Rifts Adventure IC

[Psychie]

Terra pauses for a moment, using the time to activate her Flight Tattoo, and, for good measure, her Invulnerability. "It looks like I'm going to be leaving my kids behind for now. They should be safe here in the fortress while we're gone. At least it looks like I can keep up with these were-creatures while in the air." She launches up and takes off after the quartet.

 

[Sherwood]

Heading out after the four werejaguars, I am guessing that Daisy will be riding/carried by Zeph, and Terra and Snowfall will be flying on their own?

Traveling through the jungle, Zephiron can easily see that the four jaguars are splitting up, with the two that had lingered in the treeline earlier running on ahead while Jorge and Maja are traveling a bit slower to allow you to follow along behind. In this form, the four of them are lightning quick and agile, leaving no trace of their passage as they go.

With his advanced perception ability running, Zephiron is able to smell the distinct scent of wood smoke, and soon you can see a small village hidden in the trees that are made of mud and branches, with perhaps a hundred people living in it. These people all have the same dark Hispanic skin tone and primitive clothes that are barely more than rags and loincloths covering them up, and you see no one armed with weapons other than the occasional utilitarian knife or stone hatchet visible.

 

[Purr]

Snowfall appeared gently beside Terra's shoulder and materialized into his Fox Form. White-furred and wild-eyed, he sat there as she flew along, his fur pulled back in the breeze, giving her a look as if to ask permission. Once granted (thanks to her player), Snowfall immediately dispelled his worries like sunshine breaking away clouds! Traveling across Rifts Earth onto another new adventure with new people and new everythings, he laughed the joyous, crazy laugh of the fox!

Spoiler: Turn this up! I dare you!

"THE FOXES LOVE ME!" from SaveAFox. I can't listen to this without smiling! Finnegan and Dixie make such crazy sounds! 8D

 

[Psychie]

Terra grins at the playful fox as she flies, doing her best to keep up the pace with the were-creatures. If they are true lycanthropes, their abilities and resistances to harm could come in very handy in facing off against the vampires. All we need to do is to convince them to throw their lot in with us. No pressure.

As they approach the small make shift village, she slows her advance and lands a short distance away to allow the villagers to see her and not consider her to be a threat. Terra then looks around for Jorge and Maja, hoping to spot them to make the introductions.

 

[D. Rex]

The glitterboy can run ten miles faster than a mundane jaguar, combined with a levitation spell, thrusters, and and enough mass to plow through anything that gets in her way. She should be able to keep up without much problem.

 

[D. Rex]

But going to ride Zephiron anyway.

 

[Sherwood]

Rykon Does Zephiron set down in the middle of the small village, or a short distance away and approach on foot?

 

[Rykon]

After circling over the village overhead, while invisible, Zephiron will set down at the edge of the village and assume human form before entering the village proper. He brushes off the fine clothes the Brazamal's attendants had adorned him with during his time with the Elder Dragon. "Might as well enter like this, if they get spooked there will be no getting through the screams and panic." The hatchling sighed.

 

[Sherwood]

With the appearance of Terra, Zephiron, Snowfall in his fox form and Daisy in her armor, people in the village stop what they are doing to come investigate. You all can see Jorge and Maja, once more in human form, talking with the people that are stepping forward. As you step forth, you can see a mix of facial expressions looking at you; some are curious, some are visibly disgruntled, still more look cautious, trying to figure out just what your presence means to them.

Jorge motions for you to come over and join him.

 

[Purr]

Snowfall tried to make the best, most positive impression he could. He smiled, wagged his tail, and made cute approving sounds at anyone who seemed friendly. He was more than a Messenger of Sacred Inari, more than a Dimensional Traveler taught by the wonderful Atlanteans - he was a creature who wanted harmony between people. It didn't take a fox spirit to see that these people could use some help in that department.

Unless he was addressed, he went on letting the others take the lead while he watched, listened, and learned. He especially took notice of their language. If his keen ears kept drinking it up, he might be able to converse with them in a few days or perhaps a week. Not fluently, but certainly conversationally. Plus, they would probably be very curious about Miss Terra and her team. This presented all kinds of possibilities to learn about these humans.

It was good to be a fox!

 

[Silanon]

A few moments of simply staring into the distance; the place where the others vanished, and as far as she can see from there. Running off to do the right thing, or learn how to do it at least. Tempting to be with them, it's what she'd usually do. Not that tempting to leave this place unprotected, though, so she stays. One hand against the cool steel in reach, the other drumming an arrythmic beat. Weird, to be alone for once. Offers all those neat opportunities that only fools would take advantage of. You know, the kind of thing that starts an alien invasion by accident, or blows up the entire place around her. She knows better, barely; there's work to do instead. A mental command to shut all points of entry; then her legs carry her back towards the former hole in the hull. A tad boring, to make sure everything's in place; getting there is the interesting part. But still, it's work that needs to be done if they don't wish to sink by accident, real soon. In case the ocean's still the way to go, that is, she wouldn't know yet.

"Hey, Shaona here - everyone still alive?" Never bad to put the team comms to a test, plus it makes this work less monotonous. "Any food there? Dancers? Ballistic missiles?" You never know what to expect... quietly, Shaona works away, one ear awaiting a response, one part of her mind dipping just deep enough into the fortress' possibilities to keep an eye on the surrounding as well.

 

[Psychie]

Terra advances calmly, doing her best to look non-threatening as she does so. While she walks up, she responds to Shaona's message. "We just arrived at a small village of perhaps a hundred people, and are about to try and make our introductions with them. The place looks very primitive, with huts made of leaves and mud; no sign of technology anywhere. Keep the line open and we'll send you updates as we get more news."

Once she gets to Jorge and Maja, she stops and offers up a slight bow. In clear English, she says, "Thank you for inviting us to your home."

 

[Rykon]

Zephiron taps his translator to ensure himself that it was infact still working. "Salutations humble villagers. We've heard you have a bit of a vermin problem that needs dealing with. Do you mind if we enter to have a chat and maybe some food?" The hatchling says in American with an enthusiastic wave.

 

[Sherwood]

Jorge waves all of you over to the center of the primitive village and once more rattles off in the native dialect, then says in English, "Please, welcome to our village. It is not much to look at, but for now, it is home. Most of our people do not speak your language, so Maja or I will have to translate for you." As he speaks, you can see that the villagers are pulling out some food from inside their huts and are offering you an assortment of dried meats and fruits.

Taking a seat in the middle of the small clearing, Jorge says, "Let me first tell you about what you have already seen; we are a tribe of were-jaguars, and this jungle is our land that we have lived on for generations. We stay on the move to keep the vampires and their minions from being able to find us, but on occasion, we are called to arms to defend ourselves. If you were able to do something about the fiends, you would have the eternal thanks of our tribe. Tell me, what is it that we can do to enlist your aid?"

 

[Psychie]

Terra wracks her mind to try and think of what she might know of were-creatures, but in the meantime, she walks over and sits down across from Jorge cross legged and looks at the man. She says, "Well, for one, we need information. Not just on the vampires, minions and the giant monster that is controlling them, but on what we might be able to expect from your tribe. From what I know of were-people, you are very tough and resistant to harm. That trait can come in very handy if we are facing off against a horde of nasties. To be honest, I am not overly worried about the vampires; they are easy enough to keep at bay while we kill them with our magic and our weapons."

She ponders for a moment, then says, "Next, what might you be able to offer us to take on this threat? I fully expect that there will be a sizable amount of loot to pick over once the Intelligence is killed or displaced, but like my friend Daisy here commented, we wouldn't like to work for free if we can get paid for this."

 

[Sherwood]

Terra wracks her mind to try and think of what she might know of were-creatures, but in the meantime, she walks over and sits down across from Jorge cross legged and looks at the man. She says, "Well, for one, we need information. Not just on the vampires, minions and the giant monster that is controlling them, but on what we might be able to expect from your tribe. From what I know of were-people, you are very tough and resistant to harm. That trait can come in very handy if we are facing off against a horde of nasties. To be honest, I am not overly worried about the vampires; they are easy enough to keep at bay while we kill them with our magic and our weapons."

She ponders for a moment, then says, "Next, what might you be able to offer us to take on this threat? I fully expect that there will be a sizable amount of loot to pick over once the Intelligence is killed or displaced, but like my friend Daisy here commented, we wouldn't like to work for free if we can get paid for this."

Jorge takes a bite of the food and chews as he listens to Terra, nodding slowly. "I understand. We can give you much knowledge of the vampires, after all, the pyramid that they have was once ours many generations ago. Our shaman knows all the secrets of the pyramid from his teachings from his predecessor. Of course that does not tell us what the bloodsuckers have done inside the pyramid in the intervening years; they will most likely have many traps to confound intruders."

He pauses, the says, "We were once powerful warriors, but the vampires have wiped out many of us, taking the cream of our warriors away from us. But the few of us that remain will rise up to fight the fiends to reclaim our ancestral home. Of those you see here, perhaps fifty are of age and health to take this fight on. There is little in the way of money here; we simply do not need it. We do, however, know of an ancient cache of weapons of the kind you use that you may be interested in. If you agree to help, we will take you there and all that is inside is yours. Will that be enough of a payment for your aid?"

 

[Psychie]

The idea of getting her hands on a old weapon storehouse does sound good, depending on just how old and/or well maintained the gear inside is. If it is too old and decayed, it will be of little use to them. But if it is a fairly 'modern' one, then it could be just the thing. Addressing that very point, Terra asks, "Jorge, can you give any details on what this weapons cache is, and its current condition? If the place has fallen into disrepair from being abandoned for so long, it won't be of any use to us."

 

[Sherwood]

Jorge replies to Terra, "I understand your question, and it is a valid one. The facility is underground and sealed against the elements, and from what our legends tell us, it was established sometime around the great cataclysm that brought forth the Rifts to this world. Our history tells us that this armory has weapons and vehicles of a kind that are equal to the technology of this day." He pauses for a moment, thinking.

"As a show of good faith, I can take you the armory. We know the secrets of being able to get inside, and you can see for yourselves if there is anything that is of value to you."

 

[Psychie]

Terra smiles. "An inspection of this armory sounds like a good idea. Daisy, I believe that you will be our current expert on this, so if any of us go there and investigate, it should be you. Also Jorge, you said that there is a pyramid that this vampire has taken control of. What can you tell us about that?"

D. Rex

 

[Sherwood]

With the aid of Jorge translating, the village shaman describes the pyramid that the Vampire Intelligence has laid claim to. It is quickly clear to Terra and Snowfall that he is describing an ancient Aztec temple. There are a series of internal chambers in the pyramid, but none of them are large enough to house the monster; after all, the Intelligence's physical form is between one and two hundred feet across! However, there are a few natural caverns under the pyramid that the fiend resides in, and they still give it control over the ley lines and the mystic energy of the Nexus point.

There are a few access passages that lead into the pyramid that the were-jaguar tribe is aware of, and there is a underground river that leads along the natural caverns that can be used to access the inner caverns, but you would need either sealed environmental armor or some other means to be able to breathe underwater.

 

[Purr]

"Concerning reward," Snowfall said to Jorge with respect, "I have long looked for a way to unlock my potential as a fox spirit. I would like a rare form that bridged the gap between animal and human, too. Would you be willing to assist me with this?"

"Concerning strategy, do you have the means to breathe and travel underwater or something similar?"

 

[D. Rex]

"I have an eye for weapons. I'll check the payment happily."


"As for breathing underwater, my armor is sealed. I can travel underwater."

 

[Rykon]

Zephiron turns to Snowfall with a satisfied grin, "I have a spell that can enable us to operate without a need for air. Underwater or otherwise. I can help anyone else who needs a hand as well."

 

[Psychie]

Terra nods. "I know a spell that can help us to get through that water, too. Breathe Without Air. Very effective, and I would hope that it would last long enough to get through the water before its duration runs out." She turns to Daisy. "Why don't you go with one of our new friends here to examine this storehouse of equipment. Zeph? Would you mind going with them? I don't want any of us to be traveling out here by ourselves if we can avoid it."

Rykon D. Rex

 

[Sherwood]

Jorge says, "The trip to the storehouse is not far; we can make the distance in less than an hour, and from what I've seen of you, you will have no problem keeping up. Mara? Will you take them, please? Just be careful; the minions of the vampires are always looking for us and others that would encroach upon their lands."

D. Rex Rykon I presume you are taking your armor and riding on Zephiron to go to the cache?