The Accursed Island [Closed]

[cityship]

Planet Designation: Forcellia
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Homo Sapiens.
Water: 69.5% of the planet's surface.
Climate: Earth-like
Landscape: Varied.
Air: Normoxic concentration.
Air Pressure: 101.3 kPa (kilopascals) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue, with variable cloud cover.
Sun: A class G2V, yellow star.
Warnings: Wildlife and plant-life can be hazardous. Humans can be hazardous.
Mission: Negotiate for or otherwise obtain the artifact known as the Scepter of Domination.

Forcellia, or at least the part of it that contained the clearing in which the group now found themselves, wasn't exactly welcoming. The ground was little more than rocky soil, the sky violet-grey and overcast. Here, it was evidently late afternoon, edging into evening. It was slightly humid, as if from a recent rain; faint clouds of steamy mist seemed to curl off the ground, partially obscuring their view of their surroundings. Scraggly trees rose up out of this mist here and there, as if grasping towards fresher air.

The villagers in the area had supposedly been contacted ahead of time, and this had been the place they’d agreed to meet the crew. Whether or not they knew anything about this supposed Scepter of Domination, however, was not yet clear. What the Scepter even did or how it might contribute to their struggle was even less clear.

In the distance, they might hear the occasional whinny of a horse, or the lowing of a cow carrying up to them from the distance, though it was difficult, if not impossible, to tell from which direction the sound was coming from.

Comments

ABANDONED LANDING SITE

[cityship]

Not a soul could be seen at the meeting site. Was this foreboding place really where they were supposed to be greeting the villagers?
[Subthreaded, feel free to threadjack!]

Re: ABANDONED LANDING SITE

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

Soren scowled as he surveyed the area. Dark, dreary, and --

"I see punctuality is not one of their virtues."

But at least they were on land. He was not terribly impressed with space. (SPAAAAAAACE!)

Re: ABANDONED LANDING SITE

[quick_strike]

"Patience."

Alendian peered through the red eyes of her helmet, the display inside marking off areas and looking for any signs of life. "Waiting is simply a phase of existence."

[hic-sum-dracone.livejournal.com]

"Um..." Caro is a little nervous, this being her first mission, but she is used to gathering lost artifacts. "Maybe something happened to them."

Fried is up above, trying to see what he can see, but he can't get very high in this sealed form. "Maybe I should take Fried up to look for them?"

THE ATTACK

[cityship]

The ground began to shake, the rumbling almost imperceptible at first, then increasing in volume until it seemed to come from both nowhere and everywhere at once. Even as the quaking worsened, the air grew heavy and still. Then, out of the dense cloud cover, it came – the massive, reptilian head first, followed by a serpentine neck and an immense armored body. A red dragon, its burnished scales glinting in the low light of day. Four great, ragged wings kept it aloft as it soared through the sky toward the group assembled below.

As it approached, the crew suddenly heard a shout – a human shout. Someone was running toward them through the mist: a man, clad in the gear of a watchman. Probably one of the villagers. But before any could react, a bright, white-hot swath of flame shot out from the dragon’s open jaws, finding its mark in an instant. The man only had an instant to scream; he was reduced to cinders even as he ran to reach them.

Oh. Oops. Well, at least they'd sent someone out to meet the crew.
[keep it to one thread, please! No set posting order, and remember, you’ll get another crack at the dragon later on!]

[thisclinchesit]

The shaking ground was jarring enough, but the appearance of the dragon brought back some rather unpleasant memories of an old man and his pet...

And then whoever that was got reduced to nothing. ...well, that was terribly unsettling to say the least. Shoutarou shudders visibly, then pulls out a Driver, putting it on his waist out of reflex, pulling out a purple object. "Philip! ... Philip?"

Crap, the Double Driver's range doesn't reach back to Stacy.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Dragons?! Here?! Ronnae didn't know whether to be overjoyed, or angered. She had always had an immense respect for the dragons of her world, maybe a bit more favorable than most ever since she was a kid and snuck out into the stables where the family kept most of the dragons that had joined their group.

This one however didn't seem like it was about to let her tame it, and as such, she unsheathed and readied her two large weapons and poised herself for an attack, moving to the front to help and try to keep the others from suffering harm.

NAVARRE VILLAGE

[cityship]

After the ordeal, the group was led to the town meeting hall, where they were to address the village matriarch. A few other individuals from the village flanked her where she stood, a woman in late middle age dressed in white robes, her only adornment a thin gold circlet above her brow. Her eyes looked tired, but she held herself tall as she addressed them, looking each in the eyes.

“I’m sorry your arrival here had to be so unpleasant. We’ve been dealing with the threat of Shooting Star for quite some time, but for new arrivals, it must have been quite a fright. My name is Neese, and I extend my welcome to you, travelers.”
[subthreaded, threadjack all you want! Tag the NPCs, or each other!]

NEESE

[cityship]

[Neese stood at the center of the room, ready to entertain any questions the crew had. Though she was not a combatant, she was intimately familiar with the plight of the village and the threat posed by Shooting Star.]

Re: NEESE

[guardian-wakka.livejournal.com]

::Wakka approached lady circlethead::

Hey, uh... so, do you know anything about usin' magic on that dragon? Like if you could make it blind with magic or anything?

::Because if you can't, having Wakka here is more for comedic relief than usefulness.::

SHIRIS

[cityship]

[The woman who had been introduced as Shiris stood off in one corner of the room; though she interjected once or twice, for the most part, she seemed to respect Neese. She contented herself with silently seething, glaring at the crew as if they’d personally wronged her.]

Re: SHIRIS

[masterofnun.livejournal.com]

Obviously the best thing to do to cranky people is try to kill them with kindness! Or overt friendliness cloaked under a dense layer of stupid, as is Punchy's default state.

He walks up to her and holds his left hand out to shake. "You got some kinda wedge with us, shawty? We ain't trying to do any harm. Seems like this whole deal can be mutually beneficial, yeah?"

ORSON

[cityship]

[The young man that had arrived to meet the crew during the surprise attack stood slightly off to the side, with an almost impractically long, heavy broadsword leaning against his shoulder. He seemed to be listening, but his face was oddly blank, even as the dragon and the villagers’ plight was being discussed. He kept out of the conversation for the most part.]

THE SHADOW OF KASTUUL

[cityship]

Night had fallen, and the crew had been shown to the dwelling the villagers had prepared for them. The mayor of the village had once made residence here, before he’d abandoned the people for the prospect of living somewhere where it was not always on fire. So it was large enough to accommodate everyone, though some would no doubt have to share a room.

It was quiet now, save for the sounds of night: the occasional call of a bird, the sound of insects, and the occasional breeze. A few guards had been posted in the area, but the consensus was that another attack would not come so soon after the latest.

Those wandering outside might find themselves strangely drawn to an area just outside the village outskirts, as if called…
[Subthreaded, tag in the house, wandering the village, talking to Karla, etc. No set posting order for Karla, and anyone can butt in and ask questions.]

KARLA

[cityship]

In a moonlit clearing at the edge of the village stood a tall, raven-haired woman. There was a cloak about her shoulders, and a delicate jeweled tiara on her brow; neither her manner nor her dress suggested that she was one of the villagers. She regarded those who approached her with an air of cool detachment, though she seemed talkative enough.

“Welcome, travelers, to the island of Lodoss.”

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

After having spent some time in the outskirts of the clearing, speaking to a few of her crewmates, the allure of the area she had been contemplating finally drew her in.

She wasn't expecting anyone to be there, so the sight made her even more curious. Maybe one of the locals out for a nightly stroll as well?

At her words, Ronnae frowned, mostly curious.

"I... thank you. Are you from the village perhaps?"

Re: KARLA

[masterofnun.livejournal.com]

Punchy scratches his chin a bit as he watches Karla. She's a fine shawty, not bitter and with a bug up her grill like that Shiris chick. In fact, she seems almost like she has nothing to do with them.

"Hey, ah. Boo with the boat." What's he supposed to call her, anyway? "What's your deal?"

Re: THE SHADOW OF KASTUUL

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

Soren had a piece of business or two to take care of, now that things had calmed down. Namely, tracking down both Sofia and Alendian to have a word with him. He'd try to find them in the house, first, then widen his search if it turned out they'd gone wandering outside.

[zenithianhero.livejournal.com]

Sofia was indeed outside, busy practicing her fighting sword poses. The almost robitic movements were for the most part silent, apart from the swish of the blade as it cut into the air.

[quick_strike]

Alendian was also found outside, leaning up against the house with her arms crossed. She didn't make any effort to hide but it certainly looked like she was trying to not be part of the group.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae had always been drawn by the night skies, so at the first chance of having access to a new one, she took it the second she was free of her duties for the day. She managed to get near the clearing that felt oddly inviting, but didn't approach, at least not yet since there were no others nearby.

Instead, she took the time to enjoy the view of this world's night skies.

[masterofnun.livejournal.com]

Punchy isn't the heavy sleeper type, so he's also wandering around the clearing. The usual idiotically optimistic mood has fallen a little, not that he's alone.

He screwed up fighting the dragon. Not horribly. Not fatally. No one's dead and his bad ideas didn't get anyone seriously injured, nor did it even turn the tide of the battle. He's sure most of his comrades didn't notice.

He noticed.

Despite the night-vision capabilities, he has his goggles off at the moment. Those are for heroes, and he's...well, he's not there yet. He's trying. But heroes succeed, they rescue villages, they tame dragons and bring home the MacGuffin.

It occurs to him that he really doesn't know what he'll do if he's not hero material. The thought makes him feel like his guts are coursing with ice water.

He's so lost in his own thoughts (not to mention the darkness without his goggles) that he walks right into Ronnae. "Whoa! That you, Red?"

[quick_strike]

Alendian, on the other hand, had questions that were burned in her mind. Most of them involved having a coherent greenskin in the party. As far as Alend was concerned, her kind were fungi and never had a gender or sex yet it was pretty clear the opposite existed right here.

"You there. Ork."

Her reedy voice cut the silence, the 'k' in ork more emphasized than one would pronounce 'orc'.

Re: THE SHADOW OF KASTUUL

[thisclinchesit]

That periodic breeze is what had drawn Shoutarou out of the house, to an open area nearby. He stood, looking up at the sky - the stars were unfamiliar, as was the wind, but feeling actual wind again was quite nice.

And...well, Punchy wasn't the only one having doubts over himself. He stared at his Joker Memory with a scowl and a huff. He'd spent a year without Philip and done well enough, but this thing was far beyond anything he'd ever taken on solo...

Re: THE SHADOW OF KASTUUL

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

Soren, nearby, watched Punchy for a moment, debating whether or not to speak up.

"It appears your magic was not entirely successful in combating our latest little threat," he said. He wasn't trying to antagonize Shoutarou. It's just that he was Soren.