kale's god, or some other force beyond my comprehension. Let's not destroy ourselves from the inside." Tock moves away from the doorway to allow anyone who wishes to go first to go. He looks down at Arista and says, "Any information from that minotaur that could assist would be greatly appreciated."
"I will stay near the rear of the group. That curved stairway leaves little room for my bow to be effective. I would have more luck with anything that might happen to come up from behind. If I am needed closer to the front, then I will be glad to move up when the time is appropriate." Tock nods at Arista in acknowledgement of her request.
----------------
As Richard pulls the minotaur bodies through the wall, Talon turns to Jenaya, Tock and Kale. "Jenaya, if you go now, keep Tock and or Kale close by. You may also wish to wait for the rest of the group to be ready," glancing at Arista and Jason, "maybe five minutes? At the very least, all of you be on guard for reinforcements."
Talon turns and walks over to Richard and begins to talk quietly with him.
----------------
Jenaya shakes her head, seriously displeased. "I wish that we had the time to work these things out....but for now, we must escape. If we are to remove ourselves from this wizard's power, we must not waste time arguing. Conflicts of philosophy, while important, cannot be allowed to prevent our escape. I will check the stairway and see where it leads...I am not pleased with every outcome so far, but we are alive, and we are as much at liberty as yet we can be."
She frowns at Jason with contempt. "The wizard wanted us dead from the beginning. You were not forced to accompany us down from our cell, you chose to remain in this company. Do not blame us now simply because the there is no return. We forfeited our 'bargaining power' when we decided to escape, and so did you. When we recovered our equipmemt, we defied the wizard's instructions to return and submit. As did you. The course had been set long before this fight, and you can not pretend to deny responsibility this far into the game. Your actions are your own, and so they always have been. I do not accept your condemnation."
To Arista, she responds solemnly, "K'sera, I cannot disagree with you, I too believe that decisions have been made in haste. But what is done cannot be changed, and our future is too uncertain at present to fight amongst ourselves. I do not agree with everything the fighter says. But I believe he can keep us alive, and I believe the best chance of our escape is to form a united strategy. Do not blame him for excluding you, for so far you and Jason have shown yourselves to be unwilling to take part in these battles...he cannot judge your motives, only your actions, and his only assumption so far can be that you will not join in the future. He had to plan based on the information he had. I am sure he intended no slight. We each of us have talents, and if we are going to use them, we must each take an active part and do what we can...but to do so at random without leadership puts us at cross-purposes. I have served under many commanders, and as appealing an idea as rule by concensus is, it falls apart in a battle situation. This is a battle situation. We are imprisoned within the tower of a power-hungry wizard. The alarm has been sounded...we must have a plan, because to escape, we must first survive. But this does not mean you must accept his plans without considering other options. Obviously he does not expect our captive to be of any use, and this may be a serious oversight. It is my hope that you can persuade this minotaur to assist us instead of fighting us...but if you cannot, we must have another plan. I will go search the stairway, because I can. I can serve our common goal in this way, as I can by fighting and defending. When I encountered these three minotaurs, I did not attack them, nor did i return through the wall to prepare for battle until they had made their intentions clear...i am ceratin you would not wish me to ignore three creatures who advance on me, weapons drawn, simply because there has been hasty bloodshed. This battle had to take place, and the fighter's preparations kept us from injury and death. I believe he did as he had to do, as I do what I must, and howevermuch he turns his mind solely to fighting," she gestures vaguely at the group, "What else have we do depend on? What other skills do we posess, what other course can we take? I do not say that none exist, only that as a group, we do not /know/ of them. And until we do, the fighter must plan with the knowledge he has, whether or not that meets your approval. And as I know no more than he about your skills, Jason's skills, Talon's abilities...I follow where I see possibility. My ears are not closed to other options, lady. If only someone would present them instead of denouncing events which are past."
Jenaya turns to the entire group. "I have had a great deal to say thus far. I do not understand why it is necessary to argue in this fashion. Until we are a cohesive group, until we are united, then we will each of us walk around in a self-righteous anger, condemning the others for actions we know we could have prevented, and failing to recognize that we allow these things by our selfish silence. If you have a course of action to propose, then speak. If you have a talent, reveal it. And if you chose not to, then keep your silence after the battle is done, for I will not bear the blame for actions which might have been avoided when I believed those actions were my only choice. If you do not wish to join together, then cease to complain about an individual's actions. I will act with or without your approval and aid. I would greatly prefer to have it, but I will not stand here and die that we may quibble over who should be listening to who as if we were a pack of young cubs!"
So saying, Jenaya turns with great irritation and makes her way to the descending staircase, scouting ahead for possible danger and hoping to find a way out.
----------------
Arista chooses to ignore Richard and focus on the injured minotaur. She looks at him and smiles. She inches closer, reaches for his hand and squeezes it. "Yes, I will help you. Can you help us, in return, and promise not to attack us after I heal you?" she says to the minotaur. "I will take you at your word," she says, searching the minotaur's eyes.
----------------
Tor hesitates for a moment. Then, looking directly at Arista, he says, "If you heal me, I will not attack _you_."
----------------
While Tock goes to get a candle, Kale backs off of the door, and says the Prayer for the Defeated which the terrible world has forced him to say so often as to commit it to his memory.
Sadly he looks from the bodies to the wounded Tor to Richard and to Jason and Arista.
He cries, "Ye just dinnat understand do ya? Do y'think this is easy? Do y'think we enjoy this? Look around ye. What ye see around ya is wrong. Dead wrong. It is a result of the pride of a mad wizard who would conquer and destroy with such insanity as to make reason impossible. Is it NOT because of resisting that evil. I love peace, but I've seen what happens to a peaceful people when their self-righteous pride shackles their will to fight evil. The wizard is watching us, and he is laughing at us.
I think we all have to choose right now what we want to do. No one can make that choice for ye.
Jason and Arista, if ye refuse to fight your way out, then show us a path without guards or go back and deal with Parindes. But don't say that we got the wizard mad, because we all knew he threatened us with death if we tried to escape. I thought we all made a commitment to take that risk. If not, make that commitment now, or go back. I for one, would be happy to waltz out o' here without fighting, and if you know a way, I'd be happy to follow you.
Fight for Parindes or against him, he has left us with no other option."
And he turns to Richard pointedly and says "I will fight with you, my friend, but I WILL NOT kill prisoners. You will have to kill me first."
He turns to Jenaya, "I think we need a leader. We're squabblin' like a bunch o' fat pigeons over a bread crumb. I think ye, Jenny-lass, would make a fine leader, and I'll follow ya, if we're all agreed."
He goes on to tear some dead minotaur's clothes to make bandages for Tor.
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Asuro 11/27
GM Note: This is an OOC I received from Jason's player which I think is insightful:Jeffrey,
I was thinking about what one of the players said about party tension being caused because of the slowness of the posts. After reading several posts, I do not believe this is true. What is really causing tension (btw, there's nothing wrong with this tension.) is the fact that certain characters just act without consulting with the rest of the group. The real tension is lack of teamwork. I just wanted to tell you this so you know how someone else thinks the game is going. I think this is working out great, because we just met, and we wouldn't really have any teamwork, so this is very realistic. So to sum it up, I don't think you need to change anything. It's the character's themselves that will have to learn to work together. It's making for a great game.
Casey
--------------
Jenaya halts her progress toward the staircase, and turns slowly to look at Kale, clearly astonished. For the first time, Jenaya is at a loss for words.
--------------
Jason ignored the dirty looks he got. He knew how widely unpopular his life's philosophy was among the so called "decent" citizens of the world. 'By the gods, she sounds like my mother!' he thought as Jenaya made her speech. He kneeled down on the other side of the minotaur, "You're in good hands, sir, Arista will fix you up right quick," he tried to soothe the minotaur. However he was only putting on a front. With a practiced hand, Jason discretely slipped out his dagger and stratigically placed it where he could gut the minotaur. He knew minotaurs were a largely evil race and did not trust this one. If it made one wrong move, especially to harm Arista, it would quickly join its comrades in arms.
--------------
Arista looks into the minotaur's eyes and nods. She continues to hold his hand, but, also, reaches over and rests her other hand on his heart. She closes her eyes and concentrates. Pulling up the energy she will need to use, she is deaf to the world around her. She pushes slightly on his chest. She lowers her head, her sky-blue hair hanging over her face. Her hands begin to glow slightly and a faint humming is heard in the air. It's barely audible, like the breath of a loon before it sings. Then she looks back into the minotaur's eyes, her emerald eyes now yellowish-green cat eyes. The minotaur feels a slight pleasure at her warm touch and is slightly disappointed when she lifts her hands. He is now stilled, in bewilderment. She stands and walks, almost glides, over to Tor's injured legs, while he watches, curiously. Arista, once again, kneels down and lays her hands on his legs. They are now softly glowing in a creamy-yellow light. As soon as she touches him, he jerks at the heat, but it is not uncomfortable. She concentrates and the glow brightens. Arista runs her hands up and down his legs. When her hands pass under his legs, over the hamstrings, the injury disappears instantly, as if it was never there. There are only two slightly lighter patches. She brings her hands together and throws out her arms, to disperse the energy. "The energy is now given back, Mother receive it," Arista says, closing her now emerald eyes and falling back, temporarily unconcious, on the floor.
------------
Tor stands up. He is clearly still wary of the group, but makes no move to attack. -- GM
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Asuro 11/27 (evening)
After turning from Kale, Richard strolls over to the minotaur, then rapidly shifts and draws his sword quickly.He then speaks calmly while smiling:
"If you don't start telling us who has imprisoned us, where we are, how to get out, and who is currently coming, I will kill you right now."
Richard puts his sword to the minotaur's neck below the adam's apple, drawing blood while saying this.
Richard then says, while frowning:
"If you do give us useful information, then I'll have to let you live to keep these people happy".
------------------
Talon stands and walks over to the minotaur with Richard, a worried look on his face.
OOC: Happy Turkey Day!
------------------
Tor says to Richard, "She healed me, and now you want to kill me. Are you all such fools?" -- GM
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Asuro 11/28
Talon puts a gentle, but firm, hand on Richard's shoulder. Looking into Tor's eyes he says, "Easy now, Richard. Arista has gone through a lot of trouble to help him out. Let us hear what he has to say." Talon glances at Arista's unconscious body.(Addressing Tor) "My friend here is a little excitable. My name is Talon. I do not intend you harm. Please, may we talk?"
Talon then adds under his breath to Richard, "Good guardsman, bad guardsman routine?"
--------------
Tor glances at Richard's sword. "Call him off," he says to Talon, "then we can talk." -- GM
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Asuro 11/28 (evening)
Kale stands, with staff in one hand, loaded sling in the other swinging it comfortably and slightly menacingly, not looking at the beast directly but making it known that escape means pain.To Jenaya he smiles, "Aye, may be surprisin', lass, but tell me: Who else? I'm just a peasant-lad, but I know people. And though you're not 'people' exactly, ye words and acts speak for ye. I trust ye to be reasonable and fair I think everyone else here does too."
Seeing that the minotaur is better, he drops the makeshift bandages.
-------------
Just before passing through the wall to retrieve some candles, Tock hears Kale's nomination of Jenaya as leader of the group. "Well, that must be the smartest idea I've heard so far." He then proceeds through the door and retrieves two candles.
-------------
OOC: Yes, the tension is due to lack of teamwork. Problem is, characters MUST act without consulting with the rest of the group. Can't fight otherwise. The problem is some want to think out everything beforehand, and refuse to fight when the rest of the group acts. A real team will work together without asking each other every time they do something.
Anyway, yes, it's because some of these characters won't work together.
IC:
Richard replies to the minotaur: "You're as much a fool as she if you don't start talking now. You'll join her on the floor, minus your head."
-------------
As soon as Richard made his threat, Jason shifted his hold on his concealed dagger, so he could throw it instead of thrusting it. He still did not trust the minotaur, but he wasn't going to let it be killed in cold blood either. Talon, however seemed to be taking control of things, so Jason just chilled and waited to see how things turned out. He did, however, keep a careful eye on both Richard and the minotaur.
--------------
Tor growls at Richard. "Very well," he says. "You are on Wizard's Isle. The only way to leave is by boat. No one is coming. They don't need to. They will just post many guards by the dock and wait for you to come to them -- or starve, whichever is first." -- GM
--------------
After Arista drops, Kale goes to her side, putting the sling away. Kale kneels beside her and places his large, rough palm on her forehead.
He closes his eyes and chants from memory the first two cantos of the Oath of the Holy Warrior:
"Where there is sin, there is greed,
there is greed, there is war,
there is war, there is need,
That He fills evermore
The good shall go and offer their hands
To do His Will and spread His grace
To heal the ill and wounded lands
To light the evil, darkest place"
He smiles and whispers to the girl,
"Blessed be the healers with their gifts of mercy.
They shall see the face of the Lord...
Blessed be you, little warrior."
--------------
OOC: Mike, did you write that poem yourself? Good job if so! -- GM
--------------
Returning from the wall, overly preoccupied with his task, he states, "I've got two candles. No, actually, I have a three. I forgot a stored one away in my pocket somewhere." Tock fumbles through his pockets and produces a third candle along with some flint with which to light them. Just as he is about to light the candles, he looks up to see the minotaur on its feet. "Friend or foe?"
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Asuro
Arista opened her eyes and saw Kale hovering over her. She looked at him questioningly. She sat up slowly and looked around, not comprehending."What . . .?" she said, holding her head. "Oh, thank you Kale." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Arista rose cautiously, still a little dizzy, with Kale's help. She shook her head slowly, memory coming back to her, and looked at the floor in front of her. "But, where's the . . .?"
Arista looked around again and saw Tor standing and smiled. She then saw a sword point in his throat and frowned, following it back to Richard's hand. She closed her eyes and opened them again, not believing what she saw.
"I don't believe this," she said. "Tell me my eyes are seeing falsely. Is Richard's sword in that minotaur's throat after I just spent all my energy trying to heal him?" She looked back at Kale, astonished.
Arista walked forward, next to the minotaur, turned to him, and said, "Has he hurt you? Are you okay?" She looked down at the minotaur's legs and noticed that the injury was completely healed. "Did I do that?" she asked under her breath, incredulously. She looked back up to the minotaur, ignoring Richard's sword, and said, "Hello, Tor. I am Arista. This is my cat, Rani." She motioned to the cat, who was sitting a safe distance away. "I will not harm you, or let anyone else. If anyone else does you harm," she said, looking dangerously back at Richard, fingering her dagger, and to Jason for agreement, "I will make sure they regret it. Can you help us get out of here safely? Would you rather speak with me privately? Can we make some kind of arrangement?"
Arista sighed and, reluctantly, turned to Richard. "Can you please remove your sword from Tor's neck? You'll not gain allies this way. If I were him, I wouldn't give correct information while being threatened." She reached up and laid her hand on the flat side of the sword. She looked Richard in the eyes. "Please, Richard. You're doing no good." She reached her other hand toward him and said, sincerely, "Can we just agree to disagree and move on?" Arista looked into his eyes and hoped his stubborness had a reasonable limit.
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