Conversation with #dkap_amber
Conversation with #dkap_amber on Mon 24 Jan 2011 11:00:44 AM EST:
(11:00:44 AM) mode (+o dkap) by ChanServ
(05:15:08 PM) The account has disconnected and you are no longer in this chat. You will be automatically rejoined in the chat when the account reconnects.
(08:20:18 PM) mode (+o dkap) by ChanServ
(08:27:46 PM) Cagliostro [~sgorton@c-66-31-32-142.hsd1.ma.comcast.net] entered the room.
(08:28:03 PM) Cagliostro: hello!
(08:28:21 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(08:32:29 PM) Cagliostro: so, not a busy night?
(08:33:03 PM) dkap: I'm waiting for my walk-on to show up. Just in your path, in fact.
(08:33:12 PM) dkap: I was hoping that Stormy was available for it, as well, though.
(08:35:50 PM) dkap: So, basically, the scene is set, you are crossing shadow, along the shadow path.
(08:48:20 PM) Cagliostro: okay
(08:48:35 PM) Cagliostro: crossing shadow, along the shadow path
(08:50:13 PM) dkap: Indeed. Along the path that the army was following, not the second, possible red herring, dragged across your path ...
(08:50:25 PM) Cagliostro: gotcha
(08:56:59 PM) Cagliostro: so we follow
(08:57:11 PM) Cagliostro: what sort of environment are we moving through?
(08:57:47 PM) dkap: The theme has been fairly consistently wooded, some denser, others not, but definitely terrain that provides sufficient cover for a well-trained force.
(08:58:20 PM) Cagliostro: interesting
(08:59:04 PM) dkap: It was, in the other direction as well.
(08:59:11 PM) dkap: This shows definite signs of being fairly well planned.
(08:59:17 PM) dkap: _and_ practiced.
(08:59:21 PM) Cagliostro: and outside of lived-in environments, but not depopulated
(08:59:28 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(09:00:12 PM) Cagliostro: so we continue along.
(09:01:17 PM) dkap: The evidence of passage has dropped almost entirely. If it wasn't for the surity of your daughter, you might not even be sure you were following someone.
(09:01:35 PM) Cagliostro: hm.
(09:01:41 PM) Cagliostro: interesting.
(09:06:10 PM) Stephie [~stephanie@cpe-76-94-137-134.socal.res.rr.com] entered the room.
(09:07:08 PM) dkap: After crossing several shadows, you become aware of the person you are chasing, for there seems to be a conflict that seems to be quite quiet, up ahead.
(09:09:18 PM) Cagliostro: okay
(09:09:23 PM) Cagliostro: what is the nature of the conflict?
(09:09:31 PM) dkap: The conflict seems somewhat one-sided, one of the combatants seems very familiar with the terrain, and the other seems to be overmatching said individual.
(09:10:05 PM) dkap: It seems to be swordplay but the blows seem designed not to ring out, or make noise.
(09:10:22 PM) dkap: And the pressing individual seems to want to keep the attacked off balance, and out of breath.
(09:11:12 PM) Stephie: i'm assuming i've noticed the newcomer, but am too pressed to acknowledge the presence
(09:11:32 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(09:11:59 PM) dkap: You know there is at least two other people, from the noise, but they have yet to encroach on your space.
(09:14:43 PM) Stephie: then i'll continue my defensive positioning
(09:18:28 PM) dkap: Count?
(09:19:36 PM) dkap: Cagliostro?
(09:20:08 PM) Cagliostro: sorry, back
(09:20:24 PM) Cagliostro: do I recognize either party?
(09:20:40 PM) dkap: Nope.
(09:22:26 PM) Cagliostro: hm.
(09:22:45 PM) Cagliostro: any sign of thorns on either of them?
(09:22:48 PM) Cagliostro: presuming i can detect them.
(09:24:02 PM) dkap: The aggressor has slung a weapon that looks like it might shoot thorns, the attacked seems to only be carrying a sword.
(09:26:43 PM) Cagliostro: hm. can I confirm the thorn presence remotely?
(09:27:55 PM) Cagliostro: by sensing the conjuration ora nti-life?
(09:27:58 PM) dkap: Not currently. Maybe they need to be catalyst-enabled?
(09:28:07 PM) Cagliostro: hm. or maybe it's unrelated.
(09:28:27 PM) dkap: Or, he might have used them up, but the gun very much looks like the ones that flung the thorns.
(09:28:44 PM) dkap: Of course, if there were thorns, this conflict would have been over long since.
(09:31:07 PM) Cagliostro: okay, not just thorn-capable, but similar in vintage and technology.
(09:31:34 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(09:33:21 PM) Cagliostro: Okay, ward ourselves, then pop small wards around the combatants
(09:33:39 PM) Cagliostro: then step forward and clear my throat. "Excuse me. I require a moment of your time..."
(09:34:51 PM) dkap: Stephie (have you picked a name yet?) you feel yourself in an invisible bubble.
(09:35:07 PM) Stephie: Between parries and reposts I call back, not looking: "I could use one of yours as well!!"
(09:35:20 PM) Stephie: (I'm partial to Elisabella :) )
(09:36:03 PM) dkap: You don't need to parry or repost anymore, your opponent seems to be trying to break out of his own bubble.
(09:36:29 PM) dkap: Mistress Janice is busy trying to counter everything he is raising.
(09:36:44 PM) dkap: (Elisabella it is, then.)
(09:37:18 PM) Stephie: ahh, i didn't understand just what the "small ward around the combatants" referred to
(09:37:24 PM) Cagliostro: stepping forward is a 30ish or 40ish balding man is a rather elaborate, vaguely military costume.
(09:37:39 PM) Cagliostro: yeah - imagine a 4' radius sphere of unbreakable force
(09:37:55 PM) Cagliostro: in theory, unbreakability not guaranteed in Chaos or Tennessee. No warranty implied.
(09:38:49 PM) Cagliostro: gm: so he went instantly to magic?
(09:38:54 PM) Stephie: trapped inside is a wilderness-hardened girl in her late 20s, wearing gear suitable for foresting and gardening, but grasping a sword comfortably
(09:39:36 PM) Cagliostro: behind the man are a few other people, who may or may not be notable, given the situation, depending on the gm's whim. ;)
(09:39:50 PM) dkap: *grin*
(09:40:01 PM) dkap: And yes, he dropped right to magic to combat magic.
(09:40:13 PM) Cagliostro: gm: do I recognize anything he's trying to pull off?
(09:40:19 PM) Cagliostro: or is Janice blocking it all too quickly?
(09:40:23 PM) Stephie: "He snuck up on me, in my own wood!"
(09:42:26 PM) dkap: Janice is blocking as much as she can, as quickly as she can, simply because she doesn't really _want_ a duel, and wants to let you do whatever you are going to do, unhindered.
(09:43:45 PM) Cagliostro: right. hm.
(09:44:03 PM) Cagliostro: gm: fill the bubble of the magic guy with knockout gas. including his lungs, directly, if possible.
(09:44:04 PM) Stephie: "Let me out and I can help!"
(09:46:53 PM) dkap: You can't get inside is fleshy envelope, and he seems to have decided to stop breathing as much as possible, and increase his desperate attempt to prove that this is, apparently Tennessee.
(09:47:17 PM) Cagliostro: me hm's.
(09:47:32 PM) Cagliostro: and suspects that he was holding back.
(09:47:44 PM) Cagliostro: gm: drop the bubble around Elisabella
(09:48:27 PM) dkap: Mistress Janice is using her equivalent of the uniform buttons quite well.
(09:48:34 PM) dkap: And to good effect.
(09:48:44 PM) Cagliostro: to Elisabella: "Yes, I believe they do that. These are scouts."
(09:48:49 PM) Cagliostro: oh, right. duh.
(09:48:58 PM) Stephie: I'll immediately turn my attention to my attacker, and brandish my sword in such a way to get a killing blow if his prison disparates
(09:49:08 PM) Cagliostro: gm: just to make sure - what are the buttons? detectors?
(09:49:25 PM) dkap: Storage batteries.
(09:49:44 PM) Cagliostro: ah, gotcha. not what I thought. good to clarify then.
(09:49:54 PM) dkap: After about 6 and a half minutes he seems to be shaky, at the 8 minute point, he is down.
(09:50:01 PM) Cagliostro: ah, excellent.
(09:50:19 PM) Cagliostro: gm: down for real, or faking it?
(09:50:28 PM) Cagliostro: how closely can I monitor his physiology?
(09:50:44 PM) dkap: His last conscious thought, he brings what he has, around his neck up before his eyes, and there is an earth-shaking kaboom.
(09:51:15 PM) dkap: You can't monitor, but ... right now he either blew himself to bits, or blew himself out of this particular Magical Realm, somehow.
(09:52:19 PM) dkap: At this point in time, you notice that the sword being brandished by Elisabella has ... significantly more inertia than it should.
(09:52:46 PM) Cagliostro: "Bah."
(09:53:07 PM) Cagliostro: gm: set up the ward around the area as a stable zone for now, in keeping with the previous ones.
(09:53:22 PM) Stephie: "..... So who was that, what was that, and who are you?!"
(09:53:29 PM) ***Cagliostro bows politely.
(09:54:03 PM) Cagliostro: "In order: I would like to find out, I believe it was some form of self-immolation, and I am Count Cagliostro."
(09:54:56 PM) dkap: Count, it felt like an opposite pole reaction.
(09:56:07 PM) Cagliostro: "This," indicating the woman beside him who has been frantically casting, "is my daughter Janice, Mistress of the Archives. These", indicating two ... less than human individuals " are Ifrit in my service, and this," indicating a man also in wildnerness clothes with a distinct military air about him, "is a representative of the place that stopped the army this person was scouting for."
(09:57:23 PM) dkap: Zach's Ranger's name is Captain R'enla.
(09:57:52 PM) dkap: (Or Team Captain R'enla, I forget the ranks.)
(09:59:02 PM) dkap: Mistress Janice makes an appropriate bow.
(09:59:16 PM) dkap: R'enla has all the marks of one who cares for woods as well.
(09:59:19 PM) Cagliostro: and my generator says that both Ifrit are female. One is Rayya, and is 6'9" with red skin and red eyes, with no visible weapon. The other is Wafiqah, and is 7'2" with red skin and white eyes, with a gladius proportionate to her size. Both are wearing ornate and arabesque armor of an appropriate but flattering fit and color.
(09:59:19 PM) Stephie: "I see. I'm not sure how much you'll learn from a crater, but when you've learned it you're welcome to turn around. I will not have this copse disturbed. .... Oh, and thank you."
(09:59:45 PM) Cagliostro: (gm: i figure we did an Ifrit swapout when we brought in the new team. Easier to generate new ones than dig through the logs."
(09:59:55 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(10:00:06 PM) dkap: The swap-out makes sense.
(10:00:12 PM) Cagliostro: "You are welcome... and capable. We have found a number of shallow graves along their route."
(10:00:24 PM) dkap: Elisabella, you were quite successful in leading him away from the seedlings.
(10:00:42 PM) Stephie: Ahh, ok. I wasn't sure if they were still in danger.
(10:01:57 PM) dkap: But there is destruction in this current grove that will take many years to heal, from his boom.
(10:02:44 PM) Stephie: I whisper a word into my cupped hands, and sprinkle droplets and seeds as i walk slowly around the grove, in mourning
(10:02:48 PM) Stephie: "This was needless."
(10:03:40 PM) Cagliostro: "They are going someplace, and do not wish to be observed. They are remarkably callous about the damage they cause in the process. I find this... objectionable."
(10:03:48 PM) Cagliostro: gm: we forgot someone. ;)
(10:04:11 PM) Cagliostro: gm: Princess Chandra's still with us, right, and not pulling some sort of Kragar stunt?
(10:04:57 PM) dkap: She ... did not wish to be observed. You did not notice her going, nor feel her absent. Perhaps she just stepped around the corner for a moment.
(10:05:51 PM) Cagliostro: okay, so we'll presume Cagliostro noticed that around the introductions and ran with it.
(10:06:35 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(10:06:59 PM) Cagliostro: "I fear I cannot learn anything from their craters. I tried very hard to learn from a much larger crater, and was not successful."
(10:07:10 PM) Cagliostro: to Janice: "Is this the end of the trail, or does it keep going?"
(10:07:37 PM) Stephie: "What did he want with me? This did not seem random."
(10:07:56 PM) dkap: Mistress_Janice: End of the line, as far as I can tell.
(10:08:41 PM) Cagliostro: "I suspect he was only trying to kill you so because you were a witness... but I don't actually know."
(10:08:49 PM) dkap: Mistress_Janice: And, I think I need a rest, and perhaps something to eat, in the really near future.
(10:09:09 PM) ***Cagliostro hms.
(10:10:09 PM) Stephie: "A witness to what? .. Oh excuse me, if you'll follow me..." I go striding between the trees towards my home, keeping a careful watch behind me to be sure they stick to the path
(10:10:13 PM) dkap: She seems very shaky.
(10:10:20 PM) Cagliostro: she == janice?
(10:10:33 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(10:10:49 PM) Cagliostro: gm: offer her my arm, and we follow, sticking to the path.
(10:11:14 PM) Cagliostro: "A witness to the movement of their army, I believe. Or perhaps the manner of some of their weapons, which are greatly frowned upon in certain circles."
(10:11:28 PM) Cagliostro: "Did he fire any thorns at you, or near you? Or some other kind of mysterious projectile?"
(10:11:58 PM) dkap: (Elisabella, not that you noticed.)
(10:13:06 PM) Stephie: "I don't believe so, we were in melee combat from the instant I was aware of his presence"
(10:13:17 PM) ***Cagliostro hms.
(10:13:38 PM) Cagliostro: "Is there a place around here that might be a target for an army? Er, not to be overly forward, or anything."
(10:16:37 PM) Stephie: "Unless they hold a grudge against plant life, or a family of tree keepers, I can't imagine so. I would like to find out though, as I would very much like that to be the last visitor of his kind."
(10:16:59 PM) dkap: Elisabella, where are you leading them, home?
(10:17:09 PM) Stephie: Yes, to offer them food and rest
(10:17:24 PM) dkap: On your way a few of the Hounds bound out to greet you.
(10:18:09 PM) dkap: Count, they are the Spitting Image of the hunting beasts that Zach calls "Julian's Hell-Hounds."
(10:18:09 PM) Stephie: "Don't mind the pups, they're guardians to this place just as I!"
(10:19:15 PM) ***Cagliostro will check to see the ranger's reaction.
(10:19:38 PM) Cagliostro: "I am certain they excel in that capacity."
(10:20:47 PM) dkap: He reaches into his pouch for a "Hell-Hound treat," and offers it to the overly large dog, on a very flat and steady hand.
(10:21:09 PM) Stephie: I eye them, curiously.
(10:22:01 PM) dkap: The hound takes the treat as if it is his due.
(10:23:45 PM) Stephie: Lovely :) When approach the home, I'll invite the count and his daughter in, apologize for the lack of room for 7' tall ifriti
(10:24:18 PM) dkap: They seem to accommodate themselves to it.
(10:25:30 PM) Stephie: I'll offer food and drink, and seats, before getting to the point: "Are more coming? Can they be stopped?"
(10:26:55 PM) Cagliostro: "There is at least one more scout out there. The bulk of the army was stopped, and was destroyed even more dramatically than that scout."
(10:26:59 PM) dkap: In the place of honor, in the front hall was a set of armor, of similar inertia to the sword.
(10:27:18 PM) dkap: Or greater.
(10:27:36 PM) Cagliostro: "We don't know where the army came from, or was going. We tracked them back to a staging area, and we tracked them forward to here."
(10:27:46 PM) Cagliostro: "We'll look for the other scout, but... we'll rest, first."
(10:28:02 PM) ***Cagliostro helps provide food and drink for Janice.
(10:28:29 PM) Cagliostro: over the meal, "That is a remarkable suit of armor. A companion piece with the sword?"
(10:29:08 PM) dkap: She seems to take it in slowly, but reinervates herself.
(10:30:09 PM) Stephie: "It is all my family's, and the honor of watching it is passed down through the generations. We protect it as we protect our wood."
(10:30:31 PM) Cagliostro: gm: is there any heraldry?
(10:30:39 PM) dkap: All white.
(10:30:49 PM) dkap: Horse armor.
(10:31:00 PM) Cagliostro: for a horseman, you mean? ;)
(10:31:16 PM) dkap: Indeed.
(10:31:54 PM) Stephie: a centaur?!
(10:32:17 PM) Cagliostro: a normal guy riding a horse, I presume.
(10:32:23 PM) Stephie: i know :P
(10:32:50 PM) Cagliostro: heh.
(10:33:15 PM) Stephie: (afk for a minute or two)
(10:38:11 PM) Stephie: (i'm back)
(10:38:15 PM) Cagliostro: (cool)
(10:38:28 PM) Cagliostro: "That armor does look familiar... hm."
(10:39:08 PM) ***Cagliostro brings out a wooden box, and produces a deck of cards.
(10:39:19 PM) ***Cagliostro flips through the cards, and pulls one out.
(10:39:22 PM) Stephie: "Familiar...? Surely not"
(10:40:19 PM) dkap: Elisabella, there is a picture of the armor, hound, and ... The Julian.
(10:40:37 PM) Stephie: "Where did you get this?"
(10:40:46 PM) Cagliostro: "A man named Colin gave it to me."
(10:41:06 PM) Cagliostro: "It's part of a set that depicts a wide-ranging and colorful family."
(10:41:14 PM) Cagliostro: "Is it the same armor, do you think?"
(10:41:53 PM) dkap: As far as either of you can tell, yes, it is.
(10:42:13 PM) Stephie: "It... certainly appears so. I had thought it to be unique."
(10:42:37 PM) dkap: And The Julian is wearing it.
(10:43:33 PM) Stephie: "Do you know the man?"
(10:44:21 PM) Cagliostro: "No, I've never met him. But we are on this quest, following the army's path, on behalf of his son."
(10:44:34 PM) Cagliostro: "It was his kingdom they invaded."
(10:44:47 PM) ***Cagliostro flips to another card.
(10:44:53 PM) Cagliostro: "This one, Zacharias."
(10:45:01 PM) Cagliostro: gm: you'll have to describe Zach's trump.
(10:46:05 PM) dkap: I actually don't remember it, I believe it's with his favorite tree.
(10:46:11 PM) dkap: In Arden that Was.
(10:46:19 PM) dkap: Full ranger gear.
(10:46:41 PM) dkap: Bow over the shoulder, and looking at something that is making him half-grin, up beyond the artist's perspective.
(10:47:17 PM) Stephie: "I see. Does he yet live? The son, Zacharias, or the father?"
(10:49:25 PM) Cagliostro: "Ah. The son is alive, but departed .... hastily, is a word - to combat the enemy that sent the army. He is in good company, at least. When I met the son, he was deep in mourning for his father."
(10:49:36 PM) Cagliostro: "I know not the tale of his grief."
(10:50:54 PM) dkap: Elisabella, how does it feel to have a stranger tell you your family's G-d is dead?
(10:51:01 PM) dkap: Or that he has a son?
(10:52:02 PM) Stephie: it's sent me into a deep confusion, and reflection. i gaze at the suit, ,going silent while i ponder its and my purpose
(10:52:30 PM) Cagliostro: "I believe this situation calls for a drink. I think I have just the thing..."
(10:52:45 PM) Cagliostro: gm: rummage about in a pack while conjuring a bottle of old and fine scotch.
(10:52:57 PM) Cagliostro: "May I trouble you for some glasses?"
(10:53:10 PM) Cagliostro: I think the situation calls for 200-year old single malt.
(10:54:15 PM) Stephie: "I... do not know what to think, never mind what to say."
(10:54:35 PM) ***Stephie arises to produce drinking glasses
(10:55:02 PM) dkap: Elisabella, you might want to bring those of the family who are home in to hear the tale, and raise a toast ...
(10:56:23 PM) Stephie: that would be for the best. i gather my siblings and mother, each similarly attired
(10:56:46 PM) dkap: Cousins, uncles, aunts, etc?
(10:57:16 PM) Stephie: whomever the family consists of, i wasnt sure how large
(10:58:12 PM) dkap: Quite large.
(10:58:41 PM) Stephie: we gather in the dining room and welcome the guests, with an air of uncertainty
(11:01:00 PM) ***Cagliostro and his companions strive to be polite and gracious guests.
(11:01:54 PM) dkap: Mistress_Janice seems better able to handle herself now.
(11:03:09 PM) Stephie: i address my family, doing my best to explain the news of Julian
(11:03:23 PM) Cagliostro: and we'll tell the story again, as best we know it, and raise a toast to Julian, and to his son Zach, "Wherever he may be."
(11:03:56 PM) Cagliostro: there is, strangely, enough scotch for everyone who wants to raise a glass.
(11:05:17 PM) dkap: Of course there is.
(11:06:13 PM) Stephie: "Elders, does this make any sort of sense to you?"
(11:06:55 PM) ***Cagliostro is willing to pass the trumps of Julian and Zach around the room.
(11:07:09 PM) dkap: Eldest: "You have the picture, the hounds accept you, will you try on the armor to prove out your story?
(11:07:36 PM) Cagliostro: gm: was that to me?
(11:08:24 PM) dkap: Yes it was.
(11:09:01 PM) Stephie: "Our family has waited for the one who would wield the armor, Count"
(11:09:47 PM) Cagliostro: "The armor is a very powerful object, and is tied closely to Julian, from what I've seen. I don't think his passing had any effect on it at all."
(11:09:56 PM) Cagliostro: "His son might be able to wear it or... he might not."
(11:10:26 PM) Stephie: "You say this as if the son is somehow inferior"
(11:10:38 PM) Cagliostro: "Only that he is not the father. The binding is very particular."
(11:11:51 PM) Stephie: "Then perhaps it is you we have awaited"
(11:13:05 PM) Cagliostro: "I'm afraid the armor would reject me. I might be able to force myself into it, but... it would not be what you are looking for."
(11:13:08 PM) ***Cagliostro hms.
(11:13:29 PM) Cagliostro: "There is one who could wield the armor but... he would not be what you were expecting, I believe."
(11:13:50 PM) dkap: Elder: "You do not claim to be The Julian, nor do you claim his mantle for yourself, but for another? Can you produce this other?"
(11:14:19 PM) Cagliostro: "I do not claim to be the Julian, or to claim his mantle. His son has inherited his forest, and so might be the best claimant."
(11:15:03 PM) Cagliostro: "There is a being who is an analogue to Julian, and has an essence similar enought that I believe the armor would not reject him. However... the son would probably be a more fitting heir."
(11:15:17 PM) Stephie: "Where is he, Zacharias?"
(11:15:37 PM) Stephie: "And this... analog?"
(11:16:37 PM) Cagliostro: "Zacharias has departed to pursue the entity that sent the army, of which a scout attacked you. I do not know where he is."
(11:17:02 PM) Cagliostro: "The analog, whose name is also Julian, is I believe in his home realm. I could try to contact him."
(11:18:02 PM) Stephie: "He goes by Julian as well? Elders, the stories...!"
(11:18:34 PM) Cagliostro: "Let me see if the son can be contacted."
(11:18:40 PM) ***Cagliostro takes Zach's trump and concentrates on it.
(11:19:12 PM) dkap: After a moment, you reach contact with Zach. He is embroiled in a battle.
(11:19:50 PM) dkap: Zach: "Yes ... A moment *parry* ... Yes?"
(11:20:27 PM) Cagliostro: "Hello; we followed a scout from that army to a place with your father's armor, and a family that protects it. You seem busy, though."
(11:20:36 PM) Cagliostro: "Do you need anything there?"
(11:21:16 PM) dkap: Zach: "Busy, but an escape at the moment would be most welcome, may I come *ducks, throws a hand full of sharp and pointies at something out of the line of sight* through?"
(11:21:33 PM) Cagliostro: "Of course. Is there anyone else who needs escape?"
(11:21:54 PM) ***Cagliostro offers a hand, while trying to familiarize himself with the area enough to open a gate later.
(11:21:54 PM) dkap: Zach: "If I had allies in this place, I might not need the escape."
(11:22:03 PM) Cagliostro: "I could just give you an army instead."
(11:23:47 PM) dkap: Zach: "That's for later, with planning and strategy, too many would lose *jumps over a gout of flame* their lives just establishing *block and parry* the beachhead *tosses the sword he is using in the face of an assailant, and grabs your hand with both of his*."
(11:23:59 PM) ***Cagliostro pulls him through.
(11:24:18 PM) dkap: To all there, out of thin air a man appears.
(11:24:39 PM) dkap: He has the look of Julian, but ... not quite, and looks exactly like the individual in the card that was passed, and then used to bring him here.
(11:26:11 PM) ***Stephie and the family bows in reverence to the son of their god
(11:27:13 PM) dkap: Zach pauses to catch his breath, and looks around. He looks like he would fit right in with the family traditions, a lost cousin, or uncle.
(11:27:41 PM) Cagliostro: "May I introduce Zacharias, Prince of Fae, Guardian of the Forest Arden, head of the Palace Guard, and Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy. And, more importantly to present company, son of the late Prince Julian of Amber."
(11:27:48 PM) dkap: Well ... except for the several minor wounds that are bleeding at the moment, and the nasty gash across his arm that seems to have been seared there.
(11:28:02 PM) ***Cagliostro tsks and starts fixing Zach and his clothing.
(11:28:28 PM) dkap: Zach does owl-eyes at everyone.
(11:28:47 PM) Cagliostro: "Zach, these are the guardians of Julian's armor."
(11:28:49 PM) dkap: And in a subdued voice: "My ... my father was important to you folks?"
(11:29:36 PM) Stephie: "Julian is our... God. We are his servants, and the keepers of his woods and arms."
(11:29:36 PM) dkap: His eyes start to leak tears, and his face seems to have become glacial.
(11:30:32 PM) dkap: Zach: "Then, it is my sad duty as one of his children, to bring you the news that he has passed beyond the veil."
(11:30:32 PM) Stephie: "Zacharias? Sir?"
(11:30:53 PM) Stephie: "How is that possible?!"
(11:31:02 PM) dkap: Zach: "It would honor me, if you would continue to honor his memory as you honored his ... absence."
(11:31:26 PM) Stephie: "We know no other way"
(11:31:26 PM) dkap: Zach: "Even great G-ds are beset by forces they cannot overcome.
(11:32:18 PM) dkap: Zach: "My father was so beset, and could not conquer what he faced, and in that act, he passed."
(11:32:27 PM) Stephie: "Then is all hope lost?"
(11:34:06 PM) dkap: Zach: "Hope is not lost. Some, such as I, and, apparently, yourselves, keep what was most precious to him continuing. As long as that happens, the memories of his good deeds will continue."
(11:34:49 PM) Stephie: "We will give what strength we have to his cause, won't we Elders?"
(11:34:58 PM) dkap: Zach: "Now that I know that you are here, with your permission, I would visit, perhaps, and walk in the woods that I am sure would remind me of the very woods I grew up in, with him near."
(11:35:15 PM) dkap: The whole family, as one, seems to be in agreement.
(11:35:44 PM) Stephie: "The hounds will accompany you"
(11:36:59 PM) dkap: Zach: "I ... dislike changing things that my father set in place. But I would ask if one of your number who knows the traditions and ways of this place tell me of the tales of my father, and the histories here, and ... how they intertwine."
(11:37:49 PM) dkap: Zach: "And I must ask that one to accompany us, for, there is unrest in the lands that I guard, that I inherited from him."
(11:38:42 PM) Stephie: "Elders, I wish to continue the battle I joined earlier this day"
(11:38:47 PM) dkap: Zach: "It will not be an easy path, there will be fighting, so one old, though steeped in history, while delightful, I would be worried would not survive the challenges put forth before us."
(11:40:01 PM) ***Cagliostro "Elisabella held her own against one of the scouts for the army that invaded Arden, Zach."
(11:41:10 PM) Cagliostro: (after a few minutes of Cagliostro's obvious concentration, Zach's wounds have healed and his clothes are mended and clean.)
(11:41:13 PM) dkap: Zach, who seems to be shedding his wounds like a G-d would, bows to her, and says "I would delight in one who has already joined the fray to tell me the tales."
(11:41:24 PM) Cagliostro: or that. ;)
(11:41:49 PM) Stephie: "I would be honored, if i pleases my family"
(11:41:55 PM) Stephie: **it
(11:42:22 PM) dkap: The elders take a visual vote, and nod as the decision is accepted. Your mother was the only vote against.
(11:42:27 PM) Cagliostro: to Zach: "Would you like to see the armor before you depart?"
(11:42:41 PM) dkap: Zach: "It would be my honor."
(11:44:13 PM) Stephie: I lead Zach to its place of honor in our home, letting him take in the sight
(11:47:43 PM) dkap: He looks at the armor, pets it, reverently, and doesn't try on a single piece.
(11:48:22 PM) dkap: His hands seem to know where all the irregularities are, except for the one caused by using the armor to defend the gates, and one other irregularity on it.
(11:48:48 PM) Stephie: "You have seen this before, then?"
(11:49:48 PM) dkap: Zach: "He wore this often, when I was young. Not this set, I don't believe, but ... somehow, they are all linked."
(11:50:25 PM) dkap: Zach: "We used to ride, and hunt. The hounds hard at our side, and his Morgenstern, what a horse ... "
(11:52:44 PM) dkap: Zach reaches into his pack, and pulls out a preserved flower, in Julian's colours.
(11:53:13 PM) dkap: Zach lays it at the feet of the armor.
(11:55:30 PM) Stephie: "I envy your closeness with Julian, and your gesture gives greater meaning to our lives here"
(11:56:58 PM) dkap: Zach turns to Elisabella, and says "Come, let us accompany the Count. He can update me and you can start telling me of your histories."
(11:57:21 PM) Cagliostro: "Before we go..."
(11:58:06 PM) Cagliostro: the Count raises a white cardboard box that he didn't have earlier, the size of a 10" deep pizza box.
(11:58:32 PM) Cagliostro: "Elisabella, you should change into this. It will greatly increase the chance of you being able to finish telling Zach your stories."
(11:58:50 PM) ***Stephie reaches into the box
(11:59:28 PM) Cagliostro: it's a complete set of ranger/local-style clothing, including boots, along with gloves, a balaclava, and goggles.
(11:59:33 PM) Cagliostro: pretty similar to what you have on now.
(01/26/2011 12:00:06 AM) Day changed to 26 Jan 2011
(12:02:37 AM) dkap: And it looks like it was custom cut, just to you.
(12:03:56 AM) Stephie: I happily change into my new gear, emerging from my room with sword, bow, quiver and pack
(12:04:22 AM) Stephie: "Shall we?" :D
(12:04:43 AM) Cagliostro: gm: does Janice look like she's up to continuing?
(12:06:29 AM) dkap: She can probably hand over the tracking to Zach, and get R&R while you are walking.
(12:06:37 AM) Cagliostro: k.
(12:06:46 AM) Cagliostro: we will walk back to where the local explosion was
(12:07:10 AM) Cagliostro: Cagliostro will brief Zach on the way
(12:07:40 AM) Cagliostro: Elisabella, this is similar to what you've already heard, but it goes into more detail, starts earlier, and includes some parts that were left out.
(12:07:43 AM) dkap: And I think this is a good place to hang! Adventure in the wings, ...
(12:07:49 AM) Cagliostro: let me debrief first
(12:07:51 AM) Cagliostro: then yes
(12:07:51 AM) Cagliostro: ;)
(12:07:55 AM) Cagliostro: so, debriefing:
(12:07:56 AM) dkap: Ahh ... good point.
(12:08:09 AM) Cagliostro: the army was trapped, then destroyed by an outside force
(12:08:30 AM) Cagliostro: the wards held, but a gardener, one of Shiryu's apprentices, arrived to resolve structural issues that were caused by the explosion.
(12:08:42 AM) Cagliostro: the gardener was quite firm that we should not do that on a regular basis.
(12:08:49 AM) Cagliostro: (Zach, presumably, is impressed by same)
(12:09:30 AM) ***Cagliostro mentions tracking the army back to its starting point... but this time mentions that there's a team of Ifrit mages in that area, monitoring and searching for more information.
(12:09:33 AM) dkap: Indeed he is.
(12:09:52 AM) dkap: Not necessarily the start point, but as far back as the track goes.
(12:10:05 AM) Cagliostro: then following back to the army, and an incident where someone used magic or trickery to appear to Zach's forces as the Count, or at least a trusted person, and ran past at speed.
(12:10:15 AM) dkap: Mistress Janice explains some of the technical details of that bit.
(12:10:29 AM) Cagliostro: We followed the first track, which led us here, and Cagliostro briefly geeks at Zach about the fight.
(12:10:57 AM) Stephie: thank you for the overview, Cagliostro
(12:11:24 AM) Cagliostro: The information includes the scout failing to breathe after the ward was filled with knockout gas, and that the self-destruction of the scout was quite dramatic.
(12:11:41 AM) Cagliostro: "I regret that I have not yet determined a way to keep them alive."
(12:12:05 AM) Cagliostro: from the spot next tot he kaboom, once Zach has examined it to his fill, Cagliostro will open a magical gate back to Arden, so we can continue to the tracking
(12:12:51 AM) Cagliostro: Elisabella, the Count gestures and a rectangular hole in space appears... and there's another wooded clearing on the other side. This one presumably has a number of rangers and other, stranger folk.
(12:12:59 AM) Cagliostro: Stephie, do you read Girl Genius?
(12:13:00 AM) dkap: Zach nods, and, before the gate opens, tells of the Giant Hand, struggling with it, being flung aside, trying to trace it, and ending up in a nasty little armored trap, that should have been fatal to anyone of lesser skill.
(12:14:17 AM) dkap: He mentions his interest in tracing the other who came across Arden, and desires to gather more information before risking the lives of his rangers any further.
(12:14:38 AM) dkap: Especially not needlessly risking them, making some comment about not being his uncles.
(12:16:00 AM) ***Cagliostro concurs. "I also would prefer not to needlessly risk lives. Particularly since this seem to be a situation worthy of the Ifrit...'
(12:16:13 AM) Stephie: Cagliostro: i haven't, actually. i'm not familiar with the title!
(12:16:58 AM) Cagliostro: oh - I forgot. Back in the early briefing, before the tracking, there was a mention of bringing in "Princess Chandra" as an expert on the thorns. "Her highness was -most- upset with the thorns, and she very much wants them to stop. With prejudice."
(12:17:05 AM) Cagliostro: http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/J%C3%A4germonster - these guys are in the field.
(12:17:32 AM) Cagliostro: Stephie: I recommend it, without reservation. http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021104
(12:17:50 AM) Cagliostro: it's a comic book that became a web comic, and just this month also became a novel.
(12:18:07 AM) Cagliostro: the monsters are obviously mixing with the rangers, but are apart with them.
(12:18:31 AM) dkap: Zach gets thoughtful for a moment, and then reaches into his pouch, and pulls out a playing card, much like the one the Count passed around, with a different picture of Zach on it. This has him standing in a field near a stream, with a bow in one hand.
(12:20:02 AM) dkap: Zach, to Elisabella: "If we get lost, or separated, or anything terrible happens, I want you to find a place where you aren't beset, pull out this card, and concentrate on it, as hard as you can, to the exclusion of everything else."
(12:20:40 AM) Stephie: "I will, Zach. Thank you."
(12:20:52 AM) Stephie: I'll check out the comic!
(12:21:37 AM) dkap: The power for the gate has to be derived from within your stored spaces, for, for whatever reason, there isn't any magic in the vicinity of the explosion.
(12:21:44 AM) ***Cagliostro hms.
(12:21:48 AM) Cagliostro: but does so.
(12:21:57 AM) Cagliostro: and that's where we'll hang? :)
(12:22:02 AM) dkap: And through the gate you go. We will hang there.
(12:22:11 AM) Stephie: i think thats a good point :)
(12:22:18 AM) dkap: Until next week, then?
(12:22:27 AM) Stephie: i'm still taking in all the background info :D
(12:22:41 AM) dkap: Hopefully at least one of the other players will show ... *grin*
(12:22:45 AM) Cagliostro: heh.
(12:22:45 AM) Stephie: Thank you for having me!!
(12:22:50 AM) Cagliostro: thanks for joining
(12:22:53 AM) Cagliostro: always fun to get new blood.
(12:22:58 AM) dkap: A pleasure! Welcome to our little corner of the Multiverse.
(12:23:02 AM) Stephie: i'm glad :)
(12:23:33 AM) Cagliostro: night!
(12:23:41 AM) dkap: Good night all.
(12:23:57 AM) Cagliostro left the room (quit: Quit: Leaving.).
(12:24:03 AM) Stephie: goodnight gents :)