[Taocow PBEM] Chapter XVIII - Into The Heart Of Darkness

Aaron Clausen mightymartianca at gmail.com
Fri Mar 20 16:33:02 GMT 2009


> [GM]
> The company's reverie is interrupted by a distant scream coming from
> somewhere to the north.  This is followed in a few moments by more
> screams coming from the swamp.  Suddenly there are a dozen blue-skinned
> midgets in loin cloths, some carrying knives, some carrying swords and one,
> dressed in what looks like a suit of gold armor, carrying a staff.  For a moment
> they don't seem aware of the company, keen, it seems, on finding the source
> of the first scream.  Then they notice the ATVs and begin shouting.  Their
> leader spits out a strange multisyllable command that sounds like
> "Ruratrangamumbunanganun!"
>
> The gold armored midget stops and holds out its staff, seemingly preparing
> to attack, while the others continue running northward.
> [/GM]

> [Ted]
> Ted draws a bead on the midget, ready to fire if he tries anything suspicious.
> [/Ted]

> [Koba]
> Snapping on the helmet Koba takes a knee and swings the rifle off from over his
> shoulder. Propping it up over the hood of the ATV Koba wraps his hand around the
> strap and peers through the scope. Ready for an aimed shot at the midget's head if
> it is exposed through the armor at the first sight of any hostile action or spellcasting.
> "Aim for the leader." Koba says through the radio mic.
> [/Koba]

> [Owen]
> Owen will hop off his bike, pull out his rifle and take aim at the staff the midget
> leader is holding, and wait to see what they are doing.  If they make hostile moves,
> Owen will attack.
> [/Owen]

> [Talas]
> Talas prepares his plasma rifle and waits to see the ATV he is in will stop to fight or
> try to out run the midgets.- if the ATV stops to fight then Talas will fire at the gold armoured midget.
> [/Talas]

> [Sia]
> Sialillion watches the midget impassively.  Does his command make any
> sense to her?
>
> "At least at their stature we can run them over if they get feisty,"   she says with a smirk to
> no one in particular.
> [/Sia]

[GM]
The blue dwarf seems ready to attack, but then, and quite suddenly, he
seems to stop.  Above,
through the mist, a dark shadow can be seen circling.  With a loud
squeak, the dwarf awkwardly
follows the other dwarfs.  As he runs on, the company spies a figure
at the edge of the swamp.
The mist clears slightly to reveal Alex, with Osiris on her back.  How
she came to be here instead
of with Lady Frost, and how precisely she came to be carrying Osiris
is not absolutely clear.

The sounds of battle become much clearer now.  The shadow that seemed
to compel the blue
dwarf heads that way with a loud shriek.  The ground itself begins to
shake slightly.  In the swamp
can be seen strange, huge shapes moving in the muck.

Quite suddenly Osiris, who looked to be limp and unconscious on Alex's
back shouts out, "Move!
Move fools, move!"
[/GM]

[Alister]
Alister kicks the ATV into gear and guns it forward towards Alex.
[/Alister]

[Carlos]
Not wanting to meet the shadow face to face, Carlos keeps his altitude
low and follows Alister.
[/Carlos]

OOC: I'm assuming Ted and Owen follow.

[GM]
When they pull up next to Alex, they see that Osiris looks to have
been wounded.  He manages
to gasp, "Beyond that stone, I think that leads to Rath-Iren."

No stone is visible, and Osiris seems to be pointing into the mist.
As if in answer, the mists part,
and standing in the distance is a woman, old beyond all imagining,
eyeless sockets leaking
revolting putrefaction.  Her hair is long and gray, coated with slime,
rags and remnants of body
armor covering her body, save her hands, where bone-like fingers can
be seen.  The sight is
indeed horrifying, and while only Ted and Louissa are having a hard
time controlling their panic
[OOC: both failed Horror Factor saves], everyone is shaken by this
strange charnel scene.

The women, in her turn, seems shaken by them, or more specifically by
Talas.  She holds her
hand up, seemingly trying to deflect his gaze.  "Ackk!" she croaks.
"Demon Queller."
[/GM]

[Louissa]
Louissa is clearly having serious issues, her face turns bone-white.
"Tal... Talas, she's
horrible."
[/Louissa]

[GM]
The women, still holding her hand up, begins croaking, or maybe
laughing, it's hard to tell.
She turns to Sia.  "So, he sends a Shifter, does he.  Thinks to pierce
the veil that way.
I am compelled to guide some of you, but the ice women is falling, and
she was the key.
Perhaps I let you all rot here, instead, and take my own chances."

Still avoiding Talas, she looks to the others.  "Want to see the way
in?" she asks.  "Well,
Lizard boy?" she looks at Ted.  "Well, little girl?" she looks at
Louissa.  "How about the
rest of you?  What will you give me if I help you, hmmm?"
[/GM]

-- 
Aaron Clausen
mightymartianca at gmail.com


More information about the Taocowpbem mailing list