[Broiling Lagoon] Catch a Dragon by the Tail

[Pig Boy]

Vega examined the passages, and considered things. As it happened, Guiding Light did work. It might not have had they been in Idalos, as currently in Idalos the sun was shining most of the day, but here in Emea, they were closer to the stars, if that made sense. So it stood to reason that Guiding Light showed her the way. But which way? What was it they really were looking for. DId they want to beat the two companions to the Heart, or did they want to cut them off at the pass? Or find them as soon as possible? That was the important question.

In any event, she received clues as the stars coalesced to show her in the form of shapes, clues to what each passage meant. The first ground passage, the one that seemed most threatening, showed her a Heart shape. It seemed to indicate that that was the fastest way to the Heart. The one that sounded like rustling cloth, and smelled of Dandelions, that one showed two figures, hand in hand, with one holding their hand behind their back.

Finally, the middle path showed a spiral, with a mask and hat in the center, and three diamond shapes over it.

Having examined further her surroundings, Vega could almost be certain of the circumstances of those shapes, and what they meant. Although the middle one was a bit hard to figure perhaps, it seemed the one that was most likely to lead them in circles.

Praetorum examined lightly the gems that the cadouri showed to Arlo, and noted that they had the physical appearance of wells, but due to his meditation, he was very in tune with the flow of ether, especially having been a mage once upon a time. He couldn't sense any disturbance as such from those gems, but a more or less dead space on the surface of the gems. They were large though, larger than most valuable gems had any right to be. As they were in the middle of a Fracture in Emea, he could be sure they weren't emanating any ether at the moment, or if they were it was very different from domain ether.

Varlum meanwhile was making good speed a little ahead of the group, keeping them on the path and on task with his

efficient manner

When Praetorum released the bird with the message, it flew into the tunnel with the smell of dandelions and rustling of fabric. However, the group had an important decision to make. Would they follow that bird to find the cub, or cut them off at the pass, and beat them to the Heart? It seemed like they had a tactical advantage now that they knew more or less where they were going.

Arlo sent his diri ahead, and the most appropirate direction seemed to be in the direction opposite that which the paper bird had gone. To suss out whatever dangers lie ahead in the path closest to the Heart. Here, he would see the water was hotter, and the whistling was somewhat closer. Apparently there were more of those nimbus' of light floating about. But none were visible in the Heart path... yet.

Off Topic

0 Points for narrative and thinking things through.
0 Points for quick/brief personal reactions to others in the group.
0 Points to ask one question and, or otherwise confer/converse with anyone in the group (Tune-bound from Vega)
1 Point each to take an action undertaken in cooperation with another group member. (Tune-Bound from Vega)
1 Point each to take an action and movement undertaken in cooperation with another group member. (Tune-Bound from Vega)
2 Points for Mousechat (Upping the cost of chatting up the mice for reasons.)
2 Points to take an action alone.
2 Points to take an action and movement alone.
2 Points to examine your environment lightly.
3 Points to examine your surroundings in detail.
4 Points to each player's total for stalling (not posting at all. But congrats you all posted)

Varlum: 1 pts
Vega: 3 pts
Praetorum: 3 pts
Arlo: 4 pts

Average pace of 2 for the group this turn. Please do identify 3-5 knowledges each round you post. Also please identify the actions you're taking in subtext, for my ease of tracking your actions and also recording them. I may not agree with the exact count, but please try.

Please post in 5-7 days as always. I may post in five days or seven, so beware and post asap.

[/quote]

[Vega]

Catch A Dragon By The Tail ....

Vega grinned at Varlum. "My logic is flawless, I don't know what you mean.!" She was convinced it was, of course, but she also understood that it sounded a bit mad. But no, Prae's explanation was good and clear and she nodded her head. "That sounds great. Thanks for explainin'"

Arlo sent Lyova and Vega nodded at Prae's words.

Snuffle

appeared and Vega smiled at the small diri. "I go! I mighty dragon rawr!" Snuffle would, without question, accompany Arlo's small diri and make sure that they were reporting back. Vega grinned slightly at the exuberant little thing, but said nothing more.

She suggested a way forward but then, she used her ability and she frowned slightly then she nodded. "This way, it leads us to the heart," she said. "Middle one goes round in circles an' the other one would lead us to the cub an' their companion." She wanted to go to the cub, it had to be said, but she knew that they were heading this way and that meant that they'd meet up quickly enough. Besides, the plan that she had, it would require them to be all together.

Breathing in slightly, she said to the others, as they moved. "When we meet them," she said, " I want to show the cub that their companion doesn't give two hoots about them, " did anyone give more than one or two hoots, she wondered. Were hoots just noises or were they something else? Vega knew this was just nerves gripping her, but she allowed them their moment and she nodded. "We should keep goin," she said, determinedly. "An' beat them to the Heart. " That was, in her mind, the only thing to do. She was more than capable

of getting the most out of her environment

and she fully intended to.

So, she kept moving towards it. Because once they were there then it would be time to set up to defend and to get them to a place where - hopefully - they could show the cub that the person they were with wouldn't be loyal. Vega didn't want to kill anyone, but one of Daia's cubs? That just wasn't happening as far as she was concerned. They'd find another way - do another thing. Because that was the only acceptable answer.

So, head down she moved as fast as they could collectively move and made sure that everyone was alright as they went. The heat shouldn't bother them but, just in case. Either way, she kept dancing and playing and generally being chipper. Of course, in her case that meant that they were getting bonuses but, truth be told that was only half the reason she did it. The other half was because she knew - without a doubt - that the chipper nature of her was irritating to dweebs.

And she liked very little more than she liked irritating dweebs.

Actions:
1 point. Moving fast as we can and checking the terrain for combat advantages.

Buffs:
Invisible armour
+ 1 level to a skill (Vega's is flying so Competent -> Expert)
Bound together a-la Qylios.

[Praetorum]

Praetorum frowned, studying the gems closely. How strange—these seemed to be wells, but he could sense no ether from them, nor did they seem to be interacting with the raw emean nature of the fracture. But they also seemed larger than any normal gem. Perhaps... Prae could not shake the thought that perhaps they were being contained in some way. As if the well were in a shell, containing all the raw ether, or power, or whatever else.

He could not be certain of this, of course, but he passed on his suspicion through the bond.

Vega then told them her intention with the cub, and Prae nodded. “You have a plan on how to do that, or are you just going to go by gut?” He asked.

As for the matter of which path to take, Prae agreed with Vega. They’d been told their priority was to kill and disarm Vü-erik, but with how loud they were, there was no way they’d catch them off guard if they came up from behind. If they managed to get ahead though, they could get in position before the pair arrived.

“We should talk tactics now, then,” Prae said. “I’ve seen Vega and Varlum fight, but I don’t know about you, Arlo, or you three. Given what we were told about them, Vega should be able to take one of them—I assume you’ll want the cub—but the other… I’m fairly sure neither I or Varlum can match the other in a head on fight. But I’m better in a command and support role anyways, so I’ll support whoever of Varlum and Arlo is better with a weapon. The other will support Vega in her fight.”

Through the link, Prae sent a scribbly mental image of the four of them fighting two stick figures, while behind them, three mice scampered away with a large glowing stone in hand, followed by a questioning thought, followed by the image of a face wearing a mask and a hat. It was one way to keep the assassin and cub from the miracle stone, but the problem was, there was still the question of who had tricked the mice in the first place.

The unknown threat, in the end, might be more dangerous than the known.

[Varlum]

Varlum couldn't help but smirk at Vega's comment, before nodding his head. "I trust you" he spoke simply. A small gesture, but one he rarely said lightly. All of this adventuring was her and Arlo's thing. Varlum had only travelled from necessity, living mostly in Rharne. More often than not he ended up in places like this because he was pulled to them by Immortals or other powerful beings. Now was no different, coming here to help a Dragon, some of his own Immortals present. It meant he was quiet, offered little help in plans.

Until talk came to battle tactics.

Prae put forward his thoughts and Varlum let a small grin spread across his face. "If we had all of our magic I'd take my odds. But truth be told, without it, I have only so much. My blessings will help, my Mortalborn powers moreso. But my strongest blessing is..." he fell quiet for a moment, knowing truly that Faldrun's mark offered him the most explosive power in a fight without his magic. "It's dangerous to use in such a tight space. My options are limited if I want to keep us all safe. So I take no chances."

Truthfully, Varlum was a difficult fighter to go against - and he knew it. While others fought with sword and armor, Varlum fought with tooth, claw and explosive fury. It was akin to fighting a primal beast rather than a noble knight. Mixed with the burning flames and constant shields to protect himself and Varlum could hold his own. But surviving wasn't enough. They had to win. They had to do something smart. Something outside the box, just as Varlum's fighting style was.

"Let me take the Becomer" he glanced to them all. "If our plan is to make friends with the cub, I'm not the guy for it. I fight to kill, and I'm not exactly a friendly face to look at" he admitted. "But the Becomer's biggest strength is the unknown, we don't know what he's capable of, what he can do. Ethelynda protects me from almost anything, and Ralaith has some tricks of his own. Even Faldrun, as much as it pains me to admit it, can give me an edge."

His eyes eventually fell to Vega, who admittedly was the opinion he sought now. "It let me kill Kata, even after she took the power of four Immortals. Trust in me to make it work now."

Whatever the group decided to do Varlum would follow along, ensuring they maintained speed. Now wasn't the time to wait. Even if talking tactics was an idea they could do it on the move. The heat was far from a problem to him, in part to his Defiance and his mark of Faldrun. But if the others needed the extra support there were things he could do about it. Until that moment, however, he would remain focused on moving forward - waiting to see what others thought of his point.

Off Topic

1 point for discussing tactics (I think)
2 points for getting moving!

[Pig Boy]

Vü-erik & Ban Azîr

Off Topic

Not a mod post, just an update on the antagonists of this thread Post as you were

The bird found its way to the cub, as intended, eventually flitting its way through the air and to the hands of Ban Azîr, who was wading through the lagoon alongside Vü-erik. The two sloshed their way through the knee to hip-deep mire of the waters, wary of any potential gathering nimbus' of boiling death. When the bird floated into his hand, he unfolded it, and read the message. His eyes went wide, and then narrowed, and finally he spat to the side. Then he handed the note to Vü-erik. "Brother, read this. We're being pursued."

Vü-erik read the note, and then had a quite different reaction than his friend. "Oh... Well then. We'd best make haste I think if we're to find the Miracle Stone."

So saying, he effortlessly, without making a sound shifted from his self-totem, into a large golden salamander. Larger than any ordinary Golden Salamander had a right to be. It was in fact a gestalt of a Sonipa monitor from Desnind, using the golden salamander's resistance to fire and heat as a way of combating the Sonipa's vulnerability to it.

He was large enough to ride even. Ban looked over the monitor, and gasped. "Neat trick that. Why didn't you think to transform earlier, so we wouldn't have to wade through this muck?"

The reptile hissed in amusement, "Because. I had to take my time to find the final piece of the puzzle, but it looks as if it'll fall right into my lap as we arrive." He muttered, and then snickered in his human voice. "Now, get on, we have some time to make up."

Having said this, and the cub acqueiscing, Ban mounted the large lizard, and began making speed through the tunnels, searching for the Heart.

[Arlo Creede]

Snuflle and Lyova would get on just fine, Arlo figured, and between them they'd get the job done. He'd missed his small diri friend, and as for the diri Cara, they'd hardly had the time to become well acquainted just yet. But as expected, Lyova was quick to relay back to him what she observed through the connection they shared, which he was quick to quietly share with the others. "The water is hotter up ahead," he said, gesturing in the direction that Lyova had gone. "The whistling sound is closer, louder I presume, from her position. More floating lights, but not in the heart path." Yet, anyway.

So, choices. There was no point in going round in circles. Vega was fixed on the idea of catching up with the cub. But it appeared that the way to one, the cub or the heart, was a path that would most likely lead them to both. Therefore Arlo was content to go along with the rest on that point. Of course he also knew that she was firm on the idea of not killing the cub. As for himself, he'd prefer to avoid it if at all possible. Time and circumstance would tell if that was the case.

Her idea seemed to revolve around the concept of divide and conquer. It was a sound tactic proven to work time and again, and just might in this case. So they moved on, and while they did Arlo took the opportunity to remove what he needed from his domain sack so that he could sufficiently arm and prepare himself for whatever lay ahead. When Prae asked about fighting skills and styles, Arlo shared, "A mix of master and grand master proficiency in acrobatics, short bow, blades, unarmed..." The mental image meanwhile, was useful and a good plan so far as he was concerned. And with each of them combined, including the cadouri, they were a force of their own to contend with.

Off Topic

2 points for kitting himself oout
1 point for moving along as part of the group
1 point for sharing Lyova's report
1 point for sharing skills and proficiency

[Pig Boy]

And so, the team decided not to waste much more time but shared strategy among themselves and walked the path that led the straightest line to the Heart, or so it seemed. The Mice were uncharacteristically quiet, perhaps knowing that they were on the verge of wearing out their welcome. Still, they appeared alert enough, watching with bated breath as every fathom traversed jetted by on the back of the Dragonling.

There were things in the chamber with them. Objects, trinkets, and other things that were potentially of interest if they stopped to gather them. There was a wooden walking stick covered with leaves, which seemed oddly appropriate to the Hot Cycle growth. This was found lying on the first shelt, nearest to the entrance to the tunnel they were traversing. The heat seemed more oppressive as they moved inward, not just the heat however, but the humidity.

On another column, a single solitary gem of amber, specifically with an inclusion of a winged spider preserved in its petrified mass. The spider had the appearance of a lunar spider.

At the bottom of the Lagoon, knee-deep beneath the waters, was a short steel dagger with one edge notched like a key. Finally, at the very extreme of the straight tunnel they were traversing, a pint tankard with what looked like a rolled up parchment inside of it.

Whether they decided to clamber after these items as they went or not, would surely slow them down. But who knew if any of them might be useful somehow? Perhaps only Ralaith knew?

Whatever they decided, they could make speed with little else to do, as the tunnel grew narrow at its extreme end, at the bend.

Off Topic

0 Points for narrative and thinking things through.
0 Points for quick/brief personal reactions to others in the group.
0 Points to ask one question and, or otherwise confer/converse with anyone in the group (Tune-bound from Vega)
1 Point each to take an action undertaken in cooperation with another group member. (Tune-Bound from Vega)
1 Point each to take an action and movement undertaken in cooperation with another group member. (Tune-Bound from Vega)
2 Points for Mousechat (Upping the cost of chatting up the mice for reasons.)
2 Points to take an action alone or pick up something that is in the area.
2 Points to take an action or pick up something that is in the area, and move.
2 Points to examine your environment lightly.
3 Points to examine your surroundings in detail.
4 Points to each player's total for stalling (not posting at all. But congrats you all posted)

Varlum: 1 pts
Vega: 1 pts
Praetorum: 3 pts
Arlo: 5 pts

Average pace of 3 for the group this turn. Please do identify 3-5 knowledges each round you post. Also please identify the actions you're taking in subtext, for my ease of tracking your actions and also recording them. I may not agree with the exact count, but please try. If you forget to track your actions I will auto-add 3 points in addition to any other appropriately accoutned actions.

Currently you're ahead of the race by 14 half-bits. Should the counter reach 0 or below, your opponents will have beaten you to the Heart. 3-4 more moves before you reach the Heart.

Please post in 5-7 days as always. I may post in five days or seven, so beware and post asap.

[Arlo Creede]

So they had a tentative plan. And from Arlo's perspective, it felt like a very good one. Assuming, that was, that something didn't come along to turn even the best laid plans on their head, along with upside down and inside out; thus rendering all of it moot. Considering the potential level of trickery involved, he wasn't inclined to rely too much on plans and likelihoods to get them through.

Ever vigilant as they went, Arlo continued to scan and study their surroundings, hoping to avoid any extra surprises. The extra vigilance allowed him to catch sight of a number of objects along the way, most of which sparked a bit of interest. But it was only at the last that he leaned a bit over in his seat to snag the tankard with the parchment inside it. A pint, somehow it made him think of his Immortal father, and Cassion's liking for good drink. Either way, he unrolled the note and had a quick look, having it in mind to share whatever message was there with Vega and the rest of his fellow travelers. Maybe. Depended, he guessed.

Finally, he reached out to Lyova again, wondering if anything up ahead had changed and if there was anything new to report.

Off Topic

2 Picked up the tankard
3 read the note
1 reached out to Lyova
1 scanned their surroundings

Total: 6 Points of Action

► Show Spoiler

ooc: my apologies for the shorter than the norm post (and for using too many points). Juggling rl curve balls at the moment.

[Vega]

Catch A Dragon By The Tail ....

She couldn't help but get the feeling that time was important.

There was a place they had to get to, and along the way there were things. Things which, perhaps, would be important. She didn't know. They felt like unnecessary things to her - things which didn't matter. But then, things never really had mattered to her and what did matter to her was that time really felt like it was important. Stopping and picking up the items would interrupt their .....

rhythm

Vega smiled slightly and she lifted herself up, slightly away from the rest of them.

"Pick up one thing each, I can speed you up,"

she said and that was what she did. Using her mortalborn ability which allowed her to speed up three people, she used her tempo ability ~ she was already playing the fiddle so it made no difference to what she did - and it would speed up Arlo, Prae and Varlum by a full 50%. If they grabbed an item each - that would mean that they could do so and not slow them down at all.

That, to her, made sense. For her part, though, Vega concentrated on keeping herself apace with them by virtue of NOT picking anything up. She figured that might work and so she moved. Since Arlo was on Martha she hoped that he'd be able to keep moving while he read the note, but it gave him time to retrieve the tankard. She couldn't help but smile at that, because of all the items it was the one that interested her most - though she would have walked past it. Not because she wasn't interested in it, because she was.

Because she was sure - really sure - that time was important.

Actions:
1 point. Action and movement in collaboration (use ability + move)

Buffs:
Invisible armour
+ 1 level to a skill (Vega's is flying so Competent -> Expert)
Bound together a-la Qylios.

[Praetorum]

Arlo and Varlum shared their thoughts on tactics, and Prae nodded. If that was the case… “Then I think Arlo and Varlum should take the assassin, and Vega and I will take the cub. Varlum, do what you do best, but Arlo, I want you to focus on keeping him occupied more than killing him, if it comes down to it. The most important thing is to keep him from the stone, until Vega convinces the cub and we can join the fight with you.”

Prae thought for a moment, and turned to the mice. “When the battle starts, there will be at least two exits, since our two groups are going along different paths. You three and Martha will take this path back the way we came, and come back… let’s say two rooms before the heart. That way you’re far enough to run if someone does come after you, but there is less risk of charging directly into the wisp. We’ll keep Martha updated through the bond, so if she starts running, hang on tight.

Vega, when the battle starts, let’s try to move it in front of the entrance we came from, to block the assassin from trying to break out of the fight and chase after them. I doubt the cub will be able to escape a fight with the two of us, but becomers are tricky, and a powerful one is much more capable of taking a wound, maybe even sacrificing a limb or totem to get out of a tricky situation.

How does that sound?”

With that out of the way, Prae turned his attention to the objects they were passing by. One in particular caught his eye, and he unwound his tail from his waist, and dipped it into the water to snag the knife key. He wasn’t sure if it would be any use at all, but at least its use would hopefully be obvious if it was.

Off Topic

0 points to talk
2 points to grab the knife-key