Heroica RPG - Quest #138: Fade To Black

[Endgame]

"Huh, latch must of slipped."

"And if you think facing a fully grown apparently explosive dragon head-on in there is a good idea, then you are incredibly naive. I'm surprisingly with Lind on this one, we should make for cover or at least a more defensible position until we're ready to come at the dragon on our terms. Any thoughts from the rest of ya?" The ogre looked expectantly around.

"...I understand that. But eventually he's going to burst through this wall and stop waiting.

Did he match the profile Faust gave of him?"

"...Vorpalis doesn't like being told to please put people down slowly."

"I was suggesting we duck through the forest to cut down on the risk of Vorpalis following us and inflicting collateral damage on Yukumo..."

"Fair enough, but we can't go too deep into the forest. We'd have to stay near the fringe of it. Further in is where the villages are - and if we lead him there, same story. Just a lot more forest fire."

Edited July 22, 2015 by Endgame

[Lind Whisperer]

"...I understand that. But eventually he's going to burst through this wall and stop waiting.

Did he match the profile Faust gave of him?"

"Tall, big, blue claws, - I got a really good look at those claws - breathing black fog, and yammering about wanting to kill King Faust. Unless there are two dragons that breathe fog here on Moone, I'm not sure who else it could be.

"Fair enough, but we can't go too deep into the forest. We'd have to stay near the fringe of it. Further in is where the villages are - and if we lead him there, same story. Just a lot more forest fire."

"Fringes then. I vote we get moving quickly - he didn't seem to be the sort of dragon that regarding talking as a free action of the peoples..."

[Kintobor]

Karie groans in anger. She looked tired, with dark rims under her eyes, although it wasn't really possible to see due to the extensive amount of white face paint.

"If we're going to run, let's.... let's do so now." Karie uncharacteristically yawns.

[Lind Whisperer]

Karie groans in anger. She looked tired, with dark rims under her eyes, although it wasn't really possible to see due to the extensive amount of white face paint.

"...You okay there? You look a bit worn out..."

"If we're going to run, let's.... let's do so now." Karie uncharacteristically yawns.

"So...count of three?"

[Endgame]

Sandman speaks in a whisper.

"We should have a smoke bomb at the ready before we even run. He's going to catch us out the door no matter what, I presume. I've seen him fly, he's quick. But... If I can mix some of the tranquilizer from Somnomblast with a smoke bomb, it may be enough to slow him down. A creature that huge definitely won't fall asleep. I hardly have enough to tranquilize a horse, let alone a dragon. But it could still slow him down.

Shall we try it?"

[Lind Whisperer]

Sandman speaks in a whisper.

"We should have a smoke bomb at the ready before we even run. He's going to catch us out the door no matter what, I presume. I've seen him fly, he's quick. But... If I can mix some of the tranquilizer from Somnomblast with a smoke bomb, it may be enough to slow him down. A creature that huge definitely won't fall asleep. I hardly have enough to tranquilize a horse, let alone a dragon. But it could still slow him down.

Shall we try it?"

"I'm all for it, but I'm fresh out of smoke bombs..."

[Endgame]

"I'm all for it, but I'm fresh out of smoke bombs..."

"One of you must have one, right?"

[Kintobor]

"Skrall and Warlen, I see you both have one. Seeing how I'd prefer not being in three places at once, can we hurry this up?"

"...You okay there? You look a bit worn out..."

"Oh, no, I'm just peachy." Karie exclaims, sounding sarcastic.

[Endgame]

QM Note: Schedule depending, there may be a 12-24 hour gap in my updates (or nothing at all, depending how it works out) so I'll move this along and choose who wants to use a smokebomb.

Sandman recieves the smoke bomb and works his magic, opening up his gun and some tranquilizer bullets to modify the smokebomb. He works carefully, making sure not to gas the entire party, assembling a makeshift sleep gas bomb.

"Okay. Let's go..."

The party hastily exits the Cathedral, making way for the forest only a short ways behind it. Before they can make it, as Sandman predicted, Vorpalis bursts out from the hole he made in the Cathedral ceiling and lands behind the heroes. He unfurls his wings, revealing his impressive wingspan and imposing height.

"So I finally get a good look at the whole group... I see we have a hunter in our midst. My brother's title wasn't the Ancestral Hunter for no reason; he was damn good at it. I'm sure you and him would get along just-"

Sandman runs forward and throws the makeshift sleep bomb. Vorpalis goes back for a sceond, instantly feeling a heaviness in his muscles as smoke clouds his visions. He does not simply halt his advance, however. He lunges forward, swining his claw down at the person closest; Sandman. The dragon's claws fail to lodge in his chest, and he ends up tearing three claw marks into the ground instead.

Instead of being angry, Vorpalis just laughs jovially.

"Oh ho ho! Clever... Very clever! Time for the classic game, the struggle between rebels and tyrant..."

The party flees as Vorpalis begins to pursue, his reactions dulled by the haze of sleep the bomb caused. The party knows it would soon run off, however, and run towards the fringe of the forest to hide. Skulking through a myriad of trees, they find an odd stranger lingering in the woods.

"Looks like you're in a spot of trouble."

Edited July 22, 2015 by Endgame

[JimBee]

Black fog leaks from the dragon's maw as he speaks.

""This time?" Have we met?"

Jinnipher raised an eyebrow. "Of course we h--" she realized what might be the truth. Perhaps the dragon hadn't exposed her weaknesses and what she saw the night before didn't really happen. For the first time since they landed in Moone, there was a glimmer of hope. Before she could get too cocky, though, the party was on the move.

"We're running? I don't run away. We are facing him on our own terms! When will we be strong enough to take him down if not now! Hey!!!" She realized the other heroes were too busy running for their lives to listen to her. All she could do was keep up.

[Waterbrick Down]

Skrall pockets his spent smoke bomb as the Party retreats from the dragon, "The question is who's the tyrant?" As the group moved through the woods and encountered the stranger, the Hunter made sure to down another mead. "There will be if ya mean to stand in our way."

[Endgame]

Skrall pockets his spent smoke bomb as the Party retreats from the dragon, "The question is who's the tyrant?" As the group moved through the woods and encountered the stranger, the Hunter made sure to down another mead. "There will be if ya mean to stand in our way."

"Today I am your friend. Our next encounter, I cannot guarantee. The name's Charon."

Edited July 22, 2015 by Endgame

[Kintobor]

"Today I am your friend. Our next encounter, I cannot guarantee. The name's Charon."

Karie yawns before speaking, sounding strained and panicky.

"Okay, what'd you want? We're in the middle of running from something, so if we could make this quick, I think we'd all appreciate it."

[Endgame]

"I'd like to help guide you to safety. How's a straight ride to Yukumo sound, without any risk of Vorpalis interfering?"

[Lind Whisperer]

"Oh ho ho! Clever... Very clever! Time for the classic game, the struggle between rebels and tyrant..."

"Hired mercs, you mean..."

The party flees as Vorpalis begins to pursue, his reactions dulled by the haze of sleep the bomb caused. The party knows it would soon run off, however, and run towards the fringe of the forest to hide. Skulking through a myriad of trees, they find an odd stranger lingering in the woods.

"Looks like you're in a spot of trouble."

"Something like that."

Jinnipher raised an eyebrow. "Of course we h--" she realized what might be the truth. Perhaps the dragon hadn't exposed her weaknesses and what she saw the night before didn't really happen. For the first time since they landed in Moone, there was a glimmer of hope. Before she could get too cocky, though, the party was on the move.

"We're running? I don't run away. We are facing him on our own terms! When will we be strong enough to take him down if not now! Hey!!!" She realized the other heroes were too busy running for their lives to listen to her. All she could do was keep up.

"After we take a look through the Palace armory. There's got to be some high-quality weapons in there."

"Today I am your friend. Our next encounter, I cannot guarantee. The name's Charon."

"...Flynn Flisperer. Mu...El...assassin. Heroica."

"I'd like to help guide you to safety. How's a straight ride to Yukumo sound, without any risk of Vorpalis interfering?"

The Munchkin looked at him carefully. "...That depends on what the price is. There's always a price..."

[Endgame]

"Lying about your name to an archangel is a very bad idea, my Munchkin friend.

As for price, virtually nonexistent. Your time, perhaps, and not even much. Time won't even pass at all if you decide to head to Yukumo, save a couple of seconds..."

[Lind Whisperer]

"Lying about your name to an archangel is a very bad idea, my Munchkin friend.

"...I'll remember that," the Munchkin said, in a voice that was sincere - not quite humble, but neither was it arrogant.

As for price, virtually nonexistent. Your time, perhaps, and not even much. Time won't even pass at all if you decide to head to Yukumo, save a couple of seconds..."

"...Unless this is one of those things where 'not even much' is on a galactic scale and actually means more like three hundred years, I'm very much liking this possibility.

I'm just a bit confused as to why you'd want to assist us?"

[Endgame]

"I must confess I am an archangel of the fallen variety. I serve no god, but I parted with my former deity on peaceful terms.

Why? I may not serve a god, but I do work alongside a... higher power, of sorts. And he doens't want your journey to end here."

[Lind Whisperer]

"I must confess I am an archangel of the fallen variety. I serve no god, but I parted with my former deity on peaceful terms.

"Huh. Didn't know that was an option."

Why? I may not serve a god, but I do work alongside a... higher power, of sorts. And he doens't want your journey to end here."

Lind turned to the others. "The teachings of the Dodekube* are...vibing me that following him - out of honest curiosity, are you a he? Or are you some sort of genderless higher being? - would likely be in our better interests.

I'll follow our leader, but my vote's for having Herrengel Charon take us to Yukumo."

OoC: Dodekubism. The official religion of Munchkins.

No, seriously. It is.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Lind Whisperer

[Endgame]

"I suppose I am male." Charon shrugs. His presence was more implied than actually seeming true - he looked like a hazy, three dimensional shadow.

"The Dodekube, eh? You're still using that?"

Edited July 23, 2015 by Endgame

[Lind Whisperer]

"I suppose I am male." Charon shrugs. His presence was more implied than actually seeming true - he looked like a hazy, three dimensional shadow.

"The Dodekube, eh? You're still using that?"

"Well, it did lead us pretty well through the Orc Wars.

Of course, the whole hamlet slaughtering kind of threw a damper on the whole religion thing - but then again, I guess there was a whole argument about how it was our fault for not sticking true to the message and intent of the texts, or else we'd have foreseen the chances of it happening and we would have taken measures to prevent it, and then a good bit about how hindsight's 50/50, and how yours is so big it's more 200/200*, and you're just a chauvinistic pig...

Anyways, yeah, still following it."

*OoC: Lind's pretending to be two people insulting each other - when he says "yours" he's quite obviously not referring to Charon.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Lind Whisperer

[Endgame]

"Sometimes one must look up from the book and use their own inuition. Holy text has always been a curious thing to me - or, more accurately, how it influences people."

[Lind Whisperer]

"Sometimes one must look up from the book and use their own inuition."

"I tried that once. It went pretty well.

I was almost imprisoned by star-lizards.

...Er," Remembering the archangels injunctions against lying, Lind leaned in closer so only Charon could hear him. "...I mean, aliens."

"So, now, for better or worse, I'm trying a very "by-the-book" policy. Follow the leader, try to be polite, follow the leader, try not to suggest plans that involve more than two steps, follow the leader...the works."

Edited July 23, 2015 by Lind Whisperer

[The Chosen Minifigure]

Warlen shakes his head impatiently.

"Guys? Dragon!", he yelled.

"Scarily familiar one..."

[Lind Whisperer]

Warlen shakes his head impatiently.

"Guys? Dragon!", he yelled.

"Scarily familiar one..."

"I must apologize for him - he has no tastes in the matters of calm and quiet delivery of exposition.

But, I suppose he does have a point. Everyone? Party Leader? Shall we follow Herrengel Charon to Yukumo?"

Edited July 23, 2015 by Lind Whisperer