Rifts Adventure IC

[Sherwood]

It takes a bit of work for even your vibroknife to slice the strange storage sack open to get the figure out, working carefully to avoid doing him or her any more harm than has already been done. Soon enough though, you have a hole sliced big enough to be able to reach into the ooze that surrounds the body and pull it out into the open once more.

A moment after you get the body out of the goo and clear the airway, it takes a deep, shuddering breath. Despite the slime all over the person, you can start to tell some things about him: First, he's not human, but instead appears to be an elf. Second, he also seems to be male, albeit a slim figure, and you are not able to determine his age at the moment. He's not wearing any armor and is not packing any weaponry that you can see.

Watching him for a moment, you can see that his eyes are starting to flicker as he struggles to regain consciousness. From his own experience in watching the Cyber Knight that got swallowed up, Eron knows that it will take at least several minutes for the elf to be in any way coherent, but he should be able to make a full recovery from his experience of getting swallowed whole.

What do you do now?

 

[Psychie]

Terra pulls out a clean cloth from her pouch and begins to wipe down the face of the elf, looking for any signs of injury to him that is in need of being healed. In a soft, gentle voice, she says to the elf, "Its ok. You're safe now. Just take it easy, ok?"

In between moments of wiping off the goo from his face, she decides to do a little investigating into this guy by casting See Aura on him.

Spoiler: See Aura

Saving Throw: None. Only the psychic powers of Mind Block or Alter Aura will mask the presence of psychic abilities, the level of P.P.E., or possession.
P.P.E.: Six
All things, organic and inorganic, have an aura. The aura has many features and distinctions, and can be used to see or sense things invisible to the eye. Seeing an aura will indicate the following:
• Estimate the general level of experience. Low (I -3), medium (4-7), high (8th and up).
• The presence of magic (no indication of what, or power level).
• The presence of psychic abilities. Low (Minor) or high (Major or Master).
• High or low base P.P.E.
• The presence of a possessing entity (does not indicate Psychic Possession or mind control).
• Health : Sick, injured or completely well .
• The presence of an unusual human aberration which indicates a serious illness or that the character is not human and may be a mutant, D-Bee, or demon, but does not reveal which.
Note: One can not use this spell to determine another character's alignment.

 

[Sherwood]

the eye. Seeing an aura will indicate the following:
• Estimate the general level of experience. Low (I -3), medium (4-7), high (8th and up).
• The presence of magic (no indication of what, or power level).
• The presence of psychic abilities. Low (Minor) or high (Major or Master).
• High or low base P.P.E.
• The presence of a possessing entity (does not indicate Psychic Possession or mind control).
• Health : Sick, injured or completely well .
• The presence of an unusual human aberration which indicates a serious illness or that the character is not human and may be a mutant, D-Bee, or demon, but does not reveal which.

The spell reveals:
Medium level,
The presence of magic,
No psychic powers,
High base PPE,
No possessing entity,
Sick, from the effects of the goo on him,
And clearly, he is not human, but is an elf.

As you are wiping off the slime from the face of the man, you can feel your fingers getting all tingly, feeling a bit numb from being in contact with the slime. It is not horrible, but you can feel that this stuff is rather insidious, and if you were to get swallowed up, it would make getting out of the thing's belly very difficult since it seems to be the source of the magic slumber that keeps the victims of the Aishwarra from getting frisky inside it.

 

[Purr]

Snowfall gently lands and pops the top of the GB-7 suit. "Captaaain Glitter Fox is here along with..." he whips out his Magic Helmet and dons it with panache, "...Sir Looks-A-Lot! By our powers combined, we shall see..." Snowfall pauses as if not quite certain how to end that sentence, then says, "...what we shall see!"

First he begins with his supernatural Kitsune senses.

Spoiler

In all forms, the Fox Spirit always has supernatural senses and is able to automatically detect Chi and Magic. Negative Chi can be sensed from 100 feet. Magic at 200 feet, basically the same as the spell or psychic ability (RUE, page 199. Sense Magic. Works like a Geiger counter. Can tell if a person or object is enchanted or under a magic spell, is in the process of invoking magic, or if magic is being used in the range area.)

He spends some of his Chi/I.S.P. (24 to be exact) to activate his Magic Helmet!

Spoiler

This TW device looks like an ordinary helmet, except that it has a large binocular-like pair of protruding sockets in place of the eye slit.
Magic Powers: The wearer can See the Invisible, See Aura, see infrared light, see strong heat radiation same as a thermo-imager, detect magic concealment, and recognize illusions!
Duration/Payload: 5 minutes/level.
P.P.E. Activation cost: 12 P.P.E. (or 24 I.S.P.) into the helm.

Snowfall is especially looking out for any illusions.

 

[Sherwood]

Snowfall can sense the same info that I posted up above from your own TW Magic Helmet. From what you know of the hunting style of the Aishwarra, it targets beings of magic and slowly drains them of their PPE. Considering that the bodies of the people you saw at the burning town were all 'sucked dry' and spit out, it is almost a certainty that this elf has some magical ability.

No illusions are seen here, and nothing invisible either. He is as you see him.

The elf is still disoriented, but seems to be regaining his composure fairly quickly.

 

[Psychie]

Not liking the feel of the slime on her hands, she turns to her magic to try and remove the stuff from him without actually touching him. It is a simple spell, one that she learned a long time ago, but it should be very useful here in this situation.

Spoiler: Cleanse

Range: Self, one person and the clothes he's wearing up to 10 feet away, or two people by touch.
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: None
P.P.E.: 6
This is a simple but useful spell designed to remove dirt and grime from the body of a living being and the clothes he wears. Magic energy flows over the person and magically removes dirt, grime, stains, and just about anything that the spellcaster considers 'unclean'. The recipient of this magic instantly becomes spotless, from head to toe. The hair and body look as if right of of the shower (only dry) and the clothes as if freshly washed and dried. The spell cannot be used on body armor, buildings, vehicles, streets, or anything else, only living creatures and clothes/fabric.

 

[Purr]

To his fellows, Snowfall says with some seriousness in American/English, "Good news, teammies! This fella is what he appears to be - a male elf. It is quite possible that his being a naturally-magical creature is what got him eaten in the first place, but... that same capacity to hold Potential Psychic Energy in greater-than-normal amounts probably kept this fella alive longer than, say, an average dwarf or human would'a have lasted. I'm guessing he uses magic for a living. It doesn't guarantee he speaks English though."

Having long been fluent in Dragonese/Elven, Snowfall addresses the fellow with real enthusiasm. He keeps gently repeating this greeting until the Elf appears to hear it and see Terra's Terminators.

"Our eyes see with joy!"

 

[Sherwood]

Terra's spell is quite effective in getting the slime off of the elf without having to touch it and get your hands any more numb, and the man is now nice and cleaned up and struggling to sit. With a bleary-eyed look, he gazes up at the three of you and manages to say in Dragonese/Elvish, "Wh-what happened? Where am I?" He looks around in confusion, then his eyes settle on the fallen Aishwarra and his face goes from confused to afraid. "I remember! That . . . . thing . . . attacked our homes and was killing people left and right! I tried to do something, to try and stop it, but," His eyes open wide in horror, "it swallowed me."

He manages to compose himself and then takes a good look at the three of you as you stand/sit nearby, watching him. Switching his language to English, he says, "Thank you for saving my life. I am Morrolan, and I owe you a debt."

 

[Silanon]

"You owe us nothing but a speedy recovery, friend. Been a pleasure to stop that thing; just what this sword was made for, pretty much. Saw a village on our way here - lots of death there, I'm afraid. Might've been yours, or maybe not - guess you'd know better than we do, at this point."

Eron kneels down next to the man, and searches the depths of his pack for... a certain box of cookies, only recently acquired. "Take one of these, for the heroic effort - hard to face one without running away, even harder to stand against them. And then take a deep breath, and brace yourself - that one always has lots of questions." He points in Snowfall's direction. "And lemme know if something hurts. this sword can heal, among other things. Like cutting and slicing, and stabbing. Oh, and no one's gotta touch that slime - well, you kinda figured that out on your own, didn't you? Should've warned you, wasn't thinking. Happens sometimes, especially when it does."

 

[Purr]

Spoiler: Mood Music

Don't ask me why this is in my head, but the playful music (not the lyrics) fit this scene to me! It helped me write this. =)
"Garbage - Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!) (Official Video)"

I am Morrolan,

Seeing that the elf is in good shape, Snowfall shifts mental gears. He waves cheerily. "Hiya, Morrolan! Welcome back to the land of the undigested! We're Terra's Terminator's! That there is Miss Terra and here's Eron!"

"You owe us nothing but a speedy recovery, friend.

"Well... you don't owe us anything; that's for sure, buuut..." the next bit flies out of his mouth with such alacrity as to make a Juicer proud, "...YaWannaHelpAFoxMakeAShrine?"

Snowfall the Seven-Tailed offers a prayer on high before the battle. In his native Japanese, he kneels in mid-air, head down, hands forward as he reverently intones, "Ohhh, foxiest of fox-kami, O-Inari Ōkami! Benevolent harvester! Patron of swordsmiths! Minder of merchants! Brewer of the best tea! Bringer of the finest sake! You, the deliverer of fertility, rice, worldly success, and all fortune worth having! Grant us the means to outwit and outlast this horror - the dreaded Aishwarra - that we might remove its diabolic threat from these punished lands so that the demon-thing may devour innocents no more! That farmers may grow for their families!

"Guide us to a foxy victory, or barring that, a healthy and speedy escape to fight it another day! Aid us, please, and I - your ever-faithful messenger between worlds - will produce a worthy shrine at the farm in your name so that all who see it would know who took part in bringing life instead of death to this troubled world!

Snowfall then offers his deepest Kitsune prayer. "Watashi no O-Inari-sama (my personal Inari!)!"

"Y'see... I'm Snowfall! I'm a Kitsune among other things and... uh... I kinda prayed directly to my maker, the incomparable Prince Inari; the Foxiest of all Fox Spirits anywhere in the Megaverse - prior to all this. And... ahhh... I promised to build him a shrine back at the farm if we were victorious!" From the emotion in his voice, there can be no doubt - there is no more important spirit - no more important being - in Snowfall's life than the very one who gave life to him - Prince Inari!

"So! I prayed!" He folds his paws and bows his head. "We fought!" He pantomimes making fierce gunning actions complete with snarls, his seven tails flashing, and noises that sound like, "Bang! Bang! Pow!" "And we were incredibly victorious!" Yes... Snowfall does the Snoopy Dance!

(Insert Happy Snoopy Dance here!)

"You can all bet your tailless tails that I'm going to be good for my side of the bargain! We didn't take single casualty, right? So... the least a fox-spirit like me can do is... GoMakeAShrine!" With that, the hyper little fellow jumps into his splendoriffic GB-7 Glitter Boy suit and hightails it straight toward the mouth of the cave! As he nears it, he slows and takes more cautious steps.

"Aaaand! There's gotta be something in there that'll help! I mean, some of the oldest shrines in Japan are made of stone! There's stone in there! It's a caaave right?! So..." he pauses again and looks back to the party. "You guys... aren't gonna... just let me... walk in there all by myself, right? I mean... we're teammates and all and... that's one large huge gargantuan big-Daddy cave there! I... I... can hear your supportive voices already!" Snowfall's GB-7 cups its ear and dramatically poses as if listening. "'Wait, Snowfall! Don't go into the stinky, nasty, possibly-dangerous cave all by yourself! Wait for us! We're a team, aren't we? Huh? Huuhhh?'"

Snowfall peeks over his armored shoulder at you. His eyes are rather big right now.

 

[Silanon]

The Crazy raises his head high enough to muster first his ally, then the cave - and finally speaks the expected words of support.

"Good luck in there, and all."

Well, kind of. He then goes back to checking on the elf for as long as he can manage (which isn't long, since duty calls), before he suddenly jumps gracefully to his feet, probably startling those close to him at that moment. "Fine. Fine. Coming, Of course. Ready to lead the way, and all. That's what the swords are there for, after all. You stay safe here for a moment, Morrolan, we'll be back any second now, just you wait and see. Stopped the big one, after all; gotta check what's in the lair. Build a shrine, too, if there's a shrine-building kit, one never knows with the inventions these days."

With that, he strolls forward, towards the cave, no hint of hesitation. This is, after all, what he got the blade for. And the pouch. What he travelled south for, to become what he is... to do his part. To lead the way. To be what's needed when it's needed.

 

[Psychie]

Terra doesn't bother to hide her smile from the antics of the fox-spirit. He certainly does a lot to raise their spirits, and he can be counted to bring a smile to her face. Looking down at the bedraggled elf, she says, "I am Terra Alvana, and I am pleased to meet you. I am sorry that we were not on the scene sooner to stop the attack on the village we saw, but you can rest easier knowing that this thing will harm no one else. Can you stand? Or do you need a moment more to be able to get on your feet?"

She then looks over at Snowfall and says, "Yes, we can see if there is anything of note in the cave. Morrolan, there shouldn't be anything in there to worry about, but if you wish to stay out here, I understand. I can leave my silent friend here," she indicates her automation, "to help keep watch out here, so long as we are not more than a thousand feet in I can still control it."

 

[Sherwood]

The elf looks at the gaping opening of the cave with a bit of trepidation. "I-I think that I'll stay out here for now. I feel very weak and would just get in the way of you if there were something that needed to be dealt with in there. I will have your automation to keep me company until you return."

Making your way into the cave, the thick musky smell of the Aishwarra is still very strong, making it hard to take a breath without gagging a bit. Further in, you can see that the cave is not very deep; it only goes in about eight hundred feet. But there is something in here. A number of odd leathery objects that are stuck to the floor, each one is roughly four feet tall and a couple of feet wide, very reminiscent of the eggs of the face-huggers in Aliens. There are six of these things in here, still somewhat wet and sticky from their slime coating.

They are most certainly eggs of the Aishwarra. Luckily, they are nowhere near old enough to hatch, but given time, they will.

 

[Purr]

Carefully noting the eggs with his GB-7's guns on them, Snowfall examines them with his natural Spirit-Fox senses and Magic Helmet just to see what they look like under supernatural senses and magical abilities. He also slowly sweeps the entire cave for anything that might be hidden.

Spoiler: Note for Sherwood

I am not asking for results on the eggs, but doing this so Snowfall can file the experience away. As the old saying goes, "experience is the best teacher." =)

Snowfall and I are definitely looking for anything that might be hidden from view.

The intrepid Kitsune is also looking around for loose stones large enough to help him fulfill his promise. Are there any?

 

[Psychie]

Terra's attention is currently locked on the eggs and not on any of the rocks in here. She slides her sword from its sheath and says, "These things must be destroyed before they can hatch. Let us wipe them out." With that, she hauls her sword back and stabs the first egg, hoping to kill the abomination inside.

 

[Purr]

Peacefully and passively, Snowfall looks for large stones.

Spoiler

Looking up, Snowfall hears Miss Terra's statements filled with what sounds to him like fierce Atlantean resolve as she stabs the first Aishwarra egg!

"LET'S DO THIIIIS!! RAAAAAHH!!"

Snowfall unleashes holy hell with his GB-7's Variable Laser Cannon and hip lasers and does not stop until there is absolutely nothing left of every egg except smoking craters in the floor of the cavern!

Spoiler

Then... Snowfall peacefully and passively returns to looking for the right kind of stones to build with.

Spoiler

=)

 

[Silanon]

As the other two move to take care of the eggs, Eron simply stands back and watches. These beasts must be stopped before they hatch, certainly - and yet, these blades of his weren't forged to kill unborn children, he's sure of that. And so he does not join in, quietly observing the righteous slaughter, condemning those who brought the monster here in the first place - the coalition. And looks if there's any sign of them; must've been quite an investment to get the Aishwarra here, it's strange that they just allowed this victory to happen. They're not Salnesh, of course, luckily - but shouldn't they still have expected that their new favorite toy might cause the attention of heroes?

 

[Sherwood]

Since the newly laid eggs are not putting up much of a fight, it is easy for Terra and Snowfall to destroy them without any hassle. After that, it is a relatively simple thing for the kitsune to gather up some appropriate stones to make a quick shrine. Out at the opening of the tunnel, Morrolan is currently seated in quiet meditation, trying to recover some of his lost PPE while the rocky shrine is quickly built up.

It does not take long for you to have the shrine completed to Snowfall's specifications, leaving you standing about wondering what to do next. There is still the issue of your trip to the Lone Star complex to complete, and if this Aishwarra is what you think it is, it might be the Omega Project that the Coalition is working on. What better weapon to use against its hated enemies of the magically powerful DBees and mages of the world? If so, this is a real threat to the safety of the world and not just the magic using individuals of the land.

What do you do now?

 

[Psychie]

After the small shrine is complete, Terra will look to the others and say, "If what we are suspecting is true that the Coalition is trying to breed and control the Aishwarra, we have to put a stop to it. We cannot let these things roam across the world and consume the magic beings of the land. Lets get back to the Badger and continue on our path south to Lone Star."

 

[Purr]

Since the newly laid eggs are not putting up much of a fight, it is easy for Terra and Snowfall to destroy them without any hassle. After that, it is a relatively simple thing for the kitsune to gather up some appropriate stones to make a quick shrine.

It does not take long for you to have the shrine completed to Snowfall's specifications,

As best he can, Snowfall leaves the shrine at the farmhouse with three important things:

1. A collection of blessings for the spirits of the departed in their loving memory that they might not be forgotten along with a message of the following departure of the "Aishwarra" that tried to consume them and the name of Morrolan the Elf, the lone survivor.

2. A small shrine that looks akin to this, (preferably wooden and surrounded by stones marked with English and Japanese writing from #1:


(Image credit: Fine Art America)

3. And finally, using the biggest rock he can find, Snowfall uses one of his Mega-damage weapons to carefully and lovingly carve out a stone that looks like this:

(Image credit: 1stDibs)

Once complete, Snowfall in his Kitsune form wags his seven white tails, and standing upon the head of the fox-statue, prays to Inari serenely, with stillness, and for once, silently. And as the ancient Kitsune prays his gratefulness, his devotion, and his love, the small furry fellow begins to slowly glow. Softly. Naturally. Brilliantly.

Like sunlight.


(Image credit: The UCSB Current - UC Santa Barbara)

Spoiler: OOC

Using his Chi/I.S.P. powers, Snowfall draws the extra Chi from the surrounding farmland and in an effort to bring its energy all about the shrine, he invokes his Radiate Positive Chi power.

4. Radiate Positive Chi - Character emits sunlight by spending Chi. Can emit Chi from their eyes (Cost: 2 Chi/round. 50 foot range, brighter than car headlights) or body (4 Chi/round in 30 foot radius) or can also dispel Negative Chi in area (current level of Negative Chi plus 4 points of Positive Chi/round). Note to self: Remember to use Dragon Chi! =)

1. Dragon Chi - The ability to tap into the natural Chi of an area. Chi drawn this way must be used in the same round it is gained.

Only once these devout motions are in place, does he proceed with thoughts of his own life.

After the small shrine is complete, Terra will look to the others and say, "If what we are suspecting is true that the Coalition is trying to breed and control the Aishwarra, we have to put a stop to it. We cannot let these things roam across the world and consume the magic beings of the land. Lets get back to the Badger and continue on our path south to Lone Star."

Snowfall immediately thinks of the lone survivor of the tragic farm. "Miss Terra! But what of Morrolan? All by himself here in these cruel lands with only a devastated farm to return to?" Snowfall turns to the meditation elf with a look of true concern as he fishes through his pack to at least produce some days' food for the fey-blooded fellow. His paws fall upon his favorite lunchbox and Snowfall uses it to do just that in case Miss Terra thinks it best to go on without him.

 

[Psychie]

Terra smiles as the good feelings wash over her from Snowfall's positive energy as he works on the shrine. Just the thing to bring up the spirits after the fight with the Aishwarra. When he asks her about Morrolan, she replies with, "Well, I cannot speak for the elf, but I am willing to offer to bring him along with us. He may not wish to go into the heart of the Coalition here, but he may have nowhere else to go. Let's go extend him the offer and see what he says."

 

[Sherwood]

Once the three of you are done with Snowfall's shrine and head out of the cave, you find that Morrolan is still sitting down in quiet meditation, trying to recover some of his lost PPE that the Aishwarra devoured from him. When you walk up to him, he opens his eyes and rises up to his feet.

He asks, "Is your shrine complete? I should have not been so rude as to not offer up my own aid to build something good here, and for that, I apologize. I do wonder; what are your plans now? Where will you go from here, now that the monster that destroyed my home is gone?"

 

[Purr]

Snowfall is feeling mighty good since the fall of the dreaded magic-and-people-eating has been put down. He gazes up at the shrine to Inari and sighs with a smile. His soul, for the moment, is at peace.

His seven white tails wag in the wind. "This shrine to Inari, the coolest spirit in all the Megaverse, is not only complete - it's the most-Japanese thing people in these parts will ever see! It... it... might even eventually become... a tourist destination someday! Oh my!"

"Morrolan, after what you've been through, you have nothing to apologize for - really! You only appear to have lost nearly everything you've ever had! Is there someone nearby you can live with? What would you do if we decide to go on our way?" The Kitsune looks to Terra. "This is Miss Terra Alvana of Clan Draco of the True Atlanteans - and she's the lady that runs our group! She'll know what we've got planned next! But in the meantime," Snowfall plops down beside him and looks up with a pair of silver chopsticks in his hand and his magical lunchbox open and filled with fresh rice, delicious-looking tofu, and properly-warmed sake, "are you hungry? This is the best Japanese food you're gonna find around these parts, lemme tell ya!" With his own chopsticks, Snowfall pops a piece of fried tofu in his mouth and chews happily. Very happily!

 

[Psychie]

Terra offers up a smile to the elf wizard as Snowfall provides up some food. She says, "Morrolan, while I would love to offer up a spot in our team for you to join us, you should first know what we are planning on doing. It might be a one way trip." She looks at the others, then back to the elf. "We have been sent from Dweomer to investigate inside the Lone Star complex for a bio-weapon that the Coalition is developing specifically to target beings like us, with a high level of magical ability to them. I am thinking that this might involve the Aishwarra; after all, it hunts after magic users and uses them for food. This mission is for us to get inside the complex using a network of hidden tunnels, find this Project Omega, and destroy it before it can be deployed. It won't be easy, even with our years of experience in facing challenges, but if I didn't have faith that this team couldn't do the job, I wouldn't be here right now."

Terra grabs her canteen and takes a drink, then continues. "We have magic and technological items that are supposed to be able to cloak us from detection, both visually and also from their Psi-Hounds. There are extras of this gear, so if you were to be so inclined as to join us on our trek, you wouldn't be giving away our position. I am sure that Lord Brazamal, our dragon patron in Dweomer, would be happy to provide you with a hefty reward for stepping up in this, too. If you feel the need to choose a different path, no one would hold it against you. It is your decision to make."

 

[Sherwood]

Morrolan gladly accepts the offered food and drink with a grateful smile, and tears into his meal with gusto. When Terra gives her rundown of what your mission is, he pauses in chewing as he listens. "To go into the heart of the beast - that is most certainly a risky venture. But if you are right in your suspicions, it would make for a very hard time for anyone in the Federation of Magic." He thinks, chewing his food slowly before saying, "If you think that I could be able to aid you without compromising your mission, I will do so gladly."