The Statue Shatters (Eberron Round-Robin IC Chapter 1)

[Asmodeus]

"I don't know about that. We most certainly can be single-minded in our goals, but at the same time, every warforged has their own personality. Just because our creators only had a single purpose in mind doesn't mean we have to follow it. That is the beauty of being free.

If you have questions about your own race, then you will never have a better source for answers than Merrix."

[Xian]

Merrix ***** (EDIT: ahem, "raises") a grey eyebrow at Jo'Natar's attempt to haggle. "The rings are indeed a splendid idea. Like the missing disks, though, they vanished with the last party I sent out. They had more people than warforged, so no rings were left over, and I have yet to restock the supply, otherwise I would have given you some outright. Now, if you manage to find them, as I believe that given the options of the party being thieves or dead that they are indeed dead, you are free to use them until you return here, in which case I would ask that you return them as they are property of House Cannith."

The conversation between the two warforged catches his ear and he redirects his attention. "Your companion here has the right of it," says Merrix to Mirror. "Over the years, you warforged have developed greatly from mere automatons. If you have not yet found your own personality, it will come to you in time. You fascinating constructs are more like living beings than you realize."

Addressing the party as a whole, he says, "It seems that you have most everything ready that you need and, unless you have any last-minute requests, it is time to make haste. There is no door out of this place, so..." he says, reaching into an alcove that contains a sizable stack of large scrolls. He pulls out one and unfurls it into a 5x5 square on the floor; it looks almost exactly like the one the gnome used to provide entry to the workshop. "Just use this Teleport Circle. This particular one will take you directly to the Lightning Rail station, where Yean will be waiting. Let him know if you have any final errands to run first, and then return to him when you are ready to depart. The pilot, Potes, and his guard, Unda, are already there, so you will not need to wait for them. May the gods watch over you."

((OOC: Manaleak, that's fine for this situation, as clothing isn't a big deal, per se. Just don't let it become a deus ex machina for supply needs.))

[fireinthedust]

ooc: so we can use the supplies from Manaleak re: the jackets and such? good! Okay, so can we assume we'll be fine for weather gear? If we find rings of warmth, we can use those, otherwise we won't die from exposure right away. Sounds good enough to me!


IC: Jo nods at the discussion of warforged metaphysiology. He listens appreciatively to Merrix' account, given his family's history and up-close experience with the making of a race; for the Kalashtar, also a recently begun race with a unique origin, this discussion hits close to home. Am I unique? Or am I only an extension of Natar, my quori spirit? Can I ever be other than what I am, choose something other than what I would choose? Can anything?

Jo steps on the teleport circle, moving along towards their goal and the lightning rail station.

[Asmodeus]

The artificer seems reluctant to leave. He looks at Merrix. Had he been human, his features would be awash with admiration, rather than eternally frozen in a fierce gaze. Still, he wants to impress the Cannith Baron, so he follows Jo through the teleport circle.

[Son_of_Meepo]

Mirror could only silently dwell upon the words of Merrix d'Cannith as he followed the other warforged to the circle.

[Mantid]

Celvic takes a glance around the workshop before resting his hand on his sword hilt and stepping onto the teleportation scroll.

((Occ: Gesh, I look away for a day and everyone decides to post again. ))

[Goblin Music]

Rarinn steps on the scroll

[Xian]

The familiar sensations of teleportation assail the senses of those who step on the scroll. You appear on one of the platforms at the Lightning Rail station, startling an elf who was standing too close and no one else; the other people mill about their daily business with no regard to the sudden appearance of the group. In fact, one person in particular seems to be waiting impatiently several feet away to the left.

"Took you long enough," says the irritable gnome. "What, were you sitting down and having tea, or just wasting his time like you are mine? Make haste, make haste, make haste, we have no time to waste! Do you have everything? Good. If not, get a move on! We can't afford to dilly-dally."

[manaleak34]

OOC: I'm assuming this is the same Gnome from earlier and that I already took the teleport.

"It will only take me a few minutes to get the clothing we need. I'll be returning soon, does anyone else require anything while I am in the main city?" Havon says the to the rest of the group, mostly ignoring the gnome.

[fireinthedust]

To Havon: Once we get the survival gear, we'll be fine to go. With the haversack and whatever gear we normally keep, the mission will be a matter of finding what we're looking for. I don't know about everyone else, but I'll be find with what I've got.

He looks around while talking, constantly on the alert for anyone coming at them. After a thorough paranoid-search-for-assasins he looks to the gnome. He says nothing for a long moment, then squats down to the gnome's level.
I don't like to waste time or energy. If we live through this mission, you'll get to know that about me. Until then, you'll have to trust that. Now, are you going to be guiding us through the Mournland, or accompanying the train?

[Mantid]

Celvic snakes his head. "No," he relies to Havon, "I require nothing more then warm clothes. I doubt there is little else you can provide that would make my talents more useful in the Mournlands."

Celvic watches Jo'Natar and the gnome for a moment before speaking again. "Artificer," he says, looking at the warforged. "Should we encounter your kind out there, are you able to make some of our companions weapons capable of cutting them, at last for a moment?"

[Asmodeus]

@Havon - "A few extra sheets of parchment for scrolls, if you please sir."

@Cecil - "The same weapon that cuts you will cut us. Its just that every one of us comes equipped with armor.

However, I am capable of infusing weapons with magic for a short duration. I need only a minute or two to prepare the magic."

[Xian]

((OOC: manaleak - the very same gnome, no-nonsense bad attitude and all.))

"No need to lower yourself down on my account," he snips at Jo'Natar. "It's much easier to look down your nose while standing up. It's good that you don't waste time because you'll need all that you can get. The Rail doesn't run through the Mournland, normally, but we've been working with House Orien to try to reestablish a line. It doesn't work well yet, but Lord Merrix has deemed this an emergency. Therefore, once you get to the border, your pilot is going to overload the system, which will give you a little over 24 hours of functionality, as well as a substantial speed boost to the rail. It will take several hours just to get to Metrol from the border, so your time will be short, and if you take too long the pilot will leave without you because there's no way we're going to risk losing our Rail in the middle of the Mournland. Got it?
"As for me, I'll be staying here. I've got important tasks of my own to be attending to that outweigh playing tour guide to a bunch of hirelings. You're all adults, you can figure things out on your own without me having to hold your hands."

Overhearing the conversation between Celvic and the Artificer, he adds his two coppers. "Artificing and enchanting will do you well, but you'll need to be sure you time things correctly. The Rail is fast, but it will still take about two days to actually get to the Mournland, and about..." he pauses, rolling his eyes skyward as he calculates unknown sums in his head, "Five hours to make it from the border to Metrol, and that's with the increased speed. Normally it would take over ten. If worst comes to worst, you can always use that Rope Trick scroll that got put in your bag to make a hide-away where magic will function like it should if you need to do something last-minute."

Addressing the group as a whole, he concludes, "The Rail car is right over there," he says, pointing behind him to a small but elegant Rail car stationed in a private dock, bearing the House Cannith emblem on the front. "Potes and Unda are already inside and waiting. Try not to get them killed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have said tasks to attend to." And with a stiff bow, he hurries off to his other errands.

[fireinthedust]

ooc: Jo'natar was bending down to his level, not Havon :)

IC:

Jo watches the tirade, then watches the gnomes leave. His calm expression never fades. He turns to the others once the Cannith steward is gone. There's no pleasing some people

Friend, could your enchantments affect magically created blades? You all know I'm Kalashtar. We do exist, and some stories about us are true. I have the ability to create a blade, and I wonder if your enchantments could affect it.
Otherwise, I'm ready to leave now, once we get the clothing.

[Xian]

ooc: Jo'natar was bending down to his level, not Havon :)

((OOC: Edited to reflect this. Brain took a short cut - saw "Havon" in the post, assumed that was who was talking. Bad brain.))

[Asmodeus]

The warforged artificer give a thoughtful 'Hmm' while he considers the question. Finally he says "The art of Artifice requires an object to be a receptacle of the magic to be infused into it. I can infuse any normal weapon, or a weapon created with magical properties. Blades created by magic are a bit tricky. If the blade is a normal object, that just has magical properties, such as a sword that floads in the air and does your bidding, I could infuse it. If its a blade of pure energy, such as a spiritual weapon, I may not be able to affect it. I'm not certain though. I've never tried.

I would need to know more about the properties of this blade you are capable of creating before I could answer properly. Can you make one now? If so I could make the attempt and we could find out."

[fireinthedust]

Jo looks around the station, and then at the train car.

Let's get inside if we're going to do this. Because of my people I have enemies. Too many people know what I am already because of this blasted vision! Your lives may be at risk, so let's keep this to ourselves. Come with me.

Jo enters the train car, motioning "Friend" and the others to follow him.

ooc: any flavour text about the inside fo the train car? It's not too big, so I'm guessing it's a relatively comfortable car, fairly Jules Verne?

IC: Jo takes time to search the car and entrances for hidden foes, then, when he's sure of no ambush, shuts what windows he can.

Are you ready? He asks the artificer.

ooc: one sec, let me figure out what the blade looks like... and the argument re: whether this will work. :)

[Xian]

The inside of the Rail car is deceptively large. No magic is involved, but rather clever interior design, making it feel quite roomy for its size. The carpet on the floor is quite plush, and two sets of tables, each with four chairs around them, are very high end. The tables are wood and polished to a gleaming shine with gilding and ornate carvings along the sides. The chairs are well stuffed and appear to be quite cozy.

Beyond the seating arrangements are some cabinets and workspaces; from the look of things, it's a bit of a kitchen area where food can be prepared. Indeed, as Jo'Natar examines the cupboards and cabinets, a fair amount of food can be found.

At the end of the car is a curtained off section containing eight bunks, four on each side, stacked on each other in a 2x2 grid formation. Each bunk has an overstuffed mattress, a pair of fluffy pillows, very smooth sheets, and an individual curtain to shut out the light. Each one is large enough to be comfortable for even a very tall human, but could hold two provided the sleepers don't mind cuddling.

Watching Jo'Natar's inspection the entire time with a sort of bemused curiosity are a male elf, sitting in an ornate pilot's chair, and a female human standing next to him, wearing armor and wielding a disproportionately large sword. They glance at each other once or twice and let the show unfold before them.

[fireinthedust]

Upon seeing the elf and the human, Jo stops his search (finding what he was looking for, obviously ;) )

Potes and Unda. I suppose this means the car is secure. You know who I am?

[Asmodeus]

The warforged follows Jonatar into the rail car. "Hello there!" he says in greeting to the elf and human.

"Don't mind us. We're just getting ready for the journey. We've got a little experiment to try while one of our friends picks up a few last-minute supplies.."

[Mantid]

Celvic nods to Potes and Unda as he approaches them, sizing them up. "Greetings," he says. "I am Celvic, a servant of the Sovereign Hosts, if you had not been previously informed."

He turns is attention to the human. "You seem quite the warrior. Its good to see that the vehicle will be in good hands. And the gnome too, I suppose. Are you the sole protection for the rail on this journey? And have you, either of you," he says turning his head to regard the elf, "been to the Mournlands before?"

[fireinthedust]

ooc: I don't know how they'd take Jo's question (ie: is he being egotistical), but you lot should know his tone wasn't. It was more "do you know I'm Kalashtar?", sort of a probing question.

Spoiler

Show

Unless one of them says "you're the Kalashtar Merrix told us about", then Jo will go on as if he's just checking the cart. He doesn't want anyone knowing he's Kalashtar, as a) the race is mysterious, enigmatic; and b) if they're dreaming dark agents or gab about him near dreaming dark agents, they and everyone else will be the targets of an army of nightmares that creep from mind to mind in the world of men and elves. Already the openess of the vision, and admitted knowledge of his Kalashtar heritage by Merrix and the gnome, is two too many; heck, he wasn't expecting the rest of the group to find out until much later, though Celvic and "Friend" already know at least some of this (and who knows what the others would pick up once he started hitting things with his mind blade).

[manaleak34]

OOC: I doubt you want me to bother with RPing the clothing and parchment getting.

Havon returns to the train with the supplies requested dumping them on one of the beds, planning on sorting them later.

Once he notices Potes and Unda he smiles and with slight bow says to them. "Afternoon to you both, my name is Havon. I assume you are to be the aid sent by Merrix?"

[Xian]

((Assuming Mirror and Rarinn have followed in as well...))

The pair are taken aback by the sudden gala of greetings. They exchange glances and a grin, and the elf begins speaking. "Yes, I am Potes, your pilot for this trip, and this lovely creature here is Unda, our guard and my better half." Unda gives a suffering grin at the uncalled for display of affection. "I must admit you caught us off guard at first, but it only took a moment for it to be clear that you were supposed to be here," he continues, directing the statement at Jo'Natar. "Yean told us there would be six of you, so unless there's another group of six people who would try to board my Rail car, I believe we were informed of all of you in advance, though I'm afraid the gnome didn't elaborate much beyond 'a group of six meat-headed slackers who take forever to do anything.'" He chuckles lightly to himself, evidently quite familiar with the gnome's temperament and world-view. "Well, you can relax now; it will take us two days just to get to the border, so make yourselves comfortable and enjoy the ride."

Blushing slightly at Cevic's compliment, Unda replies in a voice that straddles an odd border between husky and sultry. "Yes, I am your guardian for this trip. Potes has a few tricks of his own up his sleeves, but it's primarily my responsibility. Most people stay a good distance when they simply see my sword," she says, hefting the blade which seems to have more in common with a slab of steel than a precision cutting weapon. "But I can wield it as deftly as any fencer." To demonstrate, she holds it out with one hand, making fast, precise flicks with the blade. "It's a bit of trickery, though, as mind games can be just as potent a weapon as any spell. This blade is a mix of mythril and alchemy, so it is nowhere near as heavy as it looks, about the weight of a normal sword instead. Still, its size takes some getting used to, but I am quite used to it."

Her face darkens slightly at the question regarding the Mournland. "Yes, we've been there a time or two, mostly to work on the Rail. Potes and some others tinker with the system to try to get it operational, and I am there to keep them safe. It's a very rare occurrence that anything travels through the mist, but it does happen. More often than not, it's one of the Lord of Blades' disciples, but things come out of there that have no reason to exist, so you'll want to be careful while exploring."

With everyone on-board (including the slightly straggling Havon, arms full of parchment and clothing, whom Potes takes a moment to introduce himself and Unda to), Potes turns around and starts the Rail car. Humming to life, the machine slowly merges onto the main rail, Potes taking his cues from signals flashing overhead in the station. Then, with everything all clear, the Rail car lurches to life and shoots out of the station. It is mere minutes before Sharn is left behind and the Rail car begins streaking along the landscape at impressive speeds. The ride is smooth and the scenery pastoral as the Lightning Rail makes its way towards the Mournland.

[Son_of_Meepo]

Mirror sits lost in his thoughts. He sways with the rhythmic motion of the rail car which causing the interior lights to reflect off his highly polished mithral plating in a hypnotic dance.

(OOC: I really don't have much to say or do at this point unless someone else wishes to strike up a conversation. Yeah, I know, he's really quiet for a bard, but that sort of fits his current personality crisis.)

[fireinthedust]

Jo nods his head. Yes, that does sound like the gnome. Interesting that he's the one sent by d'Cannith to meet new talent. If I may, though, I need a moment's privacy with my companions. That was why we stepped inside the car. It's nothing against either of you, but we have something private to discuss. Is that alright?

[Mantid]

Celvic glances at Jo, then back to Potes and Unda. "If you'll excuse us," he says with a nod. "I know we have some travel ahead of us, but I see no reason to waste that time not preparing for what lies ahead. The Sovereigns do not favor the idle."

Turning to Jo he waves his hand toward the curtained area in the back. "It seems that is as private as we will get in here," he tells him before heading to the curtains.

[fireinthedust]

Jo nods diplomatically to the pilot and his bodyguard, and pulls the curtain closed behind himself, Celvic and "Friend" and the others.

By seeing this, you all place yourselves in danger. I am Kalashtar, and my enemies live in dreams and nightmares. If they see me in your dreams, they may use you to get to me. I didn't want this, but the vision, and that blasted House Cannith artificer, learned of it. Anyway, here is my mindblade.

In that moment his hand is filled by a purple light. It becomes a short sword made of purple light.

Jo'Natar's Mindblade

I can make it at will, and I hope to do more soon. Can you enchant it?

[manaleak34]

"Hmm, figures" Havon quietly mentions to himself. "Something did seem a little different about you. So do you believe that these enemies of yours will jeopardize our mission?"

[fireinthedust]

To be frank, yes. Always. Every moment of my life. I've lost... people. Frankly, I'm still not sure any of you aren't with them right now. Visions in dreams? And upon teleporting, we find ourselves in a room with the head of House Cannith? If it weren't so ridiculous, I'd believe it was an illusion set out by them or their agents. It is a strange path, one against my better judgement. Yet I'm here, and I'm going back into Cyre.

He shows the mindblade to the warforged, then retracts it when the inspection is done.

Maybe I'm tired of living. Or maybe the light has led me to new allies. You know this much: there are nightmares, they live and are real. Whether we meet them on this train or hiding in our homes, we meet them. If you know this, you deserve to know the truth of what you face. And to know I'm sorry for this. No one deserves to be a part of this, and I'm sorry you are. But you are. At least you get to face it on your feet. Maybe even your own terms, Light willing.

Jo smiles bitterly, then moves beyond the curtain. He looks for a way onto the roof of the lightning car, to watch the world pass by.