Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

As we play, occasionally we'll close a thread and open a new one to keep the size of threads (and relative complexity) down to a dull roar. Here's where we store the closed posts from the history of Errant Road.
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Graybeard
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Graybeard »

"Uh, Anna-Lisa, I think they mean shooting at a real ship," Khoo corrected.

The girl got a deer-in-the-headlights look. "Say again?"

"Real ship. In the real harbor. Shoot it. With real fireballs," Khoo said.

The deer-in-the-headlights look gave way to incredulity. "But I can't do that!"
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina chose that moment to step-in and reassure the newcomer.

"S' okay, you don't have to. Be dangerous anyway, there's lots a' bad men in the Port doing bad things, but there's one worse than the rest. We're going to stop him... if we stop him, we stop the rest."
Alberich
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

Un-Jones shrugged. He'd dealt with a fair number of Tsuirakuan schoolbrat mages in his time, and extracted his share of unsavory work from them, when they came out to Lorrel for a taste of licentious anarchy. But that was always after they'd run up debts they couldn't pay or done things in Port Lorrel that really really really should stay there. There were no handles on this gal. (From the look of her, not even love handles.) So he gave his most beatific, grandfatherly smile. "Okay, then," he said, "Then you're right, it's probably best you go. Otherwise the shnooks might try doing something to you to get at your sweet pea. And we'll look after him okay and make sure he gets back home to you." Since there was nothing to be gained from her continued presence, the sooner she got going, the sooner they could back to business.
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

[OOC: By your leave getting rid of the girl so that the plot can move. But I can edit/move if anything dramatic needs to happen.]

Green at the gills, Anna-Lisa admonished not-Jones to keep his word, and made ready to depart. Udo gave Khoo one last build-up. "He's a hero, a hero I tell you! Hang onto him!" With a little help from the strong men in the group her craft was launched with her in it, and soon enough it disappeared from view. Most folks around were sitting on the rocks by that point.

"Well, that was a fun interlude," said Not-Jones, "and it looks like you can handle a crisis. So, where's the other elf?"

"?" chorused the adventurers.

"Other elf?" said a cockily innocent voice from behind them. "There's no other elves around here." A dozen heads swivelled to see a tall figure in travelling clothes and a long-haired blonde wig. (In fact he'd been watching for a while, and using his magical senses to make sure none of the uniquely-flavored Ralkin magic was anywhere nearby.) The fake fortuneteller had dropped his illusions, but he was easily recognized by two in the group.

Udo knew him by the staff he carried - Udo's own Frontier Blaster. With a snarl he drew his pistol and fired, but to no purpose. The smirking stranger had a shield up instantly, and Udo's bullet did nothing. "Hey," said not-Jones, "this is a war council! No violence!"

Wig notwithstanding, Drusia knew this elf from the past. Jargalan Rossa. A ranger and not a well-liked one. She'd once heard him described as "a dick, right down to his toes." And he'd overheard, and come over to say that was the perfect description.

Now he raised an eyebrow at Drusia and cocked his head towards Udo. "<Pet of yours?>" he asked in Elvish, tapping his palm with the stolen staff.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Jack Rothwell »

"Who you?" The kobold asked, her eyes darting between her irate knight protector and the new arrival, noting the weapon he carried as they did. "That's my friend's staff, you a thief? One of the bad men?"
Alberich
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

"That's my friend's staff, you a thief?"

"Perish the thought!" That had been one persona ago. "Ross Rothwell. Fortuneteller!"

"One of the bad men?"

"Quite the contrary. I'm the enemy of your enemies." He paused to see if she was bright enough to do the math, or anyway the symbolic logic. Of course he wasn't surprised to see the kobold, having been led to expect her by Gabriel, but he wondered what had happened to the skinny redhead sniper who was supposed to be so formidable. She wasn't hiding on the cliffs -- he'd scouted and found no overwatch but a couple of Eisenfaust, who were now sleeping peacefully -- and hadn't been brought back a prisoner. Most likely Gabriel had managed to finish her. Bullets didn't stop him so easily and it would've been just like him to play dead, let her check her kill, then sit up suddenly and tear her head off. A hint of a smile played across his lips as he pictured the scene.

Drusia didn't look to be in mourning, but then, why should she? Pets were expendable.

He wasn't making any move to satisfy the steaming Udo or even acknowledge the shaven-headed blanked-wrapped ex-highwayman's existence. Some diplomacy might well be needed here. Then again, Udo without his staff was probably not all that useful, and might well be discarded without much harm to the mission. Jargalan, an elf artilleryman, was a much more powerful staff user.

Not-Jones the Eisenfäuster seemed to have something on his mind, but he wasn't making haste to talk as he sized up the situation.
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Browncoat »

Angrist had been ignored while he had been tying the mooring lines and now he was behind this "Rothwell". There was something about this elf that grated against Angrist's instincts. He started to quietly move closer behind the interloper. If things turned sour, "Ross" would never know what hit him.
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

Angrist's enhanced senses were good enough to detect the flickering magic shield that covered the semi-disguised elf on all sides. Neither bullets nor fists were getting through that and it wasn't coming down while Udo's pistol was out. And maybe not after. Happily, as Angrist surmised, the stranger had not paid close attention to him and especially not to his artificially-completed ears. That would have made a fatal day for somebody.
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Drusia
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Drusia »

Jargalan mother-killing * Rossa.

A Peregin. An asshole peregin. Just what I do not need anywhere near Eli or any other elf that hails from Snamish. I won't even let Sar know about my town, and she was on the same side of the war as I was. He fought for the child killing Cimmerii.

Now he raised an eyebrow at Drusia and cocked his head towards Udo. "<Pet of yours?>" he asked in Elvish, tapping his palm with the stolen staff.

I am simultaionusly angry at his classification of my lovers as pets and amused that he thinks I'm with Udo. I hide both, steeling my face to neutrality.

<"You are here to fight the Ralkin too, I take it?"> I ask, ignoring his earlier comment.

At least I have the good fortune to not be traveling with any half-elves at the moment. Well, not as far as the other Peregin are concerened, what with all Tsuirakuians carrying the faintest traces of elven blood. This is probably the least elven group I've -

Angrist.

I don't turn towards him, but suddenly it clicks. I should have recognized several of my own ear-concealing tricks when they were right in front of me. Granted, I've been a bit distracted. I haven't even introduces myself properly, having been distracted by the Ralkin in general and Tamina specifically. I have no honest clue what Angrist is even doing here with us - I never asked, prefering to remain aloof as is... well, my habit.

I don't dare look at him - Rossa might see, and I don't want to give him anything to go on. Later, when I have a safe moment, I should speak with Angrist. If I need to kill Rossa, Angrist might be my only backup.

Unless Aleron or Eli does it for me. That's a rather heartening thought, actually.

... once Rossa's dead, I should really yoink those earrings of his. They'd seriously improve my own ear-hiding efforts.

-- Drusia

OOC: * mother-killing is an elven swear-word from another elf-based setting that I've taken a shine to. After all, with low birth-rates, insanely long life-spans, etc - incest is probably not particularly taboo among elves. Thus "mother fucker" would be less insulting. However, parent-slaying in a low-population-growth society would be exceptionally upsetting. Thus the emphasis of the usual "mother-fucker" can be logically carried out by mother-killer". I am in no way attempting to imply that Jargalan Rossa actually killed his mother, just that Drusia hates his guts.

To clarify, calling the Cimmerii child-killing is her literal opinion and not to be confused with the above. As has been noted recently, Drusia blames the war on the Cimmerii even though there were probably quite a few Rinkai on the other side too after Malcia was destroyed.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC I haven't mentioned it before now, but I like the fact you gave my surname (well, it's not my real one, it's my mother's maiden name, my acting name) as an alias to one of the biggest arseholes in the entire story. Art imitating life :D /OOC

Tamina had heard the phrase 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' before, but the actions of this Rothwell character weren't matching his declaration as far as she was concerned.

"If we're friends..." She said, folding her arms as her ears and her voice turned flat. "...give Udo his staff back."
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