Troubled Past PBEM 78 - The Natives
Fabian Benavente
We'll go back to our 2 turns per week schedule soon enough.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Enjoy.
Fabian
Troubled Past - An Eberron PBEM
http://www.geocities.com/cfbenave/Eberron/Eberron-Page2.htm
kirs...@yahoo.com
Flask used Racial Emulation to emulate whatever race the natives belong
to (Standard procedure). That fools even spells, magical items and
psionics, so a quick brush of minds would likely have given away
nothing... Now, if only I had the feats to take Persona Immersion as
well...
RPG: With the drumbeats setting his pace, the changeling ran back to
the campsite, calling upon the powers of his magical ring to hide all
signs of his passage. Not even a trained bloodhound could follow him
now, but that still left the supposed mental powers of the native
women... Mel had always been suspicious of such forces and the people
who commanded them; they were the greatest risk to his true nature
remaining a secret. If one could peel away layers of your psyche like
an onion, what chances were there to keep you private thoughts private?
At least Lan hadn't tried that with him... yet... or had he?
Mel didn't feel safe to stop and change back before reaching the
campsite, trusting to his skills at voicing flexible truths to explain
it all away. Besides, Bryn's bird had seen it all and the druid would
get some kind of report from it later, he was sure. Thus it was a
half-naked native who ran into the small clearing, appearing from the
forest with nary a whisper of sound. He skidded to a stop, squinted his
eyes as he looked straight up, trying to recall where he had placed the
window of the extradimensional shelter.
Making a series of nonsensical gestures to abate any ideas of his
companions to try and jump the lone enemy, Mel dropped his shoulderback
next to a fern and kneeled down, digging the earth with a dagger to
create a hole big enough for the magical container. And while he
worked, the vitality and strength bled out of his bones, leaving Flask
behind, still clad only in feathers and a now dangerously loose
loincloth.
Muttering something under his breath, the old scout took of his few
clothes, stuffed them into his back, took out his coat and breeches and
began to pull the garments on with some haste. A couple of minutes
later he was done, after a fashion, and dropped his bag into the hole,
filled it up and smoothed the ground, using a touch of his ring's
magic to erase the most minute signs that the earth had been disrupted
before standing up with a grunt of effort and a curse to head for the
rope someone was already lowering for him...
"Now, that was fun," Flask grunted exhaustedly as he was helped the
last inches into the shelter.
TAG: Everyone interested...
NRPG: Renewing the spell when it nears its end so it'll last long
enough for Flask to get his beauty sleep. Using the 2nd level Pearl of
Power to relearn the spell. Flask will answer all questions openly,
except the part about his shapechanging which will be explained away as
a spell.
-Jussi / Mel
Angie Gignac
King, John
Time ticked by slowly as the ir'Valerians waited for Flask's return. From up above, Ember waited patiently, ever watchful, looking down on the verdant jungle floor from the window in the sky. The warforged could hear faint sounds of the jungle drifting through the portal opening, but they were muted by interference caused by the eldritch threshold. The voices of those inside were much louder by comparison, although they too became muted and then fell silent as one by one, the fleshy creatures fell asleep or wrapped themselves up in deep meditative thought.
Ember took the opportunity to run a quick diagnostics assessment on its functionality. Limb and joint mobility optimum; bladder control and vascular systems operating within parameters; optic, auditory, and aromatic sensors all at peak performance. Mental functions - surprisingly stable, the warforged assessed. So far the day had progressed without incident, without a vision or a foreign urge. Perhaps Master Digeom's exercises had bolstered the construct's mental strength after all.
Or not. Ember recalled how quickly its mind had succumbed to both the changeling onboard the Lyrander airship and to the hissing beast out in the jungle. The construct's mental strength was clearly not on par with its physical prowess. A troubling vulnerability, the warforged surmised. Leif had suggested that they work on bolstering his mental defenses. Perhaps better to start sooner than later, and risk endangering the group again.
Ember's head rotated toward Leif, who had the small druid's head resting in his lap. The shifter was still awake but silent, delicately stroking the halfling's cheek with his fingertips. Leif's expression showed both content and concern for his new friend, but also a bit of weariness. His eyes were beginning to droop, the lids lingering closed longer and longer with each successive blink.
"Leif," the warforged spoke in gravelly whisper.
The shifter's head sprung up, his eyes wide open. "Not my fault!" the shifter blurted, still caught in the last remnant of his daydream. "Huh? Oh, hey Ember, what's up?"
"A direction, usually referring to space over one's head. Why do you ask?"
"No, I mean, what's troubling you? Something out there?" Leif shook the last of his disorientation, worried now that the warforged had encountered something of note out beyond the pocket dimension.
"Nay," the warforged spoke softly, shaking its head. "In jungle, you mentioned mental exercises, tricks. Have time to teach?"
[tag Leif]
[Bryn]
other questions for Flask, which probably wouldn't all come from Bryn. Any takers....?
"How many natives were there?"
"Were there any children taking part?"
"Any sign of a chief or leader, apart from the women?"
"Could you tell if any other university members were there, and if so, where they were being held?"
"What direction is the camp. Is it anywhere near where we're supposed to be going to find the tomb?"
[ooc - I'll take a few]
[Ember - new, Bryn's first question, Ember-style]
Ember had a number of questions of strategic relevance to pose to the old man. Given the scout's training, the warforged felt confident that the human would have the answers. "How many natives? Weaponry? Personal or structural defenses? Siege weapons? Evidence of military caste structure, commander or chieftain?"
[ooc - if relevant, i.e. - we may need to go into or past village]
"Does village have vulnerable side? Poor visibility to surroundings or ample foliage for cover?"
Fabian Benavente
turn with the answers to your questions. If not, I'll go ahead and provide something to
work with tomorrow night.
Game on!
Tom Andry
post again until the weekend or perhaps Monday]
[Bryn / old]
"Thank you, Bryn," Belkar said softly. The halfling nodded, opened her mouth
to say something, then simply nodded again. She made her way over to Leif,
who had been watching the exchange.
[Leif / new]
Leif smiled faintly. It was nice to see the Halfling lower her defenses a
bit. Her revulsion at Belkar’s… condition was evident. Still, Leif didn’t
see the problem. As long as he controlled the arm and the arm didn’t control
him, it was fine. And all indications pointed to Belkar being in control.
The emotion that radiated off the man seemed much less anxious. That at
least was an improvement.
[Bryn / old]
"Are you still hurt?" she asked. She could see that he was; the wound in his
throat hadn't healed over completely, and he had a nice bruise on his arm.
[Leif / new]
Leif tried to wave her off but it was no use. She would do as she liked and
Leif would never consciously reject her touch.
[Bryn /old]
"Leif, is there a connection? The changeling who hid on our ship, is he
connected to the university people? Why are they out here looking for our
tomb? Why does everybody want to get there so badly?"
[Leif / new]
Leif harrumphed clearly, his voice fully restored. “Isn’t it the way of
things? When a predator makes a kill, how long before the scavengers arrive?
Hours? Minutes? Nothing in life is easy so why should this be any different.
If what we are after is of value, it only makes sense that many people want
it.”
Leif sat back and Bryn rested her head in his lap, “My guess, the Changeling
is connected to Bori’s death if not directly responsible. Someone knew that
Lord Waldemar sent his daughter to look for Bori and had an idea of what
Bori would tell her. They sent the Changeling to get the information and
stop Ariana from getting it. They failed. The Changeling on the ship was
either Bori’s murderer using us to lead him to the tomb after a failed
attempt to find it or a back up plan find out what we know and kill us.
Either way, there is a force at work here that doesn’t want us to succeed.
That alone tells us that this mission has value. What we are after has
worth. Whether it will cure Lord Waldemar remains to be seen but the fact
that someone else will go to such lengths to get it tells me that we need to
get it first. Such a person can be up to no good and whatever is in that
tomb would not better the world.”
As Leif spoke, he absently stroked Bryn’s colorless hair pulling out burrs
and gently combing out tangles. A rumble emanated from deep within him
unaffected by his speech. It was an unintentional sound of contentment that
calmed both Bryn and Swift. The coyote curled up next to the couple and
yawned, lying over. After a few moments, he flipped over on his back, legs
sprawled in the air, completely asleep.
[tag?]
[Ember / old]
“Nay,” the warforged spoke softly, shaking its head. “In jungle, you
mentioned mental exercises, tricks. Have time to teach?”
[Leif / new – John, change as necessary]
Leif stretched, trying not to disturb either Swift or Bryn. He nodded
speaking softly, “Sure. First let’s talk about this exercise that your
Master Whatshisname gave you.”
“Digeon,” Ember corrected.
“Yes, him. Counting correct?” Ember nodded. “Why do you think he gave you
that exercise?”
[Tag]
Leif nodded, “All true, but you are thinking too concretely. The mind… every
mind is a fairly chaotic place. Something I believe you are all too familiar
with.” Leif waited for confirmation for a moment but received none.
Continuing, “Counting is just one method of focus. You are blocking out the
other thoughts by concentrating on one task. That can be an effective method
to block outside intrusion, but not always. What is more important at this
junction is that you know the whats and whys than the hows.”
Ember sat patiently, absorbing Leif’s monologue. “What you are trying to do
is to stop intrusion. How you are doing it is counting. Why you count… now
that is what is important.” Leif shifted slightly, causing Bryn to open her
eyes briefly, turn, and close them again. He wasn’t sure if she fell back to
sleep but he was too preoccupied to notice. “The way to take over or to
affect the thoughts of another is through gentle nudges. Someone of immense
power can simply override another mind but those people are rare,
thankfully. Most simply nudge the mind in the correct direction. They twist
thoughts to their own ends.”
“For example, on the ship, did the Changeling tell you to attack us? No. And
why not? Well, because your natural thought process would have rejected such
an order. What he said was that he was your friend and that you should
protect your friend. Through that innocuous statement which is essentially
true, he twisted your thoughts until you were willing to attack us. You do
want to protect your friends and you would protect one of us from the other
if the other was acting irrationally.”
“It is an insidious power and one that shouldn’t be used lightly. What your
counting does is to push out all ‘twistable’ thoughts. You count so that the
other mind can’t bend your will to its own. Like I said, it works but it
isn’t the most effective method.”
Ember interrupted, “What is the most effective method?”
“If I knew that…” Leif started to joke, then thought the better of it. Ember
wouldn’t appreciate the humor on a subject so vital to his well being.
“Basically, you learn to segregate your mind. This counting you do occupies
your mind. You can learn to think disjointed thoughts that seem impenetrable
to the outside but have an undercurrent of true thought.” Leif frowned,
trying to find the right words, “It is like thinking in layers. On the
surface it is like a turbulent river while underneath, it is calm and
strong.”
“There are psionic abilities that heighten the effectiveness of this defense
but the core is learned through practice. I’ve told you all this so that you
know why it is you count. If you know why, you won’t be able to be tempted
out of it as easily. When you think someone or something is trying to
manipulate you, count. But also try not to listen to anything else that is
said. At the same time, you will have thoughts, it is nearly impossible not
too. But you must control them. Intersperse them around the numbers.”
“And if you find that the counting isn’t working for you, think of something
else. Many psions start by envisioning a wall. They imagine every detail of
it until it is as real to them as any wall they have ever experienced.”
“I have seen 231,456 walls…” Ember began.
“No, no, you are missing the point. A real wall has memories and emotions
attached to it. This wall must be completely fictional, a product of your
mind. You cannot associate it with anything other than mental defense or it
will leave a gap that an enemy can use. Say you used a wall from Johan’s
workshop. An enemy could use the memories you have of seeing that wall as a
way to circumvent it and take control.” Leif paused taking a break, “And it
doesn’t have to be a wall. It could be a flower or a rock or a weapon or
anything. Something to concentrate on. After a while, you won’t need the
visualization anymore, you’ll just be able to do it. You’ll know how to shut
out all those extraneous thoughts that can be used to control you. And when
someone tries to enter, you’ll let those commands wash right over you like a
soft breeze or bat them away like an annoying insect.”
[tag]
Tom Andry
Associate Editor
HYPERLINK "http://www.audioholics.com/"www.Audioholics.com
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Angie Gignac
[Leif old]
As Leif spoke, he absently stroked Bryn's colorless hair pulling out burrs
and gently combing out tangles. A rumble emanated from deep within him
unaffected by his speech. It was an unintentional sound of contentment that
calmed both Bryn and Swift. The coyote curled up next to the couple and
yawned, lying over. After a few moments, he flipped over on his back, legs
sprawled in the air, completely asleep.
[Bryn new]
Bryn mulled Leif's answer over in her head. It didn't really satisfy her questions; why, after all this time, were so many people suddenly interested in the tomb? If only she knew more about Bori's life, if only he'd told her of his time with Lord Waldemar. However, the druid didn't have the strength to keep up her line of questioning. She was desperately tired, and Leif's gentle combing of her hair, combined with the strange purr in his belly, was enough to temporarily sooth her doubts. Bryn let her questions go and surrendered to sleep.
Les Anderson
but I guess I can use the time to heal up. Anyone wants healing,
they'll need to ask- light wounds shouldn't be obvious to casual
inspection.
IC:
Lan was quiet, as was his norm. He sat as far removed as he could from
the rest of the party, separating himself physically as he so
successfully separated himself from them emotionally. He crossed his
legs and concentrated on his breathing, ready to use this respite from
the jungle to find the center that had so thoroughly failed him in the
face of simple heat and humidity.
After some time- a few hours, perhaps, it was hard to tell in this
pocket dimension- the white chunk of stone hanging against his chest
began to glow with an inner light. The cuts and scrapes on his hands
and arms and legs slowly disappeared as he healed himself, using the
power of il-Yannah to make his body whole as he had used his own inner
power to refocus his mind.
He didn't seem to notice when Flask returned, staying silent through
all the questions and answers until the scout seemed to have relayed
all he had to tell. Eyes still closed, he spoke into the silence.
"Did they sense you, Flask? Did you feel their touch against your mind
as you hid in the jungle and spied out their village?"
Les Anderson
Sorry, forgot to say the Lan uses Cure spells until he's healed up. I
may revise his spell list, too; I need to look at what he's packing
right now.
--
Les
Fabian Benavente
Game on!
King, John
[Ember / old]
"Nay," the warforged spoke softly, shaking its head. "In jungle, you mentioned mental exercises, tricks. Have time to teach?"
[Leif edited]
Leif stretched, trying not to disturb either Swift or Bryn. He nodded speaking softly, "Sure. First let's talk about this exercise that your Master Whatshisname gave you."
"Digeom," Ember corrected.
"Yes, him. Counting correct?" Ember nodded. "Why do you think he gave you that exercise?"
[Ember-new]
Leif's question seemed simple enough. Ember and Master Digeom had discussed the dangers of this invading presence a number of times while the warforged had been back at the estate. Recalling its former conversations with its master, Ember began to rattle off a myriad of answers. "To prevent take over by hostile persona. To engage and focus mind, to perform mental process that 'Ember' personality performs regularly as habit or subconscious task. Master Digeom explained as 'way to root me in my identity' and method to keep mind pushing out entity, to counter it with thoughts, routines, habits familiar to current persona." Somehow, the construct's answer seemed vastly more complicated than the question its comrade had posed.
[Leif]
Leif nodded, "All true, but you are thinking too concretely. The mind... every mind is a fairly chaotic place. Something I believe you are all too familiar with." Leif waited for confirmation for a moment but received none. Continuing, "Counting is just one method of focus. You are blocking out the other thoughts by concentrating on one task. That can be an effective method to block outside intrusion, but not always. What is more important at this junction is that you know the whats and whys than the hows."
----------------------------------------------------
[Leif]
"There are psionic abilities that heighten the effectiveness of this defense but the core is learned through practice. I've told you all this so that you know why it is you count. If you know why, you won't be able to be tempted out of it as easily. When you think someone or something is trying to manipulate you, count. But also try not to listen to anything else that is said. At the same time, you will have thoughts, it is nearly impossible not too. But you must control them. Intersperse them around the numbers."
"And if you find that the counting isn't working for you, think of something else. Many psions start by envisioning a wall. They imagine every detail of it until it is as real to them as any wall they have ever experienced."
"I have seen 231,456 walls..." Ember began.
"No, no, you are missing the point. A real wall has memories and emotions attached to it. This wall must be completely fictional, a product of your mind. You cannot associate it with anything other than mental defense or it will leave a gap that an enemy can use. Say you used a wall from Johan's workshop. An enemy could use the memories you have of seeing that wall as a way to circumvent it and take control." Leif paused taking a break, "And it doesn't have to be a wall. It could be a flower or a rock or a weapon or anything. Something to concentrate on. After a while, you won't need the visualization anymore, you'll just be able to do it. You'll know how to shut out all those extraneous thoughts that can be used to control you. And when someone tries to enter, you'll let those commands wash right over you like a soft breeze or bat them away like an annoying insect."
[Ember-new]
The living construct tried to digest the wealth of information provided by the shifter. Glancing from Leif to the portal to the jungle below, Ember reviewed the key points out loud. "Imagine fake wall, rock, flower, weapon, anything. Count. Not listen to anything else that is said. Understand," the warforged said finally with a knowing nod.
"Well," Leif retracted, "Don't ignore people completely. But learn to filter out the noise, and things that don't quite make sense. Belkar, Bryn, Johan, and I, we won't deceive you. I think it's safe to say you can listen to us." Leif wouldn't yet speak on behalf of Flask or Lan. They had the confidence of Lord Adrian to be sure. But then again, so had Vincent. Leif would reserve his judgment on these two until later.
Ember said nothing to this though. Only stared blankly down toward the ground.
"Ember?" The shifter waited a veritable lifetime to get some sort of response from the warforged. Finally it moved, but only lifted its head to look straight out across the pocket dimension to the opposite wall.
"Ember?" Leif repeated, this time more meekly. Ember's curious behavior began to stir anxiety within the shifter. Any aberrant mannerisms could indicate the construct had reverted to the more hostile persona. Leif's eyes grew wide with horrific realization as he craned his neck to look hurriedly around the room. The ir'Valerians had collectively made a fatal error of judgment. Here, in a confined space where the rest were sleeping, the guardian of the only exit was a mentally unstable warforged. Had the rest of the party lost their minds?
Suddenly, the pocket dimension seemed impossibly small. Leif's jaw slackened as a wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm him. He choked it down as best he could, burdened with the knowledge that he was the only defense against the rogue construct. His eyes never leaving the construct, Leif fumbled for the piece of paper that Ember had given him from Master Digeom. The words scribed on that scrap were perhaps the ir'Valerians' only chance to thwart the hostile entity in Ember's body.
Ember cocked its head, and slowly began to rotate it towards Leif. The air was so quiet, so still in the room that the shifter could hear the groaning of Ember's neck fibers and the grinding of metal against stone as the construct's head pivoted on the joint at the base of its skull. With a flurry of finger movement, Leif hastily brought the piece of paper up to its face to read in the dim light. He had to look away from the warforged, for he knew that if he looked into Ember's eyes again, he'd be frozen in place by the haunting red orbs.
Leif held the piece of paper high in the air between him and the warforged, hoping to use what little light there was to be had in this small space to read the words. He'd thought he memorized the ridiculous phrase, but given its content, he knew he risked getting the words out of order which could ruin any chance of seizing control. Leif was still fumbling with the orientation of the paper to get the words upright to read when the scrap was washed in red and Leif could see two illuminated discs through the translucent material. The shifter was out of time. Leif spat out the words he could recall. "Bum plum rum-"
"Leif of the Ederoc?"
Leif paused his recitation. The voice certainly sounded like Ember's and not the fervent spouting of the "other." Could it be a trick? Leif defied his own logic and peered over the top edge of the scrap of paper, looking the warforged directly in its eye apertures. "Ember?" he called again, this time barely more than a whisper.
"Aye, practicing not listening. Can effectively mitigate sound input. Still able to determine some words from examination of facial movement. Should I not look at people as well?"
[tag or end scene]