IC: The Sun Never Sets, IC thread for The Sun Never Sets Options

[Tecumseh]

The sasquatch ducks her head again as Ellesar addresses her. She looks to be the shy type.

"What did they look like?" Ellie asks rhetorically as she rubs her chin. "A mix, I suppose you would say, but all Caucasian. The two with rifles were wearing camouflage suits which looked like this year's model. The elf looked like he was from the city, with a blond mohawk and a leather jacket. He wasn't carrying proper camping or cold-weather gear," she says. "But he did have two Ruger Thunderbolts with internal smartgun systems and customized grips and under-barrel weights, loaded with EX-explosive ammo," she adds as an afterthought, producing one of the giant pistols seemingly out of nowhere.

Of the team, Ellesar is the most familiar with firearms. He nods readily with Ellie's assessment, silently confirming the make and model of the weapon. The gun is comically large in Ellie's small hands, and she wouldn't be able to fire it one-handed.

"He seemed pretty out of place. I figured he was just a friend of the other two," she says, considering it further. "Do you think that he was hired muscle instead?!" she asks Stogie with a tone of mild alarm and confusion. "You think they were hunting people? Seems like the city would be a better place to do that."

[pbangarth]

Stogie shakes his head. "Ellie, the only people out here I know of .... are you ladies. It isn't hard to imagine that someone with money has decided you are too much trouble, or are causing too much trouble, and is willing to spend some of that money on hired muscle to deal with you."

He glances at his two partners.

[AtroposReborn]

A quizzical look passes over Ellesar's face. "That does seem the logical answer. But why hire people from different places? The elf doesn't seem to fit in very well with the other group." His finger slides along the sling on his rifle, positioning it more comfortably on his shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened with them? Did you chase them away?"

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla keeps his head down during this conversation.

Even though he hasn't said a word, he feels that he is somehow lying to these women.

They who have taken him and his friends in, with open arms.

Shaking his head slowly, he murmurs a few words in his adoptive tongue as he draws in the power from the forest around him.

Skin ripples and blurs, quicksilver-fast shifting between pseudo-feathers and skin.

His nose, already described as beak-like, makes it's presence known before shifting back to it's usual protuberance.

Smohalla looks at the sasquatch and says

I have never before met a sásq’ets. Until tonight.

I am honored to be in your presence.

[pbangarth]

Jake notices Smohalla's unease. Through Jake, Stogie sees it too. He has no trouble imagining what is bothering Smohalla. Coming to find out what's what to stop killing is one thing. Coming to hunt is another. as Ellesar speaks, Stogie considers that thought a bit. That is what we were doing, right?

[phlapjack77]

The thought runs through Smohalla's head.

If one group could be hired to deal with this "threat", why not two?

How would he and his friends side, if there were to be another battle?

Smohalla begins to feel, for all his age, how inexperienced he is.

This is nothing like he has dealt with before.

[Tecumseh]

The sasquatch looks like she would climb into a hole if she could. Why does everyone keep talking to me?! is the clear message that Smohalla receives from his spell. She tries to hide her face even further in her hair than it was previously. Leave me alone! she pleads. Her unease with strangers is obvious.

Ellie's face and body language go through a minute of rapid change, quickly cycling through disbelief, denial, anger, uncertainty, aggressiveness, recklessness, defensiveness, caution, confidence, depression, and indifference, before starting over and looping back again. She finally settles on being indignant.

"The very nerve!" she says with her fists on her hips, her tone conveying her outrage. "How... rude!" she spits, flustered and lacking a more potent condemnation.

After sputtering a bit she turns back to Ellesar. "We chased them away, certainly! Chased them into the next life!" She snorts and punctuates the announcement with a curt nod, her chin jutting forth defiantly.

The ork and troll grin at this. They seem to be taking the news better than Ellie. In fact, they don't seem surprised at all, nor does this seem to be bad news. They exchange a smirk with each other, seemingly pleased with the prospect of more fun in the near future.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla intentionally misinterprets Ellie's comment.

You are right Ellie. I am sorry to have been so rude.

He says one thing more to the sasquatch before dropping the spell.

I am very sorry to have caused you any distress. Please forgive me.

With that he turns back to Ellie.

Would it be worthwhile for us to examine the place this ambush took place?

Maybe we could determine more about who these people were, and why they attacked you.

[Tecumseh]

Ellie seems to be lost in her own little world of thought. She replies to Smohalla in a distracted fashion, ignoring his apology and waving her hand in the air dismissively at his question.

"Examine all you want. There's not much left." She gestures vaguely in the direction of the attack.

Pressing her further, Smohalla gets a location that's roughly in the direction of the fire watch tower that the Sisters burned. The distance would take several hours to cover on foot over rough terrain. It's basically twilight right now. If Smohalla were to fly, possibly with the aid of an air spirit, he might be able to make it there before it's completely dark, but it would still be difficult to inspect the site without adequate lighting. (The moon will not rise until midnight.) The alternative would be to wait until the following day, but who knows how much of the scene might be left after the scavengers of the forest have had a full night to pick at it.

Alternatively, sending a spirit or a watcher to the scene - presuming they could find it - would be even faster, but Smohalla would have to rely upon the spirit to describe things via the spirit-summoner link. What the scene looks like to a spirit might be considerably different that how it appears to someone with your training.

[phlapjack77]

What say you, Ellesar and Stogie?

Are you interested in going to inspect the site?

I need to know so that I may make preparations.

[pbangarth]

Stogie checks the height of the sun. "We won't get there till after dark. But things will certainly be disturbed overnight. Smohalla, can you send a spirit to keep things away from the site until we arrive in the morning?" Thinking about the logistics of sending a spirit to a described place, he adds, "Or maybe, fly there and set a spirit to keep it undisturbed till we come in the morning?"

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla nods.

Astral impressions fade quickly and should be viewed as soon as possible.

I will go there myself, flying the twilight winds to view what I may.

None will disturb the site until both of you arrive in the morning.

Hopefully your trained eyes will see much that has been missed.

With that decided, Smohalla shifts into eagle form and flies off into the night.

His clothing, a moment ago containing a human shape, thumps to the earth.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar watches the clothes fall to the ground, contemplating the odd behavior of the sisters. His face makes it obvious he doesn't like having to wait. He fingers his sling nervously. "We don't have much of a choice, morning will have to do."

He looks down at the dirty clothes in his hand and the pink towel around his waist. The fire keeps him from shivering but the chilled wind isn't something he enjoys. "Ellie would you happen to know where I could get some clothes? Mine are in need of a bath themselves."

[Tecumseh]

Ellie still seems distracted. She's not even looking at Ellesar when she waves her hand in a tight circle in his direction. He suddenly finds his clothes yanked out his hands, engulfed in a vortex of water that compresses them and spins them furiously. Stogie switches to the astral and sees the clothes possessed by a water spirit, washing them vigorously from the inside out. The water spirit soon departs and is immediately replaced by an air spirit, conjured by a loose fanning of the air by Ellie. The air spirit repeats the process, this time engulfing the clothes in a high-speed tornado, blasting the water out of the fabric in short order.

Before he knows it, the clothes drop back into Ellesar's arms. He's so surprised that he drops his towel. Luckily the large bundle of clothes in his arms covers his shame. The clothes are completely dry and remarkably soft. Ellesar can't even remember the last time they smelled this fresh. The domestic applications of magic are truly remarkable.

The washing seems to have stirred Ellie. She walks toward the pot and begins working on dinner absentmindedly. She finds some carrots and potatoes and begins peeling them manually, forgoing the spirit she used yesterday to make dinner. Hester and Selene stand and begin to help out. The sasquatch, uncomfortable with the silence, ducks away to the edge of the clearing.

Smohalla launches himself into the air. Closing his eyes, he conjures a small, routine air spirit. As he has come to expect, the attempt involves almost no effort and what arrives is twice as potent as what was requested. He silently asks for the power of Movement from the spirit, which bows its head and complies. Suddenly Smohalla is hit by a blast of air from behind, picking him up and pushing him along like a surfer on front of a wave. He tucks himself into a bolt, streamlining his body to maximize speed. He quickly finds himself racing along as if he were in the steepest dive. He rockets through the darkening sky, ripping through the wind at hundreds of kilometers per hour.

[phlapjack77]

Wings locked at the horizontal, Smohalla screams through the night sky on a magical buffer of air.

He scans the blur that is the landscape for the signs that Ellie had indicated.

In his mind he's hoping that the astral still remembers the story of what occurred.

Meanwhile the problem of nighttime scavengers remains.

Perhaps a spirit of the forest could help keep the area safe until morning arrived.

[AtroposReborn]

The elf takes his clothes to the nearest bushes and redresses himself. He finds the fabric oddly comfortable considering all it has been through. It makes him wonder what the woman is truly capable of when she has enemies. He shudders at the thought. "We'll find out tomorrow," he mutters to himself.

Ellesar promptly returns to the campfire and sits down at his usual spot. He lays the rifle across his lap and begins to inspect the parts.

[pbangarth]

Hmmmm. It looks like the mana here helps everyone, not just our hosts. I wonder....

Stogie wanders off to the side while attentions are drawn by Smohalla's flash. He draws on the mana and boosts his strength. Let's see what happens.

[Tecumseh]

Stogie infiltrates the corner of the camp to surreptitiously boost his strength. He pauses for a moment, feeling the mana of the area. This camp is so unlike any other place where he's practiced his Talent. Everywhere else the mana swirls and ebbs, blowing this way and that, as tricky to capture as the wind. Here, either due to the mountain or the Sisters' efforts, it's a strong and powerful flow, like a river racing down a canyon that's been carved by eons of consistency. Instead of having to corral it, chasing after wisps, all Stogie has to do is jump in and let it soak him through.

Triggering the boost, Stogie's body locks into a rock-hard plank for a second before loosening. His heart stops beating for one second, then two. Suddenly it resumes with a massive pulse, only to stop again for three seconds. Did Stogie's resting heart rate just go from 60 beats per minute to 20?

Stogie tries to breathe but his collar is suddenly tight around his neck. Fighting through it, he suddenly realizes that all his clothes are constraining him uncomfortably. He looks down at his wrists, which bulge against the limits of his clothing. For the moment, his armored camouflage suit is holding up against the internal pressure of his muscles. Stogie is secretly thankful that he didn't boost his Body as well, which may very well have burst his jacket and pants at the seams.

He feels like... a superhero. A comic book character. What should he do, bench-press Ellesar? Challenge Jake to a footrace? Arm-wrestle the troll? He feels like he could win. It's a giddy feeling, tapping into power like this. The magic doesn't resist him here. It pulls him while he pushes, cooperating in the effort to make him as strong as possible. Remarkable.

Meanwhile, Ellesar takes a seat and grabs his rifle, thinking to inspect it and possibly give it a good cleaning. Suddenly the little voice in his head that represents his elven sense of etiquette reminds him that openly brandishing a hunting rifle might be in bad form, given that two of his hosts were shot today by rifles. Ellesar smoothly passes the rifle from one hand to the next, placing it out of sight behind him while turning his attention to his more primitive implements of destruction.

[pbangarth]

The amazement and sheer joy Stogie feels catches Jake's attention, and he raises his head to look expectantly at his master. Play??

Stogie tests his strength on a couple of big rocks and some small trees. Wow. After a half minute or so, the magic withdraws, and Stogie controls the outward flow so it doesn't burn him as it exits. At normal size, with clothes that fit again, he rejoins the group at the fire. The flow of mana seems to start at the mountain. But where does it go? Hmmm...

Jake settles back. "Aww...whuf."

[Tecumseh]

Smohalla races the fading light. Approaching the area where he suspects the encounter took place, he slows his speed to better concentrate on his search.

He tries the astral realm first, looking for clues of magic use. He's uncertain whether the amplified mana of this place would make the astral signature easier to spot, or if the overabundance would wash away the signs faster. He makes several passes and broad sweeping circles, but it's no use. The forest is too full of life, the brightness of Gaia and her flora and fauna overwhelming any lingering trace of magic.

Smohalla switches his concentration to his physical vision. Looping around, he retraces his steps (flaps) as he peers into the darkness below. He glances nervously at the horizon, which has the barest tinge of color to it. The forest is quickly blending into a solid mass of black. There is no moon to reflect the sun's rays to the trees and hills below. In fact, the easiest way to tell where the mountaintops are is by the absence of stars. They shine down brightly, their presence making the sky far more distinct than the earth.

Suddenly, as he is about to give up, Smohalla spies the smallest glow. It's between the tree branches and he's not positive that he didn't imagine it, or conjure it himself through wishful thinking. Diving toward it before it fades, Smohalla lands in a tree.

The glow is from a few small embers, the only remaining trace of some fire earlier in the day. The dry autumn has given them the chance to subsist until now, but the light isn't enough to see by. Underneath the trees, hidden from the stars, the details of the scene are lost in the pitch black darkness.

[phlapjack77]

As the rapidly receding rays are lost behind the massive mountain peaks, Smohalla feels the bond begin to break with his summoned spirit.

The spirit returns to it's realm, sending a small salute along the lingering link shared with the shaman.

Dusk has come, and gone, and night is truly here.

Smohalla gathers his will yet again, and sends out a request to the collective spirit of the flora that grow in this place.

He asks for concealment and protection for himself and for this area until morning arrives.

[Tecumseh]

The eagle sits in the tree, reaching out the mana of the plants below; he feels their ready response. Smohalla hears a crackle as the forest floor beneath him begins to shift and churn. Slowly, brambles and briars begin to push their way through the dirt and needles blanketing the ground. Thorny vines emerge and intertwine as they spread out, covering the scene. Smohalla hears several small animals dash out of the area in surprise.

Based on what Smohalla asked for, he would expect the spirit to stop there. But once again the astral realm responds with more than what was requested. The vines continue to thicken, the thorns stretch into dagger-like blades, and the leaves broaden as they close the gaps between them, completely obscuring the ground beneath. Tendrils spiral up the tree, reaching for Smohalla. They surround him in a cocoon, shielding him from the night outside.

What's more, Smohalla feels like the spirit is restraining itself. This isn't the explosive response of the earth spirit earlier in the day, but Smohalla gets the sense that this spirit could choke the entire grove and reach the top of each tree if it wanted to. The spirit is more powerful than he is, certainly, but while most powerful spirits are arrogant and even bitter for being summoned by lesser beings, this one is subservient. It is glad to do what it can and would readily do much more. It patiently awaits sunrise or its next command, whichever comes first.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla settles back in the cocoon of leaves, feeling strangely at ease.

The memory of being back in the nest, a young eaglet sheltered under his mothers wing, is inescapable and very comforting.

As he drifts off to sleep he sends mental messages of thanks and contentment through his link with the spirit.

[phlapjack77]

The night was young,
the moon was full,
a cold wind whistled through the trees...
and Smohalla slept on.

An owl drew near,
it's flight unheard,
as silent as a breeze...
and Smohalla slept on.

What must he think,
as he flew by,
of this strange wrap of leaves...
and Smohalla slept on.

A mouse comes out,
down amongst the thorns,
then spots the owl and flees...
and Smohalla slept on.

That mouse did die,
on the owl's claws,
just as neatly as you could please...
still Smohalla slept on.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar waits patiently by the fire, his mouth watering in expectation for the upcoming meal. He slides his backpack to in between his legs and begins fishing around inside one of the many compartments. Moments later he pulls out a camera and starts to flip through the images.