- Location
- United States
[X] Quietly point it out to Professor Piper
- Location
- St. Petersburg
I see. It's a respectful reason, and a source of many an inspiration. I regret not going drinking last time were in town, maybe we'd have a similar project of our own. Ask not 'why', but 'why not', and all that jazz.
[x] Wave 'hi' at the creature.
- Location
- USA
You pick up your pace just enough to come up beside Professor Piper, stepping into the rocky area beside the trail in order to do so, and tap her on the shoulder.
"What?" She asks testily, raising her eyebrow when she sees the way that you are skipping from rock to rock to keep pace beside her.
You point up at the creature clinging to the wall above the head of the caravan and quietly ask, "Should we be worried about that?"
It takes the professor a few seconds to recognize what she is looking for, but when she does, her face goes pale.
"Yes, we absolutely should be worried. That's a Kaertidon. They're tough, venomous, fire resistant, and extremely territorial. The only reason it hasn't attacked is because of the size of the group. They're also set off by sound so keep quiet. You spread the word to everyone behind us. I'll go forward. And tell everyone to keep moving. If we're lucky, we can get past without a fight."
You make your way back through the line of people and animals, quietly pointing out the creature to everyone and relaying Professor Piper's instructions to stay silent and keep moving. The caravan slows to a crawl as its members carefully check their footing for every step, trying to ensure that they don't send another rock clattering down the slope, but they don't stop. You were worried for a moment when you whispered hasty instructions to the other students. One of them looked like he was about to turn and bolt back down the ravine, but he gulped mightily when you pointed out that he'd just get caught in a pile-up and responded with a nod.
The entire time, you reviewed your limited spell list in your head, cursing the fact that Shrink Creature and Sleep both required you to actually touch the creature involved. You could easily hit it with Poison, but it would be nowhere near enough to put down a creature that size. It could make it slow and clumsy though.
[ ] Keep your distance and ready yourself to cast poison if it makes a move
[ ] Position yourself underneath the creature and prepare to cast Shrink Creature if it drops
[ ] Position yourself underneath the creature and prepare to cast Sleep if it drops
[ ] Write-in
"What?" She asks testily, raising her eyebrow when she sees the way that you are skipping from rock to rock to keep pace beside her.
You point up at the creature clinging to the wall above the head of the caravan and quietly ask, "Should we be worried about that?"
It takes the professor a few seconds to recognize what she is looking for, but when she does, her face goes pale.
"Yes, we absolutely should be worried. That's a Kaertidon. They're tough, venomous, fire resistant, and extremely territorial. The only reason it hasn't attacked is because of the size of the group. They're also set off by sound so keep quiet. You spread the word to everyone behind us. I'll go forward. And tell everyone to keep moving. If we're lucky, we can get past without a fight."
You make your way back through the line of people and animals, quietly pointing out the creature to everyone and relaying Professor Piper's instructions to stay silent and keep moving. The caravan slows to a crawl as its members carefully check their footing for every step, trying to ensure that they don't send another rock clattering down the slope, but they don't stop. You were worried for a moment when you whispered hasty instructions to the other students. One of them looked like he was about to turn and bolt back down the ravine, but he gulped mightily when you pointed out that he'd just get caught in a pile-up and responded with a nod.
The entire time, you reviewed your limited spell list in your head, cursing the fact that Shrink Creature and Sleep both required you to actually touch the creature involved. You could easily hit it with Poison, but it would be nowhere near enough to put down a creature that size. It could make it slow and clumsy though.
[ ] Keep your distance and ready yourself to cast poison if it makes a move
[ ] Position yourself underneath the creature and prepare to cast Shrink Creature if it drops
[ ] Position yourself underneath the creature and prepare to cast Sleep if it drops
[ ] Write-in
- Location
- United States
[X] Keep your distance and ready yourself to cast poison if it makes a move
Seeing as it's an ambush predator, this should hamper it significantly, and let those with the firepower to take it down do their job. Getting in close is just gonna get us killed.
Seeing as it's an ambush predator, this should hamper it significantly, and let those with the firepower to take it down do their job. Getting in close is just gonna get us killed.
Ein Gunnhildar
Has anyone seen my axe?
- Location
- Fenris, Death World, Segmentum Obscurus
[X] Keep your distance and ready yourself to cast poison if it makes a move
Yeah, I agree with everyone else. Getting close and personal is a mistake, best to slow the bastard down if it strikes.
Yeah, I agree with everyone else. Getting close and personal is a mistake, best to slow the bastard down if it strikes.
- Location
- USA
It was the guide who was talking about that, saying most things in the desert belong to her, but especially dragons.
- Location
- USA
Well now, the only person who can answer that is the witch herself...
Kaertidon
- Location
- USA
You make your way down to the end of the caravan, quietly informing everyone of the danger above, and keeping an eye on the Kaertidon as best you can, ready to hit it with a poison spell if it made a move. The problem was, "as best you can" was not very good. The bottom of the ravine was a broken mess, filled with dirt and rocks and boulders that had fallen from above. In this location, it was nearly thirty feet wide, and the path meandered back and forth, skirting boulders the size of wagons, and seeking the spots where the ground was packed and would not shift underfoot. The trail moved side to side nearly as much as it moved forward, and ascended towards the desert above. You were able to keep the camouflaged beast within sight due to its position above the group, but the people on the path were only visible for a few yards in front and behind you. Thus, you never saw what set it off.
The sound of clattering stone came from somewhere up the trail as you were speaking to a nervous mule handler, and, out of the corner of your eye, you saw the Kaertidon push let go of the wall and fall, jaws gaping wide.
Instantly, you whirled around and called up your magic. Water mages need water in order to cast their spells, and water was precious in the desert. None was present in the environment around you, and your canteen was cappedto prevent spills, but you were not deterred. A water mage is never found without his element. Your mouth instantly goes dry as you use your magic to pull your saliva into a tiny, swirling sphere of water. With practiced ease, you manipulate the digestive enzymes present into something much more dangerous and send it flying towards the beast.
The poison you had created, with the potency and the amount you had created would struggle to reliably kill a dog, let alone this monstrous thing. Fortunately, though, you did not need to kill it. That was the job of Professor Mia-Rose and the soldiers. Your aim was true, and the small glob of poison disappeared down the gaping maw of the beast. An instant later, a hail of crossbow bolts shattered on its skin, followed by a small boulder which crashed into it, knocking it away from whatever poor soul it was about to land on and into the wall at the base of the ravine.
The boulder must have been Professor Haas's work, and you knew that he would be out of the fight now. Actually moving rocks and earth was the most difficult thing to do with earth magic, as that went against its very nature of stability and permanence. That boulder had to have weighed more than a hundred pounds. You would be surprised if he had even managed to stay conscious after a feat like that.
The beast staggered to its feet, and you got your first real look at it. It was an ugly thing, short legged and massive, with a long snout lined with conical teeth visible even when it was closed. Its feet were powerful, with short stubby fingers or toes tipped with wicked looking claws that it apparently would drive into the rock face to anchor itself. It looked like a turtle with the head of a crocodile and the legs and of a lizard.
That was when Professor Mia-Rose struck. A lance of flame tore from her staff and impacted with the beast's head, engulfing it in a fiery inferno. At first, it did not seem to hinder the beast much. However solid it appeared, the flame did not actually have the mass needed to physically push the Kaertidon aside like the boulder had, and even from this distance, you could tell that it was not being burned. However, with a level of skill and precision that you almost couldn't believe, she kept the inferno centered on its head whenever it moved.
At first, the beast didn't do anything. It seemed like it was stunned, whether by the impact or by your poison, you couldn't tell. When it took action, it was explosive. It threw its head from side to side, and clawed at its face., trying to clear away the mantle of flame. When that didn't work it ran. It was obvious that the beast couldn't see, so you weren't surprised when its shoulder impacted the wall. Its front right leg fell into a hole between two rocks and collapsed under it, pitching it over onto its shoulder and then back, carried by the slope and its own momentum, where it clawed at the air, unable to get its legs or tail into a position where it could leverage itself over. The soldiers could have jumped in at that point, but instead, they waited and watched as its movements grew weaker and weaker as the flame engulfing its head robbed it of air. Eventually it stopped moving completely, but the fire mage kept up the spell. Only several minutes later did she drop it and the soldiers moved in and drove their swords into any chinks in its rock-like scales they could find.
[ ] Check on Professor Haas
[ ] Examine the Kaertidon up close
[ ] Make sure the people under it when it leapt are alright
[ ] Write-in
The sound of clattering stone came from somewhere up the trail as you were speaking to a nervous mule handler, and, out of the corner of your eye, you saw the Kaertidon push let go of the wall and fall, jaws gaping wide.
Instantly, you whirled around and called up your magic. Water mages need water in order to cast their spells, and water was precious in the desert. None was present in the environment around you, and your canteen was cappedto prevent spills, but you were not deterred. A water mage is never found without his element. Your mouth instantly goes dry as you use your magic to pull your saliva into a tiny, swirling sphere of water. With practiced ease, you manipulate the digestive enzymes present into something much more dangerous and send it flying towards the beast.
The poison you had created, with the potency and the amount you had created would struggle to reliably kill a dog, let alone this monstrous thing. Fortunately, though, you did not need to kill it. That was the job of Professor Mia-Rose and the soldiers. Your aim was true, and the small glob of poison disappeared down the gaping maw of the beast. An instant later, a hail of crossbow bolts shattered on its skin, followed by a small boulder which crashed into it, knocking it away from whatever poor soul it was about to land on and into the wall at the base of the ravine.
The boulder must have been Professor Haas's work, and you knew that he would be out of the fight now. Actually moving rocks and earth was the most difficult thing to do with earth magic, as that went against its very nature of stability and permanence. That boulder had to have weighed more than a hundred pounds. You would be surprised if he had even managed to stay conscious after a feat like that.
The beast staggered to its feet, and you got your first real look at it. It was an ugly thing, short legged and massive, with a long snout lined with conical teeth visible even when it was closed. Its feet were powerful, with short stubby fingers or toes tipped with wicked looking claws that it apparently would drive into the rock face to anchor itself. It looked like a turtle with the head of a crocodile and the legs and of a lizard.
That was when Professor Mia-Rose struck. A lance of flame tore from her staff and impacted with the beast's head, engulfing it in a fiery inferno. At first, it did not seem to hinder the beast much. However solid it appeared, the flame did not actually have the mass needed to physically push the Kaertidon aside like the boulder had, and even from this distance, you could tell that it was not being burned. However, with a level of skill and precision that you almost couldn't believe, she kept the inferno centered on its head whenever it moved.
At first, the beast didn't do anything. It seemed like it was stunned, whether by the impact or by your poison, you couldn't tell. When it took action, it was explosive. It threw its head from side to side, and clawed at its face., trying to clear away the mantle of flame. When that didn't work it ran. It was obvious that the beast couldn't see, so you weren't surprised when its shoulder impacted the wall. Its front right leg fell into a hole between two rocks and collapsed under it, pitching it over onto its shoulder and then back, carried by the slope and its own momentum, where it clawed at the air, unable to get its legs or tail into a position where it could leverage itself over. The soldiers could have jumped in at that point, but instead, they waited and watched as its movements grew weaker and weaker as the flame engulfing its head robbed it of air. Eventually it stopped moving completely, but the fire mage kept up the spell. Only several minutes later did she drop it and the soldiers moved in and drove their swords into any chinks in its rock-like scales they could find.
[ ] Check on Professor Haas
[ ] Examine the Kaertidon up close
[ ] Make sure the people under it when it leapt are alright
[ ] Write-in
- Location
- United States
[X] Check on Professor Haas
Others will check on the people, but Haas might be forgotten in the chaos.
Others will check on the people, but Haas might be forgotten in the chaos.
Ein Gunnhildar
Has anyone seen my axe?
- Location
- Fenris, Death World, Segmentum Obscurus
[X] Check on Professor Haas
Poor lad probably put a lot of strain on himself.
Poor lad probably put a lot of strain on himself.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
This update is not threadmarked.
Dammit, we killed the... uh, is it a lizard? Let's call it a lizard.
[x] Examine the Kaertidon up close
Dammit, we killed the... uh, is it a lizard? Let's call it a lizard.
[x] Examine the Kaertidon up close
[X] Check on Professor Haas
- Location
- Head in the clouds
Alright, this looks fun so I'm joining in.
[X] Check on Professor Haas
So - who else is wondering if we're going to have to use the tarp to put over Professor Piper here? Because by the looks of things the natives aren't being superstitious but are going by hard earned experience. I think I know why the precognitive wind mage thinks we need four iron statuettes. Well one reason at least.
Alright keep this in mind whenever we . are dealing with Chupon. She's in a field that deals with precognition, hypnosis, illusions and dreams. And is very good at it. Going by her feats I think she has illusions and precognition down. And given that we're dealing with witches - probably the communing with eldritch abominations.
Now the thing with Chupon is that I think she's perfectly sane. It's just that she's filtering information that the listener won't know and mixes it in with precognition. People sound crazy when they have to start mixing future tense with past/present tense to describe when they learned something. Which is again in the wind mage's tool kit. Our MC is from a biased perspective here, since it looks like the students and professors have bad habits of not actually listening to the locals.
Also given that illusions are also in the skills of this set - decent odds that Chupon isn't a little kid always.
Also I think the kid counts as a street urchin. Which she out right said not to trust.
See this is a large part of why I don't think she's crazy just eccentric. She understood what was said she just wants to know what a joke is.
Something else to keep everyone worried - praying mantises do eat other praying mantises. Including hungry females during mating. On the other hand - this doesn't always happen.
She comes back to the question asked. Which says a lot about what she thinks about those four things at the end. She doesn't find them funny.
I'm going to stress that. The girl who watches praying mantisses eat each other, and promises to follow our MC around complete with setting the guard on us doesn't think what's going on with the witch is funny.
Another thing is that if Chupon is precognitive (knowing Alex's name) - well she likes Alex because he played along. So I do think this is accurate advice.
So again - she's precognitive so odds are that her sister is going to attempt to kill us.
Also of note is that her knowing that we're not a fire mage is due to that survey. We've also been in the area for awhile - and Chupon already knew our name from some method. And had the survey to figure out that we weren't a fire mage.
So Capriciousness is defined by Miriam-Webster's as:
Caprice is further defined as:
So another note of interest, I looked up carnations. Pink being remembrance for the dead isn't actually normal with carnations. So as our street urchin says she's not our mother... well the meaning is acting like a gift from her to us. Someone giving someone a flower for remembrance for the dead does sound to be a lead up to a funeral.
Notably I can't find a single meaning for the giving of a purple carnation.
That said, if we still have it - we might want to consider whether it'd be useful to give to her sister if she attacks.
[X] Check on Professor Haas
So - who else is wondering if we're going to have to use the tarp to put over Professor Piper here? Because by the looks of things the natives aren't being superstitious but are going by hard earned experience. I think I know why the precognitive wind mage thinks we need four iron statuettes. Well one reason at least.
Alright keep this in mind whenever we . are dealing with Chupon. She's in a field that deals with precognition, hypnosis, illusions and dreams. And is very good at it. Going by her feats I think she has illusions and precognition down. And given that we're dealing with witches - probably the communing with eldritch abominations.
Now the thing with Chupon is that I think she's perfectly sane. It's just that she's filtering information that the listener won't know and mixes it in with precognition. People sound crazy when they have to start mixing future tense with past/present tense to describe when they learned something. Which is again in the wind mage's tool kit. Our MC is from a biased perspective here, since it looks like the students and professors have bad habits of not actually listening to the locals.
Also given that illusions are also in the skills of this set - decent odds that Chupon isn't a little kid always.
Also I think the kid counts as a street urchin. Which she out right said not to trust.
See this is a large part of why I don't think she's crazy just eccentric. She understood what was said she just wants to know what a joke is.
Something else to keep everyone worried - praying mantises do eat other praying mantises. Including hungry females during mating. On the other hand - this doesn't always happen.
She comes back to the question asked. Which says a lot about what she thinks about those four things at the end. She doesn't find them funny.
I'm going to stress that. The girl who watches praying mantisses eat each other, and promises to follow our MC around complete with setting the guard on us doesn't think what's going on with the witch is funny.
Another thing is that if Chupon is precognitive (knowing Alex's name) - well she likes Alex because he played along. So I do think this is accurate advice.
So again - she's precognitive so odds are that her sister is going to attempt to kill us.
Also of note is that her knowing that we're not a fire mage is due to that survey. We've also been in the area for awhile - and Chupon already knew our name from some method. And had the survey to figure out that we weren't a fire mage.
So Capriciousness is defined by Miriam-Webster's as:
Caprice is further defined as:
So another note of interest, I looked up carnations. Pink being remembrance for the dead isn't actually normal with carnations. So as our street urchin says she's not our mother... well the meaning is acting like a gift from her to us. Someone giving someone a flower for remembrance for the dead does sound to be a lead up to a funeral.
Notably I can't find a single meaning for the giving of a purple carnation.
That said, if we still have it - we might want to consider whether it'd be useful to give to her sister if she attacks.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Not necessarily. She only said the rules weren't a joke.
She'd probably find it pretty funny if we try and break them.
Then again, we are breaking rule number one already, how much worse can it be to break another one?
- Location
- Head in the clouds
True, it's just that she defined a joke as something that's funny or something that's funny and X.
That's usually a good way of setting up they mean something when they use a word they defined their personal meaning from.
So how I see the the last four aren't a joke is that she doesn't see the rules as funny.
Oh I agree. Especially since the pink flower she gives the meaning of a mourning flower, and the purple carnation has the connotation of a mourning flower anyways. We had the pick between two mourning flowers.
It's only a question of how much it's going to hurt.
So I think we now know one possible the Dragons are considered the Witch's. They might be under contract with her or summoned by her.