Abyssals - Dark Future - IC

[Random Word]

Epiphany brings her dance to a close and sits on a workbench behind Whisper, indicating her quiet and tacit support for Whispers' favoured approach.

 

[D. Rex]

Judge nodded slowly towards Zakas. "Starfall's strategy of caution I feel would give us the better chance. Us showing ourselves too eager to enter their good graces could show weakness, or worse, arouse suspicion."

"But that isnt to say we can not do both. We watch. See how they react to the living. We see how they react to the dead. With what knowledge we gain we can use as leverage. And if they prove themselves uncooperative, we.... compel them."

"There is an alternative though. Should we watch and learn their ways of traversing to Autocthon... all we need is to let them think they have won and they will do the work in taking the gifts. They "steal" it from us. The contagion may not spread as swiftly or as reliably. It's an alternative, but not one I would recommend if we can help it."

 

[Psychie]

Soulcatcher nods, and you have the feeling that he is smiling under his mask. "Wise words. But any way we wish to do this, first we have to make some sort of contact with the Autochthonians, either in a peaceful encounter, or as potential prisoners to be disarmed."

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper nods, deep in thought. "Well, whatever route we take, we first need the surprise boxes for the outlanders to take." She looks over at Soulcatcher and asks, "I don't know this area of Creation as well as I might. Is there a shadowland in the area around us to make the transition from the Underworld to Creation?"

 

[Rykon]

"Even if there isn't, I can throw open a gateway back to the realm of the living." Zakas added. "However, I can't see through to the other side before I open the door... yet. So it probably would be less risky to do this the old fashioned way, depending on our other options of course."

 

[Psychie]

Soulcatcher looks at Whisper and nods. "Yes, I know of several small shadowlands that we can use to get across to Creation that are nearby. I use them myself on errands for my Master." He glances over at the Artificer as the Deathlord is working on the Contagion carriers, then back to the rest of you. "I will make sure that the servants have rooms prepared for you while we wait for the completion of the presents to allow you to rest or prepare in whatever way you need. Come with me." He turns and walks on out of the Animation Room.

Out in the hall, several servants are there waiting for you to emerge from the heart of their Master's workshop. Whisper's ghostly follower, Alhara, is standing out there, waiting for her mistress to emerge. She walks over to Whisper and asks, "Well? What is our plan now, Mistress?"

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper replies to her servant, "For now, we wait. The Artificer is nearly done with the work on his creations, and when he is done, we will take the boxes with the Great Contagion in them and look for these invaders and observe them for a time. Perhaps we will allow ourselves to be captured and have our weapons of mass death 'taken' from us, or perhaps we will be able to befriend them during our initial meeting, and be able to give the Autochthonians a fine gift. Either way, we will most likely be departing as soon as the Artificer has completed his work."

 

[Psychie]

Two days go by before word comes down from the Animation Chamber that the Artificer has completed his work and that the presents are ready to be delivered. You are all summoned to the Chamber, and along with Soulcatcher, you are instructed as to just how to make the boxes work, both as long range communication devices and for their true purpose of delivering the Great Contagion to the people of Autochthon.

Soulcatcher then says, "The nearest shadowland that can be used to get to Creation is less than a day's travel away from here on horseback; much less if we continue to use the Stormwind Rider spell. It connects to an abandoned farmhouse next to a old graveyard. Perfect for us to make our way through to Creation. We can then travel along to where the invaders have set up shop and observe them for a time and decide on just how we plan on making contact."

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper is barely able to contain her excitement. "Excellent! I am quite looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labor. I have little that I need to pack to make this trip possible. Let us hasten on our journey."

"Now, as to the three communication devices. I think it would be best not to have all three on one person, but have them split up between three different people. Who should carry our presents?"

 

[Psychie]

Soulcatcher nods in agreement. "Wise idea, madame Whisper. I have seen you in combat before, and I believe that you would be a safe bet to make that you will not be falling in battle any time soon. With that in mind, I would have no objection to you having one of the devices. Who else will take on the task of bearing one of these little boxes?"

Rykon D. Rex Random Word

 

[Rykon]

"I think I should take one. I can conceal it on my person without it being found in a search." Zakas stated as he pointed to his amulet.

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper reaches out and carefully takes the offered box and slips it into her belt pouch. "Very well. I will protect it well."

 

[Psychie]

Soulcatcher hands Zakas the second of the boxes without any complaints. "Here you go, my dear fellow. Guard it well."

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper looks to Soulcatcher and says, "Why don't you carry the last? After all, it is your Master that has created them; you should have a part in their use."

 

[Psychie]

Whisper looks to Soulcatcher and says, "Why don't you carry the last? After all, it is your Master that has created them; you should have a part in their use."

Soulcatcher shrugs. "It is no concern to me. I can carry it. Either way, we need to begin our journey to investigate these Autochthonians."

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper says, "I don't believe that there will be any complaints if you take the third box. We need to be on our way before the other Deathlords come up with the same kind of idea as our own Masters and try to capitalize on the opportunity. Let us go."

D. Rex Random Word Rykon

 

[Random Word]

Epiphany nods enthusiastically at Whisper's wise pronouncement, pushing off the workbench and breaking into a sprint towards the entrance of the castle.

 

[D. Rex]

"I would carry one. However I think it may be wise for at least one of our vanguards to be without one. That way the boxes can be protected without one of us falling should it come to that." He said in a deadpan voice, thinking practically. "I would rather not risk losing even one of those boxes if we can help it."

 

[Psychie]

Soulcatcher gives a little chuckle. "I can hold my own in a battle, but I am hardly in the same level as all of you. With that in mind, let us go on to the gate as Epiphany has already left. Shall we?"

Once everyone is back together, Soulcatcher quickly casts his Stormwind Rider spell to speed the five of you along to the location of the shadowland to get you through to Creation and out of the Underworld.

The shadowland is rather small, and you find yourselves walking out into an old rundown graveyard in an abandoned village. The summer sun is high in the sky, beating down on you with oppressive heat, but here in the shadowland it still feels a little cool. Soulcatcher looks around cautiously, saying, "We are close to where I ran into the initial group of Autochthonians, so we need to be prepared for contact with their soldiers. Their army will not be far from where we are now."

"How are we going to proceed?"

Rykon Sherwood D. Rex Random Word

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper looks around, taking in the sights of the small abandoned village, looking for any signs of threats. "We need to find the advanced guard of these people and observe them, and possibly sneak past them to find the main body of their army. After that, we can evaluate what to do. Lets move."

 

[Rykon]

Zakas nods, "Yep, everyone keep an eye out for 'em. Soon as we catch sight of em we begin surveillance. Let's just try to not let those metalheads spot us first."

 

[Psychie]

Traveling to the west through the foothills approaching the mountains, it does not take you long to see signs of the outlander invaders. You actually hear them before you spot them, a low rumbling sound and the creaking of metal on metal. Peeking up over a ridge, you see a full twenty soldiers in strange armor walking along next to a pair of strange vehicles.



These vehicles are rolling slowly along on the tracks with the soldiers forming two columns, one on either side of the strange contraptions. The vehicle are large enough to be able to fit at least two, maybe three people in them, but from here you cannot tell if they are manned or some kind of automations. There is a third strange machine, but this one is much smaller and is flitting about the air above the men.



This machine is much too small for a man to fit in, being only a few feet long and wide. It ranges back and forth, front to back, obviously keeping watch on the area from the air.

The column of soldiers are all armed with swords and what appears to be some sort of Essence weapon in the shape of a long lance or club. It does not look familiar to you.

At this point, you are confident that you have not been spotted, and if the troops and their vehicles continue on the same path, they may just go on past you, but the flying thing may spot you if you move, depending on what you do.

 

[Sherwood]

Whisper crouches down behind the rocks, looking down at the group of men and machines with interest. In a quiet voice to avoid being heard, she says, "Have any of you ever seen such contraptions like those? They look like something that I'd expect to see in tapestries from the First Age, not rolling about in this day!" She then turns her attention to the men and the unusual Essence weapons they are carrying. "These Autochthonians must be very powerful to be able to arm their soldiers with such weapons. It makes me wonder just how powerful these weapons are."

OOC I want to make a Perception roll to see if there are any signs of other soldiers out there.

4 Successes

 

[Rykon]

"For people short on supplies they certainly are well-armed..." Zakas adds. "I can't say their mastery of artifice is any surprise though. Let's see... what's in the direction they came from and the direction they are headed?"

 

[Psychie]

A quick bit of calculating tells Zakas that they are heading on a beeline towards Gem, which is just a hop, skip and a jump away from here. The direction that they came from is in the south-west.