[MHRP] Savage Planet

aka the adventures of our intrepid group through their GM's rampant plagiarism.

So yes, I Mr_Sandman finally found the balls to actually run my own campaign after participating in three and reading about a fourth. And then (probably because I had just been concussed) I thought "Well you know what, while I'm at it I might as well make it my own homebrew setting" and Alexsupercop, presumably in a fit in temporary insanity, didn't slap me upside the head and tell me to get a hold of myself and instead told me that "yeah that's not a bad idea".

Everything that follows is his fault.

For those (few) of you wondering about the setting is of the everything-is-true, have you Egyptian Gods, Chinese monsters, angels and oh would you like the kitchen sink with that too? type urban fantasy and takes influence from The Secret World, Dresden Files, Dishonored, Uncharted, and American Gods (among others) except instead of being more lighthearted and action-y it tends to be more



yyyyeeeeeaaaaaaah.

But

anyway

without further ado, allow me to introduce our

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Matt as played by Alexsupercop
The group's metaphysical swiss army knife, meatshield, and purveyor of snarkery. Consistently manages to make me regret buying any opportunities ever.

Ollan as played by Icarus
Your run of the mill ex-child soldier/werewolf just trying to make it from pay check to pay check without getting eaten by something horrible. My other purveyor of snark.

Rigo Riohg Riohioga Rioghnach played by OneBoredTech
A woodelf with a hardon for the rampant murder of perfectly innocent supernatural monsters who just wanted to eat people in peace and be on their way. My third purveyor of snark.

And finally

The Watcher as played by Mr_Sandman
The brave, beautiful, tragic soul who goes through all the trouble of lovingly statting up all those monsters only to watch his group massacre them in proportionately decreasing time.

(and also allow me to issue a brief disclaimer, I'm new to both write ups and Gming so, yeah, any mistakes are mine and mine alone)






Chapter One: Huangshan

19:25 Watcher One of the hardest things to come to terms with about being a bona fide supernatural mercenary is the surprising amount of /boredom/ and mundane stress. Like, say, how are you going to pay your bills for the month, or, you know, afford groceries (assuming you're not the type who can just run down a deer or something and be happy with it). It's not all guts
19:25 Watcher and glory really, some of the time-
19:26 Watcher a *lot* of the time. It's just trying to find your next job. Which, at least, explains why you're here. Hiking up some ancient path in the Huangshan mountains of China, desperately hoping that all your vaccines are to date.
19:27 Watcher Your mission, should you chose to accept it (and if you want to make /some/ money this month you will) is to recover a particularly valuable set of artifacts from some old temple or the other for none other than Talmhach’s.

Talmhach’s being a kind of supernatural auction house/trading consortium where, for the right price, you can buy a pound of Dragon scales and a few tomes from the lost Library at Alexandria. Always a sure source of work for your aspiring freelancer.

They also have an army of magical Terminators. Just sayin'

19:28 Watcher aaand
19:28 Watcher kicks it off to you guys
19:30 Matt is, of course, trudging along and trying to silently accept it. Most bizarrely, he only seems about as puffed as one would be taking a jog down to the corner shop. Neither did he bring any weapons. Still, at least there was someone taking point to dislodge most of the snow up ahead.
19:32 Matt "You two alright back there?"
19:33 Ollan Ollan follows behind Matt, dressed in what looks to be an ankle length coat over a shirt that has a zipper instead of buttons. A rifle covered in runes is slung over his shoulder, with a bandolier of grenades across his shirt.
19:34 Ollan "Oh I'm fine."
19:34 Rioghnach disdains walking through snow, after all, why walk through it when you can walk atop it? Despite the leather and mail she clads herself in she walks on top of the snow as though it were rock solid. The wood elf looks about silently taking in the vista, beautiful. And no doubt plenty of things roaming the heights to offer a challenge. Wonderful, she replies, her tones somehow both musical and
19:35 Rioghnach feral, on the edge of laughing or snarling. But hey, fae were odd that way.

Current distinctions and pool: Ancient Path d8, Winter Winds d8|Doom Pool: 2d6

19:34 Ollan "A bit cold, maybe."
19:38 Matt "Want my coat?"
19:38 Watcher The dour faced man walking along with you, consulting the map now and again, leading you up the trails looks unfazed by all the heavily armed weirdness. He's just here to escort you to the entrance to the temple complex. Feel free to ignore.
19:39 Ollan "I need to be dressed like this. Can't exactly be fiddling with jammed zippers and thick straps in the middle of an emergency."
19:40 Matt "Oh, yeah. Combat-stripping. Forgot about that."
19:40 Ollan "Hey man, don't knock it until you try it."
19:41 Ollan "It's like wearing a kilt."
19:41 Ollan "So liberating."
19:41 Matt "I prefer to keep my clothes on in a fight."
19:42 Rioghnach "Indeed," The elf says dryly.
19:42 Ollan "Why? Those fabrics will just get into your wounds, gets infected, and then what?"
19:42 Watcher The Talmhach's rep has a brief fantasy of shooting himself. Or you all. Or both.
19:42 Watcher (be nice to him, he doesn't get paid enough for all this.)
19:43 Rioghnach Rioghnach is momentarily rendered speechless.
19:43 Matt "Hah. Joke's on you."
19:43 Matt "I never get infections."
19:43 Rioghnach "I know mortals are foolish... but I would have thought even ones such as you would know how to clean a wound."
19:44 Ollan "I'm just saying, it removes the neccesity of it."
19:44 Matt makes a little 'sockpuppet' gesture with his hand at Rioghnach's words.
19:45 Rioghnach flushes slightly, but maintains a smooth demeanor. She was not going to be angered by mortal foolishness.
19:45 Rioghnach Probably.
19:46 Matt "So. How much further?"
19:46 Watcher There's a pause.
19:47 Watcher A barely repressed, long suffering sigh.
19:47 Watcher "We're here."
19:48 Watcher The rep gestures at the wooden arch bracketing the path in front of you, beyond are a stand of unseasonably green trees and...birdsong.
19:48 Matt "Yep. That's probably it. You going to be alright on the way back?"
19:48 Watcher The man gives you a look and turns
19:49 Ollan "... well. I thought there was some weight to climate change, but this is ridiculous."
19:49 Watcher and starts the loooong way back down.
19:49 Rioghnach Rioghnach walks through the arch looking about curiously, "Magick it would seem..."
19:49 Matt "..." Matt shrugged. "Okay, be that way." He then turned and smacked Ollan. "No. Bad dog. No lame jokes."
19:49 Watcher "Basin's in the inner sanctuary. Bring it back or don't come back." He calls over his shoulder.
19:49 Rioghnach Can I roll to try to identify what sort of magic it is?
19:50 Watcher Sure
19:50 Matt I'd call that creating an asset
19:50 Watcher indeed

Rio's very first roll is a 1 but she manages to pull out a 14, more than a match for my anemic Doom Pool

19:52 Watcher d8 Mystic Asset call it what you'd like
19:53 Watcher basically from what you can tell there's still the remnants of some very very /old/ magical working protecting the forest and (presumably) the temple complex beyond
19:56 Watcher this also fits with what you know about the place
19:57 Watcher the name's been lost for awhile but it's believed that the whole thing was blessed by a chinese daoist immortal although the structure and complex predate that
19:53 Ollan steps on to the grass, he bends over and touches it with his hand
19:54 Matt steps onto the grass too, breathing in the rather summery air.
19:54 Rioghnach "Fascinating. The magicks protecting this place are truly ancient. Even by the standards of the Fae."
19:55 Matt "Everything's ancient. I'd be surprised if we ever ran into anything that got knocked up a week ago."
19:55 Ollan "Interesting wording." He gets back up to his feet and walks forward.
19:56 Matt "... shut up, Ollan."
19:56 Matt "You are the worst."
19:56 Ollan "Just pointing them out like I see them." He flashes a smile with way too many canines.
19:58 Rioghnach "The stories about this place being blessed by an immortal may very well be true."
19:58 Matt "So. Betting pool? Zombie samurai? Terracotta soldiers?"

Nope

19:59 Watcher The birdsong goes silent.
19:59 Rioghnach "I am hoping for something moderately more interesting."
19:59 Ollan "I'm just hoping that we don't run into any more-"
19:59 Ollan Ollan completely freezes. If his ears could twitch, they would.
20:00 Rioghnach quirks an eyebrow as she looks around.
20:00 Watcher There's a splat of...well there's not way to put this well /bird crap/ on a rock about a foot away.
20:00 Watcher There's a hissing sound
20:00 Watcher It eats through the rock.
20:00 Ollan "...."
20:00 Matt "..."
20:01 Ollan "I know this, I think. The name's fuzzy."
20:01 Matt "The eagles from Birdemic?"
20:02 Ollan Ollan gives Matt a confused look. "No, something from greek myth, maybe."
20:02 Matt "No, I'm pretty sure it's the eagles from Birdemic."
20:02 Matt "Sulr pnls."
20:08 Watcher There's a beat

Hitchcock time

20:02 Watcher the Zhenniao mob's going to mob the group in a flutter of very irritated, poisonous wings
20:03 Watcher Ancient Path (they've been using the foliage as cover), Team, Convocation (name for a group of eagles, who knew?), Acrobatic Expert, aaand three targets!
20:05 Watcher 13 d10 to Matt d8's to everyone else

It's an easy roll to beat and, suffice to say, everyone does. And then Ollan spends his PP to counter. The bastard.

20:11 Ollan Ollan pulls back his sleeve and opens up a bronze shield that wouldn't look out of place in a greek phalanx and blocks the blows of a flock of the eagles, before taking it and smashing a couple of them into the ground.
20:13 Watcher The convocation (yes apparently that's the name for a group of eagles) wheel away, shrieking their decided displeasure. Their bodies are purple with green tipped feathers, coppery red beaks and claws.
20:14 Watcher You can tell from the few that lay in feathery heaps at Ollan's feet and the small storm of wings and claws above you.

Rio decides to unload a magical flak cannon into the sky to deal with the rest of the bird, something that I'm sure the PRC will appreciate, she rolls low but, if it connects it'll knock out most of my mob.

20:20 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [4[1d6]]: 4 2 3 4 >
20:20 RPGServ <Roll [4[1d6]]: 4 2 3 4 >
20:21 Watcher #roll 3[1d8]
20:21 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [3[1d8]]: 6 5 1 >
20:21 RPGServ <Roll [3[1d8]]: 6 5 1 >

She wins by one

20:21 Rioghnach yesssssssssss
20:21 Watcher #roll 1d10
20:21 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d10]: 7>
20:21 RPGServ <Roll [1d10]: 7>
20:21 Rioghnach fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

Nevermind

20:30 Rioghnach "Birds. I cannot believe we're being attacked by birds." Irritably Rioghnach flicks her wrist towards the heavens sending streaks of magick towards the sky which explode one after another in bursts of radiant, indescribable color.
20:32 Watcher The birds being supernatural and thus twice the assholes that birds normally are wheel and dodge, screeching in pain and panic as the bright flashes scatter them, driving them apart only to reform a moment or two later.
20:45 Matt sweeps the darkness away, letting it coalesce in his hand. He throws a bolt of blackness... that misses entirely.

And then because I am a bastard

20:48 Watcher The birds scatter again, only this time they reform around a downdraft and slingshot themselves down. Matt has just enough time to see a flock of birds swooping for him with claws outstretched before they bury him under what seems like dozens of biting, tearing, forms, taking off and leaving behind a decidedly uncomfortable Matt covered in wounds that ooze
20:48 Watcher green.
20:49 Matt "... ow."
20:49 Matt coughs.
20:49 Matt "Ow."
20:52 Matt "How bad does it look?"
21:00 Ollan "Eh, you'll live."

True but he should probably get that check out soon, he just took d10 stress. Considering that anything over d12 represents trauma it's nothing to sneeze at.

20:48 Matt GOOD THING MATT CAN HEAL LOL
20:48 Matt ... wait he doesn't have Healing Factor
20:48 Matt WHOOPS

Whoops!

20:48 Watcher You've got second wind
20:49 Watcher pipe down

Ollan, thus far being the only person to take any affiliation die, decides to go with the area attack

20:58 Ollan 16, d10, d8, d6, d6 effect
20:58 Watcher noice
20:58 Ollan prays to the Style god.
20:58 Ollan The Steelunifier protects

How does it go?

21:01 Ollan The gleaming bronze shield collapses back into a bracelet made of smaller versions of it. He shrugs off his coat, revealing /so/ /many/ grenades.
21:02 Ollan Of all different shapes and colors, stretching all across the bandolier, on both sides.
21:03 Matt "You suck."
21:03 Ollan Ollan takes about 6 of them, pulsing blue light that seemed to condense where he touched them and holding them by the pins, throws them into the flock, pins hangin from 3 of his fingers on each hand.
21:04 Watcher They bounce between the convocation, the birds pulling and tearing at the brightly colored objects right up until
21:04 Watcher *BOOM*
21:05 Watcher The smell of absolutely /putrid/ bird meat fills the grove.
21:06 Watcher Carcasses start raining down
21:06 Watcher One hits Matt in the face.
21:07 Matt "..."

You tell me.

21:07 Matt bats it off.
21:07 Matt "Fuck the world."
21:13 Matt groans, staggering to his feet. An aura of light surrounds his body briefly, and his wounds close up before everyone's eyes. Ow.
21:18 Rioghnach Riognach draws her bow kicking a stone skyward as she does and knocking a bird from the sky, then the arrows begin to fly, with unerring accuracy every arrow transfixes a bird through the chest, plucking them from the air with ease.
21:18 Rioghnach "Fuck birds."
21:19 Ollan Ollan sniffs. "Yeah, I heard the Fae do that sometimes."
21:19 Matt "Not the time."

Nope. Definitely the time.

Anywhoo with the birds gone the group is free to proceed.

21:22 Watcher The path stretches before you, winding before even more forestland, bamboo, pine, and other vegetation thickly covers the sheer mountain slopes.
21:23 Ollan "Righto, down the yellow poop road." He meets Rio's stare with a sharp smile, pun intended. He holds it for a second before looking away, almost involuntarily.
21:23 Ollan starts to walk down the path
21:23 Watcher Well up technically
21:23 Watcher Hooray for cardio
21:23 Matt "I swear I will hit you so hard Ollan."
21:23 Rioghnach heads after the others up the path
21:24 Matt sets off up the path, still wincing.
21:24 Ollan "You love it, don't lie."
21:27 Ollan "It keeps your mind off the craziness, I find."
21:27 Matt "Yeah, uh... sorry about not being much help there."
21:28 Rioghnach "It would seem mortals and fae have something in common."
21:28 Rioghnach "Neither react well to being shat on."
21:29 Matt "Could you knock that off?"
21:29 Matt "It was kind of funny at first, but now it's just annoying."
21:29 Rioghnach "I could."
21:29 Matt "Har. Har."
21:30 Ollan "Face it Matt."
21:30 Ollan "You are in a work environment of pure snark."
21:30 Matt "Kill me now."
21:31 Ollan "You could always try to form a union."
21:31 Rioghnach "... What?"
21:31 Matt "No, killing myself sounds a lot better right now."
21:31 Rioghnach What are you talking about?"
21:33 Matt "Things far beyond any fae's knowledge."
21:33 Ollan Ollan turns his head back to Rio. "Oh, they're these human worker groups that collectively bargain for pay and benefits. They were a huge thing half a century ago."
21:34 Rioghnach "... Right."
21:34 Watcher Warm spring wind mingles with the winter chill, the cold is starting to bleed in but the blessing still seems like its holding, enough for plenty of greenery to take root.
21:36 Watcher And there is plenty of flora and fauna, even as the lush forest begins to thin out a bit and give way to the more rocky upper reaches of the mountain range.
21:38 Matt takes point again, laboriously climbing the bizarrely warm-cold rock of the mountain. He seriously hoped the temple was close.
21:39 Watcher Alas no and with the sun already starting to sink close to the horizon too.

Wait for it.

21:39 Watcher Don't worry, the path ahead is still mostly clear despite it's evident age.

Wait for iiiiiit.

21:40 Watcher The "mostly" part being the enormous cerulean crane sitting on the stone steps.

Boom.

I'll admit I live for my group's reactions.

21:41 Matt "..."
21:41 Matt "Hello Mister Crane."
21:41 Watcher The crane stares at you then buries its head under one wing and starts to clean its feathers.
21:41 Ollan "I think it's just an ordinary crane, Matt."
21:42 Rioghnach "Not all birds here will shit acid at us. At least it is to be hoped not."
21:42 Watcher The crane whips its head out and stares at Ollan with big dark eyes.
21:42 Matt "Are you going to murder us if we try and go past?"
21:43 Ollan Ollan returns the stare, seemingly completely engrossed in the action.
21:43 Watcher It tilts its head quizzically. You can practically see the question mark over its head.
21:44 Ollan "Well?"
21:44 Watcher It tilts it's head to the other side
21:44 Watcher steps back up onto the stone landing
21:45 Watcher extends one stilt like leg
21:45 Watcher and starts to tap out a rhythm on the rocks
21:46 Ollan "...."
21:46 Watcher It bobs its head in time.
21:47 Ollan turns to Rio and Matt to make sure he didn't just completely /snap/
21:48 Rioghnach "It appears that it has learned to beat box," Rio quips
21:49 Ollan "What in the name of /fucks/."
21:49 Watcher The bird appears to give Rio an approving look and starts to strut in a circle, tapping its other taloned foot now in some awkward, jerky dance.
21:50 Watcher It finishes one clockwise rotation
21:50 Rioghnach "It's better at it than most 'musicians' I've heard as well."
21:50 Watcher Then one counterclockwise
21:50 Watcher Then it turns
21:50 Watcher faces the three
21:50 Watcher Dips its head
21:50 Watcher and begins to /dance/
21:51 Matt "..."
21:51 Matt "I..."
21:51 Rioghnach "Or rather it is tapdancing."
21:51 Matt "I have no words."
21:51 Rioghnach "A fine art indeed."
21:51 Ollan "I..."
21:51 Ollan "Fuck it, that is a nice dance."
21:52 Matt claps, only semi sarcastically.
21:54 Watcher oh yeah
21:54 Watcher and spending that d8
21:54 Watcher http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangyang_%28rainbird%29
21:54 Watcher whistles

I am such an ass.

21:53 Watcher At last the crane finishes its rountine, dips its head again, wings outstretched in a clear bow and awkwardly flaps away, vanishing into the forest.
21:53 Matt "... did we just get served by Master Crane?"
21:53 Watcher Thunder rumbles.
21:53 Matt "Kung Fu Panda 3 is going to be a very strange movie."
21:53 Ollan suddenly jerks his head to the source of the sound, as canines tend to do.
21:54 Ollan "We should probably find shelter."
21:54 Watcher The sky is darkening to ink black
21:54 Watcher thunderheads sealing over the valleys and mountain ranges like a coffin lid
21:54 Matt "Oh, of course. Silly me. I thought I could enjoy a tapdancing crane in peace."
21:55 Rioghnach "Kung Fu Panda 3?" Rio sounds thoroughly confused.
21:55 Matt "Get some culture."
21:55 Matt Yes. The Kung Fu Panda movies are culture.
21:56 Matt Matt loves him some fucking Kung Fu Panda.
21:56 Rioghnach lol
21:56 Ollan kung fu panda 2 is best movie
21:56 Watcher I suggest you turn around
21:55 Watcher A drop of rain falls on Ollan
21:56 Ollan "Seriously Matt."
21:56 Ollan "This isn't natural."
21:56 Watcher Then another.
21:56 Ollan "We need to find a cave or something."
21:56 Matt "Really? NAwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww."
21:56 Watcher You hear the steady roar of the wind behind you
21:56 Rioghnach "Sir I suggest you pay a visit to my tribe before you speak of culture,"Rio replies stiffly.
21:57 Ollan Ollan turns a circle, looking for nearby shelter.
21:57 Matt "I will if you will."
21:57 Watcher The trees in the valley are almost being bent double as what looks like a nuclear blastwave followed by a solid /wall/ of water races towards them.
21:58 Rioghnach "If I will what?"
21:58 Watcher Lighting cracks and fills the sky.
21:58 Rioghnach "Oh my."
21:59 Ollan oh my god
21:59 Ollan that was
21:59 Ollan a /literal/
21:59 Ollan river dance
21:59 Watcher :P
21:59 Ollan XD
21:58 Matt "..."
21:58 Ollan "Guys, I'm being really serious."
21:58 Matt "THIS IS THE PART WHERE WE RUN."
21:58 Ollan "We should /probably/ run like hell."
21:58 Rioghnach abandons dignity and runs
21:58 Watcher Yes, you did indeed just get served.

Word.

21:59 Matt runs.
21:59 Ollan Ollan about faces and runs in the opposite direction.
21:59 Watcher The mountain side looms before you, the opening to caves high above, just able to be glimpsed as the storm swallows what remains of the light.
22:00 Ollan "fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck /fuck/ *fuck*"
22:00 Matt "INSIDEINSIDEINSIDEINSIDE"
22:00 Watcher And that's when you hear the odd
22:00 Watcher whimpering
22:00 Matt "UP"
22:00 Watcher childlike cries
22:00 Matt "..."
22:01 Matt turns to the source of the noise.
22:04 Watcher You see something...
22:04 Watcher nightmarish

DUN DUN DUN

Right so where were we? Last I checked the group had gotten a new scene distinction aaaaand

ah yes

FLASHBACK

22:01 Watcher Team, Childhood Monsters, Mental Cry, Psych Master
22:02 Watcher #roll 5[1d8]
22:02 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [5[1d8]]: 8 8 8 6 2 >
22:02 RPGServ <Roll [5[1d8]]: 8 8 8 6 2 >
22:02 Watcher #roll 1d12
22:02 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d12]: 12>
22:02 RPGServ <Roll [1d12]: 12>
22:02 Watcher OO
22:02 Ollan ....
22:02 Matt ...
22:02 Ollan oh my
22:02 Watcher that wasn't an attack
22:02 Watcher don't worry
22:02 Matt um
22:02 Ollan pff
22:03 Watcher aaaand yeah
22:03 Watcher their sfx steps that up to
22:03 Watcher 2d12
22:04 Watcher A woman in ragged white clothing
22:04 Watcher long black hair hanging still in the wind
22:04 Watcher bend double, broken limbs clawing at the soil as she /scuttles/ toward you
22:05 Watcher *bent
22:05 Ollan Ollan makes some sort of whimpering sound and keeps climbing over the rocks.
22:12 Matt freezes like a deer in headlights.
22:05 Matt IT'S THE FUCKING THING FROM THE GRUDGE

That was actually Japanese. You're in China. You racist.

22:05 Watcher Matt
22:06 Watcher it's your go~
22:06 Matt am I making a reactipn or something?
22:06 Watcher well here actually
22:06 Watcher lemme do something first
22:06 Watcher kicks it off to the /other/ mob
22:07 Ollan oh god
22:07 Watcher Team, Childhood Monsters, Stormlands, Mental Cry, Nightmare Asset, Psych Master
22:07 Watcher Ollan
22:07 Watcher this one's all yours
22:08 Watcher just a complication thought!
22:08 Watcher they're going to drag you off into the underbrush
22:08 Watcher #roll 5[1d8]
22:08 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [5[1d8]]: 7 8 2 2 7 >
22:08 RPGServ <Roll [5[1d8]]: 7 8 2 2 7 >
22:08 Watcher #roll 1d10
22:08 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d10]: 6>
22:08 RPGServ <Roll [1d10]: 6>
22:09 Watcher #roll 3[1d12]
22:09 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [3[1d12]]: 12 5 12 >
22:09 RPGServ <Roll [3[1d12]]: 12 5 12 >
22:09 Matt GOD DAMMIT STOP
22:09 Matt ARGH
22:09 Watcher ....I swear to god I did not intend this
22:09 Watcher So
22:09 Watcher uh
22:10 Watcher 19 d12

I would like to note how nice I'm being right here. It's because I think I actually have a chance.

22:10 Rioghnach well this is bad
22:12 Ollan He's going to shrug out of his coat that they've likely grabbed onto using his wolf transformation and run away.
22:12 Watcher sweet
22:12 Ollan Solo, Enhanced Speed, Shapeshifting Werewolf,a crobatics expert
22:13 Ollan #roll 2[1d8]
22:13 RPGServ <Roll for Ollan [2[1d8]]: 1 5 >
22:13 Ollan #roll 2[1d10]
22:13 RPGServ <Roll for Ollan [2[1d10]]: 2 10 >
22:13 Ollan ...
22:13 Ollan *cough*
22:13 Watcher kicks ollan a pp
22:13 Ollan danke
22:13 Ollan PUSH DIE
22:13 Ollan #roll 1d6
22:13 RPGServ <Roll for Ollan [1d6]: 3>
22:13 Watcher ow
22:13 Ollan and spending a pp to add the 2, so 20
22:13 Ollan d8 effect

So okay maybe not that nice.


22:16 Watcher adding in the two
22:16 Watcher 21
22:17 Ollan so what die is the complication at?
22:17 Watcher d12
22:19 Watcher The thing lunges for Ollan; the ragged, clumpy hair trailing on the ground, the reek of the grave filling his nose. That white, distorted face stretching, twisting.
22:19 Watcher It slips forward, vanishing into the cracks as jaws like steel vises close around his shoulder and hip
22:19 Watcher and drag him into the underbrush.
22:21 Ollan Ollan tries to slip out of his coat to get away from the jaws, but is unsuccessful, the teeth pinning him down. He screams in a very high pitched and desperate tone as he is dragged away into the darkness.
22:21 Ollan "No, no no NOOOOOOoooooooo"
22:26 Matt "OLLAN!"
22:20 Watcher aaand
22:20 Watcher kicking it off to Ollan!
22:20 Watcher Ollan
22:21 Watcher you have just been dragged into the underbrush by a number of horrible horrible monsters
22:21 Watcher what do?
22:21 Ollan unleash the beast
22:22 Ollan what die do you have in the doom pool?
22:22 Watcher 1d8 and 1d6

You see Ollan's got a nifty little SFX that lets him add a Doom Die to his own roll without any PP and then step it up, downside is I get the die back at the end of his action.

Sadly, this time it doesn't quite work in Ollan's favor.

22:28 Ollan There is a desperate growling mixed into the sounds of the wind howling and water rushing, however, Ollan still appears to be trapped by the creatures.
22:28 Watcher So!
22:28 Watcher Who's next!
22:28 Ollan well
22:28 Ollan Sandy's face right now 8D

Fortunately for Ollan on his turn Matt just barely scrapes out a win.

22:39 Matt "GET OFF HIM!" For just a moment, the shadows pulse, and coalesce in Matts hand. A spear of darkness like a rift in the world is launched from his palm, spearing one of the hellish creatures right through the head.
22:40 Matt Unfortunately, the display of power leaves him visibly drained
22:40 Watcher The whimpering intensifies both within and out, echoing inside the heads of the three. Disturbingly childlike now with a note of genuine /panic/.
22:41 Watcher And all the while the rain
22:41 Watcher pours
22:41 Watcher down
22:41 Ollan As the spear cuts through the bushes and spears the creature, the growling stops. "Goddamit, ge'off"
22:40 Rioghnach Solo, Weapon, Combat Master, Proven Warrior,
22:40 Rioghnach going for the one who got fried
22:40 Rioghnach #roll 3[1d10]
22:40 RPGServ <Roll for Rioghnach [3[1d10]]: 7 2 10 >
22:40 Rioghnach #roll 1d8
22:40 RPGServ <Roll for Rioghnach [1d8]: 8>
22:40 Rioghnach 18 d10
22:41 Watcher OO
22:41 Matt kill 'em dead!
22:41 Rioghnach Hope it ain't fond of its face
22:42 Watcher Team, Cowardly Lion...thing (thing is just a doom pool farm), Enhanced Reflexes, Stormlands, Combat Expert
22:42 Watcher #roll 1d4
22:42 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d4]: 1>
22:42 RPGServ <Roll [1d4]: 1>
22:43 Watcher #roll 5[1d8]
22:43 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [5[1d8]]: 1 7 7 5 6 >
22:43 RPGServ <Roll [5[1d8]]: 1 7 7 5 6 >

Goddammit.

22:47 Rioghnach Riognach raises her bow, apparently unconcerned with the disturbing sounds the creatures make, her hands blur as arrow after arrow flies from her bow tearing into their faces until they collapse in the mud, faces resembling nothing less than porcupines.
22:55 Watcher And just like that, Ollan is freed.
22:47 Rioghnach Ollan
22:47 Watcher Ollan
22:47 Watcher tear some shit up
22:50 Ollan yeee
22:50 Ollan So uh
22:50 Ollan Because wolf appears to just not work on them
22:51 Ollan Solo, Former Servant, Weapon, Combat Master
22:51 Ollan #roll 2[1d8]
22:51 RPGServ <Roll for Ollan [2[1d8]]: 1 7 >
22:51 Ollan #roll 2[1d10]
22:51 RPGServ <Roll for Ollan [2[1d10]]: 9 10 >
22:51 Watcher slips you a pp
22:51 Ollan YES
22:51 Watcher
22:51 Ollan YESSS
22:51 Ollan YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
22:51 Watcher um
22:51 Watcher okay
22:51 Ollan 17, d10 effect

I only roll one die above a two in my next pool. That is all you need to know.

22:55 Ollan The roar of gunfire echoes over the howling of the wind. The final creature stumbles out of the bush, covered in smoking holes.
22:55 Ollan Ollan himself emerges behind it, trying to straighten his clothes while simultaneously running from the wave of water.
23:01 Matt Attacking with my sword
23:01 Watcher sweet
23:01 Matt Team, Paragon, Enhanced Strength, Sword, Combat Expert
23:02 Matt #roll 1d6
23:02 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [1d6]: 5>
23:02 Matt #roll 3[1d8]
23:02 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [3[1d8]]: 4 1 2 >
23:02 Matt #roll 1d10
23:02 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [1d10]: 1>

Ow

23:02 Matt ...
23:02 Watcher Okay they aren't fucking around anymore
23:03 Watcher their prey just carved up some of their buddies and they don't think they can run away anymore
23:03 Watcher Team, Mountain Dwellers, Mental Cry, Psych Master, Stormlands
23:04 Matt 9 d8 :C
23:04 Watcher the phobophages are going to try to get you to back down with an army of illusions
23:04 Watcher #roll 4[1d8]
23:04 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [4[1d8]]: 3 2 8 3 >
23:04 RPGServ <Roll [4[1d8]]: 3 2 8 3 >
23:04 Watcher #roll 1d10
23:04 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d10]: 4>
23:04 RPGServ <Roll [1d10]: 4>
23:04 Watcher #roll 1d12
23:04 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d12]: 2>
23:04 RPGServ <Roll [1d12]: 2>
23:05 Watcher 12 d12

Ow

23:06 Matt carhges into the undergrowth, hacking at the creatures madly with a sword made of solid darkness.
23:07 Watcher And is /engulfed/ in a tide of images:
23:07 Watcher Rotting corpses handing from dying trees reaching towards him with skeletal arms
23:07 Watcher His flesh on fire
23:07 Watcher The pathways lined with the bones of dead children
23:08 Watcher Maggots seething up from the wet earth
23:08 Watcher The storm lifting him up and carrying him away.
23:08 Matt stumbles back as if physically struck. He falls flat on his back, his sword dissolving back into the shadows. He crawls back as fast as he can from the maggoty earth, screaming.
23:12 Matt We're going to die in the second fight, aren't we?
23:12 Watcher this /is/ the second fight

But then we've got Rio to the rescue and the RNG decides to fuck with the Watcher again.

I had a d12.

I rolled a 3.

23:27 Rioghnach Riognach stalks forwards towards the monsters and past Matt. Her left hand lashes out tearing away their illusions. The things which creep in the dark hold no fear for her. She is fae. They were young when her people were ancient. Her hand slashes out again and as the Nian looks up at her almost quizically its head bursts asunder, spraying her face with its blood to be washed away by the torrentia
23:29 Rioghnach torrential rains. Her bow rises and as its companion turns to run an arrow nails its foot into the muck. A second and third lash out taking it in each eye, before Riognach finally slams a fourth arrow through the center of its face leaving it to collapse to the muddy ground as the rains washed its filth from the earth.
23:32 Ollan By now, Ollan has climbed a ways back up the slope, to the caves.

Scene Distinctions Ancient Path d8, Stormland d8 | Doom Pool: 1d10+ 2d8 + 4d6

I can live with that.

We now return to our valiant....heroes? Heroes (mercenaries can totally be heroes). As the continued their brave struggle to not

you know

drown.

18:28 Ollan Ollan was directing the others to one of the caves.
18:28 Ollan In a totally calm and coherent manner.
18:28 Ollan That did /not/ involve gibbering.
18:29 Matt is still trying not to puke up everything he ate the entire day.
18:29 Matt While also running to the caves.
18:29 Matt It's not an easy task.
18:29 Rioghnach calmly heads for the cave shouldering her bow.
18:37 Watcher The cave is, well, dry at least. For a given value of dry of course. It slopes upwards and onwards, visibly narrowing to little more than a gap between rocks in places while other passages seem to open up into hollow spaces that just seem to carry the impression of vastness.
18:37 Watcher The floor is slick stone and gravel.
18:37 Watcher So, you know, not /totally/ impassible.
18:38 Ollan Ollan, being the first to enter, looks into the darkness, scanning for more monsters looking to pop up and ruin their day. Satisfied that there were indeed, no more, he stops just outside the mouth to catch his breath.
18:39 Matt isn't delicate about it. He slumps against the cave wall and lands on the gravelly floor with a thump.
18:39 Matt "Christ."
18:40 Watcher Not his turf but sure.
18:41 Rioghnach Rio steps inside and unstrings her bow, she coils the string up and puts it in her pouch beside her spares. "Damned rain."
18:41 Ollan Ollan looks to the Fae. "You seem to be taking this rather well."
18:42 Matt "Yeah. Rain and the fucking monsters from the Grudge."
18:42 Rioghnach "Taking what?"
18:43 Ollan "Well, I dunno, just us nearly getting eaten and then drowned at the same time."
18:44 Watcher On that note it's only fair to mention that the wind and rain are probably not letting up anytime soon
18:44 Watcher and you're sitting at the bottom of what is essentially a massive storm gutter.
18:44 Rioghnach "I was fine," Rio points out, "You nearly got eaten. Your distress is natural but nothing in particular happened to me."
18:44 Rioghnach "Beyond getting wet."
18:46 Ollan "Oh, I guess." He starts to climb up the slope of the cave.
18:46 Ollan "The higher up we can get, the better."
18:47 Matt scrambles to his feet. "Up. Climb now. I don't want to get drowned after nearly dying."
18:47 Watcher As the first of you brave adventurers to oh so courageously start scaling the slopes Ollan is therefore the first to get a facefull of rain water
18:47 Watcher Well less a facefull and more like
18:47 Watcher a riverfull
18:48 Ollan "So, anyone got injured or any GAHWATERMFFFFFF"
18:48 Ollan Ollan trips over and falls onto the gravely floor, trying to prevent himself from slipping back down.
18:49 Matt "Just shut up and climb!"
18:49 Rioghnach sighs with exasperation and begins to climb. "It had to be a waterfall."
18:50 Ollan Ollan continues to crawl upwards against the force of the water.
18:51 Watcher It comes in bursts, sometimes you get lucky and the streams bypass you, diverting into parallel channels and caverns, other times?
18:52 Matt "Ackpffffththt"
18:52 Watcher Not so much.
18:53 Watcher Up, up, and up the passage goes. High enough that a fall back down, a slip of the hand, could really, really, *hurt*.
18:53 Rioghnach climbs grimly, "Next time we see a tapdancing bird, it dies."

Wise words to live by.

18:54 Ollan "Really, anything out of the ordinary is just trying to kill us for reasons beyond us at this mffffff" Ollan catches another mouthful of water and wisely keeps his mouth shut.
18:54 Watcher But, on the plus side, even as it gets steeper it gradually gets drier, until you're all balanced on rather /narrow/ ledge, trying to make it out a narrow crevasse above you
18:55 Watcher You can feel cool mountain air howling past the entrance, spiraling down into the passageway.
18:55 Matt "I wish I'd been bitten by a radioactive Indiana Jones or something."
18:55 Watcher It would be nice if, you know, you weren't all soaked to the skin.
18:56 Rioghnach "Does radiation give you sustenance?"
18:57 Ollan "Not the time." Ollan grabs the nearby ledge and starts to climb up to the entrance.
18:57 Ollan His fingers start to shake, as he gets closer to the howling wind.
18:58 Matt gets underneath Ollan, trying to support the werewolf's weight.
18:59 Rioghnach continues to climb biting her lip and actually deigning to shiver as the wind whipping over the crevasse bit into her soaked clothes. "Fucking bird..."
19:00 Ollan Ollan reaches the lip of the crevace, and lifts himself over, triumphant for a second before starting to shiver violently from the wind.
19:00 Ollan "A-alright Matt, you next."
19:02 Matt starts his own climb, shivering madly as the ragged edges of his clothes flap in the breeze. "F-fuck the mountains."
19:31 Watcher You know, the view from where you're standing almost makes that godforsaken climb totally worth it. You stand on a rocky plateau as big across as a small mansion. Away from the edges and down below giant banks of white and grey and black now tinged bloody and orange by the light of the setting sun roil and seethe.
19:32 Watcher The air is clear, cool, only the last traces of the immortal's blessing giving it any warmth.
19:32 Matt "Fuuuuuck. Why couldn't the basin be in the Bahamas or something."
19:34 Watcher The sanctum itself lays on the peak opposite you, the wooden building with it's wide, stone pavilion nestled in the rocky cliff face. The ancient path runs up from under the clouds and to the foot of a bridge on your own mountain top.
19:34 Matt "At this point, I think I would welcome zombie samurai."
19:35 Matt "Because I just /know/ that bridge is going to collapse."
19:37 Rioghnach "Look on the bright side. If something tries to kill us we'll probably work up a sweat fighting it. So we shouldn't be freezing for long."
19:38 Rioghnach "In theory."
19:39 Matt "Right. Uh... lightest first?"
19:40 Rioghnach shakes her head
19:41 Rioghnach She nonchalantly starts across the bridge.

Shockingly enough the bridge does not actually send them all plunging to their deaths.

12:12 Matt crosses the bridge last, fully expecting it to give way or burst into flame or explode or something. It doesn't.
12:12 Matt "Yay."
12:13 Rioghnach "You sound terribly unenthusiastic human."
12:13 Ollan "Y'know, considering our luck, I am shocked that bridge didn't crumble."
12:13 Rioghnach For a change Rioghnach does not sound very mocking
12:13 Ollan "Like, that was too easy."

Word of advice; never say "That was too easy" in a campaign lest the Watcher summon gluttonous demonic guardians to eat you all. Speaking of which...

12:13 Watcher It was like a little slice of spring. Trees in lush groves line the stone pavilion, flowers bloom in a hundred colors, every single plant lovingly cared for. You have the fading impression of a gentle, loving hand, gnarled with age tending each individual plant with all the care and affection of a parent for a newborn. Fountains splash water into cool, clear
12:13 Rioghnach "It is a bridge, not a tree. It has no spirit to anger."
12:14 Watcher pools. Stone paths meander through the gardens, around ornate bronze vessels atop pedestals
12:14 Watcher all leading to the same place
12:14 Watcher a heavy wooden door, solid and darkened with time
12:15 Watcher Flanked by two imperial lions, seemingly molded from stone.
12:16 Matt 'Seemingly'.
12:16 Ollan stares down one of the lions, looking for any movement.
12:17 Matt takes a moment to simply enjoy the bizarre mountaintop garden. He wanders past a fountain, letting a hand trail the lip of the stone vessel, stepping carefully around flowers. "I hope it's not the basin keeping this going."
12:17 Matt "I'd hate to kill this place."
12:17 Watcher There's no movement from the lions
12:17 Watcher 'cause
12:17 Watcher you know
12:17 Watcher they're statues.
12:17 Ollan still doesn't trust it
12:18 Ollan "We wouldn't so much kill it, as stop helping it."
12:18 Matt "You know what I mean."
12:18 Ollan shrugs
12:19 Ollan "You heard the guide." He puts on a mock tone of the guide "Come back with the basin, or don't come back at all."
12:20 Matt steps between the stone lions and gives the door a rhythmic knock.
12:20 Watcher The door isn't barred, isn't even locked by all appearances, merely latched.
12:20 Rioghnach "That does not mean we should be doing this lightly. Every action has a consequence on the world around us. Who knows what effect killing this place could have?"
12:21 Watcher Nothing happens, whoever lived here has long since left and as the years dragged on fewer and fewer returned. You are probably the first in decades.
12:22 Matt lifts the latch and drags the door open.
12:23 Watcher It pulls out maybe two inches
12:23 Watcher halts
12:23 Watcher then slams itself shut
12:23 Matt "..."
12:23 Matt "Oi."
12:23 Watcher Behind you there is the sound of a vessel breaking.
12:23 Watcher Then another
12:23 Watcher Then another
12:23 Matt "..."
12:23 Watcher Then another
12:24 Matt "I don't want to turn around. What just happened?"
12:24 Watcher The sky flares red as ancient runes blaze through the air
12:24 Watcher shining through the walls of the temple
12:24 Watcher the trees
12:24 Watcher every stone every fountain
12:25 Watcher Sealing you in.
12:25 Rioghnach "Let's say it all together now."
12:25 Rioghnach "I think this was a trap."
12:25 Matt "Fucking thanks for that, Admiral."
12:26 Watcher There's a rumble behind you
12:28 Watcher A figure made of darkness and air, outlined by the fragments of the shattered bronze vessel unfurls itself. Standing to its full height. Hulking form dwarfing even the largest among you.
12:28 Watcher It wears the tiger face that was imprinted on the urn
12:28 Watcher it has no jaw.

And then Matt is bitchslapped with a d10 complication

12:28 Matt leaps back, trying to draw up the shadows to shield the three of them. But there isn't enough. Not enough darkness when the blazing red wards can see everything.
12:29 Matt "..."
12:29 Matt "Shit."
12:29 Rioghnach "Finally worthy prey!"

Taotie specifically.

12:29 Watcher Mat is silhouetted in heatless flame.
12:29 Matt "Not a thing to be happy about!"
12:29 Matt "Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit."

It's at this point that a couple things happen. They way I set up Taotie is that they're super aggressive tanks, they're there to smash shit up. So the lead one opens up with an area attack on the entire party and the other three move to engage one on one.

It goes about as well as you might expect

12:35 Watcher The figure...doesn't so much open it's mouth (it has no mouth) as the sort of hazy absence that defines it's form seems to deepen
12:35 Watcher And that's when it hits you
12:35 Watcher It's /all/ mouth
12:36 Watcher The entire garden shudders as suddenly gravity starts deciding to go sideways
12:36 Watcher Right into the creature's maw.
12:33 Watcher yeah it's attacking all of you
12:34 Watcher 16 d10 to Rio d8 to Matt d6 to ollan
12:34 Matt 1 PP to use Take The Hit
12:34 Matt it's only targetting Matt now
12:34 Rioghnach O.O
12:35 Matt Team, Paragon, Enhanced Durability, doubled Superhuman Durability, Mystic Expert
12:35 Matt #roll 3[1d8]
12:35 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [3[1d8]]: 6 4 5 >
12:36 Matt #roll 3[1d10]
12:36 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [3[1d10]]: 8 1 9 >
12:36 Matt 17 d8
12:36 Watcher OO
12:36 Rioghnach YES
12:36 Watcher hate
12:38 Matt Well... on one side of the garden.
12:38 Matt The side that isn't protected by what appears to be a black hole.
12:39 Matt The taotie is dragging everything in like a massive sucking void, but what it's trying to eat absolutely refuses to move.
12:40 Matt is on one knee, sweat pouring down his face, shadow streaking from his palms to reinforce the shield like black flames. "This really hurts, guys..."
12:43 Watcher The low, dull roar finally comes to a merciful halt
12:44 Watcher just in time for a Taotie to lower its shoulder like a linebacker and charge
12:44 Watcher low and fast
12:44 Watcher a small mountain of bronze shards and *nothing* that homes in on Ollan
12:44 Matt The shield disspiates like morning mist. Leaving Matt powerless as a giant bronze colossus thingy starts charging. "Double-shit."
12:43 Ollan 17, d10 effect

Hate.

12:45 Ollan Should the creature blink, it'd find that there was a man in a coat, and then suddenly, there was just a coat. The large brown wolf leaped to the side, dodging the charge.
12:47 Watcher The Taotie slams into the stone wall with enough force to make the mountain itself shake, it peels itself off the wall and lets out an odd, tinny, hollow roar.
12:47 Watcher You've pissed it off.
12:49 Watcher And right on the heels of the first comes another, this one with it's "arms" thrown out wide, the shards on the chest pulling apart vertically
12:49 Watcher The creature is coming
12:49 Watcher To give Rioghnach a great, big, hug.
12:51 Rioghnach 22 d8

God dammit

12:50 Rioghnach Rioghnach braces herself presenting her shoulder to the giant beast as a massive glowing wall rises in front of her to block its progress
12:54 Rioghnach The wall hovering in front of her the fae warrior does the most ridiculous thing she possibly could have. She charged the damn thing. The wall of light wraps itself around her and with a roar two ancient magicks collided. Rioghnach stopped in her tracks nose bleeding slightly as the beast reeled backwards.

And then she buys an opportunity too.

Fine.

Be like that.

12:55 Watcher Summoned Guardian (d4 it's cautious and that goes against its nature), Superhuman strength, Combat Master, Painted, Ancient Path
12:56 Watcher It's going to pick up the pedestal it's vessel stood on
12:56 Watcher and bitchslap you with it
12:56 Watcher #roll 1d4
12:56 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d4]: 4>
12:56 RPGServ <Roll [1d4]: 4>
12:56 Watcher #roll 1d8
12:56 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d8]: 1>
12:56 RPGServ <Roll [1d8]: 1>
12:56 Watcher #roll 3[1d10]
12:56 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [3[1d10]]: 1 9 7 >
12:56 RPGServ <Roll [3[1d10]]: 1 9 7 >
12:57 Watcher :|
12:57 Watcher :||||
12:57 Watcher 13 d10
12:57 Watcher physical stress

:|


13:00 Matt Team, Paragon, Enhanced Reflexes, Shadow-Walk, Mystic Expert
13:00 Matt Trying to 'teleport' away
13:00 Matt #roll 4[1d8]
13:00 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [4[1d8]]: 7 3 2 5 >

...

13:00 Matt #roll 1d10
13:00 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [1d10]: 4>
13:01 Matt 12 d10

8D

13:01 Matt and I have no PP to add to that
13:01 Matt So I am le fucked

Quite

13:02 Watcher Do you know the sound that a stone pedestal makes when it hits a human ribcage?
13:02 Watcher Ask Matt
13:02 Watcher he can tell you
13:05 Matt It sounds like crushing a bag of glass. Matt went airborne and hit a tree hard enough to shake most of its leaves loose. Then he slid down into a little ball to cry.

And then Ollan rolls

I'll just show you our reactions and let you fill in the rest.

13:08 Watcher OO
13:08 Ollan *OO*
13:08 Watcher HOLD
13:08 Watcher FAK
13:08 Watcher ME
13:08 Rioghnach ...
13:09 Watcher I uh
13:09 Rioghnach holy fuckballs
13:09 Ollan I /wish/ I had a pp right now
13:09 Watcher Okay
13:09 Watcher okay
13:09 Ollan The Dice Gods are with me today
13:09 Rioghnach The Watcher is slowly pulling himself back together and telling himself desperately that he can salvage this somehow

That is a filthy lie

I was actually sobbing into my ice cream and trying to figure out how he'd managed to roll a natural twenty on three d10s.

13:13 Ollan Suddenly, just as it pries itself from the stone wall, the Taotie gets hit by a goddamn /freight train/
13:14 Ollan 200 pounds of meat and bone, added to the ridiuclous speed Ollan was going at knocks the creature to the ground, sliding it towards the edge of the garden. It slips over, and just barely catches the edge of the cliff.

Despite Ollan's victory things are still going pretty rough. Matt's almost complicationed and stressed out, making it easy for the Taotie to dodge his next attack (and a spectacular stroke of bad luck on his part nets me a d12 for the Doom Pool) and Rio doesn't fare much better.

That is.

Until she breaks out the fucking PP.

13:25 Rioghnach Rioghnach runs towards the creature which had so rudely tried to devour the garden whole and lept onto the shards making its 'body'. Skipping easily from one to the othe she back flipped off its shoulder twisting in midair to fire an arrow blazing like a star down the thing's filthy maw.
13:29 Watcher The arrow vanishes like a pebble into an ocean, barely a ripple and then *plink* it's gone.
13:29 Watcher There's another hollow roar and the air distorts as a whirlwind of dust and debris forms around the things gut, pulling in everything around it.
13:34 Watcher The roar abruptly dies away and, if it's possible for immobile bronze to look confused the Taotie manages it.
13:34 Rioghnach lands and skids away from the Taotie raising a cloud of dust as she slowly halts.
13:34 Watcher A light like a supernova *explodes* from its side, scattering bronze shards and dark viscera like so many innards. The creature goes down to one knee
13:35 Watcher barely keeping itself propped up with one massive hand.

Well at least the throw away support character that I though'd be dead a turn ago is still useful

13:36 Watcher Ollan!
13:36 Watcher You're about to get......PAINTED
13:36 Watcher ....
13:36 Watcher that came out wrong
13:37 Matt hawt
13:37 Rioghnach Taotie bukakke
13:37 Watcher SOLO, EVER ALERT, EYE SPY, MYSTIC MASTER
13:37 Watcher LALALAL CAN'T HEAR YOU
13:37 Rioghnach (you're totally doing it on purpose at this point)

Am not.

13:46 Watcher And now the wards hum again, this time surrounding Ollan in a massive, glowing, sphere
13:46 Watcher Chinese runes oscillate around him
13:46 Watcher probably saying something like "Hit This Jackass"

I'd like to call what happens next either spectacularly bad luck on my part or spectacularly good luck on theirs.

13:52 Ollan Ollan trots up to the ogre trying to climb back up over the cliff. And just jumps down on his head, knocking him clear off.
13:53 Ollan If he had hands, he would wave comically as he faded into the mist.
14:01 Rioghnach stands nonchalantly as the taotie runs up to punch her, at the last second her bracer blazes with light and she slams the massive fist aside.
14:02 Watcher Bronze shards traveling at a respectable fraction of the speed of sound slam into the ground at the creature rolls to its feet
14:02 Watcher sounding that tinny, hollow cry.
14:06 Matt manages to get himself into something approaching a seated position, steadying himself against the tree and throwing a second energy blast.
14:08 Mr_Sandman The blast tears through the cloud of shards gutting the monster from end to end as it pushes itself up to it's feet. One moment there's a kind of emptiness in the garden, the next there's nothing
14:08 Mr_Sandman and dozens of bronze shards are falling to the stones like rain.
14:11 Matt "Oh look."
14:11 Matt "I did something."
14:11 Matt "My everything hurts."
14:15 Ollan Ollan then turns around and achieves RAMMING SPEED, doing his freight train impersonation to another Taotai, knocking it into the ground, causing it to slide away, it's bronze grinding away.
14:36 Rioghnach Rioghnach exchanges her bow for her sword, her blade glows with arcane magicks and suddenly she's gone. She reappears in a blur slashing through a ward in a flash of violet light as the rune explodes. Before the surviving ward can pain her she appears again slamming down on top of the wounded ogre and driving her blade through the back of its bronze neck. She flips off and swings at the last
14:37 Rioghnach standing ogre. Her blade smashes into its fist sending flakes of bronze flying, but the creature holds steady.

Okay. Okay. So they basically butchered by team of mini-bosses and I only have one healthy Taotie left.

It's alright I've got a few more cards to play.

14:39 Watcher I trigger it's Limit
14:39 Watcher Implosion
14:41 Watcher Doom Pool: 1d12 + 2d10+ 2d8 + 3d6
14:37 Watcher There's no jaw, no mouth, no teeth, just a vast, yawning, emptiness
14:37 Watcher still
14:38 Watcher You get the distinct impression that the creature is...
14:38 Watcher smiling
14:39 Watcher There's a ticking sound, like metal tapping on metal and you realize that the Taotie is /laughing/.
14:40 Watcher One moment there's a hulking ogre made of bronze and air, locked in combat with Rioghnach
14:40 Watcher The next it almost seems to crumple in on itself
14:41 Watcher the bronze shards pulling into the core as the darkness surges out
14:41 Watcher The creature falling to its knees as an event horizon opens up atop the mountain, where the guardian stood.
14:41 Watcher Gravity only goes one way now
14:41 Watcher In.
14:42 Watcher the Taotie has a d12 complication on it
14:42 Watcher Roll to escape the vortex
14:43 Watcher So!
14:44 Watcher Who's first?
14:44 Rioghnach well what specifically is the complication?
14:44 Ollan I'll roll
14:44 Watcher Implosion. It's basically pinned under the weight of its own vortex
14:44 Ollan Basically dig in and try not to fall into the Event Horizon
14:44 Ollan 15:11 Ollan Shape shifter, solo, speed, combat master
14:45 Ollan #roll 1d4
14:45 RPGServ <Roll for Ollan [1d4]: 3>
14:45 Ollan #roll 3[1d10]
14:45 RPGServ <Roll for Ollan [3[1d10]]: 3 9 10 >

No...

14:45 Watcher OO
14:45 Ollan *OO*
14:45 Ollan COUNTAH

...

14:46 Ollan burns the pp he just earned
14:46 Ollan So, instead
14:46 Ollan He's going to let go and hit it again
14:46 Watcher oh goddamn you
14:47 Watcher You kill it
14:47 Watcher you would have had to roll against the doom pool and you kill it
14:47 Ollan So does that mean everyone else doesn't need to rollr eaction?
14:48 Watcher I...
14:48 Watcher pretty much

Fuck you Ollan.

Fuck you.

14:48 Ollan XD
14:48 Rioghnach sweeeeeeeeeet
14:48 Ollan I'm sorry sandy, but you statted it
14:48 Ollan Therefore, I had to kill it
14:48 Watcher sniffs
14:48 Watcher Describe murderalyzing it
14:53 Watcher Okay so
14:53 Watcher kicking it off to wards I guess
14:54 Watcher (and you guys are more than welcome to react to the fact that OLLAN JUST KILLED MY BOSS)
14:49 Ollan Ollan tries to scramble away from the graviational pull, but he can't outmatch the force. He digs in it's claws, but ever so slowly is pulled towards it, so he tried something else
14:49 Ollan He let go, turned, and ran /toward/ it.
14:49 Ollan He became a blur, as the force of his charge is doubled by the vortex.
14:50 Ollan And then, he collided with the Event Horizon.
14:52 Ollan A purplish cloud of energy rushes out of the detonation. It clears, revealing a scrapped monster, and Ollan sitting on his back legs, and panting.
14:54 Rioghnach "... Well done."
14:55 Ollan turns in place to face Rio, the sphere of Chinese Runes still circling around him
14:56 Ollan Clearly someone forgot to tell the Ward how useless that would be.
14:59 Rioghnach once more conjures her magic shield, and with a casual backhand deflects the bolt of magic right back into the Ward. It explodes.
15:00 Watcher And with a rumble the web of bloody red runes simply collapses, letting the last fading glimpses of the sun's rays in.
15:00 Watcher It's over.
15:00 Matt And there was much rejoicing.
15:00 Matt "Yaaaaaay."
15:00 Ollan is suddenly an upright human again, he stretches and quickly searches for his pants to bring himself to some sort of decency.
15:00 Rioghnach "No need to sound so melancholy."
15:00 Ollan "Grab the basin, before more thing show up."
15:01 Ollan He said as he snatched up his pants by the leg from the ground.

Unsurprisingly the wards go down in, like, one hit and I give them a bit of a transition scene to rest and heal up before I bring in my real boss

15:00 Watcher You know
15:00 Watcher I probably should have corrected you
15:01 Watcher but then I remember that I am a terrible /terrible/ person

I burn a d8 from the doom pool

eheheheehehHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

15:01 Watcher There's a clink of stone on stone
15:01 Matt "My ribcage is a sack of glass shards."
15:01 Matt "I have an ow."
15:02 Rioghnach looks around as she hears the clink
15:02 Rioghnach stares hard at the lion.
15:03 Ollan is stumbling to get his other leg in his pants when he freezes at the sound of the pebble.
15:03 Watcher Cracks and fissures spread out from the stone maw, dividing and redividing until the cascade off in *waves*
15:03 Watcher Have you ever heard a lion roar?
15:03 Watcher It's a terrifying sound, the sound of a predator on the warpath
15:04 Watcher Enough to turn the strongest man's legs to jelly, enough to tickle that old reptilian instinct that screams "RUN"
15:04 Watcher The stone lion *roared*.
15:04 Ollan "I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT" Ollan tips over and by the time he reached the ground, he's a 4 legged wolf again. He snarls to try and confront the Lion's roar. It doesn't quite have the same effect.

Two bosses, one with offensive oriented powers the other with defensive

15:05 Watcher It steps off its platform, shaking its earthen main as it's fellow tears free of its own casing, shedding rock and stone like so much water.
15:06 Matt "owie"
15:06 Rioghnach "Perhaps these will be worthy of a place on my record."
15:06 Matt "Oh shut up for once."
15:06 Matt "I'll give you a worthy opponent upside your head in a minute."
15:06 Matt "If my legs still work."

Synergistic SFX

15:07 Rioghnach "Are all humans so abrasive?"
15:08 Ollan Ollan apparently tries to answer this, in his own barking tongue
15:09 Matt "Are all Fae so immensely annoying?"
15:09 Matt "There. I just made a racist comment about you. Doesn't feel so nice does it?"
15:09 Rioghnach "Should I be bothered?"
15:11 Ollan Ollan barks again, clearly trying to remind them that this is not the time.

A fight designed to take a least a couple rounds to win through.

15:11 Matt "I hope you get eaten by badgers."
15:13 Rioghnach looks mildly annoyed, I hope some unfortunate individual teaches you manners.
15:13 Matt "You first."
15:14 Watcher And then the stone lion is among you
15:15 Watcher clawing, slashing, rending with claws sculpted of razor sharp rock
15:16 Watcher cloaked in a shining aura that flows from the female to surround and safeguard him as he deals with these brazen, brave, and oh so foolish intruders.
15:16 Watcher None shall leave alive.
15:19 Ollan Of course, Ollan being the only one that is paying full attention to the lion, gracefully avoids the lion, sailing through the air above it, landing behind it.

And then this happens

15:18 Rioghnach not one of us manages to roll above 16
15:18 Rioghnach how
15:18 Ollan spending my last pp to add the 5
15:18 Ollan 17, d10
15:18 Matt okay
15:18 Matt you know what
15:18 Matt fuck the police
15:18 Watcher Oh?
15:20 Matt Shutting down his Sword Construct for another PP
15:20 Matt and Shadow-Walk for another PP
15:21 Matt right. So. 15 d8 unmodified
15:21 Matt let's pump some PP into this bitch
15:22 Matt spending a PP to both step up and double his shield, shutting it down after the action
15:22 Matt #roll 2[1d12]
15:22 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [2[1d12]]: 11 7 >
15:22 Watcher OO
15:23 Watcher 21 d12

His powers are mostly defensive I said

15:24 Matt Spend another PP to make it a counterattack
15:24 Matt which is also an Area Attack
15:24 Watcher ....oh my *god*

More support really I said

15:24 Matt and another to turn the enemy's effect die into a stunt
15:24 Watcher *OO*
15:24 Matt #roll 1d10
15:24 RPGServ <Roll for Matt [1d10]: 5>
15:24 Matt 26 d12
15:24 Rioghnach holy shit

Fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck

Okay. My Male Lion's done for but I can still raise plenty of hell with my-

15:24 Watcher Guardian Lion (Female)
15:25 Watcher Buddy, The Cub, Superhuman Durability, Nullification, Mystic Master
15:25 Watcher #roll 1d8
15:25 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [1d8]: 4>
15:25 RPGServ <Roll [1d8]: 4>
15:25 Watcher #roll 4[1d10]
15:25 RPGServ <Roll for Watcher [4[1d10]]: 7 7 9 3 >
15:25 RPGServ <Roll [4[1d10]]: 7 7 9 3 >
15:25 Watcher oh my god
15:25 Watcher oh my shit
15:26 Watcher Describe uh
15:26 Watcher describe one shotting my bosses
15:26 Watcher on a defense action
15:26 Watcher there's just like
15:26 Watcher that's a double ex on the female
15:26 Watcher and
15:26 Watcher and male too

I just

why

15:26 Matt Shining aura? Not for long.
15:27 Matt A rending fore-paw just... stops mid-air. Held in Matt's outstretched hands.
15:27 Matt The force of its slash is pulled away, making its arm weak like a kitten's as the kinetic force is pulled, buzzing, into Matt's body.
15:28 Matt The aura turns dark, as if the stone lion had been submerged in ink or oil. It drops to the ground, weak. Tiny. Cracking. Crushed into so many fragments and so much powder as its own aura collapses in on itself like a singularity.
15:29 Matt Matt raises both hands, aiming carefully at the other stone lion. The last of the energy is let loose from his palms like a shotgun blast, literally knocking him off his feet.
15:29 Matt And, well... leaving a very, very big hole.
15:32 Watcher The female lion just sits there for a second, a kind of bemused expression on her stone face.
15:33 Watcher And then she just falls apart into hundreds of pieces of rock
15:33 Watcher cold
15:33 Watcher inert
15:33 Watcher dead.
15:33 Matt "... I don't feel so good."
15:33 Matt falls over.
15:33 Rioghnach gives him a flat look
15:34 Rioghnach "And you know how to do things like that... how exactly?"
15:34 Matt "Mmmbmbmfffmmm"
15:34 Matt is face-down in the grass.
15:35 Watcher No more creatures jump out at you.
15:35 Rioghnach "Most enlightening."
15:35 Watcher No more summoned guardians
15:35 Watcher No more wards
15:35 Watcher No more...anything.
15:35 Watcher The temple is yours.

And now for the best part of any adventure

The LOOTING

15:40 Watcher The temple is, in a word, simple. There's no ornate gilt, no fistfuls of jewels
15:40 Watcher but that's not at all to say that it's devoid of wealth
15:41 Watcher A set of ancient chinese ritual knives lay on a table
15:41 Rioghnach inspects the knives on the table more closely
15:41 Watcher dozens upon dozens of scrolls (no few humming with the quiet power of magic) line shelves
15:41 Rioghnach She touches the flat of the blade, "I wonder if these have any magick to them."
15:41 Matt "I wonder if they have a First Aid cabinet in here."
15:41 Matt "I could use some morphine."
15:42 Watcher Nope just really old and really valuable.
15:42 Watcher And really sharp
15:42 Matt "Ooh. These might be interesting."
15:42 Rioghnach begins going through the scrolls
15:42 Matt wanders over to the shelves of scrolls and skims through them as well.
15:43 Rioghnach "Maybe if you are fortunate there is a healing spell in here. You have all your limbs attached, I don't know what you're complaining about."
15:43 Watcher Some are art, some are poety, diaries, a few are probably the personal journal of some no longer forgotten mage (you see schematics for how to raise those wards and a brief image of the ritual used to animate the lions)
15:44 Rioghnach "Someone was quite obsessive about privacy. This is a little much."
15:44 Watcher No healing spells unfortunately but some of this stuff is probably worth its weight in gold.

A bit of clarification: Talmhach’s will be along to strip the place bare shortly after our intrepid adventurers leave (assuming no traps go off that seal it away), and the three won't get paid for anything aside from your assigned artifact. But Talmhach's will pay a decent price for safe passage and quick delivery of other relics, so if they see anything they'd like to sell back to the auction house later for a tidy profit they're advised to take it now.

15:44 Ollan Ollan comes in behind them, fully clothed again
15:44 Watcher The artifact that you were actually sent here to get sits on a raised dais at the very back of the temple
15:44 Watcher occupying the one
15:44 Watcher sol
15:44 Watcher *sole
15:44 Watcher patch of sunlight left.
15:44 Rioghnach pulls off a leather backpack and begins putting scrolls in it
15:44 Ollan ".... check that for traps."
15:44 Matt "Totally booby trapped."
15:45 Ollan "I mean /really/"
15:45 Ollan "The only spotlight of sun."
15:45 Ollan "In the entire room."

It's totally not. Like seriously, in hindsight I probably should have but at the time I didn't think of it.

15:45 Rioghnach "Take all the other valuables first!"
15:45 Matt "You two fill your packs, mine got shredded by the birds."
15:45 Rioghnach "The trap may very well damage them or collapse the temple."
15:46 Ollan grabs a couple of poetry book and a piece of art, carefully rolling it up so that it's a long tube.
15:47 Ollan "Good idea, Rio."
15:47 Matt braces himself, and winces as a bright white aura surrounds him briefly.
15:47 Ollan He looks around, contemplating what else to take.
15:47 Matt Bones audibly snap back into place.
15:47 Matt "Jesus Christ ow."
15:47 Rioghnach fills her pack to the bursting with scrolls making sure to take as many of the magic ones as possible.
15:48 Rioghnach She walks over to the table and stuffs each knife into her sword belt.
15:48 Matt approaches the basin and readies his hands, Indy-style.

/me quietly cracks up

15:48 Ollan fills the last of his pack with t he mage diaries.
15:48 Rioghnach "I'd rather not do that but... well. Only so many places to put them."
15:49 Watcher The basin sits there innocently.
15:49 Watcher Simple brass filled with cold, clear water.
15:49 Rioghnach prods at it with flows of magic searching for traps
15:49 Matt "So do we dump the water or carry a full bowl back down a mountain or what."
15:50 Ollan "Hey... you wonder if the water in there has special powers?"
15:50 Watcher And Rio gets a /hell/ of a backlash. The taste of springwater, saltwater, the smell of the ocean, the relentless power of the tides
15:50 Watcher every hair on her head stands up
15:50 Ollan "Like, a fountain of youth, maybe?"
15:50 Watcher It's an elemental tether
15:50 Watcher a *powerful* one.
15:51 Rioghnach Riognach's eyes go huge, far larger than any human's could hope to go, she staggers backwards gasping. "Gods above."
15:52 Matt "Who's going to drink the water? Onetwothreenotit."
15:52 Rioghnach "Don't drink it you fool..."
15:52 Rioghnach "It's an elemental tether."
15:53 Rioghnach "It's used for summoning and controlling water elementals, and it's the most powerful tether I've seen in my life."
15:53 Matt "So... I should drink it?"
15:54 Rioghnach "Just a simple focus could control a decent sized elemental. This? This makes a simple focus look like exactly what it is. A toy."
15:54 Matt "Would that make a piss elemental?"

It's a question for the ages

15:54 Rioghnach glowers
15:54 Matt "I'd totally do it. Just so I could go up to someone with my piss elemental and say..."
15:54 Matt "Urine trouble."

....
ow

15:54 Rioghnach "You could bend the oceans to your will with this. Or come close at least."
15:55 Matt "Should help if I ever want to take up surfing."
15:55 Rioghnach "Anyway you can't drink it. The water is part of the tether, it will not leave it."
15:55 Matt immediately decides to test this, picking up the basin and flipping it upside-down.
15:55 Rioghnach "We must make certain we do not destroy it."
15:55 Watcher It stays in there like jello.
15:56 Matt wiggles it.
15:56 Watcher It wiggles.
15:56 Ollan "Matt"
15:56 Matt wiggles it some more.
15:56 Ollan "Stop playing with the super powerful magic object."
15:56 Rioghnach "Have you ever seen a magical reactor go supercritical? It would look something like that. Except with more water."
15:56 Ollan " /please/" he adds after Rio's comment.
15:56 Matt "If it's as powerful as you're saying, why would it be so fragile it'd explode from dropping it?"
15:56 Watcher It wiggles, ripples
15:56 Matt "That seems like very counterintuitive artifact design.
15:57 Matt "Besides, this is fun.
15:57 Watcher Tentacles made from water poke out of the surface and one cyan eye blinks open
15:57 Watcher surveys the room
15:57 Matt "..."
15:57 Watcher then vanishes back inside the bowl.
15:57 Matt "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA "
15:57 Matt "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
15:57 Matt "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
15:57 Ollan dope slaps Matt
15:57 Matt "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
15:57 Ollan "DUDE?! SHADDUP!"
15:57 Rioghnach snatches the basin from Matt before he throws it.
15:57 Matt shuts up and wiggles it again.
15:57 Matt "Hey. I called dibs."
15:58 Matt "Also ow."
15:58 Rioghnach "Will you please act like a mature adult with the ridiculously powerful artifact that could kill us all where we stand?"
15:58 Ollan "Seriously, it'd level the mountain."
15:59 Ollan "let's just take it back down the mountain, and get paid."
15:59 Rioghnach pulls out the artifact case
15:59 Rioghnach "Please just put it away."
15:59 Ollan "I have a really shitty apartment, and I'm a month late on rent."
15:59 Matt "I've been ripped apart by birds and punched by a taotie."
15:59 Matt "Let me destress for like five seconds."
15:59 Ollan "How about /no/"
16:00 Ollan "You crazy shadow bastard."
16:00 Matt puts the bowl in the carry-case.
16:00 Rioghnach "Thank you."
16:00 Matt "Nobody fucks with the White Mage."
16:00 Rioghnach "Can we go now."
16:00 Matt "Yes. Yes we can."
16:00 Ollan "Yeah, let's go."
16:01 Rioghnach picks up the carrying case and leads the way out, she for one is eager to be rid of this thing.
16:01 Rioghnach Still...
16:01 Rioghnach "An artifact this powerful should be taken to the Courts..." she grumbles.

It's not a bad idea really. It could buy a lot of favor with a Faerie noble or one of the Queens (and I mean that literally, they'd owe you proportionally). There's just a few issues

16:01 Ollan "Yeah, because the Queen of Air would do such charity work with that thing."

Well that for one, but also there's the fact that Talmach's looks poorly on contractors running away with their treasures.

(I will refer you to the army of magical automata).

16:02 Matt "Let's be honest."
16:02 Matt "Nobody would be okay with this thing."
16:02 Matt "Unless we gave it to the College of Mages and that'd probably cause a shitload of problems too."
16:03 Ollan "Yeah, but Fae play the long game." He makes a quick "No offense" gesture to Rio.
16:03 Rioghnach "What do you think Talmhach's is going to do with it? At least the Seelie and Unseelie Courts have millenia of experience dealing with these. They'd probably lock the damn thing up."
16:03 Rioghnach "And that's where it should be."
16:03 Rioghnach "Locked away."
16:05 Matt "... now when you say locked away."
16:05 Matt "Is the water elemental in there alive?"
16:06 Watcher There's a burbling from inside the case.
16:06 Ollan "Yes."
16:06 Rioghnach "In a certain sense yes, though not in the same sense as you or I. It's an elemental. They function far differently from anything else."
16:06 Ollan "It's pretty alive."
16:06 Ollan "As your girly screaming showed when it started looking around."
16:07 Matt "Shut up Ollan."
16:07 Rioghnach "And this is not really its world."
16:07 Matt "What I mean is, is it stuck in there?"
16:07 Rioghnach "No."
16:07 Rioghnach "Think of this Basin as a way to give the elemental a..."
16:07 Rioghnach "Tele call?"
16:07 Matt "Window would have been less awkward."

They're skyping with it's home dimension basically.


16:07 Matt "Okay, good."
16:07 Matt "Just didn't want to, you know."
16:08 Matt "Think about locking something in a cupboard for six thousand years."
16:09 Matt "... not better."
16:09 Rioghnach "Only problem of course is that crossing Talmhach's isn't a terribly good idea. What with their army of magickal automatons."
16:09 Rioghnach "You enslave it if you use the basin. What do you think using it does?"
16:10 Matt "No need to be condescending. We're not all century-old fae."
16:11 Matt "Just feel like a bit of a douchebag here."
16:11 Rioghnach "I told you it's an elemental tether, it's specifically designed to summon and control elementals. It enslaves the elemental bound to it... and that's pretty much its purpose."
16:11 Rioghnach "Mages have been doing this sort of thing a long time."
16:12 Rioghnach "Though this is certainly the product of an unusually talented mage. He probably had help. Though from whom or what I couldn't possibly hazard a guess."
16:12 Watcher *coughImmortalcough*
16:12 Matt "I just wish I didn't have to hand a slave over to someone."
16:12 Ollan "You're thinking too much into it matt."
16:13 Ollan "We're getting paid a pretty penny. Well, pretty enough by my standards."

That's the spirit!

16:13 Matt "Not helping."
16:13 Ollan "It's either this, or I don't get to eat people food until the enxt job."
16:14 Ollan "I'll have to hunt around upstate for food."
16:14 Ollan "You know I don't like going upstate."
16:14 Matt sighs.
16:14 Rioghnach "Look at it this way."
16:14 Matt "Okay."
16:15 Rioghnach "In all likelihood it only has the vaguest sense that it's being enslaved. There are plenty of elementals who see time in much the same way a glacier does."
16:15 Rioghnach "Which is to say so slowly as to make Fae seem young."
16:15 Matt "Okay."
16:15 Matt "I just want it on record that this doesn't feel right."

That's one of the downsides of being a small fish in a big pond really. You don't get the luxury of making your own choices in this kind of situation, not unless you want to go hungry anyway.

16:19 Watcher Well if there's one upside to this it's that the rain's stopped and the clouds have rolled back. Revealing a sky studded with thousands upon thousand of brilliant stars.
16:19 Watcher It's a beautiful night.