Good OOTSiverse

[Elfin]

He has initiative.
"You fool! I told you not to hunt me; but now it is too late, and you have invoked the wrath of the Kor!"
He lowers his hands, and a wreath of flame surrounds them; lifting his fiery fists above his head, he utters a low incantation, and a great blast of dark fire explodes from him in all directions!
Make a reflex save.

[Night Monkey]

Spoiler

Show

Eep. When can we get there?

[Elfin]

Spoiler

Show

I don't think you will before the encounter's over; sorry. But feel free to do some RPing between your characters as they run; I'm always willing to give RPing XP. Could you use spoilers though?

[ColdSepp]

Spoiler

Show

Keothi continues to follow the badger, which seems to be their only hope of finding the ranger. "Clearly he's not used to being part of a team." He says to no one in particular.

[Stanfield22]

Spoiler

Show

"He still hasn't gotten used to the idea of me," Chasa replied, not looking anywhere but forward.
As if on cue, the badger shot a glance at Chasa and hissed over its shoulder, looking forward a moment later.
"Right back at you, friend."

[Pulsecode]

Radel's eyes widened as the flames roared towards him. Not just another petty killer, then... But what was done was done.

He flung himself backwards, hoping to escape the worst of the flames...

Spoiler

Show

Reflex save (d20+8)[14]
oof. Not great.

[Elfin]

Radel, unprepared for the blast, is caught in the fiery onslaught, enveloped in the ball of flame. The dark man lets out a cold chuckle.
"You are no match for me, fool!"

Radel, take 20 points of damage.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Spoiler

Show

Taki looked about, straining to see Radel ahead of them, even though he knew they couldn't.

"If we don't hurry, Radel will take care of this fellow himself."

[Pulsecode]

HP: 24/44

Radel gasped as the flames blasted over him, almost falling to his knees at the searing pain...but now was not the time for tending to wounds... he must finish this quickly, or he would never finish it at all.

Trying not to let the man - whose use of 'Kor' as a title rather than a name had not escaped Radel, even while under attack - see how badly he had been hurt, Radel sprang forwards, trying to shut out the searing pain down the left hand side - and struck out again.

Spoiler

Show

(d20+9)[11](d20+9)[20]

[Elfin]

Spoiler

Show

How do you have a +9 to attack? +4 BAB, +4 str, +1 magic, -3 two weapons. Can you reroll with a +6 to hit?

[Pulsecode]

Spoiler

Show

sorry, hadn't checked the OOC thread and still didn't know my modifiers. Happy to re-roll though.
(d20+6)[20]
(d20+6)[20]

[Elfin]

Your scimitars sunder the air, howling with unearthly screams as they fall upon the stranger, slitting open his dark clothing and opening deep red gashes, provoking a snarl of anger.
Roll for damage, and in the future everyone include it in your attack post (if I hit...)

[Pulsecode]

Spoiler

Show

(d6+5)[6]
(d6+5)[7]
A further +2 to each if he is human.
Edit - and I hope he is, because those rolls were terrible!

[Elfin]

"Urghh!" the dark man snarls as the gashes in his back open up.
"...I don't have time for this. I'm sorry, but I have a mission that's too important to bother with your petty revenges. Goodbye."
The dark man's hand swirls with a nexus of dark energy, which envelops him- and in a fraction of a second he's leapt into the air, flying toward the blue shadows of the mountains that ridge the eastern horizon.

[Pulsecode]

Radel had swung again in desperation, trying to interrupt, to stop hum from leaving, but his blades flashed through empty air. He snarled oaths at the sky, before giving a shrill whistle. High, dipping down low, before raising again. Track, but do not engage. With luck, Fionn would be swift enough and keen eyed enough to report just where he had gone. Even so, Radel watched to the best of his ability.

He slumped heavily on a fallen log when the blur finally passed our of sight, before wincing. His heavy action had reminded him all too clearly of his injuries. He snapped open the cap of a thin steel vial, downing the contents. The pain bgab to numb and fade immediately, and by the time the others arrived there was no mark but the slight charring of the edge of his cloak to show what had happened.

[Elfin]

The rest of you break through foliage into a clearing; the sun is high, and you are weary. The ground in the clearing is scorched, and the sun beats mercilessly upon the empty ground; but the trees surrounding the place cast blessed shadows across the ground. But a lone figure is already there, sitting upon an old, rotting log; after your eyes adjust to the bright sunlight, you see that it's none other than Radel, looking a little worn-out but otherwise fine.
"Well", says the ranger, turning to you. "What took you so long?"

[Elfin]

A whistle echoed through the air. High, dipping down low, before raising again. Track, but do not engage; Fionn knew the order well. Her friend was in need.

Swooping through the bright air, riding in the waves of wind, the hawk revels in the glory of flight; not earthbound, free, glorious, wonderful, powerful; she is master of all she surveys.

But she has a mission. A dark shape swings through the sky, black, fearful, dangerous. Fionn knows who it is.
She pursues him, ever at his tail; he flies swift, but she is swifter yet, Queen of the Heavens; he has his darkness, but she has the unvaulted skies, they are her domain; the fearful one was a fool to think he could escape her.
The sun sinks, the sky glows with fiery hues, and finally he sees her.
The dark man smiles, cold and cruel; Fionn sees that there is nothing but coldness in the dark man's heart. All warmth is gone, long ago frozen with hate. She shivers, he flies up to her, he looks into her eyes.
They glint with malice, black, deep as night, eternal, void; who knows what this man has seen, who knows what he has done, who knows what has plagued him in the depths of the night when all is still?
The dark man stares, his eyes narrow, darkness curls around his fingers. He stretches his hand towards the hawk, and she is afraid, but then he withdraws his outstretched hand and grins.
"Yes, today you will live." he coos softly, icily; Fionn cannot tell whether he speaks to himself or her- maybe both.
"Yess... let them follow me, let them try to stop me. Know only this: I know all, I see all. You may escape me, but I will find you in the end. I am the Viper."
With that, the fearful one chuckles, and flies away into the sunset.
Fionn is frightened, for the Viper is strong. She senses this, she knows his words are true.
She circles the forest before swooping down, to her friend, to safety.

[Night Monkey]

"Radel? What happened? Did you catch him? Well obviously you didn't. Well, I mean, not completely. I mean not permanently. Well, I suppose nothing is ever permanent, everything has to change, but I mean permanently for now... Ehm, what happened?"

[Faulty]

A rather unkempt man strolls out of the forest into the clearing. He's dressed in traveler's clothing and a cloak, the hood back, all in various shades of drab brown, the only bright spot at all being the shining chain of a mithril shirt he wears partially hidden under cloak and tunic. A backpack with a bedroll on the back is slumped on his back somewhat precariously and a belt pouch that could use some adjusting clicks as he walks. A rapier and a kukri are mounted on opposite hips, what appears to be a sap is tucked into a makeshift leather holster and is snuggled next the the rapier's sheathe. A pair of daggers are slipped into sheates on his leather clad thighs. In his right hand is an apple, and his left is jammed into his pants pocket. Stopping at the edge, opposite the lot of you, he takes a big bite of the already half-eaten apple and says, over chunks of it while pointing at the scorched earth, "I thought that was a campfire. Do any of you know where the **** we are?"

[#Raptor]

Spoiler

Show

Arrrgh, brutally ninja'd by a few secounds. Feel free to assume that Alrik said it just barely before Amesoeurs character arrived.

Alrik Thrundling

As he finally catches his breath, Alrik has only one additional question. He slowly steps towards the scorched ground and then he pokes at it with his staff. "And... what exactly happend here?"

[Faulty]

Spoiler

Show

I'm alright with that.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Taki sighed. He'd ran up again, only to find that there was no apparent fight.

"Where did he go?"

He ignored the new fellow, trusting his companions to explain it.

[#Raptor]

Spoiler

Show

Alright then... lets get your character in the party.

Alrik Thrundling

He looks dumbfounded at the stranger. "Bwuh? Do I look like a tracker?" He spreads his arms, his dark red robe hanging loosely. "I keep following this crazed badger." He points at the badger before he looks at the stranger again, but this time he looks rather irritated. "But... allow me to follow up your question with a question. May we know who the **** you are? What is your business here?"

[Faulty]

Spoiler

Show

Yay. <3

The man swallows the chunks of apple he had thoroughly chewed while you addressed him. He puts his hands on his hips, tips his head to the side and addresses the badger and in a joking tone asks, "Well Mr. Badger, do you know where we are?" Looking up at Alrik, he finally gives his name. "Dev," he says, "Just Dev." He takes another bite of his apple. "Anyway, I was 'ired by a man, a small time merchant, from Cliffport to hunt a pair o' petty thieves what robbed 'im and tried ta ditch the city. I found the pair a bastards with the 'elp of a bounty hunta I'd been workin' with, who tracked 'em down. The sad part is that when we fought 'em one of them got a lucky hit and damn near sawed through half 'is head. Now, ma tracker's dead and I have no bloomin' idea where the **** I am. Sos I walk for a while, get meself more lost than I was before, and here I am. I 'eard what sounded like a fire startin' up, saw a bit o' smoke, and make my way here." After finishing his exposé, he takes another big bite of his apple and begins chewing, waiting for your reaction.

[Pulsecode]

Radel nodded at Eiso. His scimitars were still drawn, and blood stained the curved blades. With a disdainful grunt, he began to carefully clean them with a scrap of cloth.*

"Yes, I caught him. Got the jump on him too, for all the good that did. He's a wily one. Damn near scorched me to a crisp, and took to the sky when the fight turned to my favour."

He muttered under his breath for a moment, before continuing.*

"He'll not escape Fionn... She'll tell us where he's gone."

He turned to stare at the new arrival, distrust plain upon his face. This was hardly the time or the place for friendly banter, or the trusting of convenient strangers.*

"Yes, I do know where we are. Who are you, and what is your business here?"

[Faulty]

Spoiler

Show

Ninja'd you by about a minute there.

[Pulsecode]

Spoiler

Show

Hah. Given that I'm posting from my phone, i'm just going to pretend you didn't. You wouldn't have, if I hadn't lost signal!

[Faulty]

Spoiler

Show

Well then, lets assume I said that all after you asked.

You may proceed.

[Pulsecode]

Radel gave a weary sigh. Until yesterday, he'd been able to go for MONTHS without running into anyone in the forest. It wasn't that he was averse to people, as such, although he did value solitude from time to time, but surely there was a time and a place? The one time he had a real and urgent agenda, everyone was wanting to shake hands. Still... on the other hand, it was no time to be making enemies either.

He rubbed his face with one hand, and then forced a smile.

"Radel. I'm a tracker myself, but I'm afraid I'm already on a trail. I can't afford to be leading you around as well. If it's directions back to Cliffport you are after, I'd be happy to give them. Else, perhaps I can lend assistance after we are done, if you are prepared to wait, or accompany us."

A blur of movement caught his eye, and he looked up to the rolling sky. Fionn returning... and moving fast. The man must have reached his destination already... he couldn't be too far away.

The bird hit his shoulder at some speed, faster than he had been expecting, and he jolted forwards slightly. She was panicked... but although he had gotten well accomplished at reading her emotions, this was too complex, too involved for him to understand so simply. He held up one hand to the newcomer, a simple sign requesting patience, and turned his head to look the hawk in the eye.

Spoiler

Show

Spell cast: Speak With Animals

He made a soft, reassuring sound, and she began to coo and cry and shriek most alarmingly. Although the conversation seemed wholly incomprehensible to any onlooker, the expression on Radel's face was clear to read - frustration, mixed with anger.

[Elfin]

The sun is low in the sky, and the heavens are alight with fiery hues of red and orange; hearing Fionn's tale of the chase, you swiftly set off again through the forest. There was no time yo lose; you must catch this... this Viper.
Your lungs, still fatigued, seem to burst with flames as you sprint through the woods, heading ever eastward; but the sun sinks, the reds and oranges turn to dusky purples, and there is no sign of Viper.
At last, out of breath, you make camp beneath the now star-littered sky, like a blanket of glittering diamonds fused with silver light; but you now know that you are only two days from the mountains.
FInally, everyone drifts off to sleep, to dream of black-clad shadows with eyes of bottomless hate.