[20:54] <@Brett> [Date: Same day as last session, whatever that is. Time: Around 6:00 p.m. Location: The woods in the savannah southwest of ... Arbqal? Or whatever that place was called.] [20:56] <@Brett> [Following an incident where you bypassed several dudes who got eaten, and nearly getting eaten yourselves, you meet up with Gordo who, after falling into a tarp, did his best to find you and got lost til just now.] [20:57] <@Brett> [You now continue on your way to the One-Eyed-Witch's place. Which is becoming more and more difficult to find, what with the map not being drawn to scale. But what'ev.] [20:57] <@Brett> [Start] [20:58] (I thought I fell in a tarp.) [20:59] <@Brett> ( You did ) 01[20:59] (you did fall in a tarp) [20:59] (You got better.) 01[20:59] (that's what he said) [20:59] (I fail at parsing! Yay) 01[20:59] (ha ha ha ha) [21:00] <@Brett> ( Could someone send me a log? ) [21:00] <@Brett> ( I wonder what session this is @_@ ) [21:00] <@Brett> [The screams behind you stopped. So much for those guys. Whoever they were.] [21:02] ( http://gryphon.sandwich.net/logs/notherlog.txt ) 06[21:02] * Montana doesn't go back for them. Too busy finding Baba Yaga's hut. [21:03] Here's to the bats going home with tums full of things that ain't us. [21:03] <@Brett> ( thanks ) 06[21:06] * Shiho makes a sour face. "One of them got a bite of my shoulder, but at least that one's not going home at all." 06[21:07] * Nigel nods. "We should get someone to look at that when we can. I am unfortunately not terribly skilled at treating normal injuries." 06[21:08] * Sonia has a metallic looking wound in her arm. She mutters, "Yeah, everyone gets fixed up." 06[21:09] * Shiho shrugs her good shoulder. "If it's not poisoned, I'll probably be fine. Had worse." [21:10] <@Brett> [You reach a circular clearing around a small, grassy mound (too small to be considered a hill). At the top of the mound is a large, leafless tree; you're not exactly sure what kind. Probably not to focused on it, either. The real attraction are the gigantic gourds. They're right up (perhaps partially built into) the tree, with the smaller one resting on top of the larger one. There's a door [21:10] <@Brett> in the bottom one, made of wood apparently, and windows covered with yellow cloth with a black pattern. There's also large mushroom caps for roofs, one of which has an earthernware chimney, with smoke coming out of it. Quite a bit of smoke, too; it's a wonder you couldn't see that from outside the forest.] [21:10] <@Brett> ( Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah werds ) 01[21:10] (so many words) [21:10] <@Brett> ( I didn't think it was that big >.> ) [21:11] ... I was expectin' stilts. 06[21:11] * Gordo offers up. "Chicken legs, wern't it?" [21:11] <@Brett> [There's also a clothesline and stones forming stairs. It actually looks kind of comely. Other than the post out front with a ring of skulls and some writing that you can't read, but probably says "Keep Out."] 06[21:12] * Sonia looks over her glasses at it all, then sighs and gestures vaguely at it. "Nigel?" [21:13] <@Brett> ( Incidentally Swaziland literally has a law prohibiting witches from flying higher than 150 meters. ) 06[21:14] * Nigel shrugs and approaches the door, raps his knuckles against it a couple of times and waits. [21:15] <@Brett> [As Nigel crosses the threshhold he feels [21:15] <@Brett> nothing at all.] [21:16] <@Brett> [Shortly the door is opened just a crack. A black woman peeks out with one eye, looks Nigel up and down, says (in a thick accent), "No solicitors," and slams the door.] 06[21:18] * Nigel sighs and calls out. "Oy! We're here about a missing girl. We were thinking you might be able to help." 06[21:18] * Shiho murmurs, "Is Nigel what salesmen look like in this country?" [21:19] For that matter, how many solicitors do you get this far into the woods? 06[21:19] * Nigel shrugs and looks back. "Depends on what your selling now, doesn't it?" [21:19] <@Brett> [There's a pause, then the door opens, revealing a half-decent looking place to live inside. there's a table, chairs, plates, even what looks like a kitchen, albeit without a sink or fridge. That's ok, there's a well outside. Did I mention that? There was a well outside.] 06[21:20] * Gordo shrugs. [21:20] (Is someone at the door? Or did it open on its own?) [21:20] <@Brett> ( I'm getting to that :X ) [21:20] (Oh! Okay) [21:20] (Sorry) [21:22] ...Girl scout cookies? [21:24] <@Brett> [There's also a woman inside, wearing a bizarre ensamble of clothes. She's got a grass skirt, black sports bra, knee-high black socks, sandles, and a wig made of feathers. She also has a finger bone piercing her nose, a necklace of skulls, and scars. Lots of scars, in intricate patters that swirl around her cheeks and flow down her body in criss-crossing waves. They look like they swirl more [21:24] <@Brett> around her breasts, too, though the bra hides most of that. She also has a pirate eye-patch. Seriously, it's got a skull and crossbones on it and everything. She carries a small sceptre made from a skull and (oddly stiff) spinal column.] [21:24] <@Brett> ( MORE WERDZ ) [21:24] <@Brett> [She seems to be bald, too, feather-hair aside.] 06[21:25] * Nigel nods and steps inside. "Good day..." [21:26] <@Brett> ["Speak, den. Why have you come to Zola, mon?" She almost sounds Jamacian. But not quite. Something's off there.] 06[21:26] * Montana blinks, but he manages not to say anything stupid. Instead, he pulls off his mask and glances into the house. 06[21:27] * Nigel nods. "We were told you might be able to help us. We're looking for a young woman. She's disappeared." [21:29] <@Brett> ["Yez. Many people look for dis woman (she says it like woah-man). Many less now, thanks to de Asanbosam. What makes you special, keh? (What does the "keh" mean? You're on your own with that one.)] 06[21:31] * Nigel shrugs. "We got past the Asanbosam?" [21:31] Seems that makes us special. [21:32] <@Brett> ["Dis be true. Yet still Zola not does know your intentions."] [21:32] <@Brett> ( Suddenly I realize where I got the name from @_@ ) 06[21:32] * Shiho calls out from where she's hanging at the back of the group, "We're employed by a friend of hers." [21:33] (?) [21:33] <@Brett> ( From that fish in Zelda. Oops :x ) [21:33] <@Brett> [Zola does not look like a fish.] [21:33] <@Brett> ( there. Now that we've established that.] ) [21:34] <@Brett> [Her eye swivls Shiho's way. "Which friend would dis be? She seems to have many 'friends' all of a sudden."] 01[21:36] Yeah, well, she was out of the country. [21:36] Alysha Johnson. [21:38] They're co-workers. Alysha would be here herself but she has a tendency to get in trouble, so we came on her behalf. 06[21:38] * Gordo nods. [21:38] (nix 'Alysha', meant 'Miss Johnson') [21:39] Not that we have less of a tendancy to get in trouble, but we are better at getting out of it. [21:41] (True facts.) [21:43] <@Brett> ["Alysha?!" a girl appears from the stairs leading up to the other gourd. If the witch looked strange, she looks nearly as weird, dressed in a Japanese school-girl's uniform. But not a standard one. This one has a ridiculously short dress and a top so cropped it doesn't fully covered her breasts. It looks more like something you'd see in a hentai. Not that any of you would know, I'm sure~. [21:43] <@Brett> She also had white, chalky palm prints plastered over the visible parts of her body. Her hair's in a bob-cut with blond highlights, her skin's a light tan, and her facial features are Native American. And since you saw a picture of her long ago, you remember that she's Sara Morningstar: Julia's sister.] [21:43] <@Brett> ( WEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDZ ) [21:43] <@Brett> ( Holy moley ) [21:44] <@Brett> [Zola glances over her shoulder. "Girl, Zola told you to keep hidden til she deal with dese people!"] 06[21:44] * Montana turns to look the direction the voice is coming from, and he stares for a moment before he shakes his head. "Sara Morningstar?" 06[21:44] * Nigel coughs some when the girl appears... "Um... Hello, Miss Morningstar is it...?" 06[21:44] * Gordo coughs and looks firmly away from her. [21:45] (And the moral of the story is... when there is an innappropriate moment involving scandally clad women... Brits cough.) [21:45] (Yep) [21:46] <@Brett> [Sara ignores Zola, nodding to Montana. "Yes. Alysha sent you? I knew the company would send help!"] 06[21:46] * Sonia looks the girl over briefly, then says, "Do you need them to send clothes, too? It's not that hot out here." 06[21:46] * Shiho looks completely unphased. "Like I said, she'd be here herself if she could." [21:47] <@Brett> [Sara blinks at Sonia, then blushes fiercely and covers herself as best she can with her arms. "Um..."] [21:51] <@Brett> ( brb ) [21:52] <@Brett> ( and back ) [21:53] <@Brett> [Zola turns back. "It's as fitting attire as Zola had, lest de girl run around naked."] [21:53] <@Brett> [Note: she doesn't mention why she had something like that in the first place.] [21:54] (Which is fortunate, as we don't want to know!) 06[21:54] * Nigel shakes his head. "Miss Morningstar, where is your sister?" 06[21:54] * Sonia shrugs slightly and says, "We're all adults here. So what happened to Julia?" [21:55] <@Brett> [Sara fidgets nervously. Til people start asking about her sister. "She was taken! They all were!"] [21:56] Do ye know where to? [21:58] <@Brett> [Sara nods. "Yes." Then she pauses. "Sort of."] 06[21:59] * Gordo makes a rolling motion with his hands. "Keep talkin." [22:01] <@Brett> [She stands up straight, apparently forgetting about trying to maintain any dignity. "Long story short, we were following the trail of some illegal weapons traders. We found out some of them were arming a group of drug pushers in the capital."] [22:04] <@Brett> [She continues: "But it turned out to be bigger than that. The man behind it was Major Tehma J'mail of the Batu army. He's trying use these groups to kill the other tribes without getting the army officially involved. But not just out of hate. He's..."] [22:05] <@Brett> [She gulps. And Zola says, "De souls. He wants de souls."] 01[22:05] (The jerk we talked to?) [22:05] <@Brett> ( Yep ) 01[22:05] (YEAH) [22:07] <@Brett> [Sara (who's name has no H, I have to remember. >.<) nods at Zola. "He's got a secret chamber set up in the diamond mines. His men are sacrificing people to some god named Apep."] 06[22:07] * Gordo rubs his face. "An there goes any hope I had af the boss letting us out of this wiout fighting the whole of an army." [22:09] <@Brett> [Sara blinks at Gordo, then continues. "They caught us investigating, and summoned some huge portal that swallowed the others. I was the only one who got away."] [22:10] <@Brett> [Zola grins (turns out she's missing two teeth, her left front top and right front bottom). "And was brought to Zola. Good thing for her. Dere's craaaaaazy mojo on her, an' only Zola can keep it away."] 06[22:11] * Sonia looks to Nigel. "Anything, boy?" [22:11] <@Brett> [Sara glances at Zola, then says, "Tracking spells. That's why I didn't call HQ; I can't leave this place."] 06[22:13] * Nigel perks up and sighs. "Oh bloody hell.... Apep?" [22:13] <@Brett> [Sara nods. "That's what they were chanting."] 06[22:14] * Nigel nods. "I'm very familiar with cults of Apep. One in particular, actually, called The Bringers of the Tenth Night." [22:14] <@Brett> [Sara frowns. "I'm guessing the Tenth Night isn't a festival night."] 06[22:15] * Nigel shakes his head. "No... it's pretty standard God of darkness apocalypse stuff." 06[22:16] * Gordo checks tablet/phone for service, but doesn't expect to actually have any. 06[22:16] * Nigel draws his sword. "Actually... I stole this from them. It was once used in order to steal the souls of the cult's victims and feed them to Apep." [22:17] <@Brett> [Gordo is right! actually, he can't even get the thing to turn properly. All he gets is static. How he gets static on a goddamn computer screen is anyone's guess.] 01[22:17] (magic) 01[22:17] (i blame magic) 06[22:17] * Gordo puts it away, it's probably a magic thing that Nigel explained to him at some point. [22:18] <@Brett> [Sara lifts a hand to her face. "Oh... Julia..." She looks and Nigel. "But you can stop them, right? You can save Julia and the others!"] [22:18] Miss Johnson will probably have us give it our best shot. [22:19] Aye. 06[22:19] * Nigel nods. "I've certainly stopped cults of Apep before. We will try our best, Miss Morningstar." [22:19] <@Brett> [Sara nods. "Please. I don't know what could be happening to them right now."] 06[22:20] * Montana glances at the others. "We should probably let the boss know." 06[22:21] * Gordo turns to the scary magic lady. "How far we need ta get from yer home ta not be hidden?" [22:22] <@Brett> [Zola doesn't answer Gordo, stiffening suddenly. She looks around at the ceiling, as if searching for spiders. "We not be alone."] 06[22:23] * Nigel draws his crossbow in the hand that isn't holding his sword and begins to look around. [22:24] <@Brett> [Suddenly a small round object flies in through a window. When it hits the floor, it starts emitting a massive quantity of smoke.] [22:25] <@Brett> [Sara coughs, and Zola grabs her with one arm, waving her scepter in the other. "Outside! Now!"] 06[22:25] * Nigel runs outside. 06[22:25] * Gordo draws his pistol and dives out the door... about as gracefully as you'd expect an out of shape soldier to do so. 06[22:25] * Montana pulls his mask over his face and helps Sara out, if possible. 06[22:25] * Sonia comms, ~Careful, this is how you flush out prey,~ although she does head out to try and find cover anyway. 06[22:26] * Shiho was already by the door and dashes into clear area. [22:26] <@Brett> [Outside, it's gotten late! It's dusk now, but light's still decent. Anyhow, Zola rests Sara against the wall and cries "Show yourself!"] [22:29] <@Brett> [To which there's an echoing, mocking laughter and a female voice: "Such petty magics from this backwater country are no match for us. But the Cult of Apep has something we want. Give us the girl, and no one needs to die." You can almost hear her smirk as she adds, "We'll just leave you seriously injured."] 06[22:30] * Gordo tries to scramble to some cover. 06[22:31] * Montana crouches in the house itself, actually, by the door. He has cover. It's filled with smoke. 01[22:31] (HE BREEEEEEATHES) [22:31] <@Brett> ( It tastes like smoke ) [22:31] (DELICIOUS) 06[22:32] * Nigel shrugs and ducks behind one of the gourds. "Sorry... your request has been denied. Please file the appropriate paperwork and reapply again in six months." [22:32] (Nigel's been university staff too long.) [22:33] (It's not Mystery Club if there's not at least one snarky quip per battle.) 01[22:34] (you're a quip) 01[22:34] (blammo) [22:34] <@Brett> ["I was hoping you'd put up a fight," the voice says. "It's been far too long since I was able to excercise my full talent."] [22:35] (But Brain, where are we even going find two other people who can play the nosekazoo at this time of night?) [22:38] <@Brett> [Then on the branches of the trees at the edge of the clearing, two women appear. They're brown-haired an Asian, and look suspiciously like the bikini-ninjas that appeared earlier in the campaign. BECAUSE THEY ARE. And in between them, at the topmost branch of the tallest tree in the circle appears another woman, similarly dressed, but more flashy, her outfit a mixture of purples and blacks. 01[22:38] (i'm down for anything) [22:38] <@Brett> She wears no mask, but instead has a white headband that mixes with her black hair. She adopts a pose with one hand over her head, the other outstretched, and you can see gleaming wires running between her fingers. "Jonin Natsuki Kirishimi, second to Jennifer Kobayashi, has arrived!"] [22:38] <@Brett> ( WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDDZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ) [22:38] <@Brett> ( Also gimme init rolls ) 01[22:38] 2d6+5 06[22:38] * Dicesuke rolls 2d6+5 for Sonia and gets a natural 5 for a result of 10. [22:38] <@Brett> ( This is a session for exposition, I tell ya ) [22:38] <@Brett> ( And actually ) [22:38] <@Brett> ( Since Dre and Ard have to leave soon, should we just end here instead? ) 01[22:39] (seems reasonable) [22:39] (Yeah.) [22:39] 2d6+6 06[22:39] * Dicesuke rolls 2d6+6 for Gordo and gets a natural 11 for a result of 17. [22:39] (Sounds good) 03[22:39] * Retrieving #mc5 modes... [22:39] (... I wins at init.) 01[22:39] (NICE WASTED INIT GORDO) [22:39] (Thanks! :D Game next week?) [22:39] 2d6+5 06[22:39] * Dicesuke rolls 2d6+5 for Nigel and gets a natural 10 for a result of 15. [22:39] 2d6+8 06[22:39] * Dicesuke rolls 2d6+8 for Montana and gets a natural 5 for a result of 13. [22:39] (I won't be here next week!) [22:39] (Yeah. Actually, that is a good idea) [22:40] (The ending here thing. Arwen and I also won't be here next week) [22:40] (It's our anniversary weekend) [22:40] (I pick up Shiho and swing her at the guys!) [22:40] (Oh yeah, we won't.) [22:40] (Congrats!) [22:40] (And by guys, I mean gals? Ninja bikinis?) [22:40] (Thanks!) [22:40] (Have fun calculating damage for a Shiho-weapon) [22:40] <@Brett> ( ._. ) [22:40] (ELEVENTY BILLION) [22:40] (Yeah, congratulations!) [22:41] (All the damage! All of it) [22:41] (Thanks! ^^) [22:41] <@Brett> [End instead!]