Staunton Bluffs V: New Blood

[Ken of Ghastria]

Shana shifts a little nervously away from Fallenleaf, and glances at the newcomer.

"Nice timing! I don't suppose you can destroy fires?"

"I'm afraid not," the newcomer says, advancing toward the group. "But considering the danger, I hope someone can..." He then gets a better look at Fallenleaf. "What in the hells...?!?" He starts to raise his hands, but seeing that the others don't seem threatened by the skeletal figure's presence, he tries to relax. "I get the feeling I'm not in Darkon anymore. My name is Blaise ... Blaise Redman. I don't suppose any of you nice people can tell me where we are." He smiles warmly, although his gaze remains a little wary.

OOC: Now that he's closer, you can see that he's a handsome human, probably in his 20s, with short, wavy red hair and darker, slighly arched eyebrows. He's dressed in dark green and brown clothes that have seen a lot of outdoor wear and he has a heavy crossbow strapped across his back. The glint of a chain shirt peeks out above the unbuttoned top of his tunic. Outshining even the chain shirt, though, is his smile, which seems oddly playful, even in this situation.

[steveflam]

[Ooc:Brethana is a fierce looking female elf with a Sithican accent , a Great Sword attached to her back , hide armor, muscular and very brash and impulsive.] "I don't thnk you are in Darkon anymore as I am not in Sithicus anymore. Maybe this is Lord Soth's little joke on me , separating me from my tribe."........ "I have been with these people for a while now in this strange place and hope only to find a way back home. Maybe if I find that cornfield again and wander it I may find my way back home".......

[Le Noir Faineant]

OOC: A couple of questions about the fire--how long will it be before the fire reaches the party at the current rate?

[Time somebody asked. Though the fire is surrounding you, it's direction leads circularly away from you. Still, it's very hot in here, and breathing is increasingly difficult. - In our campaign, every battle round is of six seconds, so, in total, not much time has passed. (I don't use the usual time restrictions on spells.)]

Does the fire surround the party, or do they have a direction in which they can run? Also, how many people are present?

[You will have to break to the fire, but remember, the fire has just been set - it WILL be possible to run over the burning the ground, but quickly.
As to how many people are present, I count Alan, Shana, Jarryd, Moorkroft, Brethana, Blaise Redman, George and Inovidil.]

And finally--the forest is already severely damaged, with few trees having any chance of surviving the fire, correct?

[The forest is most likely lost, not by the immediate danger of the fire, but because of the fatality of the treeants.]

As he speaks the wind begins to pick up, rising from a steady breeze to a shrieking windstorm and pressing the fire back.*

[Are you aiming at the small spark demons or at the flying monsters?... Just Be warned that there are A COUPLE of them out there...]

''Holy lady, if it is your will, let these fire demons be cast into the Uttermost Darkness that lies beyond the Mists. '' Moorkroft is kneeling beside young Arlington, praying fervently.

As Moorkroft speaks, the boy begins to seemingly come back to life.

"Mother! Sister!" Tears spring from his dirty face, and crying from the pain the burning leaves cause him, the boy hastes into the burning forest, not caring if the fire reaches him or not...

Then, your reality is somehow altered...

A blazing explosion thunders through the Staunton Bluffs.

You all are thrown from your feet, and, falling, see the ground break and the mighty trees be sundered like sticks...

To the right and the left of you, it rains huge stones, big blocks of granite, not volcanic, but, youn are almost sure, artificial...

[kintire]

[Shana is an attractive, approachable looking redhead of about 20, holding a crossbow rather awkwardly. She is dressed in a slightly daring outfit with a heavier outdoor cloak over it. It looks like it was once a bright green, perhaps an entertainer's outfit, but it is now slashed, burnt and stained with mud, grave mold, ichor and a little blood]

"Well, Mr Redman I'm afraid I can't be of much help as far as where we are, except "a place we don't want to be". We were heading for the Ca..."

As the world erupts into chaos, Shana breaks off with a cry of fear, falling to the ground and gazing numbly at the huge rocks raining down around her, seeming dazed with surprise, then leaping up and bolting in panic

[steveflam]

Brethana tries to dodge the falling granite blocks jumping left and right......

[Don Fernando]

With a stone falling near him, Jarryd jumps to his feet and realizes that this is not time for tears, and that everyone is in danger.

"Everyone take cover!!"

[Ken of Ghastria]

As introductions are made, Blaise says, "An unusual mix ... you mentioned something about a cornfield? I didn't see that -- I was in northern Darkon, following a trail when this mist surrounded me." While Shana speaks, he again flashes a wide smile -- which disappears quickly as he sees the shape of her clothes. "What horrors have you..."

Before he can continue, he's interrupted by the shout of the strange young boy who runs off into the burning woods. Then the explosion knocks him and everyone else to the ground. His eyes widen in fear and confusion as the rocks begin to fall. He leaps up and follows Shana, pausing every few seconds to unleash a blast of arcane energy at any large rock that seems to be heading toward them.

[VAN]

OOC> Inovidil is 5.6’ and 130lb, 23 years old. She is rather pretty, but the thing that usually get the others is the spark of intelligence at her eyes. She has black hair and blue sapphire eyes. She wears travel comfortable, but good quality clothes not very much trimmed, black pants, white shirt, a red blouse and a black cloak. At her right hip, is hanged a light crossbow and at the left a dagger. At her neck Inovidil wears a silver necklace with a moon. At her hand holds a good staff, but without particular signs.


IC> "At least you all are from this land, me instead..." Says Inovidil to herself. Noticing the boy going away the woman yells and moves towards him:

"Come back, we are friends. You are in danger out there."

As the rocks begin to fall, Inovidil tries to avoid them as she can. A big rock lands only a few feet away from her, making the ground shake beneath her feet and make her fall. As quickly as she can, the wizard stands up and tries to follow the boy getting at the same time any cover possible.

[Le Noir Faineant]

After the explosion, it isn't the usual dull silence that follows.

All to the contrary, in the distance, the rumbling sound of falling stones can be heard...

You can see beneath the trees that the peaks of the hillocks in the distance have been broken away and that glooming lava flows from there into the dale...

The power of the explosions seems to have scared the fire spirits as well...

The forest continues to burn, but you cannot hear their laughter any more...

No track of the boy can be seen anymore...

[steveflam]

"Um can anyone do anything against that?" Brethana asks nervously as she points to the lava........ "Where's little Arlington gone off to again?"... She looks around trying to find a trace of him or some footprints......

[ewancummins]

Jamethon leaps to his feet, heedless of the danger presented by the falling rocks and fire alike, and runs in the direction he last saw the boy moving. He screams out'' Master Arlington! Where are you, I am coming to help!''

[Don Fernando]

Falling stones, demons and fire all over this place. This just seems like a nightmare, a really bad nightmare..Jarryd thinks, picking himself up from the floor. But although he tries to keep himself calm, a strange oppressing feeling in his stomach somehow tells him he and his companions are not safe yet.

"I don't have a very good feeling about this, my friends... better search for higher ground to scape from the river of fire that is coming our way!" Jarryd says to his friends with his peculiar accent, as he starts searching for a way to get away from the lava.

[VAN]

Inovidil looks for the boy too. She wishes one more time to have her hawk with her right now. Ithan for sure would be able to discern the boy and a safer place for them as well. As the young woman remembers her familiar her heart feels with sorrow, where it can be right now. Who knows if it was alive or not. Inovidil knows only that she cannot feel the hawk's presence, but deep in her heart she hopes that it is alive and in a place much better than this. Dismissing these thoughts she concentrates to find the boy.

[LouisVendredi]

Seeing the rocks and fire, George says: "I think we should go. Now."

[OOC: Does the castle look like it would be safe?]

[steveflam]

Brethana looks anxiously at the lava , the burning forest and the castle , wondering the same thing as George. "I agree George, we should get moving, this is getting dangerous staying here".......