Magic and Myth, Steam and Steel (or, "The Adventures of the Fey-Team") IC

[Fishy]

"Oh, and I suppose "Acererak" wasn't, then?"

As they move closer to the encampment, Tula takes a moment to peel off a sheaf of papery bark from her arm, and tears it neatly into strips. She throws them into the air, and peers curiously at the pattern they make on the floor.

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Casting Omen of Peril when we're about half an hour's journey from the heavily armed and highly trained strike force. 80% chance of an accurate omen- is this a Disaster-in-the-Making, Completely Harmless, or MILD PERIL?

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Tula

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MILD PERIL!

[DragoonWraith]

Ráwen
"Even the lowliest of Wizards taking night classes while working as a baker would know Acererak; he is not obscure. That the Halfling almost certainly didn't is trivial; I wasn't playing, I was getting us a prisoner we wouldn't have to worry about too much. Nonetheless, while not the hardest riddle I've ever offered to one who knows of the lich, the clue at least specifies a unique individual. Others might fit the bill but I should think the 'correct' answer to the riddle should be obvious to any who is aware of Acererak. No chance for ambiguity with multitudinous possible correct answers."

[userpay]

Wings flutter and Tahl is gone in a blink of an eye, soaring up into the night sky from a different direction than where Owain and Mara entered. Flying so that she doesn't not risk being silhouetted against the moon, she drifts where the light of the camp fades into darkness to observe the camp activity from on high and to keep an eye on her allies.

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Okay flying so that I'm just past the shadowy illumination cast by the light from the camp, idea is that I should beable to see into the camp being that I've low light vision and darkvision while staying in the darkest portion of the sky to keep hidden. I would like some estimates of how high I am though in case I need to dive if you would. I'll make some rolls, I don't think the racial hide applies here since I'm not in foliage and I'll roll move silently even though I should be rather high up to hear.
hide
(1d20+12)[30]
move silently
(1d20+14)[30]
spot
(1d20+7)[8]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

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The centurion's face retains its smile, but suddenly there is a harder edge to it. "Someone told you there were fey here?" she asks, speaking through clenched teeth. She slowly leans to the left, staring past the two fey at the soldiers around the fire. "And which fine, upstanding young man mentioned the minor but classified detail that we are holding fey prisoners--and to a person recently attacked and stranded by some of them, no less?" Instantly, calls of denial ring up from every voice, most of them blaming sentries, Iron Lions soldiers, or other Eagles wandering around the camp, possibly all three. "I shall have a talk with you gentlemen later", she hisses.

Turning back to Owain and Mara, the centurion's anger fades slightly. "Not to worry, sir, ma'am; it is true that we have some captive fey we're bringing back to headquarters, but you're in no danger. All steamwagons are constructed with enough cold iron so the fey couldn't easily break out of them, and these particular wagons have been soundproofed, lightproofed, and lined with lead to prevent them from ambushing the soldiers who come to feed them and escaping that way." Momentarily glancing the way the Iron Lions sentry left, she lowers her voice a bit: "Leaving the fey deaf and blind for the duration is a bit excessive for my taste, but I must admit that after the first time, they didn't try to steal the keys from any other Eagles, so it's effective enough for the time being." She nods once, sharply. "We might be a few yards away from the wagons, but in terms of your safety, we're as good as miles away."

[Eurus]

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Mara seems to calm down slightly, but she still glances nervously at the wagons, and she edges almost imperceptibly away. "I see... Are... do all of them hold fae right now?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

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The centurion chuckles. "If only we were so lucky! No, only two of them have fey, one with their commanders and the other with their soldiers; the other one behind the trees is the Ordo Okkultus wagon, where our magi and the Lions' magi work. Well, it's been down to just the Lions' tertius for two days now...long story. Not that you're in any danger", she hastens to add. "You can talk with her, if she'll let you in; she'd probably be a more interesting conversationalist for you than the legionnaires, since she's been back home more recently than the rest of us and is probably more up-to-date on politics and current events."

[Eurus]

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"Oh, I'd like that," Mara nods, seeming once again to grow less anxious. "Is she in there right now?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Owain, Mara, and Tahl

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The centurion nods. "She should be; she doesn't exactly mingle with the troops, and tends to keep odd hours. Her wagon is in the middle of the other century's camp, and they might not look so favorably on your presence, so I'll give you an escort--Antony, if you wouldn't mind?" The orc escorts Owain and Mara through the clump of trees to the Lions' side of the camp; Tahl is easily able to keep within sight and earshot. Exiting the trees, only a single guard can be seen, who glances unconcernedly at them and then returns to his vigil. Antony brings the fey to the wagon's door and knocks hesitantly.

An irritated voice responds, somewhat muted through the thick door. "If Corvin sent you, tell him no, I don't have any more iron filings or spare pieces of glass, and if I knew why he wanted them I wouldn't have given them to him in the first place. If Augustina sent you, I'm already busy with three magi's worth of work, I'm not going to add another four's worth to the mix. If you're knocking on my door for the fun of it, get the hells away from my wagon." Antony looks a bit embarrassed, and whispers to Owain and Mara, "Don' worry, she ain't mean, she just got a lot of things on 'er mind." In a louder voice, he calls back "Magus Julia, ma'am, Centurion Augustina sent me 'cause we got two civilians what got stuck in the woods an' want to talk wit' someone who ain't a soldier."

A short pause, and then a panel opens in the door, and a gray-furred cat peers through the hole at the trio with its luminous green eyes. After a brief inspection, it meows once and the panel shuts. With a minor creaking, the door opens to reveal the cat padding back to a robed woman sitting at a small table, screwing a bolt into a strange contraption resembling a bow-less crossbow holding two small glass balls. Books and alchemical apparatus line the walls, and from the structure it appears that the interior used to hold several magi's living areas. The woman puts down her tools and looks up, a smile on her face. In a more cheerful tone of voice, she introduces herself: "Greetings to you both. I am Julia, and you've met my familiar Anabelle. I'd be glad to keep you company until we reach the trading post; I could use a break, anyway. I completely understand how you feel about military conversational skills--no offense intended, soldier." As Antony exits the wagon and closes the doors, Julia pulls out two chairs and motions for Owain and Mara to sit.

Rest of the Party

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At a pause in the conversation, you can all hear the sound of snapping branches and crackling leaves begin to emanate from several directions in the forest, getting louder as they approach, though you can't discern precisely where it's coming from. Several indistinct voices reach all of your ears, though again the exact number is unclear. It appears several loud someones unconcerned with subtlety are making their way through the forest.

Your halfling friend looks excited for a moment when he hears the noises, but then his face droops again. "I have to hide and be quiet if I don't want to die, don't I?" he whispers in a melancholy tone of voice. "That's probably some other Eagles coming to look for me. Either your friends are captured, or they did what they were supposed to and tricked the centurion." The halfling sighs. "And now my century's going to die a few at a time, isn't it? Divide and conquer?"

[Fishy]

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"Actually, yes," Tula says, informatively. "Everyone in that army is going to die, one at a time, and there's nothing you can do to save any of them."

A pause.

"Oh! Did you mean 'right now'? Oh, no, they're fine. We'll be very careful."

In Sylvan: "Blue? I hate to be a bother, but we're running out of time, and I still don't know where we're going, and you've got wings. Be a dear and find the wagons? I need direction and distance, as good as you can get."

[DragoonWraith]

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Ráwen
Ráwen is idly playing with her dolls, making them perform tricks.
in Sylvan
"Ah, showtime then? I was a bit fuzzy on this part of the plan; what are we do, exactly, at this point? Not get found, I suppose, though a few more missing scouts would do wonders for frightening them..."

[Fishy]

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As the sounds of breaking branches draw closer, Tula makes (gasp, shock, horror) a snap decision. "Blue? Nevermind. Time to go."

She closes her eyes, imagining herself reaching out with her roots, calling down to the power of the earth below. "We're going to dig our way right past their defenders, and pop up out of nowhere- directly underneath the wagons, if I can manage it. I need you to come with me and explain it to... them."

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Tula casts her Suddenly Extended Summon Nature's Ally IV, calling up (1d3)[1] Thoqqua, who can drill through rock and explicitly leave a tunnel behind. She also gets ready to immediately cast Create Water, in the unlikely event that they set the underbrush on fire when they arrive.

EDIT: "Well, okay, 'him'."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Ráwen, Tula, and Bluebell

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There is what can best be described as a twisting in the air, which sounds like heat and smells like red, and suddenly sensory perceptions make sense again as a thoqqua materializes in your midst. The halfling practically jumps out of his skin at the sight, babbling something unintelligible as the fiery, wormlike elemental appears almost on top of him. The thoqqua is hissing and crackling rhythmically,
Ráwen

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which you understand to be a happy sing-song chant of "Dirt, stones, delicious new earth! Can't wait to snuggle under the cozy ground and munch on it!" and more to that effect,

and it places its head close to the ground, waiting for direction.

The voices and stamping sounds are dispersing slightly, some getting louder as they approach and others fading away entirely; you can estimate that none of the sounds are directly approaching your location, but some will probably come close.

[DragoonWraith]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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Ráwen
Ráwen smirks at the creature. "Aha, I see, I remember this bit now."
in Terran

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"Yes, plenty of earth and stone, but in particular we need a tunnel dug. So you need to dig wide enough for us to follow, and you need to dig to a certain spot. Can you handle that?"

for Tula (and others with Voice of the City?)

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"Much rock. Need tunnel. Dig us follow. Yes?"

[Fishy]

Ráwen, Tula, and Bluebell

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OOC: Can I have the dumbed-down version of what you guys are saying? Voice of the City means he can automatically pick up 'simple concepts'.

Also, she's going to fire off a quick "I don't speak Terran, do what she says."

[Demons_eye]

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After Owain sets down he jokingly asks "When does everyone sleep around here? Hello I am Owain."

[DragoonWraith]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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OOC: Can I have the dumbed-down version of what you guys are saying? Voice of the City means he can automatically pick up 'simple concepts'.

Also, she's going to fire off a quick "I don't speak Terran, do what she says."

Edited my post with that. The thingy had only said something about being excited about all the rocks.

[Eurus]

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Mara takes a seat, and attempts to make conversation with the mage, asking about current events and military life - stalling, essentially, while she waits for any sign of their allies acting outside. Hopefully if they were watching, they would realize that her and Owain couldn't easily signal them from within the wagon, and act of their own accord.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Owain and Mara

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"Only those soldiers on guard duty are awake right now, the rest are sleeping normally. I'm just awake because I have some projects to get done without any interference from the sub-centurion, like the fire-thrower I was working on when the two of you arrived."

After that, she answers questions, relates some amusing anecdotes, and otherwise tries to make the two of you comfortable.

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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The thoqqua wags its head in Ráwen's direction.
Terran:

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"Can do! Can do! Favorite part! Just tell what to smell for and will eat lots of stone, make huge hole!"

Voice of the City:

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Just tell it where to tunnel and it'll do it.

Tahl

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Owain and Mara are in a thick-walled steamwagon, so you can't hear or see anything of them anymore, and apart from seeing a big glowing worm by the rest of the party, you can't really tell what's going on there either.

[DragoonWraith]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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Ráwen
Ráwen smirks at the silly creature.

in Sylvan

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"It wants to know what to smell for. Think it can just smell its way to the right spot? Fey have different smells than these, I'd think."

in Terran

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"We want to tunnel to our friends, other fey like us that are in that camp,"

Voice of the City

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"Tunnel to Fey-friends in camp."

Ráwen gestures at the camp.
in Terran

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[color=DarkOrange]"But we don't want to run into any of the mortals. Can you smell our friends? Can you tunnel underneath them, without letting those above know we're even there?"

Voice of the City

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"No mortals. Can smell fey-friends? Can tunnel, no telling surface?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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The thoqqua moves its head around, bringing it close in turn to the halfling and the three of you; the halfling cowers, chanting "Don't burn me, don't burn me, don't burn me" under his breath. The elemental remains still for a moment, then its head droops.
Terran

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"No, don't think can. Sad. Flesh-things all smell the same, not like stone-things or metal-things. Can tell many metals by smell, and many-many rocks, but only live-flesh-thing from dead-flesh-thing. Unless friends made of metal or earth?"

Voice of the City

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It can't differentiate creatures by smell.

[DragoonWraith]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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Ráwen
in Sylvan

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"Says he can't tell creature smells apart, only rocks and metals. Think any of em's got a distinctive metal on them?"

[Demons_eye]

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"Would you mind if I stepped out? Its getting stuffy in here." Owain asks

[Fishy]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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Sylvan:

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"That's fine- tell it we're looking for three big metal objects, sitting on or just above the surface, over that way."

Voice:

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"Good- somethingsomethingsomething, that way."

Common:

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"Oh, stop that. It's not going to hurt you- unless you touch it. Or get too close. Or make it mad."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Owain and Mara

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"Oh, yes, of course; I know this isn't the most comfortable place." The magus points at the door, and after a moment it slowly swings open. "I hope I'm not boring you; you don't have to keep me company, you know. Feel free to walk around for a while if you need to."

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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The thoqqua looks quizzically at Tula--as much as an elemental with no face can convey slight confusion--and sits silently for a moment as it puzzles out her directives, then points its head somewhere into the forest while patting the halfling with the tip of its tail.
Terran

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"Three big-somethings that way? Smell some dark-cold-hard metal mixed with fuzzy-heavy-hard metal, in big lumps, almost bigger than four of this tiny flesh-thing. Those what you want?"

Voice of the City

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It wants to know if you're talking about the three huge metal things over that way.

Holding himself as still as possible, the halfling slowly glances at Tula, and speaks through clenched teeth: "Does this count as touching it or being too close? 'Cause this thing is petting me and it's damn weird."

[DragoonWraith]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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Know The Planes - (1d20+11)[19] Just to kind of get an idea of what a Thoqqua might mean by "dark-cold-hard metal" and "fuzzy-heavy-hard metal"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Ráwen

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Given what you know of Terran vocabulary and metals' mystical properties, you're fairly sure the "dark-cold-hard" metal would be cold iron, and "fuzzy-heavy-hard" metal would be lead.

[DragoonWraith]

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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in Sylvan

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"It says it sees three objects about four times the size of the Halfling of what I'm pretty sure it's saying is cold iron and lead. Sounds like the spot."

in Terran

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"Sounds like what we want. Dig us a tunnel under those three lumps, please."

in Common
"Oh hush. It's clearly not hurting you; you ought to count your blessings, they've been many recently. Besides, we're leaving. You're almost out of this, despite my better judgment, but you really don't want to be breaking that 'be a good prisoner' clause in any kind of permanent manner, or you're looking at a very miserable, and probably quite short, life."

[Eurus]

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Mara gives Owain a meaningful look as he departs, but masks it from the magus quite well. "Oh, it's no bother at all, I'm enjoying the peace."

(Rolling Bluff - (1d20+16)[33] to convey secret information without being noticed. Mara automatically passes the DC 15 check, so Owain understands that she's letting him know to try to signal for the others while she stays and handles the mage.)

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Owain and Mara

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Just as the door finishes opening, you both feel a bit of a rumble under your feet. It isn't too strong--the many glass implements around the interior of the wagon clink and clatter, but that's the extent of the damage--and lasts only a moment, but it is definitely noticeable. The mage frowns, suspicious, and excuses herself for a moment: "Earthquakes, even minor ones, are unusual for this time of year in this part of the continent. If you'll pardon me, I'm going to take a look through my grimoires."

She retrieves her fire-thrower and several books open on her desk and retires to one of the smaller compartments in the front of the wagon; her familiar grabs the edge of a curtain hanging over the opening with its teeth and covers the entrance, before following her within.

Bluebell, Ráwen, and Tula

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No sooner does Ráwen finish speaking than the thoqqua coils itself into a ball of rocklike plates. In the space of a few seconds, the glow of the tip of its head intensifies from a smoldering reddish hue to a blinding orange; in the next moment, it springs into the air and dives into the ground, leaving a slightly smoking hole behind about three feet in diameter. Aside from a slight rumble when the thoqqua breaks the surface of the ground, you can hardly hear or feel any evidence of its passage.

About a minute and a half later, with another slight tremble, the thoqqua breaks the surface in exactly the spot it started the tunnel. It hisses softly and gives a happy little twirl.
Terran/Voice of the City

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"All three! Done!"

And not a moment too soon. While the thoqqua was digging, the sounds of scouts grew stronger and weaker intermittently as they roamed through the forest, but the sounds of searching are now growing louder than ever.