Tian glanced around the area they'd landed in.
"Don't worry too much, we'll see who this "ogre" is before we do anything. We've been given tasks like this before and turned them around on the ones who set them, The important thing back there was to get away from that damned forest spirit and his little maze."
The Dragon's Village 2017
Moderator:Lazybones
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
Master's rumbling continued, though interrupted by an annoyed grunt at the unsolicited teleportation, and Moriko's frown also continued. The two paid little attention to the change of environment as the group blinked into existence around them.
"But he has to know that they will," she insisted. "They will take the forest a tree at a time and it will get smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and his power will get less and less and less and less and less and less and less and then they will come more often and the forest will get smaller faster and then his power will get smaller faster and then they will come more often..."
Master grumbled with what was definitely a yes-we-get-the-picture tone and then rumbled on for a while longer. As he continued Moriko listened with the frown still in place but a slow light of understanding gradually dawned. She looked at the others before turning back to Master.
"So he knows what he knows and though he thinks he knows all he really sees is inside his forest so he can't know?" she asked in a careful tone and received a rumble of cautious acknowledgement. "No it isn't ... I think I know that because ..." She looked at the others with increasing perception before turning back to Master. "... because I have seen and even if I only think I know, I know from them?" This also received a rumble of reserved agreement.
"That is why they are all different even though they are the same?" Moriko continued, receiving a slightly firmer grunt in response. "One looks out and cares, and one looks in and worries, and one looks out and wants, and one looks in and is lost in the dark, and one looks out and laughs, and one looks ... elsewhere." She clapped her hands gleefully and bounced a little, looking positively cheerful despite the circumstances.
"But because they are fleeting only now can I see them. He will not see because he is lasting too and does not realise lasting is not forever." The venerable panda nodded his head but rumbled a little in indignant mockery, which caused Moriko to giggle.
"And yes, he is also a twit."
"But he has to know that they will," she insisted. "They will take the forest a tree at a time and it will get smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and his power will get less and less and less and less and less and less and less and then they will come more often and the forest will get smaller faster and then his power will get smaller faster and then they will come more often..."
Master grumbled with what was definitely a yes-we-get-the-picture tone and then rumbled on for a while longer. As he continued Moriko listened with the frown still in place but a slow light of understanding gradually dawned. She looked at the others before turning back to Master.
"So he knows what he knows and though he thinks he knows all he really sees is inside his forest so he can't know?" she asked in a careful tone and received a rumble of cautious acknowledgement. "No it isn't ... I think I know that because ..." She looked at the others with increasing perception before turning back to Master. "... because I have seen and even if I only think I know, I know from them?" This also received a rumble of reserved agreement.
"That is why they are all different even though they are the same?" Moriko continued, receiving a slightly firmer grunt in response. "One looks out and cares, and one looks in and worries, and one looks out and wants, and one looks in and is lost in the dark, and one looks out and laughs, and one looks ... elsewhere." She clapped her hands gleefully and bounced a little, looking positively cheerful despite the circumstances.
"But because they are fleeting only now can I see them. He will not see because he is lasting too and does not realise lasting is not forever." The venerable panda nodded his head but rumbled a little in indignant mockery, which caused Moriko to giggle.
"And yes, he is also a twit."
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
"Wait, you cannot simpl-" Wen managed to get out, before the jarring feeling of being sent elsewhere caught up with him. No, his thoughts went. I won't be a fairy's assassin just to earn passage... but it was followed by a similar thought, also in his own voice, that questioned why this would be different than the other times he had been sent to fight.
It just is! He protested. But the thought did not leave... not until another unassuming thought wandered across the porch of his mind. Bend to be straight, it said. Yielding is the Way.
"One foot in front of the other, and no more," said Wen aloud, recalling an old lesson, repeating it in the stretched instant of drifting through no-place. "One foot in front of the other, and no more. One foot in front of the other..."
It just is! He protested. But the thought did not leave... not until another unassuming thought wandered across the porch of his mind. Bend to be straight, it said. Yielding is the Way.
"One foot in front of the other, and no more," said Wen aloud, recalling an old lesson, repeating it in the stretched instant of drifting through no-place. "One foot in front of the other, and no more. One foot in front of the other..."
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
It had not shamed Ning to bow before the arrogant spirit. She had endured worse, from spirits that haunted her dreams and refused to leave her in peace. This one was more powerful individually, yes, and possessed of far more human-like airs than it would ever admit, but granting it the respect it so obviously craved was a simple concession.
This whole affair, however, was a step further than she would have liked.
"I have read of few ogres who are at all pleasant," Ning said, to Tian's earlier suggestions. "But yes. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. We'll see what it is we came here to vanquish, first."
This whole affair, however, was a step further than she would have liked.
"I have read of few ogres who are at all pleasant," Ning said, to Tian's earlier suggestions. "But yes. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. We'll see what it is we came here to vanquish, first."
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
Session 22
Since everyone is now at least 7th level, +1050xp for full-party IC posting.
Since everyone is now at least 7th level, +1050xp for full-party IC posting.
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
The swamp the group was portaled to by the crazy fey was a dismal place, and big. They were supposed to be hunting for an ogre magi, but didn't see any signs of such initially. Instead, they tangled with assorted swamp wildlife. Gojiro had mostly given up warning the group about such as they simply attacked almost everything they saw anyway. Then he spotted a tower, which seemed like a possible place for an ogre magi to hide out, that is, until a black dragon swooped in on them.
Everyone fled to the safety of the tower and the dragon disappeared into a nearby swampy pond. While the others deliberated, Gojiro slipped downstairs and was confronted by a complex of partially flooded caves with a heavy acidic odor hanging in the air - definitely sign of a black dragon lair; he beat a hasty retreat and informed the others. When he ascended to the upper level of the tower, partially collapsed and desolate, he was attacked by a flock of stirges and fled back to the lower level. The party decided to explore the flooded caves, and rather quickly the dragon burst out from one of the pools and scattered the group. Eventually, the party battered the dragon enough to cause it to flee back into the water. A quick search turned up a modest horde with a little gold, a few gems a couple of minor magical items and a very nice long sword which was happily claimed by the weapon master. After a brief rest, the group sortied out of the tower with Gojiro leading off in search of another path. The dragon swept in on them for a third and final time, but this proved to be the fatal one for the dragon.
The next pathway Gojiro uncovered led to a long wooden causeway guarded by giant bat like creatures, but the group slaughtered those without too much difficulty. At the end of the causeway was an ancient stone structure leading underground. Several earth elementals were encountered guarding the way in to this place and had to be destroyed. They party met a tiny lizardman who was a minion of the orge magi they were hunting. After a bit of persuasion, he agreed to take them to meet his master. The ogre magi turned out to be a lot more civil and intelligent than the angry fey. He provided the party with the fey's secret name which would render him very vulnerable. He teleported the team back to the fey, who after a brief confrontation was polymorphed and fled, his powers apparently neutralized.
The group pushed on thru the woods unhindered.
Everyone fled to the safety of the tower and the dragon disappeared into a nearby swampy pond. While the others deliberated, Gojiro slipped downstairs and was confronted by a complex of partially flooded caves with a heavy acidic odor hanging in the air - definitely sign of a black dragon lair; he beat a hasty retreat and informed the others. When he ascended to the upper level of the tower, partially collapsed and desolate, he was attacked by a flock of stirges and fled back to the lower level. The party decided to explore the flooded caves, and rather quickly the dragon burst out from one of the pools and scattered the group. Eventually, the party battered the dragon enough to cause it to flee back into the water. A quick search turned up a modest horde with a little gold, a few gems a couple of minor magical items and a very nice long sword which was happily claimed by the weapon master. After a brief rest, the group sortied out of the tower with Gojiro leading off in search of another path. The dragon swept in on them for a third and final time, but this proved to be the fatal one for the dragon.
The next pathway Gojiro uncovered led to a long wooden causeway guarded by giant bat like creatures, but the group slaughtered those without too much difficulty. At the end of the causeway was an ancient stone structure leading underground. Several earth elementals were encountered guarding the way in to this place and had to be destroyed. They party met a tiny lizardman who was a minion of the orge magi they were hunting. After a bit of persuasion, he agreed to take them to meet his master. The ogre magi turned out to be a lot more civil and intelligent than the angry fey. He provided the party with the fey's secret name which would render him very vulnerable. He teleported the team back to the fey, who after a brief confrontation was polymorphed and fled, his powers apparently neutralized.
The group pushed on thru the woods unhindered.
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
Wen stands over the crystal-blooded form of one of the ice-ghoul figures, his stance frozen in the moment after his blade cut it down. He lets out a long, misty breath, and stands up straight, giving the sword in his hand a thoughtful look... finally, looking up and about, around him.
"The sages didn't mention a snow-plain," he says, his words always less certain than his sword-strokes. "I thought there would be fire mountains, close to the Gulong Shan... Master Huo Da, do you know where we're to go from here?"
"The sages didn't mention a snow-plain," he says, his words always less certain than his sword-strokes. "I thought there would be fire mountains, close to the Gulong Shan... Master Huo Da, do you know where we're to go from here?"
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
"You will know fear."
Following the Fey instructions the group ventured into a large swamp in search of a Oni. Tenko found an old tower and went in thinking that it was the lair of the Ogre Magi. The others were not showing up so he went back outside to find out what was delaying the group. He found them fighting a kind of dragon, not the usual flying snake but something more like a fat lizard. Thinking that darts and bolts would not harm the creatures he grabbed his pair of kamas and charged but as he got closer to the beast he got paralysed by fear. Later they found themselves in a wet cave under the old tower and again the dragon who was probably hiding under water showed up and attacked. Once again, Tenko tried to help but was too afraid to do so. Apparently the dragon was able to protect himself with a kind of aura of magical fear that even the best trained warriors and monks could not resist. Eventually the dragon was defeated and the rest of the mission proved to be less of a challenge.
Following the Fey instructions the group ventured into a large swamp in search of a Oni. Tenko found an old tower and went in thinking that it was the lair of the Ogre Magi. The others were not showing up so he went back outside to find out what was delaying the group. He found them fighting a kind of dragon, not the usual flying snake but something more like a fat lizard. Thinking that darts and bolts would not harm the creatures he grabbed his pair of kamas and charged but as he got closer to the beast he got paralysed by fear. Later they found themselves in a wet cave under the old tower and again the dragon who was probably hiding under water showed up and attacked. Once again, Tenko tried to help but was too afraid to do so. Apparently the dragon was able to protect himself with a kind of aura of magical fear that even the best trained warriors and monks could not resist. Eventually the dragon was defeated and the rest of the mission proved to be less of a challenge.
Re: The Dragon's Village 2017
Tianlong had found their encounter with the "dragon" of the swamps somewhat disturbing. It resembled dragonkin in most ways, but without any of the intelligence or majesty. It lived in a swamp for heavens sake! it was little better than an animal. What could cause a dragon to fall so far? Or was it some base immitation?