<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Status</div><div class="spoiler_body">Skirt &amp; outfit generally damaged.  AC 18  CON -1 (now 12).   HP 83 of 83<br/>Spells remaining: 7 of 7 1st, 4 of 4 2nd, 1 of 1 from bonded object<br/>Ammunition remaining: 22 common arrows (+36 more in pack), 15 silvered, 20 cold iron, 3 Tangleshot<br/></div></div><br/>Rayne clucked her tongue at Starstrike's story, and squeezed her hand... what a rough day that must have been, she couldn't imagine the turmoil.  The half-elf had been lucky to be out in the wilds, though even so it could have been rough - had been a little rough.<br/><br/>Zombs' theory sounded right, agreeing with what Rayne had seen at Melangwi Outpost.  She wondered aloud if those waves of attacking monsters had brought something with them, a device or maker of some sort that served as a monster spawn point.  Since they hadn't penetrated the Outpost, that hadn't occurred, but here, of course, they had.  Then again, it might not be carried by the monsters, but merely placed by the system in response to their successful invasion - in the same way this fort had been marked as a noncombat zone.  Or... might one of the attacking players had brought in something?  Well, it was too much speculation, they needed data.  Scouting, or magical scrying of some sort, was key.<br/><br/>"Sounds good" she agreed, with Zombs' plan to move crafting into the fort, as a temporary measure until the city could be restored.  A tailoring set-up would be nice, Rayne thought, but said nothing about that... there were surely other priorities.  "It's a good thing we have Lizzy, then!"<br/><br/>Speaking of that girl, she seemed to know what she was doing at the anvil, but... the archer looked at the carrot-pyjamas dubiously.  "...thanks..." she pasted on a smile, but then Lizzy revealed her own story, and Rae-lynne's heart went out to her.  The poor thing... that wasn't right, bringing one's little sister to a place like this, though it sounds like she had at least kept safe.  But she knew what was happening outside - that was already too much.  The PCs had another reason to defend the fort, and push the monsters back... Rayne reached around to give Lizzy a hug, patting her back, then her hair.  "Don't worry, Lizzy, we'll find him... he'll be fine, and so will you.  And thanks for the PJs, they<em>are</em>cute!  Rayne backed away from her, and held the pyjamas up to her front, grinning.  "Though Sabrith might need a tail-hole..."<br/><br/>Once her extremities were bare, she looked pointedly at Ledude and Zombs until they turned away, then reached back to untie the laces that held up her top.  The skirt soon hit the floor too, leaving her just in panties, and she pulled on the pyjamas, feeling pretty ridiculous.  They were comfy, though... smiling awkwardly, she handed the chain shirt to Lizzy and tucked everything else into inventory.  All her weapons were stowed, so she really was just in cotton 'jams... quite incongruous, with monsters roving just outside.<br/><br/>Then Rae-lynne had a question: "I suppose alts don't work now, do they?  Does anyone know if it's still possible to swap characters, or is that system command as broken as all the others?  I was just thinking... if what Lizzy says about the crafting rule is true, that could have been another way to try to contact someone.  Break a rule... hmm.  Are there other rules we could break that usually trigger a GM to show up?"  There weren't all that many rules in EHO, though, and she couldn't think of any off-hand that were practical.<br/><br/>"You're all safe, I see..."  Rayne greeted her trio of companions from the Crocodile Express.  "...sorry I was so stupid, should have just jumped ashore.  You made it through the jungle OK?"  Finding a convenient wall to lean on, the half-elf nibbled some of the fort's stored food.  "Death seems to work pretty much as before, I respawned in the Outpost.  But... there was something new I'd never seen before.  Before respawning, a devil spoke to me - he offered me a chance to escape the crocodile, if I wore a collar."  She looked at Grogza.  "Obviously I didn't!  But I wonder how many isolated PCs were caught by that, ones like me who were out on solo quests, and didn't know any better when they were killed.  I've never hard of devils tempting people here... have any of you seen that, even before the Change?"<br/><br/>Sabrith rejoined them, in fetching bunny PJs with enough seam opened up to let her tail twitch free.  Rayne completed introductions all around, then told of her own adventures, including meeting Sabrith, though she omitted everything from Sabrith's parasite-infestation until the creature slithered away through the drains... she didn't want to embarrass Sabrina by talking of how she had tried to rape Rayne herself.<br/><br/>Other than that, she chatted idly with the others, with a bit of back-slapping and congratulations for successful exploits.  They'd had to reach the Fort through streets roamed by monsters and evil players... Rae-lynne would usually have talked of evil PCs, but in this case, she had to feel it was the players themselves that were evil, knowing safewords were broken, yet taking advantage of any weaker than them, or outnumbered, or surprised....<br/><br/>Eventually the conversation dwindled, and Rayne went were she was pointed to get some sleep.  The fort had barracks with beds for the NPCs and for the nobles - she hadn't thought to ask about the city's former NPC leadership, but she was tired enough now it didn't matter.  She slept quickly, quite cozy in her cotton pyjamas, and slept a surprisingly untroubled sleep, awaking refreshed and swinging her feet out of bed before stretching and rubbing her eyes.  Breakfast first, then she could check if Lizzy was already done - it seemed a bit early for that, but if possible she'd rather talk to Zombs in armour, not in carrots on a purple background.