[ We find Our Heroes in the mountains! No, not those mountains. The other ones. ] [ Like I said. THE MOUNTAINS! Currently, they're even at a pretty little mountain stream with a barely-walkable path around one side. If you go to the edge, you can see Urik below; you can get down there via a formation of rock that looks bizarrely like a natural limestone staircase. But first, you may want to figure out some things. ] [ Like, say, how is Sei gonna keep from being noticed, and how is Ethan gonna keep from getting hitched. Session start! ] * Sei sighs happily, looking at the scenery. * Ada walks along, humming to herself. She succeeds in not falling into the steam, which is nice. * Ethan refills his waterskin with one hand while downing a glass of juice with the other. Don't ask why. You don't want an answer. [ It is nice scenery, really. Whereas the land just to the west of the mountains is just shy of a desert, the land on this side is full of tall green grass and abundant forests. This being urik, there are also watchtowers and forts all over the place. ] * Ada glances at Sei. "Hmm." Hmm? How are you at illusions? Ah, home sweet home. I really hope I knocked Sadira in the other direction. * Ada snickers. "I don't recall." Well, I could hold a very simple illusion, but little more. I don't have any spells for them. * Ethan finishes his refilling and juiceing, and puts away his waterskin. "Well, I don't see how she'd know we were headed this way. Which means, short of bumping into my old man, or a bandit camp, we should be in for a fairly uneventful trip." * Sei grins. "The likelihood of that being...?" Hmm? Illusion? Whaddya nee- oh yeah. Elf in the human lands. * Ethan shrugs at Sei. "Slim to none? But a guy can always hope, ne?" * Sei nods. Fortunately, you're short for an elf. We could pass you as a tall human. Just change your ears, and maybe your facial features a little. Hmm... Or wear a hat! * Ada snickers. "Or that." That, or I could pretend to be an insane Elvish bard that you took pity on. I can make really *bad* rhymes about trees. A big hat... with 'Not An Elf; Just An Unusual Human' written on it. How about not. * Sei nods. * Ethan shakes his head at Sei. "Prolly best if nobody recognizes you as an elf." He then mock-pouts at Ada. * Ada rolls her eyes and keeps walking. * Sei considers. "I'd agree a mild illusion is probably the best thing." * Ethan follows along. "We really shouldn't run into any problems, though... patrols don't really bother random travelers, and it's not like I'm a wanted man or anything." ( As he says that, you pass a sign reading "WANTED for desertion: Ethan Swordbreaker." ) ( Kidding. ) (Sei won't pull an Amelia and switch sides.) (Really.) I hope so. ... nonetheless, a low profile would be a good thing. * Sei nods. "Very." * Ethan nods sagely. "It's a good thing that I'm an expert at blending in and not calling attention to mys- aww crap." * Ada looks vaguely amused. "Don't tell me you need an- what?" * Sei peers. I just realized that I suck at blending in and not calling attention to myself. *grins* Yes. You do, Ethan. * Ada nods. * Ethan shrugs. "Well, if need be, I can just shut up... for up to three minutes at a time, even." Four if I'm really in a bind. ( Ethan claims he can not talk for four minutes. Place your bets now, ladies and gentlemen. ) ($0) (Can I bet against?) ( Ada> You're expected to, really. ) (Excellent.) You'll need to do better than that. * Ethan waves an arm across the horizon. "So yeah. This is my homeland. Urik, home of the best damn human fighters anywhere. And several of the oddest." * Sei nods. * Ada rubs at the back of her neck. "If you're any indication, definitely." Hey, I'm not *that* odd. I don't fight using two dead chickens tied together with a length of chain. Oh, my. [ You reach the base of the steps! Yay for you! About thirty feet ahead you can see a dirt road with a sign on the far side. ] It would be stranger with live chickens. * Ada wrinkles her nose at that. * Ada walks on over to take a look at the sign. * Sei goes to look, as well. [The sign says (in the native tongue of Urik, which is called 'Urika')] * Ethan follows along, twirling his glaive. (So I can't read it? Cool!) [ <---- North to: Fort Urik, Fort Pain, Fort Durability, Fort Bulwark. ] (What language family is it? ^_^) [ South to: Fort Slaughter, Fort Highwall, Fort Fortitude. ] Ah, good ol' Fort Slaughter... I remember taking a vacation there when I was a kid. Sounds like a great destination. s'got a subtle charm to it. [ A third sign reads; <---- North past Fort Bulwark to Dark Foreboding Forest. ] * Ada peers at the sign, then sighs. "You're going to have to teach me how to read this, Ethan." * Sei looks at the sign, considering the words for a second. "Let me guess...lots of bandits in this forest?" ... always meant to ask our resident historian back home who named that forest "Dark Foreboding Forest". I mean, geez. It's not actually dark and foreboding, I hope. [ Oh, it is. ] [ All good fairytale forests are dark and foreboding. ] Very dark. Fairly foreboding. * Ethan reads the signs to Ada, trying his best to point out the differences between the standard human written language and Urika. Then it's accurate enough. * Ada tilts her head as she works that out. (I dunno. Ada knows Elnohfec, not any standard human. ^^) * Sei is actually taking notes. (If there is a standard human, it'd be in the Eastern Kingdoms, which she's had no access to.) Urika's a pretty simple dialect, I think... s'meant to be brief and to the point. Not surprising. But any language is difficult to master. * Sei nods. In any case, teach me on the way. We're heading north? Oh, and no bandits in the forest, Sei... too scary. Too scary for bandits? This should be interesting. * Ada grins. "Yes. It should." (Sei clings to Ada. "Kowai yo!") (*smack*) (Ow.) * Ethan nods somewhat hesitantly at Ada. "Dunno how good a language teacher I am, but I'll give it a shot." [ Later, after skirting Fort Bulwark and proceeding north for Some Time, our heroes reach... The Dark and Foreboding Forests! ] ... so yeah. That's the basic gist of Urika. A written language with thirty-six separate ways to write "flanking maneuver", but only one for "cuddle". * Sei grins, and is taking notes. [ The forest does indeed seem dark and foreboding. Strange noises come from it every now and then, and a chill breeze seems to permeate the area. The bark is a darker shade of brown, the leaves a darker shade of green. On top of that, the whole theme seems a tad... tugley. ] (Tugley?) * Ada tries to figure that out. "But really. Thirty-six? Why do you need so many?" ( Tugley. It is a tugley wood. ) I have no clue whatsoever. (... Oh dear. ^^) ( ^^ ) * Sei considers. "Do you have some example sentences?" Each has a slightly different connotation, and different contexts when it's supposed to be used... but really, only a couple are really ever used. Ahh. Interesting. * Ada peers at the wood, then walks forward and in. * Sei follows. It doesn't look too bad. s'a pain in the ass when you have to learn all thirty-six, though. Yow, I'll bet. [ The dirt road meanders into the woods underneath the boughs of a pair of great old oaks, whose drooping branches seem to form the shape of an evilly grinning mouth, with the road as tongue. ] Well, I will say this for whoever named this place. It's certainly aptly named, if not very creatively. * Ada nods. "I'll give him that." * Sei nods. [For the first few minutes, your trip through the forest is uneventful. Yawn, inhuman wails. Eh, pile of skulls. Nothing really interesting.] And it could be worse. Coulda named it 'The Creepy Forest of Impending Doom'. I have to wonder where they got the skulls. ( Or 'The Dark Forest of One Billion Painful Deaths'. ) * Ada frowns. "Besides, 'creepy' is a weak word for impending doom. How about ominous?" Ooh, skulls. Nice touch, that. * Sei nods. "Looks like a collection of various ages." [ Soon, however, you cross a stream. Not a particularly deadly one, mind, but once on the other side, you hear a strange sound. A low, seemingly omnipresent burbling that echoes throught the wood for but seconds before fading. ] 'The Forest of Vaguely Disturbing Sounds' would work, too. * Sei nods. * Ada blinks, looking around. [ You see nothing but dark, ominous wood. ] Would this be a bad time to mention the legends that talk about a ridiculously-named beast which lives in the forest and cannot be harmed by normal weapons? [ Probably, yeah. ] Sounds interesting. Not mentioning it at all would be worse. * Ada opens her pack and pulls out that hilt before seeing about crossing the stream. Name was... what was it... ah yeah. Jabberwock. Hmm... (Nothing like the classics.) ( What can I say? I love that poem. ) Not to be confused with 'Jabberwocky', which is a Urikian desert made from chilled berries and cow tongue. Fascinating. ( ...ew. ) O-kay. * Ethan shivers. "Rest assured I will *never* be summoning that particular dish with Pantryfiller." That sounds disgusting. How can your people eat it? Not many do. Apparently used to be popular a long time ago... nowadays, it's just something parents threaten their kids with. * Sei grins. There are lots of dishes like that. * Ethan shrugs. "It was supposed to toughen soldiers up. If they could keep that down, nothing they'd see on the battlefield could possibly affect them." ( "For example, back in my kingdom we have 'The Sprouts of the Brussel.' Deadly stuff, that." ) [ ...have you crossed the stream yet? ] (Have you given us a way to? I was looking for a way, but you never said anything about the size of the stream or anything. ;P) [ Streams, generally, aren't more than a foot or three across, I think. ^^; This one is also easily shallow enough to walk across, if you don't mind getting your boots wet. ] * Sei shrugs, and heads across the stream. * Ethan crosses the stream, then! * Ada does, too! But yeah. Jabberwock. Dunno if it exists, but... heck, there's gotta be some reason why people stay outta this place, other than the less-than-cheery ambiance. I don't know. I thought the skulls and eerie wails were a homey touch. * Sei nods. [Across the stream galumph Our Heroes! And the burbling echoes again.] Don't forget the burbling. Every home needs a random burble, ne? That's just ostentatious, I think. [Everyone make hearing rolls. ...as soon as I summon some dice. ] 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6) and gets 4. 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6-4) and gets 7. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-2) and gets 5. [ Ada and Ethan both notice a whiffling sound, sort of like the 'whoosh' made by something moving a lot of air but much bigger, and somewhat lower. ] * Ada tries to determine where it's coming from. * Sei looks at Ada. "Problem?" This... isn't a wail. * Ethan keeps twirling his glaive, not missing a beat. "Something big. Moving pretty fast, it sounds like." Maybe the monster Ethan was talking about. * Sei draws his sword, and starts looking around. * Ethan grins bemusedly back at the others. "I don't think I need to remind you guys of our merry little band's usual combat plan, right?" * Ada smirks. "Destroy anything that moves?" While singing? So long as it's not Ethan singing. [ Suddenly, a massive form becomes apparent amidst the trees! It has a long, sinuous neck with a many-horned head, large wings, and eyes of flame! It has teeth that bite and claws that catch! And it's WHIFFLING RIGHT YOUR WAY! ] ... that works too. I was more referring to "Let Ethan engage it in melee and occupy its attention while the extremely talented, albeit less used to getting bludgeoned, mages roast it from WOAH!" (It's comin' right for us!) ... * Ethan falls into a ready stance, and clears his throat. "... from a distance. Yeah, that's it. Wow, them's some sharp lookin' teeth." ( Define 'massive' ) [ Oh, I'd say it's about fifty feet, head to tail. Not friendly- looking, either. In fact, it attempts to eat Ethan on the spot. ] (Oy.) [ Ethan needs melee defense - teeth that bite. Also you all need to roll init! XD ] * Ada widens her eyes and steps back. "I think it's engaging you!" * Sei gets way the heck back. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 4. Screw that! I've got enough engagements as is! *dodges* [ Ethan dodges, managing not to get bitten in half! INIT. NOW. ] d6+8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (d6+8) and gets 12. d6+5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (d6+5) and gets 10. We're not tasty! d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (d6+7) and gets 13. Speak for yourself, Sei. I'm positively delicious! [ Init: Ada, Ethan, Sei, Jabberwock! ] Not that you'll ever find out for yourself, ya big ugly pointy-toothed goober! *sticks his tongue out at the big thingee* Ethan, you're insane. And dodge right! [ The Jabberwock roars at Ethan, exposing no less than four rows of teeth. ] * Ada slams her hand on the ground. "Fissure!" 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 6. ( "Hey lion! You call that mauling a Christian?! My GRANDMA could maul a Christian better than that! ) [ Sadly, the Jabberwock is flying when Ada does that. However, her spell does cause one of the massive oaks to collapse over onto the beast, which it doesn't seem to appreciate, from the retaliatory mauling it delivers to the poor plant. ] (Next time, TELL me.) ( Next time, wait for me to. ^^; ) (You finished descrip and gave order. ^^;) [ You can now see the thing more clearly, and you notice that in addition to the long tail, it also sports not one, not two, but four pairs of claws that catch. Yikes. ] [ Go, Ethan! ] (Go, Ethan! Make a jabberwock.sandwich!) (That would be a very big sandwich.) ( :p ) ( Checking with GM on stuff... will act ASAP. ^_^;; ) * Ethan eyes some of the trees, looking for a way to get at the beastie... but doesn't see a good, clear path. So he decides to hang back and defend, trying to keep himself between it and the others and waiting for it to come on down. [Holding action until it comes lower or my next turn, whichever comes first =P] [ Go, Sei! ] (Does it have wings?) ( Yes. The wings, it turns out, are the source of the whiffling. ) Oh, sure! Hang up there and fly, ya coward! C'mon down here and fight like a huge, multi-horned, clawed, winged man! * Sei grabs his ring, and points a hand at the beast. "Dam Brass!" 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6-3) and gets 6. (Oh YEAH. ^_^) * Ethan blinks. "That made no sense... okay, mulligan." *clears throat* "Hey, ugly! Your momma eats sickly goats!" [ *That* seems to catch it's attention. The lofty Jabberwock seems insulted that you'd so much as compare it to a lowly Chupacabra, much less call it one. ] ( ^_^_v ) [ Which leaves it off-guard for Sei's blast, which hits it dead-on! POW! For all the good it does. ] [ The Jabberwock swoops down to attack Sei! Sei needs a melee defense - claws that catch roll! ] 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6-2) and gets 9. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. * Ethan whacks the claw aside with the blunt end of his glaive as it grabs for Sei. "Aww, you didn't like that, didja? Ya goat-sucking weenie! I bet you can't even terrorize flocks of sheep!" * Sei grins. "Thanks, Ethan." ( Permission to take held action, cap'n! ) ( Granted. ) * Ethan grins at Sei as he crouches and leaps up onto the swooping Jabberwock, landing on one of its wings. He quickly runs across it, hacking at it has he goes, then running across its back to its other wing, and hacking at *that* as he jumps off before the thing gets too much altitude. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 1. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 2. ( Did you know that, in Spanish, Chupacabra literally means 'goat sucker'? =P ) (Yup, I did.) ( I figured it was 'goat eater', but whatever. ;P ) [ Ethan attacks, cutting two gashes in the Jabberwock's sides! It burbles in pain and rage! Go, Ada! ] * Ada stands and grips the hilt in one hand, the nearly solid blue flame coming to life from it. With her other hand, she gestures towards the monster's right wing. "Lightning Strike!" 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 4. Ooh, big tough monster can't handle getting stabbed twice with a Great Weapon? *blinks* Actually, that's pretty understandable... YA PANSY! ( As you can tell, I'm having way too much fun with this. =P ) [ Ada's ligtning stike, uh, strikes! It cuts a sizeable hole in one of the wings, but the Jabberwock remains airborne! ] [ Go, Ethan! ] * Ethan blinks. "How the hell are you flying with both wings hacked and one fried? You suck, you logic-defying clod!" [Same hold action] (...) [ Go, Sei! ] * Sei stands back, since there's not much he can do to help at this point. [ The Jabberwock attacks Ethan! A LOT! Ethan needs melee defense! ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 4. [ And another! ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 5. [ Ethan manages not to get mauled! And he can use his held turn now, if he likes. ] * Ethan jumps on again, this time taking two hacks at it's non-fried wing. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 2. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 8. [ Ethan strikes the Jabberwock once! It roars, and retaliates! ] [ Ethan needs a melee defense! ] ( +1 penalty this time? ) ( Yup. ) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-2) and gets 9. [ Ouch. Ethan gets to' UP. ] ( ... huh? ) ( Ah. Tore up. ) ( Would help if you'd specify what manner of attack it was using. ^_~ ) [ The jabberwock mauls Ethan with it's many claws. Happy? ;P ] ( yes, actually. Now I can accurately describe! ) (MANLY! claws?) ( Nope. They're jabberwockly claws. ) (Oh, that reminds me. There is a *huge* floor ad in the local supermarket for a new detergent. The slogan is "THE POWER OF PINK!". I am taking a camera next time we go there.) * Ethan bleeds profusely, and coughs up some blood. "Ow, fuck... you call that a mauling? I've coughed up more blood from some really strong hot sauce going down the wrong pipe! ... ow fuck..." * Sei blinks. "Nasty." * Ada grimaces. [ The Jabberwock gives Ethan a 'you lying little speck' look. ] [ And then it's Ada's turn! ] (Y'know, it's times like this that I wish I had taken a few levels of Animal Friendship and Animal Training.) * Ada gestures to the same wing she hit before. "Again. Lightning Strike!" 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 4. ( " ("Say hello to my little friend.") ( "Jabberwocky, I choose you!" ) [ Ada pokes a new hole in the wing! The Jabberwock burbles, falls, and... ] (Crushes Sei. So sorry.) [ ...sinks right through the ground, leaving absolutely no mark of its passing. ] * Sei whistles. [ Awareness checks. ] 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6-4) and gets 6. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6) and gets 7. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-2) and gets 7. ... okay. That was pretty nifty... ya twit! * Ethan holds a hand over the nastiest of his torso wounds. * Sei hurries over to Ethan. [ Ada and Sei turn just in time to see the tree that Ada knocked over, and that the Jabberwock tore to shreds, finish rising back into place, looking like nothing had happened. ] * Ada blinks. "... I'm beginning to hate this forest." Yes. That's not good. * Sei casts Cure on Ethan. [ Ethan heals some! But he still looks pretty hurt. ] * Sei starts on Recovery, a slower spell. "Damn, that was a strong attack." ... okay, I'm gonna defer to you magic types as I ask what the hell just happened to the big monster with the pointy claws? * Ethan winces. "You ain't kiddin'..." It sank into the ground. As long as it doesn't come back... I wouldn't count on it. As soon as you're finished, we're going to move again. * Sei nods. "Give it a few minutes." * Ethan winces s'more. "Well, at least my brilliant stratagem worked." * Ada folds her arms as she waits, the flaming 'blade' winking out of existence before it can hurt her. After the one swipe at Sei, it didn't even pay attention to you guys. *grins widely* * Sei smiles. "Thanks." [ Ethan has now recovered. ] * Sei drops the spell. "Shall we move?" * Ethan stretches. "Good as new. And lets." * Ada nods and heads in the direction they were going, giving that tree another glance. * Sei follows. [ And so Our Heroes head deeper into the Dark Foreboding Forest. Session End! ]