Of Steam and Steel: IC (Mature) {Currently Open}

[Azlan]

Guild Hall Foyer


Locke thought about the best way to answer, "well, my last crew was rather piratical.  We had a disagreement over methods.  In light of that, I would require those that can use restraint and judgment.  I do not wish to kill the airship merchants, merely relieve them of cargo.  I have no qualms fighting and dispatching Aeliseium and Ahnk' Ator military, privateers, and such though.  Besides a somewhat more enlightened moral structure, I need fighters experienced in boarding actions, operating ship board weaponry, and life aboard an aero-vessel."  


Edit: grammatical error

[JamesCray]

Fighting, off in another direction, but no real pained vocalisations, none of the telltale wet or crunching sounds of serious hits. He was hearing sparring, not at all unfamiliar from time spent with Sera back in Sevastia'Nyad. Ahead, the angel, and beyond him, the vixen. Was it just him, or did she seem even more impressive in here? Johan sighed, though of the emotions backing it, he was unsure which was predominant. Relief, that there appeared to be, in fact, no danger; Embarrassment in that he had allowed his imagination to go so far afield; or disappointment, in that he was once again in a situation where his presence was pointless. Okay, time to look inconspicuous, Johan, find something to do so you look like you're supposed to be there.

[SquirrelWizard]

Stephan watched the people before him get mercilessly grilled by the Demons in charge. He caught snippets of the usual customs inqueries, why they were coming to Voethfell, what they brought with them. The demons were being rough, but it was hard to tell if they were it was just how things ran around here, or if they were particularly surly over something. He gathered up his bags, and calmly waited with Ed as the two demons finished up and prayed that their "interrogation" would be short, and with as little hassle as possible.

[Arroyo Milori]

New Item GET!

After investigating it a bit in person, he plucked it from where it laid and held it in his hands. His first instinct is to try to prep a small spell with it, a rather simple spell. He took his canteen and poured the water out of it. Gently levitating it with a free hand and pointing at it with the wand in his other. Slowly the water turned into steam as he continues reciting the prose for the spell.

[AmberCross]

If you can't beat 'em, hide and hope they go away.

So that was plans A through E torn to small pieces. It was becoming rapidly clear he could use up a lot of energy doing a whole lot of nothing. Theoretically he could leave, the insectis would never notice one small ferret among the dust clouds and debris caused by their passing. But there really wasn't anywhere to go. He could also probably fly faster than this thing and get to the town ahead of it (or heck, he could probably RUN faster. This thing was glacially slow...), but to what end? To warn them? No way they hadn't noticed yet with all the other people who had escaped and he didn't have any special intel that would be important.

He didn't have anything pressing he had to do at his original destination, and nothing important to do here so he figured that with his other more direct options exhausted he would stick around for a bit as a ferret and watch what happened. Heck, maybe even explore a bit, see if there was something akin to vents he could travel through or... who knew. Exploring was almost always a plus and he just couldn't bring himself to leave the scene. It was too interesting. What was that old saying again? Something about curiosity and cats... but he wasn't a cat so it probably didn't really apply to him.

[Sunblink]

Red and Yellow, Kill a Fellow

Wings, more wings. She could see them through the smoke, wasn't sure if they were dragons or if they were actually under siege. Paranoia could be a dangerous thing, and as thoughts turned to the destruction of her clan, the more her consternation rose and warped into irrational hatred. Fire, smoke, blood and things better left forgotten, generations annihilated in a single night due to the folly of one rebellious blasphemer. Throwing a hand over her eyes to shield her from the whirlwind of smoke and ash, she cringed and struggled to make out whether or not the crowd was approaching her.

There was enough room to escape. She hadn't met the resistance that she anticipated, nobody seemed to be striking out at her, either because they were desperately clawing for their own escape or intimidated by the magic at her command (she fancied the latter alternative, even though anyone capable of abstract thought could have argued otherwise)... Then she realized what the problem was as her gaze turned on one of the fallen. The signs of an inferior were all there: no wings, drab colors, impure blood she could smell from a mile away. The vestiges of the spell she used to defeat him dripped from her fingers like ink, hungrily swallowed by the expanding silhouette of her own shadow. Growing and growing until it was another bloated doppelganger, trailing after her feet as she pushed into action. She felt its weight on her heels, and knew with a thought she could send it after the guards like her personal minion.

Fortune had finally decided to smile upon her.

She was still outnumbered, and needed to be elusive. Confronting the mob head-on was out of the question, and yet-

Keaton saw something shimmer in the distance, a coy silver wink that flickered through the sandstorm before vanishing. Confusion knotted her features. Metal? Could've been weaponry, or light catching off the shackles, but with enough squinting and puzzling over the phenomenon, she was able to distinguish the sinewy motion of reddish demon wings flailing amidst the tempest. Her immediate suspicion was that they belonged to some prisoner she hadn't encountered, but then, as she watched the ringleader shatter the manacles of a nearby captive with a surge of lightning, she realized that he was responsible for her liberation. Some sort of terrorist organization? Maybe she was out of tune with the affairs of most of the other Creature races, but she didn't know that Demons had a bone to pick with the Insectis. Keaton fought down the urge to cough and approached, still uncertain. If he had any intention of freeing all of these prisoners, perhaps he had a quick escape route. Retrieving Catastrophe from wherever it was stashed was one of her priorities, but if it was impossible, she had no right to complain.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the guards that were once pursuing her scamper away. Once they were a fair distance away, she walked over to the Demon, admiring his extravagant garb and the ostentatious rings ornamenting his hair. "So, Demon," she said, sounding too haughty to be cordial – force of habit, naturally, "I guess we have you to thank for this. You plan on showing us the way out, or do I have to cut my way out myself?"

[Cogidubnus]

 Alex took stock. And he smiled.

He saw not crates of guns, ammo and foodstuffs, war materiel and supplies. He saw soldiers that never tired, walking through the withering crossfire of machine gun and magic without pause or concern. He saw a host rise from the sea without warning and grind through a fortified beachhead with impunity, immune to fear, fire and bullet.
He saw himself, standing amongst the burnt bodies of his homeland's conquerors, the wind at his face, and a endless host of the immutable dead marching behind him, the din of their boots drowning out the screams of their victims.

There was a fire in his eyes, as he gingerly picked up a single warm stone, studying it. He turned to Kierana. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

He knew they couldn't wait long. They'd need to put down soon, offload from the airship, drain the ballast and hide the wreck, before anything was seen amiss. They'd find it, eventually, but by that time he planned to be long out of the area.

[Lisky]

Foul Play or Foreplay?  With Demons, It's Hard to Tell the Difference

Kath's knife slammed into something hard, a small trickle of blood coming from the demoness's forearm. As she landed, she flicked her wrist out, creating a barrier between the combatants, her voice resonating with a single word, "Enough!"

She bowed to her partner, and sheathed her weapon.  Taking a step forward, she replied, "Well played and welcome to the guild.  The Mistress is around, and I'm sure she'll be delighted to discover that one of the new prospects actually proved themselves skilled.  You'd be astonished how many  young adventurous types think that having a couple drops of creature blood, and some skill swinging a sword makes them capable of joining a guild.  We have standards here, and you've met and exceeded them. "

She smirked while running a hand across the small gash, applying some light healing magic,  "Good shot, I was getting a little overextended, and you managed to catch that."   A slight twinkle in the jaguar's eye.


Driving a Hard Bargain

Renard shrugged, "at the very least, if we stop that thing, you'd be able to qualify for a five percent scrap-weight compensation...  That is, to say, a civilian contractor helping with military affairs.  Standard contract is five percent of the weight of damage they cause, in addition to a per-confirmed kill bonus.  It's not exactly nice, it doesn't make us popular with outsiders... but it does bring some incentive for the more powerful to join border disputes, and mercenary action.  It gives civilians an opportunity to choose to fight back, and actually earn something if or when they get caught in the crossfire. "

Nadia chimed in,  "Creature souls aren't cheap... and often times a soul-stone use related punishment requires more than just money... I don't mean to discourage, but you're most likely going to need proof that she didn't commit whatever atrocity that she was put on trail, and executed for."

Renard yanked on Nadia's shoulder, "we can discuss matters after we've gotten ourselves under that thing, and manage to avoid get gunned down, or crushed.    Do you think a boulder, or some scrub-brush would be the appropriate illusion spell to use?"
In the distance, fires could be seen in the town, more screaming, and more figures heading north.  The metal monster pondered onward, slowly, menacingly.


Die Sonne

Paige's stone remained silent for a few moments, and when a voice finally answered it was not Baseel's.  The voice was deeper, more gruff, and didn't carry nearly the aristocratic "Squadron Leader Sheppard, your talents are needed at the north-eastern edge of the train station.  We're moving on the city, proper, shortly, but first we need to secure the trains."

Outside, the sun was raising higher in the sky now, bright rays pierced the dusty clouds that covered the area.  There were several mind-lights that Paige could feel, shielded thoughts, though their minds glowed far too bright to be a being.   Beyond that, there were several train cars that were untouched.  They seemed empty, there were no emotions as far as the succubus could detect.


When Sheep Become Wolves

The Vixen simply nodded,  "I can draw up contracts for guild members who fit most of your criteria.  Note that personnel are rather limited at current, as most of our members are contracted out to military and policing roles.  I have a half-dozen files, and awaiting the reports on another hopefuls...   If you want to take a chance with one or more of the hopefuls, seeing as they're new with us, we tend to provide a discounted price as well... as... hiring a crew can always be expensive. "

She looked at the little fennec for a moment, before turning her attention back to the angel before her.  "I myself have the guild's business and supply aspect to run, and, as much as a merry romp and rampage would serve to be quite the change of pace, I sadly cannot, in good conscience, leave without making the appropriate preparations first.  If you'd give me a place to reach you in an hour or so... Mr. Pyrinost-Highwynd, I will gladly deliver some folios for you to look over."

Turning her attention to the fennec, the succubus said, "good day to you, sir.  Are you looking to hire a contract? Or perhaps you're  a hopeful looking for approval for entrance into the guild?"


And If You Thought the FAA Was Bad...

The pair of demons looked at Stephan with a mixture of disdain and annoyance.  He could –taste- what they were feeling.  It was the oddest sensation to hit him yet.  It wasn't a literal taste in his mouth, it was more like a mixture of a smell that wasn't there, a flavor that wasn't there, and yet, his mind immediately identified the non-flavor, non-smell, as something both there and palatable.  

The demons looked annoyed as Stephan watched Ed remove his shirt, splay his arms, and get a rough pat-down.  They went through a number of spells, while apparently grilling the feline the entire time.   When they finished they waved Stephan forward.  "Come'on Boy, time for the usual checkup."  

The first demon said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Remove your shirt, spread your arms, and remove any and all morphing or appearance changing magic from yourself now."

The second demon was already looking through Stephan's bag, hunting with an array of magic that could be felt, but not easily identified.


Snap, Crackle, Pop

The wand seemed to collect Arroyo's arcane energies, but not as he had anticipated.  The wand seemed to fizzle to life for a moment, a faint glow at it's tip.  The rod shook lightly in the feline's hand, and a pinprick of a portal opened up for just a moment.

It was no larger than a fist, but he could see through it.  He could see a tigress angel, the one from the boat.  She was surrounded by cultists.  There were other people he could see as well, they were in a large circle, the angel looming over one of the individuals not dressed in the dark robes of the cultists.  A middle-aged man, difficult to tell too much due to the three-quarter's turn he had.  

As quickly as the portal had come, it blinked out of existence with a large, audible *SNAP*

The rod still in Arroyo's hand, the feline was left with the sense that what he'd just seen was happening now.


Rodent Survival Tactics 101

Looking around the underside of the machine, the first thing that became apparent to Chris was the riveted sheets of steel.  They were fitted together rather well, almost as if it were a ship's hull, with smooth welding and all.  However, there were a few seams showing, along with some rather heavy grille work.  They were clearly too small for even a half-sized individual to squeeze through.   However, they were constructed with an ultra-heavy gauge wire, and left plenty of space for the weasel-like mammal to slide through in feral form.  The wire was meant to keep roughly man-sized monster's out, not small rodents.  Perhaps an oversight, or perhaps it was the best they could do while attempting to ensure they had enough airflow to keep the boilers running.  Whatever the case, Chris had his in.

Above him  there was more chittering, more screeching, and what sounded like a rather angry clicking noise.  He heard the jingle of metal slapping against metal, along with the shriek of metal dragged across metal.  Then Chris heard more jingling metal, along with organic grunts and chirps.  They were up to something up there.


Red and Black, Friendly Jack

Keaton could clearly see the puzzlement on the demon's face, he appeared to be talking to someone, displaying a good deal of focus and concentration on his task at hand before her approach.  The choking smoke and dust seemed to be affecting everyone around her as well, though some of the more powerful creatures used it as a chance to display their strength.  They seemed to be making another attempt at show-boating, in line with their consistent need to proving how strong they were.  Such typical demon behavior.  The coppery hair jingled on the demon when she approached, silvery rings clanking together.   His attention shifted, and, while his thoughts were hidden behind a shield.  His emotions, however, were completely free to sample, and for a succubus of Keaton's age and talents, easy to read, even in their quickly shifting spectrum.  

A brief flash of puzzlement, followed by intrigue, worry, interest, a self-rebuke, followed by respect, then,  finally, self-confidence set in and the demon spoke.  The emotional range was displayed over the fraction of a second for him to identify her, eye her appearance through the clouds and then identify the word's she'd said, along with the tone she'd said them in.  "Milady," The demon replied in a slightly playful tone, his emotions giving off a fair bit of amusement, and, perhaps that was just a tinge of incredulity as well.   His voice seemed to dance oh so slightly, he was clearly enjoying himself, "I wasn't expecting to encounter a fellow noble out here."

He took a wide, extravagant bow, clearly overextending himself in a flourish that oozed with mock respect.  His emotions completed the suspicions, though given the other background emotions, it was a fair bet he was mocking the gesture more than her, too much interest, and  a fair amount of glee.  "  I, Prince Baseel of Voethfel, Wolksheem Duchy, am at your service as you are now my guest. I have an airship at my command some miles to the south.  If you're in a hurry,  I must sadly inform you that I have other business to attend to here first.  And, while you can find accommodations there, you may be waiting a fair while.   Though, where are my manners..."

He paused and flashed a grin of teeth that seemed almost too white to be natural, though she could detect no appearance enhancing magic about the man,  "To whom do I find myself playing host?"
So saying, he cocked his head to the side, giving her a bemused, yet inquisitive look.


Birth of a Nation

The succubus next to Alex watched him with puzzlement.  As the stone left the presence of the others, it seemed to cool.  She replied, "I'm... not sure.  I've never seen anything like it.  They're almost too perfectly formed, and they're giving off something odd... I'm not sure how else to describe them.  It's not like any magic I've encountered before."

She picked another stone up, studying it carefully, feeling the smooth edges, "I wonder what they're doing with these?  So, very strange indeed... They're probably worth a small fortune to the right buyer."

[Noone]

Hells...

With no time to carefully analyze his surroundings, Kyirri rushed to open the ornate case. If it were locked, he'd try to elbow it open in a vulnerable area. He rushed to grip the guns.

Oh why do I even bother with this charade...?

He knew trouble was coming on both ends of the train. He had nowhere to flee, unless out the... he hadn't looked. He made a quick glance at the sides of the train car he was in to see if there were any places he could quickly rush out the train. Afte rwhich, he'd glance around rapidly, looking for cover, preferably some place he could find cover from someone at either side of the train car.

At least I have survival instincts...

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen Plain

"That kind of lawyer has a very high price tag," Seth pointed out.  "I could go on and on, but... yes.

"I'm not sure it would make much difference... about the illusion, I mean.  It is big enough that its operators will either not notice or ignore that kind of obstacle.  A rock it would stand on, a shrub it would walk through.  Neither of which helps us.
"It would be safer to dig down if we can so we're less likely to be crushed, but failing that?  I'd say, project a boulder big enough for us to fit inside it, and if it looks like it's gonna step on us, we run."

[VAE]

But is it a toll-free number?

It didn't take Avram long to judge his perspectives. He had no gun, didn't touch the corpse either.. now it was only up to explaining to the officers it is indeed so.. and hope they aren't particularly vindictive tonight as pictures aren't the only things that get framed...
The cat thought for a moment, and then shouted into the darkness.:
"Here is it! Come! Near the gate!"
Then , he stood really, really still.

[Kafzeil]

Heavy Rain (is due soon)

Lucy glanced at the brothers momentarily, then back at Renee. That wasn't just a traumatized slip of the tongue. Well, she hoped, but it may have been another clue.

She walked over to the girl, "shielding" her from the brothers with a comforting hug. The pieces didn't fit. She smelled a rat as her mind raced with theories already, one of which she tried dismissing as far fetched. The Aelisian Church wasn't THAT bad...she hoped.

"it's okay Renee...I'm here to protect you." she assured the girl softly. " What bad men? How are they similar to these two?" She asked. " i want to know what happened here. Tell me as much as you can. if you feel uncomfortable about it, that's okay."

"These men won't hurt you.  I won't let them. I promise."

[Paladin Sheppard]

The wolfess made a brief acknowledgment, slightly annoyed that Baseel had not replied, then went about her assigned task.

Paige being reasonably sure they they weren't going to use the trains to make any sort of getaway this deep into Insectius territory, decided to sate her curiosity about the contents of the non slave carrying train cars, the most expedient manner was to simply wrench the doors out of their hinges with her wing-tentacles.

As the first set of cargo doors in her way clattered in empty space behind her she peered into the car.

[JamesCray]

When Sheep Become Wolves

The miniature fox stifled a flinch as attention fell to him in a burst of startlement followed by embarrassment the succubus could likely easily detect, then composed himself, doffed his hat, and bowed to the Vixen as his mind worked to determine the best course of action. A saying he had heard once came to mind; 'Be honest, it confuses people.'

"Good day, Milady." he greeted her with his best diplomatic charm. "To be entirely honest, I regret to admit that I am here largely due to misunderstanding. I saw the gentleman following you down the alleyway and became concerned, so I decided to follow and ensure he intended no foul play. Upon seeing you enter here I was less concerned, but overheard a commotion, and so decided to step in and render what aid I could if it was needed. Obviously, however, the only thing requiring rescue at this point would be my dignity." he explained.

[Chairtastic]

Smells like Doom
"...And that is the complete list of things you don't say to my mother, or I will rip your spine out.  Am I clear?"

"As a horrifyingly detailed crystal, boss."

"Lovely."  The Messua home was set in a lowland, a single great mansion rising up from a series of orchards, and smaller homes.  Many Messua's made a living as Adventurers and Adventurer Slayers, bringing in a steady flow of ill-gotten goods to be resold.  Of course, some experimented with magical devices, usually to cut out the cost of hiring an artificer to do the work. 

"Nice house."

"Very, once you get passed the foyer."  Haien pronounced that word foe-yay, for some odd reason.  "Listen.  When we go in the entrance hall, do not stand on any tile depicting a horse.  It is a trap that will kill you.  Do not stand under any portion of the ceiling depicting a goat, it is a trap that will kill you.  Do not stand next to any gap in the wall more than a meter high, it is a trap that will kill you.  Do not touch any metal surface, it is a trap that will kill you.  Do hit on any attractive male or female you see in the hall, it is a trap that will kill you."

"Are you trying to scare me, Boss?"

"Oh, of course not.  Mother will do that for me."

[techmaster-glitch]

Empty shack in ghost town

  Gezzemocht took a step back in surprise at the girl's reaction to him. That kind of reaction was not a good thing.
  The beaver being looked at Lucy. "That's not right. She shouldn't react to uniform that way." He was going to ask her to talk to the girl, but Lucy already had that under control, so Gezz took a few more steps back and let Lucy comfort the girl.
  Outside, Gaakronacht continued taking care of last-minute checks on the Storm Scorp and around the village.

[Inumo]

Kathostral returned the bow, smiling and replying, "Happy to please, madame." Extending a hand to shake, he continued, "There were some moments where I wasn't sure I would escape as uninjured as I did. It was a good spar." After shaking hands, he asked, "Can you direct me to the Mistress's office?"

[SquirrelWizard]

"Remove your shirt, spread your arms, and remove any and all morphing or appearance changing magic from yourself now."

Stephan's headwings flicked as held up his hand before him, "okay, okay... you got me. I'm not a squirrel succubus but," he shucked his shirt, "I am a squirrel incubus. Big difference, and granted to some its hard to tell, but man... you two nailed me right off the train."

This netted him a forceful slam against the wall by the male demon who then kicked his legs apart and started to roughly pat him down as the demon's companion picked through what little there was of Stephan's luggage.

The demon had started to pat down Stephan's waistline when Stephan spoke up, "Ow... listen, I hate to break your heart, but mister, I don't swing that way, and even if I did... never on the first date..."

[Azlan]

Sheepish Wolves


Locke was somewhat taken aback by the fennec's candor, though he had to admit that he may have been rather suspicious looking while following Ms. Deseux. 

"I say, that is quite noble of you lad.  I would find it very unreasonable to harbor ill will towards the lady Deseux, but I can see how I might be taken as the villain.  I must say, good moral character is a fine trait, but I do need a somewhat flexible capacity within them for privateering."

The cheetah angel bowed to both of them, "my good sir... lady Deseux, I must take my leave then."  Producing a minorly enchanted card containing his information, complete with temporary docking slip of Flamehaze, and offering it to Casandra, he turned to leave.

Pausing, Locke turned and added, "It is important to mention, my ship uses a Soul Matrix for a power system.  I give my guarantee that the crew would not be in danger, but if you wish to draw that into contract then I will understand."

With a final, brief bow, Locke departed back towards his docking slip.

[Arroyo Milori]

What just happened?

Arroyo blinked for a brief minute and smiles. He looked down at the wand in his hand and pointed forward with it, thinking he could get the same result if he used it once more. "I bet I can go through the portal... but if I can..." He lowers his arm slowly. " Then I would be one dead man, after seeing all those cultists and me being very unprepared..." He took out his handkerchief and wraps the wand in it carefully and puts it in his pocket as he started to walk back to where his soon-to-be undead traveling companion was.

[AmberCross]

Enter the dungeon: find the map. Where's the darned map?

Well the belly of the beast was certainly large. And crawling with insectis as well. Nowhere seemed really safe, so Chris took a right and just sort of wandered around looking for stuff and staying hidden. With luck he'd be able to find a map maybe. Or perhaps something critical... not that he'd be able to recognize it if he saw it. Mechanics were hardly an area of expertise for him and unless he found something labeled as 'power source' or similarly obvious he may as well be trying to interpret Gandelfloozian hieroglyphics, which he wasn't sure actually existed.

Of course if he DID find anything, he might not want to act on it just yet. After all, last time he tried something it did nothing but pull the attention of a lot of bad attention. For now stealth was the better option. Once burned, twice shy and all that other stuff...

[Lisky]

Playing With a King's Toys

The case had a simple latch and proved not only easily opened, but completely un-warded as well.  The roo-rat found the pistols to be both painfully opulent, and perfectly balanced.  A beginner with no shooting experience at all could use them at close range.  They were small, 6-shot revolvers, very light, gold etched in the ivory grips, golden vines over the steel frame.  They seemed more decoration than weapon.

Around him, the walls were lined with shelved, floor to ceiling, in rows that mimicked the seating on the train.  Each shelf was bolted to floor, and loaded with bags, cases, and crates of all shapes and sizes.  He could perhaps build a makeshift barrier, or, perhaps climb to the roof-access that he was just now noticing from under one of the shelves.  It wasn't in the center, as most designs have them, but rather, this one was mostly hidden by the bags, only visible once he'd actually gotten to the weapon's case.


Be Vewy Vewy Quiet...    

Renard chuckled, and Nadia gave a bit of a sigh then shrugged.  She then added, "I doubt any disguise would really persuade them to take another course to be honest.  However, sitting around and talking won't do us much good.  We should get ready now so our disguise might actually work."

So saying, Nadia flicked her wrist, and created a bubble around the quartet.  There was a murky film that partially obscured the group's vision, however, from the outside, it would seem that a partially exposed hunk of rock was jutting up through the soil.  It's color and texture appeared to match the surrounding stones.


Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?  

The creature in the sky was a demon, the leathery wings betrayed that, along with the way in which he flew.  His turn-on-a-dime landing was something only possible with wings that could adjust their tightness.  Turning one into a sail, while the other into a smooth, lifting surface, the demon, literally halted, and rotated as if his flared wing were a hinge, bringing him to a quick and immediate stop a few inches off the ground.  He landed in stride, immediately observing the body, then casting a series of spells.  He spotted the lynx very quickly, and pointed at him.  Avram could feel the arcane glow on the demon's fingertips.  The magic couldn't be seen, but every otherworldly sense told him of the magic that was being focused at the dark, leather-wing figure's fingertips.  
The demon was feline, lioness of a deep red that bordered on black, it was small wonder she was part of the night patrol.  Her colors made her look more shadow than creature.  Her voice was powerful, and authoritative.   Her sense focused entirely on the demon engineer as she spoke, "You, come forward, slowly."

She gestured with the hand not pointing at him, making him all the more keenly aware of just how easily she could take him out without a second thought... at least, temporarily.


Hard Rain

As the undead coddled the girl, her sniffling and sobbing seemed to subside.  "They... they wear stuff just like the bad men.  Shiny stuff, with those colors."  She pointed accusingly at the beaver, then continued,  "But... The bad men didn't really have faces... they were made of metal"

Outside, the wind suddenly picked up, gusting, causing the branches and bushes to sway and rustle heavily.  Not long after, the sky grew darker, and the first patters of rain echoed loudly with heavy drops.  It took almost now time at all for the patter to grow into a constant thrumming, as the waves off water seemed to cascade from the heavens.  Outside the little hut, it was nigh-impossible to see beyond a feet from the doorway.


Outside, Arroyo could feel the wind picking up as the portal promptly closed.  Moments later, he got the first sign of rain as a heavy drop slapped him between the ears.  It wouldn't be long before the downpour hit.

Smash and Grab

Paige would find the car filled with clothing, jewelry, instruments, and other odd knick-knacks that were of a massive variety of sizes and styles.  She'd clearly stumbled across the personal contents of the various prisoners.  There was a particularly heavily warded chest that caught the succubus' attention.  A large, metal box, welded solidly into the frame of the cart, and heavily warded.  It was impossible to tell what was actually inside.  Aside form the box, many of the coats, and pieces of jewelry contained magical auras.  Some faint, some moderate... nothing too strong, just simple wardings and enchantments.


New Age Business Meets Old School Values

*click* *clack* *Click* *Clack*  The sound of something hard snapping against the hard tile floors echoed through the near soundless halls.  The pace was slow, measured, dignified.  Everything about the house seemed to be about appearances, and misinformation as well, if the defenses were anything to go by.  The first sign of Haien's mother was the creek of the heavy door on the far side of the hall.  Both she and his father were from a pure line of demons.  She looked to be virtually the same age as her son from an outside perspective, save for her very classical, style of hair.

She emerged through the doorway with an obvious flair for dramatic entrances.  Hair flowed over the demon-equines shoulders as she shoved the heavy panels opened with what appeared to be total non-exertion.  She stood for a moment, the same pearly white as Haien himself, her blackened hooves were slightly clawed, as she looked over the guests.  With a mild snort, she wordlessly waved them on, then turned her back, and disappeared beyond the doorway.


Aftermath

The arms master just gave a shrug "The ring doesn't allow anything beyond superficial wounds.  Escaping unharmed is rare, escaping uninjured is another thing altogether.  Injury implies debilitation, and what I have here is merely a minor annoyance that will be gone before sunset. "
Turing towards her left, Koth's right, she started to point towards the office when she saw the head-mistress talking with the fennec.  "Looks like a good time to catch her now.  Just because she's a succubus doesn't mean she won't mop the floor with you, so remember to be –very- respectful"

With another playful grin, the weapons master flickered her weapons into no-existence, then headed towards a different door on the opposite side of the arena.


The succubus in front of Johan couldn't help but chuckle, he was correct that his sincerity was quite unexpected.  "Well, dignity be salved in the knowledge that your attempts are heroism, though unneeded, are quite appreciated.  It's good to see a little nobility left in this land of thieves and monopolistic tyrants.  You came to save me, much appreciated, as you were not aware of who I was... so, now that you know who I am, would you be so kind as to put us on even terms again?"


Snark and Security Seldom Mix

The snark landed him a knee groin, and a comment of "We've got a comedian here, Les.  I'd say he's giving us a hard time, and being evasive.  Send 'em and his stuff on to room 3"

In the background, Ed visibly face palmed directly at the neophyte incubus, his exasperation obvious.  Stephan could swear he could hear the feline's voice over the crowd – You couldn't keep your gods damned mouth shut for 30 seconds! Idiot. -

Rough hands shoved him towards what appeared to be a set of downward stairs, leading underneath the small hill where they'd stopped.  A large steel door barred his path for a moment, before unbolting, and creaking open with some screech that hinted at a thin layer of rust.


(OOC: apologies to the few sections i missed... i gotta get going now, but i wanted to get this up before i headed out)

[Paladin Sheppard]

Paige's piratical instincts had seemed to hit the jackpot. Grinning she filtered out the sounds of battle outside and went for a small rummage through the various clothing and trinkets.

Finding a rather large and fluffy feather boa in the piles she quickly stuffed it into her holding bag, thinking it would look perfect on Baseel, along with a few gems here and there including a soulgem. Taking too much would just attract attention of those wanting to reclaim their possessions

Stopping at the box however she hesitantly probed at its wards, wishing her brother's little friend Ephrael was there. The diminutive rogue had never failed to open anything in the Wolf Succubus' sight.

[JamesCray]

Introduction Retrospection

"Oh my, I have been remiss, haven't I?  My apologies, Milady, I am Johan Marek Ledwinka, bonded and recognised diplomatic courier, attached to the Nhyalamar embassy to Sevastia'Nyad. My friends call me Mak though, it's a lot less a mouthful." the fennec said with a bow.

"As for my actions," he added, "Well, when I was younger, I ran into a few hotheaded young demons who thought Sevastia'Nyad should be conquering Nhyalamar, not allying with it. They thought turning the ambassador's son into a chewtoy would be a good way to both make a statement and work out their frustration. I only got out of it more or less in one piece because someone decided to step in then, so how could I not step in when I find myself witnessing a potentially similar situation?"

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen Plain

"Very nice," Seth hissed appreciatively as the barrier went up.  "Do we have a strategy to go with it yet, though?"

[Arroyo Milori]

Baptism by Storm

As the storm brewed from nature, the yellow lion halted as he reached to the spot he once was before investigating the peculiar source of magic. He felt rain pouring down upon him, the slight sound of pitter patter of the droplets hitting his coat. For a moment, he looked up at the sky and stretched out his arms, welcoming the storm as he began to bathe in the rain.

It has been a long time since he could enjoy a good storm on land. The storms were much harsher at sea but he was glad he could enjoy at least one for once. His attention soon averted to a small bit of crying from inside the building where Lucy and that girl was in. He shrugged a little and started to walk around the building as he held out his canteen open and traffics a bit of the rain into it. A calm smile came across his face, knowing for sure no one around this area would best Arroyo on such a glorious stormy day.

[Inumo]

Monopoly, Anyone?

Kathostral kept up his smile until the arms master left, then dropped it to a carefully neutral expression. Semantics, he thought as he picked up his spear and re-sheathed his knife. Slinging his shield on his back, he walked over to the Mistress and kept his thoughts carefully blank, so as to not distract her. It looked like it might be a bit of a wait.

[techmaster-glitch]

In the shack

   Gezzemocht frowns at overhearing what the little girl says to Lucy, scratching his head. "That is...very strange. It almost sounds as if she's talking about a steam-armor squad, but without the armor and only a full-face helmet...I'm not aware of any units like that." His expression then gets stern. "But she should not fear the colors. If there is a rogue Aelisian unit loose..." Gezzemocht is deathly silent for a moment, with a hard glare. "...I'm not even going to -think- about what I'm going to do to them if I catch them."
   He looks outside as the storm begins to pick up. "We need to leave soon. Try to make her understand that I am a friend. I'm not like the bad people, tell her they are liars wearing good colors."

Outside in the storm

   "Blast it!" Gaakronacht cursed as the wind suddenly picked up, swiftly followed by a downpour. The Storm Scorp was of course weather-resistant, but the open cockpit of the Scorp meant it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience for the pilots, though they'd had worse while actually in the service. Gaak climbed in and fired it up, then maneuvered it near the shack his brother was in, putting it around a side of the house that was away from the storm. Gaak then sat there and shielded himself as best as he could, as the Scorp couldn't be left unattended.

[VAE]

Freeze! Put your hands on yer head! Freeze! It's Mr. B's Ballroom!

Raising his paws slowly upwards, Avram walked towards the direction specified by the lioness, taking care not to make any sudden movements. Thoughts raced in the forestcat's head:
It's allright.. i have no gun and even if he threw it, it hasn't my pawprints on it... That's bulletproof alibi, they should release me in an hour at most.. stop staring, dummy , she isn't *that* hot.  I wish this had happened tomorrow instead.. noone does this to army personell
"I,,,I was just passing through when i heard the shot, so i came to check what's going on! Whoever killed him might still be running around!"

[Chairtastic]

Family Reunion
Haien swept an arm out, and pointed to a slightly smaller door to the side of the impressive double doors.  "Sidekicks must wait  in the sidekick lounge."  Kyakka nodded, and moved for the smaller door while Haien entered the meeting room proper.  The double doors were not so light for Haien to close, a fact which his mother did not approve of overmuch.  However, the disappointment from his mother was better than the outright contempt from his step-father.  The physically imposing Mouflon ram barely managed to keep his sneer from being blatant.

Messua Manor's audience room was just as decorated a room as the previous entryway had been.  However, this room was even more laden with traps meant to make the inevitable fights that would break out during the diplomatic process all the more entertaining.  The clan's trapmaster regularly reset the entire affair, and at random  redesigned the traps, meaning neither party was sure how they would go off, and so develop an upper hand ahead of time.

The Lord and Lady sat in their designated seats, while Haien stood, waiting for either they to begin the procedure, or to instruct him to sit.