When Rum comes out of the malaise causes by the end of the magic Jek used on him, he walks across the camp to stand by Lady Kaede.
"You did what had to be done, Lady Kaede", he says motioning towards the once sleeping troopers. "You are becoming the leader your people need, and honouring your ancestors", he adds approvingly.
"Now we should move swiftly, with any luck any who come across this scene will assume the newts are responsible, thanks to Friend Jek" he says hopefully without hint of reproach or sarcasm for Jek's previous actions pitting the troopers against the newts. "It is a long path to the next outpost".
The Ardent Remnants continue to follow the road and to get to know their new friend, Violet, along the way. They only have to hide from the Stormtroopers a few times, as activity in the area seems diminished, though it gradually increases as they grow nearer and nearer their destination. Imperial patrols can be overheard discussing the squashing of the newt rebellion as well as a newt raid on a guard outpost along the main supply route that has left a whole squad of troopers dead. There is also some brief scuttlebutt about a weird occurrence at the portal guard post, though no one seems to attribute it to anything more than the start of the newt rebellion.
Once, the Remnants spot the remains of newts who have been massacred near the road...
Once, there was a burst of light in the distance, toward their destination, and the ground rumbled under their feet...
After ten days of travel, the first distant glows of the Titan Forge become visible. The cavern, now opening up into a lofty expanse overhead, is illuminated a dull burnt orange, and the near limitless darkness of the Subternia becomes cast in a brighter dawn than the overworld had seen in weeks.
Their approach to the Titan Forge reveals many, many troubling things. First is the shear size of the Stormtrooper detachment stationed there, which numbers in the hundreds at the very least, though many of them seem to be assigned to manual labor. They toil with their armor off and hand tools instead of weapons as they work on the many, many cracks and channels in the ground that purvey the flowing molten rock to the center of the entire structure. Others work on building new barracks, reinforcing existing structures, and improving the guard towers that stand along the road into the complex.
And of course some are in those guard towers, and even more at patrolling the grounds. More than a few newts are strung up within eyesight as a warning to their brethren.
There are cracks and chasms full of lava everywhere, and shoddy bridges here and there to get workers across from one place to another.
Far beyond the constructed works, the forge, the working Stormtroopers, lays the Subhylian Sea, and something resting in the middle of it...
As the Ardent Remnants first gaze upon this complex, the building in the dead center lights up, and a huge plume of smoke and fire erupts into the sky, so hot it's nearly white. The band can feel the heat on their faces even from so far away, and the whole world shakes. A boulder falls from the ceiling overhead and shatters along the supply route, and shortly thereafter Stormtroopers move in to remove the debris.
Lady Kaede watches the scene in front of them unfold with grim determination. “We are but few in number, as mighty and cunning as we may be. We are no match for the forces at play here. Perhaps a more indirect approach is required?”
She then goes on to discuss the rudiments of a plan. Well, not so much a plan as spitballing some random ideas.
As the Titan Forge complex comes into view, Rum directs Porkins to land out of sight of the guard towers so he can strategise with the others.
He listens carefully to Lady Kaede’s thoughts, a look of admiration on his face.
”Interesting ideas, Lady Kaede. To simply blend in amongst the crowd of people appeals the most. These Imperials obviously don’t expect enemies to be amongst them, that outpost we came across ten days ago proves that”.
”As for using the Newts, the fact no-one knows we are here is our greatest asset. We should not risk revealing ourselves. Can we do this sure in the knowledge the Imperials will not become aware of our presence?”.
"The rest of you might be able to blend in and pretend to be troopers," she says hesitantly. "But... somehow, I don't think that I would have much luck with that strategy... so I guess I could just wait here while you guys waltz in, but... things might not go well for me if a squad found me out here all alone, by myself..."
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"We wouldn't have brought you here just to abandon you, Violet. No, there must be a way to disguise you. I have a pin that would work for an hour, but that might not be long enough. Or perhaps a ruse. Maybe we captured you and are bringing you in to see the big boss. Or one of the little bosses", Rum says his feline brows creased into a frown. "Or perhaps you can stick with Porkins. Do you speak Celestial?".
"I suppose, Fellow Remnants, the first thing to do is identify what and where the Blast Bellows is. Likely Lady Kaede is right, and it is the cause of the flashes. Maybe I should have a look around? How long can you make someone invisible, friend Jek? Or perhaps speed me up again. Can you do both?".
"I speak Common, Undercommon, and Deep Speech. Also... this will probably take more than an hour, so you're probably going to need to use the prisoner transport ruse," Violet says thoughtfully, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "How convincing do you think it needs to be? I assume you'll need to cuff me... but do the bad guys actually know how to neutralize spellcasters effectively? If they do... well, I can actually still cast spells without incantations if I have to, but it's a bit harder."
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After having been focussed for a few moments looking into the distance, Rum turns back to the others.
"That sounds useful, Violet", he says distractedly. "Fellow Remnants, that shape in the water. I know what it is. I have seen one of it's kind before, although it was bigger and believe it or not more menacing".
"I believe that to be the mate of the Tarrasque that I helped free on Celestia! The mate of the one the apex predator killed. It looks to be held in suspended animation".
Greko wonders for a moment at loud "Suspended animation by magic....." Greko turns to the group after speaking to no one "If the creature is suspended by magic Greko can dispel it from 120 Greko feet away"
"That would certainly cause one big distraction, and perhaps wipe out this whole place, friend Greko. But we have the problem of retrieving the Blast Bellows, the problem of escaping the Tarrasque ourselves and the problem of having a Tarrasque on the loose in the world. I wonder if the apex predator survived and is healthy enough for another fight", Rum responds.
Kaede shutters at the thought of a tarrasque here in the cavern with them. "My father told me stories as a child of a tarrasque that terrorized his kingdom. It took an army of his mightiest men to manage to scare it away, let alone wound it in the slightest. Those beasts....aren't to be trifled with."
Continuing, after taking a silent moment to calm herself, "Perhaps we use the tarrasque as a diversion to make our clean escape? I fear it would be our undoing if we involved it in our plans to recapture the Blast Bellows."
"So, have we reached a consensus on the plan going forward? Everyone knows their part to play? I fear I have little impact on this endeavor, as I'm not familiar with magical means like the rest of you are, and I'm no good at slinking around like a common thief. Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."
"Don't worry, Lady Kaede, you can be Nameless Stormtrooper #3!" Violet giggles, patting the samurai on the arm. "I'm counting on you to make sure a 'dangerous prisoner' is delivered safely. Ummm... but seriously, if I'm going to be chained up in the middle of... all that..."
Violet gestures towards the sprawling military camp.
"...I really want some good security, just in case these guys can't talk their way past the real guards. Um, other than that... what's a tarrasque?"
Greko pauses for a moment and points to an area of blue light coming from behind the Tarasque....like something coming down from the ceiling as rocks drop into the water below
"Perhaps you are all right, we should continue with the plan to retrieve the Blast Bellows and worry about the Tarrasque and that blue light later", Rum says to the others. "As for the plan and each of our roles, I am not certain of the roles friends Greko and Jek will play. Is it only myself and Lady Kaede that can assume the role of captors?".
Violet eyes friend Greko and Jek with a few of her eyestalks. She hadn't really thought about their roles too much.
"Oh, that is a good question,"she says, biting her lip as she tries to think. "Does the Empire know you guys well? Maybe they could be bounty hunters? Or maybe we could use a sort of two-pronged attack and have the two of them go in stealth mode to double our chances of getting one group or the other where we need to go?"
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Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
"I'm sure the Empire knows of us, but I highly doubt they'd recognize us. Besides, we still have some Stormtrooper outfits that we confiscated from corpses that didn't need them any longer. If we put them on, it'll help with our disguises."
But then Lady Kaede stares down at the troopers working all over the cavern, realizing that most of them aren't wearing their armor any more. "Hmmmmm, then again, maybe not. It appears that most of the enemy here aren't even in their armor. I wonder what would happen if we arrived with our 'prisoner' wearing full trooper armor? Would that raise any suspicions?"
"Only one way to find out. As my father used to drill into me, All warfare is based on deception."
OOC: Greko and Jek become invisible any fly above, providing top-cover for us down below? Lady Kaede and Rum act like Stormtrooper guards, bringing prisoner Violet in for interrogation?
OOC: Hey, that does sound like a good idea... Greko and Jek as invisible lookouts and emergency evac!
"Well, it would make sense that troopers who were on patrol or from another outpost would probably be in armor, even if most of the troopers down there aren't," Violet says."So, are we ready to go for it?"
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Rum looks back at his tail, "Armour does not suit me, either for fit or functionality. I am far more accomplished without armour, fellow Remnants".
"However, I will attempt to convince them I am a bounty hunter. If there is nothing further that can be done magically to aid in this deceit, then I am ready", he says.
Violet rummages through her pack and pulls out a length of hemp rope (50 feet, to be exact).
"I think that should be enough..."she says with a little giggle, handing it over to Rum. "Just... be gentle, okay?"
She turns around and places her hands behind her back.
"I don't know what their typical procedure for dealing with spellcasters is... but if they know what they're doing then it would probably make sense to either gag me or blindfold me to make this look believable. I... um... I would honestly prefer if you just gag me, I really don't like it when I can't see. And I have a way to cast spells without incantations for a little while."
Violet will go ahead and search the camp, mostly to take her mind off of how many people she just killed... (investigation: 18)
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When Rum comes out of the malaise causes by the end of the magic Jek used on him, he walks across the camp to stand by Lady Kaede.
"You did what had to be done, Lady Kaede", he says motioning towards the once sleeping troopers. "You are becoming the leader your people need, and honouring your ancestors", he adds approvingly.
"Now we should move swiftly, with any luck any who come across this scene will assume the newts are responsible, thanks to Friend Jek" he says hopefully without hint of reproach or sarcasm for Jek's previous actions pitting the troopers against the newts. "It is a long path to the next outpost".
The Ardent Remnants continue to follow the road and to get to know their new friend, Violet, along the way. They only have to hide from the Stormtroopers a few times, as activity in the area seems diminished, though it gradually increases as they grow nearer and nearer their destination. Imperial patrols can be overheard discussing the squashing of the newt rebellion as well as a newt raid on a guard outpost along the main supply route that has left a whole squad of troopers dead. There is also some brief scuttlebutt about a weird occurrence at the portal guard post, though no one seems to attribute it to anything more than the start of the newt rebellion.
Once, the Remnants spot the remains of newts who have been massacred near the road...
Once, there was a burst of light in the distance, toward their destination, and the ground rumbled under their feet...
After ten days of travel, the first distant glows of the Titan Forge become visible. The cavern, now opening up into a lofty expanse overhead, is illuminated a dull burnt orange, and the near limitless darkness of the Subternia becomes cast in a brighter dawn than the overworld had seen in weeks.
Their approach to the Titan Forge reveals many, many troubling things. First is the shear size of the Stormtrooper detachment stationed there, which numbers in the hundreds at the very least, though many of them seem to be assigned to manual labor. They toil with their armor off and hand tools instead of weapons as they work on the many, many cracks and channels in the ground that purvey the flowing molten rock to the center of the entire structure. Others work on building new barracks, reinforcing existing structures, and improving the guard towers that stand along the road into the complex.
And of course some are in those guard towers, and even more at patrolling the grounds. More than a few newts are strung up within eyesight as a warning to their brethren.
There are cracks and chasms full of lava everywhere, and shoddy bridges here and there to get workers across from one place to another.
Far beyond the constructed works, the forge, the working Stormtroopers, lays the Subhylian Sea, and something resting in the middle of it...
As the Ardent Remnants first gaze upon this complex, the building in the dead center lights up, and a huge plume of smoke and fire erupts into the sky, so hot it's nearly white. The band can feel the heat on their faces even from so far away, and the whole world shakes. A boulder falls from the ceiling overhead and shatters along the supply route, and shortly thereafter Stormtroopers move in to remove the debris.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Lady Kaede watches the scene in front of them unfold with grim determination. “We are but few in number, as mighty and cunning as we may be. We are no match for the forces at play here. Perhaps a more indirect approach is required?”
She then goes on to discuss the rudiments of a plan. Well, not so much a plan as spitballing some random ideas.
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
As the Titan Forge complex comes into view, Rum directs Porkins to land out of sight of the guard towers so he can strategise with the others.
He listens carefully to Lady Kaede’s thoughts, a look of admiration on his face.
”Interesting ideas, Lady Kaede. To simply blend in amongst the crowd of people appeals the most. These Imperials obviously don’t expect enemies to be amongst them, that outpost we came across ten days ago proves that”.
”As for using the Newts, the fact no-one knows we are here is our greatest asset. We should not risk revealing ourselves. Can we do this sure in the knowledge the Imperials will not become aware of our presence?”.
Violet glances at Rum.
"The rest of you might be able to blend in and pretend to be troopers," she says hesitantly. "But... somehow, I don't think that I would have much luck with that strategy... so I guess I could just wait here while you guys waltz in, but... things might not go well for me if a squad found me out here all alone, by myself..."
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"We wouldn't have brought you here just to abandon you, Violet. No, there must be a way to disguise you. I have a pin that would work for an hour, but that might not be long enough. Or perhaps a ruse. Maybe we captured you and are bringing you in to see the big boss. Or one of the little bosses", Rum says his feline brows creased into a frown. "Or perhaps you can stick with Porkins. Do you speak Celestial?".
"I suppose, Fellow Remnants, the first thing to do is identify what and where the Blast Bellows is. Likely Lady Kaede is right, and it is the cause of the flashes. Maybe I should have a look around? How long can you make someone invisible, friend Jek? Or perhaps speed me up again. Can you do both?".
Violet ponders the options for a few moments.
"I speak Common, Undercommon, and Deep Speech. Also... this will probably take more than an hour, so you're probably going to need to use the prisoner transport ruse," Violet says thoughtfully, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "How convincing do you think it needs to be? I assume you'll need to cuff me... but do the bad guys actually know how to neutralize spellcasters effectively? If they do... well, I can actually still cast spells without incantations if I have to, but it's a bit harder."
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After having been focussed for a few moments looking into the distance, Rum turns back to the others.
"That sounds useful, Violet", he says distractedly. "Fellow Remnants, that shape in the water. I know what it is. I have seen one of it's kind before, although it was bigger and believe it or not more menacing".
"I believe that to be the mate of the Tarrasque that I helped free on Celestia! The mate of the one the apex predator killed. It looks to be held in suspended animation".
Greko wonders for a moment at loud "Suspended animation by magic....." Greko turns to the group after speaking to no one "If the creature is suspended by magic Greko can dispel it from 120 Greko feet away"
"That would certainly cause one big distraction, and perhaps wipe out this whole place, friend Greko. But we have the problem of retrieving the Blast Bellows, the problem of escaping the Tarrasque ourselves and the problem of having a Tarrasque on the loose in the world. I wonder if the apex predator survived and is healthy enough for another fight", Rum responds.
Kaede shutters at the thought of a tarrasque here in the cavern with them. "My father told me stories as a child of a tarrasque that terrorized his kingdom. It took an army of his mightiest men to manage to scare it away, let alone wound it in the slightest. Those beasts....aren't to be trifled with."
Continuing, after taking a silent moment to calm herself, "Perhaps we use the tarrasque as a diversion to make our clean escape? I fear it would be our undoing if we involved it in our plans to recapture the Blast Bellows."
"So, have we reached a consensus on the plan going forward? Everyone knows their part to play? I fear I have little impact on this endeavor, as I'm not familiar with magical means like the rest of you are, and I'm no good at slinking around like a common thief. Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
"Don't worry, Lady Kaede, you can be Nameless Stormtrooper #3!" Violet giggles, patting the samurai on the arm. "I'm counting on you to make sure a 'dangerous prisoner' is delivered safely. Ummm... but seriously, if I'm going to be chained up in the middle of... all that..."
Violet gestures towards the sprawling military camp.
"...I really want some good security, just in case these guys can't talk their way past the real guards. Um, other than that... what's a tarrasque?"
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Greko pauses for a moment and points to an area of blue light coming from behind the Tarasque....like something coming down from the ceiling as rocks drop into the water below
"Perhaps you are all right, we should continue with the plan to retrieve the Blast Bellows and worry about the Tarrasque and that blue light later", Rum says to the others. "As for the plan and each of our roles, I am not certain of the roles friends Greko and Jek will play. Is it only myself and Lady Kaede that can assume the role of captors?".
Violet eyes friend Greko and Jek with a few of her eyestalks. She hadn't really thought about their roles too much.
"Oh, that is a good question," she says, biting her lip as she tries to think. "Does the Empire know you guys well? Maybe they could be bounty hunters? Or maybe we could use a sort of two-pronged attack and have the two of them go in stealth mode to double our chances of getting one group or the other where we need to go?"
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"I'm sure the Empire knows of us, but I highly doubt they'd recognize us. Besides, we still have some Stormtrooper outfits that we confiscated from corpses that didn't need them any longer. If we put them on, it'll help with our disguises."
But then Lady Kaede stares down at the troopers working all over the cavern, realizing that most of them aren't wearing their armor any more. "Hmmmmm, then again, maybe not. It appears that most of the enemy here aren't even in their armor. I wonder what would happen if we arrived with our 'prisoner' wearing full trooper armor? Would that raise any suspicions?"
"Only one way to find out. As my father used to drill into me, All warfare is based on deception."
OOC: Greko and Jek become invisible any fly above, providing top-cover for us down below? Lady Kaede and Rum act like Stormtrooper guards, bringing prisoner Violet in for interrogation?
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
OOC: Hey, that does sound like a good idea... Greko and Jek as invisible lookouts and emergency evac!
"Well, it would make sense that troopers who were on patrol or from another outpost would probably be in armor, even if most of the troopers down there aren't," Violet says. "So, are we ready to go for it?"
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Rum looks back at his tail, "Armour does not suit me, either for fit or functionality. I am far more accomplished without armour, fellow Remnants".
"However, I will attempt to convince them I am a bounty hunter. If there is nothing further that can be done magically to aid in this deceit, then I am ready", he says.
"Do we have rope or manacles for Violet?".
Violet rummages through her pack and pulls out a length of hemp rope (50 feet, to be exact).
"I think that should be enough..." she says with a little giggle, handing it over to Rum. "Just... be gentle, okay?"
She turns around and places her hands behind her back.
"I don't know what their typical procedure for dealing with spellcasters is... but if they know what they're doing then it would probably make sense to either gag me or blindfold me to make this look believable. I... um... I would honestly prefer if you just gag me, I really don't like it when I can't see. And I have a way to cast spells without incantations for a little while."
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