Hard Landing

Aylstra Illianniis · Post by **Aylstra Illianniis** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:24 am

The bard gives the other two an odd look. "Who said anything about fighting gods? Are you people daft?! Only the most powerful or foolish- same thing, in my humble opinion, mind- would challenge a god."

"In any case," he continues, "What was it you wanted me to repeat, Ven?" He thinks for a moment. "Surely you don't mean the 'dalSeroth' or whatever of YOUR world don't practice 'culling the herd' by internecine mass-homicide? It's just plain business as usual for most of our kind- at least on every world I've heard of."

Xaraphim · Post by **Xaraphim** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:04 am

His ears are ringing at the mention of casual slaughter--it's one thing for one's brothers-in-arms to engage in glorious, pitched combat--but an entire [i:202gnk46]race[/i:202gnk46] constantly killing their own? His mind simply was not designed to accept the concept, much like a normal man cannot comprehend a mountain suddenly growing an impossibly large mouth and strike up a conversation with him.

"Th--there have been traitors to our kind in the past..." he stammers, slowly gaining his footing even as his knees threaten to buckle. "Very few. Sometimes there are rare genetic anomalies that are missed and aren't corrected. And there's the small percent of Serothans born with Skavrin's Disease, but..."

He shakes his head.

"You mean to tell me that all the dal'Seroth on this world are ravening, genocidal psychopaths?"

He blinks, then looks to Elwyn and Gareth, as if noticing them for the first time after emerging from an unpleasant dream.

"Gods? I suppose that the dal were gods of a sort, yes. They came to Tethmir and lived amongst the creatures of flesh for a time. Only four of them made living beings of their own, however. Seroth made his children last, after observing the work of his kin."

He steps a few paces to a nearby log and sits heavily, hugging his upper arms without noticing, desperately trying to think of something else than the portrait of madness that his mind keeps insisting on painting for him.

NathreeDe'Shezbron · Post by **NathreeDe'Shezbron** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:22 am

Elwyn shrugged, "Yes, unfortunately, fortunately they make great assassins and soldiers," He pulled out another, slightly smaller scroll, and threw it into the air. It opened in a cloud of smoke, and when the smoke cleared, it showed a crouching drow, clothed in a tattered black cloak, the handles of twin rapiers just visible under his cloak, "This one was a particular pain to collect this one." He said, showing a scar that led down his neck to his chest, "Those rapiers are deadly in the right hands."

Gareth Ravenmantle · Post by **Gareth Ravenmantle** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 3:48 pm

"I say, That face looks strikingly familiar... It looks like the drow that destroyed my camp while i was out."

NathreeDe'Shezbron · Post by **NathreeDe'Shezbron** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 5:15 pm

Elwyn looked at his puppet, "Really? Interesting, well then, I suppose that is possible, though unlikely, he was a member of a House when I collected him. The women there laughed at him when he died, I was surprised to have been allowed to live."

Gareth Ravenmantle · Post by **Gareth Ravenmantle** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:17 pm

"Why would you want a pathetic puppet like that? Or is he your punching bag?"

Aylstra Illianniis · Post by **Aylstra Illianniis** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:48 pm

The bard goes over to sit by the clearly disturbed Ven. "Not all of us are like that, you know. Only the ones who follow evil gods. Which, admittedly, is most of them. But there are some- only a few, mind you, but some- who follow the Dark Maiden, and are of kind and noble heart, and who seek to lead our kind back to the path of light. I am one of those. It's sad, really that so many have turned to depravity and slaughter. They understand so little of what life is that way. And there are a few who serve other "good" gods, even holy knights. I suppose all of this must be a bit overwhelming to you, But here on the surface, most of the 'dalSeroth' you find are probably Eilistraeeans like me. Or maybe Vaeraunians, but I've heard of at least one who follows the goddess Meilikki.

NathreeDe'Shezbron · Post by **NathreeDe'Shezbron** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:28 pm

Elwyn smiled, "Oh, you may find him slightly more challenging now, he is hardly living any more." He pulled out another scroll, and from that appeared a small halfling, "I usually use these two together, and I assure you, the halfling is the more dangerous of the two."

Aylstra Illianniis · Post by **Aylstra Illianniis** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:34 pm

The bard looks up and cocks one thin white brow. "A dangerous halfling? Aren't they all? One can never be sure what the little fellows are up to, and what sort of mischief or trouble will come of it. Then again, I've always been a bit mischievous myself, so I suppose that's why I find them so amusing. But I'd never turn my back on one- the last time I did, I lost every copper I had!"

NathreeDe'Shezbron · Post by **NathreeDe'Shezbron** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:38 am

Elwyn nodded, "Its not your back you need to watch, more like any holes in your armor." He waved at the halfling, and the puppet's hands exploded into an array of needles, each dripping with a strange dark purple liquid, "This poison is one of scores stored within this puppet's body. Not all are lethal, mind, but most are."

Gareth Ravenmantle · Post by **Gareth Ravenmantle** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:33 pm

"Heh, I guess you could just cut the hands off... Easier said then done mind you...."

NathreeDe'Shezbron · Post by **NathreeDe'Shezbron** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:55 pm

Elwyn nodded, "True, I would say impossible. They are made for speed, and if the hands are cut, adamantine wire connects them, nearly impossible to cut."

Aylstra Illianniis · Post by **Aylstra Illianniis** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:09 am

The bard snickers. "Guess it's a good thing I don't WEAR armor, and that my blades are enchanted to cut almost anything! Not that I'd want to mess with your little friends, mind."

He gives Elwyn an odd look, as if suddenly thinking of something. "No offence, but did you not have any toys growing up? I was just wondering at this strange obsession of yours with 'dolls'."

Xaraphim · Post by **Xaraphim** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 2:29 am

He looks up at the odd assortment of "puppets," a blank expression on his face. It seems that with each passing moment this world seems to toss another piece of insanity his way.

He draws a breath and closes his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself. He has seen worse, [i:10t8ur8e]much[/i:10t8ur8e] worse; it's just the sheer alien nature of this world that seems to be eating at him.

Finally he stands, pointedly ignoring what he's almost certain to be the reanimated remains of some sort of tier-3 tech level Serothan and either a human child or a halfling.

"Well, seeing as how there is no more immediate threat, I beleive I should continue with my objectives."

He looks to Lothiir, then Elwynn.

"You are a dal'Seroth, so you may know something about this, and you," he says with a nod to Elwyn, "seem to possess some amount of arcanology, so you may know as well."

A brief flutter of fingers over his wrist computer brings up a holograph of a small blue trinket. It looks like a pair of vivid azure teardrops joined together at the concave to form an irregular ball.

"I have reason to believe that this artifact lies somewhere on this world, and my primary goal is to find it. If you, or anyone you know of might have information regarding it I would be more than grateful, as would all of my kin, I'm sure."

He then looks to Gareth as well. The ranger doesn't seem like one who might know about obscure relics, but Ven is quickly learning to not look anything on this world at face value.

OOC: PM me if your character would know anything about the object. You can either freeform it, or if you want to use the dice then it's a Knowledge (Arcana) check with Knowledge (History, The Planes, Nature and Religion) as synergy bonuses. The DC is 30 to get all the information, but a lower check will yield at least a few tidbits.

NathreeDe'Shezbron · Post by **NathreeDe'Shezbron** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 5:02 am

OOC: Lol, Elwyn only knows lightning and alchemy... So his bonus to Arcana is like... +3 from intelligence... cnt roll a 27 on a 20 sided dice

IC: Elwyn looked at the display, "I have never seen this relic, to be honest with you, I am not one much for arcanology, all I know is if you put a lightning bolt into a special crystal, puppets don't lose energy as quickly, and I have used some oils and runes that I have found resistant to my lightning bolts to make Gurguch a walking fortress, but that is about it." He turned to Lothir, "Do you know anything of this?"