Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

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Alberich
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

"I don't know what to do!" She said, trying to articulate the problem. "It's my fault, I failed! I couldn't save Leli or the Killikah, and Leli was the only one of us who was strong enough to stand against Fucilious, and now she's gone. She's gone because I couldn't get to her in time!"

"No way!" said Udo. "Don't you see what you've just done?" He held her shoulders and her attention. If her body language indicated she wanted to be held closer, he was up for that too, in a moment, but right now he had some words to speak.

"Now, look, I heard what happened to Leli. It was that Gabriel character. He was walking around with the power of a top mage, because that Fucilious or whoever it was, was giving it to him through the stone. You and I fought him. I couldn't blast him through his magic shields. You couldn't cut him out in the forest. You fought him hard - but his armor and that magic were just too strong. None of us could hurt him except Drusia with that elf sword. No one had a chance 'til she got to him!

"But look here now, even Drusia couldn't've killed him if she was swarmed by infantry, and that's where you came in - you and all those brave kobolds. It's because you killed so many of 'em that she had a clear path to Gabriel, and even then, she needed your help! I heard all about it."

Actually, he thought his own tactics had played a vital role in this, as had Khoo's magic and Angrist's fighting power, but this was not the time to build up the humans.

"Don't you see what you and those brave kobolds accomplished out there? You were outnumbered two to one - sixty to thirty! The enemy had armor your bows couldn't pierce and guns you didn't have. They had two wizard artillery and an archmage-powered warrior on top. They were expecting to win and win easy. And what happened? They lost! You beat them! With odds like that, it was incredible to win at all - no one wouldn've given you a chance in ten - but you did it! That's something to be proud of. That's something to teach the gah and sing about for a thousand years! Leli died? She died like a heroine - so make sure her memory lives on. That's how heroes live forever!" He could recite some examples from Tsuirakuan history and lore -- or at least from the illustrated versions -- but didn't think Tamina was in the mood.

"And who will dare to attack the kobolds now? Just a few of the enemy escaped - to tell the tale of how they got thrashed! And as for Fucilious, well, we're going to kill him ourselves - and people will know there was a kobold involved! So they'd better leave kobolds alone!"

In truth, there was one thing he thought the killikah should've done differently in fighting its wars - but that he would save 'til the Ralkin were dead.
Browncoat
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Browncoat »

And who will dare to attack the kobolds now? Just a few of the enemy escaped - to tell the tale of how they got thrashed! And as for Fucilious, well, we're going to kill him ourselves - and people will know there was a kobold involved! So they'd better leave kobolds alone!

Angrist happened to be walking past the room and heard Udo's last statement. He disagreed.
{Dangerous people attack the weak. But the really terrible ones go after those who seem strong.} His thoughts drifted as he walked.
{The men who became our prisoners...they were mislead, but still so willing to kill...yet they could still redeem themselves if they try. But that Gabriel...would redemption even be possible for one so vile?}
Angrist walked out on the deck of the ship heading toward the prow.
{It's all so complicated...I wish...I wish there was a simple answer.}
Balanced on the tip of the prow, Angrist settled to meditate, but one last thought crossed his mind.
{What if there is no Higher Path?}

[OOC: Hope everybody who's sick is better soon. It seems like the flu has been all over lately (I've been fine, but I do have a pretty high Constitution score)]
They kicked me out of the asylum. I miss the jello.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina didn't look up at Udo despite his soothing words and gentle touch, but she did nod at the points he made. Stopping the Black guard was impressive, even if the highwayman had gotten the odds a little skewed (Riiki arrived with reinforcements near the end of the battle had occurred after Udo had been knocked out after all).

"It's... not that easy Udo." She said. "Even if I couldn't kill Gabriel, I could have stopped him killing Leli if I'd been faster. She would've known what to do in Lorrel, found the Ralkin leader and stopped him..." Her eyes finally met the human's and he saw the fear in them. "He's powerful, really powerful, and you heard what that soldier said... he's got more people coming to help him every day."

The kobold stood up and walked to the porthole, she crossed her arms and sighed, partly from exhaustion, partly from regret.

"At least the Killikah are headed somewhere safe... but... will it stay safe? I don't know."
Alberich
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

"It's... not that easy Udo." She said. "Even if I couldn't kill Gabriel, I could have stopped him killing Leli if I'd been faster. She would've known what to do in Lorrel, found the Ralkin leader and stopped him..."

He shook his head. "No, you couldn't get through his defenses. Only Drusia could do that, and she needed help to get that far. Which you gave her! When you're outnumbered, outgunned, and outpowered, and you win anyway - it's no knock on you that you didn't win by even more!

"Anyway, we know what to do in Lorrel - just get hold of the Eisenfaust, who are probably fighting these guys to the death already, and have spies all over town. Find out where those sons-of-garlops keep their magic altar, get the Eisenfaust's help getting past their guards, and then -- do it again! Only this time we're on the attack surprising them."

"He's powerful, really powerful, and you heard what that soldier said... he's got more people coming to help him every day."

Udo laughed derisively. "Lies. Propaganda. That's what people tell soldiers to make 'em keep fighting. Back when we whipped the Veracians in the Mage-Priest wars...the guys we captured were all convinced we were losing. Right up until they did! Hell, their priests are probably still telling 'em they won. But what'cha think's gonna happen when those last few pathetic survivors come crawling back to their bosses to talk about how we cut 'em all to pieces? Word gets around in the army - you can't stop it!"

He neglected to mention that he'd also "planted a seed" in their minds - telling them they'd been sold out, and that was why the ambush was waiting for them. Gabriel hadn't believed it, obviously, but a few tattered remnants of a rudely shellacked invasion force? Some of them might buy that hunk of crap and spread it around. It would make them feel better about themselves for losing -- losing wasn't so shameful if you'd been backstabbed, as opposed to outfought and outwitted. But it might make their friends feel a little worse about fighting to the last man for the Ralkin...

"At least the Killikah are headed somewhere safe... but... will it stay safe? I don't know."

"With the reputation you're getting?" He laughed. "After we kill this goat-kisser, it's just going to be twice as fierce! Only an idiot would attack the kobolds after that!" His confidence was absolutely genuine. Whether it was well-founded remained to be seen.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina gave a small smile at the optimism of her friend, she put a grateful hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks... I hope you're right. Maybe... maybe we can get to him before he knows we're here, maybe..."

The kobold's sentence was interrupted by the sudden glow of the Ralkin amulet she'd taken with her from the village. Her eyes widened briefly as they met her knight protector's, then the humanoid hurriedly picked up the artifact and pulled it over her neck, ignoring the look of concern on Udo's face. She clasped the purple crystal, closed her eyes and concentrated.

'... you can't tell me?'

The 'bad blonde man's' voice whispering in her mind. Tamina shuddered.

'Too risky, I have reason to believe we're compromised.'

Aleron; the kobold knew those high quavering tones well enough, she bared her teeth at the voice.

'Someone's been listening in?'

'We'll discuss it, and a few other things, when you arrive.'

'...yes sir.'


The amulet went dark. Tamina pawed the things off her with a disgusted expression and relayed what she'd just heard to her companion.

Outside the Porthole, as if on cue, it started to rain.

OOC I think the threads are sync'd up now. I'm aiming to get the group to the Port in a couple of pages or so./OOC
Alberich
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

Udo nodded. What he really wanted to do was to stay here the rest of the rainy afternoon and comfort the kobold some more. But duty called. His other companions needed to know, and besides, they hadn't really gotten around to discussing their approach. Whether Tamina wanted to come with him or lie down was for Tamina to say. He hoped she'd come along because she brought smiles wherever she went.

Khoo, though his wind-sprite was a godsend to their sailing, was himself hors de combat, so Udo left him to his solitary pursuit of equilibrium. He found Angrist and asked him to come along while he looked for Drusia. Sensei was a great man of war to be sure, but talking to him alone felt kind of stupid.

Once he'd found her, he gave her the low-down on what Tamina had heard. "So The Men Who Stare at Goats and Get Turned On By It, they've figured out their commo's compromised. I hope some of 'em think they've been sold out the way I told 'em in the woods, but don't bank on it. Probably they won't say another thing on their private C-net.

"Anyway, I was wondering what you were thinking about how we make our approach. It's probably not too smart just to sail in there. I want to get in quiet-like and talk to some Eisenfaust so we can link up with 'em. Don't know if you know any of 'em, but there's this lifemage on the corner of Linden and Kugelheim. He's great for curing a case of vee deeeeyaaa-anything that ails you. Everyone knows he can get in touch with 'em if we don't know anyone better.

"But anyway, d'you think you could get us onto land a bit early with a teleport, or should we take a boat to the shore and hump it over the hills? Also - we've got to assume they've got all our descriptions now, with old Gabriel Goatfucker sending real-time info back to his boss, and they had yours and Tamina's and Jamie's already. So we oughta think of a way to make it sneaky.

"Also, y'think they can track us with those stones since they know we've probably got Gabriel's? Maybe it's time to destroy them."
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Drusia
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Drusia »

OOC: Drusia is lurking about (both in game and IRL, I suppose). I can't think of anything to write, since Udo has already done the comforting thing. I'm ready to head out whenever.
Browncoat
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Browncoat »

Angrist did a quick sketch of Udo. Then he added a big beard and a couple scars. Next he erased the hair and redrew it bald with a tattoo. It was nearly unrecognizable.

"Disguise, huh. That might help," Udo mused.

"Why didn't he simply say that?" Drusia hadn't had much interaction with Angrist yet.

"He don't talk"

"Why not?"

"Uh...he's never mentioned"

Angrist interrupted with a wave of his hand. He had sketched one of the stones. He pulled one of his amulets off and placed it on top of the drawing.

"That...it inhibits magic?"

He nodded. And displayed the others he had.

"Do you think they could hide the stones?"

Angrist shrugged. And raised an eyebrow. This could get interesting.
They kicked me out of the asylum. I miss the jello.
Alberich
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Alberich »

"Yeah!" said Udo. He fetched the stones from Tamina, holding them only by the string, and handed them over to Angrist so he could suppress them with his amulets. "Don't touch 'em yourself," he said.

Another kind of person might've wanted to drop them into the sea, but Udo was uncomfortable about leaving that kind of evil magic floating around (literally), to be called back by its masters or to corrupt some new servant in the depths. He was still up for destroying them if anyone had a clue how to do it.

The idea of going into town in a wacky disguise appealed to Udo's sense of the dramatic, and he was quite willing to do that, to make contact with Dr. Rabbitfoot and the Eisenfaust. "That still leaves the question of how we get into town. Khoo can fly and Drusia can teleport and I can glide if you get me up high enough, so between us I think we could get everyone on shore without getting anywhere near the port. And that's what I think we should do. It's hilly country" -- well he remembered his brief foray into road agency in those hills -- "so we could get up closer without being seen or searched. What'cha think?"
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina listened to the deepening drumming noise of rain coming from the deck above them as her companions discussed ways of infiltration. She's felt a moment's appreciation for Angrist drawing the picture instead of writing his idea in words; she struggled with reading the human tounge after all. She added her opinion as the sound of Captain Moriarty's shouting voice drifted down to them, no sign of the usual relaxed jovialness in his tone now.

"Taking the long way in's a good idea. Fewer people to see, Aleron could have spies all over by now." She said, turning from the porthole and made her way to the table the group were sat around. The room was furnished as a dining area, although the low hanging lanterns and packs of cards stuffed into nooks and crannies suggested a fair amount of r'n'r went on in there as well. "We'll need this..." She pointed to Gabriel's communication stone, which she'd brought with her to the meeting. "...could use it to track down Aleron, and the bad blonde... err... Eli, I mean." She reached to her belt and put down a second object on the table, it was the short, twisted staff that had belonged to one of Aleron's subordinates. "...and if I can figure out how to use this, we'd have a strong weapon against the soldier men too... s'dangerous though..."

The ship took a gentle roll to the right as the kobold finished speaking, the lantern above the table made a clinking noise as it rocked on it's hook.

OOC I figured the group wouldn't have opted to discuss their plans standing on the deck with the storm getting worse./OOC
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