Session Start: Sat May 09 17:35:03 2009
Session Ident: #castlevania
* Logging for #castlevania started
<Holmes> [Getting their new gear into place and testing out the
ranges on their magical equipments' ability to mitigate the worst of
the desert, the party sets out into the wastes.]
<Holmes> [The silence of the hardscrabble and sand is errie only a
short distance from the town.  The sun beats down with a harsh glare,
but only comfortable heat under the protection of the baubles brought
from the west.]
<Holmes> [The party wanders out into the wastes.  After about a day,
the hard granite underfoot gives way to sand.  The dunes are hypnotic
and treacherous in places.  Around noon of the second day, the party
cuts alongside a deep warren cut alongside an outcropping of stone.]
* Nyyx peeks into the hole. "Hmm."
<Holmes> [Looking into the hole, Nyyx can see it goes deep into the
earth.  The pit itself appears to be of stone and has not been too
badly compromised by sand.  There appears to be a viscous substances
in patches along the walls.]
* Charlotte leads the group through the desert, looking for signs of
travel for routes people normally take through here. She searches for
likely places with food, water, and shelter. "This warren looks
promising... we better explore it, though. Just to be on the safe
side."
<Nyyx> Any idea what could have made this...sticky stuff on the
walls?
<Nyyx> Spiders? Worms?
<Charlotte> Looks a little like lamp oil...
<Adam> That's probably bad.
* Adam pokes the wall.
<Charlotte> Whatever's down here isn't a normal animal
<Holmes> [The wall is granite.]
* Nyyx taps her chin thoughtfully.
* Nyyx takes out her flint and tinder and attempts to ignite the
viscous substance.
<Holmes> [The substance lights briefly on the stone and leaves acrid
smoke and a scorce mark on the stone.]
<Nyyx> Flammatory. Charlotte, any idea what this could be?
<Charlotte> Sorry, I've got no idea
<Nyyx> You really want to take a look inside?
<Charlotte> It could be a great place to stay, but if it's risky...
<Charlotte> What do you think/
<Adam> I'd rather sleep under the stars.
* Nyyx shrugs. "I'd rather save our risktaking for the ruins. Maybe
we should let whatever it is lie."
* Charlotte nods
* Skip takes a moment to examine the area. "I agree. We would be at a
great disadvantage entertaining something, or someone, else's den. I
think it best to remain outside and keep watch."
* Nyyx keeps moving.
* Adam keeps on keepin on!
<Charlotte> Let's go. Maybe explore later if we feel like it
<Holmes> [The party continues onward for the rest of the day and
makes camp at sunset at a bleak and narrow outcropping.]
* Nyyx looks to the west and listens, but she can't hear much over
the growling of her own stomach. She shakes her head. "What does it
sound like?"
<Holmes> Charlotte: "Like... like that bulette all those months back
up in the north.  Weird."
<Nyyx> Is it coming toward us?
<Holmes> Charlotte: "Yes.  And fast.  I'd say twenty seconds."
* Nyyx draws her sword. "I doubt we'd be able to outrun it."
* Adam reaches down to his waist, unsnaps his deck, and begins
shuffling.
* Skip draws his handaxes and gets ready for some clobbering.
<Holmes> [The rumbling gets closer.  Within seconds, a strip of sand
to the west buckles upward pointing toward the group.]
* Nyyx is now known as Nyyxfeed
* Skip is now known as SkipFOOD
* Nyyxfeed is now known as Nyyx
* SkipFOOD is now known as Skip
<Nyyx> Just a moment.
* Adam draws his hand off the top of the deck.
* Nyyx switches stance to get a better feel of the vibrations in the
earth, hefts her sword into an attacking stance, sprints forward a
few steps, and takes a flying leap through the blowing sands. She
dives gracefully from the highest point of the jump, her sword edge
leading the way toward the buckling ground, and sends up a spray of
sand as she stabs her blade downward
<Nyyx> * with all the force of gravity. When the sands shift again,
she is standing by the split body of the beast, her sword sheathed.
<Adam> ...wow.
<Charlotte> Wow. Niiiiiiiiiiice!
<Holmes> [The creature attempts to burst from the earth at the same
moment and takes Nyyx's downthrust full force.  The creature breaks
from the earth and crashes to the ground behind Nyyx, a several foot
long gash rent into its flank.]
* Adam looks down at his hand... then laughs and pulls out a card,
points it at the bulette, and says loudly, "The Monster Reborn!" The
beast's flesh knits itself back together and it begins breathing
again, though it still doesn't move otherwise.
<Adam> What exactly is that thing?
* Nyyx studies the thing she's just killed.
<Holmes> [The creature behind her appears to be a large serpent about
twenty feet long.  The 'head' of the creature is a spearhead of spiny
bone.  The creature's body is covered in boney protrustions and
points and seems to exude the flammable ichor.]
* Charlotte looks it over
<Nyyx> Hm. That slime looks familiar. This must've been what was
living in that hole we found earlier.
<Charlotte> huh
<Skip> I'm glad we didn't go inside the warren.
<Adam> Well...
* Adam pulls a second card from his hand and points it at the beast,
whatever it is, and says loudly, "Change of Heart!"
<Adam> Awesome!
* Adam slots both cards back into his deck and shuffles his hand back
in, then stows the deck.
<Charlotte> What'd that do?
* Adam walks over to the beast, lays one hand carefully onto its
flesh, and with a bit of song, heals it.
* Nyyx watches all of this with great interest. "You tamed it?"
<Adam> Yep!
<Charlotte> That was fast
* Nyyx looks impressed. "How long does it stay friendly?"
<Adam> Couple weeks or so.
<Nyyx> That's rather handy. Impressive, Adam.
<Holmes> [The creature rights itself and the spearhead opens along
seems set in its length to reveal that quarters of the spearhead are
each attached to clawed limbs hiden underneath.  At the center of
these is a head like a drakes only more blunt-noses and with
retractible sheathes over the eyes.]
<Adam> I wonder what kind of creature YOU are!
<Nyyx> Interesting creature. I've never seen one before. It seems to
have flammable blood, though.
<Charlotte> Sounds useful
<Holmes> [The creature rolls along the sand until it can watch the
party.]
<Adam> Now we just gotta figure out how to ride him.
* Nyyx examines the bony spikes. "Might be uncomfortable."
<Nyyx> I have a winter blanket we can put over it, but I'm afraid I
don't have much in the way of a suitable saddle.
<Charlotte> Aw
* Nyyx pats it on the muzzle. "Sorry for getting off to a rocky
start."
<Holmes> [The creature coos loudly.]
<Adam> Maybe we can just stand on its back instead of sitting down?
<Nyyx> I suppose we can try it. I have rope.
* Nyyx takes out a coil of rope from her bag. "Skip's the expert at
tying knots, though. If you'll give us a hand, Skip?" She hands the
rope to Skip.
<Holmes> [Skip works with the creature and the rope for about twenty
minutes.  Finally, he gets it secured around two of the creatures
limbs and prepares it to glide along the surface guarding its head
with the other two.  In the excitement, the party forgot that they
were about to camp.]
* Nyyx helps to set up camp, then volunteers to stand watch.
* Charlotte looks for a suitable spot and helps set up camp
<Adam> So, what do we call him? 
* Nyyx shrugs. "Why don't you name him? You tamed him."
<Charlotte> Let's get some candidates. Uh... Spike?
<Adam> I'm bad with names.
<Nyyx> As long as it's not Gregor or Simon or Perdo or something like
that, I'm all for it.
<Adam> Okay, fine.  We'll call it, uh... Salvatore.
* Nyyx smiles. "Salvatore it is."
<Charlotte> Better than that other name I was thinking
<Holmes> [END OF SESSION.]
Session Close: Sat May 09 22:30:42 2009