Troubled Past PBEM 79 - The Ritual

[Fabian Benavente]

Alright, here it is...

Let me know if after you read the 'description', the sketch of the village is not clear
and I'll work on it some more.

Read the ooc.

Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?

Enjoy!

Fabian
Troubled Past - An Eberron PBEM
http://www.geocities.com/cfbenave/Eberron/Eberron-Page2.htm

[Fabian Benavente]

48 hours and no responses....

Did you all get the turn? Are you waiting on me for 'directions'?

L8r,

[Angie Gignac]

Wow, Fabian, you wrote such a scary scenario that everybody is afraid to post!

 

A few questions...

 

1) How deep is the pit that the bonfire and the poles are in?

 

2) Were the natives dancing in the pit, or in the village?

 

3) How high is the rocky outcrop? Is there an access from the back (south side)?

 

4) How big are the openings that the supposed snakes live in? How many openings are there?

 

5) When did Bryn start wearing a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity? (I'm assuming that's why Flask keeps calling her lad?) :)

 

 

Daring rescue mission...coming soon!

[Angie Gignac]

ha ha, cross posted!

[Fabian Benavente]

> Wow, Fabian, you wrote such a scary scenario that everybody is afraid to
> post!

Aw, c'mon, I'm blushing... :)

> A few questions...
>
> 1) How deep is the pit that the bonfire and the poles are in?

Look at the figure again. The pit is at elevation 0', the village at elevation 10' and the
top of the rock outcrop at elevation 30'

> 2) Were the natives dancing in the pit, or in the village?

Dancing in the pit around the poles and fire.

> 3) How high is the rocky outcrop? Is there an access from the back (south
> side)?

It's 30' above the 'pit'. The access from behind (south) is through the thick jungle.

> 4) How big are the openings that the supposed snakes live in? How many
> openings are there?

The are two openings, rougly 5 to 6 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide each

> 5) When did Bryn start wearing a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity? (I'm
> assuming that's why Flask keeps calling her lad?) :)

He's weird one that Flask. :)

> Daring rescue mission...coming soon!

Ok, whatever. You're in control...

I look forward to your posts.

L8r,

[Angie Gignac]

[ooc - sorry, I didn't understand that those numbers were altitudes. I thought they were distances from the bonfire. My bad!]

 

[Bryn new]

 

A silence settled over the ir'Valerians as they considered Flask's report. Daram looked around at each of them in turn, a pathetic combination of hope and resignation in his face. He reminded Bryn of Jallel, one of the Blackthorn youngsters. He was smaller and weaker than the other kids, and they'd bullied him a little. Every time they had pulled a trick on him, he'd had that same look on his face. Resignation to being subjected to another prank, but hope that maybe, this once, it wasn't.

 

The sudden memory caught at Bryn's heart, and she nearly gasped with it. What have I become? Willing to sacrifice innocent people to a horrible death, simply so I can satisfy my curiosity? Surely whatever the tomb holds can't be worth more than human life. Even Big Folk life. The druid thought of her clan, missing these 5 years. What if somebody had seen them, somebody with the power to help, and that somebody had elected not to try? She couldn't help her own people, but perhaps she could help Daram's people.

 

"I think we must try to help," Bryn broke the silence. The others looked up at her with surprise. "The University people are innocent. They should not be left to die." She looked at the others, one by one, hoping to convince them. Her passion made her fluent. "We are few, but we are strong. We have many tricks. I can talk to plants, to animals, perhaps get help. Flask has great magic, can even look like them. Leif and Lan, you are strong in mind, can help protect us, can help attack. Ember and Belkar also very big, very strong, to fight."

 

"I can help too!" Daram exclaimed. He was gazing at Bryn with an expression that bordered on adoration.

 

Barely sparing him a glance, Bryn went on, "They dance tonight, celebrate. Tomorrow they will sleep. Maybe we can help then, make distraction. Not have to fight all natives, should not fight them all. But we must help those people, if we can."

 

The ir'Valerians gazed upon the pale halfling with surprise. After all, she had been the first one to dismiss a rescue mission. However, there was no doubting her passion now; it would take a very good arguement to discourage her.

 

[tag]

[King, John]

[Bryn]

Barely sparing him a glance, Bryn went on, "They dance tonight, celebrate. Tomorrow they will sleep. Maybe we can help then, make distraction. Not have to fight all natives, should not fight them all. But we must help those people, if we can."

The ir'Valerians gazed upon the pale halfling with surprise. After all, she had been the first one to dismiss a rescue mission. However, there was no doubting her passion now; it would take a very good arguement to discourage her.

[Ember/Belkar-new, Gary, if you read this and want anything changed, feel free to chime in]
The warforged released a troubled hum from the depths of its broad trunk. "Hrrrmm. Natives not human, might not sleep at all, like warforged. Or maybe like snake, sleep with eyes open." Having never seen a race such as these before, Ember was not willing to assume anything about the tribe. Such assumptions led to fatal oversights on the battlefield, which could lead to unwanted deaths or loss of the battle.

Belkar clenched his jaw, frustration building within him. "Ember's right. We don't know anything about these people. And I needn't remind you of a similar campsite where we attempted a rescue..." The captain paused, his eyes shut tightly as an intrusive image of the Valenar campsite thrust its way into his mind. Belkar's stomach churned every time he thought about that. He wanted to opt for diplomacy, and the others overruled him and staged their attack on the Valenar. They succeeded, they'd rescued Leif's crystal, they'd secured passage back to the ir'Valerian estate, but at a huge, and as far as Belkar was concerned, unacceptable price. "I'm not- We're not going to lose another person. I won't allow it to let that happen again."

The captain looked around the room at each of them, their faces all dashed with concern and fatigue, save for maybe Ember. Somehow though, Belkar believed that the warforged felt the same way. Belkar's face softened a little as he turned to Daram. "It's not that I don't want to help your colleagues. Far from it. But we have a mission to accomplish. We have to stay on task here. Our Lord is fading a little each day. We can ill afford to spend the night waiting around here in hopes of performing a rescue tomorrow, when it will very likely get us no closer to accomplishing our goals and most assuredly put our party as significant risk. For all we know, we may only have another day or two to find this... tomb and get back to the estate anyways."

[tag]

[Tom Andry]

[Belkar / old]

For all we know, we may only have another day or two to find this... tomb
and get back to the estate anyways."

[Leif / new]

Leif scowled. Their options seemed few and generally distasteful. Leave the
Morgrave party to their fate and seek out the tomb, or attempt a rescue
mission and a risk at the very least delaying the successful completion of
their mission, possible forfeit of the prize to another, or death to one or
all of them. Belkar valued the lives of the party member over all others.
Leif respected and appreciated that but he wasn’t sure.

Bryn’s tiny jaw was set and it felt to Leif as she was looking to him for
support. He glanced sideways at Belkar, his promise for unerring support not
forgotten. “I… might have a solution… or part of one. This item,” Leif
removed the crystal the traitor that was Pakua had worn, “augments psionic
powers. I believe it was what was responsible for drawing the bat creatures
and perhaps we can use it in a similar way here.” Leif sighed, “Make no
mistake, this is a dangerous idea as only Lan or myself can really power it.
My psionic abilities have already proven useful in a fight and may be needed
in the rescue. I’m swift of foot and may be able to keep ahead of the women
but if they are as powerful as Lan has indicated… If Lan volunteers, those
in the rescue party may need his healing abilities and I don’t know how
comfortable he’d be used as bait.”

Leif took a beat, “The plan is as simple as it is obvious; lure out the
women and as many of the warriors as possible away from the camp. The bulk
of the group tries to spring the university students.” Leif’s scowl
intensified, “Honestly, this a good plan… for the way back. If we do it now,
we have to do something to ensure these women won’t follow us. Unless
someone else has gotten a different read on them, I image that short of
wiping them out, we aren’t going to get rid of them easily. Our only hope
would be some central figure, or figures that could be eliminated in the
hopes of demoralizing the rest of them. And to me, that isn’t a plan, it is
a pipe dream predicated on a hope. I say we get to the tomb with all
possible haste and unless we figure out something better, we set me up as
bait and attempt the rescue. We may lose a few or most of the University
group but,” Leif looked at Daram, “you came out here on your own free will.
We have a job to do, if we can help you out in the process, I’m all for
that. But we can’t risk not completing our mission just because the
Morgraves seem incapable of staying out of trouble.”

[tag]

Tom Andry

Associate Editor

HYPERLINK "http://www.audioholics.com/"www.Audioholics.com

Over 1 million readers a month and growing!

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[kirs...@yahoo.com]

REF: "We have a job to do, if we can help you out in the process,

I'm all for that. But we can't risk not completing our mission just
because the Morgraves seem incapable of staying out of trouble."

RPG: "I repeat," Flask muttered from a corner of the planar
shelter. "It ain't our fault the Morgraves git 'emselves caught
an' it ain't our duty tae help every stray kitten on Eberron. Like
Commander said, ye be on a job o' our own, not happily wanderin'
the jungle in search o' good deeds tae perform. 'sides, long as the
natives play with their new toys we be havin' a better chance o'
slippin' past 'em."

NRPG: Might need to change spells, but that all depends on whether we
are really committed on a rescue mission or not...

-Jussi / Mel

[Fabian Benavente]

Here's the turn so far...

Just to make things clear:

- we're assuming that you have a general idea of where the tomb is based on Johan's
coordinates so if you want to go there, I can move the game in that direction;
- there is no need to rescue anybody at this time; and
- I was not 'bitter' when I sent my last email (as a couple of you suggested); I just
wanted to know if you'd gotten the turn an/or needed further info from me. :)

Game on!

[Tom Andry]

I'll fess up, I said he was bitter. Don't worry Fabian, I still love you J

 

Tom Andry

Associate Editor

www.Audioholics.com

Over 1 million readers a month and growing!

 

 

 

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[King, John]

Fabian:

In Belkar's paragraph discussing options:

"I'm not- We're not going to lose another person. I won't allow it to
let that happen again."

Please remove 'let that' so it reads like a coherent statement.

Thanks
John

-----Original Message-----
From: Troubl...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:Troubl...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Fabian Benavente
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 11:16 PM
To: Troubl...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Troubled Past PBEM 80 - Decisions (turn so far)