On the road again [Lunar Fury]

Najya All Mice


Najya glanced at Talgus, then down at her own robed-past-the-wrists body. "You know there's other ways of not showing moonsilver than fading it away, ay?" she asked, pulling her hood up around her ears: aside from the small whorls of the tattoos that showed, she now resembled any other Thalsan traveller, more of a threat to a town's young, attractive residents than anything else. "Want to borrow my spare robe? You're don't look all that much like you were born in a Gray Tent, but I guess not everyone can be so lucky."


"Kieroon, will we have long enough for the Sacred Hunt? I'd like a couple more forms that aren't sand- or plains-colored, especially if inconspicuous is going to be the watchword, ay?"
 
Eva


Spinning between two steps to address her ersatz Pack, "All hunting's sacred. Calling one thing the 'Sacred Hunt' emphasizes it only. And like all hunting, the point isn't ritual but utility. Eating, or surviving, or eating to survive."


Course, why hunt when animals bigger, stronger and dumber than you will do all the hard work for you? (Casts a side-long glance at Talgus.)


[When we get to town Eva will be flighty, and hungry, and generally hover around her Pack, surreptitiously scanning the crowd for any signs of trouble with her Gemstone of Surface Thoughts, like anyone looking at them funny or like they recognize them, checking to see if they'll actually mention it to anyone that matters or anything.]
 
Amina Ten-Spears


Amina grinned at her companions. "And while you're after doing that, I'm going walkabout," she announced. "Jungle cats should be common as can be here, I'm thinking, and it shouldn't be all that hard to, perhaps, hear what I ought not to be hearing." With that she shifted into the form of an ocelot, and vanished into the jungle edging the town.
 
OOC - is Amina traveling solo on her eavesdropping run, or is someone with her?


For the rest of the group, you see signs of recent conflict at the edge of town, and the militia is under arms. You hear comments about monsters in the woods having attacked a caravan of supplies, and thank the Gods that the Realm has had the foresight to keep troops to assist in keeping the trade lines open.


Talgus has several people giving him the evil eye. It is somewhat unusual for someone to be wearing robes like that, but you are not stopped by anyone.


Amina prowls around the outskirts of town. Fresh fortifications have been added, especially around the northeast corner of town where the Imperials have their garrison. Extra troop housing and siege weapons are the most visible.
 
Najya All Mice


A couple of hours later, a green parrot with nearly-unnoticable black tufts on its head perched on a branch close to a tavern, keeping a watchful eye for her fellow stewards. She'd cheerfully made a meal of some fallen fruit, albeit in a more fastidious manner than most parrots; after all, Najya would eat bugs if necessary, but preferably not when they were still wriggly.


Now, if only someone will come along and have the sense not to freak out if I decide to hitch a ride on their shoulder, she thought, grooming her feathers with a sharp-hooked beak. Maybe the new girl? She seems, well, not as flighty as Kieroon, and Talgus would probably swat me on principle. Nothing to do for it but wait, and if need be, flap off to a different part of town, but she rather suspected her fellow Lunars would come to her. Her bird form didn't get much out of it, but in caracal form, she could easily smell the delicious aroma emanating from the tavern.
 
Eva


Sniffing out the nearest purveyor of steamed pork buns, Eva drags Kieroon to the stall by her breastplate before she has a chance to wander off. Between gasping mouthfuls of tasty, she eeks out "Probably-ooh hoh'- wamma be quie' 'bou *gulp* oh good-who you mention *munch* Raffess toow. Got' a feewin' *gulp* ah- it wouldn't be conductive to a *Mmmm...* whoa pwofie'aw." Elbows her in the side, carelessly jovial, then points to a parrot. "Hey, check out the funny lookin' bird."


She casts about, quickly, making sure no one's listening too hard. "Word is the garrison been reinforced thanks to Fae attacks, keeping hard ears out for folks heading *pork bun!* vat way."
 
Eva's exuberance brings a smile to Kieroons face as she watches you eat. With a shrug, she buys some more and offers one to Eva. "The city has changed much since my last vist. Things here are . . . tense, to say the least." She takes a bite and chews thoughtfully. "I'm tempted to do a bit of eavesdropping on the Dynasts here to see what their up to, but I don't know if we can affort to take the time. We are at least lucky enough that the Fae have not started their assault yet. Thirsty? Try the spiced wine. It is one of the best exports from this town."


As Talgus wanders around the market, you get the feeling that you are being watched. A figure across the way seems to be keeping a closer than usual watch on you. Just as you are about to confront the person, a familiar voice shouts out, "EY! RIVER! Over here, mon!" You now see the large form of Red Rory moving through the crowd like an avalanche. He grabs you in a big hug that makes a rib or two complain before setting you down again. "I knew that ye'd be gettin' away from them tin cans safe an' sound. Me and Gloria taught them a thing or two! What took ya so long getting here? I'd thought you'da been here sooner. Listen to me yabbering on. Ya look parched! Come and have a tankard with me!" By the time you look back to spot the watcher, the figure is gone in the crowd.
 
Amina Ten-Spears


Amina studied the fortifications from the shadows of the forest, and then made her decision. Garrisons would have middens nearby - she crept out from under the eaves of the jungle and past the fortifications, looking like a cat hoping to cadge a treat from the trash-heap, and hoping in truth to overhear why the town was being so hastily fortified.
 
Eva


A grin spreads over her face unimpeded by food, keeping a discreet eye out for guards and 'rubber-neckers'. "So whose eaves are we dropping?"
 
Najya All Mice


Well, here goes, Najya thought, smoothing down her feathers once last time before flapping through the tavern's window and perching on Eva's shoulder. Cocking her head, she gave a friendly chirp, behaving for all the world like one of the many parrots tamed by the locals. Might as well go full gallop, ay? she added, throwing in an obvious plea for a bite of pork bun into her act...for the authenticity, of course.
 
Eva


The flapping and sudden weight on her shoulder make Eva tense momentarily, the parrot's squawks making her laugh almost shooting spiced wine out her nose.


Like flying rats, I swear. Good thing I like rats.


She snickers and offers the bright bird a bit of tender steamed bread. "Polly wanna pork bun?"


Deciding that the bird looks trustworthy, she continues quietly between mouthfuls of wine. "Aside from whose, what kind of eaves would we be looking for?"
 
Blood River


Rory gives you a conspiratorial wink. "Aye, ye can move quick, but I got a few tricks up my sleeve. I must admit, things got a bit harry back there, but it'll take more than that bunch of Jade-heads to bring me down! Are ye by yourself, or did the rest of your motly bunch come along? Ah! Tell me over a drink! Lets knock a few back, and prepare to strike a blow for freedom!" He pulls you over to a table and waves for a waitress.


Amina


As you creep around town, poking your nose into places best left to your imagination, you work your way around to where the Realm has its forces dug in. Things in the area just feels a bit - wrong. It has taken you some time to put your finger on it, but the longer you are out on the edge of the city, the more you notice there is not enough wildlife in the area, even taking into consideration that you are next to a human settlement. Something has spooked much of the normal animals. Something has spooked the city dwellers, also. The place has a feel of a city under siege. From the idle talk from the guards, there has been a upsurge in 'incidents' of Wyld-twisted monsters attacking the city and caravans, and orders from above has put everyone on high alert. The guards are responding to the level of stress from their officers. A recient messenger to the city was like a kick to a hornets nest, and the Imperials jumped into action.


Eva, Najya, and Kieroon


Kieroon looks thoughtful. "I would love to see what dispatches have crossed the desk of the Dynast in charge of the garrison. What news has gone out? We know that someone with enough pull in the Heptagram sent out orders to snatch the sphere with our friend Erembour in it. Has a war warning gone out? As much as I'd like to see the Empire fall, they have the best shot to mount a effective defense against the Fae if they move to attack en mass." A smile flashes across her face. "What about you, Pollyparrot? Feeling adventuresome? We should be able to get in and out fast enough to meet up with River and be on our way."
 
Najya All Mice


Najya chirruped, fluffing up her neck feathers and half-raising her wings in a parrot display of enthusiasm. Oh, very adventuresome indeed, she thought, taking a polite bite of the proffered pork bun.


I'll go along with them, make sure they don't get into trouble, ay? And then go see if I can pick up 'mina's trail. S'long as Talgus doesn't stir up another Wyld Hunt, we should be doing pretty well. Carefully keeping her sharp bird-claws clear of Eva's shoulder, she strutted up and down, hopefully getting her impatience across to her fellow Lunars.
 
Eva


Hmm... Dispatches... Desk... What's a desk? Whatever.


Eva gives Kieroon a look like she'd been at the spiced wine before they sat down. "Why you saying to the bird? Think she's finding Talgus for us?"
 
Amina Ten-Spears


Amina's tail twitched as she listened. That would explain much. she thought, and vanished quietly into the alleyways on the edge of town. Now all she needed was to find the rest of her pack, and to explain what was happening to Kieroon.


And hope to Luna she can read Claw Speech, she mentally added, hopping on a fence and taking to the rooftops.
 
Amina


As you turn to begin your trip back to where you will meet the others, you are stopped short by a vine that has tangled itself around your foot. A simple tug should get your foot free, but it's not working. The first thought that comes to mind is that you stumbled into a hunter's snare. But, it doesn't look like it.


With the next tug, the vine shifts from the force of your pull, but the plant pulls you back! You can now see other vines shifting over towards you, reaching out to grab you! The jungle seems to be comming alive! You are moments away from being complely entangled!


Talgus


You and Rory enjoy several drinks as the two of you talk. As you relax, you are surprised to feel a low rumble in the earth beneath your feet, strong enough to make the other patrons look up with a question on their faces. A second rumble, this one much stronger, follows the first. Rory cracks a grin, rubs his belly, and says, "That will be the last time I eat at THAT pub! Har har!"


A third rumble shakes the building, followed by the sound of cracking stone from outside. Surprised shouts and a confused babble fill the air.


Najya, Eva, and Kieroon


The three of you work your way closer to the Imperial compound with no problems. From the amount of guards you see, entry would be nearly impossible for any but an Exalt. As you are about to move closer, you also feel a rumble from deep in the ground. At first, it is a little quiver. Then, the rumble grows in intensity and you can hear and see a section of the outer wall lurch and buckle as the earth shifts. A loud crack is followed by bricks tumbling down.
 
Eva


Why did today have to get interesting?


Eva dives to the ground, covering her head, and eyes out around her to determine what happened and how much of an opening she has for the Dynast compound.


[if there's any reason to spend Essence on defense, she does so, maxing out the 1st Dex. Excel.]
 
Eva, at first glance, you do not see any immediate threat from getting crushed from falling stonework or from some other enviornmental hazard.


You are not the only one doing the duck-and-cover routine. You can see people running around trying to figure out what is going on.
 
Najya All Mice


Eva's shoulder was suddenly not such a convenient perch, and as the earth quaked and the wall of the compound crumbled, Najya launched herself into the air. In the general confusion, one common green parrot taking a peek over the wall shouldn't draw any attention even from overly-suspicious Imperials.


Hope 'mina's okay, she mused, keeping her beady little bird eyes open for any new tidbits of information. There's no Little Giant here for her to babysit, and she's usually pretty good at taking care of herself
 
Eva


Adopting the attitude of a running peasant and keeping an eye out for danger or trouble, Eva scampers over to Kieroon. "So, Fearless Leader, what now?"


As the Terrestrials and soldiers arrive Eva scans their thoughts for clues about what's going on, what's been going on, and anything useful in getting into the garrison compound and snooping.
 
Amina Ten-Spears


A true cat would have howled in terror, frantically yanking on the vine even as the others approached. Amina, on the other hand, was not in fact a cat at all. She was a Lunar, with all the powers that such status entailed, and no over-friendly kudzu-vine was going to turn her into fertilizer.


She shifted her shape suddenly, changing back into her native human form, and the vine's grip slackened during that process. She yanked her leg away with Essence-fueled speed, turning and dashing away while the plant tried to figure out how it grabbed a cat and got a human.


--------------------


1m to shift to human form, 6m on the 1st Dexterity Excellency. This gives me fifteen dice to break the grapple in question:


15x(D10+0): 9 9 7 5 8 3 8 4 9 9 3 9 4 4 7, 9 successes.


Clearly if I fail it grabbed me again :(
 
Amina


With the shifting of your form and your boosted refelxes, you are able to pull free from the entangling vine. As you twist away and pull back, you see that you are not the only person with plant trouble. Other sections of vine that are much larger have ripped their way through the outer wall of the city, and smaller offshoots of the plant that have venus flytrap style mouths are biting at anything that is close enough for them to hit. Out in the jungle, you hear the sounds of strange multi-toned horns and large numbers of creatures crashing through the woods.


Eva, Kieroon, Najya, Talgus, and Rory


Officers inside the garrison shout out orders and quickly begin to restore order with thier troops. The citizens in the rest of the city are a bit slower to respond. Several things jump to your notice at once. From the south wall of the city, a bonfire is lit that is giving off bright green smoke. Not far from there, you can see what looks to be a giant mass of vines ripping out large parts of the wall and grabbing at people nearby. From the guards, you hear them calling out that the south wall has been breeched!


One Dragon-Blooded officer jumps up onto a low stone wall and bursts into flame as he calls out, "Fear not! You have been trained for this! You are warriors of the Realm! You will be tested by the enemy, but we will stand fast! Prepare for battle!" The troops respond with renewed vigor as they run forward.


Deep in the woods, you hear the sound of horns, and a large mass of creatures charging forward.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top