Sweeping Darkness (IC) - Open

[Lushin]

Tarson looked at DFX and Tank.
"Maybe it's just me but does that path *Tarson points in the direction they had just come* look different to you guys? The trees and the bushes don't look the same. I think something is going on here"

[techmaster-glitch]

   DFX looked around with his blue light-eyes at what Tarson was gesturing to. "I am not observing any environmental anomalies." He replied. " The only observations we made were the sensory anomalies, nothing further. However, taking that into consideration, I submit the suggestion that we resume mobility. If the sensory anomalies were significant, and there is a high probility they are if we experienced it simultaneously, I do not discern any logic or wisdom in remaining in this vicinity."

[Lushin]

Tarson smurked a bit
"Hrrm"
He then turned to the others.
"Hey does this look like the trail we where just walking on?"

[Omega]

"No, it looks like the underwater adventrue of Admiral Chekovf...." Armita left his sentence hanging. "Wait. What kind of sensory anomalies? You mean like a moment of blindness or strange background disorder?" he asked from DFX

[techmaster-glitch]

   DFX turned to Armita. He regarded the crow-laden human with his usual expressionless metal-face stare. "I have already stated our observations, but I can repeat them. I said that my brother and I detected some sort of irregular visual distortion, accompanied by a stimulation of our somatosensory systems. It could possibly be described as abnormally low temperature and mild paresthesia. A sensation of this sort is only ever associated with some form of magical discharge or residue, for us at the least. I am unsure if any of our other companions experienced it in an identical form."

[familyghost]

"Well I didn't experience any... para... par..."  Aeo blinked when he realized he didn't know the word 28 mentioned in his explanation.  "Come to think of it I don't even know what that means.  But didn't experience anything odd at all."

[Pagan]

Alcir realized that not everyone might understand what DFX meant. "To put it in layman's terms, a cold chill with an odd creeping sensation and a blurring at the edge of sight. So it seems that we felt the same, at the same time. It must be something important. But, why would some of us not experience them..." The undead fell from speaking loud enough for the whole group to a quiet mutter.

[Darkmoon]

For those on the path:

There is a slow rumbling, and then, from above the trees, a head appears... A very large head. Human in it's description, although with a greenish cast.

"Would you quit your blathering?! Some of us are trying to sleep here."

(For those with knowledge of this area of the world, giants are no where near common for the realm.)

- - - - -

For those at the farm:

Eric looked down at the note, looked it over, then turned around and went back to the farmhouse. After some time, he came back out and said, "the missus says that this here paper says that you're going to be watching out for my cattle. That's good, although I don't know what a collection of woodland creatures and a woman that can't control her makeup are going to be able to do."

Eric looked at the barn. "Come right before dawn, every day, they appear. Weird... creatures. I swear they're from the heavens. You have to stop them. They keep takin' my cattle!"

[Omega]

"Uuuhhhhh...... okay?" Armita responded to the head and lowered his voice "I do not know for sure, but that ain't normal from where I hail from. "

[e_voyager]

Enigma shivers. spells or not giants could be a problem. perhaps it was time for him to make and exit. but no if he left then he would would be abandoning the mystery that seemed to be deepening with every hour around him.

[Lushin]

Tarson shook his head at the others then look around at the rumbleing.
"Now what"
Then he saw the giant pokes it's head over the trees.
"Sorry about that big man. We'll be on our way so you can get back to sleep"
Tarson started walking in the direction they where orginally headed, then stopped and looked at the giant.
"Excuse me for a sec, big man. I was wondering if you could tell us where we are? We're not from around here and think we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere"

[Darkmoon]

The giant gave a quizzical look. "You're in the outlands. No one comes here unless they intend to..."

[techmaster-glitch]

   When the giant popped his head above the treeline, both DFX and Tank took a step back and a much more battle-ready stance. Some of the party members spoke to it, and it spoke back. In the meantime, Tank was talking to DFX.
   "Brother..." He said very low voice, "What...is that...thing? No human-shaped fleshling should be that size! By our Forging Father, it's bigger than me!" If anyone was listening, Tank actually almost sounded offended as he said the last sentance.
   "I am...unsure, brother." DFX replied. "Our father did keep an extensive library, but I remember reading little of such a creatue as this. I believe it is called a...'giant'."
   "Giant? That is not an original name at all."
   "No, it isn't. Humanoid fleshlings can be amazingly uncreative sometimes."
   During their conversation, the two not-so-quite-large-seeming-anymore constructs did not drop their battle stances.

[Darkmoon]

Upon seeing some confused reactions to his statement, the giant sits up.

"These territories are the Outlands. Only those stupid enough to gain the ire of (he spits) his Lordship would end up out in here... which is why I'm out here. You can't escape the Outlands. You just end up learning to live here. It's... not bad, if you try to forget your old lives."

[familyghost]

Aeo blinked when he saw the giant.  He had always heard stories of the massive humanoids, about how they could stomp a man flat, toss him into the trunk of a tree like a dart and much worse things.  Unfortunately Aeo's mind filled instantaneously with those immediate fears and he quickly found himself staring in fear at the large humanoid.  His mind absorbed everything that said, but it wasn't until the giant mentioned that no one escapes the  "Outlands" that he realized that he had to be dealing with an idiot.

"Well gee, I guess walking down a path can challenge even the greatest of intellects."  Aeo kept a smug smile on his face.   "I mean come on the town we came from is just a day's travel back down the road!"

[e_voyager]

Enigma listened but did not speak to speak would revel his hiding place. His spell was gone worn off when Tarson was talking about how the path was different. Right now he could only hide and wonder. he could not cast that illusion  again not until he'd had some time to rest. 

still he could not help but think that Aeo was wrong. there were always ways to travel vast distances in moments or to force that travel on others . he used such spells often either directly casting them or having them imbued into artificates so he'd taken not noticed when they ware transferred. not that he was very sensitive  to magic when he wasn't looking for it anyway. the quest now was how could he escape the Outlands? he did not doubt that he could there was always an escape but it was rarely easy or pleasant.

[Azlan]

"Oh dear, a giant.  Pardon me if I stare, I mean no offense.  It is just that my mother had always told me that the fey and giantkin were enemies.  There were many stories to scare children, but as in all things one must judge the individual."

Aire seemed to have forgotten the conundrum of the distortion and continued to observe the giant.

[Lushin]

Tarson just kinda stoud there listen to the giant.
"Well that's just wonderful. Go for a walk down a path and we end up here. *Tarson threw his hands up in the air in mock frustration then he looked to the giant* Hey who is this *spits* Lordship guy?"
Tarson looked around at the others a bit, scratched his chin with his left hand and looked back at the giant.
"It seems we might be spending sometime together. My name's Tarson whats your's big man?"

[Darkmoon]

"You may call me Garon. Although we don't have much, you are welcome to come through the woods here and join myself and my friends for the night." Garon motions to a small path through the tree, which, for those looking close enough, one can just make out firelight.

[Lushin]

Tarson caususly wakjed towards the path. He slowly moved down the path toward Garon and his friends. He then looked back at DFX and Tank and gestured to follow him.
"You know we just might do that, Garon"

[e_voyager]

Not certain of the wisdom of this Enigma hides a while longer waiting for others to go before him so that he may follow in the shadows. something about this did not settle with him and it was best to figure out what.  After all he may be paranoid but he may also be right.

[Omega]

"How do we know you're not just planning to eat us" Armita asked. A bold question, but not a stupid one, perhaps.

[Lushin]

Tarson looked over his.
"I think he would have done that by now if he was going to"

[Omega]

"Nah" Armita replied. "He doesn't look that fast. Many of us would have probably gotten away if he'd have tried. I say that he just wants us closer and together."

[Darkmoon]

Garon laughs, and it's like low rumbling thunder over the hills. "Little people are amusing."

He looks down into the forested area. "Draskla, come here..."

At this point, a small dragon (small by dragon standards, but still rather large fin comparison to a human), hovers upwards and looks down on the group. 

Garon looks back at the group of travelers. "Little friends, if we wanted to eat you, you'd already have been eaten. Draskla here could out fly even the fastest of you, even on horseback. You've been invited into our campgrounds. You are safe."

[Lushin]

Tarson left out a laugh as then looks back at Armita.
"What did I tell you?"
Tarson walked towards Garon's camp. As he walks he looks up at Garon.
"So what ya in for?"

[familyghost]

The first thing that happened after the giant laughed was that he called out... a dragon.  Aeo barely had time to recognize his own fear of the beasts, even a small one, before he fainted into blackness.

[techmaster-glitch]

   The two living constructs carefully watched the happenings passively. Both slowly relaxed their forms as time and conversation wore on, as it became clear the Giant was not hostile. Tarson started in the direction of the Giant's camp, and motioned for them to follow. They moved to do so, and a dragon showed itself. Both DFX and even Tank had a passing familiarity for Dragons. DFX because there was much more text on them than Giants in his father's library, and Tank because listened sometimes.
   And then the part-demonic fleshling collapsed on the ground. DFX instantly recognized it as a fleshling state of unconciousnes. How annoying.
   "Brother, please facilitate his mobility." DFX said to Tank as he started off towards the camp.
   Tank gruffed, then reached his hand with three huge metal fingers down, and grabbed Aeo, not by his neck, but by his head. Each of the three fingers easily encapsulated Aeo whole cranium, completely covering it. Tank then straigtened back up, and simply started dragging the limp Aeo by his head. Of course, because Tank was so tall, Aeo's knees were what were actually dragging. The rest of his body swayed with Tank's gait.

[e_voyager]

Enigma fallowed the constructs  reaching into his mechanise. he did not use anything not yet but he wanted to ready. the giant was bad enough but a dragon how ever small  / young being with it? he did not like the odds of the party surviving if their host turned hostile.  he wasn't saying that they would actually turn hostile once the party was at camp but he just need to be ready to bolt if it seemed like the would.

[Darkmoon]

The camp could almost be considered a small village.  A few small huts sat in a clearing, with dwarves, elves, goblins, and even a ogre and a giant spider taking residence (although, at the present, most were asleep in their huts -- or trying to, since the giant couldn't help but be loud when he talked). No one was from any particular region (one of the elves that was awake wore oriental garb, a dwarf -- patrolling the villiage perimeter -- carried around unusual items and wore grab that could only be described as "odd, although rather comfortable looking".

Nearest to the fire was a small pile of old metalwork, brassware, and empty treasure chests. Draskla curled back up on this, promptly going to sleep.

Goran showed the crew around, explaining that many of these people didn't even originate from the same world, although there were a few that knew regions and locations that others were familiar with. As he explained it, everyone here was banished to the Outlands, a miserable scrap of land not worthy of populating, with soil nearly to hard to be worked, and what creatures that lived there nearly too tough to be beaten (and when killed, tasted horrible anyway). Goran and his fellows had managed to make somewhat of a life here almost through sheer force of will, and just the simple fact that they all banded together and worked to make sure the village survived.