Author: Chae, Posted: Mon Jan 4, 2016 9:23 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

"Stone men," he muttered quickly, gasping as Chae intensified her spell. She already knew that. "Crafted by a wizard. Guarding a terrible artifact. I don't know what, I swear."

It was enough. She released him long enough to realize he was attempting to stand, and immediately pressed him with the same arcane force down to the ground. She considered killing him, for he had seen too much and she had left the rest of her minions in the corridors behind them, but ultimately she raised her eyebrows at Chalky in a vague suggestion to knock the merc out.

"I am no psion," Chae answered Naota, and without hesitation added, "I can only control them if they are dead. I could move us through the shadows to the other side of that doorway. We may be able to avoid the guards entirely, and set to destroying the golems without their interference. If you believe that flames will harm them, I can light many in hellfire. Killing the wizard might stop them all at once. Or it might not."

With a shrug, she began to prepare the unholy magic to meld them all with the darkness. With their consent, the spell would be completed–but not before she mentioned, "If we killed them all, we would have a small army on our side."

Author: Naota, Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:42 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

He looked down at the man, eyes narrowing in thought as he waited for him to respond and only did they flicker up when the Reptilian spoke. His lips parted from his words and though it made him feel mad for doing so, he was smiling. That innocent answer was enough to lighten him, if only for a moment. The Illithid was speaking to rodents and while it was intriguing he kept his eyes down on the man. He doubted he'd talk, but he was there, his mind was aware, and he'd take advantage of that at least.


It was trickier since he was straddling the line of death, but he was able to pierce into his mind, seeing what he saw, knowing what he knew, and if he wasn't making it up to fool them then what he learned wasn't exactly pleasant. His eyes closed as he sighed, arms lightly crossing across his chest, "Men of clay, golems most likely. There wasn't a definite number but there were enough of them that it's enough to cause alarm." When his eyes opened they had dimmed in their glow.


"Explosives would be helpful, or similar magick. But their number was great, we need to come up with a tactic to use together. Hacking and slashing won't matter." He looked down and over to the halfling woman, "How far does your ability in controlling others go?" With any luck she might be able to slow them down.
 

He was all ears for anything anyone else might have to say for input. Either way, something like this was going to require team work. At the very worst they would simply need to come back to it another day, stronger, possibly with more people at their aid.

Author: Chalky, Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:10 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

To Naota, Cha'Kwe'Tza said, "Yes. Violence not always answer." Gesturing to the man on the ground in the middle of the group, Cha'Kwe'Tza continued, "Many like him, know violence only…Also, blind murder? Who kills with eyes closed?" The group was getting stranger and stranger. The young one had said more in the last few minutes than Cha'Kwe'Tza ever recalled, the short one seemed to be fitting in a little more, or at least showing more ability. The Illithid, Cha'Kwe'Tza wasn't too sure about that one yet, but he did feel a sort of natural kinship with him on the basis that both were certainly non-human. Looking down at the man that Chae stood over, Cha'Kwe'Tza said firmly, "Speak up. We wish to know what more lies ahead." The reptilian thought about threatening the man with being eaten alive, but changed his mind. The strange four figures around him ought to be threat enough.

Author: Xallithelid, Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2015 8:36 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

"Nothing matters to these men besides money, food and women. Although the former can get both of the latter." Xallithelid said to his companions, "But you dont need to pay something thats dead. Shall i commence the killing?" He looked over to the wall, where there was a mouse hole. He decided to send his rats in to investigate. They came back chattering about more men, men made of clay, standing stalwart in a barracks. Thousands, they said. "Since when can rats count?" he said to no rat in particular. "Since when can squids walk?" came Bumble's retort. "Since when do drow mate with elves of the surface?" Rumble, the oldest rat, said. More retorts came from the rodents, but Xallithelid simply said "Since when do rats eat for free and have easy lives?" Although the news of many clay golems was troubling, the look on the rats' faces, though, were too much for Xallithelid to not chuckle at.

Author: Chae, Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:51 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Chae squinted through the darkness, allowing the silence to settle between their ersatz scout and hesitant healer. The lich cared little for the implications of their slaughter; despite the mask she had woven to encourage the half-demon, she saw as much difference between good and evil as she did in the living and the dead. Where some might seek conquest or adventure or goodness in all this, she saw only the promise of arcane treasure. 

"If we kill them all, it would be easier to raise an army against whatever menace dwells below," she suggested plainly. Whether these mercenaries acted of their own accord or were manipulated by something worse, they were still only an obstacle to be surmounted. "Or they could be convinced to act against whatever leader has recruited them here. We have no money, nor any better reason to earn their loyalty, but… Squid,"

She turned to the illithid, then briefly back to the others, as if searching their faces for the rest of a plan. "Your powers are psionic, are they not? Can you charm these soldiers and convince them to fight alongside us?"

In the meantime, she crouched beside the unconscious man. She cast a familiar spell at his throat, watching perfunctorily as he opened his eyes with an abrupt gasp. "What is beyond this room?" She demanded quietly, but he was not one of her risen thralls. He shook his head wildly, grasping at his throat. She rolled her eyes. "Say it quickly, and perhaps I will spare your life and the lives of your comrades."

The man glanced over the four pairs of menacing eyes that surrounded him, then toward the balcony's edge. His breath, though still quick with fear, became measured as he assessed his situation. Chae would not recognize the look in his eyes as he turned toward his comrades and considered their fate. Perhaps he was a hired hand, but so had he developed something of a companionship with the others who had been hired alongside him. Was it enough to give up his master? He opened his mouth to answer her.

Author: Naota, Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 10:50 AM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

It had grown quiet for too long, and the forced ways they were being taken through –be it through passage blocks or not- made him antsy.  If he hadn’t known any better he would have thought that these corridors weren’t unreachable by accident, but to lead people to a very specific area.  The longer they walked the tighter his chest became and his eyes bled into crimson, illuminating red shadows against his cheeks as he silently moved on.  The pressure in his chest built up until the energy moved out in an invisible arch around himself and the others.  His body was trying to naturally protect them, and that level of threat and paranoia wasn’t something he was accustomed to.
 
His jaw locked, there was one option but he didn’t like to think about it.  In his mind he spoke to the daemon twin that dwelled within him, No riddles, no quips, do you sense anything…?.  There was an overdramatic sigh in his head as he spoke back to him, “No.  To be honest this amount of unnecessary bloodshed is becoming too commonplace even for me right now.  There’s no creativity in the splatter, no melody to the screams.  Just hack and death.”   His eyes halved, That’s not what I was speaking about.  “I know what you were speaking about, and no there’s no hidden danger that I can see yet.”   A chuckle resounded in his mind, “You must really be uncomfortable if you’re asking me for help.  I’m surprised you’ve even stayed with these people for so long.”   He didn’t respond to him and stopped with the other three as one of them went forward for reconnaissance.  A thought ran through his head, one enough to make his stomach turn…what if the threat and danger he felt was from his party…?  He didn’t like to think about it.
 
Even from here with his heightened hearing he could make out the sounds of people, but there was no alarm to their movements which meant, so far at least, that they were unknowing of the slaughter that had befallen their comrades due to his party’s hands.  His shoulders went down and his head nearly thudded back against the cavern wall when he came back with an unconscious body.  Nearly thirty men were down there according to what they had been told, and he had to speak.  It most likely would fall on deaf ears, but he at least had to try, “An unnecessary amount of violence is not always the answer to solving a problem.”  
 
His eyes opened, moving them from one to the other before continuing, “And it does not matter that they are ‘bad men’.  They got this stronghold the same way you’re trying to.  That makes you on their level, in fact it makes it worse because you see your actions as justified only because they hold blackness in themselves.”   His fingers moved up through his hair, lightly scratching against his scalp as his jaw locked, “There are other ways than brute force.  If you don’t strategize a more permanent solution then you’ll be undone in the same way they’ve been today.  It will be an endless cycle.  So if there are any ideas other than blind murder then now would be the time to voice them.”
 

It was the most he’d said to any of them, but this amount of senseless violence was something that he could no longer step back and watch, even if he wasn’t inflicting any of it on anyone.  Whether he liked their actions or not, they were still part of his fellowship and that left him with just as much responsibility for what they were doing as if it was his blade slicing through flesh.  His eyes moved to the woman, hoping to get more response from her than anyone since she had spoken with him logically already.

Author: Chalky, Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:22 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

It had been a while since the Illithid had come to from his collapse. Since then, Cha'Kwe'Tza had found himself at the head of the group, although not necessarily its leader. Most of the hallways that the group used were fairly obvious, as the other directions were dead ends, cave ins, or lead to stairs leading up, higher into the mountain that they were currently walking through. The journey had also been quiet since they had last set out. The combination of his two assaults, the Illithid's own large push, and the green fire left by Chae must really be doing a number on the pirates and their mercenary counterparts as they passed only one group, which had retreated before any contact could be made.

Peering around the current corner that he stood at, Cha'Kwe'Tza's yellow eyes glinted faintly in the dim torchlight from down the hallway. Waving to those in the group behind him, the Reptilian proceeded slowly at a slight crouch, trying to make his steps as deliberate as possible to avoid the clicking his claws made against the stone. As they neared the torch, Cha'Kwe'Tza was the first to notice that the worked stone making up the hallway, was slowly deteriorating into the rough dirt and gouged stone of a natural cave. Turning to the other three, Cha'Kwe'Tza spoke, "I go look. Be right back." Turning back to face the direction of travel, the warrior kept his body low and his steps slow.

About one hundred yards through the cave, Cha'Kwe'Tza stopped. The cave he was in opened up into a massive subterranean cavern. Dropping to his belly, Cha'Kwe'Tza moved up to the edge of the stone outcropping. To his right was a long dirt ramp that had been packed down by years of boots stomping up and down it. The ramp made a sweeping left turn around the edge of the opening and landed ahead of him, on what he would call a lower balcony. What was beyond this balcony, Cha'Kwe'Tza did not know as his eyes couldn't pierce the darkness in that direction. However, there was more than enough to observe below him. A large group of mercenaries was gathered. Some were tending to equipment, a few lay huddled to the side sleeping, and the rest lounged lazily around a large bonfire in the middle of the circular camp. A quick count brought the number of men below to twenty eight.

Slinking back from the ledge, Cha'Kwe'Tza got back to his feet. Taking a few steps backwards, the Reptilian spun to return to the group. Just in front of him, entering the cave that would lead him back, a mercenary guard walked. Tail twitching in frustration, Cha'Kwe'Tza shadowed the man for a few yards before leaping forward, driving a large scaly fist into the side of the man's head. Easily hoisting the man onto his shoulder despite his added armour, Cha'Kwe'Tza carried him back to the awaiting group. Once he had returned, the Reptilian dropped the man onto the floor in case any of the others wanted to question him. He then recalled to the group everything that he had seen at the other end.

Author: Xallithelid, Posted: Sun Dec 6, 2015 8:37 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Thsarias was dancing with his half-elf wife, light grey skinned children, his children, ran about around the grove. He was a drow, yes, but the wood elves of Meldaron, a small forest in the otherwise rocky terrain of the Zujiuchu mountains, had taken him in as one of their own. Melersia, his wife, was a druid, and had tamed many animals, one of which had been gifted to him as a companion for the road. Fumble the rat was hopping about right now, running around the dancing couple, laughter and happiness filling the forest, nothing but peace…

And then Xallithelid choked back to life, the memories fast fading from him. His happiness was long past, ever since his wife… He couldn't even remember what happened. all he knew was he was needed, by heard the halfling say something about squids, which snapped him away from the past. He stood up, mumbling "Thanks, shorty." and feeling the mended flesh of his shoulder, still aching but able to move. He set his eyes towards the clanking armor of his enemies and hissed, a gurgle that promised death to the as-of-yet unseen but not unknown of enemies. He decided it was a better idea to follow his companions then to keep up a bloodbath, though. but all he wanted were to see those memories once again…

Author: Chae, Posted: Sun Dec 6, 2015 6:59 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

The fading echoes of a smile remained on Chae’s face as she considered the unconscious illithid, recollecting with genuine intrigue both the familiar way he reanimated those bodies and the not so familiar way he devoured that half-orc’s mind. A part of her wanted to leave the healer to him and join Cha'Kwe'Tza in the fray, but then she was distracted by a strange feeling of fullness—turning to the source of the unholy magic, the lich was shocked to see their healer mending what little damage he had done with the protection spell. Not only did Chae's skin seam, but her cheeks rounded and the cloudy pale of her eyes regained a hazel hue. “Thank you,” she said sincerely, if not curiously. The fighter returned to them soon enough, injured but standing.

At Naota’s words, Chae shrugged. She reached an arm out toward Xallithelid and, though she did not touch him, closed his throat with the force of her magic. His body would panic at the lack of oxygen soon enough, knocking him awake. At that point she would release the spell with a smirk. “See? The squid is fine.”

Only then did she turn toward the approaching horde. The men that the illithid had raised were still standing, readied against the living. Chae called on the others as well, commanding the dead to fight for them; even the one with the broken back sat against a wall and prepared his bow. Then she pointed her splayed fingers at the ground, where a plain of eerie green fire sprouted from the ground. It would not hurt the undead, but it would certainly burn the feet of the other guards.

“That should be enough to slow them, if indeed we want to run. I agree with the reptile; we should save our strength for the monsters below.”

Author: Naota, Posted: Sat Dec 5, 2015 6:24 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

His jaw locked at her words.  She was right, whether he liked to think about it or not, but none of these men were on his list…It felt wrong killing them, even though it seemed a more proper justice than simply bringing them in.  True that they had slaughtered the ones here before them, but since his company was doing the exact same thing, did that make them just as bad…?  It was complicated and his moral lines were being blurred, either way he always saw death as an absolute last resort.  Well, save for those that he hunted, but that was a completely different story all together.
 
Her work was fast and effective and only now did he notice the peel back of her skin, the cracks he hadn’t noticed before.  It was enough to make his head light and his blood run cold: she was one of the undead, not a vampire no, but in the same dark vein.  Even her work on the man proved it so.  His eyes lifted up from her and towards the sound of feet and shuffling weapons.  They were coming, just as the fallen man had said.  Jaw locking, he straightened back up, watching the spill of blood and listening to the ping of arrows. 
 
Blasted!  If only he knew what the floors below looked like he could have all of them down them in a blink, but as it were that wasn’t a possibility.  He’d be sure to learn every inch of this place inside and out once this was all said and done.  Moving with strong strides he went over to their fallen member, nodding absently as the other went off to continue in the fight.  Out cold.  This would certainly take a toll, but he couldn’t leave him here. 
 
His hands closed, fingers rubbing against his palms as they grew warmer; the glow of his eyes grew brighter as he rose his hands and rested one on his forehead, the other at the center of his chest.  He was so much bigger than himself, and with an anatomy unlike one he was accustomed to dealing with, but either way these two points would do well enough.  His eyes closed, cutting off the light of them as he gathered energy from his gut’s chakra, building it stronger, higher, until it felt as if his very skin was burning.  And then, all of it got rushed up and down his arms to his palms, transferring from himself into the illithid to rejuvenate every cell.  Even minor cuts and scrapes he might have acquired over the past week healed themselves. 
 
It was too large of a surge and his fingers curled against his clothing and forehead, being sure to never let his hands raise up until the transfer was complete.  When his eyes opened their glow was gone: his own energy too spent in one go, but at least the man was healed…now they just had to wake him up.  There was just enough left that he was able to cast another wave of protection over them, but not before the reptilian man was hit with an arrow.  Unfortunately that wound would have to wait a short while because he had to ready himself for a very different type of magick.
 
His eyes moved to the side, watching the woman, knowing what he’d have to do to keep her safe and undo the accidental damage he’d done to her in trying to keep her safe.  Dark magick, unholy psionics…Something he had been forced to learn for his profession but never thought he’d have to use in favor of someone.  His fingers curled in as he stood, readying himself before gently sending a wave to her, and feeling more than morally ambiguous for doing so.  Part of him expected her to cry out in pain even though his studies kept repeating over and over in his head that she would be helped and not harmed.  If she was what he thought she was though, then he wasn’t sure how long their alliance would be able to last.  Part of him wondered if this was some sort of test.
 

Without looking back at the reptilian he spoke, “He shouldn’t need carried…He’s healed, if you can wake him then he’ll be better off than we are right now.  If he can’t be woken, then carry him…”  

(( Sorry about the length, there was a lot to cover @_@ )) 

Author: Chalky, Posted: Thu Dec 3, 2015 6:51 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

The way that the young one reigned himself in to keep control told Cha'Kwe'Tza that he wasn't used to this type of carnage. From what he'd heard from many guards and warriors alike, none of these humans seemed to overly enjoy slaughter, and those that did were considered psychopaths. These humans surprised him more and more all the time. Around him the current bout of fighting had finished, and things seemed to settle a bit, excluding the constant clamouring of the alarm bells throughout the hallways. The next few moments unsettled him a little.

The woman named Chae had knelt down by the lifeless form of one of the men he had killed. Cha'Kwe'Tza watched with curiosity as she spoke to the dead man. He was about to question her, as it seemed obvious that a dead man could no longer speak. However, that was exactly what happened next. The body convulsed once and spat out a wet cough before announcing the remaining enemies. It also let onto the evil and monsters that supposedly lurked in the passages below. Once she stood up, Cha'Kwe'Tza noted that Xallithelid had returned to the group. Jumping forward when the Illithid collapsed, Cha'Kwe'Tza checked to see if he was even alive. Looking back at Naota, Cha'Kwe'Tza growled, "You healer, yes? Come help. Looks like spear wound." Moving aside to make room, an arrow whizzed out of the darkness, slamming into Cha'Kwe'Tza's shield.

Mastering his surprise, Cha'Kwe'Tza got to his feet roaring at the just barely visible figures down the hall. A second flight of arrows sped by, a second ramming into the Reptilian's round shield, and one burying itself in a thick scaly shoulder. Ignoring the minor flesh wound, Cha'Kwe'Tza looked at Chae and Naota, "I go kill. Come right back." Before either could say a word to him, Cha'Kwe'Tza was charging headlong into the dark hallway, bellowing for all his might. Quickly enough, he was upon the trio of archers. The clash was short lived as his stone sword tore through the first two in a brutal display of strength. The third was even more unlucky. Although his sword smacked against Cha'Kwe'Tza's side, the human wasn't near strong enough to cut the reptilian, and his life was ended with Cha'Kwe'Tza's jaws clamped firmly around his neck, snapping the man's spine.

Looking around through yellow eyes, Cha'Kwe'Tza saw another group of guards, this set better armed and armoured than the last. Although they had torches to see with, the same light also limited their range of sight. Turning, the Reptilian ran back to rejoin the group, claws skittering on stone as he came to a halt. "More come. Many more. Better weapons and armour too." Taking a moment to gather a few breaths, the warrior spoke again while pointing to the Illithid, "We go now. I can carry if needed." This was the most talking Cha'Kwe'Tza had ever done in this language in one stint. At this rate he might actually get the feel for it, but those were secondary thoughts as he tried to think of a way to not be attacked in the middle of the hall by the approaching warriors.

Author: Xallithelid, Posted: Thu Dec 3, 2015 5:43 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Xallithelid was going around the corner when a man nearly crashed into him, eyes wide and in a dead run. The Illithid's reaction time alone saved him from being rammed. His hand shot up and grabbed the mans neck, and the half-orc looking warrior's eyes widened so much they looked as though they would fall out of his head. Xallithelid was hungry after all this play, and although this man looked dimwitted and bland, food is food. The illithid's feeder tendrils went up to the mans head, burrowing into his eye sockets and the sides of his head, right under the ear. The tentacles went into his brain and started to drain his life energy. He heard shouts behind him as the man's screaming alerted another group. He heard the clanking of armor and bustling of warriors, but finally his food was drained, a now hollow, empty husk of a man. He decided the other dead warriors would do well to be on his side, so he raised them and sent them towards the squadron that was entering the room. A Tiefling in heavy armor with a spear entered first, but when he saw the illithid, he teleported away immediately. The undead engaged the living, hating the men of flesh and trading blows mercilessly. A fireball took one man in the chest, a volley of magical arrows flying out from the illithid faster than any bow could fling them, an unforgiving wave of missiles that thudded into the armor of two of the men. The last one threw a jagged spear the illithid's way in a last attempt to survive, but Xallithelid was so focused on his magical barrage that as he attempted to dodge out of the way, the thrown weapon buried itself deep into his shoulder. He yanked it out as soon as it hit him, and could feel a searing pain shock him as he tugged it out of himself. He held out his unwounded arm, eyes filled with a burning hatred that promised death, and reddish brown tentacles burst from the ground, wrapping around the man and strangling him. The illithid slowly tightened the grip, and could hear the cracking of his bones. If he had lips they would be curled into a wicked grin. More footsteps were sounding down the hall, a more organized band, no doubt, a group of no less than two dozen, and he heard the clicks of the Tiefling's spear again. "Tricky son of an ogre…" He mumbled as he fell back, soon finding his companions again. The girl said something, swirling ash at her feet, but then the illithid collapsed to the ground, falling into unconciousness.

Author: Chae, Posted: Wed Dec 2, 2015 2:28 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Half a dozen men were slaughtered before Chae could even attempt to aid her comrades, left only with the low ache of her uncast magic. With a flex of her fingers she dispelled the shadows that she had meant to harness. "The squid has a death wish," she said to no one in particular, grinning.

Her expression faltered at the renewal of Naota’s protection spell. She had managed to avoid it before, but now the sensation of being within it made her rotting skin crawl. 

She distracted herself with a cursory examination of the rings, touching them with arcane senses. They were not enchanted. "Worthless," she decided, leaving them in Cha'Kwe'Tza's hand for Naota to take. It was then she noticed that the healer returned, without the man he had knocked cold. She peered at him curiously, apparently not noticing the flakes of flesh that were slowly lifting away from her hands and neck. The contrast between his kind actions and demonic aura intrigued her. That explained the internal conflict in his aura as well.

"These men are bad," she offered, her attempts at consolation more practical than sympathetic. "This used to be a place of honor and heritage. They slaughtered the people who lived here, or they killed the ones who did. It is a never ending cycle of greed–at least it was."

Then she knelt beside one of the fresh corpses and laid her hands over its head and its heart. A pulse of fell energy rippled through the room, and the man’s dead eyes opened. “How many others?” She demanded.

Her thrall struggled against her spell, coughing wetly, but ultimately it obeyed. “At least two dozen fighters, and half as many bowmen,” it answered. “Garrisoned throughout the other rooms. But there are passageways beneath, with monsters unseen. There is a great evil in this place, deep below. They all succumb. And so will you.” His eyes glowed with a pale green light, magic that was not hers, his lips spreading into a bloody smile.

She did not give him the opportunity to laugh. With the clench of her fist he melted into ash, which she dragged with her skirts as she approached the illithid and the hall beyond. “Let’s find these blasted alarms before our ears fall off. Then we go down.”

((Sorry this got so long. It will be shorter when we get back into combat.))

Author: Naota, Posted: Wed Dec 2, 2015 12:20 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Blood.  There was so much blood.  The smell was almost dizzying and it was all he could do to keep his daemon at bay.  Already his skin was starting to burn hotter, his eyes glaze from green to crimson.  True that the men being slain were ill doers themselves, but he highly doubted that the intentions of his party were particularly noble.  Either way, they were his company and he was being associated which meant that he was just as much of a target as the rest of them.

As the sounds of carnage and bloodshed echoed around him in the close quarters, a man came at him with his blade.  On instinct his fingers twitched to pull up one of his own, but he stopped himself, curling his hands into fists instead.  He wouldn’t let them harm him, but he wouldn’t mortally wound them if he could avoid it and instead flickered out of sight only to reappear behind him.  Each time he teleported to a different place he noticed the lethargy creeping into the man’s movements until he was able to rush him; slamming his fist into his solar plexus.  He’d be fine, unconscious and nauseated when he regained consciousness, but fine nonetheless.  Still, he couldn’t leave him here or he’d end up a sopping mess like the rest of his fallen comrades.  

His eyes closed for only a moment, regaining some of his composure and sending another wave of protection over his companions, though they were doing well enough so far without a boost of it, he couldn’t help himself.  For good measure he let out a gentle wave to heal any of their wounds as well as a boost for their energy.  When his eyes opened they had returned to their natural green hue, and he shielded himself and the man in invisibility before teleporting them both to a much safer location.  It was still within the city, a tavern, but it was surely safer than where they had just been.  Someone would find him, probably loot him, but at least he’d be alive.  He took the invisibility off of him and teleported back, only having been gone for a blink and his eyes widened as a bloody hand extended rings towards anyone that wanted them,

“I’ll take them…”  He moved forward, eyes never leaving his, already unsure of how well he could trust the rest of them…for now he’d give them the benefit of the doubt, towards his life at least.  Uncomfortable goosebumps ran down his flesh as he took up the blood slicked rings and he replaced them into his pocket, hoping he’d be able to find their original owners to return them to.

Author: Chalky, Posted: Tue Dec 1, 2015 7:56 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Cha'Kwe'Tza saw the four armed and armoured fighters come around the corner and roared his challenge to them. Their steps faltered as they probably weren't expecting a group, let alone Cha'Kwe'Tza and Xallithelid. However, Cha'Kwe'Tza wound up charging the four alone as the other warrior in the group faded from view. Using his superior size, Cha'Kwe'Tza slammed into the first guard full force with a lowered shoulder charge, throwing him backwards to the floor. The next one in line tried to swing a longsword at the Reptilian's face, but reflexes honed over hundreds of years of fighting brought Cha'Kwe'Tza's shield up to intercept the blow. The countering stroke brought the stone sword in his hand across, the blackened blade sinking deep into the abdomen of the human. With a dying shriek, the guard fell backwards trying to hold spilled entrails in blood soaked hands. Now that the runes on his blade had tasted blood, a soft and eerie glow started to emanate from them. Striding forward, Cha'Kwe'Tza easily pushed his blade through the chest of the guard he had knocked down, ignoring the wimpering protests. The final guard had turned to flee by this point, and Cha'Kwe'Tza hadn't worked up the bloodlust enough to chase him down alone.

Returning to the first body, Cha'Kwe'Tza knelt down beside it, ignoring the blood that pooled out around his claws in an expanding circle. Around the corpse's neck a heavy chain of gold lay in addition to several gemmed rings. Yanking the chain free, Cha'Kwe'Tza deposited it in the small bag at his waist to trade on another day. Transferring his weapon to his shield hand, Cha'Kwe'Tza turned to the other two with the rings in a blood spattered hand, "You want? You have. Too tiny for me." If a Reptilian could smile like a human, this one would have an evil grin on it's face.

Author: Xallithelid, Posted: Tue Dec 1, 2015 7:01 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Xallithelid took up his scythe and spiked whip,, but instead of standing to fight, he faded from view. He passed a few of the guards as they ran towards his companions, and entered another room past the one he saw his halfling lich companion look into. Although he would never admit it, he thought the female halfling to be quite… "Cute", as humans would call it. As he peered into the room, he saw a half dozen men, talking among themselves. He could barely understand their accents, but he knew they were talking amongst themselves about who would be getting what off of the intruders corpses. He saw one of them sporting a fancy golden ring, and he decided that one was his. The man and his companions looked incredulously as the flash of light seemed to take the mans hand, but as the illithid faded into view a moment later, holding a bloody scythe, they knew what had happened. The first started to close in, snapped out of the stupor. A chain soared up, and the man held out his forearm instinctively to block. The tanned leather gauntlet and arm bracer was torn to shreds by the hooked spikes on the whip, and he fell back, wreathing in agony and trying desperately to stop the blood from flowing out of his torn arm. Three magical daggers hit three targets, and three more fell, dead or dying. The final had no desire to fight, and attempted to flee. Yellow electricity shot out from the illithid's hand, turning the fleeing woman into a charred, twitching heap. He casually went over to the two men who were down but not dead and finished them with his scythe. He went over to retrieve the ring, and set out to find his companions again.

Author: Chae, Posted: Tue Dec 1, 2015 4:34 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Chae was glaring as she entered, hugging the wall as she searched her senses for the inevitable approach of the fortress guards. There was no use dwelling on Xallithelid's woeful inelegance, only the tender spark of readied magic on her fingers. Cha'Kwe'Tza spoke, prompting the witch to glance down the hall. Her only response was to meet his eye and nod. Then the darkness of the corridor enveloped her, a cool breeze signaling her invisible progress through the shadows beneath the door.

Already, four heavily armored mercenaries were rounding the corner; there was only time to survey the room for a second. Mismatched chairs and tables littered the large space, old and broken and dusty, perhaps once used as a large public den before the citadel's current residents took over and left it abandoned. Chae noted a pair of cloudy windows, a fire place, and another door on the opposite wall. Then she returned to the first door and opened it from within.

Her attention was drawn to Naota and the holy spell he had cast. The lich had not encountered a healer before, at least not in this lifetime, but she had only read bad things about their magic. But there was no time for further hesitation. She waved her companions down the narrow passage.

"Bottleneck them," Chae suggested sternly. She could only hope that these brutes could fight better than they could plan.

Author: Naota, Posted: Tue Dec 1, 2015 1:05 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

What had he gotten himself into?  Not once in his life had he stolen anything, but here the lines were constantly blurred.  The pirates stole from someone and now they were taking from pirates?  Did that balance it out?  He was trying to make it work out for his moral code.  At any rate with how dangerous people here could be, he at least wanted to make sure that the group stayed out of harm’s way.  Maybe he’d be able to convince them to return some of it to the rightful owners…?  It was a long shot that he highly doubted.  Well, with his share he’d return it to where it belonged…

No time to think about that though: the door had been all but blasted down and alarms were going off, loud enough that he had to cup his hands over his heightened ears for a moment.  The passageway was dark, but the light glow of his eyes aided him along with his ability to cut his sight through darkness.  Here we go…  His arm lifted up, fingers spread as he let out a wave of energy to cast down around them.  It was a protection spell, and while its effects weren’t permanent, it would hold at least long enough for them to get past the first throng of people without taking fatal damage, “I’ve cast protection, but I wouldn’t dally.” He picked up his pace with them, well aware of the weapons he had hidden on himself, but knew that he’d never use them.  Not for something like this.  No, he’d do his best to avoid any actual combat and instead stick to defenses…after all, they were the ones doing the breaking in.

Author: Chalky, Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 9:53 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

Cha'Kwe'Tza blinked his eyes to clear the flash from Xallithelid's lightning bolt. The two of them pushing against the iron had done nothing to budge them, and so they had cleared some room. Although it was a way in, Cha'Kwe'Tza wasn't thrilled at the fact that they had essentially kicked the beehive before sticking their hand in for honey. It actually kind of reminded him of a test of bravery from back home involving multiple venomous insects balanced on one hand for a period of time. Deciding he'd introduce the test on another day, Cha'Kwe'Tza pushed forward into the stone lined hallway with the other three in the group, his stone sword at the ready, runes thirsting for blood. The alarms echoing all around drowned out most of the group's noise at the moment, which was beneficial since the soft clicking of his claws along with mixed bead and stone jewellery were muffled. Peering into the deepening gloom of the corridor ahead of them, Cha'Kwe'Tza gestured with his weapon towards a nearby door, "Search now, or search later?"

Author: Xallithelid, Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 7:42 PM, Post Subject: Dungeoneers Dungeoneering; A Pirate's Paradise. (R?, P)

The iron doors to the mountain citadel a few miles south of the coast connecting it to Vilpamolan wouldn't budge. Maybe not going in the backdoor was a good idea, after all. Guards hadn't noticed the intrusion yet, and the companions were glad for it, too. Pirate ships sailed about at sea, docking in the massive cave underneath them, and loading off plenty of desirable commodities. Commodities the companions surely would have for themselves. After some pulling on the door with his strong reptillian companion, both with the spell of strength cast on them, Xallithelid decided maybe some noise was needed to bust it open, so he told his companions to stand back and unleashed a mighty bolt of lightning towards the barred off portal, the door itself didnt swing open, instead was knocked off of its hinges. Alarms sounded in the complex. His companions looked at the illithid with angry stares and all he could offer was a shrug and "oops" before he went into the long hallway leading from the door and into the complex.