In-Character Roleplaying (after River Snakes fight)

Saala watches the exchange and then looks at Gurr’khan with an eloquently raised eyebrow. Gurr’khan just grunts and says succinctly, “Adventurers!”

Saala grins widely at the comment and then turns back to Gareth. “I understand your caution, though it seems a little late, considering you’ve traveled all this way to speak to me about this,” she taps the shard in her lap. “But I’m not offended – for now. Don’t do it again.”

“That, however,” she continues, “Gives me a little excuse for some rudeness of my own. If you will bear with me…”

She turns back to Gurr’khan and says, “You have had some time with my guests. What do you think of them?”

Gurr’khan grunts again, as seems to be his custom when about to speak, and says, “First, the good stuff. Surr’kal, whom I trust, says they’re quite reliable. I’ve been in two fights with them so far, and they’re very effective. Perhaps the most powerful group of their size I’ve fought beside, and I’ve seen some fairly strong druids in their element, as you know. Apparently, though this is mostly hearsay, they’ve taken some serious risks to protect the Key. In the time I’ve been with them, unless everyone here is faking really well, and I don’t think some of them could act worth a damn,” (his eyes flicker to Korm and Luna as he says this, and then back to Saala) “They did seem quite genuinely concerned about keeping it safe.”

Gurr’khan takes a deep breath and continues. “Now the bad. They’re kinda mental. They fight with each other all the time, and again, hearsay tells me they get into fights all the time. From some things I’ve heard and a little I saw with the River Snakes, they should be dead by rights, but somehow manage to survive.” He grunts again. “Which, I guess is a good thing. Surr’kal, in fact, said that they got some stupid prophecy telling them they’re special and that they’re meant to do great things and that they were meant to find the Key. You know I don’t give a damn about prophecies, but even if it’s right, I’m not sure a group fated for great things should be guarding that.”

He indicates the Key and then pauses, as if thinking of something, and then says quickly, “Also, Luna here’s the most mental. She’s got a symbiont attached to her arm and her tongue, if you didn’t notice. That guy,” (he indicates Six) “Is carrying a bloody floating eye in his bag too, but Luna apparently thinks daelkyr creations are fashion accessories. Just that’s a good enough reason to make sure the Key is some distance from them.”

Gurr’khan ends and gazes around the group with no trace of embarrassment. “She asked what I thought.”

You notice that Saala’s lips twitch with apparent amusement, but she hides it masterfully when Gurr’khan looks back at her. She looks at Luna and asks, "Symbionts? That is a little unusual for a druid." Her eyes roam over the group. "What do you think of her choice?"

OOC: Julia's got computer problems, so I got her to email me a response from Luna and I'm posting it:

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Luna breaks in before any of the others can reply, wearing what some of you now call the ‘flame strike expression.’ “You might not have to worry about me wearing symbionts. I had no idea that they could make me fat! Now, frankly, I have to rethink the whole thing!
I was just trying to fight fire with fire!”

“And anyone who has been fighting these disgusting mutant creatures for as long as Gurr’khan should know that sometimes one must sometimes attempt more creative means to fight them and emerge victorious! And defeating them is... well ... actually rather important! So whatever modes you employ to do so must in the end be more than justified!”

So far, she has been ostensibly addressing Saala, but now she turns to face Gurr’khan. “And frankly, I am not mental in the least! I am a very keen and observant strategist! And at some point, it must be plain to any thinking person that there is no point chatting up the enemy any more, and you just need to do what you came to do! And while I am not chatty, I am focused and results oriented. And while we may not always enjoy working as a team ... we never leave anyone behind! Even the two most antagonistic of our group have gone to hell and back to pull the other out of the fire. I don’t know many others who can actually say that and mean it.”

“As for the shard ... by all means take the bloody thing! I can’t be tied to some stupid hunk of rock that gives me a headache if I leave it alone for 20 minutes, for goodness sake! I’d rather destroy it than live like this for another minute!!”

“So ... there! Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Gurr’khan.” Luna points at Gurr’khan’s abdomen, where she knows the strange tentacular growths are. “And you would be a much happier fellow if you made your tragedy a weapon against those who inflicted it! Just a thought!”

With that, Luna winds down abruptly. There’s complete silence, for a moment. Even Thlie, who had been murmuring to herself when Luna started, is looking at her intently now.

Gurr’khan, whose mouth is sagging slightly open, shuts it with a snap and glares at Luna for a moment. He grunts loudly in preparation for an angry response, but is cut off by a loud peal of laughter. Thlie rocks back and forth, giggling with amusement. She points at Luna and chortles, “She’s funny! I like her!” before breaking into another fit of giggles.

Gurr’khan now turns to glare at her, and his mood evidently isn’t helped when Saala too adds a loud chuckle, accompanied by a broad grin. “A woman of strong opinions, I see. I like that. I’d warn you about your choices, but you know what you are getting into, and each of us must choose our own path. Even if,” she adds with another chuckle, “It apparently leads to weight issues. That is not a risk I normally think of when I think of dangers associated with symbionts.”

She turns to address the entire group and then pauses, as if she just thought of something. Turning back to Luna, Saala says, “In the interests of honesty, I should tell you that you are not the first to take that road. Over the centuries, some of those who study and battle the daelkyr and their minions have attempted to use their tools, such as symbionts, against them. That, of course, is a risky road, and it takes people of strong will and constitution to do it.” Saala’s eyes flicker sideways at Gurr’khan for a split second, and she adds, “There have even been a very few Gatekeepers who have walked that path.”

“By the moons!” breaks in Gurr’khan, with an irritated growl, “Do you have to encourage her, Saala? Why not just slap a stormstalk on her head and be done with it?”

Another chortle from Thlie interrupts. “He’s funny too!”

Saala waves a hand dismissively. “If needed, Luna and I can discuss the subject later. But back to the question of the Key. Despite Gurr’khan’s reservations, at least he vouches for the efforts you have made to keep it safe, which I appreciate.” She pauses and then turns to Nameless.

“I do have a question for you. I believe you were the one person able to use the Key at various times. Why is that? Please, be honest. I need to know everything that I can about this matter.”

(Korm interjects with a laugh.)

Luna's definitely mental. I warned her about the symbionts' dangers and tried to talk her out of it, but it was like trying to wrestle a mountain. Or debate philosophy with a bear. An impatient, hungry bear. An impatient, hungry bear with the ability to call fire from the sky and shoot angry bees from its mouth.

But Luna is a strong warrior and a druid of good character. I don't fault her motivations.

(Korm motions with his head to the rest of the angels)

Besides, they're all barmy too. We work well together.

Admin wrote:

“I do have a question for you. I believe you were the one person able to use the Key at various times. Why is that? Please, be honest. I need to know everything that I can about this matter.”

"I am not entirely certain why. It could be as simple as I was the first one to touch it."

"Then again, there are many things I do not fully understand about myself. I am called Nameless, but that is really a description not a name. What ever it is that names things is absent in me. Most of my past is also veiled from me as well and there is much to indicate that I am not now what I once was or may have been."

"My mentor in the arcane has a spell that can detect aberrations and for some reason I detect as an aberration to this spell. Several of the creatures in Yakun'Dral seemed to respond to me as if I were a Daelkyr and a dream that I had after we defeated and sealed a Daelkyr using the Key, seem to indicate that I have in some way been touched by them. Perhaps that has something to do with it as well."

"Perhaps it is Edgar?" (Showing his rock) "An affinity with one rock could lead to an affinity with others."

Saala looks a little puzzled. “Edgar?” She begins to turn to Gurr’khan for explanation, when Thlie, who has once again been paying attention, places a twisted hand on her shoulder.

When Saala turns to her, Thlie says nothing. Instead, she slowly levers herself off the ground and hobbles towards Nameless. As she rises and moves, everyone watching can see that both of her legs are twisted and deformed, skin pushed out of place by misshapen bones.

Reaching Nameless, she bends slowly to look into his eyes. Nameless finds himself gazing into two cloudy gray eyes, each of them strangely vacant, with a tiny pinprick of blackness at the center of each. It takes a second or two to realize what else is distinctive about them. As far as Nameless can judge, the eyes are completely and utterly insane.

Her actions, however, are not. Or at least not very much. Thlie leans closer and sniffs at Nameless. Her own breath is somewhat rank and slightly tart. After a series of long sniffs, she straightens up and then hobbles back to her mat, before subsiding onto it. She looks at Saala, who has been waiting silently, and says solemnly, “It doesn’t matter. It’s all in his head. And he cannot use it again. He has too much knowledge now.” She pauses and then adds, “You can trust him. All of them.” There is another pause, and then the demeanor cracks as she giggles loudly. “And they’re all mental. Hee hee!”

Saala looks quizzically at her friend for a few seconds, and then says, “It’s too late for me to stop trusting you, though I’m not going to pretend I know what that means.”

She turns back to Nameless. “You sound honest enough, though I get the feeling you’re not sharing something, but if Thlie says I should trust you, I will. But you still have to answer my original question.” She glances at Gareth, whose attempt to detect thoughts had interrupted the request. “Tell me everything you can about the Key.”

OOC: I'm assuming you guys tell her everything. If there's anything you specifically don't want to mention, make a post about it.