As a desperate final attack, Laghairt threw the Wheel of Ice and Fire and the blazing fire blade at the coral cage on the Tentacle Thing, having the wheel absorb the blade's heat for the entire flight and then having it explode on contact.
(BP: 256)
**The monster lets another limb take the explosive blow in place of the warrior's intended target before spinning towards the sea in a massive whirwind. At this point nearly all of the monster's corpse tentacles are damaged to some degree or another, but pending some miracle it looks like the creature going to survive to see another day.**
Olus dragged himself back out of the muck. The briney water left his skin feeling dried out and the struggle had left him exhausted. He wished he could say he agreed with Laghairt's sentiments but he was just glad the fight was over. He eventually made his way glumly back to the group, water sloshing in his boots.
Olus - "Well it looks as if we've lost the element of surprise. If that monster was an indication of what's to come then I worry for our chances of success."
Olus dragged himself back out of the muck. The briney water left his skin feeling dried out and the struggle had left him exhausted. He wished he could say he agreed with Laghairt's sentiments but he was just glad the fight was over. He eventually made his way glumly back to the group, water sloshing in his boots.
Olus - "Well it looks as if we've lost the element of surprise. If that monster was an indication of what's to come then I worry for our chances of success."
**Olus is followed by Dr. Smalls and the others.**
Dr. Smalls - "True, although the only know we reached the shore. I suspect there will be some bounty hunters looking for us in the mountain range soon enough but that shouldn't be a problem."
Cee - "What mountain range?"
Arl - "The one on the other side of the frozen wastes where the crows are bound. Remember what Dr. Smalls was talking about a few days-"
Cee - "Nope! Can you explain that again Dr.?"
**Arl sighs and returns her attention to the distant shore, mumbling that she truly hopes the monster does go back to the city - better that than it setting out to find some more mages.
Smalls, for his part, immediately delves into a lengthy rehashing of all the group knows.**
Dr.Smalls "...and then the crows were bound to the frozen wastes. Now the tricky part is going to be when we get within the territory of the half-starved passage crows."
Cee - "Are they strong?"
Dr.Smalls "Perhaps! But we can't injure a single one if we want to talk them into helping us find another way through the mountains!"
Arl - "Do passage crows talk?"
Dr.Smalls "They do not! I had Binge confirm that a few days back, as it were."
Dr.Smalls - "I believe they can understand us, although the book spoke of 'reveal to her the ancient pins she'd naught seen since brighter days, and by her grace..' so I suspect we-"
Javert - "Will be looking for Atryne? Atron, Asitryne, whatever. She's in some of the legends, basically the crow that took over after the Yue-Yue went evil god on them? **Smalls nods and opens his mouth only to be cut off once more** Alright, so your plan is to walk through a tundra filled with hungry magical crows - all pacifist-like - and then have whichever among us haven't been pecked to death prostrate ourselves before the biggest, most dangerous one of them all. That's your plan?"
**Javert angrily wrings some water out of his clothes (to little avail). At least the body suits worn beneath have managed to keep the group warm in the icy winds.**
Dr. Smalls - "Well, as long as we reach the elders without performing any unforgivable acts against their children I think we'll have a chance to speak."
Javert - "Oh, that's all? I feel less dead already."
**Javert glares back towards the group, the man likely considering that as close to a pleading look as he can muster.**
Olus - "I've got to say that I don't disagree on that being a less than optimal plan. Do you know of any way we can evade the crows on the way... Or were we just planning on winging it?"
When Olus said 'winging it' he might have noticed that if he looked at where Kage had been standing there was now a kage sized...crow like thing. It was more of a masquerade style costume that looked wrong with him standing upright, but then he bent forward a bit and it looked significantly less wrong. Still not a bird, but a passable facsimile of one at least. Then Kage spoke from the Crow Cat costume, "Well, I have a plan. Sort of. I have at least the beginnings of a plan. I will use this disguise, have the rot vultures carry me as high as they can, then release me so I can 'fly' in using my cloak. If Cee is ok with it, I would like for him to come with me to make bird sounds as I speak to the crows. At the very least I may confuse them long enough to dash to the elders, but hopefully they give me an audience for being so bold. As for everyone else, the safest option would probably be to hide in the Dr.'s dagger room which I then carry with me. Anyone got anything else they think would help me sell the bit?"
**Ooc note: Costume ability confirmed with MK.
MK hopes DAK won't stab him for that when he comes back. - MK
Olus looked at Kage and burst out laughing. When his rumble subsided he spoke with a hint of renewed vigor in his tome.
Olus - "So you want us to climb into a portal realm that can only be opened by you and then let you carry us while some summons carry you and you fly around cawing like a crow in hopes that they laugh at you instead of trying to kill you? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard... Let's do it!"
He grinned fiercely and slapped the Jakari on the back.
Darby, clothes tattered and slightly singed but dry, flicked all the blood and other unpleasantness off The Drakeling in one smooth motion and sheathed it again before he spoke.
"This plan has no backup whatsoever. If Kage falls under any sort of attack, he risks dropping the portal or simply dying before he can open it. I didn't fight my own worst nightmares, and then a mage monster that was somehow even WORSE, just to be trapped in an alternate dimension with the only exit controlled by evil crows."
Epic World! Because seriously! It's the awesome!
And don't forget to do your shopping at The Newe Haberdashery, the finest vendor of magic items and oddball services ... Ever!
Kage laughed a bit. "I said it was only the beginnings of a plan. Traitorios can hold the dagger. That problem solved. Also, Dr., I will need to know what it is exactly we seek to accomplish by talking to them. Since I have no idea."
Dr. Smalls - "Simply scaling the mountain range would prove problematic; there will surely be hunters looking for us along with various other traps and defenses. I have disguises for everyone but the monsters in the mountains may be serving in some official capacity - if they so much as have badges we would be hopelessly out of place."
Cee - "Aren't the crows bound to the frozen wastes? How could they fly us over?"
Dr. Smalls - "I don't think they can, but the book mentions a hidden path. That's what we want them to show us. These pins" **Hands the bone pins to Kage** " will be of use, although I'm not entirely sure how. What I do know is that we will need to be wearing them when we confront the Yu-Yu - and that we can't replace them if they are lost!"
**Javert mumbles something about being surrounded by lunatics. He does not, however, offer a more reasonable alternative.**
**Olus transforms into an owl-man, gaining numerous mighty powers! Like having huge eyes! Twisting his head around! Hooting! Okay Gliding! Talons! Feathers! Three eyelids per eye! Neat visual prowess! The inability to move his eyes!
Okay, the last one isn't a "mighty power", but the Ogofta finds that he's more than capable of moving his head to compensate.**
Dr. Smalls - "Most interesting!"
Javert - "It's a contest now. The insanity has become a contest."
"We could both try to go in. Increases the odds of not being instantly slain. So to recap, we have my crow plan, him as an owl, while everyone else either hides in the dagger or way out of sight. We get to the birds, find the elders, and then try to talk them into helping us with some secret pass to get past the mountains and these bone pins will be of some use in that. Is that about it? If it is, we should begin." Kage said addressing mostly the Dr.
**The cold, clear air rushes against the sky team's faces as they glide across the tundra. Olus, painted black by some dyes the Dr. had brought along, lags behind his associates but manages well enough. The lighter Kage takes point, the bird hidden near his chest carefully projecting “Caw, Caw” from his allies’ ‘beaks’. Cee dearly hoped he was properly mimicking the crow they'd been traveling with earlier. A fourth member of their crew, a faceless blade, hid silently between Kage’s back and his cloak. She hoped that, for once, things wouldn't take another eventful turn.
The plan had already brushed with failure - the wind had gone still in the ship graveyard. But soon after the gliders crossed the boarder into the tundra it was as though the sky itself had smiled upon them; a strong wind, thick and true, had mercifully filled their wings and even now continued to carry them towards the mountains. Why this happened is a mystery, although the massive pillars that seemed to loosely mark the boarders of the frozen waste might have been involved. The quartet hadn’t had the chance to study the pillars in detail – perhaps their allies that had decided to remain outside the boarder would be able to fill them in later (although the pillars DID look a little like that one on the farm island..)
They had little time to ponder architecture, however; hardly three minutes pass before the gliders see a small murder of various-sized crows flying in their general direction.**
Kage continues his charade in the hopes they leave him alone or tell him where to go. Unless they try to do anything to him or Olus he will continue his plan to find the elders. He also makes note that he is probably going to have to deal with more shenanigans with those pillars.
**The crows do not come any closer than about 30ft, with the larger crows (about the size of big dogs) maneuvering to keep the smaller ones from coming closer.
The smaller crows typically have two eyes, each one with a golden iris in the shape of a diamond with two triangular pupils fitted within them. A few smaller crows, and all of the larger ones, possess four eyes, the back two identical to those of the small and the front two possessing overlapping, hollowed-out triangular pupils whose iris seems to be inside the hourglass formed by the triangles. The whites of the eyes are instead beige in color, with the hourglass eyes occasionally swirling with gold in a manner reminiscent of the starry sky. The black feathers of the four eyed crows occasionally swirl with gold as well, although it is very faint.
What is not faint, however, is that four eye crows seem to be... blurry; it's as though each movement they make is instead several possible movements that only a moment later decides which one it actually was.
Also not faint is the way the crows are glaring at the duo, particularly Olus. Cee whispers (via projection) that the big ones seem to be a little afraid, or at least worried about the small ones. In this too, Olus is the main target of the emotion.
The larger crows begin to lead the flock slightly above and behind the duo, staying a few dozen feet away from the adventurers at all times as they do so.**
Kaia - Kage, Cee says we're surrounded by angry crows? If they don't lead us, or attack us, how are we going to find the elders? If the wind changes~**
There is no time travel in EW. This is not a temporal effect, hourglass eyes aside (felt I should clear that up.) Anyway, have a crappy rendition of the eyes:
KAge considered his options. If he didn't see the main flock soon, he would have to address the nearby murder. He speaks to Kaia, "Do you feel like we should ask them? I was hoping we could find the main flock before talking. As the Dr. mentioned dealing with the young ones would probably be to our detriment."
**Olus' attempts do help a little. Not much, but a little.
Kaia - <Hrm.. Cee can project his voice, so I suppose if the elders at least come to inspect us from a distance we'll have a chance to talk??
**The crows finish positioning themselves around the group - mostly high above and behind - but don't appear to be interested in acting further. If the group chooses to wait, things continue peacefully for the next two hours of gliding.**
(BP: 256)
Come on and check it out. You know you want to.
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
The upset Ogofta gathered his thrown weapon and then returned to shore.
Come on and check it out. You know you want to.
Olus - "Well it looks as if we've lost the element of surprise. If that monster was an indication of what's to come then I worry for our chances of success."
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Olus - "Well it looks as if we've lost the element of surprise. If that monster was an indication of what's to come then I worry for our chances of success."
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Dr. Smalls - "True, although the only know we reached the shore. I suspect there will be some bounty hunters looking for us in the mountain range soon enough but that shouldn't be a problem."
Cee - "What mountain range?"
Arl - "The one on the other side of the frozen wastes where the crows are bound. Remember what Dr. Smalls was talking about a few days-"
Cee - "Nope! Can you explain that again Dr.?"
**Arl sighs and returns her attention to the distant shore, mumbling that she truly hopes the monster does go back to the city - better that than it setting out to find some more mages.
Smalls, for his part, immediately delves into a lengthy rehashing of all the group knows.**
Dr.Smalls "...and then the crows were bound to the frozen wastes. Now the tricky part is going to be when we get within the territory of the half-starved passage crows."
Cee - "Are they strong?"
Dr.Smalls "Perhaps! But we can't injure a single one if we want to talk them into helping us find another way through the mountains!"
Arl - "Do passage crows talk?"
Dr.Smalls "They do not! I had Binge confirm that a few days back, as it were."
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Olus - ""How are we supposed to convince them to help us if they don't talk?"
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Javert - "Will be looking for Atryne? Atron, Asitryne, whatever. She's in some of the legends, basically the crow that took over after the Yue-Yue went evil god on them? **Smalls nods and opens his mouth only to be cut off once more** Alright, so your plan is to walk through a tundra filled with hungry magical crows - all pacifist-like - and then have whichever among us haven't been pecked to death prostrate ourselves before the biggest, most dangerous one of them all. That's your plan?"
**Javert angrily wrings some water out of his clothes (to little avail). At least the body suits worn beneath have managed to keep the group warm in the icy winds.**
Dr. Smalls - "Well, as long as we reach the elders without performing any unforgivable acts against their children I think we'll have a chance to speak."
Javert - "Oh, that's all? I feel less dead already."
**Javert glares back towards the group, the man likely considering that as close to a pleading look as he can muster.**
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Olus - "I've got to say that I don't disagree on that being a less than optimal plan. Do you know of any way we can evade the crows on the way... Or were we just planning on winging it?"
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
**Ooc note: Costume ability confirmed with MK.
MK hopes DAK won't stab him for that when he comes back. - MK
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Olus - "So you want us to climb into a portal realm that can only be opened by you and then let you carry us while some summons carry you and you fly around cawing like a crow in hopes that they laugh at you instead of trying to kill you? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard... Let's do it!"
He grinned fiercely and slapped the Jakari on the back.
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
"This plan has no backup whatsoever. If Kage falls under any sort of attack, he risks dropping the portal or simply dying before he can open it. I didn't fight my own worst nightmares, and then a mage monster that was somehow even WORSE, just to be trapped in an alternate dimension with the only exit controlled by evil crows."
Colt Wyrmbane
Olivar'Romov
Detective Taskmage
Darby, Esteemed Adventurer
Mike, the Situation
Herschell Ratliff, Merchant of Finery
Yaagh, the Pummeler
And don't forget to do your shopping at The Newe Haberdashery, the finest vendor of magic items and oddball services ... Ever!
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Cee - "Aren't the crows bound to the frozen wastes? How could they fly us over?"
Dr. Smalls - "I don't think they can, but the book mentions a hidden path. That's what we want them to show us. These pins" **Hands the bone pins to Kage** " will be of use, although I'm not entirely sure how. What I do know is that we will need to be wearing them when we confront the Yu-Yu - and that we can't replace them if they are lost!"
**Javert mumbles something about being surrounded by lunatics. He does not, however, offer a more reasonable alternative.**
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
He summoned an owl and osmosed the thing into himself.
OOC: I'll admit I'm not sure what this does exactly yet
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Okay, the last one isn't a "mighty power", but the Ogofta finds that he's more than capable of moving his head to compensate.**
Dr. Smalls - "Most interesting!"
Javert - "It's a contest now. The insanity has become a contest."
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
-----------
**The cold, clear air rushes against the sky team's faces as they glide across the tundra. Olus, painted black by some dyes the Dr. had brought along, lags behind his associates but manages well enough. The lighter Kage takes point, the bird hidden near his chest carefully projecting “Caw, Caw” from his allies’ ‘beaks’. Cee dearly hoped he was properly mimicking the crow they'd been traveling with earlier. A fourth member of their crew, a faceless blade, hid silently between Kage’s back and his cloak. She hoped that, for once, things wouldn't take another eventful turn.
The plan had already brushed with failure - the wind had gone still in the ship graveyard. But soon after the gliders crossed the boarder into the tundra it was as though the sky itself had smiled upon them; a strong wind, thick and true, had mercifully filled their wings and even now continued to carry them towards the mountains. Why this happened is a mystery, although the massive pillars that seemed to loosely mark the boarders of the frozen waste might have been involved. The quartet hadn’t had the chance to study the pillars in detail – perhaps their allies that had decided to remain outside the boarder would be able to fill them in later (although the pillars DID look a little like that one on the farm island..)
They had little time to ponder architecture, however; hardly three minutes pass before the gliders see a small murder of various-sized crows flying in their general direction.**
Damek response acquired via OOC means.
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
The smaller crows typically have two eyes, each one with a golden iris in the shape of a diamond with two triangular pupils fitted within them. A few smaller crows, and all of the larger ones, possess four eyes, the back two identical to those of the small and the front two possessing overlapping, hollowed-out triangular pupils whose iris seems to be inside the hourglass formed by the triangles. The whites of the eyes are instead beige in color, with the hourglass eyes occasionally swirling with gold in a manner reminiscent of the starry sky. The black feathers of the four eyed crows occasionally swirl with gold as well, although it is very faint.
What is not faint, however, is that four eye crows seem to be... blurry; it's as though each movement they make is instead several possible movements that only a moment later decides which one it actually was.
Also not faint is the way the crows are glaring at the duo, particularly Olus. Cee whispers (via projection) that the big ones seem to be a little afraid, or at least worried about the small ones. In this too, Olus is the main target of the emotion.
The larger crows begin to lead the flock slightly above and behind the duo, staying a few dozen feet away from the adventurers at all times as they do so.**
Kaia - Kage, Cee says we're surrounded by angry crows? If they don't lead us, or attack us, how are we going to find the elders? If the wind changes~**
There is no time travel in EW. This is not a temporal effect, hourglass eyes aside (felt I should clear that up.) Anyway, have a crappy rendition of the eyes:
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Kaia - <Hrm.. Cee can project his voice, so I suppose if the elders at least come to inspect us from a distance we'll have a chance to talk??
**The crows finish positioning themselves around the group - mostly high above and behind - but don't appear to be interested in acting further. If the group chooses to wait, things continue peacefully for the next two hours of gliding.**
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).