Seaside 3: A load of carp

[Reinholdt]

[Demon Season]

"We've got three options really. Try to avoid their attacks and run past them. This leaves them alive for killing more demons but puts ourselves at more risk. We could just outright destroy them. Or you could try to talk them into letting us through. I do like the last plan cause it leaves the other two open, but it hinges on how much you trust your ability to lie. We are going in there to kill their leaders and their toys and probably them after all." So many things getting murdered tonight. Mostly the staff, but as far as Ilpholin is concerned, practically everything on this island currently is fair game.

"I'll leave the choice to you, but make it now." Normally she'd decide, but she isn't certain how guilty Wenomir would feel about option three and he seems the type to overcomplicate simple problems with things like morality. If she's remembering Wenomir correctly. This decision is the perfect one to see who current Wenomir is really like.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Demon Season]

Kal checks out the giant frog thing, figuring out how big it is and how disruptive it would be if it went on an ill-timed rampage.

[Morty]

[Demon Season]

"Let's go talk to them," Wenomir says. "We can start lopping off heads if things go wrong. And I would like to know what they were doing, and how they control those demons. They've only got a piece of the staff."

He walks towards the golems and gnolls, openly, to give them plenty of time to notice him.

[Shadowcaller]

[Demon Season]

It is hard to tell if the beast is aggressive or not, but it slightly larger than a semi-truck and have massive tusks two factors that alone could cause a lot of damage if it went out of control.
The gnolls continue loading on supplies, but they know there isn't much time as they erratically strap on everything in reach onto the beast. There is a larger gnoll that seems to be leading them, keeping the others calm as she bark out orders without showing any hints of fear or nervousness that taints her comrades.
Kal can see a large jaguar demon coming stalking towards the camp, ready to pounce on one of the unsuspecting guards.

As Wenomir walks out into the open, the golems first turns to him, getting ready to attack. But the gnoll does appear to recognize him and raises its hand, halting the golems. "You... VIGIL?"
The other gnoll seems suspicions though. "Dark trick. Don't trust." The other gnoll scolds.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Demon Season]

Any beast is aggressive given the correct motivation. Luckily, Kal has a perfect skillset to induce such.

From his cover, he mentally reaches out towards the beast, focusing his diabolical powers towards influencing the frog-beast's mind. Or, more accurately, its emotions. Instincts. Those of the basest kind, in fact.

Against intelligent beings, Kal's powers are only capable of exerting a subtle influence. Make someone more prone to suggestion, for example. Or bump up a mild urge into an uncomfortable distraction. Against some dumb frog, there's basically no challenge to be had at all. Quickly, the frog should come to a very sudden and intense understanding.

1. There are a whole bunch of fertile members of its species around. Like, nearby. Like, right now. Frog-babe in heat, just, like, everywhere.
2. It wants to taste some of that sweet frog loving.
3. All the surrounding gnolls are, in fact, totally not gnolls at all, but are very definitely other male members of its kind. Male frogs that want to hoard all the frog babes for themselves! Those jerk frog dudes!

Impulses planted, Kal settles back to enjoy the impending explosion.

[Morty]

[Demon Season]

"I'm with Vigil, but she's just accompanying me," Wenomir announces. "And it's no trick. I've come to talk to your leaders. I'd like to know what's happening here."

[Shadowcaller]

[Demon Season]

The gnoll hesitates for a moment, but then gestures for Wenomir to come over, earning a glare from his companion. The golems won't attack Wenomir or Ilpholin if they run past them.

However, they will hear a lot of ruckus as all hell breaks loose in the back of the gnolls encampment. A gigantic frog-like creature, with loads of equipment strapped onto it, comes rampaging through the ruins. The gnolls are being trampled and throwing in all directions, desperately fleeing from the mad frog as a jaguar-like demon is cutting a distracted guard to shreds.
Wenomir can see Sargera, the large gnoll he talked to back in VIGIL, in the middle of all the chaos trying to calm down the frog-creature by tapping the button of some sort of black device. It doesn't seem to be doing much right now though as gnolls are being flattened left and right.

[Murkus]

[Dungeonside]

The level of caution chafes a bit, but he's here for the express purpose of keeping Tina in one piece. "Let's head back to the boat at least. We came here to poke around ruins, not fight over them." The timing is pretty damn suspicious, too. Was this all a setup? Unless Tina has anything else to add, he'll lead the way back to the boat at a brisk pace.

[Dungeonside]

"Let's do it," Tina agrees, and will follow Kirk. She's not exactly unathletic, so she's able to match him on their way back. She'll do as he directs if he thinks hiding is a good idea. Maybe they can see this other boat a bit better, get a sense for it's occupants and intent?

[Shadowcaller]

[Dungeonside]

As they are about to leave, something odd happens. There is a creaking sound coming from the hatch which suddenly parts open for them without any apparent reason. How odd.
However, if they continue on their way, they can see that the boat is suddenly speeding up, coming right towards the location they left Tina's hovercraft. Considering the speed the boat is going, they will likely reach it before they can. Whoever is on the boat definitely seem to have spotted them.

[Gullara]

[Dungeonside]

Kirk curses colourfully as soon as he realizes that the ship is moving toward their way out of here. "This is about to get interesting... Follow me, and keep quiet." He'll keep leading back to their boat, but once they start to get close he'll slow down and start moving much more quietly. Let's see if they can get a peek at whoever's pursuing them.

[Morty]

[Demon Season]

For the love of... what now? Why did that frog thing get loose all of a sudden? And some demon seems to have taken this opportunity... wait.

"Ilpholin, can you calm down this... frog?" He remembers that nymphs have an affinity with animals. Like a giant spider. "I'll take care of that cat demon."

[Reinholdt]

[Demon Season]

Ilpholin hurriedly runs past the golems when beckoned. Take what opportunities you can on the battlefield. She shoots Wenomir a quizzical look when he suggests she calm the giant frog though. The nymph not only is not sure she could, she's not sure she should. The details on the gnolls operation weren't that significant in her mind and every gnoll stomped on is another dead demonic collaborator. They're past the golems, they should just join the stomping spree and wipe out these people.

Maybe, just maybe, the particulars of the gnolls' control over demons might come in handy in some future operation. She'll just have to humor Wenomir for now, but her tolerance for these creatures only goes so far. "No promises."

Ilpholin will move towards the frog and speak in a croaky tone. "Calm down man. What's going on?" Her ability to understand the language of creatures mostly only applied to those found underground, though frogs were known to visit caves from time to time. Even so, she had only periphery control over if it could understand her language. Mister Squiggles was smarter than most creatures found in the wild. Well, if communication with the frog breaks down, she does have a plan B in mind.

[Celticbear]

Bayside

Spoiler: What the Cultists look like

Show

A whole bunch of people who look like this (^^^^^) are holding up signs that say:

Salvation is at Hand!
The long Awaited spirit of the water has returned!
Though the name might fool you, the Docks of Despair are actually quite nice
If you are looking for a trade partner, or need assistance travelling a VERY long way,
Contact Cult Leader Jacobs!

Docks of Despair are located at southern seaside, praises to the spirit of water are held Wednesday.
Permanent Residence is available.

[Murkus]

[Dungeonside]

As they are about to leave, something odd happens. There is a creaking sound coming from the hatch which suddenly parts open for them without any apparent reason. How odd.
However, if they continue on their way, they can see that the boat is suddenly speeding up, coming right towards the location they left Tina's hovercraft. Considering the speed the boat is going, they will likely reach it before they can. Whoever is on the boat definitely seem to have spotted them.

[Dungeonside]

Kirk curses colourfully as soon as he realizes that the ship is moving toward their way out of here. "This is about to get interesting... Follow me, and keep quiet." He'll keep leading back to their boat, but once they start to get close he'll slow down and start moving much more quietly. Let's see if they can get a peek at whoever's pursuing them.

Fettina follows, squatting low and keeping close to Kirk. She really doesn't have anything to add, and she seems to be reasonably good at being quiet. Must have been sneaking out of all those bedrooms. Inwardly, her heart is jumping, and she finds it hard to keep a little smile off her face.

[Shadowcaller]

[Dungeonside]

As they get closer to their hoovercraft, they can see the boat from before slowing down as it approach the rocky beach. They're still coming in a bit too fast though so the boat rocks violently as they make landfall. A goblin that was standing near the tip of the boat nearly falls off as the boat tips forward and she have to clamber onto the railings before the boat finally stops.
The goblin then proceeds to swear loudly, comparing the captain of the boat to various sea-animals.

Moments later, a gnoll comes up to the deck, carrying a rifle that appears a bit too large for him. "Where the mercs at? They must be near."

"Nevermind that! Help me up you klutz! I nearly peed myself!" The goblin, still desperately holding onto the railing, yells.

The gnoll obeys, kneeling down to give her a hand as a third person appear on deck. Another goblin carrying a smaller, yet somehow still oversized rifle. He scans the beaches, as if looking for something, anything, to shoot at. He doesn't appear to spot them however and lowers his rifle.

[Gullara]

[Dungeonside]

Kirk double checks that they're not standing too near some obvious route or path. He holds his hand out to signal Tina to not move. He wants to stay where they are and wait to see what their pursuers do next. And how many of them stay with the boat. There might still be an escape here.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Demon Season]

Kal will use the havoc generated by his giant frog shaped distraction to bolt from cover and try to climb and vault over the wall into the encampment. He'll leave the demon to do its dirty work for now. More distractions are better.

Once inside, he'll use any nearby vantage point to look for the gnoll with the staff, batting aside any gnolls with his polearm if they might happen to be in his way.

[Shadowcaller]

[Demon Season]

As the gnolls are focusing on avoiding the rampaging frog, and the demon, Kal can easily get in during the chaos. But he can see that the gnoll that was holding the staff is handing it over to the larger gnoll, who Wenomir knows as Sargera. She is busy screwing off the head of the staff, which appears to be detachable, as the other nearby gnolls stares nervously at her. She seems to have put on scaled gloves as she is handling the staff.

The frog stops for a moment as Ilpholin calls out its name and stares down at her and croaks, indicating that she should stay out of this. It was busy fighting off rivals.

Meanwhile, the jaguar demon have pounced on another gnoll and is busy tearing out its throat. Wenomir can likely see Kal darting towards Sargera and her vanguard in the middle of the chaos.

[Morty]

[Demon Season]

Riddle damn it. Another plan went completely off the rails. Should he call out after Kal to stop him from seizing the staff? It probably wouldn't help. Wenomir's eyes focus on the panther demon, which then becomes an unfortunate target for the warrior to vent his frustration on.

He breaks into a run, and accelerates rapidly until he becomes a blur. The panther demon might learn two things - there's suddenly a warrior behind it, and that it was bisected neatly along its waist.

[Shadowcaller]

[Dungeonside]

The gnoll helps the goblin up as the second goblin continues scanning the area. "Can't see 'em." He mutters.

"Of course ya can't, ya dum-dum. They're hiding!" The other goblin exclaims. "But there are no other ships in sight, so they aren't coming off this island. All we need to do is wait here, and eventually they'll give up."

"You sure?" The gnoll rubs his nose. "Maybe I'll find them."

"No, no, no, we can't run around the island like headless chickens, listen to this." The goblin grabs a megaphone and steps out to the very front of the boat, taking a deep breath before she shouts into it. "LISTEN UP MERCS! IF YOU SURRENDER RIGHT NOW AND COME FORWARD, YOU WON'T BE HARMED! WE GET MORE PAID IF YOU'RE ALIVE! OTHERWISE WE'RE GOING TO STAY ON THIS ISLAND A LONG TIME AND NEITHER OF US WANT THAT!" She pauses, as if expecting some kind of reply.

[Reinholdt]

[Demon Season]

"Rivals?" Ilpholin asks in that same creaky voice. At least it could understand her. That was good. What the hell it was talking about was a different matter. There was zero context to back up this frog's. These were gnolls. How in Lloth's name is she even supposed to respond to that?

"Well. Stop." She says in the most alpha frog tone she can manage. Do frogs even follow an alpha? This seems wholly unlikely. Maybe some sort of mom frog situation qualifies as an alpha. Ilpholin really has no idea about the ecology of frogs and if they even hang around their moms long enough to get called by their full name for some froggy misdeed. Whatever. At least this way she can claim she tried.

[UncleWolf]

[Goblin Camp/Lush Forest]

The Blight Doctor extracts Will's blood with the syringe and puts it in a new sterile packaging. After pressing gauze to the pinprick, she takes the blood to a worktable, where she starts putting it in test tubes. Will is left alone for the moment.

Meanwhile, the goblin scout peers at TTN. She's not sure how seriously to take the threat.

"I'll just... hide somewhere around here and observe."

There was at least a dozen combatants on each side. Some of them went back in the direction of the goblin camp, dragging some wounded and dead. The others scattered into the forest. As TTN pushes through, her approach is definitely noticed. There are figures, moving through the foliage, circling her and observing.

Goblin Camp

Awkward silence.
"So...what sort of stuff do you guys make for these things? Got any cool features?" Will asks, trying to be conversational.

Lush Jungle

After almost a minute of advancement, TTN halts and sets her rifle upon her back before drawing the long and heavy blade she'd received. "There is a choice before you." She announces for all around her to hear. "Send forth a representative to speak with me, or not. The latter will have consequences for I have been tasked with driving you back from this island. You have the space of forty breaths to respond."

[Morty]

[Lush Jungle]

The first response is laughter.

"Those little tunnel rats found themselves a helper," says a female voice.

"Or made themselves one. She looks like a machine."

After this exchange, two figures do emerge from the trees. They're elves, but very tall and with dark grey (almost black) skin. Their bodies are covered in dark red tattoos or paintings. One of them is a woman, broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, wearing only trousers and a binder around her chest. Her hair is tied into a single braid, reaching almost to her waist, and her head is otherwise shaven. She's hefting a large axe, whose head looks like it was carved out of a huge shark tooth.

The other figure is male, and only slightly smaller than the woman. His head is entirely shaven, though, and he has no visible weapons.

"Well, which is it? Are you a mercenary? Or did the goblins create you to rob and evict us?"

[Murkus]

[Dungeonside]

Tina fidgets uncomfortably, but stays mostly still. She looks angry. What the hell was this? Some kind of shake down? These creeps who recommended the 'dungeon' were supposed to be reputeable!

"C'mon, let's just blast these losers! That gun belongs in a museum. I'll show them a gun..."

[Gullara]

[Dungeonside]

"Just wait. Who knows how many there are." Kirk tries to see if there are any others around. Maybe some sign of movement or a glimpse of someone. "They may be patient, but the big guy isn't. We should wait for an opening to act."

[Shadowcaller]

[Dungeonside]

As the invaders are still waiting for a reply from them, they can hear a voice quietly calling for their attention. "Don't be alarmed, I am here to offer you my aid." If they turn in the direction of the voice, they can see the raven that they might have seen circling above them before sitting perched on a rock nearby. It appears to be speaking to them in a silk-smooth voice. "I am the guardian of this island, and it is within my interest to get rid of these intruders. However, in exchange for helping you, you have to agree to keep me company from time to time. It is rather lonely here."

Back at the boat, they can see a fourth person, an attractive human woman in a captains hat walking out on deck. Unlike the other three she isn't armed with any heavy weaponry, she is just carrying a holster for a handgun. "Anything yet?"

"Shh, trying to listen, I bet they're arguing among themselves now." The female goblin, who apparently is the leader, replies.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Demon Season]

Kal will attempt to approach, and kill one of the guards with a thrust to the back.

"Hi, don't mind me, please just go ahead and continue doing what you're doing while I kill your other guard." He nods at the staff. "That looks delicate and potentially very deadly, so don't **** it up, please."

[Murkus]

[Dungeonside]

Tina just pouts, but she continues following Kirk's lead and watching.

Then a bird starts talking to them.

"Um." Fettina starts poking Kirk in the shoulder, even if he heard as well and turned to look. "Kirk...?" Her eyes are very wide.

[Gullara]

[Dungeonside]

Kirk blinks in surprise, but he suppresses it. Now's not the time to be asking questions. "Good, we'll take any help we can get. But what can a bird do against guns?" Best cut right to the point.

[Shadowcaller]

[Demon Season]

The jaguar is suddenly cut in twain, and by the look on its face, it is indeed surprised.
Yet even so thoroughly wounded, the two parts of the creature still moves around on their own accord, still blindly flailing around after a new victim.

The frog appears to take Ilpholin's word as a challenge to its dominion. Here it had made all its rivals flee before it, and now this non-frog was challenging it? it would show it who was the mightest mate around!

"Ribbit!"

The frog suddenly approaches Ilpholin in aggressive manner, seeking to show superiority and dominance over her. Looked like she couldn't just convince it with words alone.

The gnoll guard is stabbed through the chest, blood spraying everywhere. The other gnolls turn to look in shock, the other guard already turning his spear to attack Kal.

But Saergera expression is not one of shock, but determination. "Kill it, leave everything but the golems and get to the breakout point. You know where to go from there." Then she runs off with the staff head, leaving the other gnolls to fend for themselves.

[Dungeonside]

"I can turn into something far more fearsome than a bird." The talking raven claims. "Sufficient to say, together we could easily take them out, and I will even let you keep all their belongings. It is not like I have any use for them. Then you might do as you wish with these intruders." It looks between the two. "So what do you say? Do we have a deal? I only seek company after all."