Age of Ruin IC: When all your friends are dead

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina lets out a whoosh of breath.
"Phew. For a while there I thought we weren't gonna get out."
She tightens her grip on the mule's bridle.
"Let's get the hell out of here. At least cultists have the decency to be mostly human."

[Lycar]

Orin

Orin stops digging and looks up.

Then he walks over to Livina, circling her once and looking her over suspiciously.

"All right. Who are you and where did you hide Livina's body? I mean... now that whatever haunted that tomb is obviously done for you don't want to dig for free loot? What's up with that?"

Throwing his hands into the air in melodramatic fashion he sighs "Oh well... fortunately we stumbled upon a maiden in distress we could rescue on the side... for a nominal fee."

Then his expession suddenly becomes grim.

"Let us do the math, shall we? How much do you think you will have to donate to the church of Isana to convince them to raise on of your or mine companions ? 1000 gp ? 5000 ? 10000 ? I don't know but i suspect it will be a lot. Now i don't know about you but *i* count 4 people that need to be brought back to live: Sumner Kesh, Khorik Nulliop, Hern and last but not least, Ruthan. You know, that junior mage that got stabbed in the throat by my evil twin. You do know, don't you? Or did you conveniently forget about him?"

"And if i am not totally mistaken, there are also the corpses of Kaleff Nefud and two or three other people i don't know waiting for a divine miracle. Or did you forget about them too?"

"Right now we may be able to pay for two resurrections, if at all. So who's going to be the lucky stiff to get your vote for a new lease at life then ? Hmm ? Just curious..."

"I for my part don't mind getting my hands dirty and breaking a sweat to dig out whatever we can take from the earth here. You don't know me Livina, you don't know me one bit. What you think you know about me i just what i pretended to be as one Akim Kar'zad. I am used to working hard. Very hard. It is just that the work i do isn't bashing in people's skulls or picking locks or even digging holes."

"If you just want to go, fine. I can understand. Just give me a chance to help the people i care about. Just sit down, rest, eat something, enjoy the sun, whatever. But at least let me do what little i can to wrest something valuable form the ground here so i can pay for those damn resurrections!"

With that, Orin turns around again and stomps off to his choose digging site and resumes shovelling earth with some kind of stubborn determination.

Lycar

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina snorts. "So, I'm just a greedy bastard, and you're the one with unplumbed depths? Self-righteous Ass." As if reminded, she pats the nose of the mule, gently. As she does, Livina scratches her head, and does some math.
"Okay, there's Kizima, of course, and your mates Sumner and Khorik and Hern, plus Ismal and Draven. That's six people. Apparently this "Kaleff" isn't really your friend, and Ruthan's already a member of the guild. You don't sound like you care a whole lot about Kaleff, and if I'm just bringing back my friends, and yours, I guess."
She shrugs.
"Sure, I'm sorry Ruthan's dead, but I'm sorry just about everyone dies, come to that. Doesn't mean I'm going to risk my skin to raise a fortune to bring everyone back who's ever died, Especially because it wasn't my fault in the first place. Besides, if anyone can afford to bring him back from the dead, it's the wizard guilds. They could probably sweep the gold dust out of the edges of their treasuries and buy a city."
Livina leans against the mule's slightly rank hide.
"Okay, so my count makes six people. Not really sure how much it'd be per person...probably a gift of like...six hundred platinum per person. I mean, we've got some of that already," she taps the chest bound to the mule with a knuckle.
"And we picked up some stuff along the way from those cultists. magic weapons are really worth a lot, if you've got the right buyers."
The Mokai ticks off items on her fingers, clearly quite comfortable in this particular line of calculation.
"So, we've got A magic mace, a magic scourge, a set of heavy magic armor, two magical rings, plus all that stuff that was on that gnome guy. That was... two rings, a headband, some gloves and an amulet. I'd say that and the gold here is probably plenty to bring them back. Even if it isn't, I'm sure Ismal and Draven wouldn't mind if we used one or two of their things to fund bringing them back. Prob'ly the same with your friends, right?"
She shrugs again and toes the dirt.
"Yeah, I don't like farmwork; done enough of that in my life, but even more than that, I don't like digging up stuff that won't let you bury it again."

[MattKatt]

Tharok stands confused between Livina and Orin. He rattles their words over in his head to see where exactly the argument lays, until something strikes him.

"You...can bring people back from the dead?"

[Lycar]

Orin

Orin listens to Livina. When she is finished, he regards her for a few moments before he finally resignates, looking endlessly tired all of a sudden.

"... fine then. Have it your way. I just hope you are right..."

He goes over to the mule to stow away the shovel again, passing Tharok in the process.

"Heh, i wish. No, *i* can't bring back people from the dead. But those with a sufficiently close connection to the divine are supposed to be able to. You know, high priests of the gods and such. Of course, this does not come cheap."

Lycar

[Moechi_Vill]

"I am not a maiden. I am a married woman and have children at home. Three of them." Lucci informs Akim and the group. "But as long as you are ressurecting people you can have all my money." she smiles at Livina. "Do not be so afraid. You have more courage then me yet fear death more. Perhaps you need to have had a family and the experience of a full life." she smiles at her wholesomely.

"Do we have to ressurect Kizima?" she whispers to herself, but loud enough for the others to overhear. "She acts like all she ever used to do was murder occupiers, slavers or whatever on the agenda that was 'morally acceptable or convenient to kill' and steal money from whomever." she glances coldly at Krashnix while saying so, for the other reason of threatening her life so easily. Her people were accustomed to hit and run tactics and living to fight another day.

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina squirms a little uncomfortably as the idea of a family is brought up, but she half-shrugs when Kizima is brought up.
"She...she saved my life. Twice, even. I think we owe her."

[Moechi_Vill]

"A great redeeming quality it is to risk your welfare for others and succeed in saving lives. Shall we go now?" she looks the way of the cultist mansion.
"Is there any way to avoid it? I can teleport us to the gate itself once we are outside it and surprise them and/or maybe bypass them entirely."

[Lycar]

Orin

"I am sorry, Lady Misallo. I did not mean to insult you by refering to you as a 'maiden i distress'. I'm afraid, i have just been a bit overly melodramatic. As for Kizima... we won't be able to have her raised, not without her body... which is still interred at the tomb site."

"As for the cultists, well, after the last time they had the misguided idea to darken out steps, i dare doubt they will be either willing or able to put up much of a fight. I might be mistaken of course. But i doubt it."

So Orin gets moving when the others do and sides up with Tharok.

"So... tell me more about that hero of your people, Leris Jankinor ?"

Lycar

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina puts her hood back and unbinds her somewhat unruly black hair from the ponytail she'd had it in. Shaking it out a little, she glances curiously at Lucci.
"So, where are you from, anyways?"

[MattKatt]

Tharok smiles

"Leris Jankinor was a great warrior many hundreds of years ago. He was much feared because he did not hesitate. No matter the odds or the enemy, he would charge bravely into battle, laying waste to all those in his path. Some say that he was protected by a magical power that meant he could not be killed by a single enemy."

Tharok stares up at the stars and points

"See. That row of stars with the twist at the end and the large circular group at the other? That is Leris. He was placed up there after his death by the ancestors of my people. And there, next to that, the stars that resemble an arrow pointing at the circle. That is Chakin. Chakin was Leris trusted battle-companion. He would follow Leris faithfully into every battle...even Leris' last..."

[Ozzy_G]

The group starts trudging west, following their previous path, Krashnix carrying Rego and the mule carrying the money.
As the group walks, they see that there are many patches of ripped up earth, and stones jutting out the ground, and strange tracks of clawed beasts that occasionally cross theirs.

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina sighs, her head drooping. Slowly, almost automatically, she reaches back and re-ties her hair in a ponytail using a green ribbon. Finally, she straightens up, her eyes weary.
Bloody more weirdness to deal with. At least I can punch these things. Probably. Knowing my luck, they're probably on fire, or something.
She she walks along, she shakes out her legs and arms, apparently limbering up.

[Lycar]

Orin

Orin just trudges along, listening intently to Tharok's tale and sucking up his words like a dry sponge.

Since he is not, and never was, any good with survival or orientation or navigation or tracking, he doesn't really notice any tracks. Clawed or otherwise.

Lycar

[Ozzy_G]

You walk for about three hours along your original line of tracks, and eventually reach the ruined Illithid city that, except for Tharok, you remember well. Its strange angles and alien geometry are disorientating, but Tharok can see the tracks that go through it to an octagonal tunnel, where you came out. There are also a pair of other tracks, some smallish booted feet, that lead out and onto the plains. Evidently someone else left this place after you did.

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
It's a testament to the trial the group has just emerged from that the sight of a jarring ancient architecture belonging to brain-eating squid is a comforting sight to Livina at this point.
"Phew. All we have to do is get back to the basement room now. I hope they've cleaned up a little since we were here last..."

[Lycar]

Orin

Seemingly somewhat relieved, now that safety appears to be only a short trip away, Orin positivly gains a sort of spring to his steps and his eyes gain a certain gleam.

"Heh, the corpses could still be rotting away for all i care really. And if any of those serpent-lover scum dare to get in my way..."

Orin ramms his staff down on the ground hard to make his point.

"... but quite frankly, i could do with a little less excitement in my life."

"Heh, i so have to ask Rego what actually happened back there when he comes 'round."

Lycar

[Moechi_Vill]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina puts her hood back and unbinds her somewhat unruly black hair from the ponytail she'd had it in. Shaking it out a little, she glances curiously at Lucci.
"So, where are you from, anyways?"

"A multicultural city with peaceful elves in it on a wonderful multicultural plane kept strictly on good terms with each other by an effective police force." She looks trustingly at Livina as she starts walking towards the gate where the cultists are.
"I hear your elves have a bad reputation, please do not kill me."
She edges away from Krashnix while she does so, just to get out of the range of his mace at step&whack and charging range.

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Despite herself, Livina stares.
"Wha- you're an aelf?!" She starts to raise her hands, but then the Mokai stops and considers.
"Well...I guess that actually explains a lot." Livina crosses her arms, resting her chin on her knuckles.
"Yeah. Yeah, that explains a lot. I guess I should have figured that from the start. But couldn't you have, I don't know, made the golem die by using your true voice back there? Or those cultists?"

[Ozzy_G]

Krashnix frowns. An Aelfinn? The ancient race that ruled Osira and fought the Nom Iko and Urqir? He steps back, holding Rego protectively. Who fed on human flesh, and trapped human souls inside giant seeds?

[Moechi_Vill]

"What is this true voice you speak of?" Lucci asks Livina curiously, ignoring Krashnix on the off chance he would let it just taper off.
"Please tell me more."

Lucidae espies the landscape again. "We might be attacked while we are all engrossed in my personal relevations to you. Should not one of us keep watch?" she looks at Tharok.

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina looks from side to side a little nervously.
"You know, your voice. Don't elves kill people when they use...their real...voice?"

[Lycar]

Orin

Orin stops in his tracks as Lucidae suddenly admits to her elfdom.

(... now she tell them of all possible moments...)

"I would like to point out that, what with being an expert in history, i have had the opportunity to read a fair bit about elves. Much of it is pretty contradictory. So i dare say, much of what passes for common knowledge about elves today is simply false. But nothing better to instill undying hatered and devotion to die fighting aelfin in your warriors then to tell them, that they water their trees with baby blood. Such a nice rose colour..."

"... although, there is one thing i'd like to know... ah, but now is not the right time to ask. Later maybe."

"Oh and let us not forget: She pretty much took care of that golem for us. And she would have teleported us to safety, if only we would have let her. Kizima could still be alive you know..."

"Soooo.... how about we get back to civilisation, rent a nice room for the night and sit together, maybe with a good meal and some wine, and tell each other our live's stories? Like, after we got through those ruins and past all the remaining cultists?"

Orin doesn't appear to be very concerned about having such an alien being as an aelf in his vicinty. On the other hand, he didn't seem to be very concerned about charging into certain doom either. Then again, the doom turned out not to be so certain after all, so maybe he just knows something the others don't.

Lycar

Lycar

[Moechi_Vill]

"Thank you Akim." she smiles smugly at the scholar, as Krashnix is showed up by Orin.
"A nice room and a private dinner would be a miraculous boon to us all at this point."

[Ozzy_G]

Krashnix snarls, but lets it go.
You carry on to the strange, octagonal tunnel, and look down it, where you came out before. It is dark in there, there are no lights at all.

[The Great Skenardo]

Livina Lightfoot
Livina sighs.
"I mean, really? After today I'm just happy if none of you sprout a second head or explode. I'm looking at you, Tharok." Livina actually giggles at that.
She quickly becomes more serious as the group approaches the entrance, however. She reaches into her pack, rummaging about with a clink of metal before she retrieves a shining rod: an everburning torch.
"Okay. This place is dangerous all right, but at least everything here I've ever seen can be punched. We're almost home free, you guys."
The pretty Mokai smiles again. "Okay, let's go. The quicker the better, right? Our friends are waiting for us."

[Moechi_Vill]

"No, let me teleport us to the gate and bypass ambushes while we are loaded down with valuables a casualty and an animal. I can have all of us with the gold sans the mule at the gate in about twenty seconds if the two of you and me" she points to Livina and Akim "carry the platinum and other junk and Krashnix does Rego. Personally I think we should just kill him in case he has turned into some evil death god, but that is just my immoral aelfinn opinion." she jokes without letting on. "Perhaps we should put the mule out of his or her misery first."

[Lycar]

Orin

"Uhm... not to rain on your parade here, Lady Misallo, but as far as my admittetdly knowledge of spellcraft goes, you can not teleport us to the ... gate ... since you yourself have never been to the ... gate ... before. Therefore we will have to backtrack our way through these tunnels, past the sacrifice room, further down to the ... gate."

"Also, please leave the poor mule alone. it has saved us faithfully so far and it would remind me of home in a most unfavourable manner if we were to reward it's service by... er... 'putting it out of it's misery'."

Orin goes ahead to enter the gloom of the tunnel ahead of him.

"Come on, let's get this behind us already."

Lycar

[Moechi_Vill]

Lucidae
"I am taking charge here as I am the most rational of us all." Lucci zaps the mule with a set of magic missiles.
"Describe the location of the gate to me. Give me as specific terms of direction as possible and if you fail we will be shunted to the nearest open space within a thousand feets and suffer a scratch except Rego here who might want to be healed first so he does not die."

"Or you could try to kill me or chase me away for ending the mule's life to ensure no stupidity is enacted over it and endangering our more valuable lives." Lucci ends, upping the ante with an arrogant tilt of her head and folded arms at the group. "And I will have to wait with fetching Tharok until the morrow unless we want to momentarily cut Rego's silver thread so he counts as an object for you to carry as I cannot pull more than two sentient lifeforms at a time. I recommend doing so and ressurecting him later unless you are cheap. In fact a ressurection will ensure that he wishes to return to the land of the living and has not seen what can not be seen without turning one of your menfolk to a literal or psychological monster. In fact I will kill him now so we may travel only once. Never underestimate those who have prepared for our arrival. There are more of them and they will have summoned their beast or one of their Gods servants to avenge themselves on us."

"Krashnix holds the corpse of Rego Vel. I will transport Livina and Akim first loaded with the treasure in the dead mule's sack then come back for Krashnix and Tharok with the rest of the treasure as I am weak and good for only about twenty pounds in a rucksack before it slows me down."

She points a hand at the dead body Krashnix is carrying.
"While you may not need me per se things would be more difficult without my significant firepower." she says blankly without feeling. "Your collective stupidity in following good Akim who listened to me well and believed me yet cowardly threatened me but is courageous against his significant fears is a sign that I should be the ones who make such decisions for our good as a unit. And the only way I can be effective as a survivalist leader is if I dictate. And what is currently on our agenda is survival. Krashnix, heal any one of us who is still suffering from wounds and then we may go. Even now we may be spied upon."

Lucci starts casting the short incantation of 'magic missile' again, beginning the flourish of her hand, her fingers and middle finger in particular falling out as in slow motion in a palm-open sign..

[Ozzy_G]

As Lucci talks, the rest of you stand stunned as the mule screams its horrible death scream, and collapses, blood bubbling from the huge wound ripped open on its chest.