The Mauldor Time-Line, Book 1: Birth and Rebirth

[Mordereth]

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry about the extended absence. Work and network troubles. Have some time off now. And should be able to post more in the afternoons, which seems to be when the thread is most active.

Awesome! I'm glad you've gotten some time, it's great you'll be able to post more regularly

If I'm going to succeed without the trap blowing up and sending me flying across the room, then I'm fine with it taking awhile. Having the others explore the other corridor while I disarm the trap would be the best of both worlds.

OOC:
Agreed, though I feel inclined to say that spell will be here to stay, but is not an instant-kill. Just so I didn't scare you guys.

Also, the shares are that number for each person, but yea if someone were to "disappear" they'd spread the money.

You don't have to change that, I was going to do it for your for a quick-copy paste but it screwed up

IC:
"I can't tell you much, sir," the woman said to Miffy, "all I've seen of it was that awful cage. I'm afraid I've nothing left to offer you."

Bildin catches sight of something within his focus. Some sort of rotation, visible only at it's height. As it goes buy, he seems to see three Words. He thinks he's beginning to remember the first two.

 

[fanklok]

Spoiler: OOC

i'm not going to be home tomorrow(technically today) till real late and i'm real beat from work so i can't think of anything to post

 

[Mordereth]

Spoiler: OOC

So, I have an idea.

Sisk and friends go down the other passageway that Artemis was looking down, maybe leaving Njord with Bildin? If not you can have a bit of small talk and then I'll have time elapse.

 

[Hikikomori Ookami]

Artemis looked to Sisk with a smirk, happy that someone seemed to be sharing his feelings about exploring the other tunnel.

"That sounds like a good idea. I'd hate to ignore the other passage and have another one of those minotaurs sneak up behind us. Do you want to come with us Miffy or are you going to stay here and look after the woman?"

Spoiler: OOC

I'm all for going down the other passage, obviously, and CourtingDisaster seems willing to chance it. So I guess it's on Captainguy?

 

[Captainguy42]

"I'll be damned if I miss all the fun!" Miffy said to Artemis, as he began to follow them down the tunnel.

Spoiler: OOC

So this woman that I'm dragging around... I guess I'll keep her with us until we get out of here. Unless someone has a better idea.... and no killing is not a better idea.

 

[Earthbound]

Bildin continues to concentrate on the trap. It's not quite as deadly as he previously thought. While there was obviously a sentient entity here, they didn't seem to possess vast magical abilities, only mundane skill.

The words flew by his vision again. They weren't really words, but the essence of linguistics. They would be perceivable by a speaker of any language, or none at all. When Bildin saw them, for the mere moments that he did, they appeared as Gnomen Script. "No, don't let your mind wander," Bildin thinks to himself. "Stay focused." He squints his eyes and continues to work with the trap.

Spoiler: There goes my plan.

Well, if we have to bring her along, just make sure she doesn't get in the way of my spells. We wouldn't want any friendly frags unfortunate accidents. Well, I may not, but Bildin might. Keep that in mind.

 

[Mordereth]

Bildin is perhaps halfway through the process of discerning the operating Words for the trap.

Those who have gone the other route round a corner to the left. Before them, they see a mess. A massive tendril of Festering Imp is stucking into a room before them, along with some upturned wooden crates and desks.

A mystical blue fire is burning right at the end of the Festering Imp tentacle, as if keeping it from advancing.

The tentacle pulses and writhes with an unnatural life.

 

[Hikikomori Ookami]

Spoiler: Elaborate?

I'm not sure if I'm reading this right. Is the Festering Imp in the room ahead of us with the blue fire between us and it, or is the imp between us and the fire with the room beyond it? And I'm not really familiar with this, is it a walking version of what Miffy faced earlier or something completely different?

Artemis stops his advance and signals to his companions while moving to the side of the corridor, allowing Sisk and Miffy to see the creature before them. He then moves back between the two so they can go over their options.

 

[Captainguy42]

Miffy took in a deep breath, his back still stung from the first time he fought these things. He moved back aways with the woman and told her.

"Stay back and out of trouble, if something happens to us, run back down the other tunnel and to our friends, they will protect you."

Atleast I hope they will...

With that he let go of her and skulked back to Artemis and Siskan.

" A few words of advice, the imps are weak but there will always be more of them if you don't attack the heart. I suggest me and Siskan take the front and Artemis try to take aim at the heart while we fight the imps."

 

[CourtingDisaster]

"Wait a moment - Before we charge in there. They seem to be vulnerable to fire. I could try and cast a fireball into the heart. Those crates and desks might also catch fire and hinder the imps. If we have any torches left, I suggest we light one or two - try and set the heart on fire with them if we can't in another way."

Sisk knows that he doesn't have much more magic in him before he can't stand up straight. He tucks a mana potion into his belt, ready to use at a moments notice. Then he approaches the mass of imps carefully, going as close as he dares to get a good shot at the heart. Then he begins to weave a magical Flame Bolt. He concentrates intensely, knowing he only has one shot before he and Miffy are swimming in imps. The energy in his hands grows hotter and hotter, until it is almost difficult to control. He growls, and releases the fireball directly at the boil. The energy gone, Siskan suddenly feels unbalanced and has to reach out to the cave wall to steady himself. He quickly plucks the potion from his belt and drains it quickly. Feeling a little better - He brings his spear to bear and prepares for any imps.

Spoiler: OOC

Gone for the weekend. If we can't get this combat done in the next few hours, then Mordereth will have to control me.

 

[Mordereth]

Spoiler: Elaboration

It's a big tentacle of swirling, dark, kind of crystalline but not see-through vines.

The fireball meets the other flame, and if anymore proof was needed that it was of a magical origin, it roared and pressed against the roof, as well as outward. The end of the tentacle exploded, making a sort of cavern of charred vine. From within it came rushing out two Brute Festering Imps, the height of a man and about 50% wider.

One fell to the flames, letting out a brutal scream of anguish.

As if on quo, five normal festering Imps emerge from the newly formed hole in the tentacle, avoiding the flames.

The remaining Brute turns to face the group.

"MORE LAWN!" screamed the massive thing, somehow making a speaking noise.

The words were rough and awkward, and undoubtedly not what he meant to say.

The other Imps swarm past him, as another two are half way through peeling themselves off of the side of the tentacle.

Spoiler: OOC@ CourtingDisaster

Hey tell me if you're still on if not I'll control your character I've something in mind for him.

----

Bildin has discovered the activating words! Now all that remains is for him to focus his Will (doesn't cost Mana) and speak the Words to deactivate the trap spell so that he and Njord may continue down their path.

Bildin has (almost) unlocked his first Tumbler Enchantment! The Tumbler Enchantment is one of the more crude manners of hiding Words from one who would examine a spell. He is also 1/5th of the way to being able to read spells/enchantments/hexes without viewing them through the Third Sight.

 

[Earthbound]

That was it; the message in the words. Though he had read about disarming magical traps, he had never himself done it before. The feeling was...enlightening. Now that he knew the metaphorical key to this metaphorical door, Bildin closed his mind to any other thoughts. He concentrated simply on his connection with the swirling essence of magic, willing it into the trap through the use of the arcane words.

Bildin felt the surge of power as the deactivation ward was embedded into the trap. And, like a rush of wind, it slowly died down, leaving him refreshed and clear-minded. He stood and, first turning around to face Njord, stepped backwards into the line of the trap. It didn't fire.

With a smirk on his face, Bildin asked, "So Njord, as per our agreement earlier, after you." The "Third Eye" effect slowly dissipated, and Njord and the rest of the cave returned to their previous appearance in Bildin's eyes.

 

[fanklok]

Njord walked on "Sure took you long enough."

 

[Captainguy42]

Miffy grimaced, he hated fighting enemies straight on but here his options seemed limited to that. He breathed in and yelled doing his best impression of Njord's battle cry.

And charged the brute and let loose an uppercut.

Spoiler: OOC

I have a few questions about hand to hand.
1. Am I more effective when I use just my bare hands as opposed to my dagger?
2. What advantages do I have over weapons users?
3. Can I perform pressure point attacks/ Sleeper holds or do those need to wait till a higher level?

 

[Mordereth]

Spoiler: OOC

I have a few questions about hand to hand.
1. Am I more effective when I use just my bare hands as opposed to my dagger?
2. What advantages do I have over weapons users?
3. Can I perform pressure point attacks/ Sleeper holds or do those need to wait till a higher level?

Spoiler: OOC

1. Not necessarily, but if you were to meet a steal imp who would eat your daggers, then punching him in the face would be preferable. There are other instances, such as when entangled close to someone.
2. Their swinging around a weapon, you have 4 of them attached to your torso. Not holding a weapon means two free hands to restrain someone from behind or hold them against, etc. etc.
3. Yes, you can, but the more you do it and the more you level up the better you'll be at it.

So, while Minotaur's probably won't be impressed by it, when you face other, more humanoid beings you'll see the advantages. (Don't worry they're all over the next dungeon)

Question for you: I assumed you meant with your fists and that's how I posted but were you going to attack with a dagger?

Miffy's upper cut landed on the brute, but he soon found another dilemma. The other Imps are surging past the Brute, and one of them stops to dive into his ankle.

Miffy has a mere moment to react.


Njord and Bildin walk down the short corridor, and naturally take a right.

Two stone slabs slam together behind them. Damn.

There are two marks on the floor and walls of the stone hall. Suddenly, a flash of steel appears on the first one. A large steel blade flicks through at the one behind it perhaps three seconds later.

At the end of the medium corridor, they can see a hole in the wall and a turn to the left.

 

[Earthbound]

"Huh," mused Bildin at the sight of the steel blades, "this must have taken some time to build. Why would you put such a lovely trap in a hole in the ground like this. It's better off defending a palace or the like." Bildin stepped closer to the trap, trying to examine it. "You'd think they would at least make it swing faster. A dead cat could make it past these with ease."

Bildin turned back to Njord, who was watching him impatiently. Bildin might be able to stop the steel traps by shifting the wall over a few inches, but that would be such an unnecessary waste of magic. Also, just backing up through the trap, while looking very finesseful, may be a bad idea. Suddenly getting a fantastic idea, Bildin signaled Njord and stated, "You first. We don't know what's after these blades. That hole in the wall might have a giant caterpillar or another horrible monster that would try to eat us. I'll stay right behind you."

 

[Captainguy42]

Miffy, with the hand he just used to punch (Right), grabbed his dagger and took a stab at the imp that just lunged for him. If he could he planned to continue with the momentum and round house kick and sweep away any other imps nearby.

 

[fanklok]

Njord walked closer to the trap and studied it carefully, then he took the axe he got from the minotaur and tossed it through the trap, the second blade shot out and put a rather large cut in it. "Well damn that's useless now." He watched the trap a bit longer then tossed his axe through it landed on the other side unscathed. He then lept across and picked up his axe. "Come on little man, if there is something to kill around that corner I'm not waiting for you."

 

[Mordereth]

Miffy successfully embeds his blade in the lunging Imp, a death blow that struck it's center and sent it unraveling to the ground to crumple. He follows up with a round house kick sending two other imps flying to their backs.

Two more Imps peel themselves off of the tentacle.

"Friends! Hold them a time, I think I can use that fire to our advantage and push back the tentacle!" With that, Siskan put his mind to the task of focusing his Will on the mystical fire made to stop the tentacle from growing. It seemed to have worked the first time, why not again? He focused poring Mana into it and preparing to launch it at the tentacle.

 

[Mordereth]

No, no, no. ALL my RPs die on page 6, when everything is going so well!

I know I might be freaking out a bit here, but I honestly don't think this is a coincidence. This will be number three, though, and the third times the charm!