As the morning sun breaks over Jastrey, you continues your walk down the road into town. As you begin to pass through the center in front of the tavern, you can see a small campfire off to the left. Voices can be heard coming from behind the Tavern. (OOG- You are walkking in from the "BLDG" marker through the open area to the "Mess Hall". The campfire can be seen between Cabin 2 and the Triangle bath house.)
Matilda was a good bit behind the Golem, but she walks into town next. The homunculus doesn't see the Golem that had gone off ahead of her so she continues until she is infront of the travern and stops. Her brows narrow as she tries to listen to the voices, but couldn't make anything out. Taking out her dagger, she begins to walk around the tavern with light footsteps. She presses her back against the side of the tavern right before the corner where she is hearing the voices, but still couldn't make out the words. Readjusting her grip on her dagger, thinking she is ready for anything, she quickly turns the corner prepared for combat but instead nearly jumps out of her skin when she sees the Golem from the group. "Are you hearing the voices too?" Matilda asks, lowering her dagger.
Rune blinks out of existence and re-appears behind the homunculus, one palm facing her. Arcane energy crackles along the length of the golem's arm. "I find you..." The golem stops, "...not a Son. Why are you here? Who are you? What about the voices." The light and energy in the golem's arm dims as Rune lowers it. Rune quickly scans the area again for soldiers. "This was a mistake. Purpose clouded this one's judgment. This one is returning to the gate. You should follow. This one is surprised to find the tavern un-molested. Perhaps the others could be convinced to secure it as a staging point." The golem then simply walks away in the direction of the gates, but stops halfway there to wait for the others to catch up. Rune stares the tavern, attempting to see any movement from within.
Pelle began to saunter into the town after the other two. "I take back what I said, this place isn't too terribly bad. Maybe a bit forboding and omnious, but I suppose itll do." He began walking in the direction of the tavern, following the soinds of the voices. "Hmm? And who might be here?" He whispered to himself.
Matilda looked around when he disappeared, not thinking to look behind her. Her body stiffened when she heard the energy cracking. She knew she couldn't turn around and defend herself in time. Biting her lip, she knew she was about to go back to the dust she came from. It was a surprise to her in the cracking stopped. Peeping over her shoulder to make sure this wasn't some cruel game. She knew she had seen the Golem at least once before when they were trying to get a sword...well 'trying' since Matilda suffered some internal damage from the giants that then got the sword.
"I heard some voices and I followed where I thought they came from," Matilda said as she turned her body the rest of the way around and sees the Golem walking away. "Hey, wait up," she said following behind him at a quick stride. "Where is everyone in this town? I heard voices, I know I did. Are they scared of us?" she said as she continued to look around for anyone else.
She stops a few feet away from the Golem and looks back up towards the gate and then followed his gaze to the tavern. "I've met you once before, but I don't think I ever caught your name."
Blaise happily allows the beefy golem to proceed first into town. As he sees the golem reappear after teleporting, he quietly skirts around just far enough to see what's going on. The fire sprite heightens his senses to better perceive the voices, and perhaps their owners, coming from around the tavern. [Seek, Translate]
Dalagorn comes from out of the woods with a big freash leg of baka still smoking in some areas humming to himself happily for his fresh catch walking towards the town Rune and the others "HAYYY!" he calls up to the group when he gets closer to he group he takes a big bite out of the leg. He pauses and realizes the other voices. "Who's that?" Cocking his head to the side in wonder.
Rune's gaze falls on the riven. "That one could make us unnoticeable to the Sons. Pelle, could you work the same magic that you did on the elf last mest? Perhaps on some of those gathered here. We should explore the tavern and the far path. Seek advantageous positions. Set up ambushes. Would need willing volunteers." The golem looks to the others gathered. "Which of you are coming?"
Matilda looks up at the Golem and then the patch work being with a half hearted smirk and then gives a nod. She put her dagger on her belt as she proceeds to tighten up her bracers, using her teeth and hand to make it nice and snug on both arms. "Let's do this," the homunculus said slipping her goggles over her eyes.
The Ifrit is shaken from his concentration by the Angori's shouts and barbecue-brandishing. He didn't seem to have any success identifying the voices. Hearing Rune's suggestion, his eyes seem to brighten a little, quite literally in fact, as his curiosity gets the better of him. He begins to say something and hesitates, sending a wary glare at the riven, with whom he had not yet become fully acquainted. Turning back to the golem, Blaise speaks, "Rune! I would be inclined to search this lovely village. But, I would also care to know the nature of Mr. Carne's magic spell. Enlighten me."
The golem stands silently for a moment. It's runes flash and shimmer, and the docent in the center of the golem's chest flashes as the golem searches for an answer. "From this one's understanding, the enchantment the riven will begile the minds of those around us. Further explination is difficult." The golem's docent begins to get brighter. A falling leaf hits it, and bursts into flames. "To see, but not to see. The sight takes in, but the mind denies." Rune looks at the ifrit. "The ifrit is worried. Thinks it will harm him. Must belay the worry. Convict, this spell will not harm you."
Blaise assumes a facial expression suggesting that he is not very reassured by Rune's words. But, just in case the point was not made clear, he remarks, "I am not very reassured by your words, Rune." And, after a moment's contemplation, "Ahhh, to the Pit with it, I'm in."
The riven offered a sly smile towards the concerned ifrit. "If you are to afraid to experience a taste of my magics, then it's perfectly fine. But the longer we stand about, the less useful the shroud is. It'd be better to have a smaller party anyway." He looked to see if anybody else was coming. "Last call."
Dalagorn takes a big last big last bite before chucking the rest of the leg aside "yeah yeah i comin" he exclames and walks to the group "not sure what your twinkle fingers do but, i ready to smashy things". And with that Dalagorn lets out a loud belch and pats his belly and joins the rest of the group.
The riven looked at the small group that had gathered. "Now, I don't think I must remind you that silence is the key here. I can make you invisible, just not silent," he said, being sure to give the Angori a look to be sure he understood. Pelle reached his hand out and placed his hand on the humunculi's shoulder. "*You shall become the shadows*," the riven incanted (vanish). The humunculi suddenly seemed to disappear from existence. "I suppose it's the ifrit's turn now." He placed his hand upon the his shoulder. "*May the shadows conceal you*," the riven incanted again (vanish), the ifrit seeming to disappear like the humunculi before him. He then turned his attention to the angori. "Remember, silence is golden, aye?" he warned the angori, placing his hand on the his shoulder. "*Disappear among the shadows*," he incanted for a third time (vanish), the angori disappearing like the rest. "Please forgive me, but I must take a quick rest." He closed his eyes and went into a quick *trance* like state, his fatigue seeming to just wash away. It wasnt long before he reopened his eyes with a coy smile. "And my turn it would seem. *Such a shame to hide my face*" the riven incanted (vanish), this time for himself. He suddenly disappeared with the rest of the group.
Rune looks around as each of those gathered vanishes. The runes and markings on the golem's stone brighten once more and dull hum eminates from them. "Follow this one. This one will act as a focus for any attack that may be coming." Rune beings to walk down the path oppisite the one it had already partially explored, towards and open field.
After Blaise is vanished, he takes a moment to enjoy this new power while the riven vanishes the rest of the small group. He prances around the area, making faces at a few of the adventurers nearby. The golem begins to move, and Blaise walks briskly to catch up - SMACK, he runs into nothing. Collecting himself, he feels a bit of his garment melt away... must have been the homunculus. He skirts right a bit and continues following Rune.
Matilda was just following the golem when she feels something collide into her, catching her off balance and gets knocked onto her back. Biting her lip to keep from cursing out loud. The homunculus sits up and goes to grab the dagger that was knocked out of her hands. She stopped and realized she can see her own hand. Letting loss the curses she had been holding in as she snatched up her dagger. Knowing it was too late to get the human patchwork to vanish her again, she runs back towards the gate.
(OOG NOTICE- Blaise and Matilda are now both visible)
As you near the end of the path, your party hears a loud SMACK as the Ifrit and Homonculus become visible. After bending to retrieve her dagger, the Homonculus runs back towards the party you left behind screaming. About 3/4 of the way back up the path, a massive cone of fire shoots out of the woodline and strikes Matilda dead center in the upper back (30 Fire). The Homonculus lights ablaze much as an oil lamp would, and begins oozing green alchemical material as she staggers back to the other party, dropping dead at their feet.
Rune whips around when the blast sounded behind him. The dull hum rises to a high pitched wine as magic flows into the golem's arms. Rune's eyes dart from the flaming pile that was the homunculus, and then to the surrounding woods. "This one cannot locate the source. Did she fail? A chain re-action perhaps. Inferior animation." The golem takes note of the no longer vanished ifrit as well. "Convict, why are you visible." The golem's arms do not dim as he interrogates the fire elemental.
Pelle looked to the large explosion that happened behind him. He couldn't help but to shake his invisible head. "I warned them," the riven thought to himself. He watched the bewildered golem confront the ifrit. "Ohhh, this continues to become interesting," he thought to himself. He cracked a sly, yet unseen, smile as he turned to the source of the fireball. He continues forward to find the source.
Blaise, with a practiced ease, scurries silently to within five feet of the golem. In a hushed but somewhat frantic voice, he says, "Rune... do you really think that I..." (he points to himself) "...did that?" (he points to the smoldering body of the homunculus Matilda, an unpleasant potpourri of twisted metal and boiling acid). Still hushed, "We ran into each other, lost the enchantment, and she panicked. Apparently, the penalty for swearing around here is incineration by large columns of flame."
"This one suspects. You have been murderous before Convict." Rune's lights and marking glow even brighter still, but in the last moment, they begin do dim. "Lack of evidence to support either of our claims. Argument irrelevant. You will walk in front of me." The high pitched noise emitting from the golem begins to wind down. "Standing here making more noise makes us targets. We should continue forward to the field, and perhaps to the buildings beyond that.
As Matilda lays at the feet of the party at the gate, her body slowly begins to dissipate. (OOG- Dead, draw Friday before Mods).
Pelle continues his search at the source where Matilda was stuck. You are unable to find anything but a few cinged branches and mulch where the cone of fire shot through the wood line. You can remotely see the sampfire in the distance through the treeline.
As Blaise and Rune continue their treck, voices grow louder coming from the direction of the encampment.
The riven squinted his invisible eyes towards the trail of fire, unable to see the source. Deciding it wasnt worth to break his vanish to dig deeper. Instead, he turns towards the evergrowing sound of voices. He begins in that direction, being sure to stay away from the golem and the ifrit.
As the Riven heads off in the direction of the voices, yet away from the other two, you approach a small trail leading through the woodline. You can see the shimmer of a fire burning strongly in a pit as the voices being heard continue their conversation. It would appear at first sight there are around 15 to 20 people surrounding this area. They are all dressed in black with undiscernible features and heavily armed.
"Hmmm.. These must be those Secronus Sons those Jaztreeans were always complaining about," he thought to himself. A devilish smile stretched across his invisible face as he decides to move closer, just enough to hear what they were saying while still being cautious of his escape path if things went sour.
After proceeding a ways up the path, the sprite stops and turns swiftly around to the golem behind him. In the same hushed tone as before, Blaise utters, "This is getting us nowhere. We've strayed too far from the group. Mr. Carne and the angori may as well be in the void for all we know, and Matilda looks like some chemistry experiment gone horrifically wrong. We have to cut our losses and get back to the group before we're next."
The golem looks at the ifirt, and then scans for the other members of their original plan. "This one finds this agreeable. Cut our losses. Re-gather our forces. We will return to the gate." The golem holds his arm up to the ifrit and it glows with energy. "Into the Aether you go" -phase-. Rune then re-utters his incantation and moves up path back towards the gate
Rune cautiously walks into town. It's runes and markings glow brightly, leaving trails of blue mist as the golem walks towards the tavern. The golem's fists are clenched tight, it's docent pulses with energy, and the golem's 'eyes' scan the area for Sons to unleash it's arcane might upon. Rune hears the voices from behind the tavern and raises it's hands up, palms facing forward. Motes of bluish white light emit from chunks of crystal embedded in the golem's palms. The golem turns approaches the areas where it thinks the voices are originating defensively, hands raised ready to counter attack.