[IC] Obryx - Land of Disaster

[Daishain]

Ansel lowers his bow, releasing the tension behind the arrow, "Well then, that was interesting. I was worried there for a moment. Anyone injured?"

[AmberVael]

"I think we're mostly okay." Prism looks over to Morte. "If you're good to keep moving, I think we should get out of here, double time."

[Daishain]

Ansel simply nods in agreement before helping to get everything ready for the road.

[RFLS]

The trek back to the city is fairly uneventful; it almost seems as though you've scared the forest into submission for a brief time. Esk remains paranoid over the course of the trip. Losing an arm will do that to you.

Finally, the trees break and give way to a large, flat expanse, in the middle of which rises the massive plateau that Obryx sits atop. The landscape leading up to the city is scorched, ravaged, overturned, and covered in the twisted debris of war.

The city itself is a massive, solid affair, firmly fenced in by iron walls dotted with towers, gates, and turrets. The main (and only) entrance faces you; a narrow artificial ridge leading up to the plateau, lined with towers and other, less obvious security features. Home sweet home.

[AmberVael]

Prism only gets more tense as they approach the city, though she sheathes her sword. She passes up the ridge, warily watching the towers, and increases her speed until they're at the gate. "Scavenger team. Esk needs healing, but we got the stuff." She calls out, waiting for the gate to open to them. If there was no trouble, she'd pass through and see that Esk got medical attention, then would head off to report.

[Triskavanski]

Morte follows the rest of the group, watching over Esk. It wouldn't do for them to have lost the orc after they saved him. But along with that, Morte was a rather decent crafter when it came to making prosthetic arms. It make take Esk a bit to learn how to use it, but it'll eventually work well enough. The tengu though wasn't doing it completely out of goodness, but to see how he could remake his arm again in the future, to make it even more powerful than it was currently.

[Daishain]

Ansel simply waves to the guards as he passes, somewhat preoccupied with thoughts on how to prepare for the next sojourn. The creatures encountered this time were dealt with without too much difficulty, the loss of Esk's limb aside, but were certainly among the weaker creatures that could be encountered out there.

The construct was holding its own in the role it was meant for. Ansel couldn't really say the same for himself, aside from bringing the construct. The bow was not proving adequate. Something else would be needed to replace or supplement it.

[CrystalMists]

Blackhands:

Blackhands brings up the rear of the group, their haul strapped across his back.

"I need to bring this off to the claim station, don't forget to pop in a get your chits sometime today"

After Blackhands drops off the load and collect their chit, he wanders off to the maintenance division to see if any work needs to be done

[RFLS]

The guards pass you through fairly readily; a brief stop as a few clerics give you a once over with a variety of detect spells, a few gates raised, and some paths through minefields highlighted are all that's between you and home. After the couple of hours the trek up to the city proper, Esk is taken away by the ever-present medical staff for returning teams, and the rest of you are run through a quick debriefing. The officer conducting it looked more bored than anything - it seems as though this trip was par for the course. As the meeting ends, the officer notes that the device you found, whatever it was, is still being examined. They'll contact you about it if they need anything, so she asks that you stay in touch. Everything wraps up, you're given your payment (a thousand ebbs apiece), and turned loose on the streets for a few days.

Morte

One of the medics that greeted you on the way in pulls you aside as you leave the building. "Do you have a few moments? Esk is in the infirmary and wanted to talk to you." She leads you back into the building and to a small hospital room. Esk is there, his stump wrapped up in bandages and a weak smile on his face.

"Hey. Turns out I'm in the market for a new arm. Know anyone? Yours seems pretty, ah, handy. Well built, few tricks. I have some money saved up."

Blackhands

The maintenance division has work. The maintenance division always has work. Everything in the city is constantly on the verge of breaking down, and they don't have the manpower to deal with it, from their point of view (despite employing a solid tenth of the workforce). You end up at the nearest of their branches, one of the smaller ones at the edge of the city. Most of the tasks are day-to-day, and accounted for by the regular staff. This leaves you with the role of go-fer and jack-of-all-trades - if something comes in that doesn't have an apparent way to deal with it, it gets shunted over to the group you're working with. After a few hours of running around fixing small problems, one of the higher ups grabs you.

"Hey. We're rounding up a group of more experienced techs to come poke at something. Some sort of high-energy magical creature bound up in a container. We're supposed to "make it useful." Interested?"

[CrystalMists]

Blackhands

"You know that Depends...." Blackhands says gruffly. "Are we making it Useful..or are we making it destructive...because this world doesn't need more destruction...".

Blackhands Sighs... "But lets go take a look anyways; after I put in some quick orders at the market..."

Blackhands stops by the market quickly to order a few items, paying full price + 3 extra ebbs per items to get a new backpack, Pot, Cloak and refresh her Repair Kit.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'll price out the stuff later and take it off my sheet:

Backpack: ? + 3
Pot: ? + 3
Cloak: ? + 3
Warforged Repair Kit: ? + 3

Total: ?

Extra ebb spending is because Blackhands feels as they don't eat; it doesn't hurt to spread her wealth around it bit..nor some monetary diplomacy..

[Triskavanski]

Morte

One of the medics that greeted you on the way in pulls you aside as you leave the building. "Do you have a few moments? Esk is in the infirmary and wanted to talk to you." She leads you back into the building and to a small hospital room. Esk is there, his stump wrapped up in bandages and a weak smile on his face.

"Hey. Turns out I'm in the market for a new arm. Know anyone? Yours seems pretty, ah, handy. Well built, few tricks. I have some money saved up."

"As it turns out, I built my own after a.. situation. Getting it to function as well as it does however is not just a matter of having it well built, but also special training. If you're up for it, I'll assist you." The tengu nods. After all, helping to build the new arm could inspire him to develop his own even further. "First thing of course is learning how to use one arm efficiently, as you'll only have one to take off and put on the prosthetic arm."

[Daishain]

Ansel looks around in hopes of obtaining a better weapon. But it quickly becomes clear that one worth purchasing is not within his current budget. Instead he ends up picking up a cloak to improve his ability to throw off magical effects.

That done, he spends time relaxing and reflecting upon the mission. Esk's maiming could have been avoided, but not easily save in hindsight. The psion has no intention of ending up like the half orc, but these runs are far too important to give up on. No, if things are going to continue with this group, they'll have to adapt and improve.

It isn't long before Ansel begins to hang around other scouts, listening for word on any other likely targets spotted out there, and fishing for tips from the experienced survivors.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Purchasing a +1 Cloak of Resistance.

[AmberVael]

With business taken care of, Prism hit the streets. She went everywhere, but nowhere in particular; a stop in a bar here, a stroll through a market there, she walked anywhere people happened to be, places where people talked. And she listened, doing her best to pick up on current events, the mood of the city, and any particularly interesting rumors. It always paid to keep informed.

When she tired of that she sought out more specific knowledge. She combed libraries, picked through the more esoteric stock of book sellers and made a few discreet, careful inquiries among the scholarly - and magical - communities. She needed to know what she had gotten into, what being she had bargained with. She did not, however, need anyone to pick up on why she was researching this, and so she took pains to tie her interest to her scavenger work. Enough people distrusted her already, she didn't want to give them another reason.

Spoiler

Show

First, Prism does some information gathering. She may be doing more than one check here, really, so here's a few. She'll spend about half a day getting the feel for things before moving on.
Diplomacy (gather information): (1d20+6)[14], (1d20+6)[22], (1d20+6)[9]

Next, she does some research. I'm guessing this is Knowledge (planes)? If not, just modify the roll to whatever it needs to be.
(1d20+6)[22]

[RFLS]

Blackhands

Spoiler

Show

Blackhands

"You know that Depends...." Blackhands says gruffly. "Are we making it Useful..or are we making it destructive...because this world doesn't need more destruction...".

Blackhands Sighs... "But lets go take a look anyways; after I put in some quick orders at the market..."

Blackhands stops by the market quickly to order a few items, paying full price + 3 extra ebbs per items to get a new backpack, Pot, Cloak and refresh her Repair Kit.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'll price out the stuff later and take it off my sheet:

Backpack: ? + 3
Pot: ? + 3
Cloak: ? + 3
Warforged Repair Kit: ? + 3

Total: ?

Extra ebb spending is because Blackhands feels as they don't eat; it doesn't hurt to spread her wealth around it bit..nor some monetary diplomacy..

"Well, no promises on the "no destruction." Whatever's in there is angry."

You're led towards the back of the warehouse you're in, to a large room with blast-proofed walls and a small, built in bunker. In the center of the room are a few tables laden with a variety of alchemical, scientific, and magical instruments. Center to it all is a pedestal with a very familiar looking orb. A few scientists are poking at it with some of their instruments or making careful notes. One of them jumps back when some electricity arcs towards her hand briefly.

Morte

Spoiler

Show

"As it turns out, I built my own after a.. situation. Getting it to function as well as it does however is not just a matter of having it well built, but also special training. If you're up for it, I'll assist you." The tengu nods. After all, helping to build the new arm could inspire him to develop his own even further. "First thing of course is learning how to use one arm efficiently, as you'll only have one to take off and put on the prosthetic arm."

"Well, I've got a therapist of some sort or another lined up, apparently, so learning to one-arm things should be taken care of. How much did it run you for that arm? What all can we put in mine?"

[CrystalMists]

Blackhands


"The poking and prodding is probably not helping matters; I'm told humanoids aren't a fan of it.".

Blackhands moves over to the table and stands there silently for a time.

"How can you tell it's angry?"

[RFLS]

Ansel

Spoiler

Show

Ansel looks around in hopes of obtaining a better weapon. But it quickly becomes clear that one worth purchasing is not within his current budget. Instead he ends up picking up a cloak to improve his ability to throw off magical effects.

That done, he spends time relaxing and reflecting upon the mission. Esk's maiming could have been avoided, but not easily save in hindsight. The psion has no intention of ending up like the half orc, but these runs are far too important to give up on. No, if things are going to continue with this group, they'll have to adapt and improve.

It isn't long before Ansel begins to hang around other scouts, listening for word on any other likely targets spotted out there, and fishing for tips from the experienced survivors.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Purchasing a +1 Cloak of Resistance.

Spoiler: Aside

Show

I rolled a Diplomacy (Gather Information) check for you, since that's what you were doing.

In general, the explorers that had made more than a few forays outside the walls tended to keep what they knew about finds or goals to themselves - more money that way. However, a few of them seem inclined to give you some advice. One in particular mentions that it's incredibly helpful when traveling long distances to have a few castings of rope trick available. According to her, there are very few creatures that are out and about regularly that can pull someone out of it, or be bothered to if they can.

Prism

Spoiler

Show

With business taken care of, Prism hit the streets. She went everywhere, but nowhere in particular; a stop in a bar here, a stroll through a market there, she walked anywhere people happened to be, places where people talked. And she listened, doing her best to pick up on current events, the mood of the city, and any particularly interesting rumors. It always paid to keep informed.

When she tired of that she sought out more specific knowledge. She combed libraries, picked through the more esoteric stock of book sellers and made a few discreet, careful inquiries among the scholarly - and magical - communities. She needed to know what she had gotten into, what being she had bargained with. She did not, however, need anyone to pick up on why she was researching this, and so she took pains to tie her interest to her scavenger work. Enough people distrusted her already, she didn't want to give them another reason.

Spoiler

Show

First, Prism does some information gathering. She may be doing more than one check here, really, so here's a few. She'll spend about half a day getting the feel for things before moving on.
Diplomacy (gather information): [roll0], [roll1], [roll2]

Next, she does some research. I'm guessing this is Knowledge (planes)? If not, just modify the roll to whatever it needs to be.
[roll3]

The first half of the day is spent in the more normal (as far as the city can be normal) parts of the city, simply keeping her ear to the ground. The city seems upbeat, for the most part. Almost all of the recent expeditions have been returning with their supplies, and there have been no real assaults on the city in several weeks. Sitting in one of the shadier bars later in the day, though, she picks up another tidbit - this breathing room seems to be being taken advantage of. One of the people she's chatted up mentions that he might "know a guy" (and the quotes are heavy in the air) that can make her trips outside the city more profitable than they otherwise would be. He slides her an address and deftly scoots out of the bar.

Spoiler

Show

Dusty libraries, esoteric shops with strange keepers and stranger wares, and a trip to one of the arcane colleges start piecing a few things together for Prism. Each place only gives her a clue or two to go on, but by the end of the day, she has enough to hazard a guess. Few planar entities regularly contact mortals through dreams. The Aligned realms tend to send messengers, while the Elemental realms rarely bother with mortals at all. A few more planes are taken off the list for a variety of reasons. At the end of it, she's boiled it down to two possibilities - the Plane of Shadow, which mirrors the Prime in darkly twisted shapes, and the Fey Realm. The Plane of Shadow is merely a reflection - the power she saw, if it was from there, is most likely some twisted form of herself, reaching out with unknown intentions. The Fey Realm, however, is the land of dreams. Its inhabitants, when they take notice of the Prime, try to twist it to be more like their home. These creatures are far more varied and far more subtle than any intrusion from the Shadow Plane will be. Since the Calamity, the Fey Realm has been one of the source of some of the greatest dangers to Obryx.

[Triskavanski]

"Well, I've got a therapist of some sort or another lined up, apparently, so learning to one-arm things should be taken care of. How much did it run you for that arm? What all can we put in mine?"

"Well.. the arm costed me an arm and a leg, but I got half off with a discount." he says nodding adding flatly. "Get ready for that joke till you puke.

Taking a moment to pull his cloak away from the arm he had. "The basic parts in it is pretty cheap if you build it yourself. As for what you can put in it.. that is more up to your own personal preferences and needs. Mine has a grappling hook, gun, and an increased ability to grip similar to a locking gauntlet"

[RFLS]

Blackhands

Spoiler

Show

Blackhands

"The poking and prodding is probably not helping matters; I'm told humanoids aren't a fan of it.".

Blackhands moves over to the table and stands there silently for a time.

"How can you tell it's angry?"

"Well....we've buzzed it a few times with detect thoughts and the like, but....there's a more direct answer." She gestures to a large scorch mark on the wall of the bunker - it looks like there's a humanoid outline.

"One of our techs decided to try to crack it open when no one else was looking."

Morte

Spoiler

Show

"Well.. the arm costed me an arm and a leg, but I got half off with a discount." he says nodding adding flatly. "Get ready for that joke till you puke.

Taking a moment to pull his cloak away from the arm he had. "The basic parts in it is pretty cheap if you build it yourself. As for what you can put in it.. that is more up to your own personal preferences and needs. Mine has a grappling hook, gun, and an increased ability to grip similar to a locking gauntlet"

"Hm. I'm not great with my hands- I mean, hand. Could I hire you to make one for me? I'm not looking for anything fancy, to be honest. I just want to get going a little quicker than the amount of time it'll take the city to fix me up. I could pay you....10%? Of the costs."

[Triskavanski]

Morte nods slowly. "Assuming that you mean ten percent over the materials needed. I like you and want to help, but I wouldn't be able to pay for the other ninety percent of the arm." The tengu clarifies in his best diplomatic way, that he wasn't responsible for ninety percent of the costs of the arm.

[CrystalMists]

Blackhands

Blackhands wanders over to the table and unceremoniously picks up the orb with their bare, blackened hands.

"Lets try the straight approach first then, anybody feeling a bit afraid might want to stand back".

Blackhands stands there; staring into the orb and just..see's what it does. if in a few minutes it takes no reaction, blackhands instead mentally prods at it with light touches using his knowledge of magic devices to guide his way.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Use Magic Device[roll]1d20+4[\roll]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...1&postcount=51

[AmberVael]

In Prism's experience, good moods like this rarely lasted long. But she'd take what she could get. She slipped the address into a pocket, considering what to do with it as she attended to her other business. The results of her research gave her even more to consider: Shadows or fey. She wasn't sure which one was more likely, or which one she wanted less. One implied her own complicity in her situation, if in a twisted way, while the other suggested she was dealing with her worst enemies.

Both thoughts were enough to make her want a distraction, which the address readily provided. She took it out, then began making her way to the location. If she was going to be a traitor no matter what she tried, she might as well benefit from it, right? The less cynical side of her told her to just gather information, see which way the wind blew before making a decision. So she went, keeping her path discreet and hard to follow.