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

[Tecumseh]

The slowly circling drone isn't quite a sitting duck for Ellesar, but a slowly circling duck is still easy enough to hit for an accomplished marksman. Ellesar takes an extra moment to steady his breath before firing for the drone's fuselage. The rifle jumps in his hands and he know immediately that he aimed well.

The drone immediately banks, then wobbles in flight for fifty yards before finally righting itself. Ellesar frowns to himself, knowing that the shot he just made would have downed off-the-shelf version of this drone, which usually comes unarmored. Someone has made upgrades to this model, adding additional armor. The man or woman behind this drone is not an amateur hobbyist interested in nighttime woodland scenes.

The drone accelerates, banks, and climbs, doing its best to gain altitude to make itself harder to hit.

[phlapjack77]

Still rubbing sleep from his mind, Smohalla notices the movement in the sky as the drone flies away.

He turns, looking, not seeing anything but the glare of the campfire in front of him.

What is going on Ellesar?

[pbangarth]

Ellesar's focus on the drone directs Stogie's gaze upwards. The drone looks too far for a shotgun blast, so Stogie opens his perception to the astral. If there are mechanical scouts, there could be spiritual ones, too. "Smohalla! The machines are for Ellesar. The spiritual realm is your stronghold. The machine will have told its master we are here and shooting at it. Astral forms are likely to come soon." It's fun to talk like Smohalla, even when in danger.

Jake picks up on Stogie's watchfulness and covers Stogie's back. He thinks Stogie has his, not gazing into the astral.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla swings his head to stare at the fuzzy shape of Stogie and Jake merged into one blurry form by the campfire's glare.

He nods at what Stogie has told him and reaches out to Brother Thunderbird, asking him to join them in this fight.

After his call is made, he lets his astral form slip from it's mortal shell and climbs the thermals of the aether, searching for any signs of danger.

[pbangarth]

Stogie sees Smohalla's astral form dart through the astral, along with the summoned spirit. Good. Two in this realm, so I can flip back to the physical. He returns his attention to the physical plane and waits, watching.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar attempts to reload as he watches the drone fleeing from him. He fires off another round before calling out again. "We need to get ready, we might have trouble soon! Someone let the others know if you can!" The elf tries to stay as still as possible, hoping the drone didn't know of his presence.

[pbangarth]

Stogie readies his shotgun, widening the choke to give as wide a spread as possible. Maybe I can't hit the broad side of a barn, but if I hit with the broad side of a barn, I might not miss.

"Jake. Fetch Ellie. Go on, boy. Bring Ellie." He whistles the 'Away' command followed by the 'Gather' command, and adds a mental image of Ellie.

Jake darts off towards the women's shelter.

[Tecumseh]

Smohalla slumps back down, seemingly back asleep, his body empty while his mind projects itself. In the astral world he is greeted by Thunderbird, a powerful, obedient servant willing to follow Smohalla until the ends of the earth or one kilometer, whichever comes first. Smohalla is reminded of the fate of Thunderbird when it last attempted to exit the locally aspected domain.

On the astral, the drone is very difficult to see. The lifeless metal is practically invisible against the dark night sky. Smohalla's spirit shoots up a kilometer, looking down to try to spot the drone as a silhouette against the powerful glow of Earth.

Ellesar slaps the bolt action on his rifle, chambering another round. The drone has accelerated and is taking evasive maneuvers now, making it a more difficult shot than the first. Still, Ellesar manages to line up his sights and lead the target, firing a second round that blasts through the tail of the retreating drone. It shudders with the impact and begins to falter. The drone stutters uncertainly and starts to lose altitude. It limps north; a crash seems imminent.

Stogie signals to Jake, who responds in a flash. Jake leaps in the direction that the women walk to excuse themselves. He follows the trail away from the campfire, through the surrounding berms and earthworks that have been constructed for the site's defense, and then... nothing. Their scent disappears. Jake, surprised and befuddled that such a strong scent (an ork and a troll? c'mon) could just stop starts to circle. He retraces his steps, then runs laps around the surrounding forest. But no, they're gone. Or, if they're not gone, they're beyond his ability to track. He woofs at the night forest, sending a request to Stogie for the Super Sniff Power, please!

Stogie weighs whether he should lend his enhanced perception to Jake to find the Sisters, or retain it for himself to keep an eye on the surrounding forest.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla circles the campsite area at a very high elevation.

As measured on the physical plane, anyway. On the astral, who can be sure?

He asks Thunderbird to patrol in a route that is counter-directional from his own.

Together the two would try to spot incoming threats before they arrive.

The shaman summons several wren spirits to act as additional watchers and messengers, as needed.

[pbangarth]

Stogie feels Jake's confusion so deeply he almost gets dizzy. It doesn't take Stogie long to decide. Three of us here looking for trouble. Only one dog looking for the girls. He wraps the psychic link with Jake around his mind and synchronizes his senses with Jake's. Then he draws back from them, leaving his magic with the dog.

Better beef up my reflexes if I'm gonna be half blind here. Mana flows from the ether into his muscles and nerves.

[Tecumseh]

Smohalla sends instructions to his spirit, sending it in the opposite direction, staying well within the aspected domain at all times. He follows the drone north, which fights to remain airborne. It seems to be losing that battle, and looks destined to crash into the trees or the river within a minute. Still, within that minute it will travel 2 to 3 kilometers. It is flying far faster that Smohalla could in physical form, although it's no issue to keep up with it astrally. But if Smohalla continues to follow it, he will leave the aspected domain. Thunderbird is on a half-kilometer tether, so Smohalla will have to be careful about how far he travels if he wishes to keep his powerful spirit.

Stogie flexes his muscles, waiting for a boost that doesn't come. He feels dry, like he's squeezed all of the magic out of him. But then he takes a deep breath, inhaling the wisps of mana from the surrounding forest. It does what his own Talent could not, swelling his nerves and tendons and sinews with ethereal power. Stogie, enjoying the pleasure of physical movement, begins to move like liquid metal, scanning the dark forest night with his dim human eyes.

Jake woofs again at the reception of Stogie's enhanced perception. This power is a great favorite of Jake's and the sharing of it is a special treat. Jake's world of smells is already in color compared to the black-and-white scents that humans have. But then take Jake's Technicolor world, jack it up to 10, and make it 3-D with a laser show, and that's what life is like with Stogie's powers. Jake is out of his doggie mind with excitement and barely contains himself, but somehow refocuses on the mission at hand. He retraces his steps once again, smelling the magnificent scent trail he left behind him moments ago. Then he whirls through the forest like a vacuum cleaner, snorting up every molecule there is to find and still... no Sisters. Jake stops, dumbfounded. Their trail is like a bright pink line against the dark brown and green forest floor. Following it is the easiest thing in the world, until it just... stops. It's gone, as if they shot up into the trees like a rocket. Jake points his nose up in the air, but no, there's no trace of them in the trees above. Jake, cleverer then most, goes into full border collie mode and begins to dig, just in case the Sisters somehow sunk themselves straight down into the Earth. But no, they're not there either. They are gone, and are outside of Jake's ability to find.

[AtroposReborn]

As he watches the drone sputter out of reach Ellesar decides to return to the camp. He attempts to keep his eyes away from the vibrant flames of the nearby fire in order not to hinder his vision. Any weakness given to the enemy could be a fatal one. If hiding and eliminating targets from the shadows was to be his role this evening he would gladly take it. Leave the rampaging through the forest to those that possessed the power. The mana may now be a stranger to him, but the inner strength coursing through Stogie was obvious enough.

Ellesar walks over to Smohalla's limp body and bends down to inspect it for damage. His mind locked into survival mode, he makes a few inquiries of the only nearby cognizant being. "Even if we bring that drone down we could still have problems shortly. Have the sisters been told of this yet? We can't stay too far in the light as it will make us easy targets, but I'm not sure if we can just leave him here like this." He glances back to Stogie before scanning the treeline in a paranoid fashion. "Can he be moved if necessary?"

[pbangarth]

"Jake's having trouble finding the Sisters. It's like they just disappeared into thin air. Don't know how they did that." Stogie looks over at Smohalla's body.

"Moving Smohalla is no problem for his health, unless he has trouble finding his body before he times out in the astral. That happens, we have one big, dead bird.

"You have any idea how badly you dinged that drone? I couldn't see much. Can't see much anyhow. I've given Jake my magic senses. I'll go see if I can figure out what happened to the women if you can keep an eye out here. Won't be long."

"Jake! Show me, boy. Come."

[phlapjack77]

The eagle shaman marks the edge of the Sisters' domain and proceeds no further.

With a thought he recalls Thunderbird to a location nearby.

If the drone travelled in this direction, it is likely that more trouble will come from the same.

Smohalla takes what measures he can to position himself appropriately.

He wants to patrol this area without being too obviously a patrolling entity.

[Tecumseh]

Stogie follows his mental connection to Jake. He finds the canine in the dark, snuffling about the woods. It's so dark here that Stogie can't make much of things. Stogie's a good tracker but working in the middle of the night is going to be tough.

But Stogie has a new power now, doesn't he? He can instinctively sense the mana of a place, feeling how it bends and flows. He can't use it to find astral forms, likes spells or spirits or sha(wo)men, but still... He seems to feel the mana warp here, right where Jake indicates that the trail stops. Stogie can't definitively say where they went, but this does seem like a powerful spot for them to conduct their magic.

Smohalla watches the drone continue to descend. It skims the tops of some tall evergreen trees before finally performing a belly landing in the river. It's actually not much of a river at this point. In the six months, fed by melting snow and spring rains, it will be significant. But now, in the midst of a dry spell, it's not much more than the runoff from a glacier on the north side of Rainier. Now that it is laying on rocks in the river, Smohalla can no longer make out the shape or location of it - the background is not bright enough to create a silhouette of the metal shape anymore.

Ellesar, Stogie, and Jake hear the distant cracking of tree branches and the final metal-on-rock crash of the drone - the sound reverberating up the river valley and off the walls of the surrounding mountains. There's no explosion, just a booming echo of noise followed by nothing.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla contemplates this development for a split second.

One wren-spirit he sends to the crash site, with orders to report back to him (with details) if anyone approaches the downed drone.

He hopes the watcher won't be dissipated if it leaves the confines of the Sisters' domain. Only time would tell.

Another wren he dispatches to his teammates, with a message.

He also tells the watcher that it should return to him if there is any response.

The machine has crashed into a river, I will stay watching to see if any others approach it.

Please tell this spirit what plans you would like me to follow.

[pbangarth]

Stogie memorizes the location, and scans astrally to find any identifying details. Then he pats Jake on the head and signals a return to the campsite. "Come on Jake. Let's get back to the campsite. Sorry, boy, but I need the special senses back." He strokes the dog's neck and chest as he draws the power back into himself.

They head back.

[Tecumseh]

Smohalla sends the first tiny wren off to the crash site, which promptly rips itself apart as it tries to exit the aspected domain. The surviving watchers have grave expressions at the tiny bird's fate; Thunderbird communicates its displeasure to Smohalla and brusquely requests that it be spared from the same demise.

Stogie pulls his powers back from Jake, receiving an angst-filled melancholy along with it. Jake feels that the rescinding of the powers reflects his inability to find the Sisters, and he worries that he has let Stogie down. Plus, he would have preferred to keep the powers for himself. It's not like Stogie can use them to see in the dark.

Returning to the campsite, a small, pretty, visibly-relieved wren materializes with a pop over the campfire so that it won't be unseen. Clearing its throat, it does its best Smohalla impression for Ellesar, Stogie, and Jake:

The machine has crashed into a river, I will stay watching to see if any others approach it.

Please tell this spirit what plans you would like me to follow.

The spirit bobs up and down like a cork in a lake, waiting obediently for a response.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar watches warily as Stogie and Jake return to the campsite, with no sign of the sisters. His face shows obvious signs of concern. No rest for the weary.

"This does not bode well. If we cannot warn the sisters then we may have to deal with the potential threat without them. If we fail a trap will surely be set for them." His thoughts are interrupted by the appearance of the small bird perched over the campfire. He listens to the words of the spirit, allowing for a small smile at the impersonation.

After the bird has finished its piece Ellesar addresses Stogie. "Any suggestions? Personally I'd love to go setup by the downed drone and wait it out for the owner. The problem being that anyone with any sort of tactical sense would see that coming, unless they believe it outran us. Another issue is if they have more drones, especially armed ones, then they could just search for us carefully from outside our range."

[pbangarth]

"If we fail, what befalls the sisters is beyond our caring anyway.

"I'm not sure I want to leave the camp. We would be losing an advantage we have and making ourselves more visible to whoever is out there. If I weren't afraid the drone had a beacon, I'd say let's see if Smohalla's spirits could carry it back here. Maybe we could learn something from it."

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla soars in the astral, slightly feeling the strain of being removed from his meat body.

He wants to check out the downed drone, but the edge of the Sisters' domain halts his actions.

The first unpleasant feeling of being in a cage tingles at the back of his consciousness.

[Tecumseh]

Smohalla circles astrally. He's not bound so much by the constraints of the Sisters' domain so much as his summoned spirit is. Brother Thunderbird is the tether here, and its desire not to be dragged out of the aspected domain. Smohalla may leave Brother Thunderbird behind, but should he do so he could only leave it with one set of instructions. Once those instructions were complete, all other services would be lost. But that would allow Smohalla to venture forth himself, leaving the warm mana of Sisters' campsite behind. The power Smohalla wields near camp is a great comfort, especially when confronted with unknown men and their unknown motivations, but its psychological effects cage his thoughts to his great discomfort.

Smohalla may watch the area of downed drone from a distance - the lifeless drone itself being nearly invisible - although details are impossible at this range. Time passes. Nobody comes for it. But perhaps nobody would? What would one do with a drone that's crashed into a mountain river in the middle of the night in the middle of November? It was large - the size of a man - and surely heavy. Smohalla barely comprehends the ways of men, let alone their mechanics, but even he understands that such a machine would be difficult to retrieve under such circumstances.

Ellesar and Stogie return with Jake to camp, setting up a perimeter - or as much of a perimeter as you can with two men and a dog. The night passes, the cold pressing into them now that they're away from the relief of the fire.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla continued his vigil.

He awaited his friends' reply.

That, or he would have to return to his body soon.

[pbangarth]

Stogie considers the situation for a moment more. "You know, if it crashed into a river, it probably is shorted out six ways from Sunday. Let's leave it till daylight and the Sisters can be up to defend home base." He turns to the spirit.

"Little bird, say to your master,'They wait in the camp. The Sisters are gone away. Watch till it is no longer safe to be away from your flesh. They will guard the camp.'"

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla listens to the reply, cocking his head on the astral as a matter of habit to hear the spirit better.

He thanks the spirit and asks that it stay around with the other spirits, patrolling the area.

The shaman himself continues his vigil, more and more feeling the pull of the physical world.