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 Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 2:24 pm
Adustes seated himself on one of the boulders at the clearing's edge and lowered his pack to the ground. "Vhael'iss, you'll take the first watch," he said. He paused for a couple seconds as he considered the rest of his companions before continuing, "... And Eliae, you'll take the second watch today." **Insert Adustes' next post here** His order given concerning the day's guard, he left the others to do as they pleased. He pulled his bedroll and healer's kit from his pack and set both on the ground, opening the kit. He stood and stripped to the waist, in doing so revealing the numerous tattoos and scars that enveloped most of his torso and arms, as well as several more piercings, and left his holy symbol -a tarnished silver medallion depicting two winged serpents twined around each other, their tails sharpened and barbed, and holding between their bodies a garnet-studded eye and a seven-pointed star- to hang exposed at his neck. He inspected the wound he had sustained at the redcap's hands, finding that his earlier healing prayer had eliminated its severity; all that remained now was a long cut, neither shallow or deep, little more than a flesh wound. He cleaned the injury and wrapped a bandage around it, then began to redress, grimacing as he found that the redcap's strike had slit open his clothing. A hand rose to his holy symbol and a simple chant passed over his lips, and the fabric reknit, threads reattaching and restoring the garment to its previous state. He pulled on the gray tunic and picked up the still-torn clerical robe. An amused smirk curled his lip as he recalled that his god had placed the mending orison in his head twice that night, and he incanted the second prayer, repairing the robe. Its condition restored, he rolled it up and dropped it to his bedroll. After redonning his cloak and pulling its hood low over his face, he roots around his pack for his store of trail rations and, unless interrupted, will take his meal in silence. Following Adustes' declaration of the day's duties, Vellek walked his mount to the patches of grass and allowed it to graze as he removed its bit and bridle and saddle. He dropped the gear and his pack at his feet, leaving it there for several minutes as he tended to the animal, then picked it all up and relocated to one of the trees mid-clearing. He removed his armor and seated himself with his back to the trunk, spending a time cleaning the suit of dirt and his own blood and sweat. He scowled when his attention turned to his ruined bracers. Taking some spare straps of leather from an armor maintenance kit, he wrapped them around the armbands, hoping he might make do with such meager repair work until they returned to civilization. Finding it unsatisfactory, he removed the straps and bands, and attempted reversing the layers, wrapping the leather around his forearms beneath the metal, but it still didn't seem to work. He tore off the ruined armbands and cast them to the ground in frustration. He let his gaze wander as he pondered what to do about keeping his arms protected, a possible solution coming to him when his eyes fell upon his azure-scaled companion. He picked up the bracers and stood, and approached Matasoga. "'Hey, you're a magician, arn't ya?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:25 pm
Matasoga set out his bedroll with one shake before seating himself on it in the center. He then set to the task of moistening his rag with his waterskin before using prestidigitation to heat it. He then placed the hot, damp rag on his face, closing his eyes to the steam as he slipped briefly into the same meditative state as he did when he prepared his spells, enjoying the feel of the heat against his scales and letting his draconic muscles uncoil and relax a little as he prepared for sleep.
It only lasted for a moment but it always helped him relax, both the sensation and the routine. He held the rag over the side, after he had wiped off the grease paint and twisted it tightly, wringing it out. He made a final wipe, using his polished steel mirror to make sure he got the last of it.
He folded the rag and tucked it away in the small pocket it the leather container that holstered his waterskin when he looked up to see the cleric. His body was covered in scars and piercings. He kept his face from sneering when he regarded the scars and saw that at least the majority of them looked self-inflicted. He was unaware that civilized cultures also practiced self-mutilation the same way that the savages and primitives did. How unsanitary, not to mention irrational, though of course the party was better for having a healer. Besides, weren't all clerics irrational? Wasn't it a prerequisite for devoting one's life to a potentially imaginary deity?
He looked over when Vellek spoke, interrupting his thoughts. A magician? he thought. He tried not to be offended, as he likely was unaware that the term was not acceptable for most people who were fully trained in sorcery or wizardry and possessed true arcane power. The term was best applied to stage magicians doing tricks with sleight of hands, optical illusions and distractions, gnomes who used their natural prestidigitation to entertain other races, and the least committed of bards, who never actively pursued any arcane advancement, even in their field. Still, that this man didn't find the verbal distinction pertinent was mildly troubling.
"Something like that," Matasoga answered simply. "Do you need something?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 5:39 pm
Vellek crouched down beside Matasoga's bedroll, dropping himself to eye level with the half-dragon, and held up his damaged bracers, bottom-side up to display the wide gash that cut each piece nearly in half. "I was hopin' you might have spell or bit o' magic that could fix these up for me? In my line o' work, they're kinda' important...."
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:19 am
As it happened, he did have a cantrip that would repair his bracers, and make them as if new. One did not wear clothes as expensive as Matasoga's into battle without knowing a spell of mending.
Matasoga made the brief gestures and quiet mutterings needed to cast the spell. In case it might also raise the man's appreciation for the arcane, he spent another few seconds to use prestidigitation to remove the faint odor of sweat and clean them of other sediment, as well.
"Abra Kadabra," he spoke dryly as he handed them back, though he left a slight, measured, hint of a smile on his face to keep the gesture lightly facetious rather than caustically sarcastic or charmlessly rude. As he found himself thinking so often in this group, no sense in burning bridges, needlessly.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:23 pm
Furian dismounted when the others made it clear they were stopping to rest and tended to his horse. After attaching it's feed bag he noticed the priest dressing his wounds, the man was heavily scarred. In his mind the priest had either seen much battle in his life or survived torture of some kind. Though given the design of the man's bracers they could just as easily be self-inflicted. Perhaps he was trying to further adorn his body beyond the tattoos visible on his skin. Scarification and tattooing was common amongst the barbarians he had been with. Perhaps it was with this man, as it was with the barbarians, a spiritual practice. The man was a cleric after all.
Furian turned back to his horse, as long as they served a purpose the priests actions were of no concern to him. He removed the feed bag and watered the horse before removing his own armor to inspect it, revealing a black, sleeveless leather shirt underneath. The armor was in no need of repair, which he had expected given that only his legs and right arm were struck by the little red man. But Furian had made it a habit to always check his equipment before resting. In the heat of battle it was easy for strikes to go unnoticed by him and he liked to be certain he could count on his equipment before a fight.
Once finished he put his armor back on and led his horse to the edge of the clearing, tying it to a nearby tree. Unsheathing his sword he sat, leaning against the same tree and facing the clearing he shut his eyes to rest, sword in hand. Sleeping in such a position would give him the security of a light sleep and holding onto his sword directly would hopefully prevent it from being stolen again. The horse had enough slack on its loose tether to move about a little and it grazed lazily by the tree.
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Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2010 1:56 pm
Vellek watched with interest as Matasoga began casting. The mercenary had fought alongside mages and clerics on the battlefield many times before, and seen the results of many more impressive spells, but it seemed no matter how often he witnessed the spectacle of magic in the works, it always left him in awe. He took the bracers when the half-dragon handed them back, and inspected them. The long gashes had completely vanished, as well as several small nicks and dents. They even appeared to have been cleaned. It was almost like they were brand new again. He gave a smile, pleased that pieces of the armor that had saved his life many times would not need to be replaced.
"It looks like new again..." he marveled, running his fingers over the metal and giving one of the bands a couple taps, testing the sturdiness of the piece. "Thanks a lot pal, I 'ppreciate it," he said, giving Matasoga an amiable clap on the shoulder before rising to his feet. "Don't hesitate ta ask if there's e'er anything I can help ya with."
He hesitates for a moment in case of a reply, and will start away unless stopped.
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Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2010 7:41 pm
It seemed pretty clear that the man had not meant to minimize his ability with his choice of term and couldn't fault him for a lack of exposure to arcane society. There had been none like him living in his small town, after all (indeed, why would they?) and it made sense that there would be many other such places.
In any case, the man seemed quite pleased, so it was clear to him that the extra cantrip was well worth the small effort that it took.
There just might be, Matasoga thought to himself, regarding the beast but making sure not to glance over. But not yet.
Dragon slaying was hardly equivalent to the favor of two free cantrips, but in time he might even make friends with this one. He seemed more amiable towards him than the others. He smiled with a bit more warmth than usual (usual being next to none at all) and nodded acknowledgingly before Vellek turned away.
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 5:22 pm
Kal'ara had been observing the goings-on around their campsite silently. She didn't bother to listen to conversations, just watched how people interacted. She decided to set up her bed maybe 6 or 8 feet away from Matasoga. She sat down in the middle of it, combed her hair out of its braid, set her weapons and pack down next to her (keeping them within arms' reach), and laid down to sleep. She will remain this way until she is either awoken to keep watch, or some other event occurs.
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Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:50 pm
[I am so sorry, guys. I hadn't realized everyone had stopped just because of me until a little while ago and then I was trying to have something semi-decent to post but I don't want to be any more of a hold-up.]
Vhael'iss had been under the mistaken impression that traveling with a dark fey would mean that they would seek shelter before daylight. A lesson learned, and an assumption she would not be making again- especially since she was beginning to fear that this headache pressing behind her eyes would become a permanent reminder. She wasn't entirely incapacitated by the brightness of day but it was damned uncomfortable, and especially so in the oppression of the noonday sun. But no complaint passed her lips, even if she did withdraw deep into the shadows of her hood and swear inwardly yet again that she would find a better method of shielding herself the moment they reached civilization.
She was humming something low (and somewhat bitter) under her breath when they reached their chosen spot of rest, lowering herself into the shadiest spot she could find.
"In this light, I have no intention of doing anything but closing my eyes. Unless you wish to trust our safety to my ears alone, I suggest you post someone else." Her gaze never lifted and, unless Adustes chose to argue her refusal, she would lay down and draw her cloak up to fully cover her sensitive eyes.
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Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 5:56 pm
Adustes looked up from separating his bedroll from his pack and turned a sharp look Vhael'iss' way, only to find she wasn't even looking at him. He began to form an argument, but let it go upon noticing how severely she squinted even in the reduced light beneath the dense treetops. He held no love for the light either, but at least it didn't sting his eyes so... "Fine," he said. "Just find another way to make yourself useful when you can see again."
With that, he turned his attention to his companions, considering which would replace the bard. He was reluctant to deprive Matasoga or Kal'ara of the rest, as the positions he set them to while traveling would make them difficult to notice if either fell behind. Furian was not one of his hire-ons, and as such, Adustes had no place ordering anything of him. Besides, he wasn't sure yet if the Gehennan could be trusted, and he would not put the strange dragon in a position from which he could so easily take advantage of his group. He considered Vellek, but didn't want to risk that both humans might have need to rest on the mercenary's horse as they moved. That would likely mean either calling a halt or leading the animal himself, and Adustes had no experience handling such creatures.
That left only himself. Well, he thought, if anyone's to slow us down, it may as well be me. He sighed, irritated that he would have to endure more of the sunlight, and informed Eliae that he would wake her when it was her turn to take watch, drawing a nod in response from the woman.
(He then sets about the tasks as noted in the post at the top of the page.)
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Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:57 pm
Matasoga took of his coat, cravat, cape, and scarf and folding them all and put them in a small pile. His torso was now bare except for the snake familiar Apep who still clung to him, tracing long, slow paths over his chest. He gingerly removed the snake and put him in the pile as well.
He was sure that Apep felt his unease which was felt at trying to sleep with a dangerous beast so near. It was an unease matched evenly with contempt for the animal that now still clutched his sword.
I wonder how long he'll be a plague to the rest of us. Fighting from the front lines, maybe I'll be fortunate enough that he'll be stricken dead by an enemy before I have to take more... Proactive measures. He kept the sneer off of his face until he had turned his back to the group, sliding his tail down along side his legs for comfort, and stretching one of the weak little wings out, so that he could rest with as much comfort as possible, although already being assured that his sleep would be light.
Sleep well, while you can, you filthy, ravening dog. Your time will come soon, one way or the other.
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CurioHeart rolled 1 20-sided dice:
19
Total: 19 (1-20)
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:06 pm
With a slight nod, Eliae agreed to the guard duty assigned to her; unlike the complaint from Vhael'iss, the light did not bother her. To top it off, the only reason she even "needed" sleep was to continue this disguise of hers. Still, at least she had something to keep her mildly entertained before she feigned her sleep.
She observed the clearing for a few minutes, walking quietly around the edge for part of it. It was done more out of boredom than the appreciation of natural things, as she honestly couldn't care less if the forest burned to the ground. Nevertheless, she did need to get ready to "sleep", and she knew from her earlier talks with Vellek that he would make a reasonable toy for now.
With that in mind, she quickly took her spot near the human's gear, laying out her bedroll and preparing herself for the few hours of rest that she would be getting. It wasn't long before Vellek laid down beside her, and not much after that before she began to play with him.
Once satisfied with her toy- momentarily, anyways- she allowed Vellek to fall asleep, and made it appear as though she did as well. The hours before her watch rolled by more quickly than she had felt they did, as noted by the sound of Adustes approaching her. It didn't take long for her to "wake up," telling him that she would be taking post shortly. Hardly waiting for him to walk away, she rose from her bedroll and replaced what garments had been removed earlier in the day.
Smirking some at Vellek, Eliae found herself amused that she had garnered so easy a toy so quickly- though she would much more enjoy someone like one- or both- of the half-dragons. Her eyes moved between them as she walked quietly around the campsite, knowing full well that either would be far more difficult to control than the human was. However, they would be far more useful tools if she could pull it off, even if she would be walking a fine line in doing so.
The first hour seemed to go by fairly quickly, as she spent much of her time thinking of as many ways to control and use her traveling companions as she felt would be best. Towards the end of the hour, though, she couldn't help but to get the feeling of being watched. There had been no signs of movement before then and, taking another quiet walk around the clearing, there still weren't. She could tell from their lack of movement and breathing rate that they were all fast asleep, so it wouldn't be any of them.
Who was watching her? Her brow furrowed a little as she pondered the question for a moment before pushing it out of her mind. There were no sounds with the feeling, so she found it more likely that it wouldn't be anything of importance- if there was even something there.
For the next fifteen minutes or so, she continued with what she had been doing before, though she found herself acting a little more wary. Her gaze was shifting out more towards the woods around them than before, as she seemed to be unable to shake the feeling. When what sounded like a snapping of a small twig nearby suddenly broke the silence around her, she whipped her head around to locate where the it had come from. She moved towards it in silence, stopping at the clearing.
Staring off into the woods did little good, however; she couldn't seem to figure out where the noise had come from, as no further sounds emanated from beyond the clearing. After a few moments, she turned away to move on to a different spot, this time catching a brief flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Brow furrowed and eyes narrowed a little, she quickly turned her head back to look once again, though her sight continued to fail her in spotting whatever watched their campsite.
Seeing no further movement, the demon retreated back from the edge of the clearing, still trying to keep an eye out for whatever had moved. Even as more time passed, she still felt as though she were being watched, which lead to her returning to Vellek a bit into her third hour of watch.
Squatting down, she gently shook him awake. "There's something out there," she said quietly once she was certain he was awake, "but I cannot see or hear anything. Think you might be able to help me keep an eye out for it?"
( Listen check- +16 modifier )
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:19 pm
Vellek awoke and propped himself up with one arm, and groggily rubbed at his eyes. As he was doing so, Eliae's keen hearing picked out a faint sound drifting out from the treeline nearest herself, as though someone were whispering a brief chant. As it faded to silence, a dusting of golden motes of light, barely visible in the sunlight that filtered down through the treetops, drifted through the air around her and soaked into her skin and Vellek's. A feeling of drowsiness came upon her, but was shaken off with ease.
Not so for Vellek, it seemed. The mercenary yawned and said, "I'm up, I'm up. What's thuh problem...?" His last words slurred nearly together, and he slumped back to the ground, evidently fallen into a sleep deeper than was usual for the man. His drop was accompanied by a hissing sound, akin to snickering, from the treeline.
(Make a Spot check with your next post.)
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CurioHeart rolled 1 20-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:36 pm
The woman frowned as the human fell back asleep with a slurred question and a light thump. "Useless," she muttered quietly, glancing around at the rest of the group before her gaze turned to the trees around them once again.
She had heard a voice out in the trees- now if only she could figure out where it had come from. None of the others had taken to her quite so well as Vellek and, while she didn't really trust him, she knew that he would have listened to her. The others, however, she didn't feel would listen nearly as well. A pity he had to be human, she thought with a slight sigh. Maybe he would have been more useful as an elf of some kind.
( Spot- +16 mod )
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Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:49 pm
Selephrion snickered as he crept otherwise silently along the treeline, employing a spell of minor power to mask the origin of the sound. As always, he enjoyed playing with his targets before moving in on them. The wide area and low visibility the forest provided gave him ample opportunities for mischief, much more than he usually had to work with. It was unfortunate he didn't have the time to stop and build up the succubus's fear. He had dallied with too many already, and if he continued to take his time, his rivals' performance would outshine his in their Queen's eyes.
He sneaked through the brush to one of the side of the field and left his cover to creep through the deep shadows the trees provided. He hadn't gone quite far enough to pass completely out of the range of Eliae's peripheral vision, but stealth was his his specialty, even beyond the arts of wordplay and seduction, on which he prided himself even if he rarely cared for the wants or desires of his partners. Veiled only in the what little shade the clearing offered, he wouldn't be seen unless he wanted to be.
And he only wanted to be seen a little bit. He set one of his cloven hooves down where it wouldn't be obscured by the shadows, where Eliae would just barely catch the movement in the corner of her eye, if she was lucky. Then he quickly snatched it back and continued through the shadows. He snickered at her again, his spell duplicating the sound at various intervals around the campsite, creating the perception that it came from all around at once, and minimizing the chance of his position being pinpointed.
He altered his course to keep himself in her periphery. Any good sneak knew better than to try skulking through an area under direct observation, even if he could do it unseen. The chance of a slip being detected was too high. Especially with that damnable horse edging away, as far as it could with its reins tethered. He hoped she wouldn't notice, or just attribute it to her own fiendish nature, as it had been doing the same to her as long as he'd been watching.
He slunk closer until he was a mere few strides away, with the small tree mid-clearing standing between them, and stopped for a moment to compose his appearance. He found that appearing as untouched as possible by the environment made him a more striking figure when he revealed himself. Showing himself when dirty and disheveled gave a look of weariness or weakness that encouraged his marks to resist him.
He produced a rag from a pocket and moistened it with water from the slumbering human's waterskin, which lay within easy reach, then ran it over the suit of tight-fitting black leather armor that covered his lean, dancer's frame, protecting mostly his limbs and loins, and the wide belt that protected his stomach; removing the patches of dirt and spots of tree sap he'd accumulated tracking the group of mortals. Then he followed suit over the tanned skin left exposed over his face, neck, and chest. He removed the leaves and twigs that become tangled on the black, twisted, gazelle-like horns that protruded from his brow, and brushed off the dust that clung to them. He ran his fingers through his shoulder-length coppery hair, pulling knots and more twigs from it and pushing the errant strands that had hung in his face back to be held behind his horns and pointed ears. He finished by adjusting the angle at which his longsword and a pair of dagger hung at his belt, and brushed at spots of dirt on the scabbards or hilts of each.
The incubus pocketed the rag and turned his lifeless black eyes back to his target. He stepped out from his hiding place, his cloven hooves making not a sound in the grass and dead leaves underfoot, and crept up to within a stride behind Eliae. His lips contorted in a crooked grin that revealed rows of shark-like teeth. Or would have, had she been looking the right direction. He slipped his hands beneath her arms and around her torso, to cup her breasts. Before she had time to react, he closed the minute distance between them and pressed his body against hers. His lips a hair's breadth from her ear, he whispered, "What's the matter, my dear Eliadrada? Is your pet no longer heeding your command?"
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