The Sea of Starry Night II [IC]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

"If magic didn't have some role in this then I'm an honest Cali****e. . Swell idea. Lets get out of here first then wonder what the light was. First we have to get Fizahn though."

Callos stuck close by to Lumpy and Djital. He may be good with his hands but in no way could he take on an enemy by himself at this point in time.

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Lumpy
"That's exactly what they want, is ta get us all antsy and spread out. Basic night tactics."

Great. We've got another predator among us. Well, I hope our predator is a match for whatever's out there... if it is hostile.

Djital
"No magic? Huh. Not even a little?"

"No, not a trace of it. I was surprised too. Either the spell was permanent, or there wasn't magic involved at all. And even if it was permanent, it would have to have been cast a while ago--I'm sure I sense anything remaining from a spell that strong, and large enough to effect this whole city, if it were cast at all recently."

[Dr._Bob]

Achkby leads Lissa down the avenue toward Fizahn, who is peeking around a corner to see where the faint blue light went.

Aeroz starts walking down a different street followed by one of the Elthans and Linda.

Callos and Djital stay close to Lumpy who growls with frustration as the party members impulsively split off in different directions.

Hajih lingers in the center of the square, Thokk's sword drawn and held nervously. Sheyra stands close to one of the stalls, unsure of whether to keep an eye on Lissa or to stay with the rest of the group. Elthan II seems to be missing ...

[HempRope]

Oop, I meant to stay with the rest of the party.

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

You know, Lumpy might be right, maybe we shouldn't spread out too much.

Achkby stops Lissa only a little ways towards Fizahn. "Er... maybe we shouldn't venture too far away from everybody else. You really aren't much good in a fight. I didn't mean to lead you out here where it might be unsafe... I don't really think it is unsafe, actually, but you never know... maybe we should stay back with the rest in the square."

He starts leading her back. "It's really the most strategically advantageous place to be, anyway..." he adds unconvincingly.

What a coward. But of course... discretion is the better part of valor, and cowardice is really the better part of discretion, so it's really valiant of you to be heading back to the square.

...

Gods, that argument won't even fool me, let alone anyone else.

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan II

Elthan comes walking back into the square after answering the call of nature inside one of the houses.

"Well, now that I am relieved of my Ioun stone, my metabolism seems to be active again. So, whats this I overheard about a light or other? Where'd everyone go Hajih?"

(OOC: I posted, but it got deleted like a few others.)

[Zeal]

Hajih, Human Ranger

Nodding to Elthan II, Hajih holds his sword ready "Gone, however we should stay here... never know what kinda filthy monsters are out there."

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

Darius notices the disappearance of the second Elthan, and head over to the first. "Hey, are you that punk, or did he just lose himself?"

(OOC: Forums didn't work for me for the past few days)

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan II

"Hmm, ok. Whatever they saw probally isn't worth it. Anyway, I want to search the perimiter for alternate passages. At least one of them would bound to lead upwards. Go get whoever else decided not to follow the others so we're not too thinned in numbers."

[Muzzleflash]

Djital

Stage whispering to those near him, "Dammit, why is everyone seperating off like that? Callos, stay with Lumpy. I'm going to try my hand at herding cats. I will be returning."

He then darts off through the shadows, if any provide concealment, to the central square, motioning silently for Lissa, Hajih, and Sheyra to join him. If they follow, he will watchfully lead them back to Lumpy and Callos. Otherwise, he sneaks back with a frustrated look on his face.

[ooc: that's where they are, right?]

[bhdrake]

Lumpy, Half-Orc.. Umbrellamaster

The dour orc seems to ponder things for a bit, glancing to and fro, his eyes glitterin in the dark. As of yet, he was still supremely confident in his vision; even with the flickering torchlight, no one else could match orcish eyes in the dark. He made up his mind, calling out soft but forceful, gravel undertone wearing through,

"Alright, if ya can hear me, listen up, 'cause this is how it's gonna be. We're gonna square up all nice-like with the soft folk in the middle, llike anyone with sense does. Then we're gonna gather up all these stragglers, and we're gonna look this place up and down street by street until we find a way out or a way up. Anyone with magic that, oh I dunno, can read minds, might wanna think about it, 'cause if there's flying there may just be some thinking too."

He raps his umbrella against his armor again, generating a sharp CLACK before continuing,

"If ya got objections, or if ya just don't like me, tough. How it's gonna be, and if ya wanna wander off and do yer thing, I ain't stopping ya, and I ain't stopping fer ya neither."

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn looks around him, surprised to find he's wandered out of sight of the group. Yeah, splitting up is a bad idea. I am the scout, but I shouldn't leave their vision. That might be too dangerous. He quickly backtracks his way back to the group, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make sure the winged creature, whatever it it, does not attack him.

[Dr._Bob]

As Fizahn peers around the corner, he spots a gnome-sized figure standing at the far end of the alley. The creature appears to be glowing softly. Geometric tattoos create interesting patterns over her skin. She folds her bat-like wings gracefully as she looks directly at Fizahn with large cat-like eyes.

She calls out to him in Undercommon, but he can't understand what she is saying.

When Lumpy calls out, Fizahn turns his head back toward the main party. When Fizahn looks down the alley again, the creature is gone ...

[hr]
The party reconvenes in the main square, forming a loose perimeter with the more vulnerable members of the party in the center.

Fizahn relays his encounter to the group. Aeroz wasn't able to see what caused the flapping noise he heard, but presumably it was another one of the same creatures.

[hr]
A faint crashing can be heard down one of the main avenues, opposite to the street where Fizahn encountered the glowing creature.




OOC: XP opportunity in the OOC thread. Check it out.

[Elmorwen]

Sheyra

Sheyra hears Lumpy and decides to join up with him. She is very eager to not get separated.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

"Believe me Lumpy, I'm way ahead of you. Just make sure nothing comes from the otherside. I can only focus one way."

Callos inched closer to the armored half-orc and moved his fingers quickly in the motions of spellcasting before finishing with a flourish. Turning the cone of his spell in many directions but first starting with where everyone else is. Sensing mostly for foreign thoughts he tries to avoid invading others minds though when he heard the crash he spun towards it quickly.

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

Darius, strolling along next to the party, kicking the dirt below his heels. "Fizahn, I think the thing you saw is probably what lives here in this city. You said this thing looked like a gnome? Maybe... maybe they used to live above, but then something forced them to come down here... something really, really strange.

For some reason, they rebuilt their city down here, but in the way that we now see it. Maybe they'd lost the ability, or the materials, to make a real city with real food and other things. Maybe they don't eat or drink like we do, and this whole city is just a mockery of their former lives... Maybe something bad happened to them...

Heh, maybe something bad's about to happen to us."

((There's my crappy guess.))

[Muzzleflash]

Djital

Taking an appropriate defensive position, he continues scanning the darkness, nervously talking to whoever listens. "This is all wrong. Where are the stone people? The stone animals? Oh dear god, they want to turn US into their stone people!"

I'm gonna stick close, but just out to the side as stealthed as can be. Someone shows up, I'll bury this in their back."

He flourishes the short sword for effect and skulks along as close to the party as possible while still being able to blend with what shadows exist and move silently.

[ooc: move silently and hide, right? ;)]

[bhdrake]

Lieutenent Lumpy

The orcish campaigner keeps silent for a bit, as if trying to make up his mind on the right course of action. When he speaks, his words are full of conviction, though they lack the sort of commanding air a true leader might have,

"Alright. Stick tight, and don't go running off fer nothing short'a the apocalypse. We're gonna track down one'a these things and try and figure out what the blazes is going on. We start by finding out what the Hell that just was." He flicks his umbrella tip towards the crash to emphasize the point, Alright, step ta it, and keep yer eyes open and magic.. magicking.. _{or whatever}"

He starts marching himself, leading the others by a few steps. He does pause for a moment for an aside to Djital, tapping one of his own eyes, "Things down here don't see shadow the same way ya do. I'd stick ta solid cover."

[Dr._Bob]

The party begins to move down one of the avenues, towards the crashing sounds, though the noises seem to have stopped for the moment.

The street is wide, allowing everyone to spread out, yet stay within visual contact. You appear to be walking into a commercial district. Stone signs hang outside of each entrance, advertising dry goods, armor, weapons, fashionable clothing draped on stone mannikins, hats, candles, rugs, ... almost any kind of store you can think of seems to be represented.

Soon you begin to see the first signs of destruction - shattered stone lying in the streets. It looks as though someone or something has been trying to either loot or vandalize the stores in this area.

Callos continues to scan the area for thoughts. Once or twice he seems to sense something, but the thoughts, if that is what they are, seem to be just at the limits of his range, and he can not get a fix on them.

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

Darius kicks at a broken shard of stone. "A door? No, a scratched-up door. A city? No, a stone city. Friendly people? No, a light somewhere far off, flapping noises, a weird thing that looks like halfling-bats with tattoos... and now broken stone on the floor.

Next there's the arm without a body lyin' on the floor, then the skulls, the head on a pike, then BOO! Big scary monster roaring in our face...

I am getting sick and tired of this! Why are they playing mind games with us dammit!? Why don't they just jump out and attack? What the hell are they waiting for!? I cannot fight an unseen enemy!"

Where are they? Where are they?

((EDIT: Spelling))

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

Everytime he felt the flicker of another beings thoughts he tried to grab hold of it with his spell but it always seemed to slip away from him. So with a frustrated growl he pointed in the direction he had felt the flashes and said softly.

"I can't get a grasp on anything at all so I'm not sure...but I felt something down those ways."

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

Aeroz moves into the store that seems to be selling weapons, and looks around for anything of interest (Better Rapiers, armor, ect). If it is completely ransacked, he will try another store, looking for things of interest.

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy gives the broken rock a critical going-over, incredulity creeping into his tone,

"Great. So we got someone trying ta break into stone stores with stones, ta try and steal stone goods. Let's just file that away for future use. Sure it'll be real useful."

The cynical orc ceases his inspection of the rock to turn his attention to the floor around it.

"Keep yer eyes and ears open. Whatever's taunting us ain't gonna pass up the chance ta do it again. Count on it."

(( OOC Search to find tracks or anything unusual about the debris: 15 + 1 = 16 ))

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

"Hey orc boy, you never know what people leave behind. Whoever may have done this may have dropped stuff, and even if they didn't, it doesnt hurt to look around."

Aeroz continues his search around the area

[OOC: Search +8, Spot +2]

[Dr._Bob]

Aeroz pokes around one of the weapon shops. Its shelves and racks are well stocked with stone replicas of conventional weaponry, including bows, swords, and spears. Unfortunately, the stone versions of the items do not seem to be functional, except as large stone clubs (such as the umbrella Lumpy is wielding).

On closer inspection of the shattered stone lying in the street, you realize that the fragments do not appear to have been taken from the stores lining the avenue. Instead, it is as if statues of animals have been smashed in the street. Some fragments are still recognizable as pieces of stone dogs or the occasional stone horse. These fragments appear to be the first evidence that animate as well as inanimate objects have been carved out of stone. Why the stone animals have been broken is unclear.

[hr]
As you continue to explore the ruins, the feeling that you are being stalked becomes almost palpable.

As you enter a four-way intersection, Callos (using detect thoughts) and Linda (using detect magic) simultaneously call out a warning. Looking up, you see a small winged figure, glowing a bright blue, poking his head out from behind the one of the rooftops.

He looks distressed and calls out frantically in Undercommon. "Watch out! Here they come!" With a flutter of bat-like wings, he is gone.

"They are all around us!" cries out Linda as she scans down each of the four streets. Lumpy sees them first, lumbering stone creatures 8 ft tall with massive claws. One approaches from each direction, converging on your position.

As they march, they seem to be chanting in a robotic monotone.



OOC: The stone sentinels are approaching from the north, south, east, and west. Those of you that can understand Undercommon recognize their chant: "Danger! Intruder alert! Danger!" The effect would be almost comical if their claws didn't look so menacing ...

[Muzzleflash]

Djital

Doing a fast double take at what is approaching them from each direction, he immediately abandons any semblance of stealth and yells at the top of his lungs in Undercommon to where the small creature vanished, "Hey! Come back here, you little mosquito! I want to talk! Are you scared of us, or the security golems? What's going on here?!"

"Think fast, guys. I'd like to be up on a roof right now, but we could just charge past one and go after that flying thing. Callos, y'know the time at that place when you blinded the thing? That could work."

It's not the golems that are buggin' me. I can work with this situation. It's that I'm expecting to see a smashed human statue any minute now... one that walked or rode into this city.

[Phasm]

Lissa

Lissa's head snaps around as she hears the bass, monotone chant of the golems. "They're saying 'Danger! Intruder alert!', just repeating it over and over... whoever or whatever the hells they are. Must be the local guard force. Would somebody please describe them for me?" The blind gnome begins hastily feeling around her for a climbable surface. "I'm not going to be much use in a fight, and will probably be a liability. If anyone can see something I could climb nearby, feel free to speak up."


OOC: Search +4 [normal +8, -4 for blindness], check = 11.

If she finds something to climb...
Climb +2 [normal +6, -4 for blindness], check = 20. Now that's more like it!

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy shuffles in place, tracing a quick circle as he glances around the intersection, thick lips pursed in irritation,

"Well, they're four or five heads taller than me, made out of stone.. _{no surprise}, and have claws. paint a good picture fer ya? "

The crafty orc glances around quickly, formulating ideas. They were surrounded now, and in a bad tactical position, with four nasty looking combatants closing in on a broad indefensible point. He had no real weapon, many of the others were similarily ill equipped, and they had a casualty unfit for fighting in tow. He'd never made much of a commander, but the game seemed pretty clear laid before him now.

"Alright! We ain't staying here, so it's time ta move along. We need ta move down one way, try and cut off the angles we gotta defend until we can find an out somewhere." He gestures down one of the four pathways, preferably the one that looks like it might have more door or alleyways they might slip down,
"That way.. Look fer a side path or something. Very least, we cut off their approach if we gotta fight."

He glances at Lissa scrabbling for something to climb up, growling a soft sigh. He moves over to pick her up, speaking a low warning as he does so,

"We'll find something, but we gotta go quick fer now. Just keep calm. Worse comes ta worse, I'll get ya onto a roof."

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

"That's what they're sayin'? Intruder alert? Oh man... Come back blue fairy! We need your help! C'mon we need your help fairy!"

I can't hurt stone man, that's rock solid! That's unstoppable! That's, that's... I need ale."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

(If still has a lock on blue things thoughts)

Once he saw the blue head peeking out with a frightened look he knew it couldn't end well. After all how did every other thing in the Underdark respond when frightened? With force. That was when the stone guardians stepped out and began to advance on them

"I hate it when I'm right. Hey blue thing! Come back here! We're not intruders! We're just trying to get to the surface from here! Call of the guard! If you want to talk to that blue thing then we better hurry before we get entrapped here. Stupid stone...No Djital I can't! I can't blind something without eyes and I can't see that blue thing anymore."

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

Aeroz steps out of the store with his rapier drawn. Looking at the stone creatures approaching, he mutters quietly "Won't work.." in elven. He sheathes his weapon and takes out Sedryn's heavy mace.

"Any of you have any clue what those things are? Any ideas at all? Besides it being a nasty stone beastie?"