Heroes for Hire (Courage Wolf and GargantuaBlarg)

[Hafnium]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

"It turns out that they're vulnerable to being violently stabbed and hacked at with sharp bits of metal. It comes as a shock, I'm sure." The death knight's reply regarded the subject of the tower's guardians, her snark unhidden. When he began to comment on Solidyn's noticeable assets, however, she turned her head toward the helpless faerie, shielding her mouth with a hand in order to whisper conspiratorially to the newly-dubbed 'Tiddles'. "This is worrying, I think he might soon notice that you're not actually a dog. We need to improve this disguise a bit. Can you bark? I used to have a fun little tail that I could have applied to you in order to enhance the illusion. Probably lost to the ravages of time now, a shame," she lamented.

All good things came to an end, though, as Kor requested the paralyzed fey woman. She gave a parting quip as she handed over Tiddles the wonder-faerie; "Don't listen to him, you'll always have a place at the foot of my bed."

With her pet dog-slash-verbal-punching-bag removed from her care and capable of walking again, the knight's mind finally turned to more serious matters. Though she still felt the venom and, if she were to be honest, was beginning to feel the effects of strain on her energy, she did not rest quite yet. It would have been unbecoming of a knight while there was still pressing business--she skilfully avoided considering what her little tryst with the two gemini might have been considered as. "Oh, you know, seeing the sights, taking up new hobbies. Ending aliens' lives in pain and terror, animating their bodies, learning poetry; that sort of thing," the knight gave her own answer to the question of what they were doing there.

"Not to be a killjoy or anything," she directed the rest of her words to the mercenary group, though she made no attempt to hide them from the apparent master of the tower, "but the cat with no name -- who I am considering referring to as Boots -- has suggested that within ten minutes of the barrier being shattered it would return and I believe we have a vested interest in that not happening." Turning her head to regard the cat-man, she added innocently; "It seems worth mentioning."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Huldah stayed quiet as the others talked, until the wizened Su-Ku-Ta pointed her out as the likely cause of them being attacked. She looked rather stunned by the proclamation, one of her hands going to the spot on the shoulder where the creature had stabbed through her in memory of the moment. "Oh! Uh... Sorry..." She said slowly, shifting from foot to foot a little.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Dammit! She told the armorer not to put in those tit-spheres on her breastplate! All it would do was channel attacks hitting her in the chest into the cleft between them - get her 'cleaved in the cleavage', so to say - but the bugger was all 'who's gonna hit you there, anyway, your tits are like a foot over a regular guy's head!' Then he told her he'd already done that part anyway, and a reforging would've cost extra. .

"Me? Well, I'm from the Jungle, little place by Cehubuwhat did you say?"

Her fatigue was instantly replaced with panicky fright for her company. He said the shield would come back up in ten minutes, right? And that it would take care of whoever was still in the courtyard? But... but the company was all out there! Unloading, even! How long had it been since they'd smashed through... probably something like...

"Ohhh no, no no no no. Listen, guy, I need ya ta turn off that shield thing. My company's outside, and if ya don't that shield'll blast 'em again, right? We're part a' the army fightin' the greys, and we came ta this tower ta kick 'em out and figure out why they wanted in!"

That explanation would have to do for now. Marshal Ur-Wind had easily dealt with the last blast, true - but they'd been expecting danger then - now the fight was over and the danger had passed. Or at least they'd think it had, right? What if he got caught off-guard? And besides Ramel, she had to worry about the rest of the company, too - even if she were overprotective of her glorious leader, who was quite capable of taking care of himself, the rest of them were unlikely to have such capability - especially if that shield went through cover and armor. Goddamn mages!

Spoiler

Panic!

Upkeep: 0 EP/turn
(+15 bonus to attack rolls, dodge, and resistance)

Final stats (with +6 to dodge and res due to buff)
Dodge: 61
Armor: 28
Perception: 13
Speed: 8
Resistance: 39
A bonus of +9 VS Prone and +5 VS Stun or involuntary movement, also

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

"Guys, He already mentioned he has his own way out. Furthermore, I am capable of getting us through that shield again if absolutely necessary, although I'd rather not turn myself into a bomb again to keep us alive. We can worry about the shield later, and just for your information, anyone who creates such a shield, can open it just as easily as any door. I for one am not leaving until I've had a rest" Kor said a little agitatedly as everyone seemed to fixate on something he didn't even see as a problem, sighing heavily and rubbing his temples. "Unless of course it was designed to NOT be opened, which is more effective but has downsides... And Huldah, it's hardly your fault, such things attack intruders in general, although some would find your appearance shocking, those creatures did not display the kind of intelligence necessary to make such a distinction in my opinion, and attacked all of us." He added quietly.

And then he did the annoying and unthinkable, Kor actually fell asleep where he was against the wall, his head drooping as he snored softly. Anyone could wake him easily with a prod and a word, but he had meant what he had said about resting, feeling drained and hurt, letting his natural power rebuild so he could repair his injuries and those of anyone else, his hand resting on Emi's as he slept. He was old, he had gotten that way by taking chances others missed, and this was one such opportunity and he wasn't letting it go to waste.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Huldah raised a hand halfway through Kor's explanation of the shield and wound up nodding as he spoke to her, but was unable to get his attention enough to speak herself until he passed out. Looking worried, she walked over and poked the mage until he woke. "Kor... The shield, didn't he say that it clears the courtyard when it comes online? I think that's what everyone is worried about..."

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Kor gave a soft groan at Huldah's prodding, flailing an arm at her and murmuring before opening his eyes and looking up at her. "If that is the case, there is nothing I can do about it without energy in the realm of the arcane. The man who can solve what I still don't believe to be a problem is right there" He said pointing at the old cat man. "More to the point, IF you feel so worried about it, and please note he said Clear not Kill, then GO outside and warn them. I'm not the fastest by a long shot and unless you want to doom a frantic warning to failure, you should probably send the Arachne as she is the only one that can circumvent the maze completely by moving along the walls rather then running the labyrinth again."

Kor finished his annoyed tirade before closing his eyes and promptly returning to his nap, ignoring further prods and pokings until he felt better, or until someone needed him enough to level an armoured boot into his backside.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Spoiler

Huldah: HP = 58, PP = 33, EP = 33, Status = Fine, Blessed X = 2

Kor'Ensiloth: HP = 42/68, PP = 78, EP = 2/89, Status = Injured, Lesser Strength (+22 Body), Lesser Strength (+22 Body), Blessed X = 2, Low on Energy

Zahra: HP = 54, PP = 40, EP = 38, Status = Fine, Blessed X = 2

Solidyn-Nolu: HP = 52/60, PP = 50, EP = 9/80, Status = Fine, Blessing X = 2, Has 3 Sorceresses, Low on Energy

Aurelia Korort: HP = 104, PP = 43, EP = 35/105, Status = Fine, Paralyzed, Has 1 Zombie Minion, and a golem named Mason, Blessed X = 2

"Huh?" the man asked, clearly confused by the general panic that seemed to have tkane over the group. Huldah's final addition caused him to grunt and wave his hand, "Oh, right... Nah, don't worry about that! I only meant the initial blast.... The one that looked sort of like glass shards. THAT was supposed to clear the courtyard, and that only happens when the shield gets broken." With that settled, there was the occurrence with Tiddles the Wonder-fairy, who scowled fiercely as she climbed down from Aurelia's shoulder,, now free of her paralysis. "If I wasn't under contract..." she grumbled, and then said more clearly; "Thanks, but I think I'll be staying away from your bed... And any artifacts you might have salvaged that hadn't been lost to the ravages of time, thank you very much!"

Emi (Tiddles) gave Kor a somewhat worried look when he plopped onto the floor, kneeling beside him and finding him largely uninjured courtesy of his own magics. She gave him a thorough look over anyway, including a few places that had most definitely NOT been targeted by the strange black creatures from below, but before her indiscretion could be addressed her host offered further words; "Welp, if you lot are fighting the Outsiders, I suppose we're on the same side. Also, isn't Boots the name of that talking shark from the "Fishermen and the Enchanted Reed"? I'm pretty sure that it is.... You know, the children's story! The one with the.... The talking fish, and.... The.... Uh...." He paused and scratched his head as if trying to remember something, and then shrugged and went on; "Anyway, I can turn the barrier on and off whenever I need to. As for my servants; I programmed them to activate if they sighted greys, but the ones downstairs aren't as... Complex.... As Sacrimony here!" He gave the mechanical dog a pat on the head, and it let out a low metallic bark that sounded sort of happy. It was difficult to tell given the creature's mechanical parts.

"There was no way for them to tell one of the smart greys from the stupid ones. Sorry about that! Sides, you got through 'em alright, right?"

Spoiler

Sorceress: Fine
Emi the Sorceress (Tiddles) : spent 6 EP, full health
Mason: 110 Body, 8 AV, taken 99 damage
Mechadog: Fine


Current number of allies: (all outside right now)

Ur-Wind Ramel
12 kobold gunners
9 satyr scouts
10 gruff thugs
Bob the Quartermaster. He also does stand up. And cooks.
3 Su-Ku-Ta snipers

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

The faerie's words did not go unnoticed by the ill-tempered self-proclaimed noblewoman, even if they did go without vocal comment. Aurelia flashed the sorceress a deadly smile that didn't reach the half-vampire's eyes before returning her focus to the absentminded Su-Ku-Ta. Her real retort would come much later, for the time being she would simply pretend that she had lost interest in the fae woman.

"I doubt I'm familiar with it unless it's been in circulation for a long time." The vampire airily dismissed his comments toward her. Even if she had heard the story, or remembered it, she wouldn't have openly admitted it. Similarly, she wouldn't admit that the name had sprung to mind simply because her father had a cat named Boots during her youth. Or was it Socks? Certainly nothing as foreboding as Sacrimony, regardless.

From there the knight went uncharacteristically silent. She decided that then was the time to let somebody else make the decision on what came next. Partly because it was Solidyn who had been named the commander of the little expedition, partly because it was easier, and finally because any ensuing fault could be pawned off onto said decision-maker if it came to it. It was the wise and noble thing to do.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Kor was enjoying the thirty seconds of his second nap until Emi started checking him over, coming fully awake when she started prodding at things that... probably didn't need the checking over. Opening his eyes and catching her attention, Kor winked before whispering. "If you'd rather spend time with me rather then that sadist in the armour, you should probably stick close Emi..."

Figuring that annoying the hell out of the Death Knight would be amusing and mostly just to be a greedy opportunist, Kor decided to snag the fairy for himself, sighing and rising as if nothing whatsoever was wrong. "Don't mind the creepy smiling tin can~ You can stay with me until your contract is up" He said grinning at Aurelia in a particularly annoying manner before leaning into whisper in the sorceresses ear again "And longer if you'd like~" He added, his tongue darting out to tease her ear as he chuckled softly, his arm snaking around her waist to pull her a little closer to him. Turning to address the cat with no name, Kor stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "Solidyn, we have a job to do, best we do it since people seem to insist upon me not napping. Now if you don't mind, Ill go get Ur Wind and bring him up here myself. Sir, Tower Keeper, Boots, whatever you prefer, I'll be bringing a guest up shortly, please do me a favour and keep those black creepers of yours docile."

With that Kor turned, keeping his grip on Emi's waist, guiding her with him and away from Aurelia who seemed to be just as interested in her as he was, back down the stairs and through the maze again, his memory serving as enough to get him back to the entrance quickly to search out their diminutive leader to inform him of the development and get further instructions given the fact that the owner of the tower was alive and well, although he didn't seem whole in the mind, tired of wasting time in one form or another and wanting to know his orders given that the old Su-Ku-Ta was proving to be more distraction then help at the moment and stalling them out. There was also the question of enemy reinforcements, so the Tower was not completely secure in and of itself. Plumbing secrets took time, he was tired, the old cat was addled, and he wanted a decision for several things, rather then just the next move.

If Ur Wind told him to go back and follow Solidyns orders, then he would take his time heading back, going over the machinery again, taking more time to study it and dragging out the trip.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

"Oh."

The armored spider breathed a sigh of relief once she'd heard that the re-substantiation of the tower's magical shield was not in fact going to mystically ventilate her compatriots. She didn't usually like to be wrong, but she supposed for this particular misconception she could make an exception.

"I suppose we is on the same side, eh? So, for clarity's sake, if we send in some a' the other guys outside, yer scary black pets ain't gonna try'n kill them, right? Gruffs, kobolds, couple Su-Ku-Ta, probably some a' those Anudorians once the resistance army gets here later on? What about if we go back downstairs? Are they gonna attack us again?" Once she'd confirmed that, she could probably call the tower cleared and head back out to take a little break... though, that was probably going to be a bit of a problem for Huldah. Damn those guardian things.

"Well... yeah, we managed to get past 'em the one time, but it didn't go very well, y'know? Can't ya, like... make 'em not try ta kill Huldah, here?" she asked, pointing over to their big gal. "I mean, I don't think any of us wanna have ta fight 'em to get back downstairs. It took a lot outta us - frankly, I don't wanna try'n go fer round 2, either."

"Or maybe give us another way out, if ya can't? Like, say, that secret passage? I'd hate ta have to try n' smash the shield down again if you turned the thing back on and we were all outside, y'know...? And eh... say, did we ask yer name yet, pops? What is it?"

Spoiler

Upkeep: 0 EP/turn
(+15 bonus to attack rolls, dodge, and resistance)

Final stats (with +6 to dodge and res due to buff)
Dodge: 61
Armor: 28
Perception: 13
Speed: 8
Resistance: 39
A bonus of +9 VS Prone and +5 VS Stun or involuntary movement, also

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Spoiler

Huldah: HP = 58, PP = 33, EP = 33, Status = Fine, Blessed X = 2

Kor'Ensiloth: HP = 42/68, PP = 78, EP = 2/89, Status = Injured, Lesser Strength (+22 Body), Lesser Strength (+22 Body), Blessed X = 2, Low on Energy

Zahra: HP = 54, PP = 40, EP = 38, Status = Fine, Blessed X = 2

Solidyn-Nolu: HP = 52/60, PP = 50, EP = 9/80, Status = Fine, Blessing X = 2, Has 3 Sorceresses, Low on Energy

Aurelia Korort: HP = 104, PP = 43, EP = 35/105, Status = Fine, Paralyzed, Has 1 Zombie Minion, and a golem named Mason, Blessed X = 2

"I can turn off the defenses for you," the su-ku-ta said while waving his hand dismissively. He walked around the room while Kor announced his departure, waving a hand again when the possessed half-vampire addressed him and mumbling something incoherent. Emi smirked at him, but the reminder of Aurelia caused her to glance up and glare briefly at the other half-vampire in the room, just in time to catch the trailing edge of her deadly smile. Turning back to Kor with a slightly unsettled look, she nonetheless smiled at his offer to stay beyond the terms of her contract, and replied; "That would be lovely~" She rose with him, and after his parting comment they headed for the stairs, right about the time that the alleged owner of this tower reached a console set into the wall.

Scratching his head for a moment, he muttered at the thing for a moment, "Now lets see here.... How did I.... No... That turns off the lights.... That turns on the corpse disposal unit... That gives the replicate order.... No.... That opens up the upgrade interface..... Hrm... Ah!" he suddenly called out triumphantly, "Ah ha! The shield control! Just gotta... Turn that off...." He pulled a lever, and his action was followed by a series of whirring noises from the machine and a shudder from the tower. "And now.... For the... Ah! Deactivating the second floor sentries... Here we go!" Another lever was pulled on the confusing device, and this time nothing happened to acknowledge that the machine had worked. Turning back to Kor and Emi, he waved vaguely and said; "Have a pleasant journey friend! Do come visit me again!"

After the two had departed in order to go speak to Ur-Wind and get some rest, the mage turned to Solidyn and continued in a completely serious tone. "Alright.... Miss Titty Spider. You and your associates may come and go as you please! I unconditionally surrender myself and my tower to you, oh mighty conqueror! With the condition that you don't touch any of my things.... Or me. You wouldn't like the consequences of that. Do we have an accord?"

Kor and Emi, meanwhile, made their way back through the maze of whirring and banging machines without getting lost or murdered by its guardians, and found themselves at the bottom floor in short order. Emi hummed pleasantly along the way, stealing glances at him from time to time, but made no advances unless one counter the slight swing of her hips and the proximity that she maintained to him. They stepped outside to find the golem, Mason, hauling the last of their gear into the fortress. The doors shut with a bang behind him, pulled by a pair of gruffs each, and Ur-Wind was found quickly enough overseeing the movement of their assorted supplies. He turned and frowned when he spotted the two of them strutting up together, and immediately said; "Report Kor. You're supposed to be clearing that tower. Is it done?"

Spoiler

Tilda the Sorceress: Fine
Emi the Sorceress (Tiddles) : spent 6 EP, full health
Mason: 110 Body, 8 AV, taken 99 damage
Sacrimony the Mechadog: Fine


Current number of allies: (all outside right now)

Ur-Wind Ramel
12 kobold gunners
9 satyr scouts
10 gruff thugs
Bob the Quartermaster. He also does stand up. And cooks.
3 Su-Ku-Ta snipers

Summoned Sorceress

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Kor smirked right back at Emi, before chuckling and yanking Emi in teasingly for a moment before resuming their normal walk. When questioned by Ur Wind, he nodded. "It is, the tower is clear and the defenses are down, although I think we may sorely miss that barrier at some point. I'm taking a rest and getting a look at the situation outside to make sure everything is actually in order. The interior of the tower should be safe, mission accomplished" He said in all seriousness. "Ill be accepting other orders after I've rested properly, but I'm drained. Still combat effective, but I wont be slinging any real spells. Permission to rest?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. If he got the affirmative, he would release all of his spells and take a deep breath, and relax in the sand. As an afterthought, he turned back to Ur Wind. "Have there been any changes outside?" He asked, just in case. And then he remembered something else! Gods he was absent minded when he was tired... "Also Ur Wind, the owner of the tower is alive, but mildly insane, or maybe not so mildly, you need to speak to him and should have no trouble heading up at all." He said, tapping his temple before finally deciding he had covered everything... he thought... maybe..........



Possibly. He didn't care at this point.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

"No touching? Aww... but I haven't gotten to pet your Sacrimony yet," Solidyn said off-handedly. In truth, she was mildly concerned about the wording of this agreement. As a mercenary, whose income was based on each contract she took, when it came to agreements - on paper or not - she took care to look out for loopholes and bad clauses. "And... just, for clarification, by 'touch' ya mean 'tamper with', yeah? Wouldn't want ta break our agreement walkin' out or leanin' on somethin', ya know?"

Sorting out the details, Solidyn brokered to have their troupe and the eventual Resistance militia passage and use of the tower, with the condition that they not try to fiddle with the enigmatic catman's devices. Of course, no one would try to harm the Su Ku Ta, nor his fascinating dog. Undoubtedly the Resistance would want to speak with him, to see if they could replicate and apply his tower's considerable defenses against the invaders - in that case, they would have to consult with the inventor himself, as opposed to trying to dismantle the machinery and try to figure out it's workings through study - which was no doubt preferable to trying to reverse engineer the thing's workings, anyway. If they could come to an accord thusly, Solidyn would give him a handshake - telling him that she would take it to the troop's marshal to finalize.

Spoiler

Upkeep: 0 EP/turn
(+6 bonus to attack rolls, dodge, and resistance - not 15 like I had it in the last post for whatever reason <_>)

Final stats (with +6 to dodge and res due to buff)
Dodge: 61
Armor: 28
Perception: 13
Speed: 8
Resistance: 39
A bonus of +9 VS Prone and +5 VS Stun or involuntary movement, also

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Perhaps I should be learning at the heels of the master, the remaining half-vampire considered as Boots unveiled his title for her arachne temporary commander. She had thought Tiddles more subtle and that it had opened up the gateway to more jokes at the faerie sorceress's expense, but Solidyn hadn't taken much offense at all at the unflattering name, so maybe there was something to be said for it. Then again, most of the fun was in offending the recipient of the nickname in question...

Aurelia stopped herself, she was getting off track and now was probably the best time to posit questions regarding the freedom she would enjoy in the Su-Ku-Ta's tower. "In addition to what our acting commander has already said, this seems the type of place to have a large, drafty library in it. Maybe even one filled with the kind of knowledge best kept out of mortal hands. I had hoped that I might be granted temporary access to said library." In truth, she had hoped that she might be granted an opportunity to loot the books -- the entire tower, really -- and peruse and sell them, but a chance to simply read them would be nice. She was a bit rusty in her ritual work and could use a brush up since there was probably still a platoon of corpses in the courtyard that could be zombified in order to inflate the mercenaries' numbers, not to mention the matter of obtaining a loyal steed.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Spoiler

Huldah: HP = 58, PP = 33, EP = 33, Status = Fine, Blessed X = 2

Kor'Ensiloth: HP = 42/68, PP = 78, EP = 2/89, Status = Injured, Lesser Strength (+22 Body), Lesser Strength (+22 Body), Blessed X = 2, Low on Energy

Zahra: HP = 54, PP = 40, EP = 38, Status = Fine, Blessed X = 2

Solidyn-Nolu: HP = 52/60, PP = 50, EP = 9/80, Status = Fine, Blessing X = 2, Has 3 Sorceresses, Low on Energy

Aurelia Korort: HP = 104, PP = 43, EP = 35/105, Status = Fine, Paralyzed, Has 1 Zombie Minion, and a golem named Mason, Blessed X = 2

"Understood. You are dismissed, go and get some rest" Ur-Wind replied once Kor had explained everything. The kobold headed for the tower immediately, leaving Kor to do more or less whatever he pleased. Emi was still attached to his hip, and once Ur-Wind was heading off she turned to him with a sly grin and said; "So, we do seem to have a bit of time to ourselves now don't we? You look like you could use a bit of relaxing. Where do you set up your bunks?" The question had been phrased fairly innocently, but Kor knew they fey and nymphs in particular well enough to see through that particular facade. The other mercenaries had already set up camp inside of the fortress and were manning the walls, and the tents used for quarters were sitting off in the corner. They weren't very private, but that didn't particularly matter to the fairy currently eying him.

Back up in the tower, meanwhile, the master of the tower went over the concerns that Solidyn and Aurelia set before him, starting with the arachne's clarification on their accord; "Pretty much, yeah! Don't break anything, and preferably stay out of anything above the first floor unless invited. I'd let you sleep in the basement, but you wouldn't fit down the stairs. And it's also full of dangerous things that might melt you or explode or something. You're with that fairy lot that's currently camped outside, right? Yes... As I said, you can stay downstairs, but please don't come tromping around at all hours unless you've got something important to say, I'm a very busy man! Got much work to do... What? Sacrimony? Him you can touch, I doubt you'd be able to deal any lasting damage under most circumstances... Just stay away from the ambulatory joints yeah? Fixing those is a pain."

After that he turned his attention to Aurelia, "Library's two floors up, help yerself. Stay out of the restricted section, it's clearly labelled and where I toss sentient tomes, sealed daemons, books containing wormholes to other dimensions, arcane texts detailing rituals allowing one to fundamentally alter time and space, and self help manuals. I'd rather not have to clean your ashes off of the shelves in case you die of boredom or conjure an ancient arcane horror from beyond the far reaches of eternity or something like that. Don't go any higher than that, and don't break anything." After he had finished addressing the vampire, he suddenly seemed to take notice of Huldah and Zahra, double taking twice before he said; "You..... Are one of my race. And you, are one of the grey-turned. Hrm..... You seem able bodied, dextrous.... How would you two like to help me with something? Its been too long since I had a competent assistant."

About halfway through Solidyn's negotiations with the mildly addled cat-man, Ur-Wind reached the top of the steps. The old man paused and watched him curiously, his head tilted after he had stopped midway through explaining that he would be happy to help annihilate the alien menace once he had finished his research. After huffing for a moment, the kobold general's short legs not apparently so effective at stairs, Ur-Wind turned to Solidyn and wheezed; "Report!"

Spoiler

Tilda the Sorceress: Fine
Emi the Sorceress (Tiddles) : spent 6 EP, full health
Mason: 110 Body, 8 AV, taken 99 damage
Sacrimony the Mechadog: Fine
Mad Science Cat the Mad Scientist: Fine


Current number of allies: (all outside right now)

Ur-Wind Ramel
12 kobold gunners
9 satyr scouts
10 gruff thugs
Bob the Quartermaster. He also does stand up. And cooks.
3 Su-Ku-Ta snipers

Summoned Sorceress

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Huldah shook her head a bit, snapping out of the daze induced from trying to listen and understand the conversation as it went by. so far, it sounded like things were going good, but then he started on about dimensions and fundaments and arcane horrors...

"Uhh, yeah, I think so." She answered with a light shrug and a confused look.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Zahra stood behind the group of others, her ears flicking with annoyance and nerves from time to time. She couldn’t understand most of what was being talked about by the (in her mind) crazy old Su-Ku-Ta, and she didn’t really mind all that much. There was a brief scare at the idea that the magical shield that had protected the tower might reform and clear out the fortress courtyard, which was currently filling with her allies, but that was soon dismissed as a non-issue by the tower’s keeper, a simple misunderstanding on the part of, well, everyone. At some point Kor went off to inform the commanding officer of the situation at hand, which made the catgirl archer feel strangely uncomfortable. Not enough bodies were between her and the host, and she didn’t want to be seen.

As a result, when the old Su-Ku-Ta suddenly spotted Zahra, and seemed quite surprised at the presence of both her and Huldah, she cringed a little. She had still hoped to get out of there without being spotted. It wasn’t to be, though, and the host of the tower asked the two of them to help him with something. The archer’s frown deepened, her tail standing up straight behind her. This was possibly one of the worst case scenarios she had envisioned, really. She was able-bodied, that was sure, but a “competent assistant?” That probably wasn’t the case. Still, she couldn’t refuse. "Sure" she said sharply, quickly, dreading whatever instructions were to come next.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Whether Emi cared about privacy or not was a non issue to Kor who had his tent always set up a little apart from everyone elses, and offering full coverage to preserve his own nature and to hide the strange occurences that happened when he slept. Heading there now, the black canvas that made up the temporary dwelling easy to pick out amid the sand was surprisingly cool inside once they entered, revealing not a cot, but a thick sleeping roll as well as a chest. Inside the chest Kor took another pull from the draught that helped him sleep peacefully after inviting Emi inside. Sitting on the mat and relaxing, he pulled his tattered and damaged shirt off to toss it aside, looking a little sad at the damage the expensive silk had taken in the fighting. "What a waste" he muttered, stretching and patting the roll of the mat, inviting Emi to join him while he reached over to grab a bottle of wine that was half empty.

"It's your price, and your treat" He said simply, putting his arm around the sorcerous and pulling her in close to whisper softly. "We have all the time in the world" It was both a tease and a personal jest at his own fading immortality, his condition making him far less then undying but it never failed to annoy ensiloth, and amuse the hell out of himself. Smiling at the thought, he leaned in to gently kiss Emi's neck, his tongue darting out to tease the sweet flesh, chuckling softly as his warm lips met her skin and he leaned back to lay on the bedroll, his arms wrapped around the woman who had agreed to join him.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

Satisfied, Solidyn bent over to pet and (carefully) scratch Sacrimony. "Good doggy." She continued this until she... thought she heard Ur-Wind behind her. Taking a peek, she saw that he indeed was right there, at which point she hastily straightened up with a throat-clearing cough, trying to look on the ball. "Y-yes- yessir!" she said with a salute, once she'd finally re-oriented herself to face her marshal.

"Resistance in the form of tower security critters met on the floor below, but it was taken care of. Tower's presumed owner located err uhh... here," she said with a gesture to the cat-man, "Who has agreed to put the tower towards our uses. The shield and the aforementioned - however, he has noted extensive hazardous materials present in tower, and the machinery and other materials may malfunction if damaged, so he has requested limited presence in floors two and up."

"Machinery on the floor below houses self-restoring... monster, things, which are very hazardous and keyed to react in the presence of grey presence, doing so to Huldah's presence. They have been deactivated. The shield has also been deactivated. Both can be reactivated, if need be, via a panel of unmarked levers, which I have not yet addressed - owner is knowledgeable in the lot's functions. A hidden exit may also be used to gain entrance or exit from the tower, however we have not yet ascertained it's whereabouts. Upstairs is a library, which also holds dangerous materials. Layout not yet confirmed beyond that, though there's a farm fit to support... just the owner, here, somewhere. First floor and lower floors may be used to bunk down, however hazardous materials are again present in the lower floors."

If there was nothing else, Solidyn would ask the Su-Ku-Ta to show them the secret tunnel, if there were any traps or security in it, where it came out, and - if possible - to show someone through it, in case they had to put the shield back up.

With the way down cleared for Huldah, as well, Solidyn let her spell over her little group drop once more - she was tired, and though it wasn't as stressful as her other casting, the concentration needed to keep it up was straining in it's own way.

Spoiler

Upkeep: 0 EP/turn

Final stats (with +0 to dodge and res due to buff)
Dodge: 55
Armor: 28
Perception: 13
Speed: 8
Resistance: 33
A bonus of +9 VS Prone and +5 VS Stun or involuntary movement, also

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Heroes for Hire (Save the Desert Group!)

With Boots's warnings apparently exhausted and their arachne commander handling reporting in to Ur-Wind, Aurelia felt that it was as opportune a time as any to sneak off. The goal was simple, to preemptively shirk any uninteresting responsibilities that might otherwise be laid upon her, and instead bestow upon herself the intriguing task of investigating the library. The half-vampire went slinking off toward a set of stairs that might lead her to her destination without delay.

(In case of arrival at the library without problems)

Spoiler

Upon arriving in the library proper, the half-vampire's first order of business was to animate something. It was to be for a much simpler purpose than Mason, and as such she only sought out a single heavy chair, table, or stool, preferably one of the three that was well away from the restricted area, for the task. As she had so many times before, the death knight pointed her sword toward her target and filled the thing with her energy, granting it mobility and, more importantly to her, the ability to fulfill her orders of it.

And orders she had. Simple ones, but important nonetheless. Sentient books required proper precautions, preferably carried out by something that wasn't sentient and wasn't capable of being swayed away from its controller. "Your task is simple," she said aloud, unnecessarily. The animated object would have followed her commands without her voicing them, but she did so love to give orders. "Should I stray too close to the restricted section, or begin walking toward it with some sort of dreamy, stupid look in my eyes, you're to pin me to the ground until the urge passes. Should nothing of the sort happen, stay near me so I can place books on you."

Her precautionary efforts in place, the knight began her search for books on demonology and necromancy.

Spoiler

Head off to yon library.

In case of arrival at the library without hitch, animate a chair, desk, or stool as available using 10 EP, which translates into an 80 body creature. Superchair/desk/stool is then to grapple Aurelia if she gets magicked up by a book daemon until she snaps out of it or help comes.

Afterward, search for books on demonology and necromancy as a fluff reason for Aurelia to learn how to summon demonic horsecocks.

Stats: 11 Speed, 59 Dodge, 18 Armor, 26 Resistance, 23 Perception (Does have Night Eyes), 52 Grapple

Cheat Sheet

When dealing HP damage: On a killing blow she makes a 21 + (Damage done/10)*Tier vs enemy resistance check against all opponents within 30 feet and in line of sight of her. If they fail they're unable to attack that round. If they fail twice they retreat or surrender.
When taking HP damage: 16 of her AV is due to Splint Mail, which has a DU of 6 and a TP of 50. She reduces damage dealt by /2 after armor due to her damage reduction mutation.

When dealing PP damage: She deals an additional +6 PP damage during penetrative sex due to Tight x3.
When taking PP Damage: She takes an additional +12 PP damage from Sensitive x3. She also has 5 fetishes but I'm not really sure how to list them here. >.>
Has Fertile (Pregnant on roll of 2 or more)

When taking EP damage: She takes an additional +4 EP damage from Open Soul.

She has foul aura, NPCs are more likely to distrust her.