[RPG] Sword and Sorcery Play-by-Post

[Tamamo]

Enter Rosaria, the elf huntress.
I go hunting in the woods.

[SUCCESSOR]

I spend a long time trying to free myself from the ice. As a last resort I try magic. I know a great deal about magic, and about performing magic. Actually doing magic is another matter. I concentrate my mental efforts on the logical fire spell but with a great deal of will I only manage to raise my body temperature and feel a feverish wave flow through me. I decide to focus this to one arm and soon the ice around it starts to melt. This is taking too long. I get my left arm free enough to reach behind and grab the Kris. The fire spell I was performing suddenly intensifies violently. The ice upon me explodes off and my body is engulfed in flames. The flames feuled by magic do not harm me or my clothing and the excess heat doesn't seem to effect me either. A violent rage flows through my veins like the flames across my skin. It begins overtake me but another stronger thought grasps me. Texia is in danger. I focus my will solely on a new goal: letting go of this Kris. I slip the blade into my belt and intently remove one finger at a time.

[CJC]

@mrz84
Zataka, the dead ogre begins to move and you raise your sword again. It flies several feet to the side, whereupon you notice that Sancireph was pinned beneath it. But he seems to have tossed the thing aside just fine on his own. He fetches his dropped weaponry and suggests it might be better to plan coordinated attacks in the future, you almost stabbed him in the head. He looks to the ogres in the distance and suggests that you just let them leave, since they wouldn't likely return after sustaining a loss like this. You say that isn't a good idea because they had a sack full of kidnapped gnomes.
You call to the inn, asking them if they can help in the recovery of the stolen gnomes. Malichor emerges first, rubbing his weary eyes, and then a DWARVEN KNIGHT nods and goes back to his room. He returns shortly with a broadsword and some half-plate. Finally, the GNOMISH INNKEEPER turns to his wife and tells her to inform the city council. He throws on a WIZARD HAT and some MYSTIC ROBES and joins you as well.
You seem to have taken charge of the crisis.
What are your orders?

=====

@TheDarkOne
Sancireph, you toss the ogre corpse to the side and tell Zataka that he should be more careful with his blade, since he almost hit you with that last jab. You suggest that the ogres should be ignored since they are not likely to attack again after such heavy losses, but Zataka informs you that they escaped with a sack full of KIDNAPPED GNOMES. He goes to the inn and tells them what has happened, asking for help. Malichor emerges first, looking groggy. He is followed by a DWARVEN KNIGHT clad in HALF PLATE and finally by a GNOMISH WIZARD.
It seems like Zataka intends to stage an assault on the ogres in the mountains.
Are there any provisions you wish to procure before you climb the heights, possibly into an ambush? What preparations can you make to counteract the ogres' apparent magical prowess?

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@Xyvol
Malichor, you suggest that the merchant troupe and the gnomes return to their rooms, but the gnomish innkeeper refuses. He says he's a talented MATH WIZARD and if someone is damaging his property he will deal with it. You introduce yourself to the dwarf by name and he does so in kind: GRINGHAM. Apparently he came to the region to visit his cousin in the dwarven city under this mountain, but he misplaced his passport during the trip and they won't let him in.
Zataka enters the inn and says that he and Sancireph were attacked by OGRES, two of which escaped with a plundered SACK FULL OF GNOMES. At this, the INNKEEPER dons his WIZARD HAT AND ROBES and storms outside. Gringham runs upstairs and grabs his gear, returning in a set of half-plate with a wide broardsword in his left hand. You too go to your room and grab your gear before emerging outside.
There's a dead ogre on the ground, it's bright green and clutched in its rigor mortis grasp is a gigantic axe. You don't have a whole lot of experience with ogres so you're not sure what to suspect.
Zataka seems to be taking the role of commander here. Will you refute his claim? Or more importantly, are there provisions you require before pursuing a band of ogres?

=====

@ctrl-alt-delete
Grab your hat, put your armor on, and set out for adventure!
You weren't feeling well this evening, so you decided to go to bed early. The wife left a note at the check-in counter for any stragglers looking for a room to rent, but it's the slow season so you figured nothing would come of it. You had a lovely dream about building mechanical sheep to jump fences. Then, they abruptly exploded and you were jolted back into consciousness.
The ground is shaking. You live in the shadow of a mountain, so quakes aren't entirely unheard of, but this is SEVERE for the region. You get out of bed and poke your head out into the hall. There's a MERCHANT TROUPE parading around in a stupor, some DWARVEN KNIGHT complaining about the racket, and a MAGE in a daze looking around the hall. Geez, you close early one night and the freaking circus comes into town!
The lot of you make your way to the entrance of the inn to see what's going on. That MAGE has the gall to suggest you go back to your room. You, a mighty MATH WIZARD, hiding in your room from some shaking earth? Please!
Some PALADIN barges in and says that a pack of OGRES has fled to the mountains with a sack full of kidnapped gnomes. You'd heard about local disappearances lately... is this what's been happening?
You grab your hat and robe and step out into the frigid night of the first snow. The cold air nips at your nose as you look towards the mountains. An ELVEN RAVAGER stands next to the corpse of a great GREEN OGRE, looking impatient.
Is there time for introductions before you set out on a rescue mission? Perhaps swapping names with this band of misfit adventurers will calm the rising acid reflux in your throat at the thought of adventuring again. You and the wife opened this inn to get away from this adventuring crap. But can you ever quench the hunger?
What do you do?

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@Mero
Rosaria, you find yourself in the AUDAMAR region. It is one of several areas you work for your fur trapping business. It is the fullmoon midnight of the first snow of the season and you have just arrived at the mouth of the Audamar forest. But there are many a suspicious omen this night. For one, a great MANSION sits ominously north of the forest. You're certain it wasn't there the last time you were here, but it's been quite a while since you were in the area; perhaps it is a new build. More disturbing, though, is the eerie silence of the forest. In the glow of a midnight moon owls should be calling out to their prey; rodents should be scampering from tree to tree; crickets should be making their dance of love. But you hear nothing, not even a rustle of leaves. You take to the treetops for safety and prowl the forest floor. There's a pair of guys walking the forest, just as perplexed as you are by the silence. One's a human RANGER, though there's something disturbing about him. It's almost as if your mind is trying to erase him from your perception as you watch him. Next to him is a DRAGOON deep in the thralls of DRAGON CORRUPTION. You've heard of this sort of thing before but you've never actually seen a specimen. Aren't these guys usually hostile? And when there's a corrupted dragon, its dragon master is bound to be nearby. Still, you cannot sense any latent hostility in him. In fact, he is almost as undetectable as the ranger, save a strange sensation of heat emanating from his core, as if from the hearth of a fire.
The two of them blunder into a trap, the former caught in a leg snare and the latter falling for a pitfall. You almost snicker but manage to contain your mirth in silence. Then, you see a BLUE OGRE creeping upon them from below you. How did you not hear this thing coming? It must weigh as much as an elephant and yet it steps with the softness of a master hunter.
The RANGER and DRAGOON quickly slip their traps and take refuge in the trees. You hide, unsure if you can trust them.
The OGRE gets the drop, launching a vortex of cold and encasing the two in prisons of ice. It is abruptly assaulted by two PINT SIZED DRAGONS, though, and after being bitten by the one it collapses, dead.
You wait, and watch. The DRAGOON quickly frees himself from the ice by letting lose a blast of flames from his mouth. What the RANGER does is more interesting, though. It almost looks as if he lights himself on fire. No... it's more like he transforms into a being of fire to melt the ice. You've seen some magic before but this is NOTHING like what you're familiar with. Who ARE these guys?
Well, where there's one ogre there's more. They could be driving off the local ecosystem, and that's bad for business. Maybe these two could help you deal with the problem.
What do you do?

=====

@SUCCESSOR
Reven, you have never attempted magic before. In fact, you've only ever examined it in an intellectual context. Still, surely making the leap from theory to application couldn't be THAT difficult. At least, that's what you thought until now. Finally releasing your grasp on the kris, you kneel down and gasp. Your heart is racing and feels like pins and needles. It almost feels like you've accidentally dosed yourself with Texia's poison, but you check and none of the darts have punctured you. Is this how wizards feel all of the time? And that explosion of inferno... does everybody have magic like that waiting to erupt? It must be a terrible burden controlling the release of such power when it is waiting to pour out like flood waters behind a ruptured dam.
You go to Texia. She is unconscious and has a gash on her foreleg. It seems she struck a spike trap when the ogre smacked her aside. You fetch some bandages from your cloak and wrap her wound.
While you were tending to Texia, Jerias searched the ogre and found what appears to be some kind of grocery list. It also has a crudely drawn map which seems to lead deeper into the woods.
Just before you depart, you notice an ELVEN HUNTRESS is perched in the trees above you. She doesn't notice that you've noticed her, though.
What do you do?

=====

@bigjoe
Jerias, your limbs are uncomfortably trapped in blocks of ice, but such is no problem for you. You let loose the primal fire within and in short order the frozen water is no more than steam. You tend to Atticas, who has a small bump on his head but is otherwise unharmed.
"Geez, what the heck was that thing?" he asks. You explain it was an ogre.
"Really? I thought they were supposed to be more... well... more like us. You know, scaly."
You also explain that there's a difference between an ogre and a dragon-ogre.
"Oh. Man, this place is weird. So... what now?"
You search the ogre's body. Tucked in a pocket you discover a list of apothecary ingredients and a crudely drawn map to a hut somewhere in these woods. If you can find a landmark to get your bearings you should be able to locate the hut with little difficulty.
You give these to Reven, who is tending to his partner. The two of you agree that it is probably best to search for this hut, since the ogre was clearly acting under orders and there are probably more lurking nearby. Reven pauses as you are about to leave the clearing, though.
You can feel someone watching you.
What do you do?

[Tamamo]

@SUCCESSOR @bigjoe

I jump off the trees and approach the orge and pull out a small knife and carve out a piece of meat and plop it in my mouth. "Chewy, as always. not my preference either." Would be better cooked, now that this ogre is out of my way I can investigate that mansion."

All of a sudden the urge to devour more flesh overcomes me, and I strip off my clothing and assume my Dire Wolf form. I think to my self "I hate the moonlight as much as I do my gluttinous hunger but a meal is a meal" I start to devour the corpse of the orge but my wolf sense of smell does not betray me so easily. I raise my and turn around.

"I see I have guess. I wish you no harm, you must of sensed it as well. The disturbance in this forest on this full moon night. The silence in the air."

I assume my Elf form and put my clothes back on. Pull out a handkerchief and clean off my face. Then I just smile a dark smile of delight.

[mrz84]

I inquire if those wishing to aid me in the rescue of the gnomes need to gather any provisions, etc before we depart. The trek into the mountains itself will prove to be perilous enough despite the fact the ogres will most likely be waiting for us in an ambush, if not having traps ready for us. I let everyone know that this mission could prove deadly and that I won't think less of any that wish to remain behind. As for myself, I acquire some climbing gear and any healing potions/items I can find. Once everything is taken care of, I take the lead (knowing full well that at least one of the ogres has access to magic that my pendant can nullify, I also let my companions know that my pendant can nullify water/ice magic/attacks. I only let them know of that though as I prefer to keep the knowledge of its dimensional travel abilities to myself and how to access them) and we depart for the mountain ;air of the ogres there.

[TheDarkOne]

I remind Zataka that my natural elven senses enable me to detect traps and sense a possible ambush more easily (my assiamar blood enhances these abilities but I prefer to keep that part of my ancestry to myself for now). I offer to take the lead in order to watch for anything out of the ordinary. If I can detect the presence of the ogres before they spring their attack, then we may not need the magic-nullifying properties of Zataka's pendant. Before we depart, however, I stock up on food rations and water, as well as healing kits. I also make sure to introduce myself to the newest members of our group (the dwarf and the gnome) and ask their names.

[bigjoe]

@SUCCESSOR @Mero
I carefully size up the newcomer and then turn to Atticas, speaking with a slithery tongue "Can we trussst this one?" I'm a bit wary of all the attention I've fallen into, and my lizard instincts are flaring with excitement. I climb into the tree and turn to the others.(As if to address Atticas as well) "A tessst. If you can endure with me, I will endure your companionssship". I begin to hop off in a direction, the map fresh in my memory, looking for a landmark by which to gauge the direction of the hut.

[Tamamo]

@SUCCESSOR

Luckily I was able to catch the scent of the Dragoon before he took off and turn into my wolf form and turn towards the strange man.
"Get on my back. I can easily track this baffoon. he shouldn't underestimate one blessed by Lady of Moonlight so easily."

[Xyvol]

Having already dispatched an ogre, Zataka seems to know what he is doing. I do not mind following his lead, for now. Even though the forest still incites me, I agree with Zataka that we need to rescue the captive gnomes. In addition to the supplies already mentioned, I suggest we obtain some warm clothing. We don't want to find ourselves stuck in the mountains during the snows without proper protection.

[CJC]

=====
(SUCCESSOR has informed me that I am not portraying his character correctly. As such, when it is necessary for other players to witness his actions I will leave it to him to explain the situation, or to the relevant player to extrapolate the situation from his previous post.

Also, the format of this RPG is beginning to fatigue me. I am considering switching to the Flash RPG format [as presented in the other thread, each player acts as game master for the previous player]. I've been thinking about this for a while and I even suggested it to Mero in chat, which led to the creation of the other game. If you object to this change, please make a note of stating such in your next post. If the format does not change, we will still likely need a new game master [as I am fatigued and continuing to squeeze the stone will only produce powder, swept away by the breeze].)
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@Mero @bigjoe @SUCCESSOR
Rossaria, Jerias, and Reven...
Jerias has proposed a test of hide and seek, taking off in the treetops towards the depths of the forest. Rossaria transforms into a dire wolf and takes Reven on her back, dashing through the brush. The scent of the dragoon is mild, like dry kindling, but Rossaria is able to keep a bead on him. You come across a lake, whereupon Jerias pauses, as if testing his memory. The water is uncomfortably still, just like the forest in its entirety. You can see a twisted root sticking up from the center of the lake. The strange scents of disease and boiling antiseptic mix in the air around you.
Jerias begins to hop again, as if he is going to travel east from here, but he pauses when the root in the water moves.
What do you do?
(Keep in mind that you may introduce events and creatures that haven't been established yet, as well as manipulate creatures that are unlocked. And I've established very little about the forest.)

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@mrz84 @TheDarkOne @Xyvol
Zataka, Sancireph, and Malichor...
You acquire the necessary provisions to climb the mountain: heavy winter clothes, a pack goat, climbing pitons, and various other materials to make the trek safe. Unfortunately as the hour is late you pay a premium for these services and your wallets are left a little light in the process.
You begin your trek up the mountainside, accompanied by the dwarven warrior GRINGHAM and the as-of-yet nameless GNOMISH MATH WIZARD. Following the trail of blood and ogre footprints, you make good time until a blizzard forces you into a cavern for shelter. The place is warm and there's firelight coming from deeper in the cave. Perhaps the ogres too are waiting out the storm here.
You can hear the faint sound of machinery in the distance. There are five tunnels branching out from the chamber that you occupy: two slope down, one much more steeply than the other. A third appears to be level and turns abruptly. The final two slope up, with one almost looking like a staircase.
What do you do?
(Keep in mind that you may introduce events and creatures that haven't been established yet, as well as manipulate creatures that are unlocked. And I've established very little about this cave. ...And the ogres are unlocked.)

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@ctrl-alt-delete
I take it my counter-gag was not as funny as I thought. Anyways, if you're interested you can flesh out the gnomish math wizard.