When You Stare Into The Abyss... IC

[PairO'Dice Lost]

It is a warm, sunny day in the harbor town of Freeport. The streets are filled to bursting with creatures of many sorts, for not only is it market day but several ships of refugees have recently docked and spilled their passengers into the city. A few miles down the coast, one of the smaller cities in the area melded with a small chunk of the Abyss about a week ago, and those who survived the attack fled with their lives while the demons merrily trashed the town.

In light of this development, the mayor of Freeport has sent out a call for any who would strike back against the demons to come to the city; it is a central location among the outlying cities, and it makes a tempting target of its own, so if a sizable force could be raised, they might have some defense against the demonic threat. Some who answered the call came in one of the many ships that arrive each day; some live in the city already; some even volunteered from among the refugees; all are ready to give their lives to halt this abyssal incursion into the world.

At the moment, you find yourselves in a garden overlooking the docks, along with a handful of other mercenaries, soldiers, thrill-seekers, and adventurers; only a few have shown up thus far, but it is hoped that more will be arriving in the next few days. As you are the first to volunteer, the mayor has asked to meet with you, and has provided light fare for you to munch on while you become acquainted with those who may become your companions in arms. He should be arriving in an hour or so; meanwhile, feel free to mingle with the others.

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Take some time to introduce your characters, and once everyone is sufficiently in-character we'll move things along. The OOC thread is here.

[Goldfly]

Sir Gonen

Gonen stood in the midst of the crowd of mercenaries and trained warriors, feeling slightly uncomfortable, perhaps because some of the assembled people were staring at his trained bulette, Dworak. He thought of the time he had come to the town of Freepot with his children... It had never been quite this busy. Gonen walked over to the table containing the assorted food, picking up a celery stick and munching on it. He thought to himself about the invasion of the fiends; this would definitely be an excellent place for them to attack, if they wished to kill as many innocents as possible.

[Kira_the_5th]

Percy

Across the room, a young looking noble saw Sir Gonen's bulette, and was overcome with curiosity. Hurrying across the room, Percy eagerly introduced himself.

"Hello, sir. I am Percy Delacroix, and I must say your pet is quite amazing. Sink me, is that a landshark? However did you get it trained?"

[Goldfly]

Sir Gonen

Gonen turned towards Percy, shaking his hand, and said "I am Sir Gonen Angula. Pleased to meet you, Percy. Now, about Dwomak? I slew his mother in a battle 15 years ago, and a dwarf by the name of Arthic trained him for me. Amazing beast, isn't he? Relatively tame, as well. Anyway, enough about me. What brought you here, Mr. Delacroix?"

[Chaelos]

Gabriel

A tall, slender man stood somewhat off from most of the other assorted mercenaries, eyeing the whole ceremony with a faintly bemused expression. He wore only plain, loose-fitting gray clothing belted with a sturdy-looking leather strap, and carried only a plain-looking satchel of some sturdy hide across his shoulder. Reaching into the satchel, he produced a small, silver flask, from which he proceeded to drink.

Dangling from his loose left sleeve, a small, brown bat slept peacefully. As it rested, though, the little bat emitted the tiniest of sneezes, its small body convulsing under the force of the blast; the man chuckled.

"You never did like the pollen in this part of the world, did you, Mina?"

To anyone listening without the aid of magic, his words would have sounded like Common forced through a blender operated by a troupe of Gibbering Mouthers after a rousing night at the mead hall; the bat, however, clucked back at him in a higher-pitched version of the same language, and he stroked its head gently.

"If it wasn't important, we wouldn't be here. I'm sorry, old friend."

His eyebrow rose in amusement as he noticed the bulette lumbering through the crowd, all the telltale signs of wildness gone from its stance and eyes. He whistled, softly, his hand subconsciously going to the place at his stomach where just such a creature had nearly bitten him in half four decades prior.

"This may not have been a waste of time after all," he mused aloud as he continued to watch the unfolding scene.

[Ryuuk]

Seri

<Giant>
"That thing's big, is it one of them?"
"Don't be daft, if it were all these humans would be running and screaming."
"It's just a question, it's clear it doesn't belong here though."
"It's not like we belong here either."
"You do."
"...."
"Face it, this is your kind, you'd be just like them if---"
"---Do you know what it is Seri?"
"....I know I've seen them before, in one of Grandmother's lessons. It's either a bulette or a thoqqua, I can't remember which, but it's not a spirit. It's just a rare thing that burrows."
"That thing burrows? It's so big though, it must leave caves behind."
"Lets have a closer look!"
"Sure, sounds fun."
"Fine, fine..."
</Giant>

A young woman with a small frame made her way through the crowd, towards the bulette. She had pale skin, long black hair and at the moment wore an old weathered shirt with no sleeves, pants just as traveled and a pair of boots. At her back was a pack and a shield and at her side a set of idols and an axe. She had no trouble getting past the crowd, but that may have been more because of her companions. She sat atop a large white wolf with a harness and a seat, and rode alongside another one, slightly larger, but definitely fiercer looking. The fact that their speaking amongst themselves in a strange tongue might have something to do with it too.

When she reaches the landshark, she immediately jumps off and goes to its side and places a hand on it. <Giant>"Come here, now tell me, are you a Thoqqua or a Bulette?"</Giant> She smiles as it calls its attention.

The wolf she was riding simple watches on, while the other looks form side to side. <Giant>"Hey Seri, it looks like it has a master."</Giant> It seems to nod towards Gonen.

[Tacitus]

Wogg-Gexxa Todarg, He Who Would be General

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HP: 163/163 AC:26+5 T:14+5 FF:26+5 (Uncanny Dodge) Init: +6 Land Speed: 40+40
Condition: Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Ghost Step, Die at -20, +2vs Charm/Comp
Str: 14 Dex: 18 Con: 26 Int: 14 Wis: 14 Cha: 14
Fort: 29+4 Ref: 9+5 Will: 11+4

A gauntletted hand prods idly at the prepared food with a cloak obscuring the majority of his massive form. His hood is pulled low to conceal his face and his silvery-blue steel gauntlets studded with gleaming sapphire gems conceal his hands and the majority of his arms. Though he is truly and utterly massive he seems to have just the same grace as any elf and his feet make not a single sound as he shuffles through the party. This man is not a man at all, but a hobgoblin warrior known as Wogg, He Who Would be General.

Inside his cloak he is a creature of extreme physical power and spiritual might. His gauntlets are a blend of supple black gloves studded with gleaming sapphires and plate gauntlets of a silvery-blue metal. His feet are even furrier than normal, bristling with wolf's fur and sandals that extend up his calves which send veins of azure light into his thighs. For now he says nothing to anyone around him.

Incarnum Spoiler

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Essentia:20 (-3) (E=Essentia Invested) Capacity 4
Capacity Bonuses: +1 for bold, +1 for Underlined
Bonuses are Insight unless noted otherwise
If the Chakra below have an essentia, anything in it is treated as having 1 extra essentia.
[1] Crown
[1] Hands
[1] Feet
Soulmelds:
[4] Crystal Helm: +2 Resistance vs Charm/Compulsion. +E Deflection to AC
[0] Acrobat Boots: +2+2E Balance, Escape Artist, Jump, Tumble
[0] Impulse Boots: Uncanny Dodge. +E Enhancement to Reflex
[Bound]: Evasion
[6] Worg Pelt: +2+2E Competence to Hide/MS
[Bound]: +5+5E Land Speed, untyped
[0] Theft Gloves: +2+2E Disable Device, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand. Can use untrained.
[Bound]: Trapfinding
[0] Lightning Gauntlets: 1d6+Ed6 Electricity
[Bound]: Applies to Weapon Damage
[4] Incarnate Avatar: +E Untyped on one: Skills, Attacks, Saves, AC, or x2 on Damage

Incarnum Feats: Capacity 3
[3] Healing Soul: E/day heal 2E as Swift

Other pertinent Information:
Ghost Step: Survival to Track must beat Move Silently, Darkstalker feat (blindsense, blindsight, tremorsense, etc must make Listen vs Move Silently, Control Sound/Silence/Ventriloquism, can take -10 to use my Move Silently for others w/in 30ft.

Rapid Meldshaping 2/day: Reshape and Rebind all soulmelds as Full Round

[Ernir]

Karamandes

You hear someone speak up near the bulette. Standing close to it is an elf, grey-skinned, grey-haired and grey-clad, a drab combination that seems just perfect if one doesn't want to be looked at twice. Now that you hear him speak, however, his presence could hardly be more obvious, his voice having a rather distinguishing nasal sound.
He seems to be talking to the bulette rather than any person in the group.

(In elven) "Good landshark. Goooood landshark. You must sure come in handy when your owner is getting pestered by kids, right?"

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Wild Empathy to try to make the bulette like me: (1d20-3)[-2]

EDIT: Oh, crap. Mr. Landshark doesn't like me.

[Ryuuk]

Seri

<Giant>"Can't be a very good one if that's how he treats it."</Giant> She leaves the bulette alone and heads towards the grey elf.

<Giant>
"That's not who she-"
"Shh"
</Giant>

"You'll get it angry if you keep that up you know. You can't treat it like an animal, they hate that sort of thing." Seri shook her head. The larger white wolf followed behind her, while the other one stayed put and watched from afar, it knew better then to get in her way.

[Goldfly]

Sir Gonen

Gonen turns towards the two humanoids speaking to the bullete in starnge tongues, saying "Be careful, Dwomak can be a bit antsy among other large creatures", before turning back towards Percy.

[Kira_the_5th]

Percy

Percy quickly broke out of looking at the strange circumstances happening in front of him for long enough to speak. My, you seem to be the life of the party, Sir Gonan. As for your question, I know a bit of swordsmanship. I'm not terribly good, but I think I may be of use in a fight. Showing the blade on his hip, a green handle with a hilt shaped ornamentally as a rose blossom. My family's sword, the Sword of Roses, is blessed. It should be able to pierce the hides of those terrible demons running about. I may even get a book deal out of all this. Have you ever read Lilimond's The Count of Arast? It's truly magnificent. But enough about me, what brings all of you here? Percy says, looking around at the crowd that has gathered around them.

[Ryuuk]

Seri

<Giant>"Let it get antsy, I'd show it who's boss around here."</Giant>

Seri gives the larger wolf a look that could kill. It returns it, but eventually backs down, and goes to lay down next to the more docile one. The smaller one almost seems to snicker, but a look from its kin shuts it up. Seri just shakes her head before turning to the other humans and the huge burrower.

"Dwomak, Sir Gonan and Percy." She nods to herself, pausing as she mouths the names again before continuing. "I see, well, we come from the mountains, if you're fighting 'demons' then I we must be here for the same thing." She steps forward and puts a hand before her, towards Percy. It is covered in strange red marking resembling gashes. They run all the way up her arm and neck until they finally stop at her jaw. She smiles. "My name is Seri, and those are Fimbul and Nevi." She points towards the wolves with her free hand. The smaller one seems to nod while the larger one seems to be ignoring them.

[Goldfly]

Sir Gonen

Gonen nods and smiles as he listens to Percy talk. "No, I haven't. It sounds quite familiar, though. I came to this wonderful city out of a wish to prevent the fiends from destroying everything I care about. More specifically, I came to protect my family. He smiles, saying "I have two children at home, Tanix, and Soyala.I figured my abilities would be best served fighting the monstrosities on the front lines.And you've all already met Dwomak, so..."He pats the bulette, before turning to look at Seri. "You come from the mountains, Seri? That's interesting. Must be a hard life, with the lack of available commerce, and what not. Fimbul and Nevi must make things easier, though."

[Ryuuk]

Seri

"Commerce... you're right, we rarely saw any travelers. The mountains provided though, it was just a lot of moving about. Life was as good, much simpler then here in the lowlands. It was paradise." Nevi, the one carrying her gear, seems to nod. Fimbul, the larger one, continues to lay down and turn elsewhere, she simply puffs out a small cloud of frost.

"We're here to reclaim it. Our home changed when those things started appearing. We figured, if we stop them, things should come return in time, no?" She turns to the grey elf and wonders if she was supposed to invite him into the conversation.

[Tacitus]

Wogg

Bits of food disappear under the hood of the cloak, and the longer the hobgoblin has to stand around listening to people talk about nonsense or things that he isn't particularly interested in he'll continue devouring whatever he can get his teeth around. He so very disliked landsharks, but more on principle than anything else.

[Ernir]

Karamandes

The very grey elf turns away from the bulette and towards the other humanoids, trying his best to act as if nothing happened.

"We're here to reclaim it. Our home changed when those things started appearing. We figured, if we stop them, things should come return in time, no?" She turns to the grey elf and wonders if she was supposed to invite him into the conversation.

"Hrmph. I was in the fiend-killing business a few decades before you were born. One thing I know, and that is that there are always more of them."
He shrugs, looking nonchalant.
"Doesn't stop me from trying to end all of them, though..."

[Goldfly]

Sir Gonen

Gonen raises an eyebrow at the elf, saying "That's a bit of a waste of resources, isn't it? Also, what was your name?"

[Ryuuk]

Seri

Seri stops and lowers her gaze. "You don't look so... Oh, you're an elf, I guess that makes sense." She shrugs. "If they're endless, then so be it. I'm only after one in particular and I know I can figure out how to fix the damage."

Something seemed odd to her though. "Has this happened before? I thought the 'fiends' were only starting to appear recently. How have you been killing them for so long?"

[Chaelos]

Gabriel

Gabriel, having grown marginally bored with looking over the proceedings from a distance, decided to approach the group of people who appeared to be the most competent of all the gathered "adventurers."

<Master/Familiar language>"Don't worry, Mina; I'm sure this landshark won't try to make a snack out of us."</Master/Familiar language>

Casually sauntering towards the gathered group, the elf's lips twisted in what might have been a smile as he heard the end of the most recent exchange.

Seri
"Has this happened before? I thought the 'fiends' were only starting to appear recently. How have you been killing them for so long?"

"It's not a matter of just killing them. Fiends are like ants that way--first you see one, then you see two, then your whole picnic is ruined." He raises an eyebrow. "Not that you look much like the sort for picnics."

The elf seems friendly, but there's definitely something off about him. His movements appear to be slightly out of sync with everything else around him, and every now and again a flash of red sparks across his eyes. He smiles.

"I'm called Gabriel."

[Tacitus]

Wogg

By now the hobgoblin has probably consumed or stashed about his person roughly half of the food prepared and presented to those waiting. He spares a single glance back towards the growing number of individuals talking about the damned landshark or fiendslaying. He'd much rather be actually doing some of that fiendslaying instead of just discussing it and getting fat on finger sandwiches.

[Kira_the_5th]

Gabriel

"Not that you look much like the sort for picnics."

Percy

"I like picnics." Percy says, gingerly raising his hand. "Though I do agree, these fiends need to be squashed immediately, before they can hurt any more innocent people."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The relative quiet of the gathering is interrupted by footsteps echoing on the marble terrace where the garden meets the mayor's house proper. A balding, somewhat portly man dressed in the finery of a lesser noble rounds the corner and makes his way to your group; at his approach, the servants overseeing the gathering quietly depart.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlebeings, and let me thank you once again for agreeing to join us in defending us and the refugees from the threat of the demons." He gives a short, respectful bow and dabs his forehead with a handkerchief; he is slightly out of breath, and looks to have just run from a meeting or some other concern. "Dealing with the organization and temporary relocation of our neighbors from the south is a complicated--and tiring!--endeavor, let me assure you, and our home guard are fully occupied with that; without your generous assistance, I don't know what we would do."

Grabbing an unclaimed glass of wine from the table, he pulls up a chair and motions for everyone else to do the same. "Now, I'm not a military man by any means, so I won't be of much help directly coordinating your efforts. Is there anything you need to know to make your plans, or anything else I could do to aid you?"

[Goldfly]

Sir Gonen

Gonen pulls up a chair facing the other man, and sits down.
"Sir, what exactly do you want us to do? Just protect the city, or do you have something else in mind?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Well, of course our first concern is that we're expecting an attack here, so defense is a high priority," he replies. "If you could go to the city and stop the demonic threat at the source, though, that would be good too."

[Chaelos]

Gabriel

Gabriel remains standing, his arms crossed, as he studies the mayor with something close to bemusement.

"Fighting a demon army this close to civilians would just be offering them up an all-you-can-slaughter buffet, I think. If we're going to achieve any success here, we have to first keep them far away from any major population centers--at least far enough away to create an effective front to distract them. But in order to do that, we're going to need access to whatever resources you can spare, both in terms of support and in terms of... restorative items."

He smirks, tapping a scar at his temple.

"The wounds left by a demon's claw do not heal easily. Which reminds me: while... dealing with these creatures is my trade, it's only a 'trade' so long as I'm being paid to do it. Not to appear callous in the face of a crisis, but what are you prepared to offer us for our services?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Ah, payment, of course," the mayor laughs weakly. "To be perfectly frank, our coffers have become somewhat depleted of late--we've had to feed and house all of the refugees, you understand, and the number of ships willing to dock here with demons in the area is smaller than usual."

"However," he quickly adds, "I have been given to understand that the refugees were able to take very little with them when they fled. Demons don't really concern themselves with material wealth except to destroy it, and there's no point to destroying coins and gems, and, well, they did leave it behind...." He dabs his forehead with his handkerchief again, looking uncomfortable and not meeting anyone's eyes. "I'm sure no one would begrudge you taking a few baubles and trinkets from the wreckage, right?"

[Kira_the_5th]

Percy

"Looting the wreckage? Sink me, have we become barbarians here?" Percy asks, wiping his brow. Still, if we find anything of value in the town, we should at least try and bring anything important back to its rightful owners. If what you say is true, however, I doubt there would be much of sentimental value left. Still, I'm a bit uncomfortable taking things out of houses as we go."

[Tacitus]

Wogg

The massive cloaked figure had done his best to conceal his form as he took his seat, but when the subject of payment comes up he leans forward and raises a mailed had to point at Percy. His voice is rough and has the distinct flavor of a goblinoid, "Equity aids the vigilant, not the negligent. This is the concept of laches, of equity. It is ancient law. We are not being evil nor benevolent by looting the homes of the slain and scattered. We are laying claim to objects owned by no one at best and demons at worst."

[Ryuuk]

Seri

Picnic... eating outside? Where else would you eat? With the mayor's appearance, Seri leaves the thought hanging and signals to her kin. Nevi follows her but Fimbul just shrugs and continues laying down, watching the meeting from afar. She pulls up a chair and takes a seat, the wolf standing guard behind her.

<Giant>"What is with the lowlanders and gold anyway?"</Giant> The wolf murmurs to her ear. He seems more puzzled at the mayor's answer though.

After some consideration, she murmurs back. <Giant>"It's the ownership, I think. Even when they're not carrying them or guarding them, the refugees still feel they own what ever was left in the city...</Giant> She pauses as Percy speaks, which seems to illustrate the point. <Giant>Don't worry, we're still going to use anything we need. They have their rules, we have ours."</Giant>

She turns to the mayor. "So the plan's to reach the city and drive them out. Alright, makes sense. How far is it?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Not 'looting the wreckage' or anything so crude!" The mayor draws himself up with a frown. "I simply meant that when you retrieve the refugees' possessions to return to them, you might take a tax off the top! As our cloaked friend, here, has pointed out"--he motions to Wogg--"since it's all effectively lost right now, you wouldn't be hurting anyone to take a few percent for a finder's fee."

A smile returns to his face with the change of topic. "The city is, oh, three or four miles down the coast, not too far in nautical terms. We do have some spare trawlers now that trade has slowed a bit, so transportation shouldn't be a problem."