Graded [Paizu Mountains] Dragon's Breath

[Novama]

Mentions: Uasal SoftSmile upscalerat NeramoDJI DSLIX
OOC: We will be keep a 7 day post frequency per round. Means ill make an attempt to post at this time in a week and skip any not yet posted. Ask any and all questions. At present it is a free for all as far as who posts when so long as it is done within the post period. First round may be stretched a bit as folks sort out what they are doing and how they are coming in. Out of combat, action economy will be ignored, but be mindful to play within character limits otherwise. Some abilities are better for ignoring cooldowns than others. I repeat: ask any and all questions. Multiple posts per round are possible and acceptable when not waiting on something from the world (me). Do not wait on others to post unless you have directly told them you are waiting on them and they have told you they will post. Anyone getting skipped is no one's fault but their own.
Time: 7:00pm
Weather: cool temperatures, slight breeze in the canyon, air is moist with mist, getting dark quickly
Cooldown:
TLDR:
Post Listening:

Paizu Mountain Range




​

This Chapter of Isekai Hell, The party are contacted, or otherwise made aware, by the local townsfolk about strange occurrences. Crops have been destroyed and livestock have gone missing. Wallowed in fields as if a massive roller went through and flattened everything. Animals that disappear without tracks. The townsfolk have reported seeing a gargantuan dragon in the area, and they fear that the dragon is responsible for the damage. Many have attempted and many more may try to subdue the dragon. None have succeeded so far. Fortunately for all involved, the dragon is not a monster variant. It just seems to despise the locals if anyone had to take a guess. Those that have actually made it to the dragon's lair in the Paizu mountains just over the hills have reported an arduous journey and a dragon that's just as quick to crisp someone as they are to flap wings and launch them from their cave lair. The party, for various reasons, have taken on the job and chose to work together. You may decide what the terms are, but otherwise, the members have prepared themselves for the trip and have set off for the Paizu Mountains.

Time passes as the days go by in a blur. From time to time, a shadow is felt or staring eyes just out of the periphery of someone's eyes are sensed, but an relatively uneventful journey follows the characters. Leaving beyond farmlands and thick forests, hills rise up and start to slow travel. Finally, the hills grow to mountains to steep to climb directly up. Suddenly, going the long way around seems to be more efficient and safer. It was there, at the base of the mountains, where the party first heard the dragon's roar. It was as big and loud as one might expect, but it echoed so much among the stone walls that the party could feel the mountain shudder slightly. The risk of rockslide was a real possibility.

As the sun was setting over the horizon, the party came across a narrow canyon with steep walls that rose high above. The path ahead eventually ended in a deep chasm and a broken bridge likely used by past parties that had attempted to settle the dragon before them. The other side was barely visible through the thick mist. The dragon was easier to hear from there as the occasional roar echoed through the canyon. Everyone could feel they were getting closer to their mission objective after all the time traveling. However, that's when some things started to stand out (in addition to the nearly impassable chasm in their way).

Echo would notice this first, but their were left over signs of sabotage on the bridge. While it was likely obvious the bridge had been destroyed recently, Echo would know it was intentionally destroyed and by someone or something smaller than a dragon likely. What's more, the ledges around the bridge also looked rigged to collapse into the gorge should anyone move to peek over if the traps were not dealt with.

Jack's particular beast nature allowed him to view the canyon in a slightly different light. Although he was not the greatest of climbers by a large margin, he instinctually saw a way someone like himself might be able to scale the cliff faces if he had to. Hard to say if anyone else could or not even if they saw the method to do it though. What was less apparent to all was the other side however. Most of it shrouded in fog. Even for those that could leap or fly over the gap, it was unclear what, if anything was waiting beyond the fog. The gap was over 75ft into the mist. The encroaching darkness did not help matters either.

First scene will involve everyone placing themselves and deciding how best to proceed. Simply camping on the ledge out in the open was not likely a wise idea with unknown vandals about, a dragon overhead, and any number of other things that go bump in the night. Preferably they would find another cave or some shelter first. The earthy scents of the canyon lingering on the moist air was perhaps deceptively comforting given the circumstances.

 

[SoftSmile]

Jack Hayfield



Novama Uasal upscalerat NeramoDJI DSLIX​

Spoiler: Before Adventure

“What happened?!” The witch demanded to know. They were in a dingy back room that more resembled an oversized supply closet as the witch verbally berated the goat boy for losing her property that she so graciously given him for one of his first adventures.

“S-Some Jelly-Jellyfish stung us and I–We–I got knocked out and some of the people took the book…I g-got it back and I thought it was fine…I didn’t know they ripped out pages…”

She held her head in her hands, groaning. She tapped her long nails against her head for a few moments, thinking before she finally came up with an idea. “You’re going to get me a dragon scale.”

“What?” His voice shrunk.

“There’s been a dragon in the area, it’s practically confirmed already. There’s a few other people who are going to go, they’ll do the heavy lifting. All you have to do is sneak around while the others are distracting it and grab a single scale.”

“A What?” He said again, trying to comprehend the thought of a dragon.

“It’s in the mountains, and you’re a goat. You should be fine. Here, I’ll pack everything you need.”

“Dragon? A Dragon?” His voice shrunk a bit more, barely above a whisper.

—

Now he was in a small group, heading to the mountainside. He kept quiet most of the way, doing most of the picking up after others and politely declining all social interactions that were more than a simple hello.

He had nightmares about the dragon. How he would be picked up and eaten with one gulp, forced to sit in the stomach acids of the creature and slowly melt alive as the acid ate through his fur and flesh.

—

When he heard the dragon roar it took all of his willpower to not literally piss himself. He couldn’t even move for a good minute, no matter who tried to convince him his legs just couldn’t move. He was absolutely [Helpless], even tearing up as they walked further up the mountain.

Coming to the canyon bridge, he was absolutely terrified by the signs of destruction. He saw a few ways he could probably get around, but didn’t dare mention it to the group. They didn’t have to know he was a good climber, nope, as far as he’s concerned he is a meadow grazing goat with absolutely no mountain experience.

He didn’t want to be pushed into doing something dangerous, even if it was for the good of others–He was too scared of potentially, you know, dying a terrible and painful death.

“H-How about we just um go look for somewhere for the night…?” He suggested somewhat quietly, tapping his back hooves nervously against the stone as he fidgeted around. His hands came up to the straps of his backpack that clung to his chest, picking at the old leather. He had brought a nice tent even if they did decide to stay outside, it could only fit a single small creature though, as he couldn’t haul too much weight.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage Litwile

Same smiled some as he fluttered towards the group, unphased by the dragons roar. He had escaped that death realm by physically tearing his way out, and was finally home where he belonged after he passed Zylf's test again. He was currently fluttering over to Jack, sitting on the goat boy's back, the little fairy looking around at everyone else. "Anyone else excited to fight the dragon?" He asked around to his group, a big smile on his little fairy face. His new sword was really convenient, not needing to heft it around everywhere, even if it wasn't that heavy.

He heard the dragons roars, and it simply made his heart pound with anticipation, his eyes glinting as he looked at the sky. He wanted to fly up and fight the dragon himself, but he wasn't fast enough for that, and the dragon would surely escape him before he could get to it. But in the meantime, he'd spend time with his new friends. He had no fear of the dragon, and had tried to tell his friends that he would kill it himself if they wanted, reiterating it towards them once it roared. "If you guys want I can protect you from the dragon!"

 

[upscalerat]

CODE BY SEROBLISS

Kyra Graves

Grade E Human

The journey so far had been more like the worst hike Kyra had ever been on rather than the empowering adventure she had thought she was going to get in this new world. True, she had known that it wasn't going to all be fun and games or adventures and glory, but still... She had expected there to be more shenanigans as the party grew closer to the dragon's lair. Perhaps even some bonding. But each roar of the dragon in the distance killed that hope a little bit more.

Their party now stood near the lip of a chasm in the mist and twilight. Maybe she had been a bit too hasty to take on this job? After all, Kyra was still pretty green. But- when she'd heard about a dragon, she got a little too caught up with excitement. Of course people had had trouble dealing with it, she'd thought to herself; a dragon is an animal, and thus can be a friend, and doesn't need to be approached with swords. The creature's calls reminded her that not all animals were too keen on human intervention- after all, she would have understood people calling to kill a bear, though she likely still wouldn't have been happy about it.

But it was too late to back out now. Ahead of her was a goat boy that she had seen previously, at a series of challenges that she had entered. She remembered him doing well, but hadn't really gotten a chance to speak to him past some pleasantries before they had begun. Also in front of her was what she assumed to be a fairy, a white-haired and winged boy who radiated confidence. He clearly didn't have any qualms fighting the dragon. The rest of the party was behind her.

She peered towards the broken bridge from where she was, comfortable to not get any closer to the edge. Did the dragon do that? Smart, if it did. "Jack might be right. It's only getting darker, and that mist might as well be a wall for how well we can see through it." She eyed Sage. He seemed so jovial at the prospect of a lethal fight- was it all for show, or was he really that much stronger than she gave him credit for? "Let's worry about reaching it, first, yeah?"

 

[Uasal]

Echo - 'Sorcha'



For the vast majority of the journey, Echo had remained silent, not that she was alone in such. However, in Echo's case, there was a reason for it, aside from the general social issues one normally faced when first dealing with new people. This quest, it was all an elaborate ruse for the woman. An assignment tossed her way for a specific reason and that reason alone. That reason? It was to alter her identity in one of two ways. The first way Echo could accomplish such was to establish herself under a new name as an adventurer, one who was part of a successful dragon subjugation. In such a case the name she chose would spread rather quickly given the status of the accomplishment. The other, more realistic approach?

Well, it was to make it to the dragon fight alongside her party, then toss them to the dragon and make it seem as though she was lucky enough to escape such a fate. After all, this was a dragon, not some house cat. Regardless of how she went about it, one thing was clear, to successfully complete her assignment she needed a new name. And the one she had settled on at the guild was 'Sorcha', the very name she had introduced herself with upon being assigned to the team as well.

The journey itself wasn't all that eventful, a few roaming bandits, the odd stalk of a predator or theif. But nothing of any actual substance seemed to happen. Though, that being said 'Sorcha' did have the distinct sense the group was being followed and observed. Something that kept her on guard regardless of the situations the group encountered. Well, that was until the first roar of the dragon erupted through the cavern. That, made even the trainee assassin's hairs stand on edge. What power! The others in the group had to be crazy. Did they really belive themselves fit to face such a beast?

Reaching the sabotaged bridge, 'Sorcha' was quick to realise the sabotage had been just that, sabotage. And not by any beast of poor intellect or massive size. No this was done by someone smart enough to make it look like an accident and trap the cliff edge for those dumb enough to inspect the drop. Turning to glance back down the path the group had come from and then to the thick wall of mist. 'Sorcha' was not feeling all too great about the prospect of camping out anywhere remotely close to where they currently were. The traps alone gave her the sense an ambush was imminent, that combined with the thick mist/fog and the sensation of being watched from earlier. Well, all of it combined spelt out a very possible grim fate.

That being said 'Sorcha' didn't warn her group on any such facts. After all, if they were attacked by bandits and one of her companions just so happened to succumb to death. Well, they'd have one hell of a story and in all likelihood, would be forced to abandon the quest. 'Sorcha' would have achieved her goal and never have had to set foot near the dragon to begin with. That being said one thing she didn't like to sound off was anyone setting off the cliff edge trap. Not only could it alert predators in the area like the dragon, but there was no telling how unstable it would make the rest of the area. With that in mind, she spoke up "The cliff edge seems unstable, be careful not to get too close.". Short and to the point.

Moving a bit further down the path they had just come from, 'Sorcha' stealthily readied her wires in one hand. If the group did elect to camp out, they would likely need to backtrack some and that, quite frankly, was the only reason she hadn't set a trap of her own at this moment.

SoftSmile NeramoDJI upscalerat Novama DSLIX​

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa

Tupu hearing rumors of dragon appearances in a town had decided to investigate wondering what his more beastly kin was like in this strange new world. Making it all the way to the town without much struggle I investigate the rumors and claims until he find a group willing to travel with him to the nest of the legendary beast. The trip itself wasn't too bad in itself reminding Tupu of his old world adventurers with the awkward silence between comrades, petty bandit and thief encounters, and even a stupidly dangerous path to trek through as well. All and all though Tupu remained fairly quiet through it all contributing where he can and keeping a friendly tone with the other strangers he was travelling with. Despite most of them including him probably wasn't ready for such a battle but he was too far deep and too eager for answers to stop now. Even if the dragon ended up having to be a wild beast they would have to fight he was willing to take the chance to understand more about his beastly heritage and possibly gain something worth being called "The son of a Dragon". Though nobody called him that at all cause he made sure that part of himself was a secret as normal. While walking though it seems that the small fairy boy seemed rather excited to fight the dragon which was funny as he was not even a foot tall. When he asks the other's about their excitement for the possible fight Tupu simply nods with a soft grunt to serve as a lackluster "Yes".

When making to the dangerous mountain path Tupu could feel them getting close as the large gorge between the mountain ranges screamed danger and death. Ending up at kind of a dead end when the bridge needed to cross over the gorge was long gone. Like clockwork a sudden and booming dragon roar echoed throughout the gorge practically screaming at them that the broken path is indeed the correct one. Tupu was ready to just jump over and clear the distance but the suspicious fog at the other end of the gorge leaves a rather bad feeling in Tupu's stomach. Hearing the fearful goat boy Jack expresses his wish to find a camp spot for tonight Tupu head droops slightly in defeat seemingly knowing that it'll most likely be our next course of action as the young adventurer Kyra agrees immediately after. Hearing the small fairy claim to protect from the dragon emits a small chuckle out of Tupu as he approaches the mysterious Sorcha from behind as she stands somewhat close to inspect the cliff edge but stops after she warns the other's of the instability of it. Seeing as there is no better way forward I simply sigh and cross my arms turning to the group waiting for them to decide what the group should do as pushing forward doesn't seem to be an option anymore.
Uasal upscalerat NeramoDJI SoftSmile
​

 

[Novama]

Mentions: Uasal SoftSmile upscalerat NeramoDJI DSLIX
OOC: Be sure to use character names in post narration from time to time. Party has 2 rounds until dark and scene advance unless they act on something sooner.
Time: 7:20pm
Weather: cool temperatures, slight breeze in the canyon, air is moist with mist, getting dark quickly
Cooldown:
TLDR:
Post Listening:

Paizu Mountain Range

​

As the party considered their options, the evening dark drew closer. The way forward was treacherous. Waiting till morning posed its own set of risks if they could not find a proper camp before dark. All in the party would feel compelled to work together for personal benefit at the least. If the party wished to pursue the idea of camping, they would know that they had trekked through the bottom of a long narrow path that split the mountain for quite a ways. Short of finding a cave with a careful search, there were not any good spots to camp that wouldn't leave them somewhat exposed tot he elements or whatever else may come to call in the night. There was also an issue of warmth. It would become uncomfortably cold in the mountains. The mountainous terrain didn't have any trees along their recent walk, so they would have to backtrack quite a ways in the dark to find suitable trees for firewood or light sources. Only a couple of the party had darkvision and only a few others had the means to start a far, however, none brought firewood nor other flammable or transportable light sources. The party also likely already had a good meal earlier in the day, but those used to more regular meals may start feeling hungry for a dinner of some kind.

 

[SoftSmile]

Jack Hayfield
​

Novama DSLIX Uasal upscalerat NeramoDJI

Jack anxiously stayed far away from the ledge, obviously scared of losing his footing. His ears twitched a bit as he listened to the others, especially the fairy that had hitched a ride on his back. Not that he minded. He just wished he would have asked permission first.

“F-fight? I thought we were going to talk to the dragon. Wouldn’t that be better? I mean, there has to be a reason they’re doing all of this. Maybe they’re upset that people keep bothering them?”

There could be a thousand other reasons, like so many people coming up to attack them. No matter how powerful they are, they must get tired of all the little hostiles. Maybe they were just hungry for a nice meal? Jack pondered as he made his way around the mountain, silently looking for a decent size cave to nestle in. He felt a bit safer to explore with the fairy on his back, despite it being much smaller than him. It was probably more capable than him anyway.

“So–Um, Sage, was it?” He had tried to learn all of their names in the first few days of their journey. “Why did you come up here? I mean, I’m already small and scared, I’d be terrified if I was your size.”

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage Litwile

"Tch, fine, I guess we could camp out. I just don't want the dragon to get away from me." He said with a huff, before fluttering off of Jack's back, a bright flash coming from him as suddenly the small fairy boy was suddenly as big as everyone else, his wings fluttering silently behind him, pulses of strength coming from him with every breath he took. "You guys can sleep, I'll keep watch. The bandits might be a good warm up." He said while rolling his shoulders, his voice sounding much more attractive now due to his [Seduction C], His very aura magnetizing the others in the party to him. "So uh, I don't think I introduced myself! I'm Sage, and I'm gonna be king of the fairies one day. I'm here, cuz, well, you guys know how dragons bully fairies. So if I kill one, I'm just doing my job that much faster. Plus, killing strong things is fun, the weak ones have gotten boring." He said with a grunt, a green flash occuring in his hand as a massive green blade appeared in his hands, putting the blades tip in the ground and looking at the others, the blade being a massive 10 foot Orichalcum Sabre. After offering an introduction to the party, he began looking around to see if there was anywhere to camp out. "I mean, if you guys are worried about jumping if we can't find a place to camp, I could always fly you all over the gap. Not like any bandit's arrows could pierce my skin anyway." He said with a smile. However, he did want to see if there was anywhere nearby that would be good to camp, using Appraisal on the Mountain to see if it had any special name or traits to it. At his increased size, his scars were visible to the others, including the patch of tree bark consuming 30% of his face, centered on his left eye. "And hey, don't worry Jack, I'll keep you safe! No one hurts my friends, at least, not without me turning them into a bloodstain." He said, giving the little goat boy a big hug.

Spoiler: Kleric's Will

Ability Used: [Transformation F], [Gaze Upon Me C], [Appraisal E]

 

[upscalerat]

CODE BY SEROBLISS

Kyra Graves

Grade E Human

As the fey boy frew in size and spoke, Kyra felt an inclination to trust him- he sounded so sure of himself, she reasoned, he must know what he was doing. And if his tree bark hadn't been evident before, the scars were clearly visible in the fading light now; more evidence that he'd been in his share of combat before, and spoke from a place of expertise. The woman simply nodded at both his statement and Sorcha's warning to be wary of the cliff's edge. She tried to offer a reassuring smile to Jack, as well. "I'm sure we'll feel better in the morning, as well," she told him, and turned to look at the rest of the party.

So far in their journey, they'd been able to forage around woods for campfires, and there had been enough hunting and foraging to keep their bellies full. This more alpine terrain, however, had much less to offer in the way of kindling and food. "I don't suppose any of us were smart enough to stash some firewood or the like? I know I wasn't," she admitted, freely. A chill had come with the dark- to be expected in the mountains, she supposed. "Divide and conquer might be our best approach here. Sage has taken up guard duty, which leaves, what, finding shelter, something to make a fire, and finding food and water to be split among the rest of us?" she proposed, mentally ticking off the things that she, at the very least, needed to survive.

If Kyra hadn't been feeling green before now, among her more experienced companions, she certainly was now. It had been some time since she recalled seeing a stream to drink from, and she hadn't thought to be on the lookout for any suitable place to sleep until mere minutes ago. She might have had some dried meat in her pack, but certainly not enough for everyone; and that was assuming that there was still some left, and she hadn't eaten it already. Again, she wondered if she had really known what she was getting into before setting out, and wondering why no one had stopped her.

 

[rager]

Abel let herself watch the fey boy speak. While he was a bit too energetic and sickeningly whimsical for Abel's comfort, there was something oddly appealing about him and his words that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was the fact that he was the only true fae creature among the brutes that surrounded them that automatically elevated him in her mind. Abel deducted that he could perhaps be tolerated from now on.
She hadn't yet taken the time to properly assess her companions. The unfamiliar toils of this journey had been very distracting. This, combined with her discernable distaste for the humans among the party, had prevented her from performing too many legitimate character evaluations. From what she had gathered, however, the group was diverse in every way possible; in race, objective, skills, etc; thus she didn't quite stand out visibly. But she had no doubt that some of the others could sense her unique detachment. She often drifted from the group, returned glances with cold gazes, and never spoke unless necessary. Not that she was out to make herself completely disagreeable. She worked hard and obeyed the majority consensus. She had done her part so far and thus believed she had earned her place as a fellow adventurer who could be considered at least somewhat competent.
Abel liked the idea of finding a place to stay for the night. She understood that now might be one of the last chances they would have to truly rest before danger truly arises; the danger that she now understood. She had not been fully cognizant of the imminent peril until very recently. As she ascended the harsh ridges of the mountains only days ago, she had been almost peaceful in the comfortable misty winds that blanketed the terrain. Even now she welcomed the cold air as it tangled her hair and sent frigid air gently brushing the skin beneath her clothes. Almost-calm washed over her despite everything as she recalled a time where the winds wouldn't kill her as the could here. Before Isekai, they would never even think of doing such a thing. She was their lord. And she will be, again. Soon.
The need for shelter (and heat, regrettably) was only becoming more imminent. She pulled the hood of her traveling cloak further over her forehead. Her current fragile body couldn't handle what it used to. But all she could really do to help was peer through the dark a little harder than she had previously, searching for particularly deep crevices in the harsh stone walls of the mountains. She noted the parchment in her bag that could be lit aflame if things were to take a turn for the worse.

 

[Uasal]

Echo - 'Sorcha'

Echo remained a good distance from the rest of the group, here attention split between the group's current conversation and the dimly lit mountain pass they had travelled thus far. The centaur, Jack, was a strange creature. He was a [helpless] sort of individual who apparently sought to converse with the dragon. While Echo was by no means an expert on dragons she knew they enjoyed snacking on goats and other livestock. Given Jack was half-goat based on his looks, well the whole idea of him conversing with a dragon seemed quite comedic in the saddest of ways. In fact, he was so helpless, Echo almost felt pity for him. That said her training as an [Apprentice Assassin] helped her to resist such, after all, he had signed up for this task and Echo was most certainly not about to drag him through it. She alone was already in over her head.

With the group deciding camping was indeed the action they would be taking, Echo was happy such a decision had been made before nightfall at the very least. Though she had a firestarter kit on her, she hadn't brought any timber along with her up the trail, indeed no one had. An oversight, but nothing the group couldn't overcome with some light work. They hadn't exactly travelled an absurd distance up the mountain at this point after all. Besides, doubling back to find a safer spot to camp suited Echo just fine, after all, she didn't know who had destroyed the bridge, rigged the cliff edge and or why. The current area was way too exposed for her liking.

Though her train of thought was quickly broken by the sudden change in the size of Sage. The little fairy had suddenly become a rather dashing and tall man. His sudden announcement of his goal to become the fairy king was absurd but for some reason, Echo found herself somewhat believing him. His scares and eye... the fairy had clearly been through a lot. Perhaps he wasn't just boastful, perhaps he actually was indeed strong. He certainly looked hot...strong. Shifting her gaze back to the mountain pass, Echo listened to Kyra's plan of action. It was solid and though splitting up was dangerous, it certainly would be beneficial given the closing window of time the group had before nightfall.

Moving toward the path Echo volunteered to head back in search of firewood. "Understood. I'll look for some firewood, the aloof fae woman can join me.". And with that Echo was gone, her choice of companion simply amounting to the person she had to speak to the least.
rager upscalerat NeramoDJI SoftSmile Novama

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa
​

Tupu sits somewhat at a distance of the group looking around at the surroundings while the others speak he was searching hard for anything of interest hoping to find another path to cross or at least a nearby cave we could settle in. He didn't care much for camp as he wasn't tired his desire for answers blinds his body from fatigue as his beast like instincts starting to influence him making him more focused and aggressive on completing the goal. Hearing the small half goat boy speak made him feel pity towards him as [Helpless] as the boy is he wonders for a second why is he even here? He shrugs off the thoughts and mutters a small prayer for the kid hoping we could actually talking to the Dragon if possible so I could possibly find out something about the dragons and how their powers work in this world. Then hearing the red haired adventurer speak a smile slowly creeps on his face without him noticing as her somewhat relaxed attitude entertained Tupu as she seemed like the most normal and trustworthy person right now. Hearing the fairy Sage speak again made him smirk at his carefree attitude not even wanting to tease the man, but when Tupu turned around from sound of metal hitting the ground he was rather shocked, not to see the fairy only being about foot shorter than him but the blade the fairy wielded being about a yard taller then himself. He smirked at the sight of the massive and elegant looking blade but decided to finally enter the conversation himself. Tupu walked up beside Sage and his massive blade and say in a rather deep and plain voice "I can do whatever everyone else doesn't want to do." Tupu meets the eyes of the group with a focused look in his eyes as he was rather determined to hurry and take his small moment of rest before possibly taking the last trip of his lifetime if things go bad but the pride in his abilities keep him from accepting death so easily.
Uasal rager SoftSmile NeramoDJI upscalerat

 

[Novama]

Mentions: Uasal SoftSmile upscalerat NeramoDJI DSLIX rager
OOC: Party has 1 round until dark and scene advance unless they act on something sooner. If you have moved away from the group, make it clear you have done so, same for ability use (any time a skill is used).
Time: 7:40pm
Weather: cool temperatures, slight breeze in the canyon, air is moist with mist, getting dark quickly
Cooldown:
TLDR:
Post Listening:

Paizu Mountain Range

​

Sage's appraisal would reveal little of useful information about the mountain. It was one of many belonging to the Paizu mountain range. While the range had various materials worth mining and were known to be invested with all manner of ruins and monsters both giant and ancient, this particular mountain was small and barely inhabited by comparison. Sure it had the typical birds and occasional East Empire goats hopping around its ledges and plateaus, but it was not worth much else.

Echo and Abel are able to go searching for places to setup camp. They eventually find two options of note: one a tunnel that leads into the mountain. Without light, it would be difficult to know how far it went or what may be lurking inside. The other possible camp was much more open: a short side path to the crevice they traveled down. It opened up wide and would be enough to to seat everyone. It also gave them something to put their back to and got them out of the main walkway. However, it was open overhead to the elements. Echo did not find anything burnable while doing this activity with Abel.

Those wishing to go after firewood or other flammable materials specifically, could do so. As already mentioned, they would find it difficult to find any close by, but perhaps some resourcefulness would allow them to find some and get back before dark set in.

Thinking of camping rather than contending with the mist and the dragon would put many of the party at ease. It may be a struggle for some to earnestly consider the mission again by morning.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage Litwile

Sage smirked a bit as he looked at everyone, before rolling his shoulders a bit. He had no fear of the dragon at all, instead, excitement written all over his face as he shrank back down, hefting up the blade on his lil shoulder and starting to float towards the edge of the ravine, the blade vanishing in a flash of green. "I'm good without food, so you guys can just eat whatever you have or can find. I'm used to traveling on an empty stomach. Food just weighs you down in a battle." He said, fully confident. When the two women returned without firewood, Sage fluttered up to greet them back. "Heya you guys! If you couldn't find anything I could fly around and bring back a tree or something." He said, the blade appearing once more as he sat on it, dangling his feet off the handguard. "Say, Mrs. Scorcha, has anyone told you that you have really pretty eyes?" He complimented out of nowhere, a force of habit from before he had been trapped in the eternal forest, used to assuming all pretty women he met were married, so he addressed her as Mrs.

 

[SoftSmile]

Jack Hayfield ​

Sage transformed into a larger form of himself and Jack felt his stomach sink. He no longer felt as comfortable talking to the fairy normally, obviously nervous around him like he was with the others.

When the fairy directly spoke to Jack, the goat held his breath only for it to get pushed out by a hug. He whimpered quietly, taking a step back from Sage without saying a word. He gave him a small smile to reassure Sage he didn’t do anything wrong, but held up his hands in front of him to motion that he wanted just a bit of personal space.

“I’ll–I’ll help with collecting firewood if someone would help me.” He was [helpless] to whatever dangers may lie within the forests and around the mountains.



NeramoDJI Novama DSLIX Uasal upscalerat

 

[upscalerat]

CODE BY SEROBLISS

Kyra Graves

Grade E Human

Abel had been quiet, but at least Sorcha had volunteered the two of them to go search for somewhere to camp. Tupu had offered to take on whatever job was left unfulfilled, and Sage offered grabbing a tree for them if nothing else, and Jack volunteered to go collecting firewood. Something about his small frame made Kyra want to protect him- so she nodded at the rest of the party as the two women went off in search of camp. "Tupu, would you mind looking for food and water? And, Sage," she added, raising her voice some as she addressed the now-large fey, "a tree might be overkill, but a branch would honestly be appreciated if all else fails. Or something on the food front for those of us who do need to eat," she suggested.

With that taken care of, she looked to Jack, and smiled. "I believe that leaves me free to help you hunt for firewood, then," she said, and, one by one, lifted a leg up behind her and grabbed it to stretch it out some. "Given the terrain, we might have to go a bit to get any kindling- and I imagine we'd both prefer to be back before dark. So, let's go quickly, yeah?" Kyra was ready to go [Fast F] at Jack's word so the pair might be back with kindling sooner.

 

[Uasal]

Echo - 'Sorcha' - Dead

Having returned without any firewood in hand, Echo was feeling somewhat defeated. In all honesty she had expected to at least find some sort of tree like root growing along the mountain side but alas, she was not so fortunate. It seemed, even the plant life feared the dragons call, go figure. That being said, Echo didn't quite fancy ending her day on a fail and so decided to instead investigate the cliff edge she had noticed earlier. Why was it rigged anyway, surely there were easier ways to kill people as a means of securing their belongings. With how the trap was set to make the target fall, those who had set it would need to venture down to the depths of the ravine in order to collect their bounty. No, this had to be for buying whomever it was that set it time.

The bridge being collapsed only solidified such, whoever or whatever had done both, was clearly intent on heading up the mountain unfollowed. At least to Echo that was the obvious intent based on what little she could grasp of the situation. /using her razor wire Echo was carefully examining the limits of the traps trigger when suddenly startled by the not so little fairy. Caught off guard and flustered by the sudden compliment the woman lost focus. Her hand moving just a little to far out for her own good. With a crack and a snap the cliff edge gave way and poor Echo was dragged quickly along with it. "Ah, Fu..".

Tumbling down along with the cliff edge echo was dead long before she hit the ravine floor. Boulders, sharp rocks and all sorts battering her as she ragdolled in free fall. Even if anyone dared to investigate her remains, they'd find little left but red pulp and blood splattered amongst the debris. It was safe to say revival would not be an option.
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[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa

Tupu watches idly seeing the two women who were tasked with firewood return unsuccessfully with a somewhat defeated look on Sorcha's face. A small smirk comes across his face seeing a regular sized Sage offer to collect a tree for firewood, as Tupu was rather interested to see how that would go as well. Hearing Jack then offer to find firewood with the help of someone else made Tupu expression show his pity towards the kid almost making him sigh from his truly [helpless] demeanor. Hearing Kyra start to give out jobs for the group Tupu listens intently and just nods with a soft expression when he hears his duty of getting water and food if possible. He simple says "I'll handle it then." before hearing Kyra ask Sage to search for food as well. Tupu then looks over at the man sitting on top of his large sword looking like a grown child and say unable to hold in an amused smirk "I guess I'll leave the food to you then if you plan on looking for such." As Tupu slowly approaches the exit he notices Sorcha wander off back towards the broken bridges edge and starts to investigate it seemingly. He pays it no mind until he hears a crumbling noise behind him making him turn back to see Sorcha gone from where she once was. He quickly rushes towards the edge but stops halfway when his [Enhanced Sense] of smell picked up on the strong scent of blood signaling the undeniable end of the woman. Tupu sighs deeply and says quietly to himself "Well there goes the morale of the group." expecting those not desensitized to tragedies such as this to become somewhat shaken by this sudden incident. Tupu was rather desensitized himself expecting tragedy to occur at least once during the trip though he plans to make it the only one or at least not be the victim of the next tragic event, and says a quick prayer for the deceased Sorcha hoping her passing was at least painless despite it's brutality.
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​

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage Litwile

Sage watched Scorcha tumble down the way, frowning as he didn't have the time to grab her from her fall, knowing he could have saved her if he had just grabbed a hold, but alas, death was not something he was unfamiliar with. He had been killing things nonstop for 20 years. It's just unfortunate it had to happen to a girl as pretty as Scorcha. "I-I...." He tried to think of what to say, before sighing, looking over the other side of the canyon. "Those bandits did this, they intended for whoever was there to fall. But now they'll know the meaning of an eye for an eye." He said, hefting the massive blade up like it weighed nothing, starting to flutter across the canyon. "You all worry about camping. I'm killing the bandits before anyone else gets hurt." He said, perfectly ready to slaughter the whole camp, despawning the blade so he wouldn't be too visible to whatever opponents he was seeking out.

 

[rager]

Abel did not enjoy her little excursion. But she was compliant, as usual, and she let the human girl lead while she trailed behind a few paces in her usual fashion. But despite being alone in the company of a brute, she did not resign herself to uselessness. She searched intently and wordlessly through the mists for anything that could be helpful to the party.
Abel thought that the discovery two havens would cheer her companion, but Echo maintained an aura of disappointment as they returned to the rest of the group.

She gasped as she watched Echo die. Her usual calm demeanor shattered for an instant when she bore witness to the sudden violent death of the woman. Even in death the humans were messy and crude. Her heart settled soon, however. After all, it was a human woman. Why should she feel sorrow? She glanced tentatively at the others in the group, awaiting their reactions. Surely at least the other humans in the company would feel some sort of grief for a woman of their own kind. Abel expected at least a measure of reverence for their fallen kin as she observed them.

She almost laughed as she bore witness to the careless brevity in which the other human regarded his companion's brutal death. She laughed not out of mirth, but out of incredulousness. Despite her hatred for them, they still managed to shock her with their utter brutishness. No ceremony, no words of parting. Not even stones placed to mark the human girl's passing. She let her disgust show, casting particularly bitter glances at the still living man human. She didn't look at the human girl, not caring to see another presumably distasteful reaction.

"We had found two shelters. One was a cavern, the other, a crevice. We continue with Kyra's plan quickly, and head to one or the other before we can't see our own feet," she muttered. Her voice was low and her words were carefully chosen, regardless of how much they bled with disgust. She would help in whatever ways that were necessary to get the job(s) done as quickly as possible.
If she were to lead the others to a shelter, she would choose the cave unless they desired otherwise.
She wished that the fairy boy would continue searching for wood, but he was not doing that.

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa​

Seeing Sage's reaction to the situation gave Tupu the strong urge to follow him as despite his desensitized mind towards tragedy he felt a strong guilt for not being able to prevent it. He sits by the edge where Sorcha fell struggling to swallow his urge to fight before just sighing and turning around planning to find all the resources they've failed to gather so far. When Tupu turns around to the rest of the group he is met with a distasteful look from Abel the quietest person of the group so far which confused him greatly. His immediately shrugs off the confusion as it would only hold him back and met her quick gaze with a piercing but somewhat sad eyes. Tupu didn't know if Abel blamed him for what happened or whatever the case for her bitter looks but he wouldn't be discouraged or swayed any way because of such misunderstanding. Tupu started casually walking back towards the way they came and as he passes the rest of the group deciding the campsite ignoring the badly disguised disgust in Abel's voice as she speaks and he simply says "Find a place to rest and I'll do the rest." Before anyone could possibly respond Tupu then launches himself about 10 yards forward off one foot using his [Jumping E] to skip down the path. As he skips he looks around while mid-air while also using his [Heightened Sense] of smell to search for any water, food, or wood to make a campfire planning to quickly get all 3 and get back before dark if possible.
rager NeramoDJI upscalerat SoftSmile Novama​

 

[Novama]

Mentions: Uasal SoftSmile upscalerat NeramoDJI DSLIX rager
OOC: next scene is here
Time: ???
Weather: cool temperatures and always dark and gloomy
Cooldown:
TLDR: party is now in a kobold/trap invested cave system nearly to the dragon's lair. they must choose what to do next.
Post Listening:

Paizu Mountain Range

​

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the group found themselves growing weary from their long day's journey. Tupu and Kyra, the most reliable of the bunch, skillfully gathered supplies and set up camp for the night. Despite their best efforts, the campsite they chose was far from ideal; neither location was particularly comfortable or hospitable. The harsh terrain and biting winds served as a constant reminder of the dangerous mission they were undertaking. The memory of Sorcha's untimely death was still fresh in their minds, driving home the perilous nature of their quest.

After a fitful night's rest, the party continued onward, reaching a daunting gorge that stood between them and their objective. With determination and teamwork, they managed to cross the gorge and were finally able to press on. In time, they would come to a cave which was part of a tunnel system within the dragon's mountain. This labyrinthine network would lead them to the Dragon's Lair eventually, but it was not without its own challenges.

The mountain tunnels were a vast, intricate network of narrow passageways and cavernous chambers that seemed to stretch endlessly into the heart of the mountain. The walls were rough-hewn and jagged, glistening with moisture as underground springs seeped through the cracks. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like menacing daggers, while stalagmites erupted from the ground, forcing the adventurers to navigate the maze-like pathways with caution. The air was heavy with the damp, musty scent of decay and the oppressive darkness was only occasionally pierced by the faint glimmer of bioluminescent fungi that clung to the walls, casting eerie shadows on the tunnel floors. The tunnels were teeming with Kobolds.

Cunning creatures who had allied themselves with the dragon and were responsible for the treacherous booby traps littering the mountainside, the Kobolds that filled these tunnels were small, reptilian creatures, standing around three feet tall with scaly, leathery skin that varied in color from dull greens to earthy browns. Their heads were reminiscent of a dragon's, with sharp, beady eyes that glinted with cunning intelligence. They possessed long, sinewy tails that aided in their balance and quick, agile movements. The Kobolds were tribal in nature, with distinct markings and adornments to signify their clan affiliation. They wore tattered clothing and armor made from scavenged materials and were armed with an assortment of primitive weapons such as spears, daggers, and slingshots.

Despite their small stature, the Kobolds were fierce and tenacious fighters, working together in packs to defend their territory and protect their dragon ally. Their knowledge of the tunnels and proficiency in setting traps made them formidable adversaries in the confined spaces of the mountain. They were skilled at blending into their surroundings, often lying in wait to ambush unsuspecting intruders, using their numbers and cunning strategies to their advantage. The adventurers would need to tread carefully and rely on their wits to outmaneuver these crafty creatures as they delved deeper into the mountain's depths.

Days passed as the group cautiously navigated the treacherous tunnels, facing both physical and mental obstacles in their pursuit of the dragon. The passage of time weighed heavily on them, each day blending into the next as they delved deeper. They paused for a break in a chamber that had a leaky opening to a clouded sky during the day. The party was getting low on supplies and it was unclear how much longer they had left to go. The last parties had the benefit of a road, which the party had learned was destroyed by the kobolds. Not only was their journey blazing a new trail, but it was littered with kobolds.

Up ahead of the party was what they believed to be a massive horde of kobolds in a massive chamber with several pockets and tunnels attached. There may be more traps ahead too. They would need to decide, as they rested, whether they would: continue to press forward and risk facing terms they may perish against, or turning around now and hope that traveling downhill would speed them to safety. The mountain rumbled slightly from a dragon's roar overhead. Visibility was not good.

 

[SoftSmile]

Jack Hayfield ​

Jack had such a nice time collecting firewood, he happily conversed with Kyra and talked about interesting facts about the surrounding wildlife. He actually talked. A lot. Whenever she would ask a simple question he would go on these long rants about the different types of mountains and trees and sometimes even animals.

When they eventually made it back to the group, Jack didn’t notice anything wrong at first. There were so many different people he hadn’t really paid attention to all of them, but he had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that something had happened.

“Is everything okay?” Jack looked up at Tupu specifically as his pupils expanded, giving the man a puppy dog expression.

-

Jack walked through the cave in the middle of the group, afraid to be attacked from the front or behind. He would always stay near one of the others, sometimes a bit too close for comfort. Constantly worrying about every movement in his peripheral vision, he was often looking around, even down at the ground or up at the cave ceiling where he imagined things burying through the hard stone to rip him open with their…Rock burrowing features. He didn’t know specifically what he was looking for!

Navigating the passageways was much easier to the beast than it would be with some of the others. His small stature, reliable hooves and darkvision allowed him to traverse narrower and more darker parts of the labyrinth unimpeded.

However, he seemed to be enjoying his time. Despite the kobold encounters, he felt safe within the group. Sometimes he would even forget some of his paranoia and be able to examine the fungi on the walls and some of the rock formations within the long tunnel. He would sketch in his notebook every now and then when they decided they needed a break. It kept him calm.

When they would settle down to sleep, Jack would hum a few songs to them before going to sleep himself. He felt it was his job to keep morale up, as he couldn’t do much else. While they would travel he would constantly ask them about their lives, their stories and how they took this quest. Anything to keep them distracted.

After a few days of happy and spry Jack he began to tire, bags under his eyes but continued to smile whenever speaking.
The goat began to nod off as they paused for a break at a chamber. He gazed up at the sky and felt himself begin to slip into unconsciousness. He looked over to his other party members before mumbling something and laying his head down. There were kobolds up ahead, most definitely. He would just get in the way. He was so useless that even the sight of one of them made him freeze with fear.

As he began to doze off, a dragon’s roar reverberated throughout the mountain, making him jump up on his hooves. “I’m good! I’m fine!” He said as he held his chest, trying to convince himself those words were true. Holding his hands together he took a few deep breaths before he could stop his shaking. It was okay. They were just going to get through this and talk to the scary dragon and he would turn out not so scary and then they would all be friends and everything will be fine.



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[upscalerat]

CODE BY SEROBLISS

Kyra Graves

Grade E Human

It had been so nice, those days ago, when Kyra and Jack had collected that firewood- she had loved seeing just how much the boy opened up about the local flora and fauna. And his detailed knowledge was thoroughly impressive: she knew that if she ever wanted any advice on foraging or natural remedies, Jack would be the one to look to for advice. By the time that the pair had returned to camp, she might have even ventured to say that they were becoming friends- but the gristle scenario that greeted them upon their return quickly became the only thing that she could think about.

The cave system that followed was a stark change from the mountains that they had been climbing. It didn't take long for Kyra to miss the fresh air and sunlight of the outside world; but it was something to look forward to when this was all over, she kept telling herself. And ideally less deadly chasms for one to fall into. She found herself thinking more and more of Sorcha among the monotony of walking through the caves- one moment the woman was there, the next, she was gone. This never would have happened in my old life. Maybe if I'd gone caving, but... Did I make a mistake? Will I die, just like that, myself? She felt some guilt over not knowing the deceased better, despite the days of travelling with her- but despite that, Kyra made little effort to get to know the others better.

The one exception was Jack: now that her eyes had been opened to his fascination with the world around him, she would sometimes ask him to explain what he knew. In part, this served to try and lessen his clear anxiety, but it was also in part because of her own curiosity. And Jack, in his own right, was plenty talkative with the rest of the party. While Kyra didn't start their subterrainian journey as the most sociable, she did feel that she knew the others better- and that they, in turn, knew her better- before long.

It was clear that there were kobolds in the caves, and it only took so many days to come onto a whole nest of them. At least this chamber offered a crack of sky and some fresh air. Kyra sat, leaning against a cave wall, with her eyebrows furrowed in thought. In the distance, the dragon roared, and felt like an unreachable obstacle.

Finally, with a sigh, she looked up towards the party. "I bet there's a fair few of them waiting for us up ahead," she said, to no one in particular. "On the one hand, if we can defeat them... Well, they've got to eat, too. We might be able to replenish our supplies. But, on the other, they've got the home field advantage, haven't been walking for days, and they've got numbers." She bit her lip in thought, her gaze unfocused. "Sage, can you shrink down further? If you're small enough, you might be able to scout out what lies ahead with minimal risk, or something..." she mused.