Session Start: Sat Jul 14 16:40:30 2007 Session Ident: #castlevania * Logging for #castlevania started * Fash is now known as Holmes * Rudyard has joined #castlevania * Rudyard has quit IRC (Quit: Rudyard) * Theodore has joined #castlevania * Rudyard has joined #castlevania * Holmes has quit IRC (Quit: ) * Holmes has joined #castlevania * Cheeseball is now known as CheeseAFK [The intrepid party prepares to journey north by going mount shopping.] [The Misty Isles bazaar teems with all manner of magic item and trained magic creature in addition to a few untrainable ones.] * NinjaDebugger is now known as Roland * CheeseAFK is now known as Nyyx * Roland has procured for himself a horse, dark brown in color, larger and stronger than southern mounts, and with the light of magic-heightened intelligence shining in its eyes. * Nyyx sits somewhat awkwardly atop a similarly-colored dark horse, attempting to figure out how to ride properly. * Rudyard spent a great deal of time looking at rare, trained cats, large and powerful, but very very expensive. Instead, he has opted to purchase a light grey war dog, strongly built, quick, and magebred. "I will call her Swiftsilver." He leaps up into his mount, only to fall off again. "This will be harder than I thought." * Rudyard is now known as Skip ((change the Rudyard to Skip)) * Theodore awkwardly rides a large, powerful brown magical horse. Relax, Theodore. The horse will practically ride itself for you. He knows what he's about. "Assuming he doesn't put his back out." * Nyyx pats her horse's gray mane. I can't say I've ridden before. That's why I headed for the magebred warhorses, Lady Natalia. They can handle themselves if combat breaks out. I'm not used to working with tamed beasts. My dog won't try to eat me, will it? * Roland laughs. * Nyyx nods. "Let's just hope I don't fall off regardless." As long as you treat it well, it will serve you loyally. If you raise up a dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the chief difference between a dog and a man. "That and the sniffing of arses." Well, let's hope someone raised this one right, then. No, I'm fairly certain that young men do their own fair share of sniffing arses. * Nyyx laughs. I suppose we should get moving, then. Quite. [After some minutes of leading the mounts through the town, the party emerges beyond the northern gates, mounts up, and rides north.] [Day 1: The party travels 60 miles up the coast and camps uneventfully.] [Day 2: The party travels 60 miles up the coast and finds a nest of quail to supplement their rations at camp.] Charlotte says there's a large predator ahead. Do we go through or around? What kind of predator? Does it want to eat my dog? She didn't say, and probably. Bulette, probably. That sounds likely to me. A dangerous predator, particularly to villages. It would be a service to civilization if we were to rid the world of it. * Nyyx nods. "Let's do that." * Nyyx is now known as NyyxAFK If it eats my dog, civilization is buying me a new one. Then be sure to dismount before you attack it. [The party follows Charolette's lead and tracks the bulutte back to it's den some two miles distant. The party stops 200 feet from a large mound in the earth with an opening on the east side and discusses what to do.] What do we do? * Skip surveys the area, taking in the terrain, weather, and time of day. We dismount, walk into the den, and carve up a landshark. [The mound is to the north. The coast is to the west. Hills roll forth to the north, east, and south.] [It is midday and the surf is gently crashing against the nearby beach.] Is walking straight into the den wise? Of course not, but if you were particularly wise, you wouldn't be an adventurer, now would you? I left a jungle for a mad house. All right, into the den it is. [The party advances toward the den.] * Skip walks cautiously toward the opening, keeping a sharp ear open for any sound of movement. * Roland walks ahead in the center of the group, making sure the mounts stay within hearing distance, the well trained beasts they are. * Skip turns to Nyyx, "In the jungle, only a fool went into a lion's den. It was the patient hunter who got his prey. But so much is different here." He looks at the large mound of the den, "and much much larger." We are not in a position to be patient. "I hear rumbling in the direction of the mound." Thank you! * Roland reaches up and touches the Eye of Boccob on his forehead. It glows briefly, and then the certainty of victory settles in the hearts of all present. * Roland follows immediately with another touch, and where his eyes should be under the mask, a very slight glow briefly emerges. [The Bulette erupts from the ground in front of Skip and attacks!] * NyyxAFK is now known as Nyyx [The Bulette slices Skip with its massive jaws.] * Roland says with a sort of shocked detachment, "It's much larger than the pictures make it seem." * Nyyx jumps a full 15 feet forward to meet the monster, but her downward-swinging sword whooshes past it and bites only ground. * Theodore casts haste on the party. * Skip uses his newfound speed to take four swift swipes at the large beast. Three hit their marks, but are only glancing blows. * Roland darts up behind Skip, as low to the ground as he can manage, and shoves a glowing white ball of yummy feelings right into the center of his back. [The Bulutte lashes out wildly with maw and claw, batting Skip around like a doll.] * Nyyx grits her teeth and slashes three times at the bulette, slicing deeply through its armor and leaving a triplet of deep gouges. "Hang in there, Skip." Skip will be fine, Lady Natalia. Sorry, Roland. I didn't mean to doubt your skill. * Theodore casts 2 scorching rays at the bulett [The Bulette reels from the firey blasts and slumps smoking to the ground.] * Roland pulls his hand WAAAAAAY back and concentrates, praying softly. A white ball of yummy feelings grows, and grows, and grows, until it's about as big around as a watermelon, at which point he slams it straight into Skip's back. All the wounds instantly seal over with new, pinkish skin, leaving only slight welts to signify that they were ever there. * Skip feels much better now, thank you. * Roland buffs his nails on the lapel of his robes. * Nyyx cleans off her blade and sheathes it. "Thanks, Roland." Healing is a calling for me, Lady Natalia. There are few better, and they shall not remain better for long. And, Theodore, beautiful job on that last spell. You saved me a lot of extra hacking and slicing. "And it is grilled to perfection." * Nyyx smiles. * Skip examines the mighty land shark. "That was a fierce battle. One to be remembered. I shall take a memento." Skip takes out his pick and digs out the sharpest tooth he can find. We should investigate the den, as well. * Nyyx nods. "I think so too." * Nyyx goes to take a peek inside the den. * Roland heads after Nyyx, in case something comes up. * Skip follows. [The den is a mess of stomped grasses, earth, random bits of metal and organic paste. There is nothing useable here unless you plan to build a muck golem.] Nothing much here, it seems. Good. "At least it doesn't look like we have kids to worry about eating us." * Nyyx nods. "Exactly." * Roland heads back outside and calls Hotbun. * Nyyx exits the den and mounts up. [Day 3 ends uneventfully after the run-in with the Bulette.] [Day 4: Passes uneventfully.] [During the morning of Day 5, the party wanders down the coast and spies what appears to be a giant squid beached and drying out. Seagulls are circling above the carcass.] * Nyyx dismounts and checks it out. * Roland follows Nyyx at a safe distance, just in case. [The dead animal clearly exploded internally before washing up on the beach. dozens of pounds of guts trail into the water.] It's dead. Clearly, but what killed it? It looks like it exploded, but other than that, I'm not sure. "Let's have a look." * Nyyx nods. [Part of the creature looks like it was turned inside-out. Otherwise, the creature is whole. The body is perhaps fifteen feet long with tentacles reaching some thirty feet in length.] Any idea what did this? I wonder if anything's missing, but I don't know enough about squid anatomy to tell. I have no idea. This seems to be the land of giants. The Library informs me that this is natural. The squid dies, and as it floats to the surface, it ruptures, spilling its insides out. Nobody is quite certain why. The Library...? You can just communicate with your temple from here? Oh, not the temple. THE Library. Boccob's Library. Oh. That must come in handy. Do you think we can salvage any of this for food? Looks like this thing was not built for the surface. It just exploded when it got close to the surface. Of course, I don;t know why it is here. Rotting seafood is not good eats. It died naturally, so it was probably sick, as well. I could purify it, but that will not make it taste any better. Maybe a bullette got it. Hm. That's too bad. * Nyyx returns to her horse and gets ready to continue riding. * Roland follows Nyyx back and mounts up. [The party spends the rest of Day 5 riding along the coast. As the day passes, the hills start to rise and the weather turns darker and colder beyond the orb.] [Day 6: Passes quietly as the terrain grows more cold and foreboding.] [Day 7: Again Charolette senses something. Tracks in the area and a scent on the wind.] [The party continues. A few hours later, pairs of eyes can be made out in the dim late-afternoon light.] [Eight pairs can be seen slowly circling the party at a range of maybe 150'.] * Nyyx sighs. "Did the wolves follow us?" Looks like it. I stand ready to heal, Lady Natalia. I suggest aiming for the ones with glowing eyes, first. Right you are. [As the party stands ready. A voice floats to them on the wind. "You will provide us our toll or we shall take it from your heels, humans."] What do you want? ["Meat."] [END OF SESSION.} ] * Skip is now known as Rudyard * Nyyx is now known as Cheeseball * Theodore has left #castlevania * Roland is now known as NinjaDebugger * Holmes has left #castlevania * Rudyard has quit IRC (Quit: Rudyard) Session Close: Sat Jul 14 21:52:21 2007