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reneeofthestars · 4 years ago

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At What Cost

A D&D short story

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Another fissure split the stone wall to the left, sand spilling into the vast chamber. The slanted slate floor had disappeared completely as sand burst from the crumbling walls of the temple, cascading towards the center of the chamber, where it tumbled into a yawing pit.

Malnissa spat out sand and pulled her bandana over her mouth and nose as she stumbled again. Coarse grains rubbed against her skin, caught in the folds of her dark clothes and held beneath her studded armor. It was taking all her concentration not to be swept away, but her limbs moved like lead. The fight with the scorpion construct had exhausted her, and there’d been no time to rest.

She tried to call out, but the rushing sand was so loud, she could barely hear herself think. Three of her companions had galloped past on the sand striders they’d stolen. None of them bothered to stop their mechanical horses and help her. She cursed them, then cursed again as she lost her footing. She scrambled to right herself, briefly touching the rapier at her hip.

Her bag and bow could be replaced. But the rapier – with the open eye on its pommel – was irreplaceable. A burning bush had given it to her. She hadn’t thought anything of it until the weapon started speaking in her mind, calling itself Watcher.

Of course, the rapier itself might not be necessary anymore.

She could barely make out the archway across the chamber that indicated the exit. There was still one hallway after this door – or was it two? She couldn’t remember. Ahead of her, a dark, flailing shape caught her eye. Dug. The scrawny half-orc was making as much progress as she was. So, their companions had abandoned both of them. She would remember that. If she made it out of here alive, that is.

One of the remaining pillars was a little ways off, and Malnissa struggled towards it. If she could just reach it, she could rest for a minute, come up with a plan. Her vision blurred as she lurched through the rushing sand, her muscles ached. It may have taken minutes, or seconds – all Malnissa knew was the moment her hands hit stone, and her fingers dug into the grooves of the carved pillar.

Gasping, she hauled herself to the side of the structure, so the cascading sand pushed her into the stone. It was the only thing keeping her from being sent tumbling into the abyss. Why there was a pit in the middle of a chamber, Malnissa didn’t want to know.

Dug’s green skin stood out against the yellow sand, still trying to high-step to the exit. Malnissa’s gut twisted as she saw just how far the archway still was. Her legs burned with exhaustion, and the sand was still tumbling from ever-growing fissures in the walls. There was no way she could make it.

Well… no way she could make it alone.

She felt the rapier at her side, its weight a reminder, an offer. She’d already called on him once today, and wasn’t sure if he’d appreciate being bothered a second time; she still wasn’t quite sure what being fiend-pact involved.

But Malnissa was desperate.

“Any bright ideas?” she spat, directing her attention inward.

There was a moment of silence, then a voice spoke. It was the strangest feeling; it sparked in her mind like a lit coal, and her mind felt crowded. I do have an idea, yes, it said. The voice was less friendly than when he had called himself Watcher, but he had no reason to deceive her anymore. He was K’dol; a pit fiend, a powerful entity of the Nine Hells. At least, that’s what he’d told her, right before she agreed to give him part of her soul and to act as a vessel, in exchange for his power and protection. He’d proved useful time and again; so far, it was a fair exchange.

I can get us out. But I used most of my strength to fight the scorpion guardian of the temple. I need to draw more power.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

I need you to secure the power I need.

“Okay, sure, good!” Malnissa yelped as she almost lost her grip on the pillar. “What do I do?”

Kill the one called Dug.

Malnissa froze, her feet almost swept out from under her. “What?”

He is useless. He will not make it out of this temple, no matter what happens. We may as well use his death to our advantage.

Malnissa held on to the pillar as she watched Dug flounder in the sand ahead of her.

You are an assassin. Consider this another job.

Yes, she was an assassin. But the blundering half-orc hadn’t wronged her. In fact, he’d proved quite useful in numerous situations. And he was the only one who knew of her pact with K’dol. Malnissa didn’t have many morals, but she drew the line on killing people she considered friends.

She gritted her teeth. “No. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll figure out something myself.”

Hm. Interesting. Something in K’dol’s voice made her hair stand on end. He sounded… displeased.

Malnissa took a deep breath, eyeing the distance between herself and the next pillar, wondering if she could tie a rope to an arrow, then shoot –

Unfortunately, K’dol hissed, I am not willing to be trapped down here for the next thousand years waiting for the next adventurer to find your corpse.

Suddenly her mind split with fire, a searing presence forcing its way into her consciousness, she felt herself being pushed aside, she lost her grip on the pillar, everything went white –

Then there was darkness.

K’dol awoke again.

This time, though, he felt drained. Taking control used an absurd amount of energy. Or perhaps it was the half-elf that was exhausted; she was being pushed to her physical limits in this place. He had already controlled her once today, with her permission, to help slay the temple guardian. Taking possession by force – though his will was far stronger than the mortal’s – had drained him even further.

Now, there was no choice. Dug must die.

Buffeted on all sides by sand, K’dol hauled himself – Malnissa’s body, but it was his, for now – a bit higher onto the pillar. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he whistled; a shrill, piercing sound, muffled by the sand.

The moments ticked by, and K’dol began to wonder if any remained, when a stand strider finally trotted into view. The horse-like construct easily crossed the terrain, halting beside him. K’dol mounted it easily and took the reins, and the cascading sand no longer bothered him. The construct galloped forward, and K’dol drew the rapier. It had served as an adequate vessel, but Malnissa served better.

Dug must have sensed him coming. He twisted around, his thin face screwed in concentration. His beady eyes travelled from the rapier in K’dol’s hand to his face. Almost drowned out by the sound of falling sand, Dug uttered a knowing, “Oh.” before K’dol plunged the blade into his chest.

Immediately, the half-orc’s lifeforce snapped out of his body, and K’dol seized it, drawing it in as it crackled through his essence, invigorating him. It was a fraction of the power he could possess, but it would do for now.

He withdrew the rapier, the blade stained with blood. Dug’s lifeless body keeled over, immediately swallowed by the sand and swept away into the pit.

K’dol raised a hand to his head, adjusting the hood, and bumped against two small horns protruding from the skull. Malnissa kept them hidden beneath the cowl, but they had grown. It felt as though they mimicked his own horns – when he was in his true form, that is.

He smirked. She had been so willing to accept his offer. It had been clear from the beginning that she had no experience with the arcane, or with anything beyond this plane. Malnissa had no idea of the power he was capable of. And K’dol had every intention of using that to his advantage.

K’dol took the reins and swung the sand strider’s head around. He couldn’t maintain control of his host indefinitely, but he had a little while left, and he was interested in one of her companions. The warlock seemed keen to invoke old powers, and K’dol had some old friends among the Elemental Lords that would pay dearly to have a living host. He intended to offer the warlock an introduction. And if he refused, K’dol would simply take his lifeforce.

K’dol had waited long enough. It was time to begin putting his plan into motion.

#dungeons and dragons #dnd #d&d #dnd shenanigans #renee's writing #renee plays d&d #rogue #pit fiend #story #short story #writing #fantasy #fantasy story #submitted for a dnd short story contest

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the-original-b · 4 years ago

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the-original-B’s The Raven Trilogy

The Constant (f.k.a. Zed)

bleary I awaken by her, like so many times before… the woman I want nothing from but can’t bring myself to abhor, someone I’ve let manipulate me into something I didn’t know I would end up hating– the perfect predator

the omen at my window, with crimson eyes I’d seen before, ragged ink-black feathers, cry that shakes me to the core– careful not to wake her, I rise to my feet and cautiously approach (and then confront) this carnivore

the prophet’s gaze rends my bravado, reaches deep down to my core and raises questions I hoped I’d be strong enough to ignore– “from what hell have you come today? what have I left for you to take with word and visage from beyond? what do you have in store?”

looking back, I see her resting, perfect stillness upon my bed, her curves beneath the sheets, the dim light cast upon the spread… back to the seer I turn to meet its glare, and the explanation it implores I cross my arms and tell it, true– “She isn’t just some whore I found on some auspicious night. She’s different, honest, true and pure. She’s someone I–” adore

my last word chokes me on its way into the night as the fortuneteller seemed to bestow on me its gift of foresight. clairvoyant, I could see it then–the curse she’d bring upon my life, the blight. linger on, it would, long after she’d have left for years henceforth I’d feel the echo of her theft, happiness gone, eternally bereft.

screaming to the heavens I slammed my fist upon the door, and conceded to despair as I collapsed upon the floor and pleaded to whoever’d listen: “when will I know peace, like the way it was before?”

quoth the Raven, “never more.”

Kage: Despair Returns

Once upon a midnight dreary while I rested, weak and weary from sleepless night, blurred and bleary after dalliances the day before, came a visitor—an omen omniscient that delivered, in fashion most efficient, a woeful tale, morose, hope-deficient truths I dare not think of anymore.

And as the months since fell off the wall and blended into years, I fought like Hell to move past it all— tried to forget her tears and drowned my feelings in venom distilled from sugar cane, grain, or something more. One fateful October night, poison in hand, I turned toward my window’s sill and was greeted once again by that most gruesome and profane form;

Crimson eyes like Gol-Goroth’s burning deep into my soul, moonlit talons glinting, plumage dark as coal; my stomach’s pit dropped through the floor, reclaimed its place, and churned I clutched the glass in abhorrent disbelief— the Shape had returned.

“Prophet!” said I. “Thing of evil!” “Prophet still if bird or devil— be you Heavens-sent or Arch-vile spawned you are not welcome in my house! Take your cursed foresights and your damned prophecies, and leave this hallowed place!” I screamed pitching the glass at the prophet’s perch where it split into the most spectacular storm of stress, liquid black, and shattered crystal;

the form itself left not a trace, mark, or smear or tainted quill, no evidence, no croak or shrill cry telling me it was even there before. My balance gone, I staggered and collapsed to the floor where, to this day, I remain eclipsed by its shadow— hexed to be a victim of my malefactor’s wrath— my own—forevermore. I looked up, in my haze, at the omen undisturbed whose talons clutched the bust above my chamber door and entreated, “what is it you want? When will I be free of this curse, when will the light return to me? Tell me— tell me, I implore.”

Quoth the Raven, “never more.”

Severance

In my days of greatest weakness since the Form from Days of Yore cursed me with sight from beyond and invaded my life, nesting atop my chamber door, I found the strength, between bouts of crippling pain, to press onward and find something to work for; and in my silvering years of singular focus, while the warnings grew no less quiet, I found myself, however briefly, in a position that saw me wishing for the faster coming of the mornings.

Ah, distinctly, I remember it was in the bleak December, among the frozen air and frost-covered glass, I found peace in the company of someone I grew closer to, somebody I adore. The fire rose, burned bright and just as quickly died; a casualty of circumstance banished to rosy memories of the place I was before.

Upon our parting I turned back toward the door when, from the Night’s Plutonian shore came the Visage I had seen, too many times before; and yet, I felt no contempt or ill will toward the Shape from days of Yore, that ancient relic I had seen so many times before.

I summoned from the deepest pit strength I hadn’t known before and Locking eyes I said to it, “she’s someone I care for; and no forecast from beyond, while not ill-intentioned will deny what we had.

"whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee– as I understand you, in a way, meant to protect me. I’ve learned much, so much from you–and thank you from my core– but there’s no warmth under your wing, no blessing to look for in the shelter of your shadow cast from above my chamber door; I’ve outgrown your message, your promises of doom and strife have done nothing to help me, they’ve only built a life of deep misery and shallow pleasures– isolation eternal;

"but I’m tired of it, I’ve grown sick of the sternal aching, the longing for something I’ve not yet had, the nights spent on the floor curled in a ball of despair, powerless against your warnings of what not to look for; there is balm in Gilead, there is light I can’t ignore.

"you hold no power, bird or fiend, or false guarantor. I. Renounce. You.”

Quoth the Raven, …nothing more.

It spoke no words of parting nor shrill call, nor cry upstarting; not the least obeisance made he, not a moment stopped or stayed he, but with grace of lord, or lady, disappeared into the night’s Plutonian shore

…but with many a flit and flutter returned to Earth a quill, and I shuddered to think of the significance held by the omen on the floor, that the Raven, never leaving, casts his shadow evermore, but where once I lay grieving I stand, a victim never more.

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papers4me · 5 years ago

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Fruits Basket SE02, ep11

There’s a such a sad tone throughout the episode because the theme is “letting go”. Currently: Kagura letting go of kyo. Kyo letting go of being with tohru, Possible future I hope for/want so bad: tohru letting go of the sohma’s. Yes. Girl needs to carve her own path, not solely live for others. Selfish kagura was wrong, selfless kyo can be wrong. But selfless tohru is definitely wrong! Be selfish tohru! plz! I want this for you so bad!!!

-Tohru’s Mission:

I’m so happy there are no magic cure for the curse! Nothing supernatural tohru needs to do. The curse is a metaphor for abuse & trauma, so breaking it with realistic & logical ways is awesome! Forming healthier bonds to replace the toxic ones is a plausible solution.The writer could’ve easily gone the anime-magic style, but didn’t! Tohru in her curse-breaker mode contacting Kazuma who didn’t hold back. “why must you bow you head/do so much” YES!! “you’ve already done so much”. Tell her!! she’s done enough for them. That image of her hugging kyo in his cat form is literally more than anybody could’ve done! the shunned cat, the hideous monster has been embraced by the beauty. love that someone within the story is against the idea of curse-breaker tohru!

-The nature of Abuse/Curse: The abused always lack the strength to oppose the abuser, cuz the abuser has systematically crushed their will/spirit & instilled twisted beliefs, brainwashing the victims into believing they can’t escape & no one is waiting for them, or they’re harmful, so they should stay inside.

-Kazuma’s opinion of Akito: abusers always look pathetic to outsiders, their strength is only dominating their victims. kazuma, an outsider, sees Akito as A spoiled child-like adult. “Fragile & unstable”. Notice how Kazuma’s words humanize Akito. He doesn’t call her monster! but a person who needs to be stopped for herself & others.

-THE “DATE”:

Once again, kyo/kagura date is everything but a date. It has all the typical signs of kagura/kyo “date”. She demands it, he’s refuses, she’s manipulates him using tears, he reluctantly accepts. She initially wanted to experience date-like activities, movies, lunch, he tries, he even dressed up for her, but she can read his eyes: please END this. She gives up leading him to where it all started. That park...happy place, right?

-The unfortunate memory:

To her: she was happily making a friend less fortunate than her, to him: it was a happy memory of ever making any fiend. To her: his misfortune is an opportunity to create a better image of herself: “The beauty accepting the pitiful beast“. To him: it was a moment of fear, alone in the park in his ugliest form, better hide well & wait till I’m human again.. mommy will be mad ..no more playing in the park...no more freedom. It’s tragic how this memory shaped their present relationship. What broke that day wasn’t kyo’s beads, but his trust in her. Whatever trust he had for his big sister is shattered by the pain of his true form & all its ugly outcomes. how tragic that she tried to overcompensate for years, to erase what happened & replace it with forced affection, manipulations, violence, ANYTHING! just let me be the beauty that loves the beast. The tragedy wasn’t that Kagura wanted to fix her human mistake, the tragedy was that she ONLY wanted to heal her own pain. Everybody is afraid of monsters. kyo’s mom. Tohru, too. Kagura screaming & running away wasn’t new to kyo. it is sth he accepts as normal. her leaving him behind is what broke him. He’s as afraid of this monster as everybody else. yet, he’s always left alone with it. Until tohru came & stayed with him. Tohru wins his trust cuz she saw the pain in the beast, the fear, the loneliness. Kagura lost it cuz she left him behind like everybody else did. Kagura’s confession is heartbreaking for them both. but it is tragic that even in her confession she only saw her pain. “I never thought abt your pain”, No one cares abt the monster. They are Not humans. “I only thought abt myself”.

Kyo’s growth:

Silent, understanding, firm, yet kind kyo is a side we usually see with tohru, where he listens silently until she finishes, no rush, no interruption. This side Kagura sees now for the first time. He’s letting her unload her baggage, no matter how painful it is to hear how she pitted him. pity is one of kyo’s worst pet peeves. Yet, he showed no disgust or annoyance. No access to his thoughts. His face & solemn expression conveys lots. Every sentence, decision, expression, & word he said were perfect & showed immense growth.

She realized the difference between them. Both were in pain, both matured to understand themselves better, both gained courage to let go of toxic feelings, however, unlike her, kyo saw her pain & sized to relieve it.

“I won’t fall in love with you”calmly but firmly “I never will” stopping any possible scenarios. Typical kyo, no pampered words to color things differently, just direct, straightforward & honest sentences. That’s how he is with tohru. “I’m not upset abt you looking down on me” reliving her from guilt (a destructive feeling kyo knows too well), “you have nothing to apologize for” regardless if she must or not, kyo is releasing her of the outcomes of her confession. She doesn’t need to fix or explain or justify anything. “No matter your reason was, I’m happy you played with me”. Kyo chose to remember the one positive part of that memory & let go of the darkness attached to it. Them playing together. Not her leaving him. He chose to keep this memory precious & thank her for it. It’s then that kagura herself chose to do the same, let go of the darkness & bring the innocent memory: “kyo-chan, I love you”. Kyo choosing to embrace her until she’s done crying & thanking her is a precious part of himself that is so endearing. Oh how the table have turned!! The monster is the one comforting the beauty. The monster is not pitiful nor ugly, he’s kind & oh so endearingly sweet. After all, it is not a love story. It never was.

Side Notes:

tohru asking before using the phone in the house she’s been living in for a year now! my precious girl! T_T.

How twisted the sohma’s are to deny a dead relative burial in the family’s gravesite. All cat zodiacs are even denied after death?! tortured by ridicule & solitary life confinement & even disowned after death. tragic. that’s kyo’s fate. It’s a metaphor for the abusive environment, one can’t expect logic or humanity from such abusive systems.

kyo covering tohru’s ears...son, why are u so obvious? it hurts, lol. Yuki is in disbelief of how your love-sick brain works. lol

Kyo & black button down shirt. that’s it. That’s the note.

Kagura finally graduated from comic-relief with violent tendencies to human character with flaws, mistakes & tragic choices. yay!

#Fruits Basket #Anime Only #kyo sohma #Tohru Honda #sad paper #SE02

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eternalchant · 1 year ago

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playing with abandon & raphael's relationship. it's a bit of a mess because i just. started writing w/o really knowing where i'm going.

Abandon wasn't surprised when Raphael finally deigned himself to appear and introduced himself to the group she now found herself traveling with. He had done so before, in both more subtle and less subtle ways. Once he had appeared already in his true, cambion form while she was in the company of a rather zealous cleric of Tyr. They had not taken kindly to the sudden presence of a fiend, nor of the revelation that she was bound to him. He had not even had a reason to seek her out, certainly not in person, claiming it was simply a "social call".

Raphael did not pay simple "social calls". Not with her at least.

She had spent more casual moments with him since coming under contract, but always within his House. Passing conversations, reports that devolved into drivel, a Lanceboard game or two when there was time and he was particularly bored.

He never sought her out simply for a social call. No, there was another element to it all, in the way that he always made it known that she was his warlock. A show of power, a reminder for her, a moment of possession for him.

Isolating, in a way, as few seem to stick around afterwards. She supposed that if she were to bring it up to him he would reason that they need to stay true to the wonderful new name she had taken up upon shaking his hand, one he had suggested himself.

-Abandon? Much better than Faith, don't you think?

The echo of the words themself felt like a brand on her subconscious.

Much like the words he spoke now as he stepped around their party, gesturing with his usual dramatic flair. His eyes never quite reached her own but his words nevertheless felt as much a warm, soothing touch as they felt like a hand at her throat.

It was unnerving, almost, the way he had not acknowledged her or their connection.

And there was something else coiling in the pit of her stomach because of it. Bitterness? Fear? An anxious worry that perhaps she was useless to him now, powers dwindled by her new illithid stowaway. Had he come to add to the list of those who would toss her aside?

Shade speaks for the group, as she has been thrust rather gracelessly into a position of leadership, but her words feel distant as she continues to track Raphael's movement, only his own voice cutting through the fog that her mind has been reduced to.

It's almost as if–

Wait.

"Ah, you're losing your touch, pet."

She blinks once as her mind clears of Raphael's enthrallment and then again at the endearment. Though, it felt much more mocking than endearing.

It was a new one.

Her companions all turn to look at her, brows raised and furrowed, Astarion looking as if he had just stumbled upon the juiciest gossip.

She looks past them, her eyes remaining on her patron, the pit in her stomach coiling even tighter now with his attention.

"That was cheap, even for you," she dares, nerves making her brave rather than shying from his ever present challenge, the temptation of disobedience and failure and what follows.

He barks out a laugh and with it she feels that imagined hand curl ever so slightly tighter at her throat.

it's 3am... what if i shared a little wip....

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hopehunted · 4 years ago

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“ 𝐔𝐆𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄, 𝐈 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐒𝐀𝐘, 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄. ” is that SHELLEY HENNIG? oh no, that’s 𝐉𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐃, born on the 27th of JULY, 2011. i heard SHE (CIS FEMALE) is a 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 in the 𝐖𝐘𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐀. apparently, they can be PERSEVERING and BOLD but also known to be MERCILESS and GUARDED. spends most of their free time battling a bone-deep desire to flee, probably smells like METAL. is that a bite mark i see?

character inspirations: laurie strode (halloween 2018), murder coat!rick grimes (the walking dead), din djarin (the mandalorian), bigby wolf (the wolf among us), kelly bailey (misfits), frank castle (punisher), spot (the good dinosaur), trilla suduri (star wars), stitch (lilo & stitch).

you can find jordan’s stats right here, where i’ve also put all her links. there’s a good bit of info there, so i’ll just be fluffing her out a bit more here!

— 𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 ; 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘'𝐒 𝐀 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐑. CONTENT WARNING: the second-to-last bullet point of this section mentions pregnancy, postpartum depression, and infant death. it’ll be marked with ***.

jordan was born and raised in rural country, far beyond fedra’s reach. their community was overlooked by the government and denied entry to quarantined zones. they were left to fend for themselves — nothing but them, the land, and a dread so thick it filled the air like smog.

her parents died quickly - no match for the changing tides - and their farm was overtaken by insurgents. suddenly, she became communal property. no, schrodinger's orphan: simultaneously everyone's and no one's ward. soon enough, a young couple would come to adopt her. it was good while it lasted, but jordan's luck is pure shit. family is quickly associated with the ephemeral: each caretaker having taught her something different before they pass or abandon her somewhere — all of them having made a promise they can’t or don’t intend to keep. some of them offer her their compassion's warmth, while others cut like a knife. she's a sponge: soaking up their essences until there was no more room for her, or who she may have been otherwise.

above all, jordan learned how to make herself useful. she grew older and tougher in more ways than one. in a world intent on eating her alive, jordan fought to prove her worth, earn her place in groups, and for what bit of food and supplies they could scrap together. it was a life of grit, blood, and sweat: each moment clouded by the intrinsic need to survive, pushing out the fantasy of ever letting her defenses down. there is no order in the bush. jordan doesn’t know anything else — her life revolving around a fight, always. what moments of light she has are flickers in the dark ; moments she struggles still to claim are real. it’s easier to accept a grim fate than it is to hope for a brighter one. see, around these parts, hope kills quicker than a clicker.

time passed and jordan was a woman grown, just settling in to her twenties. for once, things we’re actually going well. their camp was protected, safe. it felt odd, she thought, this moment of peace. hope crawled into her brain through her ears and settled there, colonizing her consciousness. a tender friendship and string of bad decisions blossomed into something more; something that felt.. permanent. one thing led to another and suddenly they were expecting. jordan had never had a family before, not in a true sense, but she was excited to try. the idea of creating something greater than her was an exhilarating one, as though a string of good deeds could somehow right what was otherwise wrong in the world. she was excited to assume the role of a teacher, a leader, a caretaker. never before had she wanted anything more than that.

*** the storm passed and jordan realized she’d only been in the eye of it, momentarily untouched. the unimaginable unfolded before their eyes and jordan ventured elsewhere to a place formerly unbeknownst to her. it was a place for which there were no words, no understanding to be formed of a wound of that magnitude. jordan couldn’t bear to be present. memory had no mercy. her body, aching and sore and still producing sustenance, had no mercy. people would attempt to console her and it only made her want to bite. her partner was kinder than she deserved and it only made her want to scream her throat raw. she felt as though she’d shattered into a million pieces, the shards of her embedded in her very flesh, digging deeper with every step she took. at that point, there was only one truths to be told: jordan couldn’t stay.

it ends with this: jordan walks into the bush and doesn’t come back. she leaves nothing behind — not even a note or a whispered goodbye. she's just gone.

— 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄’𝐒 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, 𝐀𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐘, 𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

she’s twenty-six when the grizzlies find her: a trail of mutilated bodies leading them to a woman worn. misery has made a fiend of her: she’s harsher now, her hurt branded into the scarred skin of her body.

unsurprisingly, jordan fits right in with them. theirs is the only world she knows — she doesn’t notice the barbarism. if life is one long act of violence; what makes this any different? she takes to the work easily, proving her worth and earning the mark of the bear with ease. fremont lake is home, but jordan doesn’t trust it. she finds solace elsewhere, back in the woods. she’s happiest when scavenging or on a hunt, all too eager to keep herself occupied somehow.

despite her efforts to be otherwise, jordan is a known figure in the wyoming militia. she’s a gun aimed wherever yen wants her: she’s brutal, decisive. jordan doesn’t flinch and she doesn’t hesitate. when there’s a move to be made, she’s typically one of the ones at the front of it. frankly, she’s no stranger to extreme violence. she bites and she scratches and she’ll use whatever is in her reach to win a fight. she’s not trained by any official means, but she has heart and will go for your knees every single time. it’s dirty, desperate, and merciless. you won’t leave a fight with her without a mark.

jordan doesn’t know how to deal with people being genuinely kind to her. she thinks there has to be a catch somewhere, that everything is a transaction of some sort. she’ll get nervous, flustered even. like, ‘what are you doing? is this a joke? stop looking at me like that.’ and if she does something kind, she’d rather die than be recognized for it. being tender? being acknowledged as a human being capable of contributing something of worth? gross. ew. too revealing for her, thanks.

she has a lot of survival skills knowledge. knows how to make do with minimal supplies and resources, and i mean that in the bear grylls doing nasty shit just to make it through the night type of way. she’s also an excellent huntsman. she can sniff out tracks easily and leaves no nook or cranny untouched when scavenging. she’ll climb and crawl through questionable buildings if there’s a chance for loot inside. you might want to watch your belongings around her, too.

her living quarters are bare, and you can’t tell much about her just by looking through it. having moved from camp to camp for a majority of her life, coupled with an innate sense of instability has pretty much dissolved any real sense of ownership she feels over things. she does like little trinkets, though. typically small animal figurines. she thinks they’re charming.

she can be a great friend, if you manage to get close enough. she's brazen, a surprisingly good listener, and always more than willing to lighten the mood. she may not laugh at your jokes, but she'll have your back, even if it costs her own. as it turns out, jordan can be very generous sometimes: she’ll shower you in attention and walk in your shadow, chasing the light you emit. deep down, jordan has a strong desire to please, and shows her love through acts of service. she wants to be needed, and needs to be useful to those she loves.

had coffee once and she hated it. too needy of a drunk to feel comfortable drinking. avoids the fighting pits. freezes up when someone touches her. can and will steal your flannel shirts.

— 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐊, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄.

first of all, when i say i’m genuinely down to do any and all plots i mean that. i don’t say no to anything lol and want to do all the things, whether it’s mega death angst or something that’s so sweet it’ll make my teeth hurt. gimme everything, pls n thanks!

i’ve purposely left some gaps in her history in order to leave room for anything we cook up. people she was once in a group with / traveled with way back when could be cool. little acts of fate are my favorite - imagine the reunions! whether they hated each other, were familiar, or were thick as thieves is all good with me.

if anyone wants to pick up the ex she wanted to start a family with, then i’d be willing to discuss that! they could be from any faction [except for the purged, logistically]. doesn’t have to be the actual person that got her pregnant either. jordan checked out after everything that happened and ultimately left without any warning, goodbye, or anything. surely that’s gotta rouse some intense feelings, especially if they just so happen to come across her again.. as fate and its shit sense of humor would have it.

jordan can have some friends.. as a treat. hehe. seriously, give her someone to shoot the shit with and to annoy the hell out of!

friends with benefits / one night stands could be interesting, especially since jordan doesn’t really let very many people that close to her. keep in mind though, she’s the type to fuck someone and then never speak of it again which is very well-adjusted of her.

jordan gets bit pretty early on in game, and by that i mean literally in january of 2044, lol. so, having someone help her with her wound could be interesting. i was thinking it could be some quid pro quo type of deal where she asks them for supplies in exchange for whatever they want, but i’m down to discuss any differing ideas / alter it to fit our characters. jordan wouldn’t want them to know what the supplies was for, but the opportunity for them to find out anyhow could still arise because who doesn’t love some good ole drama?

someone that does not vibe with her / she doesn’t vibe with could be cool, too! not everything is peachy keen, you know?

exes / almost exes are one of my weaknesses. getting so close to someone that you end up on the other side of them is so bittersweet. i need it. jordan is a difficult individual, so maybe this was a will-they-won’t-they type of situation that never went anywhere, or it was silent pining, or whatever else we think of is all good with me. can have been unrequited or not, too. could be a relationship neither of them can leave well enough alone, or one that makes it difficult for them to ever go back to being friends - maybe there’s too much bitterness to see past. i just wanna paint some angsty little trees, man.

#jacksonhqintro #pregnancy tw #depression tw #infant death tw #intro #jordan intro.#u may be asking yrself damn dev do u ever shut up?? and the answer is no! i don't!

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hellspathfinder · 5 years ago

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Choices

Freya & company are warned by their contact within the Chelish Intelligence apparatus that they will in one weeks time be promoted to “Trusted Agents of Thrune.” They resolve to spend this week of vacation on researching & advancing their artifacts by way of a journey up the Southwestern coast.

Some friends are made, enemies dispatched, and the defensive stability of the city of Pezzack is severely weakened before they return home.

Immediately upon promotion, the team is given a job they desperately don’t want to do. They are asked to befriend and gain the trust of two nobles vying for the queens favor here in Egorian, the capital of Cheliax.

Archcountess Levisvia Vasvion is a multiple-widow who owns a few hospitality businesses in the city, some of which are formerly owned by the other concerned party: Paracount Thalgano Sethic.

Several extremely odd jobs are performed with mixed results. Some money but little trust is earned. Word reaches the team that the queen is no longer amused by these two nobles squabbling what with the Glorious Reclamation marching on Westcrown and all. The team accelerates their plans.

They side with Vasvion and immediately begin squeezing Sethic’s businesses. They destroy his devil-hog farm, expose and indict several judges Sethic has on his payroll, attempt but fail to steal a large sum Sethic has borrowed from a foreign bank, and they even prevent an assassination attempt on Vasvion’s fiance, Nicolo Alazario (aka Michelob Ultra) - son of Egorian’s Lord Mayor Alazario. Nicolo impresses the team with his combat prowess against very dangerous gray men of Norgorber.

Sethic feels the heat and goes underground, so the team moves on to other objectives. Corrine has requested that they crush the Bellflower Network’s operations in the capital, which have escalated in the chaos of the times.

They plan an elaborate trap by way of renting a river-barge and decorating it for a large “all-nighter” party. They invite the worst people they can think of from across the city and surrounding countryside, advertise that they will have a halfling fighting ring present at the event and wait.

With Draymus posing as the host, their ambush goes awry. A crack-team of halfling combatants indeed shows up to liberate the “participants” at the barge. Nearly destroying Draymus upon arrival, the group is forced to repel the boarders before they are fully prepared. After an explosive battle where they are constantly on their backfeet, Jason utters their word of recall “Kendrick Lamar” and they escape to their Migos St hideaway. Many halflings are liberated.

Continuing the investigation, they are lead to a safehouse for the Bellflowers and pulling no punches, they summon gigantic earth elementals and level the entire building and surrounding structures. Calling that done, they prepare for their next objective.

The nobles are calmed and her enemies are on the run, the queen is pleased. She rewards her agents with more important work, and the authority to make an important choice. One “friend of the queen” must be sacrificed to Asmodeus as part of the 100 year old bond between the Thrune family and their god. A pilgrimage must be undertaken in a form exactly like Abrogail I’s initial deal.

They must travel by land to a set of 14 standing stones that are in the Barrowood, West of Egorian. At each stone they must shed a drop of blood of their would-be sacrifice and at the final stone the subject must be given to Asmodeus.

They choose Sethic, as they have strong intelligence that indicates he has gone to ground at his best-defended mansion. The team infiltrates his home, secures the guards and discovers a grisly secret. More than a week prior, Sethic kidnapped Bob Applewood and tortured him for days and days. Bob is alive but unresponsive. A seething team of killers waits for Sethic’s inevitable return home.

Showing more skill than they expect, upon Sethic’s return a desperate battle erupts. It seems the old man is an Arcane Trickster of considerable skill and he nearly kills all of them before being laid low by Freya and Reese. Jason promptly stabilizes the old man and Draymus feebleminds him, for their own safety.

They fashion a sort of backpack to carry him in, and set off on the pilgrimage. Along the way they are accosted by the Glorious Reclamation’s advanced scouts, who are much farther past the Chelish Army lines than is generally known. They are nearly halted by a team-up of the paladins and a powerful druid who protects the Barrrowood.

Surviving this, at the final stone they are confronted by a rogue faction of the Church of Asmodeus. This radical cell of clerics grows weary of Thrune rule and would see Cheliax in absolute control of the church. Jason must make a heavy choice, but one that he finds easy. He sides with his Queen because he knows Asmodeus also sides with her.

An explosive and deadly battle ensues and the leader of the Asmodeans, Archmage Luthon Malix alone escapes after killing Jason. A decimated crew drags Sethic’s still-feebleminded self to the stone and freya slits his throat on the altar.

A portal opens, and Gorthoklekk himself appears in his human guise at first, but quickly assumes his true form of a giant pit fiend, towering over them. He casts “heal” on Sethic’s dying form to remove his feeblemind, even returning him to consciousness long enough to see his “friends” staring at him. Bob makes finger-guns at him just before the pit fiend eats him alive.

The devil chews but does not swallow Sethic’s flesh and bone, instead turning to vomit his remains and eternal-soul into the portal to Hell.

Shortly after, another portal opens and Contessa steps out, surveying the area for danger just before Abrogail II, Queen of Cheliax herself appears. She thanks the team and asks Gorthoklekk to resurrect Jason, which he does (he uses raise-dead instead but the queen does not appear to notice).

Freya & co are promoted to Bound Agents of Thrune. Above the law in all matters while serving the queen in Cheliax. They are also rewarded with some new equipment including a ring from the queen’s own finger she gives to Jason.

Corrine later informs the team that while they have renewed Thrune’s pact with Hell, the Glorious Reclamation has taken Westcrown and a group called the Silver Ravens has killed the Lord Mayor, Barzillai Thrune in Kintargo and taken control of the city. They are expected to declare their independence from Cheliax any day. The queen has demanded that a letter be sent declaring this action unlawful and requiring all involved parties to be turned over to her agents. The team prepares to meet the Silver Ravens.

#pathfinderrpg #paizo #hellsvengeance #cheliax

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thatsparrow · 5 years ago

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(read on ao3)

What do you dream about when your dreams are your own?

Fjord doesn't know—he hasn't been so lucky in some time. When he wakes up and thinks back, his resting hours are as black and bottomless as whatever fathomless pit where Uk'otoa waits. Whether it's because he's ill-practiced when it comes to remembering, or because some scale-armed part of Uk'otoa is still wrapped around his subconscious, he isn't sure, but Fjord does know what he'd like to dream about, if given the choice.

Yasha, first. If the gods were kind enough to grant him the choice, Fjord would like to live in the sort of gentle, rose-colored dreams where Yasha is with them still, clear-eyed and steady of mind. He'd like to see her kneeling down to wrap up sunset-colored petals and snow-white buds for Zuala, or eased back against a tree trunk around their evening campfire with the Magician's Judge stretched out on her lap. Running a whetstone along the length of it the way a musician might tune their lute strings. He'd like to see her smiling again, bright and melancholy-tinted as a winter's sun.

Fjord would like the comfort of those dreams, because otherwise he closes his eyes and sees that other, shadowed version of Yasha—the one who walks in step with the Laughing Hand while stretching out her sword to carve him open from collarbone to hip. He doesn't want his last memories of her to be so corrupted. If truly given the choice, Fjord would like a god to reach down and show him the way towards waking her up and dispelling that clouded, cruel-edged look she now carries. Even if the dream was a lie, he'd take it happily. These days, he understands the appeal of a merciful delusion; no wonder Nott drinks the way she does.

Fjord would like to dream of Yasha, first, but he'd ask for other comforts, too, if his dreams would allow it. He'd like to see Vandren again, back when the gray was just coming in at Vandren's temples and Fjord was still growing fast enough that the rest of the crew would measure his height against the mainmast. He'd like to leave behind these brutal, frost-blistering northern mountains for the memory of a summer on the Lucidian, sleeves rolled up past the elbow and all his clothes turned stiff from the salt and Vandren clapping him on the back as he'd choked down his first mouthful of cheap, eye-watering rum.

Breathe through your nose, boy, Vandren had said, trading out the still-full mug for one with water. It gets better.

Does it?

Vandren had laughed. Maybe not the taste, but at least your willingness to stomach it.

Now, Fjord looks back and has to wonder whether Vandren was playing acolyte to Uk'otoa even then. Were Vandren's own dreams lit up in amber light? Was the ship's course being guided by Uk'otoa's will, or had those lies come later? Did Vandren know that the falchion and Uk'otoa's double-edged attention would turn to Fjord in his stead? Was that what he'd intended? Fjord doesn't know how to argue those thoughts down, or how to keep them from turning his memories of Vandren into something bitter-tasting.

He can't ignore what he knows now, and so instead, Fjord would like to dream up a version of himself that isn't aware of the extent to which Vandren had deceived him. Back before Uk'otoa, before Sabian—back to a time when he was younger and twig-thin and his only concerns had been practicing the litany of sailors' knots that Vandren had given him to memorize. Muscle coming in slow under his forest-green tan and evenings given way to foot-thumping shanties that rattled the waves around them. No god-like entities, no cursed fucking falchions—fuckingnone of it. Just the home Vandren had made for them and the crew, salt-soaked and ocean borne.

If his dreams were truly his own, Fjord would have them dedicated to Molly, too. So long as he's asking to spend his evenings in the past, then he'd like to see sunlight flashing silver and gold off the edges of Molly's dual blades again, purple-patterned tarot cards shifting there-and-gone between his restless fingertips. I am your god, long may I reign. Not long enough, as it had happened.

(And what would Molly, say, were he with them now? Would he have paid some Xhorhasian tailor to turn his Platinum Dragon tapestry into a fur-lined winter coat? Would he have opened up his infernal scars as Obann sang forth the Laughing Hand's freedom? Would he have stayed by Yasha's side while the rest of them had run, working to save her fiend-trapped mind until the Hand's laughing wounds had driven him mad? For Yasha, Fjord is sure that Molly would have found the bravery none of the rest of them had managed.)

If he could, Fjord would like to return to the beginning, to that long-ago tavern in Trostenwald—and funny, isn't it, that it's really thanks to Molly that the seven of them came together at all. (Eight, counting Caduceus, and—albeit indirectly—Molly had a hand in that, as well.) If his dreams would permit him such a mercy, Fjord would like to be taken back to when Molly breathed still—not just alive, but so full of life that the limits of his body barely seemed able to contain it. All that color bleeding out in the form of his tattoos, his gem-studded piercings, his multi-patterned eyesore of a coat.

In true dreams—ones spun up by his mind rather than by any divine or pseudo-divine influence—the distinction between reality and illusion is irrelevant, and so what better place to indulge in visions of the past? What better place to imagine a world where Molly never died—could never die—and Vandren guided him still, and Yasha had never been turned down some darker path? If his dreams were truly his own, Fjord would like them to be ones where laughter proved easier to come by than pain. Given the sum total of his waking and resting hours, it doesn't seem like so much to ask for. Gods know the material realm has never treated any of them so kind.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #fjord #yasha #mollymauk tealeaf #(minor spoilers at least)#my fic

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wizardsnwookies · 7 years ago

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TOD011018 - The Devil Went Down to Neverwinter

“Skydancer took only a moment to let her brain try and catch up with what was happening around her. The blade in her hands, the blade that never failed her before, rested upon the crown of this grotesque man without drawing a drop of blood. How was it possible?

A fluke, nothing more. She would just have to try again. Gripping the handle firmly she flexed her muscles blurred the air before her in slashes, cuts, stabs, and strokes of her blade. Each time her eyes widened, and her stubbornness grew as again and again this seemingly normal human’s skin deflected elven steel.

Furious, Skydancer let out a bellow from her guts and gave one final diagonal slash, pouring all her effort into her blade. This time, as if some invisible bubble was shattered, she felt the blade jerk as it was once again deflected only slightly. The tip of the moonblade disappeared into the flesh just above the eyebrow and cut a long jagged opening as it trailed down over the bridge of the nose, across the cheek, and into one of the many chins.

Ashby swatted her aside with a flabby arm that felt far too powerful, the second stump reaching up to hold the flesh upon his face. But it was too late, the veil had been pierced and instead of blood, flames dripped from the open wound.

The guards in the room, who up until now had been standing firm with no fear or concern for their master, suddenly readied their weapons. Skydancer took a few steps back, the heat licking at her exposed flesh. The silence broken by a vicious laughter.

“Well, then. It appears this face has outlived it’s usefulness.” Ashby pushed himself to a stand effortlessly, as if the pounds of fat handing off of him weren’t even there. The flames leaking from his face scorched the flesh around the wound and started to burn outwards, eating away at the disguise to reveal his true form beneath.

The skin was a deep red and dried to a point where no moisture could penetrate it. It was cracked and cragged, and jagged like a mountain range. The gnashing teeth that tore at the turkey leg in his hands elongated into a forest of gleaming fangs. Wings sprouted from his back, and a long whip-like tale slithered into existence. Around him, his guards dropped their own masks and reclaimed their true forms of devils of various breeds, all vicious and angry.

The room exploded into chaos.

Splintering wood fell to the floor as a hole was rent into the wooden door, the head of Dain’s war-hammer removed itself from the other side of the barrier to make way for Waldorf’s spell. With a flick of the finger, a ring of ice encircled Ashby, Lotus, Skydancer, and two frost devils. In an instant, the circle of glass upon the floor shot upwards to form a wall of ice. Seeing this, the rest of the guard turned their attentions, hoping to free their imprisoned master.

“Your master has this well in hand. Leave them.”

It was almost like a whisper, only thoughts do not whisper, the guards thought to themselves. Yes, they all agreed, he can handle himself. It was a good idea. Let us take care of the rest.

Barton grinned for but a brief moment, deception and enchantment were proving to be quite useful. His shift of focus from more destructive spells did not seem so reckless to him now. That was, until he noticed the six devils approaching him with all his other allies helpless to provide aid.

An arrow shot through the air before him and missed the face of a Horned devil by an eyelash. To his left Osborne cursed, knocking his arrow before ducking under the table to hide his next shot.

Meanwhile, inside the wall sounds of battle rang out. Barton and Osborne could hear Skydancer’s blade clashing against the devils, and the mighty blows of Lotus striking against their scaly skin. The Horned devils shielded themselves as the Warlock through out a fire bolt from his palm and scorched against the barrier of ice. Water and chucks of frost clattered to the floor, but the wall stood firm.

Finally, the sound of shattering wood exploded behind him and he saw Dain barreling through the whole to his right. A flash of light blinded everyone in the room as the dwarf threw out his holy symbol and the air around them suddenly felt warm and light. They had a god on their side now.

“You are too late.” Ashby bellowed, his mighty club blocking another of Skydancer’s attacks, magical green flame burst from the edge of her blade but did not so much as warm the fiend’s skin. “The slaves are already headed for the sacrificial pits. You won’t be able to stop us now.”

Saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth, Ashby lunged forward and sunk his teeth into Skydancer’s shoulder. She let out an anguished scream as blood poured from the wound. The cool blue light from inside the wall of ice suddenly turned crimson, and droplets of water sprayed from perfect orb of transparency in the barrier. Another of Barton’s fire bolt’s had made impact. The wall would no longer separate her from her allies.

Lotus looked over his shoulder to the wall behind him. He would have to move for the next shot unless he wanted to burn with the rest of the ice. He turned back to the frost devil before him, it’s icy face frozen in a wicked grin as an icicle javelin formed in it’s grip.

The air whistled and a bolt of wood and iron clattered against the floor at the devil’s feet.

“SERIOUSLY??? What is up with me today?” Osborne stood on top of the wall, a faint glow of magic emanating from his enchanted slippers. Lotus offered a slight nod of thanks and took his opening, tumbling to the side just in time for the wall behind him to explode in massive boulders of ice as Dain’s warhammer made impact.

“This is a futile effort!” Ashby chuckled, licking Skydancer’s blood from his lips. “The castle is already halfway to the southern stronghold. It is done. What further do you expect to accomplish?”

Dain calmly walked up and retrieved his hammer, letting his holy symbol fall back upon his chain. The twin devils before him shrieked in pain as his healing spell racked their unholy bodies with unending torment. Then, silence, and in a puff of sulfer and ash they were destroyed.

Barton took a deep breath and readied himself. He had one shot at this, as it was it was a massive risk. For the spell he had in mind, he would have to put himself in striking distance of the fiend, and therefore, put himself in harms way. But he had to try.

Ashby’s attention turned from Skydancer who had already slumped to the floor. He was amused at the warlock who fancied himself a hero rushing towards his death. The half elf sprinted through the hole with reckless abandon, no weapons in hand, his palms outstretched. Ashby felt the hands fall upon him and magic surge through his skin. He felt a tug on his form from another plane. A lesser creature of his kind would find himself sent off to another plane of existence, the battle lost. But he was not a lesser creature, he was a pit fiend, and he was mighty.

“Did you really expect that to work?”

Barton looked up and felt his heart sink. Ashby’s massive hand slammed against his head and he felt himself flying off his feat and colliding with what remained of the ice wall, and fell into unconsciousness.

“EVERYONE TO ME!” Waldorf helped Dain up, his eyes fluttering open as the potion worked it’s magic and he regained himself. After destroying two devils the dwarf was quickly surrounded by an additional three, and soon fell to their barbs and blades.

Three of his companions were down, Skydancer would hate him for it, but Waldorf had to get them all out of here alive. The wizard moved up to meet Lotus, Skydancer slung over his shoulder, Osborne leaping down from the top of the wall, and Barton still unconscious on the polished marble floor. With everyone within range of his spell, he offered Ashby one final glare with his undead eyes. A few whispered words and the room around him faded, the image distorting and morphing from the inside of a grand ballroom, to the streets of Waterdeep.

Magical mist billowed out in a vague circle around them, and Waldorf felt the massive amount of magical energy leave him. Curious eyes fell upon them all, three slumped in the dust of cobblestone streets.

“Move along...nothing to see here I’m afraid.”

---

“How’s the shoulder?” Osborne tried not to let his guilt seep into the tone of his voice. Against devils and a pit fiend, his contributions had felt quite useless, and once again his friends suffered greatly.

“A little sore, typical post healing tightness...you know the deal by now I’m sure.” Skydancer was tired, but this emergency council meeting was important. They needed to know there was a pit fiend supporting the cult, and more importantly, they had failed to deal with him.

“Yeah...”

“What?”

“...the masks...they were a red herring. All that time wasted.”

Skydancer thought for a moment and placed a soft hand on the half-ling’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t say that. There’s are villages full of elves in the Misty Forest alive because of our pursuit of the masks.”

Osborne nodded. He had thought of that, but somehow it still stung. It could have been all over by now. Maybe the Elven King’s people would not have had to suffer at all had they not gone searching for the White mask and battling the Yuan-Ti. Who knows.

“Welcome back from Neverwinter, how is my city fairing in my absence?” Lord Neverember opened the proceedings. Despite the late hour he was still dressed as if he were taking his lunch with other nobles.

“I’m afraid your suspicions were correct.” Skydancer turned from her friend, time for business.

“Oh, that is...unfortunate. Who was it?”

“Lord Ashby. He was running a slave fighting ring and funneling the profits to the cult. He also contributed slaves he no longer saw as fit for battle as sacrifices.”

“Ashby.” Neverember spat. “I am sadly not surprised. He always struck me as offensive, however I had nothing to base my suspicions on.”

“It’s worse than that I’m afraid. He’s a pit fiend.”

The council members murmured to each other, their faces dark and brows furrowed with concern. “This is distressing news. Have you dealt with him?”

Skydancer shifted uncomfortably. “I’m afraid we were overwhelmed, we only just escaped with our lives.”

“Then we shall consider ourselves blessed.” Lady Larrel interjected, taking the opportunity to assume control. Heavy decisions must be made now. “Were you able to obtain any further information that may be of use?”

“Yes, in his boasting he revealed that the latest batch of sacrifices were loaded upon Skyreach Castle, the flying fortress of the Storm Giants we encountered some time ago. Right now they should be somewhere over the Parnast mountains.”

The Lady of Waterdeep let her eyes fall for a moment in thought. Looking back up she sought her contemporaries to her left and right. Without words, they all seemed to be in agreement. It was time to move.

“Then let the forces be marshaled. All members of this council will rally their armies and begin the push towards the well. We cannot delay any further.”

“What of the pit fiend?” One of the council members spoke up with more than mild concern. More than a few quietly sounded their agreement.

“Call the Paladins and Clerics.” Dain offered, his soft voice sounding from behind those taller than he, which were many. “They fight demons.”

“A wise suggestion.” Lady Larrel smiled. “And what of your party? What are your next movements?”

A young man in his 30′s stepped up in a heavy cloak and hood. It took the members of the council a few moments to recognize this man as wizard, Waldorf the wonderous. Some marveled at his sudden transformation, however those well versed in the ways of wizardry pieced together quickly that the use of a transmuter stone was somehow involved.

“I believe I can Scry on the castle my lady, as we have been there before. From there we can pinpoint it’s exact location and intercept it.” Waldorf reveled in the youthful timber in his voice. He had been preparing for this transformation some time now, even before his current ‘condition’ was contracted. It was little more than vanity, however given his comrade’s attitudes towards him lately, he needed a bit of a confidence boost.

“How will you gain entry? You reported it was protected by a password enchantment and guarded by twin stone golems?”

“I was hoping Harshnag might be able to help us with that.” Skydancer once again took the reigns in the conversation. She had not seen the giant since returning to Waterdeep, he had long since departed for the giant-moot. However she had hoped he would still be within contact.

“I’m afraid he is still traveling in the North. When last he reported in he was somewhere in the crags between Longsaddle and Mirabar.”

“My Lady.” Leosin took a step forward from his position by the door. “I believe I may have another solution. One Throngar Stonescribe, a dwarf within this very city. He is somewhat of a giant scholar, he might be able to help in some way.”

Lady Larrel offered him a nod. “Very well. I believe we each have our paths now to follow. May we all be successful in our endeavors...for all our sakes.”

---

Skydancer sat on her Griffin mount and waited, watching the polymorphed Waldorf soar through the skies around castle Skyreach as a falcon, seeking out visual confirmation of his his scrying. The last few days were furious preparation, and additional scrying sessions to not only seek out a secondary entry, but also provide a finer pinpoint of time with which to expect arrival at the Well of Dragons. Both had been successes.

Throngar Stonescribe found their alternate entry in stories of terrible giants on flying mounts. Their roosts kept in the cliffs below and behind the flying castle, which had been oddly built upon stone as opposed to clouds, which was normally tradition.

Skydancer had procured their own means of flight with the purchase of highly trained war Griffin’s, and equipped them with fine studded leather barding, full plate for Lotus’s Wyvern.

Barton returned from the fey temple with scrolls of protection from evil...just in case.

Finally, Waldorf sought out one Goran Black of the mercenaries guild. The man was built like a mountain, and his reputation was almost as high as their own within Waterdeep. He was the perfect candidate for a Simulacrum. Skydancer had heard of the spell, but wasn’t quite sure how it worked. According to the old Wizard, he had paid the man some 5,000 gold for the privilege of magically sampling the man’s strength and skill. When needed, it would be called upon and be a powerful ally in their battle.

They would not be unprepared, not this time. Skydancer winced thinking of their disastrous first attempt to take the castle. Turning tail and running from an army and twin giant stone golems. She looked back at the rest of the party, everyone seemed to have similar looks of determination on their faces. Good. All the preparation in the world would mean nothing without that.

NOW they were ready.

#Tyranny of Dragons #Dungeons and Dragons #campaign diary

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verdigrisprowl · 7 years ago

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Oct 19 Blurr’s Horror Stream - Monster AU - Creature from the Black Lagoon

Instead of a normal stream, we did an AU stream where everyone’s a monster. Prowl was a shadow person. A very shy shadow person.

Welcome to the 'speedxstealer' room. The chat room has been cleared by the moderator. Tarantulas changed their nickname to Tara. Kweh: ((holy *** i haven't heard this song in years Kweh changed their nickname to Bevel. E x s p i r a v i t: [[ i love this song. ] Tara: (( my bother thought this song said "fajita, i can't cool down" Tara: (( **brother Bevel: ((I first heard this song on Sabrina the Teenage Witch E x s p i r a v i t: [[ accurate. ]] Bevel: ((fajita pft E x s p i r a v i t: [[ Remember, you can be any monster you like, any size, any shape, any form. ]] E x s p i r a v i t: [[ Blurr here is a ghostie ]] Ravage: *A sleek, black and red mechanical beast with a feline body, birds' wings, and vaguely humanoid face slinks into the room... and parks itself at the door. None shall pass. Maybe.* E x s p i r a v i t: / is going to just slide along the walls with speed, making monitors turn to static and music morph in and out for a moment. Coils up from the ground. ghost present / E x s p i r a v i t: / With one good eye and one eye in the pits of blackness that coil out like black smoke. / Bevel: ((I am probably going werewolf for B here but it's literally a new moon Ravage: *Does that thing where cats stare at a wall wide-eyed with blown pupils for no discernable reason. GHOSTS.* E x s p i r a v i t: / just slides out of the wall and drapes over the lamp. Making it flicker / Heeeere kitty kitty. / twists head upside down and grins/ Ravage: *Hisssssss.* E x s p i r a v i t: / wiggles claws at from the lamp/ E x s p i r a v i t: [[ oh my god, my son is the hatbox ghost. A mischevious little shiit. ]] Ravage: =This song is easy. Make it harder.= E x s p i r a v i t: Oooh, that sounds a little tedious. /hangs from the lamp from his coiled legs and swings back and forth/ Tara: *tara slides in, an androgynous incubus. violet wings and tail are playfully flicking* Bevel: *a perfectly normal looking human enters, nothing to see here, ignore the wet dog smell* Tara: If it's so easy, then make it harder yourself, Ravage. Tara: That's generally what I prefer. Tara: *purrs* Ravage: *Ravage smacks a paw on the incubus' tail and the human's foot.* Ravage: =Not so fast.= E x s p i r a v i t: / stops swinging so he can watch. Might be swinging just a little / E x s p i r a v i t: / watching upside down. / Bevel: *stops short of entering the room* Hi? Ravage: =Entry fee, you see. Answer to be free. Fail and feed me.= Bevel: Oh! I have to pay? Tara: *swats at Ravage* Pay with the answer to a riddle, that is. Wing: ((omg what is this song. I love the guitar)) E x s p i r a v i t: [[ bat out of hell by meatloaf ]] Ravage: *Hiss at the demon. You first, fiend, if you're so intent upon pestering him.* Tara: Let's have it, then. Bevel: *whines a little but nods, she's not very good at riddles* E x s p i r a v i t: / don't worry, bevel. He might tell you the answer if he knows it / Prowl: *the shadows she's casting shift a bit, then still.* Ravage: =A little house am I, only large enough for one. I have no doors or windows, and if they want to leave, they must break through the walls. What am I?= Prowl: *excited shifting! then still again.* Tara: *looks at claws for a while, grooming them, the flicks hand* An /egg/. Are we done here? Bevel: *Bevel feels like she should really know this for some reason... maybe if it were a box instead of a house, Ravage geez* Ravage: *Ravage huffs and lets the tail go. Fine.* Bevel: Eggs! *laughs* Bevel: *will just go to follow Tara into the room then* Tara: *tara prances off. can't embarrass this incubus as easily as you can his spidery counterpart* Ravage: =And you.= *Glance to the "human". He sneers and sucks in air, smelling that horrible wet dog stench.* =I've lived for millions of years, but am born again every month.= Bevel: *stops short and pouts at Ravage* Bevel: Rude. It is the moon. Ravage: =You would know.= Bevel: *sticks her tongue out at him* Ravage: *Peers around. Any others? No? Just the ghost and these two? All right. He'll creep away from the door.* E x s p i r a v i t: /swings on the lamp again, humming obnoxiously / Tara: *wanders over to the lamp and ghostie to say hullo* Bevel: *she'll finally make her way into the room and settle as far from the weird cat as she can* Prowl: *rides on in on bevel's shadow* Bevel: *it's a pretty good sized shadow, enjoy* E x s p i r a v i t: / twists body around like a twizler and blinks at Tara / Ravage: *Flops to the ground, crosses his front paws, and flares his wings out. Most comfortable. Though a snack would make things better.* Prowl: *it is indeed. lots of room to stretch around.* Tara: *leans on table* What's your name again, love? I /know/ I've met you somewhere before. E x s p i r a v i t: [[ lemme know when yall are ready ]] Ravage: ((ready whenevers)) Bevel: ((ready! Tara: (( o7 Tara: (( also i am admiring the demure color scheme E x s p i r a v i t: Meeee? /stretches arms out and hangs down from the lamp. Staring upside down at/ Many names, many names. /tugs head off with claws and giggles/ Tara: (( our names E x s p i r a v i t: They call me lots of names! Ravage: =Rumplestiltskin.= E x s p i r a v i t: That guy? He's a sham. Bevel: *giggles* Tara: But what do you want ME to call you, that's the thing. Tara: Oh, and that goes for you too, lovely lady in the corner ~ E x s p i r a v i t: / puts head back on and hums / Exspiravit, they say. E x s p i r a v i t: Spira works for me. Ravage: *Mutter mutter.* Make sure you like to hear it screamed. Bevel: *her?* E x s p i r a v i t: [[ just lemme know when we can start~! ] Tara: *the teeniest snicker. tara heard that and is proud. and you, yes, you* Bevel: ((i'm ready whenever Ravage: ((we're all ready whenever)) Prowl: ((ready whenever)) E x s p i r a v i t: / blinking at Tara upside down / E x s p i r a v i t: [[ i actually got dinner for once so ]] E x s p i r a v i t: [[ i am ready. ]] Tara: (( food! yes! good! let's go :3 Bevel: Everyone calls me Bev. Tara: Spira and Bev ~ A pleasure to meet you. E x s p i r a v i t: And who are you? Prowl: *meanders away from bevel's shadow and to a shady patch of floor from which the screen is visible* Tara: *trails a claw down chest* I was just /getting/ to that. The name is Tara. Bevel: Hi, Tara! It is nice to meet you. Tara: *settles into a chair near the lamp* Prowl: *from the right angle and the corner of one's eye, a personlike silhouette hovers on the wall.* E x s p i r a v i t: Tara... huh. /coils onto the lamp and looks at the screen / Prowl: ((good to know that creature from the black lagoon is pro-evolution)) E x s p i r a v i t: / flicks head around and bends over the lamp, looking to said silhouette. Another ghostie? / E x s p i r a v i t: [[ yes ]] E x s p i r a v i t: [[ "Ive never seen like this ever before." E x s p i r a v i t: Me: A hand??? ]] Prowl: *... caught* Prowl: *disappears back down into the shadows* Ravage: *Ravage looks up and around, but is too late to see this other ghost. Hmm.* Ravage: ((MY BOY)) Prowl: ((THERE HE IS)) Ravage: ((also. y'all be appreciative of the dude in the suit plz cuz he had to hold his breath underwater for up to 4 minutes at a time)) Prowl: ((goddamn)) E x s p i r a v i t: ... /hmmms and goes back to watching screen / Tara: (( daaaang E x s p i r a v i t: [[ i would die ]] E x s p i r a v i t: [[ also please appreciate the creature's costuming because the make up artist never got credit for it. She was never credited, or so I read. ]] E x s p i r a v i t: [[ someone else was. ]] Ravage: ((she wasn't)) E x s p i r a v i t: [[ * was posting about it jfc LS ]] Ravage: =I could do with a fish.= E x s p i r a v i t: To eat? Ravage: =To wear.= Ravage: =Yes, to eat.= E x s p i r a v i t: / reaches into the ceiling and fumbles around. Holds out the literal full skeleton of a fish. Very amusing / Tara: Oh, /ick/ Ravage: *Turns his nose up.* Prowl: *shifts a bit to look. hmm.* Prowl: *yep. those are bones.* E x s p i r a v i t: Kitty wants fishy fishy? /wiggling it / Ravage: =Ghost wants salt?= E x s p i r a v i t: / HISSSS / You throw salt at me and I blow out the entire room! Prowl: *sinks back to the floor.* Ravage: *Flicks his wings. Then it's settled. No fish, no salt.* E x s p i r a v i t: / tosses bones and lets them sort of float orb like into the floor / E x s p i r a v i t: / 4 u prowl / Prowl: *not fresh enough for this shadow* Prowl: ((let it be noted here for the record that the humans attacked first)) E x s p i r a v i t: / swings on lamp again./ E x s p i r a v i t: [[ it is true ]] Tara: *twirls finger around one of the ghost bits trailing off of spira. can tara curl it or make it move?* Prowl: ((... it looks like the jungle cruise boats)) E x s p i r a v i t: [[ DOESNT IT 8) ]] Bevel: ((pft E x s p i r a v i t: / Tara can, yes / Prowl: ((where are the bad puns)) E x s p i r a v i t: [[ that's my favorite part about that ride. ]] Ravage: =What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?= E x s p i r a v i t: / twitches a little and crawls over the lamp, looking down at Tara / Prowl: *... more excited shadow fidgets.* Tara: You're making these too contextually easy, Ravage. Ravage: =If you WANT to be eaten...= Ravage: *Forgets what he was saying and squints at the floor. He could have sworn he saw movement.* Prowl: *... goes still again.* Tara: Depending on how you mean that... *wink wonk* Bevel: *checks over her shoulder nervously before telling herself she's imagining things* E x s p i r a v i t: / is trying to find the other ghostie, though he isn't sure if it is a ghostie or not / Ravage: *Flashes those jaguar-claws-that-rip-like this at Tara. How do they think he means.* Tara: *you're just inviting him to give a little clawed rawr back, c'mon* Prowl: *shadowy silhouette slides up onto the wall again. better view of the screen up here.* Tara: *giggles* Ravage: *Grunts and gets onto his paws. Going to move to a couch away from the tailed one. Not enough room for two sets of wings.* Tara: *awww* Prowl: *new couchmate?* Ravage: *Quite possibly. Though he probably doesn't know just yet.* Bevel: *quietly to herself* noooooo Prowl: *will be a very still silhouette on the wall by the couch* Tara: *tara'll settle with toying with spira's smokey shifty parts while he watches* E x s p i r a v i t: / twists around and swings down, dangling beside Tara / E x s p i r a v i t: / trying to spy this shadow he sees flicker, but he is missing it . Hmmm / Ravage: =Wet.= E x s p i r a v i t: Is water wet? I didn't know. Ravage: =Explains your stink.= Prowl: *the shadow's better camouflaged now. easy to pretend to be the sphinx's shadow, as long as no one realizes that's not the angle where the shadow should be cast* Prowl: ((this is it. the scene that got us our fishfucker movie.)) Tara: (( dfgdfds E x s p i r a v i t: [[ yeP ]] E x s p i r a v i t: Pardon? Bevel: Is it gonna eat her? E x s p i r a v i t: Maybe. Ravage: =You. Smell.= All ghosts do. E x s p i r a v i t: / twists around by Tara and levels with them to watch the screen / I do not smell. E x s p i r a v i t: / lifts claws and makes a ouija board out of smokey bits / Do I smell? / it flares up a NO / See? Bevel: What do ghosts smell like? Tara: *sniffs spira, shakes head, shrugs* E x s p i r a v i t: See? No smell. E x s p i r a v i t: / twists around and scans the room a few times/ Hmm... Tara: What are you /looking/ at? Ravage: =Must. Light rot. Sulfur.= E x s p i r a v i t: That's just my natural allure. Tara: Everyone keeps eyeing something, and it's not me. *huffs* E x s p i r a v i t: / blinks/ Oh... I'm planning something. /pats Tara's head and sinks into the ground. / E x s p i r a v i t: / He's going to try and scare the kitty / Bevel: Sorry, Tara E x s p i r a v i t: / which means he sort of needs to be in the general vicinity of behind Ravage / Ravage: *There's plenty of general vicinity back there.* E x s p i r a v i t: [[ furious kicking ]] Ravage: *...Do you ever get the feeling that you're being shadowed by someone? He can't smell anything, but...* Prowl: *can't relate.* E x s p i r a v i t: / good. He's going to attempt to scale the wall here/ Ravage: *Wiggles a little to get himself prepared for movement. Wiggle. Wiggle. Scrunch.* E x s p i r a v i t: / pauses for a moment. Looks around the wall. Then Ravage. Then the wall. Tilts head to the side and then upside down / Tara: *mutters something about how merpeople are overrated and demons are where it's at* E x s p i r a v i t: / That is not the right angle the shadow should be / E x s p i r a v i t: ... / SCREECHES at Ravage / Ravage: *SPRINGS off the couch with an unholy yowl and rustling feathers* Bevel: *jumps a little from across the room at the sudden screech of noise* Prowl: *watching the movie too intently to notice th— DIVES into the shadows under the couch* Ravage: *Lands in the incubus' lap* E x s p i r a v i t: AHA!! E x s p i r a v i t: /swings up over the couch and leans over it, peeking under it upside down / I knew I saw a thing! Tara: *jumps but is smothered in sphinx* Tara: *good* Prowl: *there's shadows, and then there's darker shadows. and in the middle of the darkest, two faintly glowing eyes.* E x s p i r a v i t: / amused flick of his smoke coils all over. Blinks back. / Hellooo. Ravage: *Does the rapid cat smack thing at his new seat's noggin. Bappity bappity bap. How dare you be where he lands.* E x s p i r a v i t: [[ i imagined the gif. ]] E x s p i r a v i t: [[ the bapbap gif. ]] Tara: (( omg Prowl: ......... hello. E x s p i r a v i t: / excited wiggle and slides onto the ground, halfway under the couch / You can talk! Bevel: ((bwahaha Ravage: =What talks.= Tara: Owowow /stoppit/ *grabs at paws* Bevel: Talks? Prowl: ... yes. *very softly, though.* E x s p i r a v i t: I thought you were hiding. / wiggles claws/ Shy? Prowl: *scoots over to see the movie from around the ghost. can't quite see the top of the screen from under the couch.* Prowl: ... yes. *wiggles darkness back at claw.* E x s p i r a v i t: / grins and pokes this wiggle as best he can/ I'm Spira. Ravage: *Scowl. Tries to wiggle his paws free.* Tara: *still pushing at paws, tara leans over to see the shadow* Prowl: *the wiggle is very cold.* prowl. E x s p i r a v i t: Come outside. Watch the movie from different shadows. E x s p i r a v i t: [[ to be honest, I love that suit so much ]] Ravage: ((I KNOW)) Bevel: ((it's so well done like dang E x s p i r a v i t: [[ i can't wait for the sequel we all needed. ]] Prowl: *... glides up to the edge of the couch.* which shadows? E x s p i r a v i t: I can make some! Ravage: *Takes advantage of the distraction to move back to the middle of the floor. Much safer here.* E x s p i r a v i t: /quickly moves from the couch and zooms to the lamp, twisting around it and angling it to make big shadows on the walls / Prowl: all right. E x s p i r a v i t: / hangs down by Tara, letting his coil hold the lamp in place, smokey bits hovering around him/ Tara: *grabs at ravage as they go, but alas. at least now spira's back* Ravage: =...It is darker in here.= Prowl: *glides out, zipping through the half-shadows until he gets up to the deep shadows along the wall.* Tara: A wonderful host, you. How accomodating. *petpet the ghost to see how much he can dissipate the smoke* Prowl: ((gdi i'd gone all night without using a gendered pronoun on the shadow and then i slip up with a he.)) Prowl: ((yall saw nothing)) Bevel: *flinches at the sudden movement and hunches in on herself some* Prowl: *silhouette hovers curled up in one of the shadows on the wall* E x s p i r a v i t: / smoke coils around Tara's hand / E x s p i r a v i t: There. Much better, yes? /to prowl / Prowl: ... yes. E x s p i r a v i t: / grins and hangs back down , watching the movie / How sad. E x s p i r a v i t: I think he wants to eat her. Tara: *...licks the ghost smoke* E x s p i r a v i t: Why can't they let him eat? Ravage: *Ear flick. Who said that. Looks at the wall.* E x s p i r a v i t: / exCUSE. poofs the smoke from the lick / Prowl: they invaded his home. E x s p i r a v i t: Very rude. When someone invades MY home, I make them leave. E x s p i r a v i t: It's very fun. Bevel: Yeah. Bevel: *maybe not the fun part but the first bit for sure* Tara: *keeps trying to lick the smoke, distract distract* E x s p i r a v i t: ... / twits a bit and looks at Tara / I have a riddle for you! Ravage: =That is MY job.= E x s p i r a v i t: *twists E x s p i r a v i t: Yes, but you don't know this riddle. Tara: Have at it, hehe. E x s p i r a v i t: / lifts claws and makes a smokey ouija board/ What blends in with the night, turns out the light, and feeds your monstrous appetite? Ravage: *There's the voice again. The beast twists to look at the wall.* E x s p i r a v i t: / trying not to swing the lamp to keep the shadows steady for new friend / Tara: Oh, I know what feeds /my/ appetite, but I doubt that's the answer to this riddle. Ravage: *...Stands on his hind paws, leans over the back of the couch, and test bops the wall.* E x s p i r a v i t: Do you... give up? /8) / E x s p i r a v i t: [[ the fact that he swims so well in it, too ]] Ravage: ((especially since they couldn't see anything in the damn suit lol)) Prowl: *jolts out of the way. zips up to a dark corner.* Ravage: *!!!* E x s p i r a v i t: [ dude yeah ]] Tara: I give in - what is it? Ravage: *THERE'S SOMEONE IN HERE AND THEY DIDN'T PAY THE TOLL.* E x s p i r a v i t: / poofs the ouija board/ Me, you silly thing! Hee! /laughs and pats Tara's face with claw / E x s p i r a v i t: / would waggle eye brows, but has none. Waggles smokey eye brows / Prowl: *toward spira* is it--? oh. Ravage: *Scrambles over the back of the couch with a thud, jumps back onto his hind paws, and starts trying to catch the thing in the dark corner.* Prowl: *didn't answer the riddle in time. had a different answer anyw— !!!* Tara: *snickers and looks over* Did someone pull out the laser pointer again? E x s p i r a v i t: / uh oh. / Run, Prowl. E x s p i r a v i t: /grabs lamp and twists it to make a path of shadows / E x s p i r a v i t: / run forrest run / Prowl: *shoots along the path* Ravage: *Chase chase.* Bevel: *distracted from the movie by the chase scene in the room* E x s p i r a v i t: / swinging lamp around and trying to make as many shadows as possible to hide in / Ravage: =They did not pass the test!= Tara: At least give the shadow a chance, Ravage. What's your riddle, then? Prowl: *dives back down to the floor and hides under another couch* E x s p i r a v i t: Then play fair, kitty ! E x s p i r a v i t: Give him a riddle. Ravage: *Flops onto his side right by the couch and closes one eye, trying to see the intruder.* Ravage: =...You agree to play?= Prowl: *there's darkness, and darker darkness.* ... yes. E x s p i r a v i t: / swings down to relax by Tara again/ I hope the monster lives. I rather like him. E x s p i r a v i t: He's got a funny face. Ravage: *Tappity tappity claws. He's thinking.* Tara: I hope he does too, but as far as faces go, I quite like yours better. *claw traces ghost jaw* E x s p i r a v i t: Awww, ain't you sweet. /wiggles a little / E x s p i r a v i t: not much of a face, though. Missing half. /sticks claw under his floating red eye / E x s p i r a v i t: Nothing here. Tara: Half's plenty to land a kiss on. *quick smorch teh ghost* Ravage: =I am a solitary word, 5 letters long. Behead me once and I remain the same. Behead me again and I still do not change.= E x s p i r a v i t: / aaaAAH! bursts into smoke. Poof. / Tara: *pouts* Tara: *mumbles* Just when I thought I was getting somewhere. E x s p i r a v i t: / reforms by Bevel / Did you see that? /giddy wiggly. Pause. / ... You smell like a wet dog. Bevel: *jumps a little* So? E x s p i r a v i t: / shove face in hair and SNIFF/ Kidding. I can't smell! /poofs again and forms by Tara/ E x s p i r a v i t: Howdy. Come here often? /waggle smokey brows / E x s p i r a v i t: [[ this is the longest "on my way to steal your girl" ive ever seen ]] Bevel: *jerks away at the sudden face in her hair. and falls off the chair* E x s p i r a v i t: / cackles at Bevel / Prowl: *... shifts nervously. knew the riddles the other two got. but this one is about words.* Prowl: *... solitary word. is the word itself solitary?* Bevel: *just gonna.... stay here on the floor yep* Prowl: ... alone. Tara: Not yet, but I plan on it. *boops ghost nose* E x s p i r a v i t: Haha. I usually scare away visitors. E x s p i r a v i t: Nasty people with cameras. Ravage: *Big smile. Many sharp teeth.* =Good.= Ravage: *Backs up and nods. The toll is paid.* E x s p i r a v i t: / oh no!! / Prowl: *glides up to the edge of the couch again. at least it isn't over yet.* Ravage: *Aha. So that's what the stranger is.* Tara: *turns head* See, Ravage, all you had to do was give them a chance. You can't eat a shadow, anyhow. Prowl: *finds a shadow next to the couch to hover in* E x s p i r a v i t: Yeah. E x s p i r a v i t: Bad kitty. Ravage: *Flicks his wings at them both.* =Rules are rules.= Bevel: *laughs* E x s p i r a v i t: Break the rules! Tara: *flicks wings back at* Prowl: rules are rules. Ravage: *Growls and rests his head on his paws. Unruly pair. At least the shadow and the... whatever they are... behave well.* Ravage: *Slow blink* =Yes. Thank you.= E x s p i r a v i t: I didn't have to answe.r. E x s p i r a v i t: But, this is my house. Tara: Does anyone ever have to give /you/ a riddle, Ravage? E x s p i r a v i t: / swings down from the lamp and coils up from the ground / Tara: *can still play with ghost smoke with his tail, good* Ravage: =That is why.= Those who own a place need not earn entry to it. =Other sphinxes. Clever creatures playing games.= E x s p i r a v i t: So, when you have meetings, you have to all answer a riddle? E x s p i r a v i t: / smoke will play around the tail too / Ravage: *Nod.* =The one who asks the best riddle is honored.= E x s p i r a v i t: ... Oh, you really have meetings? E x s p i r a v i t: What's that like? E x s p i r a v i t: Do you all have meetings with your groupings? Prowl: *... slides under couches and through half-shadows to get next to the one with the lamp where everyone is gathered. stays on the opposite side from the lamp, pressed up under the shade of the arm rest Ravage: =A diamond plate, a glowing grate, a place you never leave.= E x s p i r a v i t: / wiggles claws at shadow!/ Ravage: *Tracks the shadow and offers it a small nod for the earlier defense.* Prowl: *stretches out something spindly and vaguely hand-shaped to return the wiggle. it quickly wilts and vanishes under the lamp light.* E x s p i r a v i t: / grins. / E x s p i r a v i t: Do you have meetings, Tara? /leans over on / E x s p i r a v i t: A bunch of you heart eaters in a room? E x s p i r a v i t: What about you, wet dog? Bevel: Glowing grate? Bevel: *grumbles* Ravage: *Makes a lazy circle motion with one paw.* =Fireplace.= Bevel: Like in a house! Oh is it home? Ravage: *Nod.* Tara: *is curious, makes a hand-shaped shadow where the spindly hand was to see if anything'll happen* Hmm... We tend to steer clear of each other, heh. Bevel: *fist pump* Prowl: i leave fireplaces as fast as possible. Ravage: =Present company excepted.= E x s p i r a v i t: Prowl, do you have meetings with other shadows? Prowl: *... sinks into the offered hand-shadow.* Prowl: not on purpose. E x s p i r a v i t: Aah. Prowl: *warning: having a shadow in your shadow is cold.* E x s p i r a v i t: ... I can't leave my house. E x s p i r a v i t: / 8( / Ravage: *Rasping chuckle. He did say "a place you never leave".* Bevel: Meetings are kind of like family reunions. Or something. Everyone either knows someone else or is related to them. Tara: *hums and wiggles fingers, trying to pinch the shadow* E x s p i r a v i t: Aaah. You all have interesting lives. /coils into the air / Prowl: vampires leave their homes by taking a little of it with them. E x s p i r a v i t: I can play ticks. Can scare the visitors away. E x s p i r a v i t: But I'm tied to my person. E x s p i r a v i t: / twists in the air to hover upside down / Tara: Your person? You mean you're taken? *pout* Prowl: *curls up into the grabbing fingers* E x s p i r a v i t: Aah... /pats Tara's cheek/ Not really. Ravage: *Nods to Bevel. He knows what that's like.* E x s p i r a v i t: He doesn't see me. But he's afraid. Everywhere he moves, I move. I follow him. E x s p i r a v i t: Heplayed with a ouija board once. Opened the door. E x s p i r a v i t: But tsk tsk, foolish mortals. They never know when to burn the board! Ravage: =Eat him.= E x s p i r a v i t: Nooo... he's too fun to play with . Prowl: i follow people, too. E x s p i r a v i t: You do?! /grins/ Are they assigned? Ravage: =Why?= Tara: *makes prowl follow his hand, then* E x s p i r a v i t: [[ okay imma be real. I'm gonna switch to my other playlist to wind down. So you guys can enjoy my ugly music dsjkfs ]] Ravage: ((roger)) Tara: (( :3 i wanna hear! Prowl: no, i choose who to follow. E x s p i r a v i t: ... Lucky. Prowl: to eat their souls, a little bit at a time. E x s p i r a v i t: That sounds fun. /pout / Ravage: *Perk.* Bevel: *shudders* E x s p i r a v i t: I just get left forgotten in the house. Tara: *mutters, licks lips* All this talk of eating is making me /hungry/ Prowl: it's a living. E x s p i r a v i t: / licks Tara's cheek / E x s p i r a v i t: I tear souls from people when they make me mad. I can be playful... until I'm not. Prowl: i have to wait as it leaks out of them. Prowl: it's hard to speed it up, even when they deserve it. E x s p i r a v i t: i bet you're real good at it. Bevel: ...I only hurt people when they hurt me first. Tara: *licks spira back* Tara: I know the feeling, Prowl ~ Prowl: that's why i didn't choose you. E x s p i r a v i t: I hurt anyone who comes in the house uninvited. E x s p i r a v i t: Sometimes they break the windows. Tara: Rude. E x s p i r a v i t: Very. Ravage: =Who DID you choose? If not the... 'human'.= Ravage: *Watching the shadow curl around Tara's fingers.* Prowl: *follows the shadows up the underside of tara's arm.* what is it you feed on? E x s p i r a v i t: / sinks into the ground and slinks back up. throws skeleton fish at Ravage. For fun. / Ravage: *All these soul eaters. He prefers to stick to the meat. Souls are messy, complicated business. Too much for him.* Prowl: no one, right now. thought i'd stop in for the movie. Ravage: *Ravage ducks the fish bones and snarls* E x s p i r a v i t: / cackles and hovers by Tara and Prowl / Prowl: *buddy, have you ever seen a shadow eat a steak* E x s p i r a v i t: / do they use their shadow utensils / Tara: *purrs at the chill running up his arm* What do you think I feed on? Prowl: ... i think you must feed on souls, too. but only a small part of them. something regenerable. Bevel: *eats meat, frest as she can get it, souls sound... not very filling* E x s p i r a v i t: You all feed on such interesting things... E x s p i r a v i t: My diet seems so basic. Bevel: I eat meat. What do you eat? E x s p i r a v i t: ... Fear. E x s p i r a v i t: the more people are afraid of me, the stronger I get. E x s p i r a v i t: The anger between people.Negative emotions. They're filling. Bevel: ...Oh. Ravage: *Growls again.* =I protected your home and you fed from me?= Tara: Each to their own, yes. Personally I find pleasure in consuming lust. A much richer flavor than fear. E x s p i r a v i t: ... A little snack /smile innocently / Bevel: How do you eat fear? Prowl: slowly, then all at once. E x s p i r a v i t: Exactly. Ravage: *Bares fangs and sits up straight, no longer comfortable in this place. Tucks his serpent's tail around himself and pulls his wings close.* E x s p i r a v i t: Oh, don't be such a spoil sport! / poofs his head into his claws and twists it with a grin/ Turn that frown upside down! Ravage: *Swipes at the head* E x s p i r a v i t: / poofs head back and pouts / E x s p i r a v i t: I've never had so many visitors without scaring most of them. E x s p i r a v i t: I'm new to company. Bevel: It just seems... um, *holds her hands up and tries to make a ball before "exploding them outward* is it heat or microwaves or something? Or is it like a pheromone? Tara: *is still playing with his own shadow. where does the chill reside now?* E x s p i r a v i t: ... Eh? Ravage: ((I LOVE THIS SONG)) E x s p i r a v i t: [[ same ]] Bevel: *fear is pheremones to her but maybe other creatures eat something different* E x s p i r a v i t: Fear? To me it's... it's like an energy Bevel: ((*WHEEZES* I LOVE THIS SONG AND HATE IT AND I LOVE IT E x s p i r a v i t: Negative energy makes me feel better. E x s p i r a v i t: But, I'm also rather mischevious in my own ways. E x s p i r a v i t: [[ yEP ]] Prowl: *finished moving up the arm. moving down the side of his ribcage by now, slowly* Prowl: it is like heat, yes. it radiates off them. you must be close to absorb it before they pull it back in. Tara: *probably looks like he's just petting himself by now, then. hee, it tickles* E x s p i r a v i t: / twists self back up and settles on top of the lamp / E x s p i r a v i t: / just draped over it. Droopy. / Ravage: *Watching that ghost. You stay over there.* E x s p i r a v i t: / glances at Ravage. Might just scare u / E x s p i r a v i t: / droops anyway / Bevel: *side-eyes the shadow some before nodding* That kinda makes sense being energy. E x s p i r a v i t: / flicking his shadowy coils to and fro / E x s p i r a v i t: *smokey E x s p i r a v i t: [[ excuse i am fire and brimstone, not shadow ]] Tara: *is that a sad droop or a comfy droop? tara's checking by leaning over to lick at the smoke again* E x s p i r a v i t: / smoke is going to swipe up that lick like a counter lick / E x s p i r a v i t: / it is an in between droop / Tara: *smiles and purrs. good. this is turning out to be a lovely evening* E x s p i r a v i t: Halloween is soon. That means so many broken windows. E x s p i r a v i t: / side glances at Ravage./ E x s p i r a v i t: / is waiting to scare / Bevel: *gets up finally* I have to go now. Ravage: =So soon.= E x s p i r a v i t: Well, come by and visit again. I'll ask the human to install a doggy door. E x s p i r a v i t: / smug upside down grin / Prowl: *is gradually slinking down tara's side* where is the human tonight? Bevel: I have to be home. *sticks her tongue out at Spira before leaving* E x s p i r a v i t: / mimics this / Eh? Oh... he went out for something. E x s p i r a v i t: / props chin in claw/ He's not very fond of me. Ravage: =I will eat him.= E x s p i r a v i t: / sulking/ He keeps me locked in the house and everything. E x s p i r a v i t: Eh? But, he's my main food source. Ravage: =I know.= Tara: Someone's feeling catty, hmm E x s p i r a v i t: ... /disappears into a poof / E x s p i r a v i t: / reappears and just breaks the light. Welcome to dark / Tara: *tara's eyes glow tho! just a teeny bit* Ravage: *Got them glowing eyes.* Prowl: *has glowy-but-the-least-glowy lights in the room* Tara: *all the glowy* E x s p i r a v i t: / sliding around. Okaaay. Coils up from the ground and jups at Ravage with a screech/ Ravage: *Whips around and snaps at the air* Ravage: *Was expecting that.* E x s p i r a v i t: / AH! yanks down and swats at / E x s p i r a v i t: / will do it. Will pull the tail./ Tara: Please take care not to harm the corporeals in here!!! *ducks down* Prowl: *... takes the opportunity to slink freely around the room for a moment, before settling on the couch next to tara--more heavily and solidly, now.* Ravage: *Flaps into the air. He can take a hint.* E x s p i r a v i t: Don't threaten my food source. Ravage: =You betrayed me first.= E x s p i r a v i t: Ah ah ah. I never said I WASNT going to eat your fear. Ravage: =I leave for places my services are appreciated. Pray your human does not find me.= E x s p i r a v i t: He's not going to actively look for any of you. Ravage: *Snarls and zips out of the room* E x s p i r a v i t: Awww. Kitty got his tongue tied. HAHAHA! E x s p i r a v i t: Or is it fur fluffed? What's the phrase these days? I'm a hundred and tired. Tara: I miss you already, Ravage. *waves but it doesn't matter in the dark orz* E x s p i r a v i t: / pats Tara's head and Prowl's shoulder maybe / E x s p i r a v i t: / or prowl's face . what is this / E x s p i r a v i t: / pat / Tara: *arm comes down near where tara can feel the shadow* I'd love to stay and get acquainted, but... Tara: *hee, nudges horns up into spira's touch* E x s p i r a v i t: / pat pat / Prowl: *shadow is a proper person at the moment. touches the arm.* you're leaving? E x s p i r a v i t: I should be getting back to my usual mischief as well... E x s p i r a v i t: I haven't littered the kitchen with dishes in a while. Tara: I ought to go, yes. I haven't had dinner yet. You're more than welcome to come along, though. E x s p i r a v i t: ... / little pout / Tara: *can't see it, gotta pout louder, spira* E x s p i r a v i t: / LOUD SAD SIGH / E x s p i r a v i t: / BREAKS A SCREEN / E x s p i r a v i t: / SUCH POUT / Tara: I'd invite you along too, but you /know/ you can't, dear. E x s p i r a v i t: He surrounded the place with salt. E x s p i r a v i t: I can't go outside. Prowl: ... i rarely get to taste other cuisines. E x s p i r a v i t: / hUFF / Tara: I'll fix you up something lovely, then. But we ought to be leaving, it'd be rude to tease Spira with details to a dinner he can't attend... E x s p i r a v i t: .. /just breaks something else and crawls up the ceiling and into the corner.on the ceiling. where he pouts. endlessly. / Prowl: mm. E x s p i r a v i t: / will be here when dodge gets home. / E x s p i r a v i t: / i can't believe my human boyfriend doesn't let his ghost bae leave the house / E x s p i r a v i t: / he is pouting upside down, for fun imagery / Tara: *takes prowl's shadowy arm and makes for the door* Prowl: *follows* Tara: *just don't step on the tail, pls* E x s p i r a v i t: / will throw something at the tail. B( / Tara: *rude* E x s p i r a v i t: / u cant tease me and then bail. U RUDE FIRST / Tara: *he'll come back and have ghost makeouts with you another time, shh* Tara: *he's hungry and you're not alive anymore* Prowl: *it hit prowl. ;;* E x s p i r a v i t: /oh. Sorry Prowl/ E x s p i r a v i t: / quick pat spot it hit / E x s p i r a v i t: / then back to pouting. / Prowl: *thanks.* E x s p i r a v i t: / prowl is a good. / E x s p i r a v i t: / he likes prowl / Tara: ...How about I kick the salt on the way out, hmm? Tara: Blow a bit of it away. E x s p i r a v i t: Oh, go ahead. E x s p i r a v i t: I need to wait for him anyway. He said he's buying a new ouija board so we can talk. /this is a lie. / Tara: If you insist... E x s p i r a v i t: ... but you could. E x s p i r a v i t: maybe break just part of the ring. E x s p i r a v i t: if it's broken, I can work on the rest. Tara: *winks* Done deal. Tara: *is outie* Prowl: *follows in tara's shadow*

#chat

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