The new woman seems pretty confused by Mira's plan. I think she meant that we'll go see her mother ONCE we've gotten aulis and Janus out of the way in 6 hours; Doing all three at once would seem impossible especially considering the distance from here and the mainland... I better correct her. "She meant... um... If I'm right..." I attempt to clarify things with the terrifying cat girl to my left. "...She meant she'll talk to her mother AFTER we sort things out with Janus and Paulis. There's no way we can do all three things at once in just six hours. Plus, I don't know where she exactly stays but, wherever she lives I can almost confirm it definitely won't be convenient to travel to that place from here and back. That's what she meant; She said get her priorities done in order, but she didn't mention the 6 hour time limit." I hope that was enough to rid her of her confusion.
It seems like she's also clueless on why Toril and Golarion would want to invade this place. But... as I take another breath, I recall our fights with Stupid Rixi, plus all of the brash things he yelled out during those times. The way he spoke... the lack of sincerity and compassion in his voice compared to the actual Rixi, is what gives me the impression of a typical enemy I face in Toril: Greed, selfishness, lust for power, bloodlust... these things that I had gone through since I was a lonely fox. "I know you weren't here, um... Sorry... uh I mean..." I cleared my throat for a brief moment before I continue. "I'll be brief but... remember that time when Alex dragged a fire boy and put him in prison? When we fought him, he didn't harbour the same, peaceful mindset as all Lanceans do; He had a selfish, greedy mindset. The excitement he made when he summoned a literal demon... when he had beaten up an old lady for making one small mistake... The way he voices his so-called 'achievements'... it was masked with malevolence; All of us could sense his violent intentions even as we put them to rest. And that was just him alone. Now imagine if there were millions of like-minded people like him. People with the same intentions: To kill to satisfy their own entertainment or power-hungry ambitions. Imagine the scenario if these kind of bloodthirsty killers came here onto this planet. Once they arrive, they will stop at nothing to get what they want, what they desire. Even if it means facing death." I was very tempted to to go into detail but I figured she'd be bored by my explanations, so I made nice, short and simple for her to understand, if she even can.
That cat girl is itching to go just like me. And to be honest, I can't really fault in a way. "You're right. The more we stay here, the more this 6 hours would be for nothing. We need to move asap. Maya-san. Let's get going."I then give a slight bow to Janus, a sign of thanks and a polite gesture despite his rather unsympathetic remarks, before I scamper outside and directly back in front of the minefield. Standing in front of those massive traps, I figured it would be easier to just blast them down from a distance, eve if these things are et on their lowest level...
Then again, I head Shugo wants to talk to that dragon girl... And doing so might already give her the wrong impression that we've came to invade. So maybe not.
Mira
Mira does heed Liivi's confusion with her three step plan sounding vague, but before she could correct herself, she's suddenly lost for words when Renar somehow points out everything correctly for her. Her eyes widen, obivously not expecting this at all. "Um... y-yeah. What he said, really. Especially considering that walking from here to Platone would be super inefficient..." Geez how did he know what she was going to say? Is he some sort of telepath? And... Liivi thinks that Mira doesn't want to be queen. Well... maybe. But there's the side of her longing to be one ever since she always felt inferior to her big siblings in so many ways. She shrugs in response. "I mean... I don't know if I didn't make it clear just now but... I never said no in being the queen of Platone. It's just that my mother always says to me and my adopted siblings: If we desire to wear her royal crown, you must be able to bear its weight. That's why I'm afraid of this massive responsibility." She clarifies again; And by bearing its weight she doesn't mean bearing the actual weight of the crown on her head alone. Agreeing with the Tabaxi's words on heading to Paulis though, Mira doesn't even argue when Renar and Maya became the first to exit. She turns to Janus one last time to give a modest courtesy. "If you have nothing else to warn about us, then we may as well take our leave. In spite of all these misunderstandings, as the "supposed" future queen of Platone, I thank you for your time. We'll meet again in the next six hours. Let's go, everyone. Otherwise we might lose two people again to some hazard field." And with that, she exits the front door... only to notice the two analysing the minefield and how to traverse across safely.
"Alright..." She breathes at the quiet pair. "...minus Shugo talking to the dragon and Alex flying over the minefield, I hope you two have concocted some sort of valid plan to get across safely without blowing our limbs off."
Then he hears Paulis's plan, and his mouth falls open for a moment... the tortle wants to leave 80% of the population to die? How is that any different than murdering all of them? Its so so stupid to just sit back and say "well, I won't kill the person trying to kill me, but I'll let them kill everyone else or me if the only option is self defense". It just doesn't make logical sense. It's just asking for the worst to happen. Still... "Okay, that's a stupid plan," Alex says. "Just up and leave 80% of the population behind? That's... that's no better than throwing them into a volcano."He pauses, unsure why that was the first analogy that popped into his head. Shaking his head he goes on, "But, why not use both plans? Get those who can't fight in the war. Those who would be in the most danger when war breaks out, and send them through the portals? That way.... well, that way if things go south at least some of Lancea survives." He doesn't like the idea of Janus signing his contract either. If he's going to fight and be willing to break the no-killing law to save the rest of the world, then he shouldn't have to die for it. If he feels the need to atone, that's fine... if that's really something that can be atoned for. But really, killing in wartime is not murder. It's self defense. It's not done out of pleasure, or greed (most of the time), or even hatred. It's done to defend the things you love. Does that mean Alex is willing to take a life? No. He just can't help but question the logic here.
Janus sighs, "One: we don't have enough time. It will take eight years to find both the spell components for Paulis and the uranium parts—we only have four years, and we have to act as soon as possible before they reach the artefact."
"And two..."His ears droop and he looks away, "Paulis hates me. I can't even say sorry to him, because the moment he sees me, he attacks. I'm always ready to talk to him, but not Paulis, I don't think he will get along with me ever again." Paulis won't work with him because he hates Janus.
He is curious when Janus gives Shugo instructions on caring for the baby dragon, "How do you know it's a female?" He asks, genuinely curious, "And... shouldn't we try to return it to its mother? It's not like we wanted to take it. We just didn't have any other option. She's probably missing her baby."The thought just draws his anger back to Cezars... hopefully the genasi is still locked up tight.
Janus nods. "Good question. From the pattern of this egg, this is the result of parthenogenesis, it is when a female fertilises her egg without males. Every single gene the mother has will be copied to the child, including sex-determining genes, which means the result will always be a female. This can be commonly found in lizards, dragons, and draconoids."
Liivi listens to Janus' comments about changing infrastructure and the 'war to end all wars'. She does still have one question. "How do you know these other people - Toril and Golarion - are going to invade us? I have a hard time understanding why they even would do it?" Left unsaid is that she still struggles to see why they want to invade those places.
"If you see a thief outside of your house, are you going to wait for him to come inside and steal your valuables before you shoot at him? Of course not, the same goes with these invaders."He glares, "I've been there and I've seen what these two civilisations are capable of. Soon enough, you'll see a few of them slip through the sphere, and then you will see how vile these people can be."
"Alright, I hope I've answered most of your questions. You can go now." He clasps his paws, "And please, return to me once you're done and give me your answers." It doesn't seem like he's calling Renar and Maya for a one-on-two conversation yet, he did promise that when they first met, but maybe he will once you return.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
Once again, there wasn't much for Maya to say, even as everyone takes her side for the time being. She does take a moment to glance at the two ladies who she hasn't met though, particularly Mira, who has spiked her interest since she has voiced her concerns about being the queen. Being a queen is tough, yes, Maya knows that. But even so... she can already envision Mira being an exceptional ruler for her country, or maybe she might appoint someone to help govern her if needed. She doesn't know much about the ruling system on this planet; And honestly... she's pretty sure she's heard the same complaint so many times too from someone familiar... if not stubborn. Over in the Sword Coast despite being a queen, Maya doesn't have the full authority that Rixi and her son do. Maybe over here the king or queen does have total control, she doesn't know. But what she does know is that Mira is right about the whole 'weight' issue. And it is a big one indeed that even the kitsune queen herself knows how serious it is especially when you're ill-equipped for it. She gives Mira a brief stare. If whoever has guided her has well prepared her for this, she shouldn't have any problems when she's finally crowned the next queen.
Though, as Janus voices on why Paulis hates him, she couldn't help but wonder why. Why on earth does he bear such a massive grudge for years? Just like when her son constantly rejected her and threatened to fight her two years after they had reunited. Whatever it was, it must have been very serious for them. She hopes that as a peace-loving fox woman maybe one day she could ask him and help repair the relationship between these two... if they even want to cooperate.
Janus nods. "Good question. From the pattern of this egg, this is the result of parthenogenesis, it is when a female fertilises her egg without males. Every single gene the mother has will be copied to the child, including sex-determining genes, which means the result will always be a female. This can be commonly found in lizards, dragons, and draconoids."
"Eh?" Once again Maya's head swirls upon hearing... parthenogenesis? What is that... A female that... fertilizes her egg without males?! What?! How is this possible?! Though no one sees it, Maya does cringe slightly. Has she fallen so behind or have the countless generations she's living amongst gone too far in whatever knowledge they've concocted?! Because it seems that even her son, who is almost 300 years old, has far more knowledge in this sort of nonsense. As an ancient kitsune herself who knows nothing about the modern world, this is already too much for her to process...
Confusions and sorrows aside, she suddenly hears Renar addressing her that it's time to go. "Uh... Hai." She responds before she briefly whips her head back at Janus; Noticing her son bow with respect, she gives a courtesy too as a queen herself should, but her glare at him still remains incredibly sour, before she quickly scampers out of the front door to face with... the mines... yeah that's right; He'd better be thankful that she didn't turn him into a takoyaki.
That aside, as she peers towards the littered minefield... It's finally time... to face some stuff that could turn her into kitsune toast if she isn't careful.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Shugo pretty much blocks out the rest of what Janus says. This whole hating each other issue between him and Paulis seems extremely childish. Though the childishness seems to be coming from the tortle's side in this case. However, Janus's reaction to Maya and Mira's curiosity with the amulet was also very childish. All in all his opinion of both of these people are dropping rapidly.
The elf doesn't care to much about this dragon egg fertilization talk. Yeah, lizards and a few other species can reproduce asexually. May as well just call it cloning themselves and move on. After that pointless talk is over, Shugo does look back at Janus when he speaks of shooting thieves before giving them the chance to enter the house. So far that's the most logical thing this guy has said this whole time. Though Shugo would say, give the thief a warning shot before flat out ending him. At least give them the chance to rethink things and make a change before taking it away.
However, once Janus comes back to the questions and answers thing. Then has the gall to say 'you can go now'...ugh...why does this guy seem to think he's above them? Like they need his permission to leave. Heck, why do they even need to listen to his time frame? And why does he need answers from them specifically? HALF THE GROUP ISN'T EVEN FROM THIS COUNTRY!
Without saying another word to Janus, he exits the house with the egg safely placed back in his pack. Stopping in front of the minefield, he squints towards the window where he'd seen the dragonborn. Whether he sees her there again or not, he raises a hand and cast's Minor Illusion as close to the window as he can (range is 30ft from Shugo). Suddenly, Shugo's voice sounds from that location speaking loudly, but not yelling nor sounding threatening in any way. "Hey Paulis and Miss Dragonborn lady! My companions an I were told to seek you out from two separate parties...on our way here we've come to learn some other information concerning you. This is a serious matter, and I'd like to keep it between us and you as I don't want people overhearing this. We do have questions we'd like to ask you as well, and while that was the original reason we'd intended to seek you out, current events have changed that reasoning. If you'd allow it, we'd like permission to safely cross this field and speak with you inside your residence away from potential enemies. If not, I will explain the situation from here as we must deliver this information regardless of your welcome. Please at least acknowledge you can hear me."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Why not recruit someone else too?" Alex says, not really understanding why Janus is acting like he and his party are the only people on Lancea capable of finding these components. "I know another team that would probably help as soon as they learned that the world is at stake. It doesn't make sense to just take one option if other people can help us do both. If we have two teams, then both things should be able to be accomplished in four years instead of eight."He shakes his head, "I'm really sorry about you and Paulis. Maybe after we talk to him we can figure a way to sort that out too. Maybe he already has someone else willing to help with his plan, that would make things easier for all of us. ...plus, if he's going to try and blow up everyone who attempts to get to his house he must have some plan as to how to get what he needs without talking to a random adventuring group like us."
He nods in interest as Janus talks about the dragon egg. That was way more information than he'd asked for, but he's more than willing to learn new things. However, right now he feels like that information was less important than his question about whether or not they can get the egg back to its mother. The way he's talking, it sounds like he's expecting Shugo to take care of it forever. Isn't that wrong? "I really think the egg should be taken back to its mother if possible. She's probably worried sick, and it's not like she signed up for her baby to be adopted by us or stolen by Cezars."
He nods about the thief analogy, looking to Liivi and saying, "Well, we also are just preparing at this point. Getting the bombs ready doesn't necessarily mean we'll use them. Who knows, maybe we'll get to talk to these planets first and their leaders will decide not to attack." He chuckles, "I know, that might be wishful thinking, but it's not completely impossible... Right?"
Regardless of the answer to that question, he looks to Janus when the jackal says they can go now. "I... need to know... what are you going to do if for some reason we decide not to help you? With the way you are acting, it seems like you're treating us as if we are the only people who can get these components--which just can't be true. Do you have a backup plan in case this random encounter doesn't work out?" He's being genuine here. Maybe this encounter was thanks to providence, and they really are the only people Janus can count on to complete this task. If that's what he's told, he'll probably believe it. However, right now he can't help but question. Why them? And if not them, then who else?
Once they decide to move on and Shugo starts shouting at the Dragonborn, Alex cringes slightly as Shugo starts yelling at her. Hopefully the Dragonborn doesn't take Shugo's yelling the wrong way... In an attempt to help his comrade, Alex pulls out the camera that Elsa gave him while they were searching the lab. He lifts it above his head so it's in full view and shouts, "We have an artifact to give to Paulis! It's really cool and I'm sure he'll like it! We just want to talk so we were hoping for save passage over there!"
Liivi is taken by surprise as Janus abruptly says they can go now. 'Did he really answer all our questions? I guess he thinks so.' At this point, she figures he is right, and they should go talk to Paulis. If they can. She is more than ready to leave and follows immediately as others go out.
She had been a little surprised about Renar's attempt to explain Mira's comments. 'Was he actually trying to be helpful?' she wondered, thinking it was improvement at least. The other hooded one though still hadn't acquiesced to using the medallion. Indeed, she had apparently uttered a few miniscule sounds. Yet still she refused to share her thoughts. 'I guess we can only be grateful that Janus finally decided to drop the issue. Or perhaps we made it clear to him how obnoxious he was being.' Everything still seemed unclear to her. She just hoped that a meeting with Paulis will perhaps provide a different perspective and a clearer picture. She suspected though the alternate perspective might just make it more confusing.
Outside, she soon came up to the minefield, where others had stopped to consider the path ahead of them. She sees Shugo use some sort of spellcraft to attempt to speak to the lurking Dragonborn, the one who evidently was set to deter anyone from seeing Paulis. She watched his attempt with interest for a moment, hoping it might allow them to breach some sort of agreement to allow them to talk without risk. But in the meantime, she regarded the path through the minefield. She tried to judge just how far it might be across the space. She knew she had a bit of toughness and if any of them could perhaps withstand a blow from a mine it likely was her. And she could fortify herself at least for a brief moment. Plus, she knew in a short burst she could cover a lot of distance. But would it all be enough? (Intelligence Check to try to gauge the distance: 5)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Mira
Mira was expecting some sort of over complicated plan from the oddballs, but instead, all she received was Alex and Shugo... yelling out loud to the dragon?! Aren't they supposed to find a way to deal with the mines first then deal with the dragon girl? Well, maybe if they get shot right now they wouldn't double back into the dangerous traps but still! "Wha-?! What are you both doing?!"Mira gasps. This wasn't part of the plan was it? And it seems that neither of the two sound incredibly convincing to her. Their silver tongues must've vanished. Thinking that their voices might send the wrong message, Mira takes a breath and raises her voice, hoping her addition might do the trick if she can even hear...
"Hey. I don't know if you can hear me from here but..." Mira calls out, her voice trembling with anxiety as she does so. "As the daughter of Miranda, the current Duchess and Queen of Platone, I would like to speak to your wise master, Paulis. It's a rather urgent scenario that my mother and I wanted to discuss. Unfortunately, my mother is currently busy, so she sent me here, along with some..." She pauses and turns back. "...Some new friends of mine who are on the same topic of this issue, if you have heard them! We mean no harm to either of you two! I repeat, as the daughter of the Duchess of Platone, we mean no harm! We only want to negotiate!"
Persuasion: 9 (23)
"Ok... so assuming this was option A, what's option B if this fails? Please speak up. I don't know what you two are thinking and I need to hear from both of you if you have anything to say." Mira immediately asks the two quiet oddballs. Besides, can that dragon girl even hear them from this distance?!
Renar
After assessing the position of the landmines (INT: 10), I don't think there's an easy route to exploit. Despite everything I di, there wasn't a clear path to map out, so I'll probably need to rely either on blind luck or sheer investigation...
"Ok... now that we're all finally here, here's the plan-" Before I even had time to express it out loud though, Alex, Shugo and Mira are... calling out the dragon girl?! What?! That wasn't part of the plan. And now I need to think of a new plan in case this one fails. What the heck. I'm furious."Um... guys..."I try to call out, only to be flat out ignored. Also how is that dragon gonna hear them?! Does she have super sharp hearing? And if they do, isn't she gonna try and freeze them to death if we get close?! Ugh, great. And now Mira is asking for my backup plan as I turn to her with a rather sour look..
"Um... Option B... blow up the mines from a distance." Was all I could sputter as I look on with absolute disbelief at the three who shouted and shambled my option A of wielding around the mines with precision and carefulness. Even though this would already make us appear to be his enemies. Why did they even shout this? I swear if Stupid Rixi was here maybe he could've been used as bait.
Regardless of the answer to that question, he looks to Janus when the jackal says they can go now. "I... need to know... what are you going to do if for some reason we decide not to help you? With the way you are acting, it seems like you're treating us as if we are the only people who can get these components--which just can't be true. Do you have a backup plan in case this random encounter doesn't work out?" He's being genuine here. Maybe this encounter was thanks to providence, and they really are the only people Janus can count on to complete this task. If that's what he's told, he'll probably believe it. However, right now he can't help but question. Why them? And if not them, then who else?
"Soon enough, you will be the only one."Janus says, "If people know that there is a civilisation out there that thinks murder is normal, no one would have the guts to take them down. Even the bravest, strongest warriors Lancea has to offer don't want to get their hands dirty. But yes, I do have a backup plan. I can't tell you yet, just in case you decided to not join me."
"Anyways, have a safe journey out there."He waves, not smiling back.
It's no longer raining outside, but it's still cloudy and the dirt path in front of you is slightly muddy. Right now, you don't see anyone inside or near Paulis' tower at all.
Liivi sees that along the minefield are four stones with 10, 20, 30, and 40 marked on them, all of them are at an equal distance from each other. Lancea primarily uses the metric system, so that would be 40 metres or 130 feet. She can (almost) make it since Tabaxis is naturally agile, other party members will be the problem.
After Shugo and Mira call out, the door at the bottom floor opens. The white Dragonborn from earlier stands there, "Uh, hi... I'm Karina, do you need something?" She questions.
Persuasion check passed.
After you've told your answers, she nods her head in understanding. "You don't seem like you're one of those... mercenaries we have to deal with in the past days." She glances away, "They came here and threatened to burn the tower down, so Paulis ordered me to blast anyone that comes too close to the tower."
She sighs, "That old Tortle has been a bit... paranoid, to say the least. He doesn't want to go outside because he thinks people are out to get him, and he's partially true. He ordered me to lay these mines to deter people from coming in... and yeah, I kind of forgot where I place it" She scratches the back of her head.
"I'd suggest one of you get a stick, then draw a line as you walk across to the other side. That way, you'll know which path is safe so you can retake the steps." She twiddles her thumb and looks down, "Sorry, guys, that's the best I could do. I got blown up a few times myself I have to get some groceries too." So... Paulis casually friendly-fires his apprentice? That's a strange way to train someone to handle explosive-type magic.
Blowing up mines from a distance is also unlikely, you can't even see where they are and there are probably hundreds of them. It will take too much time, since Janus only gave you six hours to talk to Paulis.
OOC Note:
Place yourselves on the Owlbear Rodeo map, if you end your turn on a mine, you explode.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
What? So not even the dragon girl knows where the mines are placed?! And she laid them all by herself?! How ridiculous is this?! "Oh booo. So much for getting to reaffirm that we're not trespassers!" Mira sulks. Clearly there's no obvious safe path to map out is there?
But then... something ticks her: The spells she's able to cast, there is one that would especially be super useful. Especially considering that its max distance is 90 feet from where she'll stand. So... if she were to safely make it across a checkpoint, then... yeah. She's already onto something. Albeit it might appear inefficient at first glance.
"Wait... I got it. I have a new idea." Mira says to everyone. "Well... thing is, I can only target two of you at most. But... even if it doesn't take us all the way, once I safely reach the 90 feet mark... I can at most teleport the two least confident striders if they allow me to. I'm saying this because... one of the spells I know... It will only teleport two of you with each spell casted." She then puts a finger to her chin. "No wait.. Yeah sure I still might get blown up in the process but... all I have to do is safely make it over to the midway point and then... I can at most teleport two of you across safely. at a time. But... that means one of you will be left in the dust because of it."It sounds incredibly inefficient, especially considering that Mira only has the stamina to conjure three of these spells but teleport up to 5 (should she use up all of her sorcery points). But wait... Alex can fly right? That actually might make things a lot easier (not really but still)
"Then again, Alex you can fly right? If you can do so all the way then that would make things a lot easier! I mean... you guys can at least dress up our wounds after this, right? Unless if anyone else volunteers or has a better plan of what to do, I'll take the lead alongside hoodie... um, sorry... Renar. Wish us luck." And with that, Mira courageously jumps forward onto the minefield, hopping slowly just like Renar towards the 90 feet zone. She moves 30ft to the left side of the path as she jumps across on her first go, hoping she doesn't blow up herself if she has to end her turn before she can teleport the others if they need. "Hey!" She calls out to the dragon girl one last time. "You better not hit my flying friend you hear me?"
For now she'll hold her twinned Vortex Warp spells but nods to Renar's suggestion in teleporting Maya first. Once she reaches a point that's 90ft from the other side, she's planning to teleport the remaining five (including herself) across with the expense of her 2nd level slots and her sorcery points, and she does have the stamina to do so. It's just that... she'll have to resort to her crossbow and her weaker spells should a fight suddenly burst out of nowhere.
Vortex Warp: Mira magically twist space around another creature she can see within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (the target can choose to fail, which I'm sure they will), or they are teleported to an unoccupied space of your choice that she can see within range (90ft). The chosen space must be on a surface or in a liquid that can support the target without the target having to squeeze.
Renar
I was already hell bent on blasting those stupid mines myself as Alex and Mira spout nonsense. Well... I mean, at least the dragon girl isn't keen on blowing any of us up today. I'll let that slide but... I couldn't help but feel an anger mark spawning across my head when she says she was the one who planted them and forgot where they even are. Seriously?! You planted these defenses and you can't even remember them?! And you also blew yourself up in the process?! What's with everyone in this world?! Get a stick and draw a line? But how are we supposed to know which path is safe?! Hmm... then again Mira appears to be able to teleport people. But she also said this ability is a one time use thing. Better than nothing at least though. But... "I mean... that wouldn't really be fair to the rest of us, unless if everyone else is agile enough to leap over the mines without triggering them." I don't know what everyone else is thinking, really. Alex can fly, Shugo and the leopard girl can leap just like me, Mira can do so AND Teleport... and then there's Okaa-san.
"Alex, if you want to just fly over, by all means go ahead." I tell him. Glancing at the rest, I think all of us can just dash across or leap over the mines with no problem... except for Okaa-san. Crap. She's neither agile or can teleport. And I'm certain that once Mira safely reaches a checkpoint, she's gonna teleport the former over to the finish. "Mira!"I call out. "If you want to teleport someone, teleport Maya-san first!" I call out as I leap all of my movement. Unlike Mira though, I start on the left side, move 20ft across before I then swap to the right and move a further 15ft across. I wasn't sure if the mines would all be laid in the same rows or not, so I wasn't taking a chance on where or how they might be positioned. I mean, I can teleport myself if things get a bit awry. But it's only centred on myself...
"Wait!"Alex says. He'd been planning on flying across if they got the okay from Karina (thus ensuring he won't get shot out of the sky), but now it seems like Mira and Renar have taken things into their own hands. "I could probably carry someone... maybe even ferry each of you across if needed... though I probably won't be able to do that on the way back."He hesitates, maybe it would be better to just wait on flying altogether.
He sighs, wilting a little when his words come too late. Oh well, maybe he'll just fly this time and offer assistance to whoever doesn't want to risk running across the second half of the way. "I can give Maya a lift! Maybe just get Shugo or Liivi across?" He's more than sure he could carry Maya if she's alright with that... assuming Mira waits on teleporting her. Otherwise he'll offer that to Liivi or Shugo, who haven't started moving yet.
A pair of glowing white wings sprout from his back, etherial feathers materializing and some falling loose as he lifts himself into the air. He's gotten a little more confident with flying, but still seems a little awkward as he leaves the ground and then looks to his companions. "Who wants a ride?"He flexes one arm in a comedic attempt to assure them that in spite of his young age he's sure he's strong enough to carry someone. (He'll do this by lifting them under the arms and letting them hang beneath him... he might be able to bridal carry Maya if she prefers something more gentle, but I have a feeling Shugo and Liivi might prefer the prior option XD).
Liivi says, "I'll just try it myself. But definitely give Maya a hand if she wants it." She focuses herself for a moment, then rushes at breakneck speed across the minefield.
Bonus Action: Rage No Action: Feline Agility - When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Action: Dash
Shugo stands there for a moment when the dragonborn states that she doesn't remember where she put the mines. Wow. Just. Wow. Aside from this, he's pleased that she seems to understand they're reason for coming. At least now they don't have to worry about being blown up by more than just bombs.
He listens to the others explain their plans, both Mira and Alex seem to have good optiooonnss....His eyes bulge when Mira suddenly dashes into the mine field, followed by Liivi. Sure he himself is fairly confident in his agility, but all the agility in the world won't save you if you make a wrong step. Geeze those girls are nuts!
Well, there's no stopping this now. May as well take what was offered to him, especially since Mira seems to want to teleport Maya. He's not keen on ferrying a child through the mines anyway. "Alex. If you can carry me. I'd love a ride."He smiles. "But if not, can you just take this?"He holds his pack in front of him.
If Alex opts to carry Shugo, the elf will turn his pack so the egg is sitting on his chest when Alex lifts him by his arms.
Maya deftly hangs in the back whilst the others talk it out. At last though, when the amulet translates for her, Maya sighs when they are given the permission to cross, albeit she does agree with Mira and Renar that the dragon girl is indeed useless in a way.
"Ara ara." She gasps when her son, Liivi and Queen Mira all take the most daring leaps into the minefield and show their incredible speed (Liivi), dexterity (Mira) and caution (Renar). Whilst they do so though she's wondering... How on earth is Mira gonna tank a hit from those mines should she ever step on one? To her she seems glassy and minute. Also she said she'll teleport those who aren't confident enough to the other side. How so? And how many can she take too before she runs out of stamina? Well, sure she can heal whoever gets damaged but even then. And... Alex is planning to fly and carry people. Starting with... wait. Did he just call out her name?
"EH?!" Maya yelps at the thought of being carried by the young boy. Suddenly becoming flustered at the thought of being carried by the most handsome Aasimar she's ever seen (especially bridal carried since she's a mom), she turns beet red and swiftly turns down the offer. "AH! Dame dame! (ダメダメ)"She hastily rebuts whilst flailing her arms, already opting to just somehow end up on the other side with the other queen's help. Whilst they don't know it yet, she's still a mother. And mothers need to maintain their conduct in front of their children, ESPECIALLY considering that her actual son Renar is here... and snickering at what Alex said?! Seriously?! Dropping her embarrassed state for now, she suddenly bares teeth at the only boy on the minefield before she immediately reverts when the other two men catch her attention.
Still though, to her it sounds really wrong; To her it doesn't make sense that she'd want to be carried by someone. Yet... whilst she doesn't want to admit it, there's just a part of her heart that says to trust the boy. Trust him to carry her gently all the way rather than by her arms alone... as if the husbands she met were with her again, by her side... If Alek does have the strength and stamina however, Maya would secretly like to be carried after Shugo, even though she appears she doesn't want to. That is if he isn't tired by then.
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Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Alex chuckles slightly, sensing a lack of interest in his help. It doesn't hurt his feelings at all, as he realizes that most everyone here would rather get across by their own strength rather than his. So long as their lives aren't at risk he can respect that... though that doesn't mean that he won't rush in and pull someone out if he thinks they are in danger of actually dying by explosive.
"Well Shugo, looks like its just you," He flies around and hooks his arms under Shugo's armpits and lifts him off the ground. He looks to Maya, getting the impression that she's embarrassed by the thought of having him carry her. He... should have thought about that. She's got to be married if she has a son (at least he assumes so), so... well that could get awkward. Regardless he respects her resolve. Though he does decide to say, "Maya, if you change your mind after Mira teleports you let me know! She said she can only get you halfway across, so if you don't want to risk walking over the mines I can drop Shugo off and then come back." He gives a bright smile, flying low due to the weight of the elf and the dragon egg.
He dashes across, hoping to make the most of his time since his wings are on a time limit.
When Mira and Renar steps into that particular area, they hear a click coming from the ground. A second later, they see a projectile bouncing from the ground and exploding in their upper half. (Renar takes 16 fire damage, Mira takes 11 fire damage. DC14 Dexterity save halves the damage).
Janus was true, the explosion feels like someone just shoots a firework at your face. It's small enough not to hurt anyone that's adjacent to you, but still strong enough that you feel pain and a burning sensation. It seems like the mines here are bouncing type, they're extremely effective if there is a shrapnel, but without it, it could also work as a single-target trap.
"Oof, yikes..."Karina cringes in response.
Liivi dashes through the field and manages to land in a safe spot. Karina just stared at her wide-eyed, "Whoa... you're fast, miss."
Karina suddenly holds up one finger, her left claw touching her temple. "Hold on, guys, Paulis is calling me telepathically..."
She paces around, "Yes, sir, there are some visitors, they're making their way across and it seems like they are a bit clumsy. No, they aren't those goons that Adelaide sends..." She gasps, "What!? With all due respect, sir, I'm not attacking them, can we please give them a chance?"
After a long moment of pause, she sighs, and then she turns toward the rest of you. "Paulis says he won't deactivate the minefield, he wants to test you, see how competent you are at avoiding obstacles... By the way, that means he's alright with you visiting him."
She rubs her chin, her tail wagging back and forth,"By the way... He also wants to ask if you are with or against Elmars too, you can say it here and I'll relay your answer to him."
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"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
"Neither,"Alex says to Karina's question. "I don't like the guy, but right now I still don't want to pick sides. That's part of the reason we want to talk to Paulis, to get his opinion on the matters at hand... oh, and in case I don't get another chance, there is a fire Genasi named Cezars who was going to come try to kill Paulis. We captured him, and he's currently locked in the prison cell in town. It sounds like you already know about Adelaide, and from what we've learned Cezars and the people working with him are under her orders."
Alex glances back down at Renar and Mira, hoping they are alright as he rushes Shugo towards the other side. If he has time to pick up more people, he will. He wants to avoid as much damage to everyone as possible.
I was doing ok; There were a couple of landmines poking out from the surface that I still saw with my keen eyes. I wasn't even concerned ... at least, until the dragon girl distracts me saying that Paulis is talking to her; I shouldn't have picked it up...! "WHAT- GAH!" I felt the blast sear through my legs as I got stunned for a while. It hurts a lot! I couldn't even find the urge to yell out in pain as I almost collapsed but remained barely standing in my place... Far out. That distraction from her was the last thing I needed! I was doing great... until I heard her call out to all of us...!
When I returned back to my senses, the first thing that I heard (which also irritated me) was the call of the future Queen Mira. I turned towards her with a rather pained look. "I'm fine! I just got distracted!" I snap at Mira, though inside I definitely wasn't ok. Now that I've taken a hit, I decided to just screw it and dash across the minefield (70ft movement) without thinking twice. When I'm no longer able to move and before another mine explodes on me, I then raise my hand in pain and Vanish before a yellow lightning bolt strikes the other side and teleports me to the end (extra 30ft; He should be able to make it). Except that when I reached it, I suddenly sink to my knees, partially because I was exhausted and two, my legs are still feeling the impact of the blast as much as my body is...
"T-thanks for distracting me you jerk...!" I had to snarl at the dragon girl after I wait for Okaa-san to teleport over and patch my wounds without taking off my disguise. Somehow...
And no... whilst I cannot say it right now... I... like I said I... I refuse to take a side. Screw that.
Mira (DEX Save: 11; <14 Mira's on 24HP, 14+ Mira's on 28)
"RENAR!" Mira screams after seeing him take a full blast to his face. However, this was also enough to distract her and cause her to lose her expert footing when she step on one herself... and stuns her for a solid 5 minutes before she snaps back to reality.
"Uh... I- I'm ok!" Mira calls out, leaping to her feet. It's a miracle how her regal dress hasn't been ripped after being caught in the blast. Then again, this is lowest power; At max level she and the hoodie boy might not even survive a single blast. She's grateful that they aren't at the latter power. "Yo! Hoodie guy! Are you ok- What?!" Mira gawks when he snaps at her and bolts off deeper into the path, just like Liivi herself. Not him too...! She thinks. But then when she sees him stop, he immediately disappears before reappearing on the other side via... a lightning strike?! What?! How did he do that?! Good thing Alek wasn't in his way!She shudders, wondering what would've happened if that dragon girl somehow got struck as he landed over there.
On the flip side though... unless if Alek and Shugo are indeed having problems, at least she only has to worry about herself and Maya now. "Well uh... seems like everyone knows what they're doing... Ok Maya! here we go then!" Mira shrugs after getting up; She then waves her hands and releases a Tornado (or rather, because of her twinned spell, two of them) around Maya and herself, teleporting them directly to the finish without making them dizzy of course, as she silently chants in Lancean. (Because she moved to a place where the finishing point is at least 90ft distance in range, she'll be able to teleport herself and Maya all the way). Now that's she's on the other side though, she takes a moment to look at Renar and then Maya as she scrambles to make sure he's ok. Geez. What a weirdo. Taking a full blast to his legs but still refusing to admit that he's in pain... what is this guy made of? She needs to delve deeper into his character when the time is appropriate; His and Maya's.
Now then, with that job done she just needs to teleport herself and one other person using the same method... if only it didn't sap a good portion of her strength though. But first, she needs to answer something quick. "Gosh that was tiring. Um... I mean... sorry. In response to your question ma'am... Ahem. As the future queen of Platone, I... I don't see the point in siding with either of those two 'so-called idealists'. Why not just fight for your own cause, like these plethora of ragtags and royals besides me, huh? Also... you've heard of Adelaide too? Guess what? Her stupid goons were the reasons they saved from being gagged in a cold place! Urgh!"
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The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
After that initial embarrassment, Maya finally drops her blush and watches Alex . But then... her worst nightmares came to life: A double explosion that pierced her rather sensitive fox ears, Maya suddenly whips her head towards the front and witnesses Mira and Renar doubling back dazed after they both stepped on a mine each and suffers from a neat heart attack. at that sight. "AAAH! RENAR-KUN! MIRA-SAN!" She screams with her arm reaching out to the explosions. She felt her senses weakening; Her heart stopped beating as that happened and her limbs went numb. She left no room to remember that the mines were a lot weaker than they appear to be when Renar and the rabbit queen appeared to be dazed. Now how is she going to reach out to them?! Well... at least, that's was the last thing she was able to come up out of nowhere when Mira suddenly conjures the air around herself and the disguised kitsune; She didn't have any time to notice her son recover swiftly and teleport towards the end...
"GYAH!" She shrieks when Mira suddenly teleports her to the other side with zero warning, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face upon reappearing. What just happened? She gets up and sees... a dragon girl? She looks back and sees Alex and Shugo still hovering mid air and then back to where she is... Oh. She teleported. Somehow. But... there's also Mira and Renar who appear to be in anguish. Whilst it definitely wasn't a severe enough explosion for either of the two, Maya still overreacts and presses her glowing palms into their legs, healing Renar for 9HP before she was forced to withdraw. "Renar-kun! Mira-san! D-daijoubu?! (だいじょうぶ?!)" She panics unnecessarily in the process and signals to Alex to help her heal the other queen.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Liivi travels the remaining short distance towards where the dragonborn is standing. While still quick, she does not have quite the burst that she had initially. She did look on with concern when Mira and Renar both set off explosions. But she remained quiet and was relieved when they both seemed to have managed to push through their wounds.
Listening to the words from Karina, her eyes narrow slightly. "You mean to say though that Paulis could have deactivated the mines, but chose instead to simply toy with us? And the two of you were seriously considering attacking even though he's willing to talk to us?" She is clearly not very pleased. "Should we have you run back and forth across the mines too? Just for fun? To see if you are worthy of standing here with us?"
She clearly doesn't truly mean it and she soon turns away to make sure the rest of the group does make it across safely. She felt that Mira had answered the question about loyalty to Elmars quite well. She had nothing to add to it and in fact, felt like she really didn't know enough really to answer. Though she felt she would have leaned towards what Mira said anyhow.
The Dragonborn's mouth opens agape, "Well... that was quick. But... you guys aren't really taking sides?" She tilts her head, "Yeah, you should go talk to Paulis. Come on, follow me."
Karina opens the door to the ground floor of the tower. It's just an empty, dusty basement, but there is a spiral staircase which leads to the first floor.
The first floor is exactly what you'd expect to see in a wizard's lair. All four sides of the walls are lined with shelves and cabinets, containing various books and crystals. In the centre of the room is a wooden table with a map of Lancea laid on it.
On the far side of the room, facing the window sits Paulis and a pseudodragon. The lesser dragon wears a red harness which reads 'Service,' he must be his assistance familiar—they function the same way as assistance dogs do in our world, except they're not dogs... and they can also speak since familiars in Lancea can do that.
"Sir, we have a visitor."The pseudodragon says to Paulis, then he turns around to face you, saluting. "I'm Canopus, Paulis' medical assistance familiar, bound to him under the Assistance Familiar Act -1C 3900 CY. My job is to warn him about his blood sugar level, as Mr Paulis is suffering from type 2 diabetes, it is a pleasure to meet you."He bows.
"So, you came."The Tortle grumbles, "And from the direction that you approach my tower, it seems that you've already talked to my arch-nemesis before. He had probably explained most of the reason why the end of the world is coming soon, let me tell you a part of my story too."
He hobbles towards a tall, wooden cabinet and opens it. Inside are rows upon rows of brains preserved in a jar, ten for each row and seventy in total. Each one of them has a name and a date labelled on it.
"What you see here are the brains of murderers. They're all functional and conscious, they can still think and remember, but they cannot see, hear, or feel, they will be stuck in this state for eternity. Even the destruction of Muphrid will not be able to free them from their misery."
Paulis grabs one of the jars and sets it on the table, "Once you have taken a life, you have lost everything—your honour, your dignity, your civilisation. It is the ultimate sin, one where even God will not forgive you for it, and neither will everyone else around you. It doesn't matter if you've killed one person, or hundreds, or millions, all murderers must be paid for their crimes, they must suffer, again and again, and even if their physical form no longer exists, their mind and spirit must continue to suffer." It's hard to read his expression, but from the tone of his voice, he's angry.
"The very fabric of the present-day Lancean society is built upon the ideals of nonkilling, if we want to declare war on these invaders, we lost—because with war, we have to abandon our peaceful way of life, we have to become the very monsters our ancestors were in the past, and I will not allow it to happen by any means necessary. Even if I have to sacrifice most of the planet, I'm willing to do it if it means upholding our ideals."
What Paulis said about murder isn't exactly original. Ever since you were a child, you were told this same thing—whether it be from your parents, your school, or your church. Lancean pacifism doesn't envision a world where every creature can live in peace because they love each other, but a world where everyone is afraid to kill because of the punishment that comes with it.
Maybe these invaders target Lancea for this exact reason, they think Lanceans will just sit there and let themselves be killed.
"From the way you navigate those battlefields, I can see a lot of potential in you. You're clever, you're brave, very brave, maybe too brave for your own good." Paulis sighs, "Too bad you're on the wrong side. If you choose to join Janus, you're being a traitor to our civilisation, because we Lanceans do not kill people. I will find a way to get us out of this situation peacefully, but I can only tell you how if you promise to join my cause. What do you say?"
Fight back or run, it is the very same question your ancestors asked themselves millions of years ago when they came face-to-face with a hungry predator. The only thing that changes is that instead of a person or a tribe, it is the entire world. Your answers, too, will shape the fate of how the world will respond to this thread.
Choose carefully, this choice will dramatically affect the direction of the campaign.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
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Renar
The new woman seems pretty confused by Mira's plan. I think she meant that we'll go see her mother ONCE we've gotten aulis and Janus out of the way in 6 hours; Doing all three at once would seem impossible especially considering the distance from here and the mainland... I better correct her. "She meant... um... If I'm right..." I attempt to clarify things with the terrifying cat girl to my left. "...She meant she'll talk to her mother AFTER we sort things out with Janus and Paulis. There's no way we can do all three things at once in just six hours. Plus, I don't know where she exactly stays but, wherever she lives I can almost confirm it definitely won't be convenient to travel to that place from here and back. That's what she meant; She said get her priorities done in order, but she didn't mention the 6 hour time limit." I hope that was enough to rid her of her confusion.
It seems like she's also clueless on why Toril and Golarion would want to invade this place. But... as I take another breath, I recall our fights with Stupid Rixi, plus all of the brash things he yelled out during those times. The way he spoke... the lack of sincerity and compassion in his voice compared to the actual Rixi, is what gives me the impression of a typical enemy I face in Toril: Greed, selfishness, lust for power, bloodlust... these things that I had gone through since I was a lonely fox. "I know you weren't here, um... Sorry... uh I mean..." I cleared my throat for a brief moment before I continue. "I'll be brief but... remember that time when Alex dragged a fire boy and put him in prison? When we fought him, he didn't harbour the same, peaceful mindset as all Lanceans do; He had a selfish, greedy mindset. The excitement he made when he summoned a literal demon... when he had beaten up an old lady for making one small mistake... The way he voices his so-called 'achievements'... it was masked with malevolence; All of us could sense his violent intentions even as we put them to rest. And that was just him alone. Now imagine if there were millions of like-minded people like him. People with the same intentions: To kill to satisfy their own entertainment or power-hungry ambitions. Imagine the scenario if these kind of bloodthirsty killers came here onto this planet. Once they arrive, they will stop at nothing to get what they want, what they desire. Even if it means facing death." I was very tempted to to go into detail but I figured she'd be bored by my explanations, so I made nice, short and simple for her to understand, if she even can.
That cat girl is itching to go just like me. And to be honest, I can't really fault in a way. "You're right. The more we stay here, the more this 6 hours would be for nothing. We need to move asap. Maya-san. Let's get going." I then give a slight bow to Janus, a sign of thanks and a polite gesture despite his rather unsympathetic remarks, before I scamper outside and directly back in front of the minefield. Standing in front of those massive traps, I figured it would be easier to just blast them down from a distance, eve if these things are et on their lowest level...
Then again, I head Shugo wants to talk to that dragon girl... And doing so might already give her the wrong impression that we've came to invade. So maybe not.
Mira
Mira does heed Liivi's confusion with her three step plan sounding vague, but before she could correct herself, she's suddenly lost for words when Renar somehow points out everything correctly for her. Her eyes widen, obivously not expecting this at all. "Um... y-yeah. What he said, really. Especially considering that walking from here to Platone would be super inefficient..." Geez how did he know what she was going to say? Is he some sort of telepath? And... Liivi thinks that Mira doesn't want to be queen. Well... maybe. But there's the side of her longing to be one ever since she always felt inferior to her big siblings in so many ways. She shrugs in response. "I mean... I don't know if I didn't make it clear just now but... I never said no in being the queen of Platone. It's just that my mother always says to me and my adopted siblings: If we desire to wear her royal crown, you must be able to bear its weight. That's why I'm afraid of this massive responsibility." She clarifies again; And by bearing its weight she doesn't mean bearing the actual weight of the crown on her head alone. Agreeing with the Tabaxi's words on heading to Paulis though, Mira doesn't even argue when Renar and Maya became the first to exit. She turns to Janus one last time to give a modest courtesy. "If you have nothing else to warn about us, then we may as well take our leave. In spite of all these misunderstandings, as the "supposed" future queen of Platone, I thank you for your time. We'll meet again in the next six hours. Let's go, everyone. Otherwise we might lose two people again to some hazard field." And with that, she exits the front door... only to notice the two analysing the minefield and how to traverse across safely.
"Alright..." She breathes at the quiet pair. "...minus Shugo talking to the dragon and Alex flying over the minefield, I hope you two have concocted some sort of valid plan to get across safely without blowing our limbs off."
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Janus sighs, "One: we don't have enough time. It will take eight years to find both the spell components for Paulis and the uranium parts—we only have four years, and we have to act as soon as possible before they reach the artefact."
"And two..." His ears droop and he looks away, "Paulis hates me. I can't even say sorry to him, because the moment he sees me, he attacks. I'm always ready to talk to him, but not Paulis, I don't think he will get along with me ever again." Paulis won't work with him because he hates Janus.
Janus nods. "Good question. From the pattern of this egg, this is the result of parthenogenesis, it is when a female fertilises her egg without males. Every single gene the mother has will be copied to the child, including sex-determining genes, which means the result will always be a female. This can be commonly found in lizards, dragons, and draconoids."
"If you see a thief outside of your house, are you going to wait for him to come inside and steal your valuables before you shoot at him? Of course not, the same goes with these invaders." He glares, "I've been there and I've seen what these two civilisations are capable of. Soon enough, you'll see a few of them slip through the sphere, and then you will see how vile these people can be."
"Alright, I hope I've answered most of your questions. You can go now." He clasps his paws, "And please, return to me once you're done and give me your answers." It doesn't seem like he's calling Renar and Maya for a one-on-two conversation yet, he did promise that when they first met, but maybe he will once you return.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Once again, there wasn't much for Maya to say, even as everyone takes her side for the time being. She does take a moment to glance at the two ladies who she hasn't met though, particularly Mira, who has spiked her interest since she has voiced her concerns about being the queen. Being a queen is tough, yes, Maya knows that. But even so... she can already envision Mira being an exceptional ruler for her country, or maybe she might appoint someone to help govern her if needed. She doesn't know much about the ruling system on this planet; And honestly... she's pretty sure she's heard the same complaint so many times too from someone familiar... if not stubborn. Over in the Sword Coast despite being a queen, Maya doesn't have the full authority that Rixi and her son do. Maybe over here the king or queen does have total control, she doesn't know. But what she does know is that Mira is right about the whole 'weight' issue. And it is a big one indeed that even the kitsune queen herself knows how serious it is especially when you're ill-equipped for it. She gives Mira a brief stare. If whoever has guided her has well prepared her for this, she shouldn't have any problems when she's finally crowned the next queen.
Though, as Janus voices on why Paulis hates him, she couldn't help but wonder why. Why on earth does he bear such a massive grudge for years? Just like when her son constantly rejected her and threatened to fight her two years after they had reunited. Whatever it was, it must have been very serious for them. She hopes that as a peace-loving fox woman maybe one day she could ask him and help repair the relationship between these two... if they even want to cooperate.
"Eh?" Once again Maya's head swirls upon hearing... parthenogenesis? What is that... A female that... fertilizes her egg without males?! What?! How is this possible?! Though no one sees it, Maya does cringe slightly. Has she fallen so behind or have the countless generations she's living amongst gone too far in whatever knowledge they've concocted?! Because it seems that even her son, who is almost 300 years old, has far more knowledge in this sort of nonsense. As an ancient kitsune herself who knows nothing about the modern world, this is already too much for her to process...
Confusions and sorrows aside, she suddenly hears Renar addressing her that it's time to go. "Uh... Hai." She responds before she briefly whips her head back at Janus; Noticing her son bow with respect, she gives a courtesy too as a queen herself should, but her glare at him still remains incredibly sour, before she quickly scampers out of the front door to face with... the mines... yeah that's right; He'd better be thankful that she didn't turn him into a takoyaki.
That aside, as she peers towards the littered minefield... It's finally time... to face some stuff that could turn her into kitsune toast if she isn't careful.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Shugo pretty much blocks out the rest of what Janus says. This whole hating each other issue between him and Paulis seems extremely childish. Though the childishness seems to be coming from the tortle's side in this case. However, Janus's reaction to Maya and Mira's curiosity with the amulet was also very childish. All in all his opinion of both of these people are dropping rapidly.
The elf doesn't care to much about this dragon egg fertilization talk. Yeah, lizards and a few other species can reproduce asexually. May as well just call it cloning themselves and move on. After that pointless talk is over, Shugo does look back at Janus when he speaks of shooting thieves before giving them the chance to enter the house. So far that's the most logical thing this guy has said this whole time. Though Shugo would say, give the thief a warning shot before flat out ending him. At least give them the chance to rethink things and make a change before taking it away.
However, once Janus comes back to the questions and answers thing. Then has the gall to say 'you can go now'...ugh...why does this guy seem to think he's above them? Like they need his permission to leave. Heck, why do they even need to listen to his time frame? And why does he need answers from them specifically? HALF THE GROUP ISN'T EVEN FROM THIS COUNTRY!
Without saying another word to Janus, he exits the house with the egg safely placed back in his pack. Stopping in front of the minefield, he squints towards the window where he'd seen the dragonborn. Whether he sees her there again or not, he raises a hand and cast's Minor Illusion as close to the window as he can (range is 30ft from Shugo). Suddenly, Shugo's voice sounds from that location speaking loudly, but not yelling nor sounding threatening in any way. "Hey Paulis and Miss Dragonborn lady! My companions an I were told to seek you out from two separate parties...on our way here we've come to learn some other information concerning you. This is a serious matter, and I'd like to keep it between us and you as I don't want people overhearing this. We do have questions we'd like to ask you as well, and while that was the original reason we'd intended to seek you out, current events have changed that reasoning. If you'd allow it, we'd like permission to safely cross this field and speak with you inside your residence away from potential enemies. If not, I will explain the situation from here as we must deliver this information regardless of your welcome. Please at least acknowledge you can hear me."
Persuasion: 7
"Why not recruit someone else too?" Alex says, not really understanding why Janus is acting like he and his party are the only people on Lancea capable of finding these components. "I know another team that would probably help as soon as they learned that the world is at stake. It doesn't make sense to just take one option if other people can help us do both. If we have two teams, then both things should be able to be accomplished in four years instead of eight." He shakes his head, "I'm really sorry about you and Paulis. Maybe after we talk to him we can figure a way to sort that out too. Maybe he already has someone else willing to help with his plan, that would make things easier for all of us. ...plus, if he's going to try and blow up everyone who attempts to get to his house he must have some plan as to how to get what he needs without talking to a random adventuring group like us."
He nods in interest as Janus talks about the dragon egg. That was way more information than he'd asked for, but he's more than willing to learn new things. However, right now he feels like that information was less important than his question about whether or not they can get the egg back to its mother. The way he's talking, it sounds like he's expecting Shugo to take care of it forever. Isn't that wrong? "I really think the egg should be taken back to its mother if possible. She's probably worried sick, and it's not like she signed up for her baby to be adopted by us or stolen by Cezars."
He nods about the thief analogy, looking to Liivi and saying, "Well, we also are just preparing at this point. Getting the bombs ready doesn't necessarily mean we'll use them. Who knows, maybe we'll get to talk to these planets first and their leaders will decide not to attack." He chuckles, "I know, that might be wishful thinking, but it's not completely impossible... Right?"
Regardless of the answer to that question, he looks to Janus when the jackal says they can go now. "I... need to know... what are you going to do if for some reason we decide not to help you? With the way you are acting, it seems like you're treating us as if we are the only people who can get these components--which just can't be true. Do you have a backup plan in case this random encounter doesn't work out?" He's being genuine here. Maybe this encounter was thanks to providence, and they really are the only people Janus can count on to complete this task. If that's what he's told, he'll probably believe it. However, right now he can't help but question. Why them? And if not them, then who else?
Once they decide to move on and Shugo starts shouting at the Dragonborn, Alex cringes slightly as Shugo starts yelling at her. Hopefully the Dragonborn doesn't take Shugo's yelling the wrong way... In an attempt to help his comrade, Alex pulls out the camera that Elsa gave him while they were searching the lab. He lifts it above his head so it's in full view and shouts, "We have an artifact to give to Paulis! It's really cool and I'm sure he'll like it! We just want to talk so we were hoping for save passage over there!"
Persuasion: 11
Liivi is taken by surprise as Janus abruptly says they can go now. 'Did he really answer all our questions? I guess he thinks so.' At this point, she figures he is right, and they should go talk to Paulis. If they can. She is more than ready to leave and follows immediately as others go out.
She had been a little surprised about Renar's attempt to explain Mira's comments. 'Was he actually trying to be helpful?' she wondered, thinking it was improvement at least. The other hooded one though still hadn't acquiesced to using the medallion. Indeed, she had apparently uttered a few miniscule sounds. Yet still she refused to share her thoughts. 'I guess we can only be grateful that Janus finally decided to drop the issue. Or perhaps we made it clear to him how obnoxious he was being.' Everything still seemed unclear to her. She just hoped that a meeting with Paulis will perhaps provide a different perspective and a clearer picture. She suspected though the alternate perspective might just make it more confusing.
Outside, she soon came up to the minefield, where others had stopped to consider the path ahead of them. She sees Shugo use some sort of spellcraft to attempt to speak to the lurking Dragonborn, the one who evidently was set to deter anyone from seeing Paulis. She watched his attempt with interest for a moment, hoping it might allow them to breach some sort of agreement to allow them to talk without risk. But in the meantime, she regarded the path through the minefield. She tried to judge just how far it might be across the space. She knew she had a bit of toughness and if any of them could perhaps withstand a blow from a mine it likely was her. And she could fortify herself at least for a brief moment. Plus, she knew in a short burst she could cover a lot of distance. But would it all be enough? (Intelligence Check to try to gauge the distance: 5)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Mira
Mira was expecting some sort of over complicated plan from the oddballs, but instead, all she received was Alex and Shugo... yelling out loud to the dragon?! Aren't they supposed to find a way to deal with the mines first then deal with the dragon girl? Well, maybe if they get shot right now they wouldn't double back into the dangerous traps but still! "Wha-?! What are you both doing?!" Mira gasps. This wasn't part of the plan was it? And it seems that neither of the two sound incredibly convincing to her. Their silver tongues must've vanished. Thinking that their voices might send the wrong message, Mira takes a breath and raises her voice, hoping her addition might do the trick if she can even hear...
"Hey. I don't know if you can hear me from here but..." Mira calls out, her voice trembling with anxiety as she does so. "As the daughter of Miranda, the current Duchess and Queen of Platone, I would like to speak to your wise master, Paulis. It's a rather urgent scenario that my mother and I wanted to discuss. Unfortunately, my mother is currently busy, so she sent me here, along with some..." She pauses and turns back. "...Some new friends of mine who are on the same topic of this issue, if you have heard them! We mean no harm to either of you two! I repeat, as the daughter of the Duchess of Platone, we mean no harm! We only want to negotiate!"
Persuasion: 9 (23)
"Ok... so assuming this was option A, what's option B if this fails? Please speak up. I don't know what you two are thinking and I need to hear from both of you if you have anything to say." Mira immediately asks the two quiet oddballs. Besides, can that dragon girl even hear them from this distance?!
Renar
After assessing the position of the landmines (INT: 10), I don't think there's an easy route to exploit. Despite everything I di, there wasn't a clear path to map out, so I'll probably need to rely either on blind luck or sheer investigation...
"Ok... now that we're all finally here, here's the plan-" Before I even had time to express it out loud though, Alex, Shugo and Mira are... calling out the dragon girl?! What?! That wasn't part of the plan. And now I need to think of a new plan in case this one fails. What the heck. I'm furious. "Um... guys..." I try to call out, only to be flat out ignored. Also how is that dragon gonna hear them?! Does she have super sharp hearing? And if they do, isn't she gonna try and freeze them to death if we get close?! Ugh, great. And now Mira is asking for my backup plan as I turn to her with a rather sour look..
"Um... Option B... blow up the mines from a distance." Was all I could sputter as I look on with absolute disbelief at the three who shouted and shambled my option A of wielding around the mines with precision and carefulness. Even though this would already make us appear to be his enemies. Why did they even shout this? I swear if Stupid Rixi was here maybe he could've been used as bait.
Sigh... So much for stealth and agility...
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
"Soon enough, you will be the only one." Janus says, "If people know that there is a civilisation out there that thinks murder is normal, no one would have the guts to take them down. Even the bravest, strongest warriors Lancea has to offer don't want to get their hands dirty. But yes, I do have a backup plan. I can't tell you yet, just in case you decided to not join me."
"Anyways, have a safe journey out there." He waves, not smiling back.
It's no longer raining outside, but it's still cloudy and the dirt path in front of you is slightly muddy. Right now, you don't see anyone inside or near Paulis' tower at all.
Liivi sees that along the minefield are four stones with 10, 20, 30, and 40 marked on them, all of them are at an equal distance from each other. Lancea primarily uses the metric system, so that would be 40 metres or 130 feet. She can (almost) make it since Tabaxis is naturally agile, other party members will be the problem.
After Shugo and Mira call out, the door at the bottom floor opens. The white Dragonborn from earlier stands there, "Uh, hi... I'm Karina, do you need something?" She questions.
Persuasion check passed.
After you've told your answers, she nods her head in understanding. "You don't seem like you're one of those... mercenaries we have to deal with in the past days." She glances away, "They came here and threatened to burn the tower down, so Paulis ordered me to blast anyone that comes too close to the tower."
She sighs, "That old Tortle has been a bit... paranoid, to say the least. He doesn't want to go outside because he thinks people are out to get him, and he's partially true. He ordered me to lay these mines to deter people from coming in... and yeah, I kind of forgot where I place it" She scratches the back of her head.
"I'd suggest one of you get a stick, then draw a line as you walk across to the other side. That way, you'll know which path is safe so you can retake the steps." She twiddles her thumb and looks down, "Sorry, guys, that's the best I could do. I got blown up a few times myself I have to get some groceries too." So... Paulis casually friendly-fires his apprentice? That's a strange way to train someone to handle explosive-type magic.
Blowing up mines from a distance is also unlikely, you can't even see where they are and there are probably hundreds of them. It will take too much time, since Janus only gave you six hours to talk to Paulis.
OOC Note:
Place yourselves on the Owlbear Rodeo map, if you end your turn on a mine, you explode.
Karina (White Dragonborn)
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Mira
What? So not even the dragon girl knows where the mines are placed?! And she laid them all by herself?! How ridiculous is this?! "Oh booo. So much for getting to reaffirm that we're not trespassers!" Mira sulks. Clearly there's no obvious safe path to map out is there?
But then... something ticks her: The spells she's able to cast, there is one that would especially be super useful. Especially considering that its max distance is 90 feet from where she'll stand. So... if she were to safely make it across a checkpoint, then... yeah. She's already onto something. Albeit it might appear inefficient at first glance.
"Wait... I got it. I have a new idea." Mira says to everyone. "Well... thing is, I can only target two of you at most. But... even if it doesn't take us all the way, once I safely reach the 90 feet mark... I can at most teleport the two least confident striders if they allow me to. I'm saying this because... one of the spells I know... It will only teleport two of you with each spell casted." She then puts a finger to her chin. "No wait.. Yeah sure I still might get blown up in the process but... all I have to do is safely make it over to the midway point and then... I can at most teleport two of you across safely. at a time. But... that means one of you will be left in the dust because of it." It sounds incredibly inefficient, especially considering that Mira only has the stamina to conjure three of these spells but teleport up to 5 (should she use up all of her sorcery points). But wait... Alex can fly right? That actually might make things a lot easier (not really but still)
"Then again, Alex you can fly right? If you can do so all the way then that would make things a lot easier! I mean... you guys can at least dress up our wounds after this, right? Unless if anyone else volunteers or has a better plan of what to do, I'll take the lead alongside hoodie... um, sorry... Renar. Wish us luck." And with that, Mira courageously jumps forward onto the minefield, hopping slowly just like Renar towards the 90 feet zone. She moves 30ft to the left side of the path as she jumps across on her first go, hoping she doesn't blow up herself if she has to end her turn before she can teleport the others if they need. "Hey!" She calls out to the dragon girl one last time. "You better not hit my flying friend you hear me?"
For now she'll hold her twinned Vortex Warp spells but nods to Renar's suggestion in teleporting Maya first. Once she reaches a point that's 90ft from the other side, she's planning to teleport the remaining five (including herself) across with the expense of her 2nd level slots and her sorcery points, and she does have the stamina to do so. It's just that... she'll have to resort to her crossbow and her weaker spells should a fight suddenly burst out of nowhere.
Vortex Warp: Mira magically twist space around another creature she can see within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (the target can choose to fail, which I'm sure they will), or they are teleported to an unoccupied space of your choice that she can see within range (90ft). The chosen space must be on a surface or in a liquid that can support the target without the target having to squeeze.
Renar
I was already hell bent on blasting those stupid mines myself as Alex and Mira spout nonsense. Well... I mean, at least the dragon girl isn't keen on blowing any of us up today. I'll let that slide but... I couldn't help but feel an anger mark spawning across my head when she says she was the one who planted them and forgot where they even are. Seriously?! You planted these defenses and you can't even remember them?! And you also blew yourself up in the process?! What's with everyone in this world?! Get a stick and draw a line? But how are we supposed to know which path is safe?! Hmm... then again Mira appears to be able to teleport people. But she also said this ability is a one time use thing. Better than nothing at least though. But... "I mean... that wouldn't really be fair to the rest of us, unless if everyone else is agile enough to leap over the mines without triggering them." I don't know what everyone else is thinking, really. Alex can fly, Shugo and the leopard girl can leap just like me, Mira can do so AND Teleport... and then there's Okaa-san.
"Alex, if you want to just fly over, by all means go ahead." I tell him. Glancing at the rest, I think all of us can just dash across or leap over the mines with no problem... except for Okaa-san. Crap. She's neither agile or can teleport. And I'm certain that once Mira safely reaches a checkpoint, she's gonna teleport the former over to the finish. "Mira!" I call out. "If you want to teleport someone, teleport Maya-san first!" I call out as I leap all of my movement. Unlike Mira though, I start on the left side, move 20ft across before I then swap to the right and move a further 15ft across. I wasn't sure if the mines would all be laid in the same rows or not, so I wasn't taking a chance on where or how they might be positioned. I mean, I can teleport myself if things get a bit awry. But it's only centred on myself...
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
"Wait!" Alex says. He'd been planning on flying across if they got the okay from Karina (thus ensuring he won't get shot out of the sky), but now it seems like Mira and Renar have taken things into their own hands. "I could probably carry someone... maybe even ferry each of you across if needed... though I probably won't be able to do that on the way back." He hesitates, maybe it would be better to just wait on flying altogether.
He sighs, wilting a little when his words come too late. Oh well, maybe he'll just fly this time and offer assistance to whoever doesn't want to risk running across the second half of the way. "I can give Maya a lift! Maybe just get Shugo or Liivi across?" He's more than sure he could carry Maya if she's alright with that... assuming Mira waits on teleporting her. Otherwise he'll offer that to Liivi or Shugo, who haven't started moving yet.
A pair of glowing white wings sprout from his back, etherial feathers materializing and some falling loose as he lifts himself into the air. He's gotten a little more confident with flying, but still seems a little awkward as he leaves the ground and then looks to his companions. "Who wants a ride?" He flexes one arm in a comedic attempt to assure them that in spite of his young age he's sure he's strong enough to carry someone. (He'll do this by lifting them under the arms and letting them hang beneath him... he might be able to bridal carry Maya if she prefers something more gentle, but I have a feeling Shugo and Liivi might prefer the prior option XD).
Liivi says, "I'll just try it myself. But definitely give Maya a hand if she wants it." She focuses herself for a moment, then rushes at breakneck speed across the minefield.
Bonus Action: Rage
No Action: Feline Agility - When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn.
Action: Dash
She moves a total of 120 ft.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Shugo stands there for a moment when the dragonborn states that she doesn't remember where she put the mines. Wow. Just. Wow. Aside from this, he's pleased that she seems to understand they're reason for coming. At least now they don't have to worry about being blown up by more than just bombs.
He listens to the others explain their plans, both Mira and Alex seem to have good optiooonnss....His eyes bulge when Mira suddenly dashes into the mine field, followed by Liivi. Sure he himself is fairly confident in his agility, but all the agility in the world won't save you if you make a wrong step. Geeze those girls are nuts!
Well, there's no stopping this now. May as well take what was offered to him, especially since Mira seems to want to teleport Maya. He's not keen on ferrying a child through the mines anyway. "Alex. If you can carry me. I'd love a ride." He smiles. "But if not, can you just take this?" He holds his pack in front of him.
If Alex opts to carry Shugo, the elf will turn his pack so the egg is sitting on his chest when Alex lifts him by his arms.
Maya deftly hangs in the back whilst the others talk it out. At last though, when the amulet translates for her, Maya sighs when they are given the permission to cross, albeit she does agree with Mira and Renar that the dragon girl is indeed useless in a way.
"Ara ara." She gasps when her son, Liivi and Queen Mira all take the most daring leaps into the minefield and show their incredible speed (Liivi), dexterity (Mira) and caution (Renar). Whilst they do so though she's wondering... How on earth is Mira gonna tank a hit from those mines should she ever step on one? To her she seems glassy and minute. Also she said she'll teleport those who aren't confident enough to the other side. How so? And how many can she take too before she runs out of stamina? Well, sure she can heal whoever gets damaged but even then. And... Alex is planning to fly and carry people. Starting with... wait. Did he just call out her name?
"EH?!" Maya yelps at the thought of being carried by the young boy. Suddenly becoming flustered at the thought of being carried by the most handsome Aasimar she's ever seen (especially bridal carried since she's a mom), she turns beet red and swiftly turns down the offer. "AH! Dame dame! (ダメダメ)" She hastily rebuts whilst flailing her arms, already opting to just somehow end up on the other side with the other queen's help. Whilst they don't know it yet, she's still a mother. And mothers need to maintain their conduct in front of their children, ESPECIALLY considering that her actual son Renar is here... and snickering at what Alex said?! Seriously?! Dropping her embarrassed state for now, she suddenly bares teeth at the only boy on the minefield before she immediately reverts when the other two men catch her attention.
Still though, to her it sounds really wrong; To her it doesn't make sense that she'd want to be carried by someone. Yet... whilst she doesn't want to admit it, there's just a part of her heart that says to trust the boy. Trust him to carry her gently all the way rather than by her arms alone... as if the husbands she met were with her again, by her side... If Alek does have the strength and stamina however, Maya would secretly like to be carried after Shugo, even though she appears she doesn't want to. That is if he isn't tired by then.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Alex chuckles slightly, sensing a lack of interest in his help. It doesn't hurt his feelings at all, as he realizes that most everyone here would rather get across by their own strength rather than his. So long as their lives aren't at risk he can respect that... though that doesn't mean that he won't rush in and pull someone out if he thinks they are in danger of actually dying by explosive.
"Well Shugo, looks like its just you," He flies around and hooks his arms under Shugo's armpits and lifts him off the ground. He looks to Maya, getting the impression that she's embarrassed by the thought of having him carry her. He... should have thought about that. She's got to be married if she has a son (at least he assumes so), so... well that could get awkward. Regardless he respects her resolve. Though he does decide to say, "Maya, if you change your mind after Mira teleports you let me know! She said she can only get you halfway across, so if you don't want to risk walking over the mines I can drop Shugo off and then come back." He gives a bright smile, flying low due to the weight of the elf and the dragon egg.
He dashes across, hoping to make the most of his time since his wings are on a time limit.
When Mira and Renar steps into that particular area, they hear a click coming from the ground. A second later, they see a projectile bouncing from the ground and exploding in their upper half. (Renar takes 16 fire damage, Mira takes 11 fire damage. DC14 Dexterity save halves the damage).
Janus was true, the explosion feels like someone just shoots a firework at your face. It's small enough not to hurt anyone that's adjacent to you, but still strong enough that you feel pain and a burning sensation. It seems like the mines here are bouncing type, they're extremely effective if there is a shrapnel, but without it, it could also work as a single-target trap.
"Oof, yikes..." Karina cringes in response.
Liivi dashes through the field and manages to land in a safe spot. Karina just stared at her wide-eyed, "Whoa... you're fast, miss."
Karina suddenly holds up one finger, her left claw touching her temple. "Hold on, guys, Paulis is calling me telepathically..."
She paces around, "Yes, sir, there are some visitors, they're making their way across and it seems like they are a bit clumsy. No, they aren't those goons that Adelaide sends..." She gasps, "What!? With all due respect, sir, I'm not attacking them, can we please give them a chance?"
After a long moment of pause, she sighs, and then she turns toward the rest of you. "Paulis says he won't deactivate the minefield, he wants to test you, see how competent you are at avoiding obstacles... By the way, that means he's alright with you visiting him."
She rubs her chin, her tail wagging back and forth, "By the way... He also wants to ask if you are with or against Elmars too, you can say it here and I'll relay your answer to him."
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
"Neither," Alex says to Karina's question. "I don't like the guy, but right now I still don't want to pick sides. That's part of the reason we want to talk to Paulis, to get his opinion on the matters at hand... oh, and in case I don't get another chance, there is a fire Genasi named Cezars who was going to come try to kill Paulis. We captured him, and he's currently locked in the prison cell in town. It sounds like you already know about Adelaide, and from what we've learned Cezars and the people working with him are under her orders."
Alex glances back down at Renar and Mira, hoping they are alright as he rushes Shugo towards the other side. If he has time to pick up more people, he will. He wants to avoid as much damage to everyone as possible.
Renar (Dex Save: 14)
I was doing ok; There were a couple of landmines poking out from the surface that I still saw with my keen eyes. I wasn't even concerned ... at least, until the dragon girl distracts me saying that Paulis is talking to her; I shouldn't have picked it up...! "WHAT- GAH!" I felt the blast sear through my legs as I got stunned for a while. It hurts a lot! I couldn't even find the urge to yell out in pain as I almost collapsed but remained barely standing in my place... Far out. That distraction from her was the last thing I needed! I was doing great... until I heard her call out to all of us...!
When I returned back to my senses, the first thing that I heard (which also irritated me) was the call of the future Queen Mira. I turned towards her with a rather pained look. "I'm fine! I just got distracted!" I snap at Mira, though inside I definitely wasn't ok. Now that I've taken a hit, I decided to just screw it and dash across the minefield (70ft movement) without thinking twice. When I'm no longer able to move and before another mine explodes on me, I then raise my hand in pain and Vanish before a yellow lightning bolt strikes the other side and teleports me to the end (extra 30ft; He should be able to make it). Except that when I reached it, I suddenly sink to my knees, partially because I was exhausted and two, my legs are still feeling the impact of the blast as much as my body is...
"T-thanks for distracting me you jerk...!" I had to snarl at the dragon girl after I wait for Okaa-san to teleport over and patch my wounds without taking off my disguise. Somehow...
And no... whilst I cannot say it right now... I... like I said I... I refuse to take a side. Screw that.
Mira (DEX Save: 11; <14 Mira's on 24HP, 14+ Mira's on 28)
"RENAR!" Mira screams after seeing him take a full blast to his face. However, this was also enough to distract her and cause her to lose her expert footing when she step on one herself... and stuns her for a solid 5 minutes before she snaps back to reality.
"Uh... I- I'm ok!" Mira calls out, leaping to her feet. It's a miracle how her regal dress hasn't been ripped after being caught in the blast. Then again, this is lowest power; At max level she and the hoodie boy might not even survive a single blast. She's grateful that they aren't at the latter power. "Yo! Hoodie guy! Are you ok- What?!" Mira gawks when he snaps at her and bolts off deeper into the path, just like Liivi herself. Not him too...! She thinks. But then when she sees him stop, he immediately disappears before reappearing on the other side via... a lightning strike?! What?! How did he do that?! Good thing Alek wasn't in his way! She shudders, wondering what would've happened if that dragon girl somehow got struck as he landed over there.
On the flip side though... unless if Alek and Shugo are indeed having problems, at least she only has to worry about herself and Maya now. "Well uh... seems like everyone knows what they're doing... Ok Maya! here we go then!" Mira shrugs after getting up; She then waves her hands and releases a Tornado (or rather, because of her twinned spell, two of them) around Maya and herself, teleporting them directly to the finish without making them dizzy of course, as she silently chants in Lancean. (Because she moved to a place where the finishing point is at least 90ft distance in range, she'll be able to teleport herself and Maya all the way). Now that's she's on the other side though, she takes a moment to look at Renar and then Maya as she scrambles to make sure he's ok. Geez. What a weirdo. Taking a full blast to his legs but still refusing to admit that he's in pain... what is this guy made of? She needs to delve deeper into his character when the time is appropriate; His and Maya's.
Now then, with that job done she just needs to teleport herself and one other person using the same method... if only it didn't sap a good portion of her strength though. But first, she needs to answer something quick. "Gosh that was tiring. Um... I mean... sorry. In response to your question ma'am... Ahem. As the future queen of Platone, I... I don't see the point in siding with either of those two 'so-called idealists'. Why not just fight for your own cause, like these plethora of ragtags and royals besides me, huh? Also... you've heard of Adelaide too? Guess what? Her stupid goons were the reasons they saved from being gagged in a cold place! Urgh!"
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
After that initial embarrassment, Maya finally drops her blush and watches Alex . But then... her worst nightmares came to life: A double explosion that pierced her rather sensitive fox ears, Maya suddenly whips her head towards the front and witnesses Mira and Renar doubling back dazed after they both stepped on a mine each and suffers from a neat heart attack. at that sight. "AAAH! RENAR-KUN! MIRA-SAN!" She screams with her arm reaching out to the explosions. She felt her senses weakening; Her heart stopped beating as that happened and her limbs went numb. She left no room to remember that the mines were a lot weaker than they appear to be when Renar and the rabbit queen appeared to be dazed. Now how is she going to reach out to them?! Well... at least, that's was the last thing she was able to come up out of nowhere when Mira suddenly conjures the air around herself and the disguised kitsune; She didn't have any time to notice her son recover swiftly and teleport towards the end...
"GYAH!" She shrieks when Mira suddenly teleports her to the other side with zero warning, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face upon reappearing. What just happened? She gets up and sees... a dragon girl? She looks back and sees Alex and Shugo still hovering mid air and then back to where she is... Oh. She teleported. Somehow. But... there's also Mira and Renar who appear to be in anguish. Whilst it definitely wasn't a severe enough explosion for either of the two, Maya still overreacts and presses her glowing palms into their legs, healing Renar for 9HP before she was forced to withdraw. "Renar-kun! Mira-san! D-daijoubu?! (だいじょうぶ?!)" She panics unnecessarily in the process and signals to Alex to help her heal the other queen.
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Liivi travels the remaining short distance towards where the dragonborn is standing. While still quick, she does not have quite the burst that she had initially. She did look on with concern when Mira and Renar both set off explosions. But she remained quiet and was relieved when they both seemed to have managed to push through their wounds.
Listening to the words from Karina, her eyes narrow slightly. "You mean to say though that Paulis could have deactivated the mines, but chose instead to simply toy with us? And the two of you were seriously considering attacking even though he's willing to talk to us?" She is clearly not very pleased. "Should we have you run back and forth across the mines too? Just for fun? To see if you are worthy of standing here with us?"
She clearly doesn't truly mean it and she soon turns away to make sure the rest of the group does make it across safely. She felt that Mira had answered the question about loyalty to Elmars quite well. She had nothing to add to it and in fact, felt like she really didn't know enough really to answer. Though she felt she would have leaned towards what Mira said anyhow.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
"So, you came." The Tortle grumbles, "And from the direction that you approach my tower, it seems that you've already talked to my arch-nemesis before. He had probably explained most of the reason why the end of the world is coming soon, let me tell you a part of my story too."
He hobbles towards a tall, wooden cabinet and opens it. Inside are rows upon rows of brains preserved in a jar, ten for each row and seventy in total. Each one of them has a name and a date labelled on it.
"What you see here are the brains of murderers. They're all functional and conscious, they can still think and remember, but they cannot see, hear, or feel, they will be stuck in this state for eternity. Even the destruction of Muphrid will not be able to free them from their misery."
Paulis grabs one of the jars and sets it on the table, "Once you have taken a life, you have lost everything—your honour, your dignity, your civilisation. It is the ultimate sin, one where even God will not forgive you for it, and neither will everyone else around you. It doesn't matter if you've killed one person, or hundreds, or millions, all murderers must be paid for their crimes, they must suffer, again and again, and even if their physical form no longer exists, their mind and spirit must continue to suffer." It's hard to read his expression, but from the tone of his voice, he's angry.
"The very fabric of the present-day Lancean society is built upon the ideals of nonkilling, if we want to declare war on these invaders, we lost—because with war, we have to abandon our peaceful way of life, we have to become the very monsters our ancestors were in the past, and I will not allow it to happen by any means necessary. Even if I have to sacrifice most of the planet, I'm willing to do it if it means upholding our ideals."
What Paulis said about murder isn't exactly original. Ever since you were a child, you were told this same thing—whether it be from your parents, your school, or your church. Lancean pacifism doesn't envision a world where every creature can live in peace because they love each other, but a world where everyone is afraid to kill because of the punishment that comes with it.
Maybe these invaders target Lancea for this exact reason, they think Lanceans will just sit there and let themselves be killed.
"From the way you navigate those battlefields, I can see a lot of potential in you. You're clever, you're brave, very brave, maybe too brave for your own good." Paulis sighs, "Too bad you're on the wrong side. If you choose to join Janus, you're being a traitor to our civilisation, because we Lanceans do not kill people. I will find a way to get us out of this situation peacefully, but I can only tell you how if you promise to join my cause. What do you say?"
Fight back or run, it is the very same question your ancestors asked themselves millions of years ago when they came face-to-face with a hungry predator. The only thing that changes is that instead of a person or a tribe, it is the entire world. Your answers, too, will shape the fate of how the world will respond to this thread.
Choose carefully, this choice will dramatically affect the direction of the campaign.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I