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Martin de Mignolet Taking position on the outside of the group, Martin puts his own hood up as well, then tries to force the sleepiness from his mind. His reflexes were sharp, and if danger came he would be just as prepared as ever. His mind, however, was just a bit duller at the moment - it always needed time to catch up to the rest of him. Ordinarily this was never the sort of problem that it was today, since ordinarily he didn't have to wake and then travel such distance. He pushes that thought from his mind. "Everyone...just act naturally," he comments dryly, meaning to sound a bit more helpful.
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Apr 6, 2012 00:55
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Lo'el "Bend..funny?" He looks to his own legs. He had never really thought they looked odd, although he could understand what she meant, given how strange his companion's anatomies seemed to him. "Trying to keep a party such as ours hidden amongst so many might prove difficult indeed. Given how quickly rumors can spread in a town as crowded as this, it is likely that people are already aware of our journey. But, as you say, we can easily discover any followers once we are outside the walls and I will do my best to avoid attention until then."
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Apr 6, 2012 01:10
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Isit She nods at the faun. "Good man. If anyone asks, you're helping me get a bounty on a few bandits. Martin and I will do the talking."
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Apr 6, 2012 01:18
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Lo'el "Right, it might be for the best if I keep my mouth closed if that should happen. I was never very good at keeping secrets and pretending to be something I am not. Sometimes the herd act out plays from the stories and songs we hear, and my lack of acting talent has cost me a part in them more then once." He smiles at the memory as he begins untangelling a hair from around one of his horns.
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Apr 6, 2012 01:38
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Isit "Ha! Knowing when to keep quiet is a marker of wisdom beyond your years. I wish I had known that when I was your age." She smiles, shaking her head. Lo'el was naive, but the faun was growing on her. Clearly she was going soft, after year hunting instead of warring.
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Apr 6, 2012 01:48
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Alec Cherusci Trying to do what Isit suggested, Alec attempts to stoop enough to match the others height, but doesn't quite do it. It instead serves to make his athletic build more bulky under the cloak. As for the spear, Alec isn't sure how to stow it, without cutting himself or being obvious. Taking some cloth Alec wraps the tip of the spear and holds right under the steel along the wood staff as a walking stick. Alec isn't sure that Isit has been to war often, he can't remember a march or a battle were sleep was something that came easily or often, but she seemed to know how to sneak.
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Apr 6, 2012 02:15
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Isit Isit sighs upon seeing Alec's attempt at disguise. "Don't over do it, just stoop your shoulders, and don't talk. You got an accent."
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Apr 6, 2012 02:19
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Alec Cherusci From a culture where Honor and Pride is the only currency that someone of his status needs, the idea of stooping his shoulders in shame seems almost insane. Alec in his many travels from his northern homeland has had to take many new ways of doing things to keep alive, and with a sigh, he decides that it is not dishonorable to Appear disgraced. Alec imagines letting down all his friends and family, and instead being a lawless honor-less slug without history or purpose. His shoulders do droop, but have the added effect of making him hang is hand and brace his spear as if it was a cane. Alec looks more like a beaten old man than a warrior now in his cloak.
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Apr 6, 2012 03:49
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Isit Giving up, Isit turns to Martin. "I must ask, do you have experience traveling between towns? A good deal of people these days do not, and I was hoping at least another of us was skilled in surviving the roads. I've worked a few caravans and bounties myself, have you had cause to do that, or did you not need work?" Looking at the others, she nods. "Well let us go."
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Apr 6, 2012 03:57
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Lette Lette observed the discussion on camouflage, considering. "It's odd that we'd merit this sort of watchfulness. Still, I can't help but think that any group with enough manpower for spies won't be fooled by a hood and a bundle. No harm in trying, but it seems to me that the safest assumption is that they'll know when we leave."
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Apr 6, 2012 05:11
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Isit "I suppose that's true enough. Hope for inept enemies, and prepare for competent ones." The elf shrugs. "What can I say? I am a paranoid woman who enjoys arguing."
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Apr 6, 2012 05:22
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Dolan "At least he has the right idea, even if he can't make it work," Dolan says. Following suit, he removes his robe, leaving just his leather underneath, and folds it up and puts it into his backpack. Without the robes advertising his presence, most people would assume his staff was a walking stick unless they managed to get close enough to feel its rocky texture. "We've already garnered the wrong kind of attention. The elf is right, the more we stay out of sight at this point, the better."
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Apr 6, 2012 05:28
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Isit Raising an eyebrow, she nods at Dolan. "Why thank you dwarf." She can't help keep a hint of humor out of her voice. It was good to have a proper task after chasing bounties so long. It seemed proper, even if she was among the strange and untested. But she wasn't acting like Donnel would have expected from a promising young corporal. Especially if new people were looking to her for instruction. The northman might be a bit obtuse, but I've been bitchy. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighs. "I perhaps owe all of you an apology for being in bad temper. I dislike drawing attention because I have people that would very much like to kill me. Sometimes my worries get the best of me, and I can go overboard."
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Apr 6, 2012 05:33
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Martin de Mignolet "Hm. I don't travel too much, but I do have some time out in the wilderness, m'lady," he says, some of the cheer returning to his voice. "Not necessarily for work purposes though," adds Martin in an ambiguous manner, declining to elaborate. Ordinarily he had the estate to fall back on; he didn't have to stay in the middle of nowhere, and usually there was little travel. Instead he merely had to hide out overnight or something similar. It was different now, of course...
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Apr 6, 2012 07:30
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Lette "I'm at home on the plains, and more or less woodlands as well," Lette responds to Isit's earlier query. She left out the part about them essentially being her home for a time before she reached Noah. "I expect I'm not the only one," she adds, glancing at Lo'el. "Should we need to part with the road, I think we'll manage alright."
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Apr 6, 2012 12:15
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Lo'el "There is no need to apologize, Lady Isit. In fact, I must thank you for concerning yourself with our safety. It is truly a blessing to have you with us and I expect your wisdom will keep us alive more then anything during our journey." As they continue to prepare, he takes a seat on a conveniently nearby crate and starts absent-mindedly playing a merry, although hushed, tune on his flute as he watches the guardsmen performing their drills. He would need to take what little opportunities came now to play his songs and right now he needed it as an outlet for his anticipation for the coming journey, his eagerness showing clearly through his wagging tail and gleeful song.
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Apr 6, 2012 14:41
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Alec Cherusci Alec waved to move on, feeling quite bad. Alec was starting to move slower, normally not taken to sadness, he found it hard to dwell in it as he saw this experience. This is what it must be like to take up the hearth and family having earned no glory and no one to share it with Alec decided. The experience started spurring him to getting over a few things, and finding a nice war maiden again. Granted, he still had scars from the first, but he is no longer 16 summers old.
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Apr 6, 2012 16:07
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Isit The elf nods at the two younger people. "Good. I am glad to know of your skills. Between us, we should have some luck tracking, and keeping out of the rain."
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Apr 7, 2012 00:17
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The guard armory contains much the same material as it had had before the group's hurried jaunt outside the walls the day before; chestplates and helmets in various states of polish but all in fine repair, shortswords and clubs... a few crossbows, but largely a city guard had no need of heavier hardware. Perhaps that would change in the weeks to come, but for the time being they were policemen and not true soldiers. The northern gate- and a brief reconnaissance showed that indeed all the gates out of the walls were choked with people- no real advantage to be gained through stealth, there's nothing for it but to simply squeeze in with the others and try to get north and out of sight as rapidly as possible. Less than a mile from town, the rescue mission at Isit's direction slides off the road and into the cornfields; they're not quite tall enough to hide everyone from view, but do a decent job at concealment and have a good chance at concealment in a pinch just by dropping to a squat. The morning continues, sun climbing over the horizon and beginning to warm the air; it promised to be a hotter day than before, but without any clouds in the sky to threaten rain a nice breeze is already keeping the weather tolerable. All seems to be going well; the road is kept prudently just within sight to avoid losing their bearings, while making it difficult for them to be spotted from passing wagons in turn. Far overhead, a tiny speck appears in the sky, coming from the south; after a bit of scrutiny, those with better eyesight recognize it as a black dragon. It appears content to remain at altitude, whirling around in some invisible thermal... but it also seems disinclined to move on. Dragons often preyed on sheep, deer, and other livestock though less commonly armed humans- far easier meals were often available. Still, from this height, a group of humans moving from the cornfields could easily be mistaken- or missed- by even a dragon's keen eyes, and once a dragon nosed over into a hunting dive it wasn't likely that one would break off just because of mistaken identity.
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Apr 7, 2012 16:56
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Lette As they marched across the lea, some of the tension of their mission seemed to recede to the background. At the fore, fresh air and the sound of stalks rustling in the breeze were comforting in their familiarity. It was only in glancing back to gauge the distance covered that Lette rediscovered unease. And then some. "By the gods!" she blurts out, nearly stumbling as the dragon takes shape. It was the first she'd ever seen — and, mercifully, still quite distant — but one hardly needed a manual to make a positive identification. This much was true even before murmurs that they'd returned in the wake of the succession war. "Dragon, that's... is that a dragon?! Cover!" Assuming it was headed straight for them, it was bound to pass over Noah, first. The city was no doubt on high alert. Hopefully, the bustle of activity would make it seem too costly a target. But that left them, further along. Without further deliberation, Lette dropped to the ground. If they needed to move, they could crawl. But for the time being, she was quite content not even to take that small chance of drawing attention. "Try not to disturb any stalks!" Losing sight of the beast only made her terror all the more acute. She clutched her pack in front of her, covering any exposed metal with plant matter off the ground and casting a wide eye up through the swaying foliage for any brief glimpse the breeze might grant her. Stealth 12, Camouflage 12, probably a heavily penalized Perception 13 to keep an eye on it. [Bookkeeping edit: a 1 CP was added to Camouflage here.] Aeolius fucked around with this message at 07:14 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Apr 8, 2012 06:35
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Dolan The dwarf turns at Lette's outburst, raising his staff. When he sees what she points at, his eyes grow wide, and he looks around him. Naturally, for miles in every direction, nothing but corn. He mutters obscenities under his breath as he crouches down, trying to hide as well as he can from something that was above him, or going to be soon. He was trained to fight men, not dragons! There had to be something he could do, but what? Stealth 11
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Apr 8, 2012 07:00
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Alec Cherusci Finally, he was out of the crowded and rushed town. His spear now attached to his pack on his back, he walked along the cloak having made him hot in the sun he drank all of his water left already. Alec was not concerned with this, as he could always make more, however he kept his cloak on for the moment. Alec was not well trained in the ways of subterfuge in fact his culture didn't even have a real word for a "spy" only a Betrayer. All this was new to him, but he had hidden from beasts when it was required before, so he just viewed it as hiding from men beasts. His hood up, he mostly just enjoyed the scenery and the weight on his back, it was good to be moving again. Alec had lighted his pack by placing his tent on the mule. Other than that, he kept everything on his back, after all it was what he would need to survive in this strange land. Alec had been watching the stalks of corn sway in the wind and enjoy the rather quiet moment when he heard Lette yell out of a dågon. Alec looked around him and saw nothing but then checked the sky and saw a black dot and he blurted out "Thats not a Frost Wurm, what on earth!" He knew that they were cowardly things for the most part, killing the cattle and sometimes lone farm steads, but it took a full war party to take one on, and they certainly where not one. Without hesitation Alec dropped the ground and started covering himself, the cloak and fallen stalks of corn and corn husks helping to disguise his presence he hoped. As he continued he said "What do the Black Wurms do? I've only seen the white ones, we might lose our mule, someone get the packs off it!" Alec being in front of the mule looked back helplessly and hoped the Wurm would not carry it off. using Camouflage 10 to try to hide myself, and will do so for at least 2 attempts, also if the mule is close enough to me, start undoing the saddle packs, I assumed that Martin has it.
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Apr 8, 2012 07:08
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Lette As carefully and stealthily as she can manage, Lette crawls to the mule to help Alec unbuckle the packs. Same stats. Crawling over as slowly as needed not to penalize my stealth.
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Apr 8, 2012 07:41
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Martin de Mignolet "You're kidding. Dragons aren't..." Whatever the rest of his sentence was, ended up lost as the rest of the group broke and hid. Not wanting to be left out in case something was coming, he drops to the ground, then scrabbles over towards the mule as well to help unload. The brief glance he got at the sky indicated that something was up there, surely. Dragons were myths, though. He'd surely never seen one, after all, therefore they must not exist. That was elementary. Stealth 14, no camouflage.
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Apr 8, 2012 08:34
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Lo'el The faun decides to put himself at the front of the group as they pass through the cornfield, confident that his sharp ears will be able to pick out anything close by. And keeping so close to the nearby road easily gave him a clear sense of direction without having to turn to his crudely drawn map for guidance. A smile creeps across his face as he closes his eyes briefly and breaths in the country air, his furry tail beating against the passing stalks as it sways behind him. He had no doubt that their journey would not be an overly pleasant one, but the warm sun on his face, the sweet smell of nature and the cool breeze blowing through his hair and fur alike were more then enough to keep his spirits relatively high for the moment. His eyes are then drawn quickly to the dark shape high in the skies above them. "Gods, would you look at that!" he says, failing to notice the mild panic ensuing behind him as he stops and stares openly at the distant beast. "I had heard tales of sightings of dragon-kind during my travels, but I had never dreamed... Look at it's wingspan and the way it drifts so contently through the air! Truly marvelous! Do you see-?" He then turns, breaking out of his trance, and realizes that the others are having a far better idea then he is. Trying to hide his embarrassment as best he can, he ducks down into the field himself and tries to hide, still peeking through the swaying stalks around him to watch the ancient creature. It was times like this that made him wonder if having a stronger fear of the unknown would be a far better quality to have then his natural curiosity towards it. Stealth - 12 Camouflage - 14
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Apr 8, 2012 12:07
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Isit As far as she could, Isit was enjoying herself. Fresh air, no ambushes, and a lovely breeze. Then the dragon was spotted. She'd never seen one, and didn't relish the idea of it. Someone had told her they were devilishly clever, which would make the situation worse if true. Immediately Isit drops to a crouch, and starts inching away from th mule. "Leave it. Spook the mule and the dragon will likely go after it instead of us. Give it's rump a smack to get it running." Still backing up, the elf glances nervously at the sky. "Spread out and keep quiet." Cammo 12 Stealth 13
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Apr 8, 2012 19:40
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Far above, the dragon turns in a large, lazy circle as it surveys the vast expanse of field below. No way to tell who, but someone's attempts at stealth fail; with an abrupt turn, the small shape high in the sky pivots and seems to stand still in the sky... only to begin growing very rapidly. The great black beast folds its wings in, looking more like a massive scaled bullet than anything else as the yards are eaten away. There are only seconds before the dragon will pull out of the hunting dive and, depending on its fancy, simply slam into the ground and absorb the shock through its massive legs or flare and begin trying to pick people off one after another.
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Apr 9, 2012 02:46
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Martin de Mignolet "Too late for that." Martin's voice trembled ever so slightly - this was more than a bit outside his comfort zone, and he was beginning to understand exactly how bad things were getting in the world. Of course, at the moment he wasn't consciously thinking about that. He stood and faced the direction the beast was approaching from, sparing a brief second to ready his cloak and stepping to the side. He struggled for words briefly. "Scatter," he finally managed, beginning to do just that himself. Ready cloak and begin moving to the right, wherever that is from here. Will use all-out defense/feverish dodge after that as necessary; Martin has no intent on fighting here, just avoiding being taken and hoping it decides to go away. I'm assuming there's more than one turn's worth of stuff that can be done here, based on the last post; if I'm wrong I reserve the right to edit.
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Apr 9, 2012 05:21
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Alec Cherusci Alec without a thought stops cutting sacks loose and instead just outright breaks and runs away from the mule. Though unsure if he was able to actually get any packs off the mule in time, he knew that they would be looking for an easy meal. "It's incoming!" Alec blurts out as he grunts in effort to move out of the way of the fast moving Dågon. "It might go for the easy meal, get out of the way!" Alec continues as he tries to get away from what he is sure will become a dead mule. moving far away from the mule as possible, don't know if there are any rolls I need to make for it or not. Axe-man fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Apr 9, 2012 |
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Apr 9, 2012 07:29
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Lette Lette shed her pack as she rose. In the throes of mortal terror, it presented itself as nothing more than needless weight, not to be tolerated. She couldn't muster a word of her own, but those of her comrades seemed sensible enough. Scatter. Confuse it. Wait, is that right? Her thoughts were confused, tripping over themselves. Wouldn't that leave one of them to suffer whatever unthinkable fate came bundled up in scales and teeth, ensconced in the abyss's living handbag? No, that was as far as the thought would go. For the moment, there was only motion. What space remained in her mind, she packed tightly with incoherent prayers to any god within earshot. Abandoning my pack, just running running running away in a random direction away from the mule.
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Apr 9, 2012 10:52
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Lo'el His eyes widen in terror and his blood runs cold as he desperately scrambles up into a run. There was no time to think, only time to react and let his natural instinct to live for another day take over his body. A brief glance is spared to his companions as desperate yells and calls to flee leave his mouth before he lets his legs carry him off into the field. Everything seems to happen so fast and, before he knows it, the young faun is diving head first down into the surrounding corn, hands thrown over his head as he foolishly prays for the beast to leave them unharmed. Moving away from the dragon's intended landing spot before diving and hiding in the field.
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Apr 9, 2012 11:52
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Dolan There was only a little time to react, and the elf had the right idea. If worst came to worst, they were in the middle of the farms; food could be found. With a sharp yell, he whips his staff into the mule's backside to get it running, then moves -- quickly -- in the opposite direction.
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Apr 9, 2012 16:47
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Isit The elf looks into the sky, eyes widening to a degree that would be comical in most situations. "Oh for gently caress's sake." The dragon was diving, and it sort of looked like it was going for her. Not wanting to find out if this was paranoia, or intuition, Isit runs for her life, and prays the creature is fond of mule.
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Apr 9, 2012 17:46
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The mule brays when smacked, and staggers forward a few steps before staying rooted in place with its head turned to glare at the sky. The dragon looms closer, and as everyone scatters in a panic, the mule brays again in defiance. The dragon grows in size at a terrifying rate, mouth gaping to give anyone on the ground masochistic enough to look up a good look at the horrible giant fangs rushing right at them... Maybe it's coincidence. Maybe it's fate. Maybe it's a practical joke from a god that specializes in particularly cruel illusions. ...the dragon's wings flare, and it pulls up less than ten feet from the ground. The buffeting wind of its passage, warm and incongruously smelling slightly of cinnamon, hits the cropfields with almost as much force as a landing would have; corn is flattened, and the sudden gust knocks everyone down. The dragon roars off at appalling speed to the north, the same direction the party was going, and... doesn't return. A long minute passes. The birds, frightened into silence, start to cautiously cheep again nearby. The mule, apparently unimpressed, begins chewing a cornstalk.
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Apr 10, 2012 04:40
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Dolan Dolan slowly lifts himself up off the ground, staring after the dragon as it leaves northward. Breathing a sigh of relief, he calmly dusts himself off and straightens his leather helm on his head, then grabs the mule's reins. "We should be off," he calls to the others. "It will be a while before we can change our pants."
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Apr 10, 2012 04:43
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Alec Cherusci Alec lies in the grass for a bit and watches over head, before slowly rising. "You have strange Wurms in your land." With a shrug he starts reconnecting the packs to the mule and ensuring they won't fall, ready to go on traveling. After he is sure everything is in place, he checks his own gear to make sure nothing is missing. After all, throwing yourself on the ground with a pack could mean things are knocked off. After gathering anything that fell and making sure everything is securely attached still, Alec starts chanting and looking at his waterskin. "Weß, kalla ég út til þín í neyð, Ég þarf að hafa vatn að drekka, Þó ég samboðið, sonur Cherus þarf þig!" Alec checks all his gear and all the gear on the mule, then casts Create Water (13) on his waterskin. (2 fp)
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Apr 10, 2012 04:57
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Isit Staring at the sky, Isit watches the dragon fly off towards the north. She remains still for a moment, shocked into silence. But shock quickly turns into exhilaration. "Holy gently caress! What was that about? Is that thing sick? Does it live near the centaurs. I hope it eats a few." Brushing the corn stalks off of her armor, she pants for breath for a moment before continuing. "Dolan, your a wizard, why dis the dragon smell like a pastry?"
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Apr 10, 2012 05:37
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Dolan Dolan shakes his head. "Dragons are still a mystery, what with only having appeared again in the last year. Bloody fortune, many people thought they were myths even in the age of heroes. What knowledge is left is speculation and fabrication." He tugs on the mule's reins again, trying to convince it that the corn stalk is not the most important thing right now, and looks over to Alec. "Try not to waste your strength. We have a long journey ahead."
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Apr 10, 2012 06:01
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Isit "Well, I thought wizards knew these sorts of things." Shrugging, she orients herself. "If that dragon was connected to the centaurs, which it very well may be, we shall be spotted no matter where we are on this blasted plain if it comes for another pass. Is anyone hurt? Let's collect ourselves, as much as we can after that drat dragon."
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Apr 10, 2012 06:08
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Martin de Mignolet Martin watches the dragon leave, turning a slight shade of white himself. "Bloody hell," he spits as he picks himself up, taking a few moments to regain his nerve, clearly flustered. He was just almost killed by something that is not real, which was certainly a problem for his mental health. Swinging his cloak back around his shoulders, he walks back towards the others. "We are being menaced by myths," he declares annoyedly, the color still not quite returning to his face just yet. "You know, we really ought to get under some real cover. This field's no good."
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Apr 10, 2012 08:19
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