Brought Down to "Normal?" [Closed]

[meat_mooks]

||Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck.

Goliath
Farseer Alastirra
N'tho 'Sraom
Kang
Rainbow Dash
Crematia||

When the summoned gathered, mission information was displayed on the Obs Deck for them to see:


Planet Designation: Hendersus Villae
Status: Terrestrial, H-class
Non-sentient life: Minimal flora, aggressive nonsentient fauna.
Semi-sentient life: No
Sentient life: Yes
Water: 25% of planet's surface
Climate: Primarily volcanic with frequent ash and lightning storms, dry and hot at volcanically active equator, temperate seas to the north and south poles.
Landscape: Variable. Much of the planet's landmasses are constantly being reworked by lava flows.
Air: Normoxic concentration: 31% oxygen, 60% nitrogen, 2% xenon, 4% trace gases, such as hydrogen, krypton, and argon.
Air Pressure: 93.8 kPa (kilopascals) = 13.6 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Pale red, when visible.
Sun: Class G yellow star, distant orbit and dim light.
Warnings: Not suitable for crew incapable of flight, or without superhuman endurance.
Mission: Search and rescue Zarom Ghartha, missing GIA wizard, last seen en-route to investigate severe magical disturbance detected in the area of the planet. Crew is advised that native fauna is likely to be antagonistic, native sentients unfit to assist beyond the offering of information.

Comments

[elementofloyalty]

Rainbow Dash hovered over the landscape... waiting.

"Uh, okay, who here can't fly?"

[mercyisweakness]

For the sake of space, Crematia took the form of a human in the pod as they travel planetside. Once landed, Crematia quickly leaves the pod and into open air. The heat and the roar of flames remind her of the Abyss, of home, and oh she miss it so much.

Quickly she changed back into her original form and with a giant leap, she took off in the air, having a rather immature pleasure of creating gusts of air right back into her land-crawling companions' faces by the downbeat of her wings. She completely ignore the blue pony's pointless question.

[governorkang]

Kang snorted, muttering a curse, and something that sounded suspiciously like, "Goddamn red dragons."

He shook his head at Rainbow Dash's question, smiling wryly. The heat caused his scales to shift and spread slightly, and for him to wear a constant grin; it was just barely tolerable. The landscape also reminded him of the fire dragon cave years ago. "Gliding, nothing more."

[not_the_philistine]

"I as well can only glide," added Goliath, cloaking himself in his wings. He glanced around the flat landscape. "And even if there were winds here strong enough to lift me, there are no high enough points from which to take off."

Walking it is. With Crematia circling overhead, Goliath set off across the lava floes.

Almost immediately, he stepped on a thin, brittle shell of volcanic glass, indistinguishable from the floes around them, and plummeted from view.

[elementofloyalty]

"Well that's just great. This is gonna take FOREVER!" Rainbow Dash started to sulk openly -- before Goliath disappeared. Without hesitation she shot down after him. "Hey! You okay?!"

[not_the_philistine]

A screech of claws on stone issued from the crevasse as Goliath came to a stop, feet above an active lava flow.

He dug his claws into the solid stone and began his climb back out. "I'm fine."

Fortunately he hadn't fallen far before getting a grip.

"Unless there is a better climber in our party, perhaps I should walk first."

[farseer_alastirra]

"Maybe if I had claws instead of hooves, but with the dampeners in place, I cannot even feel the elemental spirits, much less attempt to speak with them. Though I regret not having fist weapons, now. Maces are good, but claws are definitely an advantage, here." the Draenei sighed.

"Though perhaps we ought to consider procuring a rope, in case something like this happens again?"

[governorkang]

Kang crossed his arms over his chest, debating, and muttered a curse, "Or we can go on dragonback, if Crematia will allow it."

[elementofloyalty]

"I'll go ask!"

Foolishly, unwisely optimistic, Rainbow Dash zipped up into the air, waving her hooves to get Crematia's attention. "Hey! Heeeey!"

[mercyisweakness]

Crematia is enjoying a moment of pure and unadulterated moment of flight - she duck and dive, only to flap her wings furiously to regain the altitude. When Ranbow Dash approach the red serpent, Crematia fold her wings tightly to her body and let herself to immediately fall to the ground like a stone, only to spread her wings at the last possible second and glide over the volcanic rock, an arrogant and superior smirk gracing her lips.

Regaing her altitude, she notice the tiny blue speck waving its hooves at her, vying for Crematia's attention. She eyes the winged pony with disdain.

[elementofloyalty]

Huh. For a huge dragon, she was a pretty good flyer. Rainbow Dash had to give her credit. (Not as good a flyer as Dash herself, of course! But that went without saying.)

She reared up a little, then shot over to Crematia, her tail leaving a streak of rainbow in her wake. She had entirely too little fear of getting right up close so Crematia could see her -- her last experience with a dragon having been put entirely out of her head.

[mercyisweakness]

Crematia gives Rainbow Dash a curious but haughty stare. She doesn't know what this pony is wanting, but she better keep it short - Crematia might not have this opportunity to fly in such perfect conditions ever again.

"Yes?" she says, her voice a deep rumble and smoke emitting from her nostrils.

[elementofloyalty]

"The non-flying guys are gonna hold us up forever and a day," she said, matching speeds neatly with the skill of one born to flight. "They wanna know if you'll give them a lift."

1/2

[mercyisweakness]

WHAT.

2/2

[mercyisweakness]

"I am not a beast of burden!" Crematia roared, making sure those weaklings on the ground can hear her.

How dare they she ought to swoop in and incinerate the lot for making such a request.

[governorkang]

"I thought that'd be her answer," Kang said dryly. "We'd best start moving on foot, then. Goliath?"

[not_the_philistine]

Goliath spared a deep sigh for the impracticality of a dragon's pride.

"I will take the lead."

He set out over the plains, stepping heavily to reveal any more false surfaces.

[meat_mooks]

He had no sooner come to the next covered crevasse when something large and dripping with lava burst through the thin glass shell with a shriek. The lava on its hard carapace rapidly cooled to stone that was merely searing hot as it lashed out with a razor-edged foreleg at Kang and Alastirra.

[mercyisweakness]

Crematia has been itching for a fight, something to dominate, to destroy and ruin. With the indignity fueling her ire, she notice something down on the ground, dripping in lava. She fold her wings and dives, landing on the heated floor with a heavy thud. She roars, but she is too slow for the quick limb as she combs through her mind to cast a spell.

[farseer_alastirra]

Well. Stacy had said magic was dampened, not entirely useless--hopefully this worked.

"Frost Shock!" She swung one of her maces at the beast's foreleg, counting on natural agility to get out of the rest of the way of the attack.

Well, and hopefully her armor still counted for something...

[governorkang]

Kang dodged the limb by only a few inches, his wings flaring in surprise, and without time to do much else besides draw his axe, he focused on his lightning. It wasn't exactly a spell, even if there was magic involved; breath weapons were more of a natural ability. He hoped it would work. He didn't want to engage the creature for any longer than was necessary, and get to the town as quickly as possible.

[meat_mooks]

The spellcasters valiant efforts tugged at the dulled and dampened magic seething under the surface of this harsh and unforgiving world, and . . . fizzled out after their initial bursts of power.

Alastirra's mace, on the other hand, struck its target true, and the beast reared back, screeching, its bladed foreleg at an odd angle. It stumbled back, injured, before charging the group again, holding its injured leg aloft.

At the same time, Crematia's landing opened another chasm in the unpredictable surface of the planet. The shattering volcanic glass spread across a much larger chasm, from which poured more of the hard-shelled, blade-armed beasts. They attempted to swarm the dragon, still dripping with molten lava.

[governorkang]

The few sparks that had managed to gather around Kang's mouth went out, and he cursed. It had been a gamble, anyways.

He swung his axe, aiming for the vulnerable joints of the creatures just as he would an Ohm Grunt.

[elementofloyalty]

Rainbow Dash to the rescue! In a fell swoop, she dove down, spun neatly in midair, then kicked both powerful hind legs at the creature's head as it charged.

[warriorraceguy]

N'tho could not fly, nor was he a good climber, but he could shoot.

He fired on one of the lava beasts as it charged him, keeping steady on the apparent gaps in its plating before dodging to the side, rolling shoulder-to-hip and regaining his feet quickly as it barreled past.