Celestials (Open RPG - Game Topic)

Bryce: Follow the beetles carefully.

Krodius: You decide to cut your loses and run towards the center of the forest away from the beetle, before you do so you decide to lick what blood and parts of the beetle carapace are still stuck on your blade.

"I did not expect such a fight from such a critter, it is not worth risking my life for this beetle anymore, I have to learn to control these impulses of thoughtlessness".

But then again you realize after tasting the blood and carapace so sweet and crunchy that you have to go back and finish off the insect, after all its just one beetle and it is suffering, you must put it out of its misery and devour it after you skewer it again with your blade.

Sonia: Respond to enraged woman. "I am Sonia of the Corprosca family in the Uxoralman tribe. It is nice to meet you. Or maybe... not so nice given the situation." Head out the door to the others and motion for her to follow.

Asho: "Excuse me, ma'am?" Wait for her to turn. "I hate to be frank, but what's going on here?"

Douglas Linsenmeyer (Flasktoss55) | Brawler | HP: 33/33 | MP: 11/16 | LV1

Spoiler:

Nolan Grey (Slacker Hero) | Rune Knight | HP: 39/39 | MP: 40/40 | LV1

Spoiler:

Daeron Coegal (Oo Coggy oO) | Redthorne | HP: 27/27 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Ellamin Loyalar (Meatshield718) | Thief | HP: 15/15 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Charles Montebank (Prof Vanguard) | Pathomancer | HP: 21/21 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria City Dungeon

@Douglas - You focus for the moment it takes to alter your body mass, shifting to what you call a more offensive style to enhance your strength at the cost of a bit of unnecessary speed. Again, you tug on the iron anchoring ring with as much force as you can possibly muster. Cracks erupt into the brick around it, and you are able to loose it from the wall entirely with one strong pull. It breaks through the aged sealing and mortar between bricks, resulting in you pulling out the anchoring ring as well as a fist-sized chunk of gray stone that it's nailed to.

What will you do?

Bryce Adams (Masterofkills09) | Cleric | HP: 27/27 | MP: 56/56 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

You follow the errant group of beetles; though some of them break away into the forest almost immediately, you settle on a group of about six or seven, and begin carefully following them through the trees, making sure to keep your distance. They lead you through wide and verdant Oksana for several minutes before fanning out around a central point up ahead and disappearing into the grass or the earth. You crouch behind the root of a large tree to see what's going on up ahead.

The warrior that you imagine was the source of the scream earlier is visible, perhaps a hundred feet or so ahead. He is tall, pale-skinned, and wide-bodied with gaunt facial features; he appears to be assaulting some creature with a massive copper blade.

Krodius (Fattyboy122) | Death Celebrator | HP: 27/30 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

Krodius's Demon Skin restores 1 hit point!

You feel the small wound that the beetle inflicted on you begin to close, a function of the necromantic abilities that you have. The relatively miniscule pain the creature caused ebbs away as you raise your greatsword again, closing the distance.

Krodius attacks Large Forest Beetle, dealing 6 points of damage!
Krodius has slain Large Forest Beetle! (Krodius: +6 EXP(LV2: 6/20))

This time, the beetle is unable to protect itself from damage. You bring your blade down firmly against the groove in the center of its shell, cutting cleanly into the creature's abdomen; pulling your blade loose from the creature's carapace rewards you with a satisfying squelching sound, and allows the massive insect to finally collapse, flattening an area of grass beneath it.

You hover over the creature's corpse for a few moments in quiet contemplation, but eventually turn away from the beetle, suddenly alerted. Rustling similar to that the insect originally made seems to approach you through the brush from all sides, but suddenly stops a distance away, and still, a strange force at the heart of Oksana tugs on you.

Asho Ewan (Super Mega King) | Spellblade | HP: 27/27 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Sonia Corprosca (NickisanEnigma) | Dominae | HP: 33/33 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Anise Mockingbird (Leniette) | Pirate | HP: 21/21 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Lucius Aurelius (FoundDa Kiwi) | Holy Knight | HP: 33/33 | MP: 28/28 | LV1

Spoiler:

@Anise -

"Where the hell am I?" You toss yourself out of bed, having had your eyes open for a few minutes, slightly moonstruck. You wonder aloud where you are, but quickly trail off when the scent of a home-cooked meal strikes your nose. You'll have to investigate in a moment, as you're still quite hungry.

For now, though, it would be best to figure out where you are, and who these people are.

"Who the hell... do I know you?" You glare at the room's other occupant, a short-haired female; intricate designs of a brilliant green trace her arms and neck.

@Sonia -

"I am Sonia of the Corprosca family in the Uxoralman tribe. It is nice to meet you. Or maybe... not so nice given the situation." You remain calm and somewhat listless to the distraught woman in the room. Deciding to check on the others, you rise from your bed and head out the door, motioning for her to follow; the two of you make your way into the hallway and toward the kitchen.

@Asho -

"Excuse me, ma'am?" you ask, glancing over your shoulder at the sound of footsteps; the two girls that were in the room walk down the hall towards you.

The woman starts a bit, surprised at your suddenly making yourself evident. "Oh my!" She turns to the four of you and smiles, speaking affably. "I'm sorry! I didn't think you all would be up so soon!"

You continue, matter-of-fact. "I hate to be frank, but what's going on here?"

The woman tilts her head at you. She cocks an eyebrow at your curt disposition, but continues anyway. "Oh, my husband found you and your friends washed up a little ways down the coast. According to him, an old cog wrecked on the rocks in Outset Cove last night... you were the only people he found in the area, and most of the cargo and hull is underwater now. We didn't think you'd ever wake up, but he insisted we take the four of you in, just in case. Lucky thing we did, too. Guess the Celestials were watching over you, hm?" She chuckles before taking the basket of fruit in both arms and moving to set it on the kitchen table.

"The four of you are friends, right? What are your names?"

Krodius: Take a piece of the beetles corpse and store it wherever you keep your tough jerky for later, take a quick look around to see if you can spot anyone or anything and then make haste and continue towards the center of the forest.

"I must know what beckons me in this forest and I will know soon"

Ellamin- Pick at the walls for a nice sized rock that could be thrown or used as a weapon.

Daeron: Whisper to Douglas: "Good job. Now all we have to do is get him close enough to hit him. Next time he walks past your cell, call him over and knock him out with that thing."

Douglas: Check to see if the guard at the end of the hall is wearing a helmet. After that, address as many of the inmates as possible in a low speaking voice, "The guard may be alerted to me before I have the chance to strike. I must know if anyone here is particularly adept in the art of acting."

Lucius: "My name is Lucius. If what you're saying is true, then I must thank your husband for rescuing us. I'm not sure that I know these people, but it's possible that I've forgotten."

Anise: Damn that food smells good- wait did she just say something about crashing?

"Wait wait we crashed? In a boat? It sure as hell better not have been mine! Do you know how much a good vessel costs these days?

"A LOT, that's how much!

"And all the cargo is gone too? Great that was everything I had, what am I supposed to do now? And no, I don't know these people or if I do I've forgotten! This is the worst possible situation I could be in."

Basically, you flip the fuck out.

Asho: Wait for Anise to finish her outburst. "I'm Asho Ewan and, no, I don't believe I know anyone here either. Thank you for your hospitality. Is your husband around? I think I'd like to talk to him about the boat."

Introduce self in way that flows with conversation, suggest you all might have amnesia, and more importantly ask if food is available.

Spoiler:

Charles: Mess up my hair slightly and scrape up a bit of dirt from the floor of the cell to spread over my face and clothing.

Whisper to the other prisoners.
"Don't worry. I've got this."

Then call out to the guard.
"U-um, excuse me, guard?"

As soon as he looks up cast Invocation - Sadness on the guard.

"Could you come over here for just a moment?"

Spoiler:

Nolan: As your eye catches nothing useful to sharpen, watch silently as the events unfold. Attempt to quickly blurt out to Douglas right before Charles cast something, "Don't kill him, he's only doing his job!"

(Forest people aren't in this one.)

Douglas Linsenmeyer (Flasktoss55) | Brawler | HP: 33/33 | MP: 11/16 | LV1

Spoiler:

Nolan Grey (Slacker Hero) | Rune Knight | HP: 39/39 | MP: 40/40 | LV1

Spoiler:

Daeron Coegal (Oo Coggy oO) | Redthorne | HP: 27/27 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Ellamin Loyalar (Meatshield718) | Thief | HP: 15/15 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Charles Montebank (Prof Vanguard) | Pathomancer | HP: 21/21 | MP: 46/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

@Ellamin - You pick at the walls for a bit, but the size of the stone you retrieve is more likely to make someone angry than knock them out. You take it anyway.

@Daeron -

"Good work." You nod, whispering to Douglas. "Next time he walks past your cell, call him over and knock him out with that thing."

@Douglas - You give Daeron an affirmative glance before directing your attention toward the guard. The "helmet" that earlier muffled his speech is actually a chain mail hood, with a studded cloth piece that covers his mouth. Though resilient, you doubt it would offer that much protection from a heavy strike with a blunt weapon.

"The guard may be alerted to me before I have the chance to strike." You whisper to anyone who's listening. "I must know if anyone is particularly adept in the art of acting.

@Charles -

"Don't worry. I've got this." You run both hands through your hair, messing it up slightly, and scoop a handful of gray dust from the corner of the cell, spreading it across your face and the upper portion of your sack cloth garb, in hopes that your appearance will inspire pity.

"Um, excuse me? Guard?" He looks up, clearly unamused; using your Pathomancy, you invoke sadness in him. Though you're not sure to what degree your ability has worked, you can see his face redden and his pupils begin to shrink, even from here. It goes without saying that mastering your kind of magic requires a lot of picking up on such subtleties, as well as trust in yourself.

"Hey, careful." Nolan whispers from his cell nearby. "Don't kill him, whatever you're planning. He's only doing his job."

"What?" His brow furrows, and he exhales sharply, raising a hand to wipe his eyes, but does not rise from his seat.

Asho Ewan (Super Mega King) | Spellblade | HP: 27/27 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Sonia Corprosca (NickisanEnigma) | Dominae | HP: 33/33 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Anise Mockingbird (Leniette) | Pirate | HP: 21/21 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Lucius Aurelius (FoundDa Kiwi) | Holy Knight | HP: 33/33 | MP: 28/28 | LV1

Spoiler:

@Anise -

"Wait, we crashed? In a boat? It sure has hell better not have been mine!" You begin to panic, wondering aloud about the sanctity of your boat--after all, that cargo was about all you had to your name.

"Oh, you own a--" The woman begins to speak, but you continue your outburst.

"And no, I don't know these people or if I do, I've forgotten! This is the worst possible situation I could be in!"

@Asho -

In keeping with the woman's original question, you introduce yourself, not quite sure how to react to Anise's outburst. "My name's Asho Ewan... and I don't believe I know anyone here either."

The man next to you speaks up. "My name is Lucius, and if what you're saying is true, then I must thank your husband for rescuing us. I'm not sure I know these people, though... it's possible I've forgotten."

"My name is Sonia Corprosca, of the Uxoralman tribe." The tatooed woman introduces herself as well. "And if we were on a boat together.... it's possible we might have amnesia."

"Amnesia?" The woman raises an eyebrow, then urges the four of you toward the basket of white fruits. "Stranger things have happened, I suppose. If you're hungry, feel free to try a Prosti or two. They're said to speed the healing process, so maybe they'll jog your memory."

"Is your husband around?" You ask, reminded by Lucius's introduction. "I'd like to speak with him about the boat." As if on cue, the door behind you swings open, and a man makes his way out. He stands taller than you; graying hair and facial scarring denotes a life of hard work.

"Morning," he says, a smile on his face.

"There you are!" The woman says, then looks back at the four of you. "I'm Valerie, and this roughneck," she laughs, "is Christopher."

"Right, right." Christopher rolls his eyes. "You had some questions about the boat, right?"

Douglas: Tuck into the northeast corner of the cell. Pretend to peer through the bars at Charles and say aloud "Excuse me, guard, I think something is the matter with the man in the cell that lies cornerwise to mine."

Bryce: Appear and tread carefully towards the warrior
Yell:
"Sir! What are you doing to these beautiful creatures?"

Krodius (Fattyboy122) | Death Celebrator | HP: 28/30 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Bryce Adams (Masterofkills09) | Cleric | HP: 27/27 | MP: 56/56 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

@Krodius - You reach down and peel back a heavy wing case, allowing you to take of the creature's flesh. It has already begun to wither, and gives off a scent of insect blood and pheromone. Regardless, you tuck it into your bag as you continue toward the heart of the forest.

@Bryce - Making your way under an overhanging tree limb, you push through the bushes ahead, attracting the ashen warrior's attention. The tall, loose plants shake as you make your way through, and shaking from the surrounding forest mirrors your motion, indicating the presence of more of the large insects; they have evidently surrounded your position. Though the warrior appears drawn in the same direction as you, he stops upon noticing you, and you call out to him.

Krodius's Demon Skin restores 1 hit point!

"Sir!" You yell, still a considerable distance away. Restorative energy rises off his skin as you attract his attention; you recognize it as necromantic. "What are you doing to these beautiful creatures?"

Krodius: You look over at the man and shout

"Why hello over there, come closer, oh and I was merely trying to enjoy a crunchy morsel from this critter. I apologise if this offends you its just that I try to get food whenever possible or whenever I feel, you see I live off the land my friend and no town will accept me and my lets say ways of life. Disregarding this little incident I must be going, something is in this forest I can sense it, is that not why you are here as well friend?"

Lucius: Take 2 Potsi fruit, put 1 in your pack and eat the other to see if it helps you remember anything. When you finish ask if he knows if there was anyone else on the ship when it crashed.

Anise: After that outburst, realize you're pretty damn hungry and grab a fruit to eat. You make it a point to not believe any landlubber mythology, but a fruit is a fruit, and, as a pirate, you know fruit is a good thing.

Also realize that everyone else has introduced themselves, and that you should too
... in the rudest and most boorish way possible.

"Well, I'm Captain Anise Mockingbird, and-"

Smell really good food again.

Realize hunger extends beyond fruit.

Try to ignore hunger.

Fail to ignore hunger.

"- and what is that awesome smell?"

Daeron: Go along with the others' act.

Bryce:

"Yes, something seems...weird around here. Why don't we look for this disturbance together?"

Douglas Linsenmeyer (Flasktoss55) | Brawler | HP: 33/33 | MP: 11/16 | LV1

Spoiler:

Nolan Grey (Slacker Hero) | Rune Knight | HP: 39/39 | MP: 40/40 | LV1

Spoiler:

Daeron Coegal (Oo Coggy oO) | Redthorne | HP: 27/27 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Ellamin Loyalar (Meatshield718) | Thief | HP: 15/15 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Charles Montebank (Prof Vanguard) | Pathomancer | HP: 21/21 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria City Dungeon

@Douglas - You make your way into the corner of the cell, and direct a gaze toward Charles.

"Excuse me, guard. I think something is wrong with the man in the cell cornerwise to mine."

The guard leans in his chair to peer at Charles, and audibly sniffles before getting up.

"He... looks fine to me." Through slow, deliberate steps, the guard makes his way over to the front of Montebank's cell. "What's going on here?"

---

Krodius (Fattyboy122) | Death Celebrator | HP: 29/30 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Bryce Adams (Masterofkills09) | Cleric | HP: 27/27 | MP: 56/56 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

@Krodius -

"Why hello over there! Come closer! I was merely trying to enjoy a crunchy morsel from this critter. I apologize if this offends you, it's just that I try to get food whenever or wherever I feel. You see, I live off the land, my friend, and no town will accept me and my... let's say, ways of life." You yell to the approaching man. He is dressed in traditional clerical garb, and a diminutive blackjack is fastened at his hip.

@Bryce -

The man continues, having beckoned you closer. "Disregarding this little incident, I must be going. Something is in the forest, and I can sense it. Is that not why you are here as well, friend?"

"Yes..." you respond. You can hear the creatures you are aware of moving around a bit. "Something seems weird around here. Perhaps we should search for this disturbance together.

What will you do?

Asho Ewan (Super Mega King) | Spellblade | HP: 27/27 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Sonia Corprosca (NickisanEnigma) | Dominae | HP: 33/33 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Anise Mockingbird (Leniette) | Pirate | HP: 21/21 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Lucius Aurelius (FoundDa Kiwi) | Holy Knight | HP: 33/33 | MP: 28/28 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria Fishing Village

@Lucius - You grab two of the fruit, tucking one away for later consumption, and biting into the first; the thin white skin gives way to a pulpy interior, with a heady taste like that of wine and sage. Though you feel revitalized, it does little to jog your memory. You don't even recall being on a ship.

"Christopher," you say. "Do you know if anyone else was on the ship when it crashed?"

The man scratches his head. "It seems unbelievable, but I don't think there were, and if there were, then you were the only four that made it. The vessel was of a pretty respectable size, judging by what was left of it... there were some crates and bits of wood lying around, but when I saw the four of you washed up in the cove, I wasn't really interested in treasure hunting."

@Anise - You grab a Prosti, immediately and ravenously biting into it in an attempt to stave off your hunger. You're not really sure if it has an effect on the healing process, nor do you care all that much; you introduce yourself while the others help themselves to the basket of fruit.

"Well, I'm Captain Anise Mockingbird..." You put careful emphasis on your title, droplets of clear fruit juice dribbling down your chin. "...and what is that awesome smell?"

"Wild boar ribs," Valerie rolls her eyes, "and save some of those for the sauce! There'll be enough for everyone."

Christopher nods. "This is just a little fishing town, but we've got some of the best hunters, divers, and anglers you'll ever see. Not much to be proud of... but still, we eat pretty good around here."