Innana wrote:Innana the Fighter.
thirdkingdom wrote:Rounds Three and Four
The awakened Semele stares up at the starry sky but sees no comfort there. The pinpricks of light coruscating across the heavens look down upon the battle with cold, impartial gazes, as indifferent to the outcome of this conflict as the death of kings, the subsuming of great lands beneath vast oceans or the birth of children.
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IC X
Re: IC X
Re: IC X
Lanny the Elf
Removing his sword from the beast's side, Lanny quickly glances around at his companions. Everyone was still standing, and the fighters' wounds were not too serious. He stands in silence for a moment, taking in the magnitude of their achievement.
"This was our greatest foe yet... I must say that while our coordination in tonight's battle was exemplary, it was really our patience and determination to continue the pursuit of the beast over the last two weeks that gave us this victory relatively unscathed. Well done, my friends."
Lanny looks around at the group again. They looked exhausted after a couple of weeks on the hunt for the Great Cat. He offers to assist with first aid for the wounded.
"Let's all get some well deserved rest tonight. Tomorrow, we can either continue ahead to seek out the beast's lair, if it is not too far away, or we can return to the site of our last battle and try to follow the tracks through the woods left by the thugs."
After one last look at the dead beast, Lanny walks around to each party member, nodding his head in respect to each one, and finally ending with his fellow elf Bregalad.
"Our watch is over, brother. You fought well tonight... Tomorrow is another day."
Removing his sword from the beast's side, Lanny quickly glances around at his companions. Everyone was still standing, and the fighters' wounds were not too serious. He stands in silence for a moment, taking in the magnitude of their achievement.
"This was our greatest foe yet... I must say that while our coordination in tonight's battle was exemplary, it was really our patience and determination to continue the pursuit of the beast over the last two weeks that gave us this victory relatively unscathed. Well done, my friends."
Lanny looks around at the group again. They looked exhausted after a couple of weeks on the hunt for the Great Cat. He offers to assist with first aid for the wounded.
"Let's all get some well deserved rest tonight. Tomorrow, we can either continue ahead to seek out the beast's lair, if it is not too far away, or we can return to the site of our last battle and try to follow the tracks through the woods left by the thugs."
After one last look at the dead beast, Lanny walks around to each party member, nodding his head in respect to each one, and finally ending with his fellow elf Bregalad.
"Our watch is over, brother. You fought well tonight... Tomorrow is another day."
Lanny - Level 3 Elf - In Search of Adventure
Re: IC X
Innana the Fighter:
Innana drinks the water that Semele gave her, and stands up to go clean up. She glances in the direction of the lifeless cat body, and sees the moonlight glisten across its fur as if to sweep its spirit up in its fleeting light.
Innana pauses, then walks over to the cat and gazes down at the lifeless face. The cats eyes are frozen in an open gaze. Innana stares for a moment at the cat's eyes, not so unlike hers now. Innana feels a pain in her stomach, and she reaches up with her hand to cover it. "What is this?" Innana whispers, as she tries to identify what she is feeling. Guilt? She squats near the large feline, and mumbles, "you were only protecting your home." Innana stands quickly, and makes sure she is facing away from the group, because Innana is crying for the first time since she lost her family to the Orcs.
Innana drinks the water that Semele gave her, and stands up to go clean up. She glances in the direction of the lifeless cat body, and sees the moonlight glisten across its fur as if to sweep its spirit up in its fleeting light.
Innana pauses, then walks over to the cat and gazes down at the lifeless face. The cats eyes are frozen in an open gaze. Innana stares for a moment at the cat's eyes, not so unlike hers now. Innana feels a pain in her stomach, and she reaches up with her hand to cover it. "What is this?" Innana whispers, as she tries to identify what she is feeling. Guilt? She squats near the large feline, and mumbles, "you were only protecting your home." Innana stands quickly, and makes sure she is facing away from the group, because Innana is crying for the first time since she lost her family to the Orcs.
Innana Sureblade - level 3 fighter - In Search of Adventure
Raquinel Raialis - level 3 magic-user - War is Hell - Palace of the Silver Princess
Raquinel Raialis - level 3 magic-user - War is Hell - Palace of the Silver Princess
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zebediah
- Ranger Knight
- Posts: 1872
- Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:35 pm
- Location: Sao Paulo & Porto Alegre - Brazil
Re: IC X
Drudsa the dabbler
"Lanny, you and Bregalad will probably be able to follow its tracks back to its lair, what worries me is the possibility of stumbling upon that wizard or men from the Iron Ring again, or having them stumble on us. I will prepare my spells in the morning having that possibility in mind."
After a few minutes of pondering Drudsa adds "That creature was hunting really heavily for some time already. Where did it come from that it was not drawing attention previously? Was it driven away from its original habitat or was it here already, keeping a low profile? What will we do if we find some offspring in its lair?"
"Protecting its home? It was hunting, as we are. It was following its instinct, while we are more calculating about our objectives, which is probably why we bested it in the end. But we are not so different, that beast and us."Innana wrote:Innana the Fighter:
Innana pauses, then walks over to the cat and gazes down at the lifeless face. The cats eyes are frozen in an open gaze. Innana stares for a moment at the cat's eyes, not so unlike hers now. Innana feels a pain in her stomach, and she reaches up with her hand to cover it. "What is this?" Innana whispers, as she tries to identify what she is feeling. Guilt? She squats near the large feline, and mumbles, "you were only protecting your home." Innana stands quickly, and makes sure she is facing away from the group, because Innana is crying for the first time since she lost her family to the Orcs.
"Lanny, you and Bregalad will probably be able to follow its tracks back to its lair, what worries me is the possibility of stumbling upon that wizard or men from the Iron Ring again, or having them stumble on us. I will prepare my spells in the morning having that possibility in mind."
After a few minutes of pondering Drudsa adds "That creature was hunting really heavily for some time already. Where did it come from that it was not drawing attention previously? Was it driven away from its original habitat or was it here already, keeping a low profile? What will we do if we find some offspring in its lair?"
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Grognardsw
- Rider of Rohan
- Posts: 12941
- Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2013 12:30 pm
- Location: ImagiNation
Re: IC X
Aquar, cleric
"Didn't expect he'd die that quick," grumbles Aquar. His stomach rumbles with enchanted elixir. The cleric steps into the fire, letting his over-robe ignite and picking up large flaming logs in each hand.
"How purifying!" exclaims Aquar. The flames course over his body with the slightest tingle. His mind feels inflamed. "A truly strange experience."
The afire acolyte strides over to the dead cat and walks onto its back, letting his flaming body ignite the fur. "These flames are nothing to those in hell you murderous feline!" The fiery rhetoric reflects the priest's anger at the cat's deliberate tracking, toying with and killing of innocent humans.
"Perhaps we should keep a paw and some fangs as proof we killed the beast," says Aquar after toasting the feline. He beats out the remaining flames on his body, if any robe remnant is still cindering.
The cleric then provides first aid to the injured, evaluating who may need a heal blessing.
"Didn't expect he'd die that quick," grumbles Aquar. His stomach rumbles with enchanted elixir. The cleric steps into the fire, letting his over-robe ignite and picking up large flaming logs in each hand.
"How purifying!" exclaims Aquar. The flames course over his body with the slightest tingle. His mind feels inflamed. "A truly strange experience."
The afire acolyte strides over to the dead cat and walks onto its back, letting his flaming body ignite the fur. "These flames are nothing to those in hell you murderous feline!" The fiery rhetoric reflects the priest's anger at the cat's deliberate tracking, toying with and killing of innocent humans.
"Perhaps we should keep a paw and some fangs as proof we killed the beast," says Aquar after toasting the feline. He beats out the remaining flames on his body, if any robe remnant is still cindering.
The cleric then provides first aid to the injured, evaluating who may need a heal blessing.
Re: IC X
Lanny the Elf
Lanny's eyes widen a bit as the flaming Aquar climbs atop the Great Cat. Lanny moves quickly around the perimeter of the beast to clear away some of the dry brush in the area around the body. He looks a bit perturbed that Aquar did not do this before starting a huge bonfire.
"Drudsa, we can certainly try to track the beast's trail through the foothills a bit more tomorrow. I suspect that it is a mountain cat that has come down from its mountain habitat, as Josiah had surmised, perhaps due to some recent activity or disturbance there... Perhaps its new lair in the foothills might hold some answers to these questions. But I would not want to spend more than a day looking for it, as it is urgent that we pick up the trail of the thugs before Mother Nature hides it from us... and before something dire happens to Father Varis."
While clearing away the brush, Lanny notices that Innana is visibly upset by the death of the Great Cat. He pauses to speak with her.
"In my many years, I have come to believe that all creatures of Nature are entitled to live and thrive within their own habitats. Yet, I feel certain that this great beast was not of this habitat, and as a result, many creatures that do live and thrive in this habitat are dead. I do wonder, though, if perhaps what you are feeling right now is empathy... for just as the Great Cat had slain you, so now have you slain the Great Cat. And Death, after all, is the Common Bond of all creatures of Nature..."
Lanny pauses to kick at the fire that is starting to spread a little bit outside of the makeshift fire pit. He calls up to the flammable priest.
"Aquar, we should keep the entire skull of the beast and put it in a large sack, if it is not too heavy for the horses... Then no one will be able to doubt that we have truely completed our quest and have put an end to the deaths in the logging camps..."
Lanny's eyes widen a bit as the flaming Aquar climbs atop the Great Cat. Lanny moves quickly around the perimeter of the beast to clear away some of the dry brush in the area around the body. He looks a bit perturbed that Aquar did not do this before starting a huge bonfire.
"Drudsa, we can certainly try to track the beast's trail through the foothills a bit more tomorrow. I suspect that it is a mountain cat that has come down from its mountain habitat, as Josiah had surmised, perhaps due to some recent activity or disturbance there... Perhaps its new lair in the foothills might hold some answers to these questions. But I would not want to spend more than a day looking for it, as it is urgent that we pick up the trail of the thugs before Mother Nature hides it from us... and before something dire happens to Father Varis."
While clearing away the brush, Lanny notices that Innana is visibly upset by the death of the Great Cat. He pauses to speak with her.
"In my many years, I have come to believe that all creatures of Nature are entitled to live and thrive within their own habitats. Yet, I feel certain that this great beast was not of this habitat, and as a result, many creatures that do live and thrive in this habitat are dead. I do wonder, though, if perhaps what you are feeling right now is empathy... for just as the Great Cat had slain you, so now have you slain the Great Cat. And Death, after all, is the Common Bond of all creatures of Nature..."
Lanny pauses to kick at the fire that is starting to spread a little bit outside of the makeshift fire pit. He calls up to the flammable priest.
"Aquar, we should keep the entire skull of the beast and put it in a large sack, if it is not too heavy for the horses... Then no one will be able to doubt that we have truely completed our quest and have put an end to the deaths in the logging camps..."
Last edited by frobozz on Sun Mar 16, 2014 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lanny - Level 3 Elf - In Search of Adventure
Re: IC X
Innana the Fighter:
Innana turns and walks away from the group, and goes inside her tent to try to sort things through in privacy. She is confused. She is a warrioress. Killing a giant feline should not effect her this way. Why do humans seem so inhumane, and why is she feeling so sad for a giant cat that they have been trying to kill? She falls asleep with her eyebrows furrowed.
Innana dreams of running swiftly through the forest. She comes to a cave hidden on the side of the mountain. In the cave she hears the meowing of kittens. Innana sits up in a cold sweat.
Innana looks over at Lanny. "I am not sure what I am feeling right now. I just know that what AquAr did just now did not sit right with me."frobozz wrote:Lanny the Elf
Lanny's eyes widen a bit as the flaming Aquar climbs atop the Great Cat. Lanny moves quickly around the perimeter of the beast to clear away some of the dry brush in the area around the body. He looks a bit perturbed that Aquar did not do this before starting a huge bonfire.
"Drudsa, we can certainly try to track the beast's trail through the foothills a bit more tomorrow. I suspect that it is a mountain cat that has come down from its mountain habitat, as Josiah had surmised, perhaps due to some recent activity or disturbance there... Perhaps its new lair in the foothills might hold some answers to these questions. But I would not want to spend more than a day looking for it, as it is urgent that we pick up the trail of the thugs before Mother Nature hides it from us... and before something dire happens to Father Varis."
While clearing away the brush, Lanny notices that Innana is visibly upset by the death of the Great Cat. He pauses to speak with her.
"In my many years, I have come to believe that all creatures of Nature are entitled to live and thrive within their own habitats. Yet, I feel certain that this great beast was not of this habitat, and as a result, many creatures that do live and thrive in this habitat are dead. I do wonder, though, if perhaps what you are feeling right now is empathy... for just as the Great Cat had slain you, so now have you slain the Great Cat. And Death, after all, is the Common Bond of all creatures of Nature..."
Lanny pauses to kick at the fire that is starting to spread a little bit outside of the makeshift fire pit. He calls up to the flammable priest.
"Aquar, I say we keep the entire skull of the beast and put it in a large sack, if it is not too heavy for the horses... Then no one will be able to doubt that we have truely completed our quest and have put an end to the deaths in the logging camps..."
Innana turns and walks away from the group, and goes inside her tent to try to sort things through in privacy. She is confused. She is a warrioress. Killing a giant feline should not effect her this way. Why do humans seem so inhumane, and why is she feeling so sad for a giant cat that they have been trying to kill? She falls asleep with her eyebrows furrowed.
Innana dreams of running swiftly through the forest. She comes to a cave hidden on the side of the mountain. In the cave she hears the meowing of kittens. Innana sits up in a cold sweat.
Innana Sureblade - level 3 fighter - In Search of Adventure
Raquinel Raialis - level 3 magic-user - War is Hell - Palace of the Silver Princess
Raquinel Raialis - level 3 magic-user - War is Hell - Palace of the Silver Princess
Re: IC X
Bregalad the elf
Bregalad removes his spear and looks upon the still body. With heavy heart he kneels beside the cat, resting his hand upon its side -- and weeps as Thordin sends this great spirit into the afterlife.
Bregalad removes his spear and looks upon the still body. With heavy heart he kneels beside the cat, resting his hand upon its side -- and weeps as Thordin sends this great spirit into the afterlife.
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thirdkingdom
- Rider of Rohan
- Posts: 8057
- Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:23 pm
Re: IC X
The thick hair covering the great cat's hide sizzles and smolders but does not truly burn. It comes up in large patches, revealing swaths of thick hide pocked with scars. Here and there can be seen wounds that may have been inflicted by another animal -- Semele points to four long, parallel gashes that she claims to be from a dragon -- but the vast majority seem to be inflicted by man or their ilk. Many appear to have healed badly, and a broken-off spear head can be felt just under the surface of one ancient welt.
Flaurmont 19, AC 1000
The adventurers rise in the morning to overcast skies. Mountains loom before them to the east; the corpse of the Beast lies in the clearing where it was slain.
Flaurmont 19, AC 1000
The adventurers rise in the morning to overcast skies. Mountains loom before them to the east; the corpse of the Beast lies in the clearing where it was slain.
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zebediah
- Ranger Knight
- Posts: 1872
- Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:35 pm
- Location: Sao Paulo & Porto Alegre - Brazil
Re: IC X
Drudsa the dabbler
Drudsa offers one of his large sacks to carry the beast's head as suggested by Lanny. He urges the group to resume tracking the beast at first light.
"Let us find its lair as quickly as we are able to. Bregalad, Lanny, please also be mindful of any tracks other than those of the big cat."
Drudsa offers one of his large sacks to carry the beast's head as suggested by Lanny. He urges the group to resume tracking the beast at first light.
"Let us find its lair as quickly as we are able to. Bregalad, Lanny, please also be mindful of any tracks other than those of the big cat."
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thirdkingdom
- Rider of Rohan
- Posts: 8057
- Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:23 pm
Re: IC X
Lanny the Elf
Lanny wakes in the morning and prepares his daily spells. Emerging from his tent, he studies the skies... They appeared overcast, but his weather sense told him that the rains would likely hold off today. This would be important to maintain the integrity of any tracks they would be following.
Lanny walks up to the great carcass of the giant cat and studies it carefully. The beast had clearly faced other adversaries that had tried to kill it as well... whether intentionally or in self-defense it was not clear. He sees the deep gashes pointed out by Semele which might be from the claws of a dragon.
"That might be what drove it from the mountains... And if humans had also hunted it previously, then it is no wonder that it targeted the humans that it found living in and around the logging camps, believing that they might try to do the same thing... Recall that it was not always hunting for food, but sometimes just tore the loggers to shreds..."
Lanny reflects more on the situation as he prepares to start the day.
Lanny wakes in the morning and prepares his daily spells. Emerging from his tent, he studies the skies... They appeared overcast, but his weather sense told him that the rains would likely hold off today. This would be important to maintain the integrity of any tracks they would be following.
Lanny walks up to the great carcass of the giant cat and studies it carefully. The beast had clearly faced other adversaries that had tried to kill it as well... whether intentionally or in self-defense it was not clear. He sees the deep gashes pointed out by Semele which might be from the claws of a dragon.
"That might be what drove it from the mountains... And if humans had also hunted it previously, then it is no wonder that it targeted the humans that it found living in and around the logging camps, believing that they might try to do the same thing... Recall that it was not always hunting for food, but sometimes just tore the loggers to shreds..."
Lanny reflects more on the situation as he prepares to start the day.
Lanny - Level 3 Elf - In Search of Adventure
Re: IC X
Rhys examines the cat as best he can in the light of the fire. First he tries to determine if it is male or female. Then, assuming it is pointed out, he extracts the spear head, hoping maybe the style of the point or any decorative engravings or etchings may indicate a region where it was from.
Dragon foot. Bamboo pole. Little mouse. Tiny boy.
Re: IC X
Bregalad the elfzebediah wrote:Drudsa the dabbler
....."Let us find its lair as quickly as we are able to. Bregalad, Lanny, please also be mindful of any tracks other than those of the big cat."
"Aye, Drudsa. We will."
Bregalad prepares Birdcall, Darkness, and Invisibility for the day, so that he and Lanny can scout ahead, if needed. He will also don the magical armor, seeing that Innana is no longer using it.
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thirdkingdom
- Rider of Rohan
- Posts: 8057
- Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:23 pm
Re: IC X
The adventurers decide to find the lair of the Beast and set off west, into the mountains, following the creature's tracks. It quickly becomes obvious that they have entered the territory of the giant cat; its spoor becomes increasingly evident, small saplings are bent and broken while larger trees exhibit massive scarring on their trunks. There is also a relative paucity of wild game and animals.
Travel is slow, footing treacherous, and it is two hours after noon when the companions discover the Beast's lair. It is located some sixty feet up a steep slope; there is a treacherous track that winds back and forth. The horses can go no further, and it is doubtful that those heavily armored will be able to climb without help.
Travel is slow, footing treacherous, and it is two hours after noon when the companions discover the Beast's lair. It is located some sixty feet up a steep slope; there is a treacherous track that winds back and forth. The horses can go no further, and it is doubtful that those heavily armored will be able to climb without help.
Re: IC X
Alethan wrote:Rhys examines the cat as best he can in the light of the fire. First he tries to determine if it is male or female. Then, assuming it is pointed out, he extracts the spear head, hoping maybe the style of the point or any decorative engravings or etchings may indicate a region where it was from.
Dragon foot. Bamboo pole. Little mouse. Tiny boy.
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thirdkingdom
- Rider of Rohan
- Posts: 8057
- Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:23 pm
Re: IC X
Rhys determines that the Beast is female. Digging out the arrowhead, he notes that it appears to be modern in origin, although he is unable to determine what race may have forged it.
Re: IC X
Thordin the dwarf will offer to remove his armor and climb.