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Embers Linger

Scene details

Setting: The Star Chasers venture to Hidden Hearth, the secret village of the Ankhialeans, led by their new companion Atl, unaware of what awaits.

Log

  • Character: Atl
  • 1 month, 2 weeks ago

We see you. We take you.

Their ways are not so different, out here in the deep jungle, that the mission and its courtesy were particularly difficult to navigate. People are people. Communication, like life, finds a way, and equally there is drive and purpose to entities lost and found. The girl, unannounced as but - with quiet pride - bearing the name Atl all the same, leads a brisk pace for our intrepid adventurers, weaving busily down through the palash trees and back into the wilds proper. Respite was allowed, to be sure; but she and her wisps remain on the outskirts of any temporal encampment, staring one another down as if in commune, the wisps dancing and weaving and the tiny, somewhat simian girl playing the straight caretaker.

She'll smile, nod, observe those courtesies on approach, and even shares refreshment at some point during the ensuing trek - her little, raggedy haversack packed with fruits and nuts foraged from the jungle basin. So fresh that little friends creepy-crawl out when she rummages for this bounty, displacing brightly-colored ants and shield-backed bugs.

They don't bother her in the least. She allows them to crawl over her, if they like. A large, horned beetle takes the invitation and with seeming comfortable delight builds a nest in the outrageous floof of her hair.

And when they're off, they are *off*, Atl ducking and diving through encroaching foliage that masks all possibility of reliable mapping. They already know the jungle is a maze, and the jungle-dweller makes navigating that maze look like a walk through city streets, occasionally doubling back on herself with a rueful little grin, only when nature has decided to consume a route once considered viable - she's at one with it, here. If nature says no, she accepts, and finds another way...

When travelling so purposefully through the dankest confines of the Oradian frontier, day becomes night for long, taxing minutes, passed beneath tangles so thickly-knotted as to block out the sun almost entirely. Here, a different kind of life takes decadent seed, fungus and all that it feeds enriching the near-pitch with flashes of luminescent ambience. Some are absurdly oversized specimens, pulsating and oozing, one particular crop giving off so much light it's almost blinding - almost neon, from no light to too much, back to none again, and then--

--the sun, bright and beautiful, burning and damning. Giver of life and drainer of tired limb. The moisture is intense, burning in that light, and through all of it Atl practically skips, twisting and turning and smiling and beckoning - waiting, when she must, but occasionally forging too far ahead for comfort. Forgetting herself, in her enthusiasm.

So it is as the group passes through that last, nearly hour-long thicket of darkness broken there and here by vibranly-engorged mushrooms. For perhaps three full minutes, there's just the slightest suggestion of a recently-beaten trail, and Atl herself is... gone. The myriad sounds of the jungle are muted, and claustrophobia and a sense of burdened loss reign.

Until, on pressing forth, the brave find themselves exploding into that light and heat. Into comforting, breathtaking scope of vision. Rapid waters churn far below, as crumbling rockface tumbles far, far into a yawning chasm over a river that flows from the mountainous expanses they've suddenly come oh-so-close to; dwarfed by the once-far vista of the jungle basin.

And before them, with one very chirpy girl and her flotilla of darting wisps perched precariously on a rotting old support that creaks even beneath her diminutive weight, an ancient bridge of braided vines and gnarled, rough-hewn planks...

Something manmade, at long and exhausting last.

'Ta-da', the scratched, bruised, sweaty, and very relaxed girl seems to say. Look at my bridge. Maybe it will support you!


Ruidosa La Crima tries to map the way towards Hidden Hearth, she fails, miserably, and has to erase and retry a few times before she gives up with a huff and just enjoys the views and travel through the jungles of her home country. She eyes mushrooms and considers picking one, so she does. Into the knapsack it goes. She probably just picked a highly poisonousness or useful mushroom. who knows.

when they get to the bridge, she eyes the bridge. She looks to Atl, she looks to the bridge, she looks to Reize and Ivo and Diaby and gives a wave. "Well, good luck everyone!" she says as she turns into a bat in a puff of smoke, and flies across the chasm instead of using the bridge.


 "I bet... Kernunnos would... like that one."
 So Ivo effortfully remarks, huffing and puffing, with a nod towards the horned beetle that has peacefully make its nest in Atl's hair. Even to point would be too much, for he, likely the least agile among the party, has dedicated himself to pumping his arms when powerwalking to keep up with this pace when he isn't spreading them wide to maintain his balance in moments where the path gets more precarious. He has been as carefully observant as he can be, but at a certain point he, like Rui, must simply give up, unwilling to carve some obvious path lest he unwittingly lead enemies to the Ankhialean haven and unable to maintain a mental map of this dizzying hike. Ivo contents himself with observing Atl instead, showing nothing but curiosity in her manner and behavior, even if he does not stand *too* close when she allows herself to be covered in insects.
 "In... credible..."
 At first he thinks the roaring in his ears is a sign that he is about to pass out, or perhaps some sort of auditary hallucination, so Ivo is genuinely taken aback at the view that at last emerges before them. Hands on his knees as he pants, he simply gazes in awe and allows the cool radiating from the restive waters below to soothe his sweat-streaked features. He thus only processes Rui's quip when it is too late for a comeback. Glancing at the bat she has become, he then glances to Reize.
 "You'd better go first, chief," he murmurs. "I'm most liable to break it."
 Ivo *probably* is actually being considerate. Probably.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Resist trying one of the mushrooms
Roll(s): 14. Total result is 14. This is a success (by 4).



 The surroundings have been nothing more than impressive for the young explorer! The deep jungle, still unrepenting.

 The young explorer had been following their guide through. The eyes are drawn to the vibrantly mushrooms. He gives a thoughtful look, musing if he should try it. He kneels down to take the mushroom from its roots and he adds it into his satchel. There was the temptation of... eating it.

  ... Maybe he shouldn't this time. Ruidosa may scold him, considering the past experiences with herbs.

 So, he'll just store it for later.

  Once that he's at the bridge with the group, he gives a thoughtful look and he grins, "We can make it!" He eyes the rotting old support, trying to step and follow. He'll make it.

 

  • Character: Daiby
  • 1 month, 2 weeks ago


Hooray! thinks Daiby. We made a friend!

Daiby follows along, with good cheer. Her eyes do track over little-friends as they crawl over Atl; she does not really have room to criticize on this front, considering that she has, at this point, at least three other organisms (snakes) on her person, even if you want to ignore the luminous brand of a pain-free boa around her neck. (The boa is currently chilling out. Daiby is, at least, a light source right now. They may need to get a secondary shroud for the snake.)

"Look, Ivo," observes Daiby (quietly!) as they walk. "It's like the ecosystem has made a natural cavern despite the lack of stone. And while I'm sure it's ancient, it's known that trees grow *far* quicker than mountains, not so? And gah!!!" She had been about to bubble a bit more, but the sunlight hurts her eyes.

They reach the bridge.

Rui takes the Bat Wing express. Daiby pouts a little.

"Good luck," Daiby tells Reize. "I may have some of the snakes cross on their own too. They're not that heavy - they're like my siblings, now - but... every little bit doesn't help."

And with that, Daiby loiters. Loiters and awaits her turn.... of destiny.

  • Character: Atl
  • 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Perhaps in spite of her familiarity, comfort, and obvious, somewhat-instinctive knowledge, there's no sense of particular stewardship from Atl. She has a sack of foraged nonsense, after all! So as mushrooms are stolen and sampled, if she even notices she neglects to (silently) comment and she certainly won't stop anyone... the vibe is very much that this is her jungle insofar as she lives here, in some form of communion and kinship, but it's not *hers*. Nobody owns the wild.

No more than she 'owns' the little wisps, which perform pirouettes that might be read as mocking by the initial, awed-then-aghast expressions at the form taken by their perilous route ahead. A better read might be amusement, as two of them pirouette all the more ecstatically when Ruidosa performs her party trick - and the other recoils in a sharp swoop. Shock? Asserting as much, there's the second truly audible vocalization from Atl, who gasps she hard it's almost a squeal, clapping her hands as if she weren't thus balancing entirely on her butt atop one of the two things *holding the bridge up*.

Huge, carnelian eyes watch the bat twinkle in the bold daylight. And then, she hops down.

A bob of the head to Ivo, a huge, encouraging smile to Reize, and she half-turns toward the flapping La Crima scion. Dark pupils flick-flick from Reize, back to Ivo, to Daiby, and the beetle in her chair chitters and takes flight too. Nod, 'says' the strange girl, flapping her own arms helpfully and gesturing to the bridge.

As if they're somehow going to help, the three wisps twist around each other in brief commune before swooping - palpably white-hot in their proximity - to join each of the other three adventurers, buzzing and weaving around them.

There doesn't seem to be any magical effect. One of them chirrups as only a literal ember can chirrup. Moral support? Certainly, they seem inclined to accompany, one by one, unless some kind of objection is raised.

The bridge does look, uh, flammable.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Can modern magitech in any way reinforce this bridge?
Roll(s): 20. Total result is 20. This is a success (by 10).


 Ivo, admittedly, had started to become so focused on just enduring his travails that he had hardly attended to the features of the environment that Daiby is remarking upon. The darkness of the primordial tunnels formed by the verdant flora hardly offered any respite as he teetered on the brink of heat exhaustion in any case. But now that he is catching his breath and bathing in the blessed cool of rising mist, which is a nice way of saying that he is loitering too, he reflects on what she's said.
 "You're quite right, of course," he says. "And even by the standards of the Oradian jungle, this is extreme. I recall that the Ankhialean elementals that Reize and Ruidosa and I faced beneath the Hanging Gardens fused fire with earth. I wonder if Ankhiale's presence has seeped into the environs so deeply that the vegetation itself becomes nigh mountainous in... hmm."
 Ivo looks rather askance as one of Atl's wisps begins to hover close to him, with the air of someone attempting to gloss over a cocktail party guest's faux pas. Such is his demeanor when he is in truth suppressing a surge of deeper nervousness and fear. As nice as a cool dunk in a river sounds, he would rather not perish here. He and Daiby haven't even--
 "Well, there's nothing for it."
 Ivo acts on a whim, really. The raw aether in his elespheres rarely interacts straightforwardly with organic material and it's unlikely that he'll be able to make any sort of meaningful difference if he attempts to somehow improve on this weathered bridge. But his exchange with Daiby has him wondering if, from centuries of a sapient spirit's magic seeping through these environs, he might be able to capitalize on some sort of latent opportunity. With a casually workmanlike mien, he draws his sword, Hauteclare, and loads an umber earth-aspected elesphere into its pommel, channeling the element into the blade, pointing, and launching it from its hilt. The dancing blade flies forth like a needle pulling aetheric thread, Ivo's wrist subtly twitching as he manipulates it from afar while it spirals like a missile and darts like a dragonfly, not cutting or severing a single vine, instead interweaving earth magic into them. Upon reaching the far side, with hardly a blink, he reverses his weapon and sends it back along the opposite side of the bridge, veritably embroidering the edifice.
 "Hm."
 With a satisfying click, Ivo returns Hauteclare's blade to its hilt and regards the result, basically expressionless: the magic is actually lingering there, interwoven with the bridge's vines and seeping into the planks to fill gaps without reducing flexibility, like some synthetic epoxy repairing some ancient craft. The result practically glows.
 "As anticipated," he murmurs, "more or less."
 That actually worked???

Ruidosa La Crima has a wisp following her. Great. That's what she's always wanted, an element of pure fire following her around. She turns back into her humanoid form on the otherside and watches as Ivo does... something useful!? That can't be right, this jungle is loopy!

She looks to the wisp. "Don't get any ideas." she says as she writes in her tome. Today's Date: Ivo did something useful!?

She scribbles down what happened and the results.

She also adds 'Strange Mushroom' to her running inventory. 'Try to get Madonna to eat it'.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Resisting Temptation of that One Little Nibble
Roll(s): 8. Total result is 8. This is a failure (by 2).

  • Character: Daiby
  • 1 month, 2 weeks ago


Daiby watches the wisps as they bobble and flit. Their wight-hot radiance doesn't bring her a lot of comfort. She rests a hand on her fiery boa for a moment, stroking the creature at the back of its head and the front of its neck... where does the neck end on a snake, anyway

ok, the first couple of inches

"I suppose you could use fire to... heat and melt a reinforcing... something? Like the tar and caulk in the bottom of some older ships? That kind of thing? With shredded ropes?" Daiby half-guesses with growing concern BUT: Ivo! Ivo has an impulse intuition, and he pulls out a sword, and Daiby's eyes widen because while cutting the bridge *would* in a sense solve their problem--

Daiby squints. She raises her other hand to shade her eyes. For a moment she looks quite a bit like her mother, because as easy going as she is this seems dubious to her and she does have limits. But so does Ivo, and it seems he's stayed within them.

Daiby slowly brightens. "Oh!" she says. "Oh it is like caulking an old ship! Haha! That was quite clever of you, Ivo! It doesn't smell like tar, exactly, of course, but you might try that. Wouldn't that be an earth evocation?" And with that, Daiby removes several snakes from her wrists and in her hair, including several small, brightly colored, and probably insanely poisonous snakes. The fiery boa remains around her neck, because seriously, folks, we're not going to run a burning snake across a rope bridge.

"Now, once Ivo has crossed, as well as Miss -- hm -- well, our new friend: I expect all of you to follow across this, without wandering off," Daiby instructs the snakes, along with some hand gestures that are doing all the actual work, because snakes do not have external ears. "If you need to take your time, that's alright; just stay on the far side and we'll link up. Hm?"

Two of the beensy ones are flicking their tongues out.

"Oh, alright," says Daiby, extending an arm - it seems the two tiny ones in question have begged a ride from Legged Mother. And with that, and one last smile, she moves to cross!



 "Hee, thanks Daiby!"

 The good thing is that Reize is not alone in the travel along the bridge. He has his friends! In fact, one of them have made the travel easier! It is surprising to Reize to see the bridge mend itself beneath his feet, restructured and tightened to a more controlled state.

 "Whoa..."

 Reize cannot help but appreciate and be amazed at Ivo's ingenuity. It is through Ivo's efforts that the young explorer does not have to take any extra steps to safely cross the bridge.

 However, with one of the wisps passing by, Reize looks quite thoughtful. "...What's that?" It is debatable if it's personal curiosity or delusion, but the boy looks over towards the mushroom that he stored.

 "...You say that it's safe to try one of these?" He procures the mushroom, "...Maybe just a little nibble?" But it doesn't look like it was listening to him, instead making its way to Ruidosa.

 ...Reize takes the mushroom to his mouth and he gives a little nibble.

 ... What harm could one little nibble do?

 

  • Character: Atl
  • 1 month, 2 weeks ago

This time, there's shock from the girl that isn't so welcome, as her guest upon this dangerous trek takes matters into his own hands. She seems to read the elespheres well enough - albeit with a frown of interest that persistently drags her forward a step when Ivo interacts with his machinations - but her fingers brace into panicked little talons when he sets to upon the bridge. The wisp around the scholar-knight panics, too; it's ANGRY, buzzing like a wasp, but a seeming fear or need for comfort drives it back to Atl rather than into the conflict it's regularly been teasing.

Her itinerant, smoldering ward seems to bring purpose with it, a blink of communion all that's needed for Atl to watch the rest of the display, then calmly skip out onto the planks of the bridge. A stomp, a frown, and both hands alight on the vines. She looks to Ivo, with a frown that says, 'you shouldn't have done that', or, 'you should have asked first', but a quick tilt of the head that says, 'it's okay, we've got this,' and maybe - just maybe - a slightly begrudging, 'thank you'.

For a moment then, the ensorcelle bridge more than 'practically' glows; it does so resonantly, as Ivo's pragmatic modern magecraft meets something old, and venerable, and deeply, profoundly instinctive uncoiling - like a serpent, hiss - from within the girl. It's a concept that's been coming up frequently, but Atl looks like she's in commune - with the very air, with the mountainous precipices on each side, the bridge spanning them, and the invasive magicks reforging the link betwixt twain. The glow pulses, flickers, guttering like a candle flame, sucked toward Atl herself.

Is she drinking it? Big carnelians close, and through fleshy lips she breathes an almost wistful sigh, those protuberances puckering and then closing, sucked over her teeth as a shudder runs through her teeny-tiny frame. The air - all of it - *inhales* around and with the girl, and on the ensuing outbreath the glow fades, deeply, all that magic soaks into ancient vine and belabored, beaten planks perhaps used by few but this girl in so very long...

All seems as it was, then. But no. She's not undone the magic - she's woven it in full truth, into the natural magic that already existed. That relaxed smile is back on her lips, as she nods with childlike satisfaction, like she's set up the perfect tea party. This isn't epic, or particularly profound, nothing of real note happened - but it's right now. Everything's just right.

Ivo's wisp dances just out of her finger's reach. She notices, and gently 'boops' it, as if she understands.

"Thank."

It sounds angry, but perhaps it's the words and not their vague intent - as before.

"Bridge. We. Show. Fire."

Fire? She stops booping and frowns, shaking her head like a tennis player missing an easy shot. Was her timing off? She waits, patiently, boops again.

"You."

Bridge you? We show fire you? We show you? It's probably that one.

And then she's grinning and beckoning, tearing off across the bridge with a pitter-patter of bare footfalls memorable from that first encounter upon a giant tree. She almost catches up to Reize before he takes a nibble. Almost.

The wisp attached to him buzzes angrily. The wisp attached to Daiby dives between her legs, then over her left shoulder, whirling an insistent and excitable figure of eight toward the bridge. Go, go!


 "I've been thinking," Ivo is saying to Daiby as they cross a bridge now reinforced by his weird science, "that magitech benefits from social intelligence. I may not bend aether to my will by will alone, but if I attend to the wills of others and introduce aether into such a system, it is akin to opening floodgates to allow water into channels already entrenched. Heat *would* typically be required for such a feat... but if Ankhiale's will has shaped this land as we expect, and she permeates it, fire in earth like seams of carnelian copper... then the essence of earth might act as tar of its own accord."
 He pontificates confidently, as if all this had been pure skill and not an utterly exploratory venture far more likely to damage the bridge than anything else. But on a crit success, maybe you get to pontificate a little afterwards.
 "But even now, I cannot claim to be sure of Ankhiale's nature," he says. "We'll have to meet her ourselves... and soon, I hope, we shall. Spirits are so often full of surprises. Isn't that right, Reize? ...Reize?"
 Ivo, typically so attentive to ensuing hijinks, double-takes at their fearless leader, sensing that in his intellectual posturing for Daiby, he failed to notice his friend doing something important. Well, it'll surely be fine.
 "...Oh."
 As is too often his habit, Ivo makes it most of the way to an obvious conclusion before getting carried away by some novel idea. It should follow, after all, that if Ankhiale's power permeates this place, and thus that he might be able to reinforce the bridge in an unusual way, that someone who worships Ankhiale might also regard the bridge as sanctified, or indeed this entire realm. Ivo's breezy aplomb is punctured as he's taken aback, recalibrating first at the sight of the girl's expression, then at her miraculous act upon the bridge, and then again at her apparent gratitude. Each one throws him for a bit of a loop.
 "Thank *you*," is all he can manage to say, placing his hand upon his chest in a sign of sincerity, still reeling somewhat as Atl leads them on. No need to bombard her with words in any case. Ivo will take this time to reflect as they advance, so deep in thought he may not even be able to appreciate whatever shenanigans Reize starts to get up to, at least not right away.
 Though his approach to magitech is unusual in some ways, like most, it relies on aetheric essence that has been extracted and reduced to its most basic components, stripped of any interfering forms. But this extractive approach to magic, even if it seems to be able to complement these enchanted lands, is surely an entirely different paradigm of thinking than that to which the Ankhialeans must subscribe.
 Ivo should tread carefully, he muses, in more than one respect.


Ruidosa La Crima watches Reize take out the mushroom. She watches Reize Seatlan shove the mushroom into his mouth.

"Well that was smart of you, Reize Seatlan." she says blandly. "Good luckkkk!" she goes as the closes the tome and continues the journey letting Daiby and Ivo handle their new friend and her weird language quirks for the moment.

There will be time for civilizing later!

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Tanking the Mushroom Effects
Roll(s): 10. Total result is 10. This is a failure (by 2).



 It is rather surprising that the wisp nearby is buzzing angrily at him. "W--h....?!" He practically drops the mushroom in surprise. However, the damage was done. He got the nibble in. He does hear Ruidosa call him by his full name. ... Antenna hair droops.

 "Oooi, waait!" Annd that is when he starts to slow down, "...Oh wow, there's two of you." He holds onto the bridge, then he looks over towards the wisps. He gives a bit of a chuckle. "Heee... pretty light." He points towards the wisp. "Glad that I got you by my side, mister light. We'll be best friends."

 Well, senses are a bit dulled, but that'll be temporary! ....It was only a nibble!

 

  • Character: Daiby
  • 1 month ago


THE ADVENTURES OF A WOMAN CROSSING A RICKETY BRIDGE, WITH SNAKES IN HER HAIR

Daiby can see Reize is eating something but she does not look at the mushroom, so there is no warning about Mushroom Hunting from her end. She watches the bridge. The planks, the ropes. She strives not to let what's beyond it - rather, beneath it - psyche her out. Come on. Just a few steps. No bridge lasts forever, they're in fact quite finite things, notorious for it!

She can at least talk with Ivo while doing this. "Hmm," she says. "That does make sense. It's sort of a question of the different steps of quantity - like how a glass of water has hydraulic pressure compared to a vast standpipe, but..." yay! halfway point! "... It's generally rather negligible! At least to us."

Creak, creak, super creak, it's super creaky, step step step hey that's land hey both feet are on land let's take ONE more pace forwards and then Daiby straightens up and raises her arms above her head! Victory!

One of the snakes in her hair pops up to survey its new kingdom. Badass, thinks the snake.

Daiby looks to Atl. "Now what was that about fire?"

  • Character: Atl
  • 1 month ago

Speaking of emotional intellect, there's at least some breed of that in the wisps; the one following Ruidosa seems to be responding to her demeanor, staying a little further off from her than the others do their own wards, lazily (warily?) circling a few feet away. Reize's has been close, and only gets closer as the drugged hero proclaims their kinship. *Really* close, actually. Close enough to remind one just how painfully hot these dang things are. Better not touch it!

The angry buzzing has dulled to a low hum though - like a purring cat.

Now they've all set foot across the bridge, it bears noting that what amounts to 'solid ground' might not be as reassuring as all that. The other side of the bridge opens onto a broad, loosely disc-shaped pillar of craggy rock, festooned in the by-now-typical dense trees and vines of the jungle. Waters rage perhaps fifty to seventy down on every side, and taller cliffs rise beyond. There doesn't... really seem to be a way forward, but looking in the direction Atl seems keen to head, there's another bridge visible...

Beyond one of those surrounding cliffs, neither its end nor beginning in sight. The far end disappears into a heat-hazy mist, the other is simply blocked by the curve of that cliff. It's to this that the girl will excitedly point--

--AFTER she joins Daiby in celebrating the snakey woman's success, throwing her own arms in the air and giving another small giggle. She has vocal chords, that much is clear! Still no talking, bar with her eyes and hands as she turns to Reize and lays a descending hand on his shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze and an almost matronly shake of her head.

'Take care,' and, 'you'll be okay,' all at once. One probably doesn't spend much time in the jungle without nibbling on the mushrooms at least once... they're so, pulsate-y, after all.

To Ruidosa, she then gestures insistently upward, flicking eyes and fingers at the heavens. If Rui takes the suggestion to soar heavenward, she'll see from her bat's eye view that past the far end of this pillar, there IS a path. And that it happens to emerge from a dank cavern about halfway down the pillar, connecting to a perilously narrow path on the cliff face.

To the others, Atl beckons, smiling mysteriously at Daiby. Her answer is to point a second time at that bridge, which doesn't *look* like it's made of fire. Then she's off, scampering into the tree line. One moment she's highly visible, the next she's outlined in the shadow of the low canopy... and finally she turns around, falls backwards, and completely disappears.

It's all crystal clear.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=15.
Comment: Perception check to discern the path forward (very difficult)
Roll(s): 11. Total result is 11. This is a failure (by 4).


 Ivo, fresh off his unexpectedly successful attempt to reinforce the precarious bridge they just crossed, generously joins Atl and snakes in celebrating Daiby's achievement in crossing said bridge. If he should linger in admiring his adored senpai's joyous visage and pose, who should blame him? Yet in so doing, when he turns, it is just soon enough to catch a glimpse of Atl seemingly falling off a cliff.
 "...Hm?"
 He's able to discern the details of his environment. Ivo notes the bridge in the distance, half-obscured by either heat haze or rising mist, and infers that there must be some passage from here to there. But after the way his elespheres reacted to the latent magic in the environment, or so he presumes given how thoroughly the bridge incorporated his reinforcement, it is not inconceivable that the path forward is available only to those blessed by Ankhiale. And if that were the case, it might also be true that Atl wouldn't know this, and would unintentionally lead them to their demise.
 In such a situation, there is only one thing to do.
 "Reize, we're counting on you."
 Ivo, as if following Atl's lead, places his hand on Reize's shoulder.
 "Reize, we're counting on you."
 The True Ivo, who is revealed to our hero only when Reize is in a heightened state that for some reason not worth worrying about only occurs under the influence of mushrooms and/or herbs, places his hand on Reize's *other* shoulder at the same time, for the first time in agreement with the False Ivo.
 Sure, Ivo could ask Ruidosa to scout out the environs and confirm the path forward, but let's be honest: if anyone here is going to fall off of a cliff and survive, it'll be Reize. This is just making use of everyone's skill sets effectively.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=15.
Comment: Sense the True Ivo (V. Difficult)
Roll(s): 4. Total result is 4. This is a failure (by 11).

Ruidosa La Crima is clueless to Reize's current predicament for she only senses one Ivo. The real Ivo. 'real' Ivo. She looks at Atl as she gestures upwards and so Ruidosa La Crima flaps flaps flaps flaps upwards, spies the passage and then flies down and says. "There's a passage up there!" she says.

"Also be careful with Reize, the dummy ate one of those mushrooms. Like a ''dummy'." she says angrily. "'''Dummy''." she says as she looks to the wisp.

Ugh Fire. Bad. At least she has the burn heels on.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Trekking the Bridge 1
Roll(s): 6. Total result is 6. This is a failure (by 4).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Trekking the Bridge 2
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 2. This is a failure (by 10).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=15.
Comment: Trekking the Bridge 3
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 6).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Resisting hugging the wisp.
Roll(s): 5. Total result is 5. This is a failure (by 5).

  • Character: Daiby
  • 1 month ago

Daiby rolls 1d20>=15.
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 6).

  • Character: Daiby
  • 1 month ago


Daiby gives Atl the favor of her rather lidded-eyed full attention. If one did not know Daiby quite well, it might be mildly flirtatious, but fortunately all of her languour and sighing and suspiciously cleavage-forwards dressing has more to do with 'I get hot easily!' and 'isn't it charming?' rather than anything untoward, or at least, that's been the gag pretty consistently.

She turns her head. So does the snake in her hair. They look at the additional bridge.

"Hm," she states. "This could get tricky. Is it always so... steamy here? Hot, wet, wet-hot?" She's trying different words to Atl, in case some concepts can be reached through lateral expansion from existing vocabulary!

After this, Daiby looks pensive even as Ivo, possibly in triplicate, gives Reize an encouraging word. "Oh, that's probably bad," Daiby muses in an abstract sort of way, "given that mushrooms can vary from delicious, to nauseuating, to interfering with your blood chemistry, let's see," she looks at her hands, "Methylin reactions, obligate scavenging of haemogoblin particles, neuro-toxic hallucinogenic reactions which can actually help you expand your boundaries in microdoses but if he's eating an entire cap, oh dear that can't be good - Reize, what happened to the mushroom you ate?"

Having gotten to thinking on all the ways in which unsecured mushrooms can horribly kill you, Daiby is mostly going to follow the mass of the group now.



  Daiby's question is noteworthy. Reize looks over towards her and he gives a sheepish look, face flushed from the effects. "I accidentally dropped the one that I took a nibble. The wisp nearby was yelling at me.. Or, I think it was yelling." He gives a thoughtful look.

 There are three people who believe in him! First was Atl, who gave him a comforting hand on the shoulder. Then, he had Ivo on one side, counting on him. And then there was Ivo, who was on the other side with the hand on the shoulder. ...Wait, two Ivos? Well, Reize has gotten used to it to question it.

 ...Perhaps that is an issue, itself.

 "Aye-aye! I won't let you down!" There is a look of determination on his face. Even if Ruidosa comments on him and the mushroom, Reize gives her a goofy smile. "I got this! I feel energized by this mushroom!" Comforting words as the boy makes his way towards the next set of the bridgeway. He sighs, looking at the wisp.

 "You won't abandon me." He moves over to hug the wisp. ...Maybe catching fire along the way. He won't notice, for now. He gives the group a thumbs up and he ventures out into the path. Then, he is outlined by the shadows before disappearing into the depths.

 The first path, there would not be any notice by the group other than a sharp gasp. "I'm okay!" He cries out. He managed to cling onto that gap. However, boy, is he holding on.

 The next one?

 SPLASH! There is a gargled gasp as he flails, "Can't swim! Haaa!!!" Then, he feels the power of the mushrooms imbuing him. He can... interact with the water? He manages to emerge out from the hole.

 ....And into the next hole.

 Hisss! Hiss! Hiss! "dalkhdsajkdhasjdhaskjdashlkdashjkdadahdas" There are sounds of hissing and familiar biting. In fact, Daiby and her snakes may be able to hear it.

 'YEAH! WE GOT A FRESH ONE! LET'S GET HIM!'

 ...Eventually, Reize is emerging out of that hole as well, though covered with snakes biting the hell out of him. Maybe it's the mushroom that dulled his pain. However, the experience is still not pleasant.

 

  • Character: Atl
  • 1 month ago

Having disappeared from sight, Atl isn't thinking about Daiby's cleavage or how best to answer what she considers painfully obvious questions - of course the jungle is steamy! That's why her people dress the way they do. Sometimes, she thinks her sister might have a point-- and it's this she gets stuck on for a conflicted, daydreamy moment, during which she hears that loud splash and turns about, peering down the wet (but not hot, or wet-hot) tunnel she *just emerged from* at the young hero who boldly and immediately evacuates it. Oh dear. The girl chews on her lip, flinches slightly, and slips back into the water.

It's not that deep, really. It comes up to where her own bosom would be, if she had one...

Above ground, Reize's wisp has, in fact, abandoned him. 1) It doesn't like getting wet. 2) It's acting as a beacon for the others yet to approach, hovering over what are very clearly (when clearly-lit) two holes in the jungle floor. One leads to shiny, polished rock, and waist-deep wet water. The other... well. That's become apparent.

It's from the first hole that Atl's head pops, her soaking frame braced against the sheer walls.

At the same time, all of her wisps buzz aggressively and descend on the snake-bitten Reize; intent on weaving way, way too close and cauterizing those teeny-tiny wounds with equally teeny-tiny, but honestly potentially MORE painful 'bites' of their own. It's a pretty nasty form of field surgery, and Atl's confusion immediately turns into horrified panic.

"No, no, no!"

...wait, she CAN talk!?


 Ivo keeps various thoughts to himself and instead moves to peer over the ledge at what has been conveniently illuminated by a questionably-friendly wisp so that he can appreciate Reize's Looney Tunes tier adventure. After a long moment of silence, he glances back to his friends.
 "Our fearless leader has forged a path," he remarks, deadpan to the point of placidity. "Let us follow in his brave footsteps."
 Whereupon, as gracefully as he is able, Ivo slides down into the first and less bitey hole, landing with a splash in the waist-deep water below, faintly grimacing. He's had a decent amount of experience venturing through jungles at this point, but such sodden sloshing never becomes more appealing.
 "I'm looking forward to the promised fire," he quips, "if only to dry off." Perhaps he should be careful what he wishes for, but regardless.
 However, conveniently, there are two holes for two Ivos. Thus does the True Ivo, for now still visible only to Reize, heroically descend into the pit of snakes in pursuit of his fallen friend. See, this is why he's the *True* Ivo.
 "Take heart, Reize!" he exclaims. "Do not allow yourself to be deterred by this trial! In fire, you shall be reforged anew!!"
 At this rate, he's going to emerge into the village practically bristling with wisps and be hailed as a new deity.


Ruidosa La Crima follows into the hole she watches Ivo jump down into and stays above the water, "Sure, fearless leader." she says dripping with sarcasm as she flaps and lands on Ivo's head, this'll allow her to follow along easier.

She frowns a little as she listens to 'No No No' and peeks ahead.

"Reize?" she asks.

  • Character: Daiby
  • 1 month ago


Daiby contemplates Reize's words. He dropped the mushroom, fair enough. Because the wisp was yelling at him, alright, that gets a nod. At least he thinks the wisp was yelling at him, and that is when the cheerful nodding turns to an abrupt c_c towards nobody in particular because Daiby may be kind of happy go lucky but by gum she does know that mushrooms can make you experience reality in new ways!

Which are bad, when you could fall off of something!

Especially since he feels energized! And he's hugging a wisp! Daiby's c_c is turned towards Ivo at this point, not judgmentally; purely as a means of communicating a concept.

Especially when Reize falls into the hold. Daiby lets out a sigh and puts a hand on her hip. Her lips purse for a moment. "If he's been bitten by certain forms of neurotoxic snakes, he may be in for a very long rehabilitation," Daiby begins, "but if it's just hepatotoxic or cellulotoxic we can likely nullify it before there's much harm... Reize! Reize, can you hear me?"

Back to Atl. "Is he disturbing them? I want to apologize for him." And then ivoy's going down to fetch his 'bro'! Daiby turns her eyes upwards, meets eyes with the snake in her hair - they have a silent moment of communion - and then with a sigh she goes to get in the hole as well, following after Ivo!



  'Yeaaah buddy, we got you now. You taunting us?! You making us look bad?! You think we wouldn't notice that?! AWWWWW YEAAAH! TAKE THIS!'

  Reize is just still. On one hand, Reize would probably be filled with some deadly venom from the snakes biting him, if any of them possessed such. However, it is not due to the blessing of his Affinity with Yacumama, but by the mushroom that he nibbled on, that he gained a temporary immunity to the venom inflicted on him. That's right. The snakes will find that their bites are meaningless in terms of trying to kill him.

  ....Though it still hurts so much. Well, it would if he wasn't numbed due to the mushroom. As the wisps aggressively buzz around him, cauterzing some of the bite wounds and the horrified Atl, Reize idly waves a snake-coiled hand. Even when Ruidosa and Daiby call out to him, the boy finally responds with a cheerful voice to reflect his good spirits.

  He sports that goofy, cheerful smile. "Ahh, meet my new friends."

  'Friends? Friend this!'

  Snake is just biting angrily before the boy flicks a hand. Many of them are tossed aside. However, some remain fully aggro'd on Reize. The boy looks around, snake still angry on him. So he has two bonds with Yacumama.

> Rank 1: Reize has gained a temporary pact-based Passive Ability: Embrace of the Serpent. Snakes and reptiles will focus their attention on the one chosen by Yacumama as though under the effect of a continuous taunt. This stacks with any existing proclivity to be targeted by wild animals.
> Rank 2: Reize has gained a temporary pact-based Passive Ability: Oradian Bequest. He may now sense when spirits and relics of Yacumama's serpent cult are near.

  The boy looks thoughtful, finally getting the last few snakes off him. ...Though they look focused on jumping him again. "We aren't too far, right?"

 

  • Character: Atl
  • 1 month ago

It's when Daiby speaks to her that Atl realizes what she's just done; and her big, carnelian eyes bug out, in anticipation of some terrible consequence to allowing her thickly-accented voice to be heard. Slithering out of the sheer, watery hole, she slaps both hands across her mouth and STARES at the snake-infested woman. It's equal parts plea, apology, and the simple, lost look of a child who doesn't know what to do and is hoping an adult can better advise her...

A strange look on the girl who's been leading them a merry chase, and who not terribly long ago was role-reversing hard on this very same adult woman. The question sinks in through the horror, at least, and provides roughly what Atl was looking for; an excuse to move on, a reason to busy herself with something other than preoccupation with whatever unknown rule she just broke. She shakes her head rapidly, and dives back to the task at hand, keeping one hand coyly over her mouth, the other extending with a deft snap of the fingers.

Bamf. One of the wisps stops stinging immediately, and appears around those extended digits, weaving in and out, almost bashfully. A scolded (scalded? No, that's Reize...) dog. The others are slower to respond. Buzz, bite, buzz, bite...

But finally, bamf-bamf, they too flock back to their mistress, ward, or whatever it is that Atl may be to them.

She's frowning deeply, forgetting her embarrassment and shame, pressing her forehead to the ground in contrition as all but one of the wisps lazily slip into the damp folds of her clothing. Steam rises around her, wet-hot.

"Close," her voice comes, muffled, from the ground, mealy and thick as one clearly not used to speaking. The shudder that runs through her as she straightens, nodding and pursing her lips as if she means to never open them again, speaks volumes.

The final, still-visible wisp floats back over to the watery hole, helpfully highlighting the CORRECT, LESS SNAKY way to go. A natural flume leads to a shallow waterway, which emerges in a small cave, which emerges once more into the open, damp and noisy cliff path that ultimately leads them to that distant, hazy bridge of stone...

  • Character: Atl
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago

It's a drop, a scramble, and then what turns out to be a relatively peaceful and calming final push to that distant bridge. The intrepid adventurers have a handful of miles to banter, reflect, commune with the hazy sky and the rushing waterways beneath them, or heal from a thousand snakebites (and wisp-burns). Here and there, Atl falls to the back of the group, bidding the others continue on as she makes spot checks behind them. Her wisps fan out, as if keeping watch...

And finally, the cliff path crests downward to a strangely comforting sight; the bridge emerging from the low-hanging, warm and clammy mist is not forged from frayed and uncertain rope. It's solid, prominent, dark volcanic rock, intricately carved with idols and symbols by the hands of the Hidden Hearth over what must be centuries - the manner of detailing, the style, changes sporadically along the bridge's length. It tells not one story, but many. Too many to truly comprehend.

Atl's mood changes again on this final approach - which seems safe, and certain, the span of the bridge solid indeed despite its eccentricies, opening out onto the village proper. The girl is anything but safe or certain, losing her lustre, no longer vibrant and excited, but feet and shoulders heavy with a burden she bears silently, bright carnelians fixated on their destination. Her wisps tuck themselves away in her clothing, well hidden as they approach Hidden Hearth, at long last.

It's... quiet, in line with Atl's own, increasingly dour mood. Folk in colorful, but faded, attire stop what little they're doing to turn and simply STARE as the adventurers approach. Age may be a factor - there are no children here, and most are wrinkled and graying. Brooms stop sweeping, weave-work is set aside, and rheumatic mistrust boils outward.

Atl has visibly paled, as she steps forward and sinks to her knees, pressing her forehead to dusty old stone. Placating.

"Home," she says, fighting to raise her voice for the second time today. It's one syllable, but it *wobbles*.

She swallows, and the next comes out with some firmness. Some defiance.

"Friends."

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Charm / social judgment and finesse check, somewhat challenging
Roll(s): 17. Total result is 17. This is a success (by 5).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: As long as it's not a 1, it's not a Faux Pas.
Roll(s): 5. Total result is 5. This is a failure (by 7).

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Does being the ruling class do anything here?
Roll(s): 4. Total result is 4. This is a failure (by 6).

  • Character: Daiby
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Daiby rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: can I vibe with this
Roll(s): 20. Total result is 20. This is a success (by 8).


 Ivo cannot but slow his final approach, perhaps accidentally obstructing some of his companions as he does, to examine the dark rock of the last bridge they cross, his eyes darting back and forth and back again over glyphs and engravings. He would take rubbings of each and every one of these chiseled stories if he could. Perhaps some careful application of an earth elesphere again could-- but, painfully, he interrupts this train of thought and drags himself away from the objects of his curiosity to at last turn his attention to the village itself.
 "Ah."
 One glance, unfortunately belated, and Ivo's paradigm shifts once more. He had assumed, without much reflection, that the lively Atl would be a popular figure among the Ankhialeans, that her conversance with the wisps, if nothing else, would place her in a position of esteem among a struggling and fading people. As should not have been surprising, the situation is obviously much more complex. Ivo glances among his party, trying to consider how best, as outsiders, to try to make a good first impression when their own host seems, at best, ill at ease.
 > To whom will you attempt to delegate making a good first impression?
>> Reize (high on mushroom, snakebitten, wisp-burned)
>> Ruidosa (vampire, mortal enemies of the Ankhialeans)
>> Yacumama (mortal-er enemy)
>> Daiby (Daiby)
>> Do not delegate

 Ivo gives it a try. First, spot the likeliest old lady. Second, a little slight of hand, subtle enough that no one will notice and get suspicious or nervous. Third--
 "Greetings! We come bearing gifts!"
 Flashing his absolute best smile at said likeliest old lady nearby, with a flourish, Ivo presents a gleaming amber crystal, radiant with earth magic, looking as if it were sap dripped from an ancient tree, almost floral in its form. Where did he get this? Why, we have established how impressive the reactions of the earth aether in his elespheres is to this environment, when he reinforced the bridge. He just figured something similarly cool would happen.
 "We wish only to pay our respects to the lady Ankhiale," he continues, "and trade with your fine village and its most fair people."
 That should be fine. Right? Right.



 The travel is starting to normalize, Reize, like the others, follow their guide. He appears to be in awe as his gaze pierce the clammy mist and take notice of the volcanic rocks and carving of idols. It's rather impressive to the boy. He is in awe. ...But what is that nagging feeling?

 ...Oh. There is still a snake latched onto his antenna hair. The snake is angrily biting at the antenna hair. However, the boy idly smacks it away and it slithers off to join with the rest of its brethren at the bridge. He'll tell the tales of his victory against the wild snake attached to the boy. And they'll jump him later. Or something like that.

 At the mood shifting from their guide, the boy looks over towards Atl. "... Ah, you alright?" Oh, there is the sight of the people that bear such a dour look on their face. Many of them are old and there is the feeling of mistrust.

 The boy manages an awkward smile and he gives a wave. "Oooi! We're friends!" He gestures to the young guide.

 It seems that, given that the majority, if not all of the people around are adults, may not seem impressed with the young boy. A kid.

 

Ruidosa La Crima announces. "Yes, I am Ruidosa La Crima and a member of the ruling class of these lands." she announces dramatically. That means she's a vampire! "-and I wish to speak with the Eldeeeerrrr...." she pauses. Eyes the people. "El'dest'." she says.

She then places her hands to her hips.

She doesn't expect pushback. Or blank stares.

  • Character: Daiby
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago


During the walk, Daiby observes quietly, mostly to Ivo (and to her snake buddies - several of them - but wait, can snakes hear?) "At least it's back to being a walk. I have to say that - excuse me -"

Daiby glares at a snake that has just bit onto the leather strap of her sandal. At a mere glance she can tell it's not venomous. She stares. The snake relaxes. It rolls off and back, slithering away. Daiby continues speaking, picking up her tone a little: "As I was saying, I have to say this is easier. I've started to wonder when these horrible things will pop up."

She takes a deep breath, and seems to brighten as they see signs of civilization! Or at least settlement. Alright: of long-term presence of humans or humanlike people, given all the carvings.

"Thank you very much for guiding us," Daiby says to Atl, with a dip of a curtsey that would have made more sense if she had a skirt on. After that...

IVO TAKES POINT! Daiby glances at him, sees at least an approximation of what he's doing, and brightens hugely, remaining upright near to him and clasping her hands together. Ivo makes his gift and she says with warmth and delight, "We mean you all the best. We are simply travelers, and we hope our manner and demeanor aren't unpleasant to you - if we have given offense, even in the slightest way, *do* let us know!"

  • Character: Atl
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Atl rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Over/under on the majority understanding most of this!
Roll(s): 1. Total result is 1. This is a failure (by 9).

  • Character: Atl
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Reize's concern for Atl is reasonable; she remains hunkered down while Ivo attempts his magitech diplomacy, but she's hardly 'hidden' - a glance in her direction makes it clear the poor girl is shaking with anxiety, forcing herself into the gesture of placation as much to conceal her feelings as offer anything expected by custom. The eyes of her people communicate in kind - not exactly disdain, certainly no pleasure, but more looks of arm's-length confusion. As other villagers filter in to observe this arrival, it's with a thousand questions, including the jungle-happy little waif in their paranoia. Why is she here? Why are ANY OF THESE PEOPLE here? The accompanying emotion varies; some look ready to throw things, old joints creaking as sleeves are rolled up, the more rowdy contingent certainly present and raring to go. Most simply desire answers, and there's a certain ironically-frosty receptiveness to the adventurers as they speak.

A tiny ripple runs through the graying crowd as Ivo produces his trinket, a couple of old weaver-women chattering away in their ancient tongue. A jagged elbow prickles a nearby rib, dragging a third woman into the gossip. This one - bearing a little more flesh than her cronelike peers - seems particularly taken by the scholar-knight, joining the gossip but also tipping him a wink and a wave. A nearby, heavyset man - perhaps an old laborer or miner, bearing the work of many years - looks irate at this, and slips into the shadow of a nearby awning, shaking awake an older fellow who spills his flagon of wine as he tries to pretend he wasn't asleep. They begin to natter quietly, too, dark eyes flitting between the interlopers.

"'Let us know,' she asks."

That voice positively booms, and is - to this point - the only voice that shares a common tongue with the adventurers. This man's stare is anything but blank - but rather, from a single, functioning eye he beholds the group with a piercing intellect that seems almost at odds with his rippling physique. This is a man who has not toiled his years away in a village - he bears the same spirit as the group. A former adventurer, perhaps? His colored rags swirl as he strides from the shadows of his home, parting a leather curtain that flaps closed behind him. And there he stands, hands upon his hips, *judging* these people. Especially Ruidosa, to whom his broad mouth turns downward.

"You dare speak of Ankhiale, outsiders... and offer us treasure likely plundered from our own lands..."

From Daiby, to Ivo, his gaze flicks, barely pausing to consider Atl or Reize. Before he can continue, a second voice echoes from the neighboring home, and out thunders a whiplike, bent-backed man with a trailing, braided beard.

"They dare to bring the ruling classes too, Chimalli! You speak their uncivil tongue, you heard that-- *thing*!"

Never has a word been spoken with more open rancor, but to punctuate this the bent-backed man turns and spits toward Ruidosa's feet. He begins rolling up his own sleeves, starting forward until he's stopped by a wrinkled, but still powerful hand.

"No, Tenoch. These are young people. They mind not what they say, nor what they do. They will learn wisdom. Until then - we have our own young, who should deal with them."

"Heh," remarks Tenoch, turning down the street toward the village center, where it cants upward to the base of that surrounding tepuy. "We surely do."

There's a sudden flash of movement, like a sparking flame, and yet another villager comes into view, quick strides carrying her deft and very fashionable form toward the progressing conflict...

Atl looks up, and the wisps whirl from their ragged hiding place, buzzing angrily as they surround her. Atl *whimpers*.


 Ivo has much to evaluate and admire in and about Hidden Hearth. His movements are slow and deliberate, his expression at once warm and sedate, only the eagerness of his eyes betraying his wonder and enthusiasm at the village they have at last, after so much journeying, discovered. Even Tenoch's outrage and Ivo's new admirer do not faze him in the slightest, or at least, Ivo succeeds in not revealing himself to be fazed. But if anything, his interest bolsters his courage and effortful composure. The architecture and its integration with the environment, the fusion of the sacred and the practical in its design, the garments and features of the people...
 For the first time since he devoted himself to making a good impression, *now* his expression flickers, and Ivo turns his gaze back to Atl, seeming to pay close attention to her face. Bearing witness to the natural diversity of the Ankhialeans' appearances, something is beginning to eat away at him, and he is trying to figure out what. When he first met Atl, he was struck in a manner that he had promptly forgotten and is now remembering.
 "Is it just me," he murmurs to his friends, "or does Atl seem familiar? Haven't we met someone who looked--"
 That single arriving figure, like a warning spark, heralds more, footsteps in unison resounding and beaded ponchos billowing as a group emerges from one of the shrine-like caverns and approaches with intent, led by that single figure with blazing eyes. All are younger, as if to answer the question of where those not elderly had gone, and radiate the fierce discipline of a military unit, flanking and fanning out around their obvious leader, a woman who could be an older Atl herself...

PREVIOUSLY, ON STAR CHASER STORY:

 The party, browsing the wares of Rosia's markets, happens upon a clockwork merchant with an unusual assistant, a fiery young woman clad in poncho and beadwork. Later, investigating the waterways beneath the Hanging Gardens for rumors of hooded miscreants, our heroes encounter some fearsome fire elementals fused into the very earth, with what became Reize's Carnelian Bracers as a locus for their summoning, and find that woman again, who drives them off with a potent fire spell, Purgation, so that the party seeks out Ruidosa's Burn Heels to prepare defenses for the next encounter. When an explosion rocks the Hanging Gardens and delays the grand Ball, the Star Chasers infer that this young woman must have been responsible, bearing some ancient Ankhialean grudge... but that clockwork merchant and his lovely assistant had disappeared.

NOW:

 She's here, and she's pissed.

> BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPRJAwt-Y7g

 "Atl!" Her first word is a bark. "Out from underfoot!"
 Whispers pervade the crowd as the woman addresses the cringing girl before even sparing the intruders a glance, and when she does look, her gaze burns. One word in the unfamiliar tongue spoken by the villagers recurs.
 "I am Xiuhcue," she says to the party, "and you are ashes."
 In an instant, flames lick the stone around her feet, and it becomes clear why her followers have given her so much space: not so much out of respect as out of caution. The ground cracks and molten lava burbles up from the fissures, golem-like entities assembling on either side of her, heat rippling from them as they manifest. The apparent military leader of the Ankhialeans may not act to attack herself immediately, but one gets the impression that this is not to leave time for negotiation and merely to wait a few seconds before her elemental summoning is complete.
 If battle is to be waged on the party's terms or not at all, they had better act soon. Ivo, this time, does not act first, quickly scanning his friends. The call on if to try to talk or seize the initiative in fighting is not one he is ready to make.

> Xiuhcue has appeared and is preparing to fight!



  In a way, this environment is becoming quite familiar to Reize. It has been a long time, but he definitely recalls the last time he found himself in a land with a huge language barrier. It is only this time that they do have someone who is familiar with the language to help them. Now is not the time to reminisce about his time at Ihiyo.

  What is important is dealing with the growing tensions in front of them. There is at least one person who emerges who shares their tongue, though this figure is judging them. Of course, he hasn't been considered, much to his probable benefit. However, another person emerges to give his distaste towards his fiancee. Reize furrows his eyebrows and steps forward protectively towards her.

  It is soon that Ivo is reminded of something. "Hm? What is it, Ivo...?" It is a moment that Reize does take a look at Atl and think carefully. However, that thought is interrupted at the sudden arrival of a more militant, purposeful set of people.

  That is when the woman makes her appearance.

  This follows the suit of ground cracking and lava emerging before golems break out. As if in response, the Carnelian Bracers glow. It pulses with a heat.

  However, Reize extends a hand out, "Wait! We're not here to harm you or any of the residents!"

 

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Keeping composure/A Cool Head?
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 3).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Persuasion Check
Roll(s): 12. Total result is 12. This is a success (by 0).


Ruidosa La Crima notices the woman who had been in the tunnels. And she raises a hand just as Reize raises his, except hers is a point at the woman. "You! You're the reason for all this!" she screams. "How DARE you try to arrange an incident where my family may be hurt!" she says, all indignance at being spat at vanishing in an instant.

As the woman casts fire and summons golems, she glowers in her own darkness, a pool of it appearing as she covers herself in ichor before folding herself into the darkness as she emerges, a black shadow with glowing blue eyes.

The others have seen this before.

>>> Ruidosa activates her 'Shade' form.

>> Ruidosa spent her turn activating it!

  • Character: Daiby
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago


Daiby gets a good look at Reize, now, and it finally occurs to her that *him* having a snake in his hair - wait. Daiby squints at the snake. She looks at Reize. She raises a hand to kind of gesture in her own ahoge-esque area (please note the exact spelling of that word) as if to indicate to him: 'you got somethin' on your...'

But they are being greeted. Her eyes turn forwards, towards the old woman, the old man. And then another voice booms! Daiby doesn't flinch although her face is briefly shadowed by a grimace, and the snakes that had been peeping out from her hair immediately hide. Her eyes turn towards the big muscling man. She smiles, and strives not to let him see her sweat.

Her eyes flick back to Ivo at the mention of Familiarity. She may or may not get what Ivo's getting *at*. And then...

How well is that going to work? Good question. Still, Daiby's pleasant, almost-bland smile doesn't crack, even as the big man is interrupted. Corrected, perhaps. Maybe they passed a test? Yay! thinks Daiby, even as something flashes, and wisps swirl.

  "Oh!" says Daiby (during the flashback).
  "Isn't that --

OH YEAH SHE'S MAD

"W-w-w-w-wait!" Daiby says, raising her hands and waving them around fervently, eyes blanked out with panic and conciliatory attitude. "We don't understand what we're being punished for! If you burn us to ashes, we'll become very irritating ghosts! Reize, haven't you been studying to become a ghost?!"

what

To an extent this is buying time as the Flame Boa slithers out and coils down and around Daiby's shoulders, though Daiby did not, consciously, tell the snake to do that. But perhaps all the zombie apes and shenanigans have taught her the value of building peace.

Ruidosa may have different plans, but maybe you have to escalate to de-escalate. Daiby thinks she remembers that from her ancient philosophy courses.

  • Character: Atl
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago

The whip cracks, and Atl moves on command, skulking aside to take a position away from the party - a stumble or two closer to the elderly villagers, who make no move to welcome her, but don't disenfranchise her either. She's allowed to creep her toes across their line, where she sinks back onto her haunches, big ol' carnelians observing Xiuhcue's aggressive display.

Is that her done? Her work was simply to bring the adventurers here, then step aside? Await instruction?

The wisps continue to buzz angrily, arrayed almost in a shield in front of the shuddering-still girl. Their incessance only increases as Ruidosa abruptly transforms into something... else, and Atl's attention shifts from her fiery commandant, along with the attention of the arrayed elders. Gasps ensue, elbows nudge ribs; while nobody but a gleefully-dancing Tenoch reacted remarkably to their own fire mistress, they all react to the stranger's retort. There's even the tinkle, here and there...

...of bets being made, as the thickset man and his drinking buddy start a pool on what's sure to be quite the fight.

Glowering, paladin-like Chimalli folds his arms, harrumphing as he takes a step back from it all. As if the fates align, and there is nothing he can do to prevent it - much like Atl, he is merely here, and waiting for the result of what ensues.

"Sorry..."

Or, not quite like Atl, whose eyes find the panicked Daiby. There's no hiding the emotion - pain, hurt, regret, all carried in the stilted whisper of an apology that might even go unheard...


 Ivo decides things don't look good, keeping-the-peace-wise.
 Sweat beads on his brow from the scorching heat of the lava golems as they continue to coalesce, the light shed by their glow seeming to be absorbed by the inky blackness of Ruidosa's shade form as she shifts, rival forces meeting. Ivo looks to Daiby, whose presence as been so reassuring, and sees that even she, intentionally or not, seems to be preparing for battle, her serpent of flame emerging like a radiant mantle. At last, presuming all hope is lost, he reaches for the hilt of his sword-- only stopping when he hears Reize's words.
 If he's trying, Ivo must try too.
 "We know you've suffered at the hands of the Oradians!" he calls, now unable to hide the note of desperation in his voice. "There is much we do not understand! But we will listen, if only you will tell...!"
 "There is nothing to tell."
 Xiuhcue's brazenly confident tone now bleeds malice, her haughtiness giving way to hatred. Flames lick about her fingertips as she looks contemptuously at Reize, glancing at his bracers the way a professional looks at an amateur using borrowed tools, then glares at Ruidosa, showing not a hint of fear before her foe. Yet perhaps strangely, she next aims a yet more venomous look at Daiby. The sight of the Flame Boa emerging upon the ophiodiomancer seems to enrage her, her hands instinctively clutching at the fire rising from them as if to shield it from outside influence, before turning her searing gaze at Atl. If anything, Xiuhcue seems to reserve the greatest hatred for *her*, as if all of these many offenses could be pinned on their newest companion.
 Ivo follows that gaze, his eyes sharpening for a moment. It is not impossible that this is some manner of betrayal. If anything, he is obligated, against his own nature, to assume a more distrustful stance, for Reize's sake. But one look at Atl's face and Ivo, even as their foe's flames rise before him, feels pity flood his heart and eyes.
 This poor girl.
 "Burn away!"
 Xiuhcue shouts, and her summons act.

> BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceGviWDJl-c

 With Ivo having not yet drawn his sword, the nature of which their foe does not know, he is ignored in the first instance: one lava-dripping golem leaps for Reize, its heavy bulk blurring with heat and promising to sunder the earth beneath it with its impact as it swings its heavy arms down like hammers, and another pounces for Daiby, reaching out to attempt to snare her in its scorching grasp. Xiuhcue reserves her own attentions for the fearsome shade-like Ruidosa, gesturing upwards as if rudely, in fact, with a surge of magic, conjuring a swirl of flame below the vampiress before attempting to send it surging upward in a consuming pillar of fire!

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Avoiding the Sundering Hammerfist
Roll(s): 1. Total result is 1. This is a failure (by 9).

  • Character: Daiby
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Daiby rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: s-sundering hammerfist???
Roll(s): 6. Total result is 6. This is a failure (by 4).

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Avoid Damage and the Fire Modifier thanks to the Burn Heels.
Roll(s): 14. Total result is 14. This is a success (by 4).


  "Wait, what do you mean studying to become a ghost?!"

 Reize looks alarmed at Daiby's suggestion. Sure, he has gotten into a lot of trouble, but he's not trying to become a ghost! ...Unless those mushrooms will make him one. That may be a concern for later though, considering that Ruidosa's fury has manifested her form.

 ...Ah, the last time he saw Ruidosa in that form was when she nearly dumped him. Ah. There is a frown. Ruidosa is very furious. Reize has no choice but to draw his twin crystal boomerangs, as they are now stepping into a conflict.

 As the conflict begins, Reize immediately readies himself for one of the golems to strike. It is surprising, however, that the creature is able to take such a leap in the air. He immediately takes a leap back away in an effort to get some distance between himself and the golem. However, the oppressive heat dampens his trajectory, slowing his evasion. This gets him caught by the mighty hammerfist, the forceful smash striking him down. He is blasted straight towards the ground, cracks forming on the ground upon impact. It is only by the Carnelian Bracers that the burn isn't too bad, but the force is enough to leave him feeling in agonizing pain.

 It's going to take him a moment to recover.

 

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: KILL YOU IN THE STREET!
Roll(s): 4. Total result is 4. This is a failure (by 6).

Ruidosa La Crima avoids damage from the fire, it licks at her, she can feel it coming, and thanks to the Burn Heels, avoids it deftly in time to avoid taking fire damage, and any damage at all really by blasting upwards into the air and screeching like a banshee as ''her fiance is crushed into the ground''.

"KILLLL YOU!" she screams as she suddenly zips forward down at an angle, swiping suddenly appearing dark energy blades as she screams out. "FALCATA!" again and again and again with each swipe.

None of her attacks hit in the angry fury.

Yeah she's going to need some time to cool off before any headway can be made now, probably.

  • Character: Daiby
  • 2 weeks, 6 days ago


Daiby has been alarmed and alert enough that what is probably the greatest (though only in terms of magical potency and rarity! not in terms of love! in terms of love, ASAB -> All Snakes Are Beautiful) of her serpentine comrades, the Flame Boa, was already getting brought out! It smoulders with generic rage, flicking out their fiery forked tongue.

 hey guys, what's going on?

(The Flame Boa shares a voice actor with the Kraken from hit nerd single 'Release the Kraken' by Ninja Sex Party. Fortunately, nobody speaks Snake. Even Daiby's mostly working by tele-empathic impulses based in subtle and niche magics. This is why she has to baby talk the snakes - their brains aren't THAT big - but at least they just eat the mice and rats and similar things instead of requiring massive banks of electrocrystals.)

And then she is grabbed.

For the first time in forever (o/~) Daiby lets out a proper shriek. The good news is that any flames coming out from the lava-dripping golem are NOT burning her into a delicious yet comely roast Daiby. The bad news is that it's still a large golem with a big rock fist.

"Oh!! Help!!" Daiby manages to gasp out. (The Flame Boa looks over towards Reize. 'hey man you got something on your head')

  • Character: Atl
  • 2 weeks, 6 days ago

Battle is joined, and wiry old Tenoch is thrashing to get into the fray - it takes both Chimalli and Ivo's heavyset admirer to hold the jingoistic elder back, his knotted limbs pinwheeling in a way that would be comical but for the wrathful rictus contorting his visage. Most of those gathered have begun to retreat, either under awnings or fully into their homes, shutters pulled half-closed in anticipation of overspilling conflict, but so many darkened eyes still peering from the shadows. Whatever the deeper ramifications, or the potential for tragedy at hand, this is certainly the most interesting thing to happen to Hidden Hearth in many years!

Some have capacity for more than one set of reactions, however, and as Reize is flattened by that scorching hammerfist, Chimalli's single eye settles upon the stunned hero. That rheumatic pupil focuses with some sight-beyond-sight, and there's a flare of half-forgotten magicks from the sturdy man's soul. "Get up," he barks, in what amounts to a stage whisper beneath the unfolding, noisome chaos begat by Ruidosa's furious shade. "Fight, outsider."

Sensing the spirit of his words, the woman at Tenoch's other flank joins her voice in encouragement - though her clear carnelians, naturally, fly to Ivo instead. In her native tongue, harshly lyrical, she says, "Keep faith. Ankhiale is with us."

Well, he might recognise *one* of those words.

Perhaps that pseudo-sotte voce reaches Atl, too, who's only shrunk further into herself during the opening salvo. Her emotions are a knot, not just in her stomach but around her limbs, constraining her very thoughts. Xiuhcue's stare is a whip upon cattle already cowed, any semblance of strength rendered to a deep, pathetic welt-- but other strikes fall upon her, images flashing through reality to impact her soul in vicious combination. Eager, brave Reize crumpled, Ivo desperate in his ardence as the world falls around him, Rui's inspiring charge - a level of spiteful, decisive action she'd aspire to, if she could... it all hurts, it's all more than she can do. Is *allowed* to do, within this space. But what if...

What if the space could be changed?

Her eyes flash to Daiby, imperilled, and that's enough. She twists away, turning her gaze from it all - toward the rear of the village, where towers that tepuy, where implacable nature overlooks all this manmade devastation. She lifts a shaking hand, and with a sudden, sonorous scream the wisps are all sucked into her fingertips. Her fingers burn, BLAZE, white-hot coalescence that begins at those tips and starts, inch by fractious inch, to creep into her wrists. It's a subtle enough thing, given all that's occurring, and if nobody is looking at Atl they certainly won't be looking where she is - at the succulent vegetation mounting that towering precipice, thick with moisture and hot with the song of the land.

Her heart leaps into her throat, and her eyes close. She doesn't have enough. She needs more.

"You..."

Her voice is so small. It's been small her entire life. It needs to be bigger. That power, it must be hers.

->> "YOU HAVE TO HURT HER!!" <<-

It's the first time she's ever screamed. Her throat feels raw and bloody from the effort, it takes all that she is, but her voice cuts across the battlefield. Fully two hundred eyes snap to the girl - from the nearby houses, and from within the group of upstarts arranged behind Xiuhcue. But it's not them she needs to hear her... they've never, ever wanted to hear. Her eyes open again, locking onto Xiuhcue. The wisps hiss--

--as they scream up her arms, buzzing through her veins, settling inside of her head. Bellowing lava and smoke from her *eyes*. Carnelians, awash in flame, direct violence toward her own blood.

"Pain," shriek the wisps, through Atl's twisted lips, "Scream. Burn."

  • Character: Atl
  • 2 weeks, 6 days ago

Atl rolls 1d20+2>=10.
Comment: Empower the Downtrodden Embers
Roll(s): 5. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 3).

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20+2>=10.
Comment: Assist Daiby (gallantry bonus)
Roll(s): 16. Total result is 18. This is a success (by 8).


 Ivo is immediately beset by a critical dilemma, which, granted, remains preferable to being beset by a big lava golem elemental thing. As one monstrosity leaps to smash Reize into the ground, the other advances to seize Daiby, and Ivo, hand on hilt yet Hauteclare still sheathed, is compelled to consider another unfortunate calculation, to decide whom he must first assist. He spares a split-second to gauge Ruidosa's status...
 Xiuhcue's expression of contempt and hate, first stirred more by Atl than by the rest of the party, intensifies as the shade evades the Ankhialean's explosive attacks. The enraged vampiress's barrage of dark blades would have easily overwhelmed a lesser adversary. But Xiuhcue seems a font of fiery power and imperious anger, swinging her arms in arcs as her hands claw, flames leaping from her fingertips and erupting like fireworks as though warping the air into naught but heat. Each burst collides with the darkness in eye-searing displays that force onlookers, even in the shelter of shadows, to avert their gazes.
 In the ferocity of this exchange, this is opportunity for Ivo to intervene if he acts decisively. First he looks to Reize, who seems to have been hit the hardest and, if given an opening, could keenly assist Ruidosa's attack. Ivo turns as his friend recovers and is momentarily startled at a sight that Reize himself may not yet have noticed: moments after the impact, a faint glow began to pulse in his pendant. The eidola within may be sluggish and confused, but power is flowing into the pendant and, thus, the one now residing within.
 "Great Mother!" Ivo, hearing his admirer call to him and, indeed, understanding at least one word, makes a bold play: he quickly addresses Yacumama, once called the Mother of Waters, by a nickname just invented and so likely unrecognizable to most, in the heart of her foes' sanctum. (He's not calling his admirer "Great Mother," just to be clear. Not yet, anyway.) "Our foe must wield Ankhiale's power! Can you sense its nature!?"
 Perhaps, Ivo thinks, even if Yacumama never encountered her foes directly, just as Kernunnos was contained by the Vaeltrandian druids, she might remember something or be able to learn more about Ankhiale's weaknesses and how to turn the tables against her apparent champion. But...
 "Faint..."
 Yacumama's reply from Reize's chest is also faint, if audible.
 "That spirit... she is so faint."
 Ivo is visibly baffled, quickly glancing back to Xiuhcue, clearly overflowing with abundant fire magic, and then looks to Daiby, currently immobilzed. He does not hesitate any longer: trusting that Reize can endure as the golem assailing him prepares to unleash another crushing punch, Ivo, drawing Hauteclare and smoothly slapping one of his few remaining earth-aspected elespheres into the powell, launches the blade at lava-dripping elemental attacking Daiby. Targeting the shoulder joint of the arm grasping her, seeking a crevice where molten rock flows to trigger the manifestation of more amber crystal as in his earlier party trick, he aims this time to overtake the golem's body and lock down its movements.
 He succeeds better than he imagined, an amber crystal bulging, growing, and then bursting, shattering the arm that grips Daiby entirely and so freeing her to stumble back as the golem reels. But of course, such an entity does not feel pain. In fact, it had froze in place momentarily as Ivo was striking, advantaging him greatly, and in a moment, he sees why.
 "Atl!"
 He calls out, momentarily confusing himself before he realizes that their enemy, Xiuhcue, had called out that name herself moments before... and now stares at the girl so named in apparent shock. The woman had instinctively countered the surge of wisp-borne fire, overwhelming it with an explosive burst like the sort she is using to ward off Ruidosa. For a moment, Xiuhcue, for the very first time, seems to hesitate. And for that moment, Ivo feels a glimmer of hope that this fight might end.
 That glimmer is swallowed by darkness as Xiuhcue's fine features twist like never before, her tanned skin mottling with incandescent fury, a savage hatred terrifying to behold, to Ivo incomprehensible, even in response to an attack, and abominable.
 "Ah... that's..."
 Yacumama is saying something again, but there's no time now to understand. Reize is being attacked again. Daiby is momentarily freed as her assailant staggers. And as Xiuhcue, horrifyingly, induces the ground beneath Atl to glow, preparing to summon another pillar of torrential flame, Ruidosa has been given an opening.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20+2>=10.
Comment: Burn in the darkness of my discontent!
Roll(s): 17. Total result is 19. This is a success (by 9).


Ruidosa La Crima, currently a ghostly shade, maybe her true form, she hasn't been specific about this, starts using the opening to raise a finger and start mumbling something, an incantation under her breath as darkness pools in the air, before suddenly lashing out in a sudden crisscross of dark energy lasers all concentrated on the single point that is that woman.

"Die in a fire." pause. "NO! I take that back. Die in ten thousand fires, foooool!~" she cackles loudly like a witch.

"Let me end this suffering, your suffering! FOREVER."

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Anti-Air Interruption - Boomerang To Opening
Roll(s): 13. Total result is 13. This is a success (by 3).



 Needless to say, Reize's entire body is in pain right now. His body is yelling at him to move, but the other part is too shocked to move. He hears the bark from the man. In a way, it's almost encouraging, but Reize drives his will to push himself up to his feet. He grimaces, staggering to his feet.

 During his recovery, he can feel that faint pulse resonating from his pendant. While collecting himself and taking some deep breaths, he listens in on the conversation betwween Yacumama and Ivo. Finally, he steels himself into action.

 He flicks his boomerangs along his hands, twirling them before he looks at the large golem's features. Where he spots something that may be servicable in striking where the golem is at.

 After catching the golem with the boomerang, he looks towards Xiuhcue. His eyes are focus onto her. ... There is a disturbing feeling that comes to the back of his mind.

 He never talked about it with Ivo or the others prior, but he was once in the dreamlike state some few weeks ago within their arrival in Oradia. Or probably while he was recovering from one of the bad herbs. He could hear other people's wish. However... there was one whisper, while not distinctive in voice, was distinctive in that 'strong emotion'.

 '... Burn it all down.'

 His eyes snap wide as he's able to correlate the source. "It's you!" As her tan skin twists into a terrifying, abominable form, Reize is now rushing past the golem. He is running towards her with both boomerangs in ready.

 



  ...As for the snake biting Reize earlier, he is slithering off in the midst of the fight. He'll tell the others to take vengeance on the boy later.

 

  • Character: Daiby
  • 2 weeks, 6 days ago

Daiby rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: this is actually a coinflip
Roll(s): 4. Total result is 4. This is a failure (by 6).

  • Character: Daiby
  • 2 weeks, 6 days ago


The good news about Daiby is that she's a gentle soul ultimately, who has mostly avoided the bad sides of a privileged upbringing and has internalized the other qualities: bigheartedness, generosity, charm, etiquette, and all that shit. The bad news is that none of those things gives you combat actions. She only has the one everyone does.

Restrained and reclined, she kicks helplessly in the air as Atl -- is turning to -- no, she's turning away from them. Daiby's eyes widen, they even moisten: she seemed like she was going to advocate for them. Atl's trying to speak. Even as she's being held by a lava beast, Daiby looks towards her -

And she screams. ('woa!' says the boa.)

And with this Daiby stares, even as Ivo addresses the Great Mother Yacumama -- is that name OK? I guess they'll find out together! -- before coming to smash directly into the arm of the golem and freeing her from its grasp! She is able to land and roll away, childhood gymnastics training doing what a conspicuous lack of later weapons or arms-drilling training did. She stays kind of crouched.

The Flame Boa looks towards Ivo. 'thanks dude!' (Ivo cannot hear this, it just looks like the snake looking his way.)

"Rui, dear, I don't think that fire's going to harm them," Daiby says, even as she reaches into her hair with one hand... and her face grows grimmer as she, perhaps, does NOT find what she was searching for. Exhaling with some force, she keeps digging around, and finds... something.

This snake has a rather reflective black scaling, enough that it looks gray. Or, perhaps, like one of those bouncy springy rubber tire things on a Cosmopolitan car. Otherwise, the SOUTHERN RACER is actually rather nondescript! No wonder it hasn't come up before. It's not cool!

'hey man' the Flame Boa emanates to the Southern Racer.
'who is this clown, babe?' the Southern Racer, to Daiby.

"A legendary serpent!" Daiby says, out of nowhere.

The Southern Racer looks towards the Flame Boa. '.........................'

Then they look at Daiby. 'this snake is LEGENDARY? Based on *WHAT*?'

The Southern Racer snake is a notorious hater.

WHAT IS NOT AS HATEY is that Daiby makes an emphatic flourish to pour a shimmering hot-pink wave of force into Ivo... which is certainly a color that magic can be, but which, through a subtle interleaving of both wind and water (water for friction control, wind for swiftness) will lead to his underlying speed increasing. And what's more, its' going to keep increasing over several intervals! Until it abruptly ends, but nothing is free, really.

  • Character: Daiby
  • 2 weeks, 6 days ago

Daiby rolls 1d20>10.
Comment: have some acceleration buffs ivo!!
Roll(s): 14. Total result is 14. This is a success (by 4).

  • Character: Atl
  • 2 weeks, 6 days ago

The battle pulses, emnity seizing a chokehold upon hearts both dark and innocent, cruel and just. Something has to give, and despite the blazing pillar of the Ankhialean terrorist at the midst of it all - no, *because* of her, it's the erstwhile heroes who rally. Atl's burst of power sought to imbue them with at least a fraction of what Xiuhcue wields to oppose them - but behind the thrall of the wisps, she knows, it wasn't her that caused this. They didn't need her. It's she that needs them - it's she, and Hidden Hearth, and Ankhiale herself.

The realization creates a spark, and that spark translates through a bruised and bloody soul into one thing, and one thing only.

Heat. From within, from without, and now from beneath as her sister's power turns against her...

'Die in a fire.'

Atl's eye-sockets smolder, lava pouring down her further-darkening cheeks. For the first time in her life, the eyes of the village are on her, and their nostrils are alight with the smell of her burning flesh as she falls onto all fours, that mountain of curls tumbling across whatever vision she somehow maintains. In despair she chokes, and on contact with the ground her glowing palms also begin to sizzle. The fine hairs on her arms light up like candles, burning from tip to tail, casting black spots the wiry length of her arms.

In ten. thousand. fires.

Her forehead strikes the spell-woven ground and there's a tumultuous rumble from the overlooking tepuy. Birds take flight en masse, a clamor of squawking cutting through the objecting shudder of the very earth. That defiant ripple cuts down through ancient rock, and cascades through the paving stones of the village, tearing a broken line through Xiuhcue's youthful troops as power surges to its ultimate connection point at the girl's tortured cortex. Reize Seatlan reaches apotheosis, and Atl straightens like a shot.

Her hair's on fire, her very being is suffused with the pure heat of Oradia. It's devouring her.

Curls melt into straight rivulets, the burned-out orbs of Atl's eyes fixate upon Ruidosa's sleek, shadowy form--

--and it's this that she comes to mirror. In moments, only the silhouette of her frame is recognizable.

https://i.ibb.co/sdWCqtY3/Ankhslop.png

Drinking IN the aggression of her sister, like milk, Atl is suffused. Lava tresses tumble about a slim, dark, and alien creature of pure fire. Inhuman. Emotionless. Only heat, and burn, and somewhere - deep within - the pain that inspired it all. Burned down, burned away. Baked into something - somebody - else. Atl, Atl, they've all been saying that name. As far as this entity is concerned, it's the wrong name.

'A legendary serpent!' Well, not quite. But they're probably acquainted...

"Xiuhcue," buzz the wisps, through their own volcanic lips.

And for the first time in *her* life, the Ankhialean firebrand is addressed directly by her own God.


 Xiuhcue is in darkness, her light seemingly snuffed out. Ruidosa's devastating rays converge and consume their enemy, obscuring her from view but assuredly impacting her. The Ankhialean military leader's group of allies, who had appeared quite formidable as they flanked her on their first approach, begin to stir, some looking as if they might join the fray, and Ivo, feeling his blood pumping from the effects of Daiby's charm (and also magic), poises himself to intercept. But none of them make a move, perhaps out of wariness of the prospective blast radius of their leader's potential counterattack, perhaps out of confidence in her, but not, it seems, out of fear of the Star Chasers, fiercely though the party is fighting.
 The golems are staggered and disabled as Xiuhcue loses control of them, Reize closing in, Ruidosa's attack only intensifying, Daiby's spell ensuring Ivo is ready to strike in an instant should Xiuhcue emerge from the shadows engulfing her.
 And sure enough...
 "RrrraahhhhhhH!!"
 With a primal scream, Xiuhcue manifests a sphere of scorching flame that slowly pushes against the shade's assault, those rays beginning to splinter and spray, rending the stone about her feet. (Her allies were wise not to approach.) Even with her abundant power, she cannot overwhelm Ruidosa's powerful spell, but she is rising to meet it, the two of them locked in equal might, the flame shifting and warping expertly like a living shield, light and darkness dancing. She is so strong. She cannot lose. She is...
 'Xiuhcue.'

> BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTLpGy71hcw

 She is young, fire leaping from her hand. She is a little older, and a salamander bows before her, scaled head scraping the ground, pride surging within her. She is a little older still, looking down at her baby sister with a similar surge of affection. She is older yet, and in the village's deepest shrine, where the wisps seem to gather. She is reaching out to them...
 "A..."
 ...and they retreat, fearful, fearful of her, *fearful*, of *her*, fleeing. Fleeing to...
 "A... tl..."
 No. That's not her name. Even as her magic surges to counter Rui's, even Reize attempts to approach and brave these gathered flames, as Ivo watches her keenly for openings he could, thanks to Daiby, exploit in a split-second, Xiuhcue knows the name she should speak. For once, dignified pride and unrestrained fury alike fade from Xiuhcue's face. Her lips have parted, her eyes widened. She looks...
 Hopeful.
 Then fearful.
 Then, for the slightest moment, very sad.
 And then...
 "Enough!"
 The anger. The spite. The contempt. It surges, consumes her, body and soul, aimed not at our heroes, not even at Atl, no...
 "If *you* won't fight..."
 ...but at Ankhiale herself.
 "...then *we will*!"
 The fire she has conjured erupts in a blinding flash, repelling the last of Ruidosa's spell. But Xiuhcue does not attempt to press the attack. As her golems start to crumble, deprived of her flow of aether, she begins to march towards the village exit. Without missing a beat, her cohort hastens to follow her.
 As swiftly as she attacked, she just starts walking away. Ivo, though he cannot help but gawk and marvel at Atl and overflow with questions, could attack their erstwhile enemy at any moment, but he doesn't, instead looking to Reize and Ruidosa, who are also in prime position to press the attack, albeit who might need to make it through Xiuhcue's allies now, too. But they would have a chance of hitting, if they tried. After all...
 Xiuhcue isn't looking back.

> The enemy has ceased hostilities.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d2.
Comment: 1 for Goading. 2 for Not.
Roll(s): 1. Total result is 1.

Atl undergoes a transformation into... something, and Ruidosa notices that. Whatever Atl just said made the woman stop fighting.

"WEAK. You're WEAAAAAAAK!" screeches Ruidosa after the woman, as she curls dark claws into weird fists.

Yeah she's stilll upset and and she races into the air to just screech and yell and let loose all this pent up DARK ENERGY she'd been building up harmlessly over the air, like darkness infused fireworks.

Soon, a tiny bat flutters down and weakly lands on Reize's head.

"Nooooooom.<3." goes the bat as it chomps. Yeah. Weakness means feeding. Sorry Reize. This is happening.



  Just as the battle quickly started, it comes to a quick end as the golems lose their power and crumble back to the earth.

  There is a lot that happened. Reize, weathering the gathered flames, notices that they all die down. In that moment, he turns to see the form of Atl, not recognizing her initially. "... Ah?"

 ... And he watches as the woman just leaves. He stares for a moment, frowning at the situation as the army depart.

 And a Ruidosa bat flops onto his head. ...And chomp.

 @_@

 The snake left residence and the bat moved in.

 This is the story of Reize's life. Reize has resigned to his fate of being his partner's chewtoy so she can replenish her energy.