From the Ashes (board and/or AIM D&D)

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Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1059
(4/16/06 17:43)
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Re: post

The longsword is right where he left it. Fortunately, Danny seems content to be hanging around without attacking anyone at this point.

It's possible that since his job is technically to take care of the kids, that's all he's doing. The sad limitations of middle management...

As for the children themselves, the party cannot see anyone in the room just by looking through the door, but it's easy to assume that anyone in there was already hiding from Danny for very different reasons.

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1160
(4/16/06 20:02)
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Re: post

"Well, this day seems to be going about how I expected" Damian said aloud before pulling out his own ring... and attempting to fade into the woodwork. I'm not giving up on a stealthy approach just yet, thank you. I'm not sure this'll work. Funny, that. At least we both agree.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1060
(4/16/06 23:52)
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pixiepixiepixie

For a few seconds there wasn't a sound except for Stephan switching weapons, and for a moment the hallway was more or less still. Then came a voice near Lyminali.

"Now then, Milady doesn't like you, Mister Eddress."

Then the only sound was the tearing of fabric and the stillness was broken by a spray of blood against the back wall. Eve screamed as Lyminali fell back against the white wall, smearing the "safe color" red as he fell. When he hit the floor, his legs swung out onto the "unsafe" tiles. There was no fire, no rumbling or crashing or lowering ceilings. He just disappeared.

All that was left behind was blood on the floor, and possibly a nearby pixie.

Myrnal, somewhat at a loss, did the one thing that always seemed like a safe move in these situations. She pulled out a wand and used it to cast a spell on herself. She disappeared.

Damian is next in case he's interested in doing things.

Link to a combat map, should you choose to accept it.

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1161
(4/17/06 0:30)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

DAMMIT thought Damian. NOT a good day today. Nope. But I'm for making it all better. Desperately hoping to find SOME way to DO something about it, Damian came up with... something. He moved a little closer to the end of the hall, and began a quick chant. Finally, he stomped the ground and... suddenly appeared above Eve, coming down with both hands on where he THOUGHT the annoying pixie might have been with both hands...

If this one works, it'll be GOOD.

(Damian is moving up 2 squares and then using his Shadow Illusion ability centered on Eve's space.)

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1960
(4/17/06 8:29)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

Stephan just stares at the bloody streak on the wall, mouth hanging open in shock.

It's no secret he isn't fond of the man, and felt tempted to do the same himself, many times. But as a general principle, he's not fond of his comrades getting sliced to bits. Not only that, but now they were truly, utterly fucked. Aside from Eve, he was their only other defense against Dawn's powers. And if Eve truly feels anything for the man, Stephan knows she's going to be a wreck in a few moments. Because if it were Midoku in Lym's place...

"...you just made a BIG fucking mistake, buddy..." the swordmage thinks, trying to come up with something to do as Damian attempts to move in.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1061
(4/17/06 16:23)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

Eve flattened herself against the wall as an image of Damian attacking appeared before her. Her eyes were still on the floor where they'd last seen Lym, so she didn't seem to question the illusory teammate in front of her.

Damian is behind James in the hall, but as far as anyone else can tell he's occupying Eve's space in front of her.

(For the sake of noting things that people in this hallway can tell.... I want to remind you all that even though a little bit of light is coming from the room where Danny was playing with kids, the main light source is the main entrance door. The sunlight is able to come in from outside because one of the doors is open. This means that if anyone wants to go outside to escape this silly hallway, they may do so. Party members may move through each other's spaces, though you're free to take attacks of opportunity against each other for doing so if it makes you happy.

Kei is next.)

NebulaQueen
VACANT
Posts: 3520
(4/17/06 19:03)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

He...he didn't just...

Kei's jaw slowly dropped down, as Lyminali's body collapsed onto the tiles and dissapeared. Later on, when thinking back on it, the scene would play back painfully slow. His death would seem mired in time, and the body would fall down as slowly as a petal floating down on the breeze. However, that is the future. In the present, the event happened entirely too quickly, and his body had fallen down with the swiftness and thickening thud of a collapsed shelf.

This wasn't the first time Kei had seen a comrade fall like this; she could easily think of quite a few men she found more worthy than Lym that fell to similar fates. However, if nothing was done soon, then he wouldn't be the last. With as much swiftness as she could muster, Kei sheathed her sword, and pulled out a glittering metal lantern. She lit it with one of her tindertwigs (one of the most marvelous inventions she had the pleasure of using), and thrust it in the direction of where the psionist had fallen.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1062
(4/17/06 22:37)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

Kei paid thirty thousand gil for that lantern. It's a really expensive light source. But... it's a light source that reveals anything invisible within twenty-five feet. All of Kei's allies are now visible, but so is a very small man supporting himself in the air at about waist level, not far from Eve and Myrnal.

"Well, now. Ain't that the damndest thing," the pixie remarked.

Eve snapped out of her state of mild shock when Danny became visible. With a growl of rage she shoved Myrnal aside a bit to get a better angle at the pixie. "You're a dead fucking fairy. You have no idea what I'm going to do to you!" With that she inhaled deeply, held her breath for a moment as if she was going to scream.... and opened her mouth again. What came out was not the scream of rage or grief that the situation certainly warranted. It was a spray of acid similar to that used by dragons. It spread out in a twenty-five foot cone in front of her, sizzling on the walls and the floor. With a slight flip of his wings, Danny manages to evade the spray of acid.

"You dinna really think ye could get me wi'a power like that, did ye? Eva, Eva, Eva." He 'tsked' a couple of times before rushing forward and tapping Kei on the arm holding out her lantern.

He began clapping his hands in front of him. This was done with phenomenal importance, and as he clapped a second and third time rhythmically Kei realized that for making him visible, he was targeting her next. She felt an irresistible urge... to dance. In fact, Danny was even controlling the rhythm with merry little claps and head-bobbing. She managed to keep herself away from the dangerous tiles in front of her, and the lantern she carried stayed illuminated, though it bobbed a little as she moved.

(Kei will be able to do nothing but dance for two rounds. After that she's cool, but for now the game is a fancy pixie jig. For the record, Kei's perform check is a total of 26 because she has high charisma and gets a +2 competence bonus for Danny's instruction because I said so. She looks good! James is next.)

Updated combat map.

Edited by: Kai at: 4/17/06 22:44

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4536
(4/17/06 22:59)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

James smirked a little. "Lyminal Eddress, I came back to save you all from death and I was right on time last chance I got. I guess that didn't work out quite as well as I hoped in this case." The channeler snapped his fingers, magical energy flowing through him.

Invisibility, huh? thought the half-incubus. So you thrive on being able to avoid being seen, do you? Let's see how you handle the reverse!

James flicked his wrist, causing a swirling miasma of darkness to form around his hand.

(Blindness, Fort save DC is 20.)

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1063
(4/17/06 23:22)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

While James' idea was fucking brilliant, the shadow energy gathered when James called upon the "foul powers of unlife" made its way over to the pixie only to be dissipated by the little man's aura.

(James doesn't break SR. Stephan is next. Combat map remains the same.)

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1961
(4/18/06 16:10)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

After seeing what little effect James' magic had on the fey, the swordmage figures most magic will not be very practical to use.

Fortunately, Stephan has a weapon he's been dying to use for a long time.

"...and Midoku thought I was daft spending the money on making this..." the swordmage thinks to himself, running past the dancing nekojin and ladies around the corner. Once he reaches the pixie, he wastes no time in trying to connect the blade with the taunting little man.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1064
(4/18/06 16:31)
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Re: pixiepixiepixie

Moving forward past his comrades, Stephan reaches out and swings his longsword at Danny. Not only does he hit, but the damage seems to stick since he's using a weapon specially made to injure fey.

Myrnal moves past Stephan onto the square behind Danny, pulling a weapon from her belt. After all, Stephan's not the only one with a weapon for every foe. She takes a swipe at him and misses because he's floating and annoying. She moves back behind Stephan to stand where she was before so as not to interfere with anyone else. This would be a bad thing, especially with magic-users in the group.

(Stephan dealt a total of 13 damage. Nice job. Damian is next. Map.)

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1162
(4/18/06 16:48)
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darkness darkness!

Seeing that his initial plan has been shot, Damian lets go of the illusion he was using and goes for something new. Something new involving Myrnal feeling just a tad more crowded as her teammate stands nearby, quickly drawing his black gauntlet Raistlin. "KIYAAAAH" he shouts as he seemingly punches at the ground... and a spike of shadow underneath Danny strikes UP at him.

(Damian has moved down 6 spaces into Myrnal's square and has used Raistlin's Shadowstrike ability to reach into Danny's square. He's flat-footed as a result of the odd attack, too. All in all, 1d8+2 + 6d6 sneak attack damage.)

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1065
(4/18/06 22:19)
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Re: darkness darkness!

Damian and Myrnal are now sharing a space. This might be a problem if Myrnal needs to have a little mobility, but she can always move later when she needs to.

Damian was finding that a little bug like Danny could be damned hard to hit. It would seem that despite the unique nature of Damian's attack, it was extremely difficult to catch Danny off guard.

Eve pointed a finger at Danny, and a thin green ray connected her hand to Danny. Unfortunately Danny's resistance to magic also applied to psionics, and Eve couldn't successfully overcome it.

Danny, for his part, pulls out a wand and points it at Eve. He twitched the end of it and said, "Snuff that lantern, Eva-lass. Now." Eve blinked and glanced toward Kei's lantern of revealing. She blinked a couple more times and shrugged off the command. Danny looked disappointed, but hey. What can you do, eh?

Map.

(Damian misses, and Eve hits but doesn't overcome SR. However, she does make her will save versus suggestion. James is next.)

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4539
(4/19/06 19:22)
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Re: darkness darkness!

James cursed at the little flying bastard's resiliance. His own flying maneuverability wasn't good enough for him to do aerial combat with the pixie, and even though he was visible, it seemed like every spell his allies threw was being shrugged off. It was time to try a different approach.

The half-incubus muttered a brief spell incantation and twirled one of his katar to finish the somatic components of the casting. His allies would presumably all notice within moments that their movement speed had greatly increased.

(James casts Haste on the party.)

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1965
(4/19/06 22:20)
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Re: darkness darkness!

Stephan can feel the enchantment taking effect, his movement becomeing somewhat faster. He looks the pixie in the eyes, an almost predatorial grin on his face as he lashes out with all his strength, taking full advantage of James' assistance.

(Full attack on the little bugger)

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1068
(4/20/06 11:29)
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Re: darkness darkness!

Stephan, aided by James' magic and the wonders of cold iron, scored a solid hit on his first swing. The momentum from Stephan's sword caused the pixie to be knocked backward, slamming into the doorframe. Stephan's second swing sent the longsword straight through the midsection of the sneaky little fey. When Stephan withdrew his weapon, Danny fell straight to the floor, falling on one of the 'unsafe' tiles and disappearing, leaving the party alone in the hallway for now.

Eve leaned back against the white wall and bit her thumb. Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head, but didn't say anything.

"Hey," Myrnal said quietly. "I've paid to revive people I hated more than him. We'll get him back, provided any of us survive. Worst case scenario, we screw up and everybody dies anyway."

Eve shrugged, still lost in her thoughts. Her expression hardened and she glanced down the hallway. They won this battle, but they'd suffered losses and were far from done.

(Stephan dealt 36 damage, leaving Danny no hitpoints to his name when all's said and done.)

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1164
(4/20/06 20:05)
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Re: darkness darkness!

"Either way" mused Damian, as he gave his own rather grim look down the hall. "I think we've lost the element of surprise. So shall we knock instead?"

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1968
(4/20/06 23:03)
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Re: darkness darkness!

"Let's just keep moving. If they heard the commotion, this is going to be the first place they look." Stephan comments to the group, "So let's try the door on the opposite side there. Unless anyone feels compelled to go ransacking the other rooms there."

NebulaQueen
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Posts: 3547
(4/20/06 23:38)
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Re: darkness darkness!

Kei stood still for a few minutes, her only movement being the flexing of her legs. It was as if she was trying to make sure she was back in control of her own body. "That was...very strange," she said, before straightening herself out. "Unless any of you plan to go invisible, I suggest we keep the lantern lit as we go on."

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4543
(4/21/06 17:14)
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Re: darkness darkness!

"Even if I were to go go invisible, all you'd have to do is avoid pointing it at me," shrugged James. "Let's move. And now that we know what happens to the poor bastards who stray from the safe and narrow, I would suggest that everyone watch their step."

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1071
(4/22/06 16:24)
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Re: post

The door next to James is, like all the doors they've seen, dark on one side and light on the other. The door isn't actually locked, and James doesn't hear anyone behind it. Opening the door, he sees another classroom, with a door on the left connecting to the other room, and a door on the left that goes...well, to the left. Probably the same place that the door at the end of the hall leads.

First off, the floor looks relatively safe. Just some kind of beige carpet. No tiles or oddly-colored walls. There's a large blackboard with the same phrase written on it a few dozen times. "I will not steal from smaller children. I will not steal from smaller children." Apparently even brainwashed cultists misbehave from time to time.

The doors in the interior rooms aren't big stone dealies, so it's easier to hear what's going on on the other side. The room beyond the door on the right (and presumably also behind the door at the end of their hall) is kind of noisy. It sounds like a damn cafeteria. Lots of voices and whatnot.

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4544
(4/22/06 16:38)
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Re: post

James muttered to himself and stepped back out of the room. "Great. A kid's hangout. The last thing I was hoping to find." He looked back at his allies, making a slicing motion across his throat as if to say "cut."

In a low voice, he explained the situation. "Probably just kids back there. We don't really need to go looking for them, so I vote we go down that hallway." He pointed down past where they had killed the pixie, the only area they hadn't yet explored within sight. James, without further ado, slipped that way, staying close to the white wall on the left-hand side.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1072
(4/22/06 17:01)
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Re: post

James doesn't have too much trouble crossing over to that side with the white wall, and the door at the end of the hall is probably just what he expected at this point. The moment he touched the white door, a few phrases scrawled across the surface of the door, glowing white.

I dance and breathe and even deceive. I am not alive, yet watch how I thrive. Don't come too near or I will eat you my dear.

There wasn't any noise, or much indication of what James was supposed to do with this information, but there you have it.

Edited by: Kai at: 4/22/06 17:02

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4545
(4/22/06 17:32)
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Re: post

James cursed under his breath. "Shit."

He turned back to the group and shook his head. "It's some kind of riddle, and I'm not sure what the answer is. I doubt kicking in the door is going to let us bypass this trap, either."

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1970
(4/22/06 18:33)
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Re: post

Stephan glances over the puzzle, muttering it softly to himself.

"...breath... but not alive..."

He then glances at the others, his confused expression confirming his next statement.

"...I don't have a bloody clue, so I sure as hell hope one of you do."

Stephan keeps mulling the words over in his mind, but he can't quite seem to get anything to 'click'. He silently wishes his better half were there, as Midoku tended to handle this sort of thing better.

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1168
(4/22/06 19:16)
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Re: post

Damian looked at the riddle... You got any ideas? Nope, ain't got nothin. You know I let YOU do all the work here. Freeloader. Damn right.

One avenue of help down, Damian was about to ask the others for a good guess when he realized something. "Wait. A plant? Yeah, I think its a plant. But is it any particular kind?" Damian had to wonder... because if it was wrong who knows what sort of badness would suddenly arise from this door.

NebulaQueen
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Posts: 3554
(4/22/06 23:07)
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Re: post

"While I have heard rumors of rather...ah, hungry plants, I doubt it," Kei says. "...wait a minute...it dances...you need to watch it "thrive", even if it isn't living...and it eats those who get too close..." Her eyes widened in recognition, before letting out a short gasp. "Fire!" she exclaimed, in a hushed tone. "Of course! They've certainly used it before, why not now?"

Edited by: NebulaQueen at: 4/22/06 23:09

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1971
(4/22/06 23:19)
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With permission heh

"...assuming that's right, now what?" Stephan asked, still in a hushed voice, "Do we set the bloody thing on fire?"

NebulaQueen
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(4/22/06 23:20)
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Re: With permission heh

"I think the fire is something we need to watch out for," Kei quietly replied. "Remember the riddle's warning about getting too close."

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4546
(4/22/06 23:26)
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Re: With permission heh

"Okay, so it's probable that there's something fire-themed behind the door, assuming the door even opens. I haven't tried. Alternately, it's possible that the door is trapped with fire. We could sit here all day pondering the various possibilities."

James, given some potential knowledge of the possible trap mechanism, began to search the door carefully.

(Search check, yay for trapfinding!)

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1073
(4/22/06 23:33)
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Re: With permission heh

The door and surrounding walls, floor, etc. do not seem to be vastly more dangerous than the other doors they've seen. Now that he's closely inspecting it, the hinges on the black door seem to have something...wrong with them. If there's a trap it's probably in there, but they were already warned against black doors.

Archmage144

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Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4547
(4/22/06 23:34)
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Re: With permission heh

James shrugged post-inspection. "Black's still bad, I guess. Not really news." He cautiously reached for the handle of the white door and pulled it open.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1074
(4/22/06 23:45)
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Re: With permission heh

As James pulled the handle, the door opened with a sighing noise like a wine bottle about to release a cork...but nothing happened.

The door opened onto a room whose floor was covered in shining white wall-to-wall tile. The room itself was probably over twice the size of the hallway they'd just come from.

The room is too large to see it all from the doorway, so checking out the room demands that someone actually go in. The party can see a good bit from the door, however. The walls look relatively inoffensive, and there's even a painting hanging on the right wall. The odd thing is that the painting looks like it's entirely in shades of grey. The walls are grey, too.

The painting, while at a pretty steep angle, is large enough to be identified from the door. It looks like a portrait of several people standing together. One's clearly Dawn standing off to the right. Next to her is a man with dark-colored wings. In the center is a tall dark-haired man that James would recognize as Elaith. Next is what looks like a mindflayer and an older gentleman dressed in black.

Edited by: Kai at: 4/22/06 23:54

NebulaQueen
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(4/22/06 23:50)
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Re: With permission heh

Cautiously, Kei stepped into the room, still holding her lantern in case any more invisible foes should be waiting for them. However, she was also prepared to blow out the flame at any moment; they were still uncertain about the exact details of the riddle, other than that fire was involved.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1075
(4/23/06 0:12)
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Re: With permission heh

As Kei crossed the threshold into the room, it was as if all of the color had drained from her clothes, her fur, even the light from the lantern was a pale white light instead of the normal yellow of a flame.

On the same wall as the door they entered from was a door that was on Kei's left as she entered. It couldn't be seen from the other doorway, but presumably it led somewhere. Summary: One wall has two doors in it, including the entrance. One wall has a painting on it and everything else is bare and spartan.

Standing in front of the door were two people as devoid of color as everything else in the room. These two have always had dark hair and eyes, but when everything is in shades of grey, the contrast between their skin and hair was a little eerie. Kei recognizes them as the pair of twins she'd first met at the estate. Rendon stood with one arm over Rilla's shoulder, his expression resolute, betraying traces of barely-restrained anger. Notable to Kei is the fact that Rilla doesn't seem to be reacting to Kei the way she did before. The girl is gazing at Kei as steadily as her brother is.

"Hello Kei," said Rendon.

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1972
(4/23/06 0:18)
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Re: With permission heh

Stephan blinks at Kei for a moment, wondering how all the color faded out as she entered the room. Then he hears the little boy's voice, a feeling of dread washing over him.

"...that sounds like..."

Deciding that viewing the speaker is more important that the oddity with the visual color range, Stephan comes into the room next to Kei, trying to see what's going on.

NebulaQueen
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(4/23/06 0:24)
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Re: With permission heh

Kei looked around the room in wonder, curious about how the color had just...dissapeared. However, she barely had a moment to ponder this before hearing Rendon's voice. She looked at them and a brief flash of sadness came across her face, before she steeled herself.

"Hello Rendon," she said, not too unkindly. "I suppose you have some duties to attend to here." She watched them intently as she talked, waiting to see what actions they were going to take.

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4548
(4/23/06 0:25)
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Re: With permission heh

James cursed inside his head. Shit again. Kids.

This was not something he wanted to deal with. If Stephan and Kei wanted to parley with children, that was their business. He decided to try to stay around the corner out of sight; if violence broke out, it would be much better if his enemies never even knew he was there...

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1169
(4/23/06 0:41)
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Re: With permission heh

Another new and unexpected twist to the story. Damn. I was hoping that she'd leave the kids OUT of this. Maybe you're just overreacting, boss. Maybe he's just in trouble or something. Yeah, right. You go in to protect Kei. Just in case you're wrong. HEY. When have I EVER been wrong? Some questions were better left unanswered, though the mental twitch that followed sure gave more answer than intended.

Despite thinking that this was probably going to go very, VERY badly, Damian went through the door anyway. First, he took a moment to find and drink from a bottle he'd carefully labeled as "Shadowy Friend" before calmly stepping through the door. He could at LEAST do his part to make sure that this didn't get any worse. Meanwhile, his little shadow friend slipped closer to Kei... just another shadow on the wall.. .err, floor, as it were.

(Edited with GM's permission... I hope. ^^;; )

Edited by: Nakibe at: 4/23/06 0:52

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1076
(4/23/06 1:08)
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Re: With permission heh

"I do," he answered. He raised his chin. "You're not going past here. I know why you're here, and you're not--" He stopped as Stephan stepped into the room. "Oh. So it's everyone, is it?" He nodded to Damian and then to Eve as she came in behind him. "Eva. I figured you'd show up. How's your boyfriend?"

Eve gritted her teeth and clenched her fists but didn't say anything.

Rendon smirked. "Yeah. We're not stupid. We know why you're here."

Rilla looked over to her brother, then back over to the party members now in the room. She unflinchingly inspects them all, lingering on Damian as she's never seen him before. "I don't know who you are, but you don't know anything about us. I don't know what they told you, but none of you know anything. You'll see."

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4549
(4/23/06 1:20)
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Re: With permission heh

James' ears perked up as the conversation continued.

Give me an excuse to kill you, he hissed internally. Give me a good reason to shove my blades into your pre-pubescent nervous systems and sink my teeth into your neck. Give me a good reason to hate you as much as I do.

NebulaQueen
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(4/23/06 1:28)
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Re: With permission heh

"Oh really?" Kei said, raising her brow. "You think we know nothing. Alright then. But tell me, what do you know of your friends, Joss and Alya? Do you have any idea what was done to them?"

All this was said with a calm, business like tone, although the look on her face seemed reminiscient of a duelist on the verge of a challenge.

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1078
(4/23/06 1:40)
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Re: With permission heh

Rendon's lip curled in a cynical little sneer. "They betrayed us. They were given a chance to redeem themselves and you took that. Now they're lost to us. You wouldn't understand because you're part of the problem. Things have stayed the same for too long, and we're going to stop it."

Rilla nodded, but when she spoke her tone was free of Rendon's anger and bitterness. "I'm sorry that you don't understand. You were very nice to us, but if you're trying to stop us we can't trust you. You're just.... just like everyone else. All sweetness and kind words until you have what you want." Rendon growled back in his throat, but Rilla continued over him. "If you won't help us protect them, then you're part of what's brought us all this far. You're part of what has to go."

Rendon laughed dryly. "She wants to let you go. She won't say it but she does, don't you Rilla? If you go now we'll let you, but I don't think you will. I know what you want and so does she."

Edited by: Kai at: 4/23/06 1:42

NebulaQueen
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(4/23/06 1:49)
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Re: With permission heh

"That was some chance," Kei said, softly. "Having one's mind and essence ripped asunder...but of course it was for the greater good. And if the same thing-or worse-happens to other children, children in the same positions you were, it doesn't matter! The world needs to be 'purified'. Even the people who don't deserve it, even the people who aren't monsters in the skin of men, and even those trying to make things better. Now, you talk a lot about adults being kind until they get what they want. But from what I've seen, your wonderful Dawn is doing the same thing to you."

Her gaze turned cold, as she continued on. "You have given us a chance to turn back and leave. Very well, we will do the same. We'll give you a chance to stand aside and come to your senses. Perhaps you'll realise just how much Dawn's hatred and your anger have blinded you."

Kai

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(4/23/06 2:00)
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Re: With permission heh

Rilla and Rendon separated a few inches and Rendon seethed. "Dawn rescued us! She saved us!" He shouted. "All of us! And all she asks in return is the courage and the dedication to change everything. What happened to us will never happen again. We will destroy everything that has turned on us and make the world new." Rendon clenched his fist and it began to smoke. He pointed his hand at each of the present party members, sweeping his hand in front of him in an arc as he spoke. The smoke from his hand trailed behind it.

"Your fear will not save you! Your fear is that the change we bring will destroy what you know. You're too old to understand. Things have stayed still too long and SO HAVE YOU! The world is dying for your fear, but we are not afraid. We will make things right and you will die if you stand in our way."

Rilla took a step away from her brother and she took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as if steeling herself. Except for that sound, the room was momentarily completely quiet.

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1171
(4/23/06 2:30)
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Re: With permission heh

"You're right, child." said Damian. "I don't know you. Not personally, anyway. But..." Damian thought about his words carefully... and thought about some twenty odd years of "work"... twenty years of killing on-command. "... I can't say much about you, or what your lives were like. I DO feel a sort of sympathy for you. In fact, I kind of envy you. Dawn has given you hope where I had none at your age. For me, there was only tests, more tests, and the small praise I got for learning how to be better, faster, deadlier..."

There was just too much resonance here for Damian. Too much that seemed familiar. Looking away for a mere moment, he had to wonder ... if only I could make them understand... Maybe then this... doesn't have to go the way it seems...

Shaking his head, he stopped. Now was NOT the time for a trip down memory lane... and yet... "Look. You probably don't understand... I now have a little brother. A young kid who's more talented than I ever was... and he's happy just being who he is now. Your master... your Dawn... she nearly took him away from me when the Jade Dragon Inn was burned down. Do you understand that?" Doubt, hope, all in one place... And for once, it wasn't professional anymore. This job wasn't the day-to-day... and neither was this situation. It was all too close to home. I'm... not sure I could do this... I'm really not.

"I... I just want to go through, okay? I'm only here because of Solis. And I don't care enough about the future aside from that. Please... just stand aside. "

Archmage144

Hyper-scientific Bishounen
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(4/23/06 15:03)
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Re: With permission heh

I've heard enough, thought James. I know where their revolutionary idealism and child-like adoration and bullshit will lead. I know what their "New Order" is, and I won't listen to another word of it!

A quiet, totally inaudible message drifted across the floor toward Kei and only Kei: "Do me a favor and put out that lantern, would you?"

James' grip on his katar handles tightened as he muttered the incantation to a familiar spell. Within moments, he was no longer visible.

They think they're so smart, but I KNOW what their future will be like! And they can shove it up their tiny little asses!

Electrical energy surged through both of James' weapons noiselessly. He then crept around the corner, trying to be as quiet as he could. He knew that the spells would hold long enough for him to get the jump on the children. And that's when he saw her.

His eyes widened at the sight of the little girl, the little girl that Rendan was so willing to protect. The little girl that he knew would one day become Dawn's right-hand lieutenant. The little girl that was personally responsible for hunting down revolutionaries like himself and his father. The little girl who would be responsible for the deaths of dozens of his friends.

James gritted his teeth, trying to keep his emotions under control as he snuck toward the girl. If he could just get close enough...

(James has cast improved invisibility, followed by 2x shocking grasp, which he is "holding" in his katar. At the time he is finished with his first [double] move action into the room, he has 6 rounds of invisibility left and has moved a maximum of 60 feet. If he's close enough, he's going to attack immediately at the start of the next round, assuming he's still undetected and we don't need to roll initiative.)

Edited by: Archmage144 at: 4/23/06 18:25

NebulaQueen
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(4/23/06 19:57)
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Re: With permission heh

Kei's brow furrowed for a moment at the strange message, before blowing it out and switching it to her off hand. She was almost hesitant to, before remembering some of her allies' more special talents...not to mention the fact that the pixie's quick demise left her with little to worry about regarding him. Now, the best she can do is hope that whatever her invisible companions are planning isn't entirely foolish.

"I suggest you listen to Damien," she said, after turning her attention back to the children. "There is a great deal of wisdom in his words."

Edited by: NebulaQueen at: 4/23/06 20:01

FF Fanatic 80

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Posts: 1973
(4/24/06 2:08)
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Bit overdue for long postage =D;

He had hoped this wouldn't happen. He had hoped that somehow, they could avoid the kids and just deal with Dawn herself. Even now, a small part of him hoped the kids would listen to reason.

But he knew better, especially after a life such as his own.

They were not going to listen to anyone. To them, Dawn was everything, and losing her would leave them with nothing. That much is clear to him, especially after the brief speech given to the group.

It left him with a simple question, on the surface. Who is more important, total strangers or the people dearest to you? Stephan already knows the answer to this question, and what he will have to do now.

He only has one last thing to say to the pair. If anything, he hoped to give his soul some ease, if the inevitable should come to pass.

"You're both right, you know. There is a lot in this world that's fucked up and horrible. I've lost a lot that's dear to me, because of the shit in it. Dead friends, a dead father..."

Stephan seems to hesitate a moment. He swallows, a pained expression on his face briefly.

"...and a dead soul, thanks to someone who promised to make everything better for a little boy, but just wanted him around as his little fucktoy."

He quickly composes himself, continuing on.

"For a long time, I felt a lot like all of you. Fuck the world, and everyone in it. Everyone's only out for number one. Deep down, everyone is a selfish, scheming, black-hearted monster. I thought if the world was really like that, that's all I needed to be as well. I took what I wanted, did whatever the fuck I wanted, and killed who I wanted, because I expected the same shit from everyone else. In fact, I was the very thing you all seek to purge from this world."

"But I met someone during my travels. Someone else who lost everything like I had, and felt some of the things I did toward the world. As we travelled together, we each helped bring back feelings in the other thought long dead. I found someone who meant the world to me, and I knew felt the same way for me. He finally made me realize what I was missing, how I only saw the world with half-closed eyes."

"It's true that there are people who only look out for themselves, who only work toward their own needs and wants. People who could care less about the fate of the world. But for every person like that, there's someone who's willing to put everything before himself. Someone who would gladly give up everything, even his own life, because he cares more about the happiness of others than his own. Someone like my brother, Daniel. And far more than I thought could be in a world like ours.

"I spent so much time angry at the evils of our world, I couldn't see the good that does exist. I've still seen my share of greed and selfishness over the years, but I've also come to know many good people in my travels. And I'd do anything to help them if they needed it, because I know they'd do the same for me."

"Those people are why I'm here. Those people are why I can bring myself to do the bloody unthinkable. Those people, are why I will kill the both of you, if you try to stop us."

"You say Dawn's going to remake the world into a better place, because of all the shit that's wrong with the world. I'm warning you right now, that whatever world she creates, it will be no fucking better off. Even the Gods themselves, with knowledge beyond anything any of us could bloody well hope to understand, can't make Gaera into a paradise. If the Gods themselves can't do it, I don't see a way in hell any human being can create a perfect world either. Even someone like Dawn."

Stephan draws his sword, looking at both children intently.

"We're not going to let Dawn throw everything away, just so she can recreate her version of the 'perfect' world. I'd rather live with the horrors of this one, then throw away all the wonderful things that exist. If the two of you can't see that, then you leave me no choice..."

He waits for a reaction, sword at the ready. He knows what he will have to do, and what he will have to live with the rest of his life. The cost of failure is far more costly, more than another stain on his already tarnished soul.

...still, he silenly wishes there were another way.

Edited by: FF Fanatic 80 at: 4/24/06 2:16

Kai

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(4/24/06 8:33)
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That's one hell of a post you dropped, Dave.

Rendon and Rilla waited while Stephan spoke, and while Rendon's lip curled in another cynical little sneer, Rilla seemed to be listening for now. At the very least, she flinched just a little every time something probably hit a little too close to home. At the remark about fucktoys she broke eye contact for a while, but Stephan probably expected that. She even listened to his argument about Dawn, but it was hard to tell how convinced the girl was. She didn't look angry or indignant like her brother, just profoundly sad. She frowned a little and and opened her mouth to speak.

As she took a breath to reply to Stephan, her words were replaced by a gasp of surprise and agony as James tore into her with his katar and, true to precedent, his teeth. She staggered back against the door under the force of James' attack. In this colorless room, the others could see the near-black of her blood mixed with the glancing white light of the bleached-out lightning covering James' longtime enemy. The unusual thing was that Rendon barely had time to notice what had happened before the effect seemed to transfer at least partly to him.

(James does...more damage than I feel like sharing right now. The twins aren't looking fantastic, and it's quite plain that initiative is now required. Kei is up next.

A map for your convenience. For the record, James is pictured here but remains invisible.)

FF Fanatic 80

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Posts: 1974
(4/24/06 10:24)
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Re: That's one hell of a post you dropped, Dave.

Stephan just stares, caught completely off-guard by James attack. He looks at the young girl, covered in her own blood, likely near death. And can't help but look sympathetic to her fate, despite her intentions.

...but it doesn't matter now. It's too late for regret, the choice has been made. He has to keep going forward, or no one will have a future left.

"...we have to stop her, I have to stay focused, I have to stop her, I can't let them all down..." he tries to tell himself.

NebulaQueen
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(4/24/06 23:11)
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Re: That's one hell of a post you dropped, Dave.

Kei grimaced when she saw the twins fall. Whatever she was expecting, this wasn't it. However, she did know one thing: if they didn't act quickly, they were bound to retaliate.

She drew her katana, and rushed to where Rendon was. Determined to stop him, but not to slay the child, she attempted four swift strikes. Those remembering the earlier fight with the demon may note that she's not putting her all into this battle yet.

(Okay, Kei's trying to do nonlethal damage here, which should give her a -4 to her attack rolls. She also gets an extra attack with her katana, due to it being swift and all. ANYWAYS, including the modifier, her bonuses are now +19/+19/+14/+9, and damage is 1d10 + 2.)

Edited by: NebulaQueen at: 4/24/06 23:23

Kai

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Posts: 1084
(4/24/06 23:47)
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Re: That's one hell of a post you dropped, Dave.

Kei felt the first hit, as well as the last two, connect solidly with the boy. Well, as solidly as they were going to while she was still pulling punches. He looked like he'd had the wind knocked out of him, but at the very least Kei had contributed without killing him.

Myrnal, not wanting to get too terribly close to children whose abilities were, as of right now, not completely clear...pulled out a wand and from the end of it came a bolt of white lightning. After all, it had worked all right for James. There was no harm in trying it now.

The electricity flew right between Kei and James' shoulders, narrowly missing them both. Rendon, obviously distracted by Kei, couldn't manage to pull himself out of the way. The bolt slammed into him as yet another party member decided to lay into the decidedly more hostile brother-figure. He looked like he was on the edge of consciousness, but there was still a little bit of fight left in him.

Rilla, for her part, took one panicked look at her brother and closed her eyes momentarily. It was the last clear look the party got at her face before her entire body covered itself in fire. She jumped upward and began stepping into the air on small floating footprints of fire. Once she was above James' head, she broke and ran for the other side of the room. She stopped toward the corner, remaining in the air where she felt a little safer.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Kei deals 23 points of subduel damage to Rendon. A map for your convenience. For the record, James is pictured here but remains invisible. Damian is next. Please post modifiers and any other relevant info to avoid me taking forever on incredibly elaborate things.)

Edited by: Kai at: 4/24/06 23:50

Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1174
(4/25/06 17:22)
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Re: That's one hell of a post you dropped, Dave.

For a moment, Damian was outright stunned by what happened. Just stunned. For a moment it was all going wrong. Every single hope of trying to avoid fighting these kids was gone.

And then the other part of him kicked in. This didn't HAVE to happen, he kept thinking. But it was too late now... a choice was made, or lost.

Seeing that Rendon was more or less handled, so Damian moved towards Rilla, suspended in the air as she was... and on FIRE, no less. The only plan he could think of that WOULDN'T hurt her probably was stupid, or so Damian thought. Still, it was better than being completely unarmed, as it were. As such, Damian pulled out a mildly expensive outfit he'd bought a while back for high-society jobs... and tossed it at Rilla. It wasn't much, but it was certainly something to do instead of immediately jump at the flaming girl.

(Damian is... well, he's doing something completely odd here. He has moved down 4 squares, and has thrown relatively expensive clothing at the girl. Since it is not a throwing weapon, -4 to the Attack roll, leaving him with +14 to the roll. It does no damage as far as I can tell, but eh. Now, if it DOES actually hit, it'd be nice to make a Hide check at -10... but that's up to you to allow or not.

Thus, +14 ranged attack with clothing. Um... Yeah. )

Edited by: Nakibe at: 4/25/06 17:24

Kai

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Posts: 1087
(4/25/06 21:52)
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whoop it up

Damian tossed the various cloth items at the girl in the air. She threw her arm up in front of her face, and the clothes did cover her for about a second and a half before they were totally incinerated by the flames she was generating. A few tatters floated to the floor, but most were vaporized by what must be some pretty intense fire covering Rilla.

(Damian hits with the clothes, and they take 5 damage for being thrown onto a person generating flames. Unfortunately for clothes, they have hardness 0 and 1HP per five inches of thickness. Meaning, they couldn't handle close proximity to the juvenile female human torch. A map for your convenience. For the record, James is pictured here but remains invisible. Stephan is next.)

FF Fanatic 80

Imposter Brit
Posts: 1976
(4/25/06 23:20)
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Re: whoop it up

After briefly raising an eyebrow at Damian's tactic, Stephan quickly goes over his options to himself. It doesn't help that several other things are competing with his need to think.

These kids are going to destroy everything if not stopped. Midoku, Daniel, everything. He has to do whatever it takes to stay alive and take Dawn out.

...But a part of him still can't completely accept that they need to die. They're kids, they still have a chance to change. A chance Stephan never got to have.

...But yet another part remembers what Myrnal said, about hesitating and costing someone their life. And as much as he hates to think it, Lym had 'somewhat' of a point there as well. Which is being made very clear right now.

...But all of that doesn't matter, because if he stands there being introspective for ten minutes, the two kids are going to roast him like a stuffed chocobo on Ishmas.

Rilia is the bigger threat at the moment, even with all her injuries. If she isn't either locked down or taken out, she's going to put them all in for a lot of hurt. He could just try lobbing magic at her, but he has no guarantee she'll be affected. What he needs, is something he's relatively sure will interfere with her impact on the fight.

With that in mind, he extends his right arm forward and begins to incantate. He calls upon the air itself to gust and gale at high speed.

(Stephan casts Windwall, forming a pillar of air around the squares surrounding Rilia, extending up to the ceiling and down to the fllor)

Kai

Robo-Kai
Posts: 1089
(4/26/06 19:40)
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