Strangeness on a Train/The Jetty

The Jetty

"Fine, fine! I couldn't care less if you're present when Cybelle instructs Dandy's daughters in the Way..." shouts Titus, his voice trailing off as he focuses his attention on the towering, stratocumular form of the vampire queen.

Unfortunately for the ritual-in-progress, he turns his attention right back to the League members advancing on him. The Magister seems momentarily confused. Dandy's Bailiffs, however, level their very large crossbows at the Porcophant, who would have been in range while standing back on the shore. Apparently they're waiting for Titus's word.

Jagged pieces of coral begin to rise again out of the sea.

OOC: here's another map. I'm assuming Lizzie would follow the pro-ass kicking Pope. Odanais is safely offscreen, 30 ft behind Artichoke Note this map in no way indicates that I care if you fight them. I, like you, apparently, have no idea what will happen next.

Rolzup wrote:

gridley wrote:

The taller woman, her skin glistening as though coated in metallic dust, casts a coqettish look at Christabel's crew and smiles. "Hi there. My name's Roxy. Were you all looking for me?"

Vox bows, a look of obvious relief on his face. "I do believe so, madam. I am Vox Cadaveris, and these are my...." he mumbles something indistinct, and probably libelous.. "Companions, I suppose," he says in a louder voice, "And you're to be our guide into the Clutch, then?"

"I'll take you anywhere you care to go, honey," says Roxy, smiling. "I believe Corporal Asparagus said something about the wine country. It's lovely this time of year. Very romantic."

Mallus wrote:

The Jetty

"Fine, fine! I couldn't care less if you're present when Cybelle instructs Dandy's daughters in the Way..." shouts Titus, his voice trailing off as he focuses his attention on the towering, stratocumular form of the vampire queen.

Unfortunately for the ritual-in-progress, he turns his attention right back to the League members advancing on him. The Magister seems momentarily confused. Dandy's Bailiffs, however, level their very large crossbows at the Porcophant, who would have been in range while standing back on the shore. Apparently they're waiting for Titus's word.

Jagged pieces of coral begin to rise again out of the sea.

OOC: Does this seem to be Devil's Coral again? Or just the normal variety?

gridley wrote:

OOC: Does this seem to be Devil's Coral again? Or just the normal variety?

OOC: the normal variety (well, normal enough -- it's still growing in the Aster, but near the shore the stuff of the Aster is virtually indistinguishable from water. Except for the "it can turn you into a goblin if you're head gets dunked" part) .

If Odanais had to guess, he'd say the spirit of Cybelle possesses the ability to turn any available materials into a damaging cloud of physically incarnate rage.

"And lo," the Porcophant intones in a deep and resonant voice, "The Blood-Hungry spirit did rise from the depths, and the sea lashed and frothed around her. And the Magister Looked, and he Saw, and he knew that indeed he was fucked, and no mistake."

Pætros blinks. "Is prophecy?" he asks doubtfully. He shrugs. "If needing help," he calls to Titus, "Do to be calling out. Will stand and observe from here, if no objections. And if to be having objections, is to be much too bad, yes?"

The Spirit Pig, now up upon its hind legs, continues to dance with a curious grace.

gridley wrote:

"I'll take you anywhere you care to go, honey," says Roxy, smiling. "I believe Corporal Asparagus said something about the wine country. It's lovely this time of year. Very romantic."

"The Clutch is generally a little too bright for my tastes," Vox grumbles, pulling the brim of his hat down a little lower, "And much too open...but if you like that sort of thing, I suppose so. We should probably board, correct? I assume that you have whatever gear you require?"

Rolzup wrote:

gridley wrote:

"I'll take you anywhere you care to go, honey," says Roxy, smiling. "I believe Corporal Asparagus said something about the wine country. It's lovely this time of year. Very romantic."

"The Clutch is generally a little too bright for my tastes," Vox grumbles, pulling the brim of his hat down a little lower, "And much too open...but if you like that sort of thing, I suppose so. We should probably board, correct? I assume that you have whatever gear you require?"

Roxy spins around to reveal a tiny panda-skin backpack (with head intact) strung to her broad back. And a large gruesome hammer hanging from it. "Ready when you are!"

OOC: How will Artur come in here? Is he already with the party or what?

Mallus wrote:

Jagged pieces of coral begin to rise again out of the sea.

Odanais yells to the bailiffs, "Oi! you lot! You'd best stand in a tight circle around the Magister, so that that coral doesn't kill him when it flies into him."

gridley wrote:

Odanais yells to the bailiffs, "Oi! you lot! You'd best stand in a tight circle around the Magister, so that that coral doesn't kill him when it flies into him."

Artichoke eyes the coral warily for a moment, but then he turns his attention back to Odanais. "I see you decided to go the talking route after all," he says wryly, before walking over to join Pætros and Lizzy. He calls back to Odanais, "Let me know when you decide what to do next, okay?"

gridley wrote:

Roxy spins around to reveal a tiny panda-skin backpack (with head intact) strung to her broad back. And a large gruesome hammer hanging from it. "Ready when you are!"

Christabel studies the group's new guide critically, and then raises an eyebrow at the sight of her backpack. "We're ready," she says decisively, walking briskly after Roxy. Or rather half-jogging, since her shorter legs and rotund frame make it a little harder to keep up.

"Did you kill that panda yourself?" the deva asks, as she nears the guide's side. "Those things are freaking vicious! I was eaten by one once upon a time ... I think."

overeddie wrote:

OOC: How will Artur come in here? Is he already with the party or what?

OOC: Artur could be Roxy's partner.

gridley wrote:

overeddie wrote:

OOC: How will Artur come in here? Is he already with the party or what?

OOC: Artur could be Roxy's partner.

Zat would work.

As Roxy and the 'team' head towards the train, a muscular, disheveled man dressed in animal skins and camouflage pants and a large bow slung across his back approaches. "Eh, Roxy, sorry ahm late. Zere was a leetle beeznis I 'ad to attend to. Is zis ze party we are meeting?" He looks around at everyone warily. You notice a faint whiff of licorice and anise coming from him.

gridley wrote:

OOC: Artur could be Roxy's partner.

overeddie wrote:

Zat would work.

OOC: so Roxy is his Verlaine?

I feel like I'm being beaten at my own game...

Mallus wrote:

OOC: so Roxy is his Verlaine?

OOC: I was hoping Yatagan would be his Verlaine.

The Jetty

As the League shuts up, Magister Titus focuses his full attention on binding the spirit of Cybelle. The airborne coral shards begin to whip around like they're caught in a cyclone. But instead of lacerating the mage and the Bailiffs, the coral pieces slam into the spiral itself, knocking down, and in one case breaking, one of the lesser spirit traps Titus had laid along the spiral portion of the Spiral Jetty.

A being whose head looks like a reflection in a pair of opposing mirrors materializes over the broken trap. The Bailiffs shoot it in it's infinitely-receding face. Titus glares at it a moment before raising a wand and an arc of flame. Unfortunately, by doing so he looks the creature in the eye...

The ghost of Cybelle roars in utter silence. She seems to growing more solid. The rain kicks up again and you notice, much to your chagrin, it's now flecked with blood.

The Train

"All aboard!" cries a large old Dragonborn in a martial-looking greatcoat at the head of the train. So you board. You see the Dragonborn sports an ostentatious artificial hand made of metal and crystal.

Unlike most remnants of MPM engineering, the train cars of the Gog-Magog Line were, actually, built to be such. Unfortunately, they were built exclusively for Dragonborn comfort. The cars feature two banks of cold hard metal benches, each 'seat' sporting a hole for your tail. It's a bit like riding a long distance on a Brutalist sculptor's idea of a toilet. Steam pipes run the length of most cars, which still to this day belch steam onto passengers, even though the train itself is pulled along by two titanic golems eternally --so far-- yanking an adamantium chain.

Some cars feature piped-in musical propaganda from ancient automated players. The less said about that, the better. The sleeper cars are always too cold. Every other car is too hot. Despite the death of the Dragonborn empire, and for that matter, their world, the inadequacies of their public transit system live on.

The League, plus it's two new, associate members, find themselves sharing a hot middle car with a gaggle of well-armed and over-burdened Geographers, led by own elaborately-hatted human male named Denham Betwixt. You immediately note the enormous Aster harpoons that his crew hastily stowed in the overhead compartments.

The train jolts to a start with a sharp shearing sound from the station, like the tearing of Cthonic plates deep within the earth.

Hours pass. One of the Geographers says, "What a funny cloud". A shadow passes over the car. The train shudders for a moment. Then the screaming starts from the car ahead of you...

OOC: feel free to talk amongst yourselves or the other passengers before responding to the last bit, if you care to.

overeddie wrote:

I was hoping Yatagan would be his Verlaine.

"You want me to make you ejaculate... again?"
"Oui."
"But there aren't any enemies around."
"Oui."
"Well, no matter. Of course! Anything for a comrade-in-arts."

The Jetty

"Is not good," Pætros says, as though this wasn't obvious to everyone. "No, no. Is not good at all." He points his staff at Cybelle and bellows something in his discordant native tongue, and then drops back into his butchered version of the Port's creole. "Back, fell spirit! Is to be being bound now, or will be making most sorry indeed!"

OOC: Delay an action; if Cybelle makes a threatening move, hit her with Grasping Chains of the Justicar. I'll roll now, just in case.... Gah. 17 vs. Reflex, 13 points of damage, and she's immobilized until she saves, if that's a hit. If it's a miss, she's slowed until the end of his next turn. Hopefully, the roll shan't be needed.


The Train
"And to think that people actually worry aobut Hell," Vox observes as he tries to make himself comfortable in his seat. "The Pit couldn't possibly compete with this place."

He hesitates for a moment, and then leans closer to Roxy. "No offense," he says quietly, "But I assume that you and your colleague are capable of defending yourselves, should trouble arise? Because it almost certainly will; we have...." Vox pauses for a moment, to enhance the dramatic effect, "Enemies. Dangerous ones, even. I'll not ask you to fight for us, but I need to know whether we'll need to worry about defending you two, if you see what I mean."

The member 'Rolzup' has done the following action : Dice Roller

#1 'd20' : 4

--------------------------------

#2 'd6' : 1

--------------------------------

#3 'd8' : 5

The Jetty

Rolzup wrote:

OOC: Delay an action; if Cybelle makes a threatening move, hit her with Grasping Chains of the Justicar. I'll roll now, just in case.... Gah. 17 vs. Reflex, 13 points of damage, and she's immobilized until she saves, if that's a hit. If it's a miss, she's slowed until the end of his next turn. Hopefully, the roll shan't be needed.

OOC: nope, not a hit, but a good choice of powers, thanks to the status effect. Let's call this semi-combat, really more of a Skill Challenge (I was trying to be less explicit).

The looming translucent shape of Cybelle's ghost is wrapped in harshly glowing chains at the Porcophant's dissonant command. She writhes silently, shaking off a several of them, but still they pile onto her, adding to the binding effect generated by interrupted ritual and the Jetty itself.

Titus's fire strikes the recently-freed demon. In response, demon's mien strikes out, the air between Titus and it briefly filling with infinitely-receding faces, each one slightly smaller than the last. Titus wobbles in the air. The demon vanishes.

overeddie wrote:

As Roxy and the 'team' head towards the train, a muscular, disheveled man dressed in animal skins and camouflage pants and a large bow slung across his back approaches. "Eh, Roxy, sorry ahm late. Zere was a leetle beeznis I 'ad to attend to. Is zis ze party we are meeting?" He looks around at everyone warily. You notice a faint whiff of licorice and anise coming from him.

"Artur, sweetheart!" Roxy kisses him on each cheek, then looks him over. "Mmmm... mmmm.... how do you make been-out-all-night look so good?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is my partner Artur Rambo. He'll be joining us on the journey."

Rolzup wrote:

He hesitates for a moment, and then leans closer to Roxy. "No offense," he says quietly, "But I assume that you and your colleague are capable of defending yourselves, should trouble arise? Because it almost certainly will; we have...." Vox pauses for a moment, to enhance the dramatic effect, "Enemies. Dangerous ones, even. I'll not ask you to fight for us, but I need to know whether we'll need to worry about defending you two, if you see what I mean."

"Well, are you just so sweet you make sugar taste like salt!" says Roxy, putting her arm around Vox. "Offering to protect little old me. Gallant is what you are, sir, and there should be more like you."

Roxy smiles and shimmies in her seat a little. "But just to put your mind at ease, Artur and I are both what you might call... physical types. He's got a long pretty bow and he knows how to work it. And I tend to jump right into the middle of things and... well... hammer away!"

Mallus wrote:

One of the Geographers says, "What a funny cloud". A shadow passes over the car. The train shudders for a moment. Then the screaming starts from the car ahead of you...

"Speaking of which..." says Roxy, standing up to take down her war hammer from the overhead baggage storage. "I'm just going to see what's happening in the next car."

Roxy heads off to investigate.

OOC: Did the shape or size of the shadow give Roxy any notion of what it was that flew overhead? Nature check: 22

The member 'gridley' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 8

The Train

gridley wrote:

Roxy heads off to investigate.

OOC: Did the shape or size of the shadow give Roxy any notion of what it was that flew overhead? Nature check: 22

OOC: whatever is was, it was too small to be a cloud. And it passed too quickly. Also, the shadow was too dark.

The Geographers scatter out of her way as Roxy moves with improbably quickness --for her size and the height of her heels-- through the narrow aisle. When she reaches the door to the next car the train shudders again. Something struck the car ahead. From where she's standing she sees the car ahead briefly engulfed in darkness which is flecked with what look like tiny stars. Roxy feels a feels a chill wind when she opens the door.

The clot of darkness begins to fade, slowly and unevenly. It still fills the center of the car. The people inside of it, mostly Snake State natives, begin to wail and scream. One elderly woman collapses. The passengers begin to fleeing, about half coming Roxy's way.

Through the noise, Roxy can make out something else hitting the top of the train on the far side of the next car.

The Jetty

Mallus wrote:

Titus's fire strikes the recently-freed demon. In response, demon's mien strikes out, the air between Titus and it briefly filling with infinitely-receding faces, each one slightly smaller than the last. Titus wobbles in the air. The demon vanishes.

"Fuck," Pætros says, after a moment's careful considerations. "Very much fuck. You! Is being possessed, aren't you? Answer honest, now, and Pætros shall be merciful!"

"Not really," he adds, sotto voce, to Lizzy.

OOC: Religion or Arcana check -- same either way -- of 26 to figure out if anything can be salvaged from the binding ritual. If not, well, time to improvise.

The Train

gridley wrote:

Roxy smiles and shimmies in her seat a little. "But just to put your mind at ease, Artur and I are both what you might call... physical types. He's got a long pretty bow and he knows how to work it. And I tend to jump right into the middle of things and... well... hammer away!"

"Well, that's good to know," Vox begins, before the screaming starts. Stunned into inaction for a moment, he quickly shakes off his surprise and follows Roxy down the aisle. "Somehow," he tells a frightened passenger as he moves past, "This is Artichoke's fault."

The member 'Rolzup' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 16