[Nexus] CURATOR I: The Evil Has Landed

[The Alexandrian]

[Front Entrance]

Oh my goodness! Look out Kenneth! There's a fuzzy blur attempting to tackle you and lick you to death with its soft, wet tongue! Pure evil in physical form! It's a...a...a puppy! A golden retriever puppy no less! Flee if you value your unlife even a little bit, Kenneth! FLEE I say!

Mwahahahaha! Its tail is even fiendishly wagging and everything! Kenneth is doomed! DOOMED!

[Devixer]

[Front Entrance]

Unfortunately, Kenneth doesn't have the reflexes anymore to avoid the diabolical menace that is the puppy, so he's tackled to the ground. However, he does try to push the dog away so it doesn't lick him.

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

A deep, gravelly voice responds to Rein in a rather gruff and smug manner.



Seems like the Guildmaster has gotten herself into a little bit of trouble in the group's absence, eh? Either way, Aurea will find that there was once writing carved into the underwater pillars, but it has been eroded away to the point that the markings are no longer distinguishable. The massive columns do appear to be resting on an old, rusty base. The center of this base has a circular circumscribed about it. It is roughly human-sized. How odd.

"Yeah. Tell her that if she wants to send us on missions and specifically says she'll keep in touch, that she should do that if she wants the best results."
Reinholdt shakes his head and puts the radio away. At least the details on which sort of treasure she was looking for would've been nice. There are all types.

He peers into the lake and waits for Aurea at this point.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Forest of the Ith]

Will, not knowing how to swim, watches, takes notes on his datapad (if we can assume he picked it back up), and waits for Aurea.

[FireFox]

Aurea swims around the columns and closely inspects the circle on the base. When the golden dragon is satisfied she's seen all there is, she surfaces and turns back into her human form. Ah... that was most enjoyable. There is a circle inbetween the columns. Do you think it could be a magical teleportation device? ... Or a component of some variety of binding ritual? Her hair is wet, but her clothes are dry and her disposition is greatly improved by the swim. Even Reinholdt gets a friendly smile!

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

A dragon's smile is scary!

Reinholdt gives an awkward smile back.
"Could be any number of things at this point. Percilla is tied up with something or other right now. What exactly I don't know. So we'll just have to find some way to investigate. Might have to go to that village over there." He says, nodding towards the village.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Forest of the Ith]

((But Aurea turned human again. So it should be a normal, non-scary, smile, right?))

Will simply waits, and takes more notes for the moment.

[FireFox]

Very well, Reinholdt. Let us politely ask the villagers some questions. She waits for him to lead the way. Good mood not withstanding, it's plain to see she doesn't trust the sniper behind her.

[The Alexandrian]

[CURATOR Base - Main Room]

The puppy is pushed back! It begins to run around Kenneth, "Arf! Arf!"ing all the while!

[Lady Serpentine]

[Forest of the Ith]

"How do you plan to do so when we don't share a language?"

Will sounds puzzled. Also like he's worried that Aurea is going to eat him now that he's drawn attention to himself.

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

The smile is still scary.

"Well... she's a dragon and they're lizards. Maybe Aurea can communicate with them after all. We'll just have to see." It could still turn out very badly.

"You should wait here for us though." Reinholdt tells Will.

[Devixer]

[Main Room]

Kenneth watches the dog run around him impassively. Soon, he decides to find a place to sit while he waited for someone to help him.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Forest of the Ith]

"I had no intention of going with you, whether or not you wanted me to. As such, I certainly have no objections to remaining here."

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

"Alright. We'll be back soon." Reinholdt says before heading towards the village.

[FireFox]

[Forest of the Ith]

Aurea follows Reinholdt to the village. At one point she clears her throat like she's going to say something, but changes her mind and looks away.

[The Alexandrian]

[Forest of the Ith]

Reinholdt and Aurea will espy primitive shacks constructed out of wood and the hides of various animals as they approach the village. Several reptile-people are out and about. None of them appear to be children, though. Every single one of the reptile-people is obviously female, so long as that one reptile-girl that the group encountered awhile back was truly female. Odd.

Either way, one of the reptile-women holding a rather pointy stick observes Aurea and Reinholdt as they approach, though she spends far more time focusing on Rein and far less time focusing on Aurea. Hmm...

If and when the pair chooses to draw near the camp, this reptile-woman will approach the pair and hiss at them. It isn't a threatening hiss, but it is a hiss all the same.

-----
[Main Room]

Oh hey! The puppy looks up at Kenneth expectantly before it opens up its little fuzzy maw and speaks! The puppy can talk?

"Hi there! Can I help you with something, or are you just relaxing?"

[Devixer]

[Main Room]

Kenneth looks at the puppy with only a small amount of surprise. "Pardon me, I had not known of your speaking capabilities." Wait a minute, zombies can't talk either! "I've heard of this organization, and wish to join."

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

Reinholdt glances back at Aurea when she clears her throat, but since she doesn't say anything neither does he.

He stops when they are approached by the reptile woman. "Hello." He says, giving a slow gentle wave with his hand, keeping his other hand clearly visible and keeping his body as relaxed as can be.
He looks at Aurea. "You understand her?"

[FireFox]

[Forest of the Ith]

Aurea keeps her hands visible and starts talking in Draconic. <Can you understand this language?> She repeats it in Greek, Latin, Celestial, and Infernal. Just on the off chance it is recognized.

[The Alexandrian]

[CURATOR HQ - Main Room]

"Don't worry about it. Most people don't know I can speak anyway. I'm the eyes and ears of the Guildmaster while she is away."

The pup hops up onto a fine, red, velvet couch facing Kenneth's chair and lies down, still eyeing Kenneth curiously.

"Is there any particular reason why you wish to join CURATOR, mister? The Guildmaster always asks that question saying that she's only trying to learn more about the makeup of the membership, but I think she's using the information provided to chart the organization's course."

-----
[Forest of the Ith]

The reptile-girl just stares blankly at Aurea, clearly confused, though she does seem to understand that the pair mean her no harm. Hmm... She doesn't seem to comprehend spoken language very well, but body language...

Either way, the reptile-girl attempts to walk right up to Reinholdt and offer her right hand to him. A friendly gesture, perhaps?

[Devixer]

[HQ - Main Room]

Kenneth nods and takes a deep non-breath. "My reason for desiring membership is rather selfish, I'm afraid. In life, I enjoyed studying old cultures - the Romans, the Egyptians, so on. It calmed me after a long day of managing the duties of a lord.

"Now, I believe that doing the same will help me supress the constant hunger for flesh. Last time I felt it, the results were ugly." He indicates the shotgun wound on his chest, which still hasn't healed.

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

Could be. Could mean turn around and walk the other way.
Reinholdt will bank on the former and offer out his right hand as well. Shaking if that is what the lizard girl wishes to do.
Where's that Comprehend Languages scroll when you need one?

[FireFox]

[Forest of the Ith]

Confound these lizardfolk. I am afraid that I do not know their language and will be forced to cheat. Aurea would scowl, but she doesn't want to frighten the natives. So she just casts a Tongues spell on herself to understand and communicate with them.

[The Alexandrian]

[Forest of the Ith]

The reptile-girl merely attempts to hold Reinholdt's hand. She will not attempt to shake it.

The reptile-people actually communicate through body language and gestures! Odd! Vibrations allow them to communicate as well. Assuming that the Tongues spell still works properly, she will be able to "hear" the lizard-girl attempting to speak with Reinholdt

"You are quite a handsome little thing, if I do say so myself. I would love to have you spend the night. You will have my hospitality. If your companion would like some company, I'm sure that we could spare a runner to fetch one or two from the male encampment."

Seems like Reinholdt's hawtness is a universal quality (and that his hand offering was a very friendly gesture).

-----
[CURATOR HQ - Main Room]

"I'm guessing that you'll need a special diet in this case, then. We can do that. Now, do you hunger for animal flesh or just human flesh? Not puppy flesh, though. If you say that you like to eat puppy flesh, I may have to hurt you."

The puppy yips, its voice containing a tone of pleasant seriousness that doesn't at all mesh with its otherwise cheery demeanor.

[FireFox]

[Forest of the Ith]

Aurea gives Reinholdt a wry smile. I do believe you have been propositioned, Reinholdt. Do you have any plans this evening?

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

Whoooo boy. Course, Reinholdt just holds his hand there then. Strange greeting.

"What sort of proposition? We kind of need to figure out the thing with the ruins in the lake before too long I'd think."
...
Totally clueless.

[FireFox]

[Forest of the Ith]

The kind that results in a litter of scaly kittens. Or would, if interspecies copulation works that way. The gold dragon is highly amused. Then she finally gets around to replying in the language. <Thank you for your generous offer, but we are here on business. What can you tell us about the structure in that lake?>

[Devixer]

[HQ - Main Room]

Kenneth shrugs. "I've only ever hungered for human flesh. But the mere idea is disgusting, so I've refrained from eating at all. As you might imagine, that gets... distracting at times."

[The Alexandrian]

[Forest of the Ith]

Yep! That's basically what would have happened! The reptile-girl would have taken the "good" traits from her mate and essentially spliced them onto her own genetic code, thus creating offspring that closely resembled their mother but with a fair amount of their father's features.

A litter of scaly kittens...

Anyway, the reptile-girl looks somewhat disappointed when she hears Aurea's response!

"That thing down there? It's a temple or something. I'm not a shaman. I'm a warrior with a horrible memory. The structure has something to do with the water, though. I know that much. I can take you to the shaman and storyteller if you want to learn more."

"That should keep you busy for a few hours. Now about your friend here..."

Goodness gracious! These reptile-people just don't take no for an answer! The reptile-girl flicks her tongue out at Rein, attempting to move it dangerously close to his face.

-----
[CURATOR HQ - Main Room]

"Yeah. That does sound like it sucks. Luckily, none of our members are actually human other than the Guildmaster herself!"

The puppy scratches her head with her hind leg for a moment before continuing.

"There should be membership forms and pens on the coffee table in front of us now."

Indeed there are!

"I am guessing that you don't particularly care for cookies. I can't eat any because they have chocolate in them, and I'd die if I ingested them. I can get you some if you want, though!"

[Reinholdt]

[Forest of the Ith]

"Oh. I... errr... ummm..." I'd say Reinholdt's cheeks get pink, but I think they're already there to a degree, so they go red.

He glances down at the hand and slowly withdraws it, giving the lizard woman an uncomfortable smile. And gulping and tilting his head back carefully when the tongue approaches.