Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Exotic Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Verasaille on 11-12-2014, 05:30:23</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>11-12-2014, 05:30:23</strong>
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				Deep down in the depths...the air is warm...what there is of it. There is no sunlight here...in fact you do not know where you are. You went to bed in your home, safe and snug. You awoke here. The floor is stone, what you can feel of it, grainy and hard. There is a coating of dust on nearby surfaces. You listen carefully and may hear a dripping sound in the distance or merely an echo of one, cave sounds can be misleading.<br><br>There is a faint source of light nearby, just enough for you to make out that you are in a cave, actually an alcove in a larger cave. The place where you are is marginally protected with a few rocks. You are not harmed, in fact you seem to be well physically. Though if you had any magic in you it seems to be dormant. It is there inside of you, you just cannot cast. You are in the clothing you went to bed in, if any. You have no weapon to use and no armor. <br><br>How you got here is something you may wonder, but no answers are to be found laying here in the relative darkness. As you rise to your sitting position you look over the rocks that are screening you from view of anything or anyone else in the large cavern. It would be wise to be cautious, you are not alone. There are two torches burning in the large room. one on either end. There is also a slab of rock in the center of the room, it appears to be about twenty feet long. There is one lit candle on it.<br><br>The sensation of being deep below the surface of the earth is suffocating. The air is not fresh, it is stale and musty. The torches burn with a&nbsp; snap and crackle. Whoever set you here is testing you. How you react and how you manage to survive is up to you. Look around the small space you have found yourself in.&nbsp; Your primary concern is survival. Cooperation might be&nbsp; necessary. <br><br>Finding a weapon and armor is just as important as finding food and water. Whatever training you might have had in your life to survive might come in handy. Who knows how&nbsp; long you will be stuck here, wherever here is.&nbsp; Anything useful is certain to be found only by exploring the cave. Water seems to be dripping somewhere, perhaps it is clean, perhaps not, but only one way to find out.<br><br>&nbsp;The air is a combination of musty and a slight hint of decay. Where you lay is a hard surface with a slight layer of dust and sand covering it. As you search with your eyes in the gloom you realize you are without any of the normal things you take for granted in the way of armor and weaponry. If you went to bed with any sort of clothing you still have that on. If you sleep in the buff...well...then you are still in the buff.<br><br>The air is warm if not a bit stuffy, though the torches seems to be burning all right. The alcove you find yourself in may have something hidden in it or it may not. Look around you, about a twelve foot area of room, uneven walls appear to be free from moisture, and yet you seem to hear a trickle of water somewhere near.<br><br>There is room enough for you to stand unless you are over twelve feet tall. The opening to your little alcove is not blocked and you can leave anytime you choose. As you move around a slight noise attracts your attention. Peering out beyond the rocks you can see a very large cave with many alcoves like the one you are in. You look up and see dark shapes in the ceiling. The top of the cave is well over a hundred feet. The light does not illuminate much up there. Is it your imagination or did something up there move?<br><br>The room might be fifty feet in diameter and the east end of the slight oblong seems to have a shiny surface on the wall. There is darkness below that wall, and the torchlight seems to be reflected there. One thing is for certain, you are not alone here. There are others waking up just as you are.<br><br>The only memory you have is whatever you were doing before you went to sleep.Your memories of the past seem to be fuzzy.&nbsp; What happens next is up to you. To survive and get home might seem a daunting task. Unarmored and without a weapon, and no idea in the world where you are!<br><br>Most of the cave floor seems to be sandy and very dusty. Stalagmites rise from the floor in front of the alcoves, some hang from the ceiling, far above. As your eyes scan the area you see darker areas in the walls above, alcoves up there too? But they are about thirty feet up from the floor of the cavern.<br><br>A slight noise attracts your attention and you glance towards the sound. A rat scurries across the floor, stops to glare at you then disappears in a hole in the uneven floor. Might be a good idea to watch where you step. The rat is rather large, maybe the size of a housecat. It has red glowing eyes and sharp teeth and can squeeze into small spaces with ease. If only you had something to hit it with! Roasted rat is edible. <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>11-12-2014, 14:56:16</strong>
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				Delicious, delicious berries. The Faerie dreamed of the offerings that had been made to him. Blackberries, blueberries, boiled cereal grains turned into delightful mush that was sweetened and flavored by said berries.&nbsp; Tasty offerings that kept the Faerie sated and benevolent towards the village he had decided to chill out around for a couple dozen years.&nbsp; Silly humans! But, they were kind of cool humans, too. Yes. Definitely. Delicious, delicious berries.<br><br>The Fae awoke. Dread instantly sank in. There was no smell of incense in the air. He was not laying in the shrine that he had claimed as his dwelling. Even worse, there did not seem to be any sort of delicious berries anywhere close to him! This was no good. Awakening fully, the Fae darted up into the air, his little wings fluttering almost faster than the eye could see, leaving behind an ethereal trail of lights that were typically not found in nature. <br><br>Zip! Zip! Fly! Flutter! This way, and that way, the little bugger darted around the area outside the little cubby-like hole he had been so unceremoniously placed in. The tall Fae was fast, and always seemed to leave behind a short-lived after-image of his garish, almost glowing, wings. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>11-12-2014, 19:54:43</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/09/1392559621072.png)</div><br>Alisandra stirred with a heavy start at the unyielding rigidity of the stone, a powerful contrast to the snug bed of the tower where she was practicing her magical ability.&nbsp; The tower was her life, as was her magic.&nbsp; More than a century of her existence had been focused in honing her arcane talents.<br><br>No surprise, then, that her first thoughts were to her abilities.&nbsp; Unwilling to walk around in simply a nightshirt, she closed her eyes, reaching out her mind and soul for her talents...and nothing.<br><br>A sharp intake of breath displayed fear, and she concentrated all the more, trying to perform the task which had proven a simple demonstration for her apprenticeship in transmutation.&nbsp; All she should have to do is remove the sleeves, reconstitute the fabric...but nothing.<br><br>Helplessness burned its way into her heart.&nbsp; Although she could hardly expect anyone not magically trained to understand, such abilities were as inherent a part of her as being able to see, or walk, or smile.<br><br>The logical suggestion was that this was a dream.&nbsp; Her magic didn't always work in her dreams, the same way that her body went rigid to keep her from acting out her dreams.&nbsp; Usually, she had as much magic in her dreams as she did while awake because she dreamed it so, but not always.<br><br>The simple belief that this must be a dream, not easily disproven, gave her a sense of confidence.&nbsp; She glanced around, taking the time to rebutton her nightshirt and hope that no one got a good look at her before it was done.&nbsp; It wasn't quite large enough to reach her knees, but at least she was reasonably decent.<br><br>The sudden squeak of the rodent caught her attention, and her hand flew up, gesturing in the shape of a claw to fire off eldritch energy at the unwelcome pest.&nbsp; The idea to actually eat the vermin didn't even occur to her; she had little doubt that the creature must be diseased.<br><br>Nothing happened.&nbsp; Of course not: this dream didn't have any magic.&nbsp; Well, that was going to be a problem.&nbsp; What if this was one of those dreams where she could feel pain?&nbsp; What if it lunged at her?<br><br>What if this wasn't really a dream at all?
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>11-12-2014, 23:49:07</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div>It had been the closest to righteous that she'd ever felt.<br><br>The black lotus smoke was the only thing she'd found that could numb her mind, and drifting in and out of consciousness brought peace to her mind that she hadn't known she could experience.&nbsp; All her life she'd steered clear of these places, staring on with contempt at the addled, drug-hazed ghouls that shadowed in and out of the red-lamped shacks and lantern-hung dens that weren't hard to spot when you knew how.&nbsp; But after the job was done, she had washed the blood from her hands and sobbed like an infant, tears that had been absent from her cheeks for years, deep wailing cries that harkened to the lost infant she had once been on the steppe over her dead pony and dying mother.&nbsp; Tears as forsaken as those long-ago days when she knew a home, a family, earth under her bare feet, shoots of tiny crops peeking through the cracked black earth.<br><br>She wasn't sure how long she'd been in the den-- she had entered flush with coin from the job, having stashed the stolen documents that were worth far more than the chest of currency.&nbsp; She paid much of it up front for a private room and as much lotus as they cold send her, and the room apparently came with perks.&nbsp; <br><br>She reawoke many times over, to re-light a fresh taper, to slick the pipe bowl with the black tar and smoulder it in the flames, the dank smoke filling her mouth and lungs until breathing it in seemed to difficult.&nbsp; Sometimes she awoke to a need to piss, and those times she drank a tankard of wine as she shambled across thick, burgundy rugs to the pile of pillows and silks that they'd given her to begin the cycle afresh.&nbsp; Once or twice she remembered a young woman with a face like ivory-- paint, most likely, bowing to resituate the pipe on the nightstand, to gently tap another daub of the slick&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;lotus tar into the little ceramic thimble. <br><br>On one awakening, she had called out for other things, and vaguely remembered that she a pear, its juice trailing down her face as she suckled noisily at the pulpy flesh.&nbsp; Some time passed-- another light of the tar, and she awoke naked, warm water pooling down her cheek to her small breasts as the young woman sang a soft, mournful song in her foreign tongue, cleaning her tenderly and detached as one might polish an expensive doll.&nbsp; <br><br>A flitter of memory of being mounted, a cleanly shaved man of lovely form in the candlelight, his bald head glistening with clean sweat as he thrust into her again and again.&nbsp; Once it was a girl there between her legs, bringing her off with her mouth and a lethargic, stoned glaze in her dark eyes.&nbsp; All these things she had asked for, all were given.&nbsp; These things brought her momentary sensations of pleasure, but were devoid of joy, and they blurred into her desire to be someone to these people-- someone who felt them, who wanted these things, who needed them.&nbsp; <br><br>But the opium was all-- the peace, the euphoria, the dreamless sleep.&nbsp; The face of the noblewoman she had murdered swirled into these dreams as a blissful apparition in those times, and it was easy to forget how her voice had gone to a wet gurgling as the blade punctured her throat and found its way out the other side. The hot rush of her blood was only a warm bath.&nbsp; Her twiches and thrashings were spasms of lovemaking.&nbsp; And then the bliss faded, and tears came, and regret.&nbsp; The knot of shame, the fist of guilt.&nbsp; Regret's gnashing teeth.<br><br>With a soft sigh, Zabeth let her eyes open again, and this time found only darkness.&nbsp; There was no distant, winding zither music to lull her into peace, and when she reached, there was no pipe to be found.&nbsp; No silks, no pillows, only sand and stone and pain.<br><br><em>I must have been thrown out,</em> she thought, and the grinding nausea of the come-down brought a dry-heave that forced her to roll to her side.&nbsp; More stone on her bare skin, a dull throb in her head, a heavy weight in each jointed segment of her limbs.&nbsp; she knew not where she was, nor if anyone saw her naked.&nbsp; Heaving again, she gathered herself as the spasm passed and managed to paw around for a tarp, an old sheet-&nbsp; anything to wear.&nbsp; Finding nothing, she lay back and breathed deep, over and over-- the exercises her guild had shown her, to breathe in slow through her nostrils, out smooth through pursed lip.&nbsp; <br><br>Nothing... stone, sand, darkness.&nbsp; The dank air, the fetid stench of stale water.&nbsp; She was deep underground... and not alone.&nbsp; The dungeon of some petty noble?&nbsp; Possibly... but this was not the streets, this was some new hell.&nbsp; <em>So this is how I die</em> she mused, and eased her way to a sit as the darkness spun, slowing, steadying in her hungover state.&nbsp; Her head pounded, her throat felt like leather.&nbsp; Her eyes had to adjust to the darkness, but it would take a moment.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kckolbe</strong> on <strong>12-12-2014, 14:56:08</strong>
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				A few moments were wasted attempting to recall just how Laverius had ended up laying naked in a cave.&nbsp; Naturally, not much occurred to him.&nbsp; He had neither been particularly drunk nor adventurous.&nbsp; He carefully stood up and began walking around, exploring the alcove he was in.&nbsp; <em>Impressive,</em> he thought.&nbsp; He'd been a victim of illusory magic before, but this was quite thorough.&nbsp; His peers had gone to significant trouble to pull this one off.&nbsp; He began making a mental list of what they had accomplished. <br><br>&nbsp;- The girl he'd gone to bed with had left without waking him up.&nbsp; Not particularly impressive by itself, as he had little enough interest in her once he was spent, but still something that could have gone wrong.&nbsp; Also a tad annoying, as he'd planned on enjoying her again once he'd woken.<br>&nbsp;- They'd drug him off the bed and onto the floor so he could wake up on a hard surface.&nbsp; His bed must be somewhere in the alcove, made invisible by the spell.<br>&nbsp;- The alcove appeared far too large to be his bedroom after all, where he had gone to sleep.&nbsp; This would make finding the disguised furniture difficult.<br><br>At the third point, he knew what he must do.&nbsp; If he could uncover proof of something in his room, then he could disbelieve the illusion and win.&nbsp; <strong>"Challenge accepted, but you fellows owe me another girl"</strong> he said, confident he was being listened in on.&nbsp; He walked slowly, his tender, bare feet irritated by the hard, inconsistent ground.&nbsp; Off to the left he saw an outcropping of rock not dissimilar to the shape of his dresser.&nbsp; Smiling smugly, he walked over to it.&nbsp; <strong>"And here is my dresser,"</strong> he said, mainly to himself, impressed with his handling of this rather impressive prank.&nbsp; He ran his hands over the front, looking for the handles so he could open a drawer, but was unable to do so as the various inconsistencies in texture got the best of him.<br><br>He sighed.&nbsp; That had not been expected.&nbsp; <em>Very well then,</em> he though, <em>I shall have to play this little game of theirs for now.</em>&nbsp; Once again he surveyed his surroundings, this time his gaze falling upon the large rat scurrying around and then down through a hole in the ground.&nbsp; That confused him.&nbsp; He had an answer for the rat, namely that it was his own cat, ironically disguised.&nbsp; The disappearing into the ground was more problematic.&nbsp; He looked down at the ground and noticed some cracks in the ground, but couldn't remember if they had been initially there.&nbsp; Was the illusion changing?&nbsp; If so, the mage was still nearby.<br><br>Laverius realized that any clues would have be found outside his room, represented in the illusion by the alcove's exit.&nbsp; Sighing irritably, he walked out of the alcove and toward whatever awaited him.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 00:39:05</strong>
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				The fairy was shedding sparkles of light around and if he left his alcove then he has missed the tiny sack, just his size, that contained some useful things. If he flies back he will find it. Nestled in a corner in the back of the alcove, the sack contained a tunic and pants that looked like they had seen better days. Boots and gloves to match were also in the sack, but nothing else were found in upper 5.<br><br>The naked human warrior left his alcove as well and if he had been more observant might have spotted the half buried chest in a dark corner. He would have to look back as he left the alcove to spot it, if he was lucky. Or ha can come back later once he realizes there are things in the alcoves. It contained a very shabby robe that had holes in the pockets. There was a belt and a pair of gloves and some sandals in there as well. A few empty vials with stoppers, one of which was cracked.<br><br>The mage in lower 4 would find an interesting closet that stood taller than she. It was locked with a padlock. If she happened to have a hairpin or was clever enough to find the bone splinters in the sand below the closet she may be able to pick the lock. Of course if she was not skilled in that she might have to find someone who was.<br><br>The rogue in upper 1 would find a buried chest if she was to search the mound of dirt in the back corner of her alcove. It was not locked, and contained a shabby cotton tunic and some very ragged short pants, also of cotton. In this chest she also found a bunch of loose hairpins of various sizes and a short metal file.<br><br>If others are moving around and speaking surely&nbsp; they can be heard.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 01:55:32</strong>
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				Waking up from a seemingly sound sleep, Kae felt increasing discomfort by the fact she was on a very hard unyielding surface. Not only that, it was very dusty and dirty! Immediately upon taking a deep breath and sitting up, she started sneezing! All she had on was a very loose fitting thin nightgown of pale violet. It did not go below her mid thighs. Her pants were mere shorts of the same thin material.<br><br>She dusted her hands off and tried to shake the dust off her clothing, only succeeding in making her sneeze more. “Dammit! Who did this to me? Where the hell am I?” She looked around and spotted a basket in the corner of the alcove. Walking over to it she found a very shabby robe stuffed into the basket. Well it was not very pretty, but she shook it out and continued sneezing as dust went everywhere. <br><br>Also inside the basket was a smaller box, it contained a packet of needles and some small spools of thread, and a pair of scissors. There were a few rags in the bottom of the basket of various shapes. She grabbed one and used it to blow her nose. So much dust in here!<br><br>She heard voices then and stopped. She was not alone? Cautiously she peered out to see a naked man walking around the other end of this larger cavern. She noted a fluttering creature that scattered light wherever it went.&nbsp; <br><br>In the center of this larger cavern was a large slab of rock, about three feet tall and maybe twenty feet long. On top of that was a candle burning. The other end of the cavern seemed to have a dark surfaced wall which had some shine to it.&nbsp; The floor there was sunken and she thought she saw a flash of reflected light from the torch nearby on the wall.<br><br>There were other alcoves and she wondered if there were more people in them? The torch near her on the wall sputtered and flickered. She pulled the worn robe over her head and walked out slowly. Not wanting to startle anyone she walked towards the slab in the middle. The candle lit up the surface of the slab and gave her a gruesome sight. Dark black splotches were on the surface and it looked like it was in the shape of a...a Dragon?<br><br>She was so engrossed in looking at the splotches she forgot to pay attention to anything else going on in the cavern.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 05:33:43</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div><br>Flickering light from somewhere... maybe a torch.&nbsp; Zabeth had seen dungeons before... those actively in-service and derelict ones-- there was no limit to the horror that could await in either, whether in a nightmarish creature's rending claws or at the nod of a state-approved noble to his head torturer.<br><br>She dove back, for some reason finding the moment to cover her breasts with one hand and twist her knees to conceal her nakedness, but the knee-jerk reaction gave way to practiced stealth.&nbsp; The whole cell was cast in shadow but for the flickering column of dingy light; even naked and ivory-white, she could hide in this kind of shadow. She thought she head someone blow their nose-- delicately, like a woman.&nbsp; Perhaps another prisoner.<br><br>Instantly, her mouth felt dry.&nbsp; Painfully so... but she stayed light on the balls of her feet and crouched low, in profile, disappearing into those shadows to regather her thoughts.&nbsp; <i> Dungeon.&nbsp; &nbsp;Barrister Horton's, perhaps.&nbsp; No... too dim.&nbsp; He keeps it lit to watch the prisoners. Please don't be Lord Unsil.</i> She began to edge her way along the shadows, aware that she must observe from within the cell, know what she may be entering into as best she can.&nbsp; <br><br><i>The cell door's open.&nbsp; Who keeps a prisoner in an open cell?&nbsp; A man who has lain traps.&nbsp; Please don't be Lord Unsil, please have him stay dead... or did he leave compatriots?&nbsp; Others of the... freakish... cult, or sect? Or others in his employ, or of his rank, who want revenge?</i>&nbsp; She looked for the traps.&nbsp; She detected a slight rise in the floor under her bare left foot, and her bare toes felt the soft yield of dug earth, contrary to the stone's sandy surface.&nbsp; Someone had been digging.<br><br><i>Are they watching even now?</i> She heard a voice... a guard, possibly close.&nbsp; Acoustics were tricky with the stone and iron.&nbsp; <i>What did he say?&nbsp; Something about 'singing a girl,' and 'undress her?'&nbsp; Oh hells upon hells, he may be coming for me.</i>&nbsp; <br><br>Immediately she checked the fresh earth, hoping it was the remnant of an escape tunnel, that she might buy some advantage there-- hoping it wasn't a massive rat's nest, or if it was that the rats were pack-rats and may have squirreled away a piece of broken glass, or a nail, or any other thing she could improvise as a weapon-- but no, a block, wood-- <i> oh thank the gods.</i>&nbsp; <br><br>She hoisted it from the heap gently, as if leveling some crystal chalice, and at even the soft patter of loose earth she listened intently for footsteps-- suddenly cold, she was shaking, her pale skin drenched in sweat that still smelled of the lotus smoke and stink of whore's perfume.<br><br>She found the hinges, gauged the weight-- felt for anything shifting, or metal straining tight, within that might hint at a trap.&nbsp; Soft shift of tiny things... possibly coins, nails... Then she ventured the light to open the lid--<br><br>Cloth.&nbsp; Be it a funeral shroud or a dame's napkin, she would take it.&nbsp; They were some dingy men's cotton things-- she hesitated only to pass the fabric over carefully for pins, spiders, or other nasty things, then set the twin garments aside in the shadow.&nbsp; Then hairpins, a file-- whoever had been her before her had similar designs for these that she did, no doubt.<br><br>Satisfied that she'd garnered all contents, she swiftly pulled she shirt over her bare, shivering skin, felt the rough caress over her hard nipples, and was glad for it though it clung to her cold sweat.&nbsp; The pants were next, but she took care to tear off some of the loose, ragged hems at the cuffs-- the loose strings would be good kindling, or quick rigging to improvise a knife out of glass, or even the file.&nbsp; The hairpins, she carefully set into her cropped hair, tucking them safely behind her ears so that, even if she must run, they have some hope of staying put, and she cinched the pants tight on her narrow waist-- narrower than she thought it was before the opium den.<br><br>Finally, the file-- she tied a knot in the loose waist that slung down well below her navel, though it sagged so low as to almost bare her nether hairs.&nbsp; Then, palming the file like a dagger, she peered once more into the alcove and sidled out the open door.&nbsp; Never had she felt so exposed as this, so certain she was walking into an ambush.&nbsp; The chest itself might burn, or make for a hastily-thrown missile-- if a clumsy and flimsy one-- so she closed its latch, securing within only the scraps of fabric and threads she'd freed from the ragged pants, and edged her way into the open area of her cell.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 08:41:27</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/09/1392559621072.png)</div><br>Alisandra found the locked closet, but she had no way to open the padlock without magic.&nbsp; With magic, the process would be so much simpler, whether to melt the lock, to animate it and make it open itself...her mentor would simply pass his hand through a door and draw forth whatever he wanted.&nbsp; Of course, all that was useless to her without access to her abilities.<br><br>She took stock of the known variables.&nbsp; Other people were talking, she saw a faerie light flickering about, but there were no sounds of combat.&nbsp; Someone even said how completely confused she was.&nbsp; The logical conclusion was that other people had likewise just arrived...even though she had no idea what was going on.&nbsp; Perhaps that knowledge would present itself as time went on.<br><br>It wouldn't surprise her at all if this was some sort of test.&nbsp; Really, that was the only thing that made sense to her at the moment.&nbsp; Perhaps she'd gotten overly reliant on her magic and her mentor wanted to teach her to avoid such a focused way of thinking?&nbsp; If so, he was hardly one to judge her...but then, he often did anyway.<br><br>Taking a deep breath and hoping she wasn't being a complete fool, she stepped out of her alcove and glanced around.&nbsp; "Everyone, my name is Alisandra."&nbsp; She folded her hands behind her back, hoping to stop the shaking.&nbsp; Her words came in Common, not exactly well practiced by her standard but likely more easily understood than the Elven that came so fluently.<br><br>"From the sounds of things, it seems as though we've all ended up here for some unknown reason.&nbsp; I suggest cooperation so that we can leave more easily."&nbsp; She gestured back to the alcove in which she awoke.&nbsp; "I found some sort of locked..."&nbsp; She tried to think of the right Common word, but it just wouldn't come.&nbsp; "Locked box, and won't be able to get it open by myself.&nbsp; Perhaps one of you is more capable than I in that regard?"<br><br>Based on how well she knew her mentor, this was probably the first step in whatever the test would be.&nbsp; Taking stock of resources was the first step in undergoing any sort of task.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 10:03:33</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul slowly stirred out of his deep sleep, his muscles aching from yesterday's battle. He didn't remember very much of it, but he knew that he had come through it unscathed though exhaused - so exhausted that neither of his wives had been able to interest him in anything beyond a warm blanket and their warm bodies beside him as he slept.<br><br>He still felt warm, but it was not the warmth of sharing a blanket with two women. He forced his eyes open, and realised that something was terribly wrong. There was no dawn, no wind, no fresh air in his nose. With a start, he reached out and scrabbled at the surface underneath him, expecting to feel furs or grass. Instead, he found grit and stone.<br><br>Katul started to panic. He was a creature of the open plains, riding miles every day, rarely camping in the same spot twice. Caves were for dwarves and city dwellers, not nomads like him. He reached out and patted the stone around him as his eyes slowly adjusted to the torchlight, hoping to find something familiar. He found nothing.<br><br>He slowly brought his emotions under control. He was a chief, after all, and he did not gain his position by collapsing under pressure. Slowly, he sat up and peered around at the alcove in which he found himself. There was a large cavern beyond a screen of rocks, and he was certain he could percieve movement in the cavern. He drew himself up into a sitting position and took stock of his situation. A quick pat-down of his own body showed that he was intact, but naked and unarmed. That was a problem. He closed his eyes and tried to summon an owl-spirit into his body to lend him better vision in the darkness, but nothing heeded his call.<br><br>Breathing carefully, he began to search the alcove. At the very least, he might be able to find a sharp rock to use as a weapon as he made his way out of this prison.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 10:35:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The alcove hiding the dark warrior held a secret he may find if he were to search between the stones that blocked him from the rest of the cavern. There stuffed in cracks were various pieces of leather armor. A harness and a loin cloth, and greaves that protect shins, as well as bracers. They were dusty and worn, but serviceable. There was also a large bone laying just inside the entrance, wedged between the rocks. A&nbsp; leg bone of a large horse, it would make a fine club. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 11:11:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul carefully modulated his breathing as he searched amongst the rocks. He was still on edge, being buried under the-spirits-only-knew how many layers of stone. He knew he was in danger, and that meant being as stealthy and cautious as he could be.<br><br>One by one, he extracted a series of leather pieces from the rocks. It seems that the spirits smiled on him even down here - this would serve nicely. He ran his fingers over the material, looking for cracks that would make them weak, or lice or insects that would make him regret placing them against his skin. Finding nothing, he slowly wrapped the cloth around his loins, and strapped the harness, greaves and bracers to his body. He weighed the bone in his hands, smiling grimly. It was definitely a horse's leg bone - surely a sign that the horse spirits still favoured him, even if he could not draw upon their power down here.<br><br>He drew himself up to his full height - six and a half feet - and flattened himself against the wall of the alcove as he peered out at the cavern. There were lights, and movement, and he could even hear voices. His captors? Unlikely. If he had been captured and brought here, why would he have been left in a place with armour and a weapon, even a crude one? It seemed unlikely that he could have been brought here from his home without the intervention of magic, at any rate.<br><br>He eyed the huge rat that scurried past his feet, licking his lips momentarily. He was hungry, no doubt about that, but not hungry enough to eat raw meat from a strange animal. Once he built a fire, though, the rat's hours would be numbered.<br><br>There were more voices in the large cavern, and, Katul reasoned, there was little need for stealth at this point. He strode out past the rocks into the cavern, holding the bone in an obvious combat grip, but resting by his side to show that he was armed but not threatening.<br><br>He scanned the cavern quickly, taking note of the elf in the nightshirt, the pale human man, the night elf standing by the central slab, and the woman in ragged clothes. He listened to the first elf introduce herself as Alisandra, and nodded to himself. He placed his left hand in a fist against his chest, then brought it out towards the other people with his open palm facing up.<br><br>"Ho there, strangers," he greeted them in painstaking, heavily accented Common. "I am Katul Thunderhooves, chieftain of the Hyena Plains. Have you all been brought here against your will, like me?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 15:53:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>Could it have been a dream? Or was she still dreaming. Everything was hazy and everything didn't make sense at all. All she could remember was that whatever inn she had slept in was located in a dinky town in the middle of a dune no one cared about. Although it surrounded a fairly large oasis, the scorching heat seared across the town. She remembered that when walking into town, she was fresh out of water supply. The young orc was far away from her tribal village and traveled the world to make a name for herself. The blazing sun had exhausted her while traversing the desert.<br><br>As a result, she checked a room in an inn to sleep off the heat. It was the only reason why she partially slept nude. Only the vest and loincloth were removed as well as her armor and gear. The rest that remained on her body were her boots, neck corset, and bandages on her legs and arms. But now waking up, Xanja felt much cooler than ever before, yet her body felt somewhat wet and grimy and the air was not the same smell typical of bedrooms in a usual inn. Upon waking up dazed and confused, it was obviously dark. Yet Xanja passed it off as assuming she woke up in the middle of the night. Once she had all of her functions running up, she panicked. Someone had abducted her! Where had they taken her and why?! Immediately despite having a nasty headache, the young orc sprung into action, albeit haphazardly and appearing drunk.<br><br>She squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. Looking around, all of her belongings were nowhere to be found, except whatever article of clothing she had on when she collapsed on the bed. Growling in her untimely situation, Xanja stumbled about randomly in her own personal alcove, hoping to find anything or something. Both her hands clasped onto one of the walls in her alcove.</td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kckolbe</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 16:26:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Upon hearing some woman announce herself, Laverius paused.&nbsp; Alisandra wasn't a familiar name to him.&nbsp; Was that the girl's name?&nbsp; He didn't think so, nor did the accent sound right.&nbsp; He carefully peeked around the rocks at the edge of his alcove, attempting to remain unseen, and noticed the different shapes emerging.&nbsp; He didn't recognize any of them.&nbsp; They were also all clothed, though not particularly well.&nbsp; <br><br>While a prank could well result in his being the only one clothed, too much did not make sense.&nbsp; He ducked back into the alcove, convinced there must be something he missed.&nbsp; He walked quietly, not wanting to alert others of his presence.&nbsp; Eventually he found the chest in his alcove and opened it, donning the robe with mild disgust, tying it off with the belt.&nbsp; He slipped his feet inside the sandals and attempted to identify the vials by sight, though it was difficult in the darkness.&nbsp; He stuffed the vials into the gloves before putting them in his pockets, hoping the larger object wouldn't be able to fall through.&nbsp; <br><br>Somewhat better outfitted now, he went closer to the alcove exit and continued silently listening to the strange accents.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 18:03:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In and out, up and down, this way and that, the ball of light zipped to and fro, a hard sight to miss in the relative darkness. At one point, he did dart back into the alcove, and noticed some things there, but he was disgusted by them; his fickle nature would not accept such rough and dirty materials. Besides, it felt better to just fly around, freely, skyclad, as some called it.<br><br>Ziiiiip! The ball of light goes shooting through the air towards the human woman who was magically inclined; the first to speak. With an apparent nervous energy that was probably pretty typical of their kind, the Fae practically 'ran' circles around her, this way and that. "Hi, hi, hello! Who are you? Where is this? Can you feel the atmosphere? It's all wrong," He jabbered at her in a voice that was reminiscent of songbird's chirping. "Trix trax! Nothing works. Just enough to stay alive," He continued to comment, apparently distraught. <br><br>Apparently liking the one who was willing to speak first, the Faerie would attempt to sit on her&nbsp; left shoulder. Yes, completely butt naked, but he was also very clean.&nbsp; He weighed only around eight pounds, and little glittery bits of wing-dust would occasionally flake off of his wings, and wind up getting on her. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 21:13:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The orc might stumble on a battered chest which contained some leather items. A tunic and trousers, bracers and boots. If she looked hard enough she might find a long pole buried in the dust along the rocks that kept her hidden from the others. It is a simple staff, nothing fancy.<br><br>The clothing left behind by the fairy would likely be too small for anyone else.<br><br>----------------------------------<br><br>Kae was startled by the other voices and swirled around, making the short robe catch on the sharp rock of the slab, it tore a hole in the side. Clumsily and clutched it shut. "Hello...I am Kae'Velara. I have no clue where we are. I am hoping we can all work together. You should, ummm...see this slab. I am not sure if it is a trick of the light or what. It appears to be a rough sketch of a map. I think...it looks like a dragon." She turned back to the top of the slab and studied the outline of the dragon.<br><br>To each of them the splotches might appear a bit different, as the material might be blood, or paint. Strange symbols marked various points on the outside edge. Kae was studying one that looked like a staff with a snake coiled around it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 21:41:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div><br>Staying light on her feet, Zabeth emerged with the file palmed and ready, studying the emerging beings.&nbsp; They looked, in most cases, as lightly-armed as she, but at least one had real leather armor and a club-- not that he needed it, for the huge man looked like he could kill her barehanded if she wasn't careful.&nbsp; <br><br>It would be a risk to accept their aid.&nbsp; Smarter to shadow them all, watch and wait as they were picked off or fought their way out.&nbsp; Better her own chances.&nbsp; What the hell good had it been, only nights ago, when her trained guildmates were slaughtered at the hands and flames of a vile demonic beast?<br><br>Still... something in their eyes.&nbsp; The proud warrior Katul's open display of greeting, the extension of an open hand... he looked formidable enough, best to remain his friend.&nbsp; The fine little pale girl called Allisandra, she looked like a noble's girl.&nbsp; Damn... she would suffer horribly if she were taken down here by some beast, and she was even asking for help.&nbsp; And a young man dressed as fitly as herself in a strange robe and slippers-- he'd said nothing, but she recognized a hangover when she saw one, and her own head still pounded sympathetically.<br><br>Why would she speak to them?&nbsp; But... how could she not?&nbsp; Her friends had died for each other, and as a result she had lived.&nbsp; Right now, she didn't much care if she died down here, but what if there was a chance she could help them?<br><br>Sidling up, her ill-fitting cotton garb doing little to provide her modesty, she darted her eyes over the group carefully.&nbsp; "Zabeth," she said quietly, narrowing her eyes in mild repulsion at the flying sparkly thing that settled on Allisandra's shoulder.&nbsp; She looked carefully over Kae's shoulder and noted the splotches, taking careful stock of the pattern.&nbsp; "Right..." she glanced up at Allisandra.&nbsp; "I can open the box," she intoned dryly, "maybe the rest of you should use ... that" and she gestured at the Fae "as a source of light, and search the other cells.&nbsp; I found clothes, there may be other things.&nbsp; And we need to know any ways in and out of here... so we can be ready if something comes after us, and so we can leave this hole."&nbsp; <br><br>She watched for Allisandra to bring the chest to the stone slab, showing no hint of impatience, and broke the candle free from the hill of dried wax at its base.&nbsp; She scraped up a fistful of the warm wax, knowing a dozen uses for the stuff, and balled the gob together to stash in her trunk with the threads and scraps of cotton.&nbsp; "Show me the box, please."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 23:38:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul turned his gaze to the other alcoves, hearing the faint sounds of more people moving in some of them. He approached the stone slab in the middle of the cavern cautiously, wary of an ambush from one of the alcoves.<br><br>He bowed his head in greeting to Kae'Velara and Zabeth as they introduced themselves, and then turned his head back to look them over again with a broad smile, obviously admiring what their paltry garb displayed of their bodies. "It is good to meet you all," he said, in a low rumble. "I don't know what brought us here, but no doubt we must work together to escape."<br><br>Katul walked slowly around the slab, still keeping one eye on the alcoves as he moved. He leaned down and examined the symbols on the outside edge of the picture. "It does look like a map. But of what?" He placed a finger on one of the symbols, and looked around at the alcoves, trying to count them and determine whether the map, or some part of it, corresponded to the cavern itself.<br><br>He squinted at the ball of light hovering around, then grinned when he realised that there was a tiny flying man within it. "Hello there," he said in a gentle tone, such as he might use to speak to a small child. "How about we go and search this place together? I'd be glad of some light."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>selfexiled</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 23:38:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Still snoring as most of the others woke and began walking around Mikka stirred finally at all the shouting and continuos talking.<strong>Arrr. Gods be damned why the hell is everyone yelling?</strong> laying on the floor eyes still closed he brought his hands up and pressed them into his head.<br><br>Wait I'm on the floor? Dropping his hands to his sides Mikka ran his hands over and through the sandy stone floor. The temple didn't have floors like this, at least not this dirty. Eyes popping open he sat up sharply only to bring a throbbing headache that nearly put him back on the floor. <strong>Gods, by the nine hells how much did I drink last night?</strong> While he was shirtless Mikka had retained his pants, well sleeping pants, made of thin spun burlap with a drawstring waist. He had added a couple pockets but he was only concerned with one of them right now slapping his hand down on the right pocket searching for something. <br><strong>Where is it?</strong> Now to focused to notice the headache he spun up and around flipping himself to his belly and pushing up on hands sweeping the floor beside him frantically. <strong>Where did it go? Did it fall out before I got to the room?</strong> realizing that he wasn't even in the room he'd passed out in he looked around his eyes adjusting to the dark. He was in a cave! Father Belney must've had him moved here as a punishment. The old man couldn't understand, he hadn't seen what he had seen, the darkness, the death. <strong>Aaahh!! No! No!</strong> He flipped up onto his butt shuffling himself against the nearest wall and driving his palms into his eyes. Crying out the same prayer that always left his lips in this moment,<strong>Gods take these visions from me, don't let me remember.</strong> Nearly in tears by this point he heard others speaking again. No voices he recognized. Distracted from his waking nightmares for now he stood slowly peering around the edges of his little cave. Several people were huddled around a large table in the middle of the cavern, a sacrificial table maybe? The large fellow with the bone club seemed the like to hold such a ritual and two elves besides, though different races they were all magically inclined, the pale one even had a familiar. Not wanting to be the next hunk of meat on the table he ducked back into the alcove and searched for anything he use to defend himself.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>13-12-2014, 23:40:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The one who identified herself as Zabeth looked as capable as the warriors. Kae nodded to each and extended her hand to bless them all, but nothing came forth. <br><br>"I hope we can be at peace. It may prove to be of great help. Zabeth? May I ask the candle be used to light another? We need to study this drawing, or whatever it is, and we need a light. Perhaps our well lit friend will help?" she smiled at the tiny creature and then looked around. <br><br>There seemed to be so many of them. A party this large will be good, she thought. In case we have to deal with things that would attempt to harm them. <br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>The one who awoke in upper 7 would find a sturdy chest that looked quite large. Inside he would find a rusty plate chest protector and some chain mail greaves that could cover his legs. The floor near the opening had several long narrow shards of what looked like black glass. Some were sharp, others could be chipped off a solid block of the stuff to make anything from arrowheads to spear points. None was longer than two feet in length. They were scattered haphazardly on the floor as if they had been dropped.<br><br>The chest also contained some scraps of leather, none bigger than a two foot oblong. They can be used for crafting things.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 00:32:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/09/1392559621072.png)</div><br>The sudden appearance of the dark-skinned man brought a smile to her face, albeit a nervous one.&nbsp; At the moment, her attention was focused on taking in the unusual nature of the place, and she just didn't seem to notice much in the way of people who weren't making an effort to be noticeable.<br><br>"Hello," she said with a regal bow of her head, then nodded to his question.&nbsp; "I was brought here in my sleep, and none of my magic is working."&nbsp; She didn't bother explaining how bothered she was by the experience; no doubt he was intelligent enough to realize.&nbsp; Honestly, she would worry if anyone didn't feel concerned by the situation.<br><br>The appearance of the Faerie brought a gentle smile to her face, and even though she couldn't keep up with all the questions, she made the attempt.&nbsp; "My name is Alisandra," she said.&nbsp; "I don't know where we are, but I've noticed that magic isn't working."&nbsp; She kept her shoulder still when he landed, allowing him the perch without complaint.<br><br>Kae'Velara likewise received a nod, but before she got a chance to look at the slab, Zabeth introduced herself.&nbsp; Although Alisandra smiled, she couldn't help but notice her concern for the faerie.&nbsp; Deciding not to bring the little guy any closer and possibly concerning Kae, the high elf decided to simply point.&nbsp; "It's right behind that alcove," she explained, carrying the faerie back a few steps.&nbsp; "It's larger than I am, so shouldn't be difficult to spot at all."<br><br>She moved over to the slab, taking a good, long look and committing the design to memory.&nbsp; Perhaps the thing would only make sense in hindsight, but without quill and parchment, she simply had to focus her mind's eye to the best of her ability.&nbsp; That shouldn't be difficult, especially not with her training.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>selfexiled</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 00:34:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There in the back a chest. Ha! Nearly leaping to it Mikka threw open the lid with a thud that made him cringe and he quickly glanced over his shoulder hoping no one noticed the noise. He pulled out the chest plate and chain greaves holding them up for a quick inspection he had to admit he'd seen better armor on a fresh to the field farmhand but it was more than nothing. Pulling the plate over his head noticed the dryness and cracking in the leather holding it together, one good blow in the right spot would rip the plating from the leather if he didn't get a chance to oil it down at least a little. The chain leggings weren't much better they were rusted together in several spots pulling and even tearing at his pants. It would take several hours to get every ring to move and shift properly again.<br><br>The leather strips at the bottom of the chest were useful, it was more likely whoever had put all this in the chest had used the leather strips to protect the wood from being beat up to much whenever the armor was removed and replaced. The stone shards were something else all together. After close examination his hopes heightened just a little, these were obsidian shards! Arrowheads would be the best use of it all but he had nothing for a shaft let alone a bow or string. The larger pieces could make for a short sword but there was the catch. Obsidian was easily the sharpest stone shards you could acquire but they were as brittle as glass. One good blow and the length of obsidian in his hand would shatter into a hundred pieces. That just meant he had to strike first if it came to that. Taking what he could confidently carry and still maneuver he took the longest piece of obsidian an the narrowest piece of leather and wrapped one end as a makeshift grip. It would do no good to slice his own hand open trying to defend himself. Though he still wished he had his flask with him...<br><br>Comfortable that he could at least put a decent fight now if it came to it he stepped out into the larger cavern. <strong>Ho, there. What is the meaning of dropping me into this pit darkness?</strong> He said to the group in general.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 01:33:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He hummed, and flickered his wings much more slowly now that he was resting on a relatively comfortable shoulder. He watched, as one by one more people came out. The darkly skinned man addressed him, presented a name; others presented names as well. So, not wanting to be impolite--can one imagine such a thing, an impolite Fae?--he was quick to add his own. "This one is La'Cael'Rah," one should note that between each of those three clear and easily speakable portions of his name, there were portions of bird song that would be very difficult for the uninitiated to properly pronounce. "Although if you don't speak the language, you can just call me Cael," His name was pronounced like the sail of a boat.<br><br>As quickly as he seemed to get comfortable, the naked little ball of light darted off of the womans shoulder, did a circle around the darkly skinned man. "Thunderhooves! Thunderhooves!" He seemed to cheer, apparently amused by the name. "Hmm, light, me? Maaaaybe. But, mortals asking for favors from us Fae should observe the proper decorum, and offer gifts. Berries are nice. Berries are best gift! Especially blueberry," Quiet, just for a moment, though as the Fae took off again, flying towards the slab, he started speaking again. <br><br>"Well, maybe I can accept an offering later and be a light now. But, that's a privilege, you know! I don't know why we're here. It's terribly rude. I don't like rude people. I will curse the rude people, and make them turn into ducks for a whole month!" Of course, the Faerie has no clue what it is that has imprisoned them, or whether or not he'd reclaim his magic. He's mostly just a little pissed off, and is expressing that frustration and anger. "And then they might get hunted, and eaten," He continued to comment as he landed on the slab, and walked up and down it, leaving behind an insignificantly small trail of glittering wing-dust in his wake. <br><br>"Oh!" He paused at one spot of the slab, and kneeled down on it. He knocked on it, and stared at the material intensely. "Puck, Puck, Puck! That explains everything," He said, clearly not explaining anything at all.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 01:59:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div><br>"Right," she muttered, seeking any spare candles to borrow, and if one is available she takes it.&nbsp; (If not, she will use a few threads of the cotton in a lump of tallow as a short-term candle.)&nbsp; Checking the elf's chamber, she glances up once more at the fair girl and watches as she walks away.&nbsp; <i>Well... someone is used to having things done for her.</i><br><br>She sets up the candle and checks the trunk carefully, sizing it up to ensure that it's not some mechanism of a larger trap... that would be poetic, wouldn't it? To give her the means to pick a lock and then make the only nearby lock a deadly trap?&nbsp; She shook her head, carefully using her hands-- regardless of the dirt that would cake under her fingernails-- to dig out as much of the massive closet's edges as possible, and carefully assess its dimensions before proceeding to pick the lock with the hairpins, using the file as a torque wrench and a pin or two to trip the tumblers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Izaya Orihara</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 02:13:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://s27.postimg.org/47l5lspvl/Duke_Pantarei_full_452999.jpg)</div><br><br>Dalvarien awoke with a start, his thoughts scattered far and wide as the half-breed attempted to sleepily collect them. His crimson hued gaze flitted around the unexpected gloom of his new bedroom. Or what should have been it, anyway. He blinked, concern growing as he came to realise that he was in an unfamiliar situation. Somehow, he had been spirited away and deposited in the middle of what seemed to be a subterranean alcove. Though how deep and where exactly he was, the Eladrin partially of daemonic descent had little idea. <br><br>He noted that the air itself seemed old and dead, the ground upon which he lay, hard, dirty and dusty- with his bare feet feeling just how gritty the rock was. Dalvarien rose fluidly, brushing off what clothing he did have on him. <br><br>Though he didn't recall undressing at all last night, it seemed he was missing most of his clothes, with what he did have in tatters. He recalled that he had retired to the accommodations he'd been granted by the Imperial princess during his stay in the capital. He'd found himself reading late into the night from a large book he'd taken from his private library before travelling there. Whilst reading, he must have drifted off into a deep sleep.<br><br>He knew not why some parts of clothes normally attached to one another were simply missing, as if they'd been torn off by someone. His clothes certainly seemed unkempt, and he vaguely remembered some suspicious words mentioned by the princess. Something about how pleased she was to have such a good-looking man staying in the same building as her, and how she had been waiting for a moment such as this. Unsurprisingly, his overactive imagination took hold of him in that instant, and he unwittingly imagined the kinds of situations he could have ended upon in. Dalvarien blushed heavily, and swallowed at the thought of what the princess might have done to him in his sleep, trying to refocus his thoughts elsewhere, to limited effect. <br><br>He sighed faintly, thinking to draw upon his magical affinity to shadows in the dimly lit environs he was now in. That turned out to be futile. His surprisingly feminine mouth opened and closed for a moment as he tried to figure out what was going on. Something was blocking his powers, though he remained ignorant of what. He was quite the pursuer of knowledge, and being ignorant of anything ill suited him. Voices not far away echoed and reverberated into the alcove in which the barely dressed, pale-haired fey currently resided. <br><br>For now, he would see what he could make use of, if anything, within the alcove. After that, he would warily consider investigating outside. He had little choice, of course, unless he wanted to dwell here forever, but that was besides the point... <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 05:21:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219273.msg10793488#msg10793488">Quote from: Verasaille on 13-12-2014, 21:13:43</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">The orc might stumble on a battered chest which contained some leather items. A tunic and trousers, bracers and boots. If she looked hard enough she might find a long pole buried in the dust along the rocks that kept her hidden from the others. It is a simple staff, nothing fancy.<br><br>The clothing left behind by the fairy would likely be too small for anyone else.<br><br>----------------------------------<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>Slowly and little by little, Xanja was adjusting to her dark surroundings and the smell of humidity and stale air was apparently thick enough to cut with a knife. Feeling the mossy slick surface of the rocky walls, the orc stumbled onto something smooth but hard. It was definitely artificial and with a bit of pressing, she could hear that it was some sort of chest of sorts.<br><br>"Wut do we have here" she grumbled and growling, the young orc pulled the worn chest out from whatever compartment it was in. Carefully, she let it drop in front of her and without letting it slam onto her feet. Despite the presence of the torch available in her own personal alcove, the orc then hastily opened up the chest and used whatever ambient light was there at the moment. Scrounging around, Xanja found something to dress herself decent enough. The one-piece tunic was somehow able to fit on her, though the bottom hem was just enough to cover her slab of green flaccid pride. Sighing and grumbling, Xanja accepted it nonetheless.<br><br>At least it was something for the time being. Meanwhile, Xanja slipped on the bracers over her bandaged forearms. As for the boots, she need not of them given she had came with her own. After she extracted everything she wanted and needed from the chest, Xanja then kicked the lid back closed and panned around. Maybe there was something else she could find. As a bandit, she learned to scour for things of value. Now that she became accustomed to seeing in the dark, Xanja then scanned the rocky musty walls using her palm and squinting her eyes until she could see something interest.<br><br>Something lose stroked across her palm, it was smooth, cylindrical and long. Peering closely, she realized it was some sort of pole or a staff. At last, there was a weapon for the orc to use. After prying it out of the walls of the rock, she inspected the weapon. Granted it was a typical weapon the warriors in her clan used, but someone of her typical profession wasn't fully adept to it as she didn't possess the sophisticated skills. However, her inspection was cut briefly when she panned around and noticed the exit of her alcove leading into whatever was giving off a much more brighter ambient. From a distance she saw something in the middle of the chamber.<br><br>The orc finally decided to leave the alcove and go out exploring. And of course arming herself to the read. Upon entering the chamber, Xanja was surprised at the expanse and cavernous the chamber was. Yet, her focus centered on the center of the slab which depicted an image or a symbol of somekind.</td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 09:12:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul bowed his head to the tiny fairy. "I thank you for your assistance, Cael," he said, not taking the risk of stumbling on the fairy's full name. "Of course, all I can offer is my own aid in us all escaping this place. I don't usually work for free either, but this is where we find ourselves." His gaze briefly flicked over Alisandra as he spoke, and he pursed his lips in thought.<br><br>He nodded to Alisandra and Zabeth, watching the latter move off into one of the alcoves. She seemed to be taking their imprisonment in her stride, which was good to see. He knew from leading his tribe that the more people looked strong and confident, the better the situation became for everyone.<br><br>He bent down to examine the slab again, alongside Alisandra and Cael. He pursed his lips as he looked along the symbols, then smiled grimly. "Ah. I see what this is. This is the magic that summoned us all here. See," he said, placing his finger on a crude depiction of a horse. "This represents me, or my tribe. Maybe the other symbols represent the rest of us here. What do you see?"<br><br>Katul looked up as a new man stepped out into the cavern, and extended a hand towards him. "Your guess is as good as ours, stranger," he said, with a faint smile. "None of us know how we came to be here, only that we need to find a way out."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 12:20:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The alcove that Dalvarian found himself in was one of the smaller ones, but for some reason, his had the largest tall closet in the whole cavern. It stretched from floor to ceiling in one dark corner and it was almost totally covered in dust. It almost appeared to be part of the wall.&nbsp; There were two four inch long handles set into the front and he only might notice them if the light hit it or if he brushed against it with wings or hand.<br><br>Inside this massive tall closet was hanging a set of armor. A chest piece, arm guards, greaves and boots as well as a helm. However they were so covered in rust that the leather and chain connecting the parts was more useful. It would be up to him to use whatever he might think would fit. It can be taken apart and used as a chainmail set with a heavy chest piece.<br><br>Along one side of this armor was a rusted sword, a two handed bastard sword to be exact. The length of it was also very rusted. But it was usable.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>selfexiled</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 14:39:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				So we've all been unceremoniously dumped here huh, great. Mikka walked up to the table, leery of the little... sprite thing fluttering about on the table gibbering so fast you'd think it was a bird, a very hyper bird. There were simply some things the temple taught that ingrained into your head whether they were true or not. Like humans being the chosen of the Gods and perhaps a select few elven races. But all others were unnatural and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.<br>While Mikka agreed with that sentiment concerning fae he was not so sure about the other races as before he came to the temple he'd fought along side many different peoples on the battlefield. In the heat of battle ones true colors showed brightest, more than once he'd seen the other races show honor and goodness in their actions.<br>But this was not a path he wanted to travel as it brought him terribly close to the events that led him to the temple. Looking down at the table he saw an image that both made him chuckle and fill with dread. <strong>If these symbols are meant to mark out each of us then this one here is mine and they a sick sense of humor to boot.</strong> Tapping his finger on the table as he spoke. The image was that a frothy mug with his temple's crest emblazoned on the front of it. He truly never thought he had that much of a drinking problem.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Izaya Orihara</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 15:37:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://s27.postimg.org/47l5lspvl/Duke_Pantarei_full_452999.jpg)</div><br>Dalvarien was quickly adjusting to the low light conditions, noting that it would have been worse if the place was pitch black. As long as there was even a little light, he could see twice as well as a normal human. Shaking some more dust off of himself, Dalvarien caught a shape in the edge of his vision, and he moved to investigate, curiosity piqued. The shape resembled a giant closet, though it seemed to blend in well with the wall, as he neared it, that identification became a certainty. <br><br>His slender hand reached for a handle, and he soon found one, whilst his other hand found the other. Dalvarien pulled the towering cabinet's door open, coughing as a veritable cloud of dust enveloped him from head to toe. Blinking rapidly, the fey yet again attempted to rid himself of the airborne grime, his gaze settling on the armour and weapon contained within, after the cloud had mostly dissipated.&nbsp; Thoughts racing, he noticed with little surprise that the armour was caked in rust and mostly useless, apart from bits that may have been salvageable.<br><br>It seemed that he would have to find what he could make use of from amongst the decayed clothing, though Dalvarien wasn't exactly an expert on such things. Salvaging what he could, and separating the rusted, useless metal of the armour from the tattered leather and chainmail, in a somewhat crude fashion, Dalvarien was able to fashion for himself chainmail padded with leather- along with the metal chest-piece, combined with the remnants of clothing he already had, lest he suffer the trouble that chainmail digging into bare flesh provided. <br><br>Though it was patchwork, and the evidently worse for wear scraps of noble clothing contrasted a fair degree to the ragged leather, tarnished chainmail and corroded metal, what Dalvarien wore was better than nothing. Though when it came to armour of the type such as chainmail, he preferred lamellar, since that was both more comfortable and better at protecting the wearer. Though Mithril chainmail was pretty light and easy to wear, suiting those who desired protection and agility at the same time. Usually, he stuck with light armour, and utilised his magic to summon weapons and teleport, avoiding having to take damage head on whenever possible, since a tough brute was far from what he was. <br><br>Refocusing his thoughts, Dalvarien then took the rusted hand-and-a half sword from its place in the closet, his hand closing around the hilt before lifting the weapon into the air experimentally. Though it was not exactly forged to his particular preferences, it was usable, if only to an extent. It would probably crumble to pieces after a small amount of punishment, but there wasn't anything the fey could do about that. <br><br>Thinking that there probably wasn't anything else of value in the small alcove of the subterranean place Dalvarien had found himself in, the pale and seemingly young man made his next decision. He advanced towards the exit, now somewhat better attired, his feet at the moment better protected against the harshness of the cold rock upon which the half-breed stood. <br>The voices grew louder, and Dalvarien's right-handed grip tightened on the hilt of the bastard sword, before he warily, yet elegantly, stepped out of the alcove. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 21:20:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/09/1392559621072.png)</div><br>"The acceptance of a nickname is appreciated, Cael."&nbsp; With him gone and its proximity no longer likely to irk Zabeth, Alisandra started over until she realized that Zabeth had already moved ahead.&nbsp; Well, there wasn't much that Alisandra could do.&nbsp; The High Elf just had to stay strong and focused until she could get her magic back.<br><br>By the time she noticed her own specific symbol - well, not precisely hers, but apparently meant for her - the others had already spoken.&nbsp; Still, she couldn't help but feel grateful that everyone was so freely sharing in information; it made their chances of getting through this so much easier.<br><br>"This here," she said, tapping a symbol, "was the rune for my mentor's mentor."&nbsp; The rune looked a lot like a star reworked in the common letter A.&nbsp; "If this was the spell, it suggests that people were selected with some degree of understanding but a being without much contact with humanity.&nbsp; The apprentice's apprentice - is there a Common word for that? - would no doubt be a mage in the way that a member of Katul's tribe would be a warrior."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>selfexiled</strong> on <strong>14-12-2014, 22:44:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With a bit of a grunt at the elf's remark of being chosen to be here,<strong> Well, if we're meant to be here were's the introduction of our captor? Beings such as that often like announcing that they've the power to capture and restrain you. And to be completely honest this seems the most haphazard group to collect.</strong> As he looked around the room noting that no one really seemed to be linked together in any obvious fashion. All very dissimilar backgrounds and races, unless of course it was some odd experiment to assess social structures but that seems to whimsical to be concocted in such a dank pit as this. Mikka was starting to wonder where the exit was if there was one and who was behind all this. Again wishing he still had his flask, the shadows in the corners seemed more alive by the minute.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 01:10:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul peered over Alisandra's shoulder at the symbol she indicated, and nodded at Mikka. "I don't know why they chose us in particular. Unless it's the other way around - these symbols represented what they wanted, and we were the people who best fit into that shape. But that still doesn't explain anything."<br><br>He walked towards the eastern end of the cavern, towards the shiny surface on the eastern wall. He picked up the torch burning at that side of the cavern, and peered closely at the wall. "Now, the question is, is there a way out of this cavern? I don't want to be caught down here for any longer than I must."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 01:15:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kae looked around with a slight frown of concern on her face. It looked as if the group had nothing much in common, except for the fact they were all here. "I do believe the reason we are here may yet be discovered. Perhaps it is chance or design. The Fates have given us this day to live and learn, or die trying. I will suggest caution exploring other alcoves however, as they might yet have other occupants who have not shown their faces as yet."<br><br>She looked around at them with curiousity. Some of these races she had never encountered before. She looked forward to learning more from each of them. "I thought I heard some water dripping, it would be a good idea to find it's source. Water is essential for our survival. Food will also be important. Though rat is something I am not particularly fond of, it is edible. We will need fuel for burning to cook. Has anyone found any wood?"<br><br>-----------------------------------<br><br>The pool on one end of the cavern seemed to be dripping constantly down the one wall. Running water can come from many sources. Melting snow or an underground spring? Whatever it was, someone would have to test it to see if it was drinkable.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chulanowa</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 02:13:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Kittenpeeler/Three/Three.jpg)</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kurtulmak's third nut, she was <em>sore</em>. And worse, her nose itched. Since Three's arms didn't feel like responding to her brain - not that her brain was feeling real active at the moment itself, she simply snorted to solve the problem... and was rewarded with a <em>lovely</em> mix of sand, clay dust, and the ever-wonderful stench of powdered bat guano. That did the trick, and her arms and legs began flailing around, only to find that instead of being on the nice, loamy soil of her clan's underforest warren, she was flat on her face on something hard and unpleasantly cold. Finally, her hands and brain managed to coordinate the plan, and with a slow heave, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"No more mushroom beer," she promised herself in a hoarse, dry-mouthed whisper. It wasn't the first time she had lied to herself about that, and it sure wouldn't be the last. Three pushed herself the rest of the way up, absently brushing the cavern's grit off of the smooth skin of her chest. <em>Wait</em>. Three fiddled around with her chest and arms, small hands slapping on muscle, skin, and scale, before she let out a groan of dismay. "<em>Not again!</em>!" This was followed by a quiet snarl of pain as the lingering traces of alcohol in her system decided to stab her somewhere in the upper spinal column.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she hadn't even opened her eyes yet. Her eyelids were giving their report and it said simply, "don't wanna." Still, she was in a strange cave, and had apparently traded her clothes for another flagon - again not the first and probably not the last time - and she had to see where. First one eye opened. The other fluttered, lifted, snapped shut again, forcing her to lift a knuckle to rub it. There we go, fuzzy, smeary blurs, <em>in binocular vision!</em> Again, the beer began stabbing, but already she was getting used to it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I would fuck a dwarf to know where I am right now," she muttered after a moment, clawlike nails scratching at her chin. Once her eyes could make out more than blobs of light and not-light, she took a look around her surroundings. A hugely spacious alcove, at least for her, sandy, dirty floor... She reached out, scratching at a wall and bringing the nail to her mouth to taste. <em>Deposit limestone</em>, nothing strange for a cave. "Well, come on, time to go-WAAAGH, erf! <em>FUCK!</em>" She had stood, started forward, and pitched to the ground in a flattened heap of tail, elbows, and eyeballs, and of course that not-at-all quiet yelp. For a moment, Three lay there, considering going back to sleep... But no, that trickle of water was reminding her how absolutely parched she was. Looking down, she found her three-toed feet were tangled up in a heap of green cloth lined with the fur of voles and stoats.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, maybe she hadn't traded off ALL her clothes! Untangling herself, she refastened the loincloth around her hips and straightened the leggings, and once again stood up. Still wobbly, but no longer flying forward. Again, a rub at her eyes, now feeling awake, if not exactly perky, and she looked around her niche one final time...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 03:16:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The lizard had been deposited in the alcove that was the largest. Conveniently to the south and a bit to the east of the pool of water. As she stumbled about, some loose dirt would reveal a sack of some kind buried in the dirt next to the wall. Inside were several scraps of leather and what appeared to be a tunic and greaves, also leather. They were worn and thin, but some small protection from the rocks if she chose to use them. If not she could trade them with someone who might need them.<br><br>A further search would reveal a small leather wrapped dagger of unknown metal, though as green as it was, it could be copper. It was dull but serviceable, easily sharpened if necessary. There were also smaller bones in the alcove that could make excellent clubs if she chose to use them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chulanowa</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 04:44:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Kittenpeeler/Three/Three.jpg)</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Smacking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Three started towards that trickle, only for her leftmost toe-claw to fetch up on something. "Whatzah?" she chirrups to herself, looking down. Flexing her toes, she scrapes earth away from the sack, eyes lighting up. Treasure!&nbsp; suddenly she' agile and quick, and that poor sack never stood a chance. "Awww... no gold?" She pouts, looking at the mess of stuff around her<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, waste not, want not, right? Shaking the tunic off, she tugged it over her chest, then off again. Those ancient, hardened laces were obviously pulled together by some creature with a very different torso shape, and it felt like wearing a box! After a few grunts and tugs, she had freed several of the laces, and adjusted the others to fit herself better.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That left the knife. It was trash. Just pure garbage. Still, it could put out something's eye... and hten her eye caught sight of one of those leg bones. She tossed the laces in her mouth, chewing with what spit she could muster, nearly gagging at the musty, acid taste of the aged hide. While chewing, she round the worst of the corrosion off of the knife's blade, until it was at least a sharpened spike, if not particularly bladed.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Needing that drink more than ever, she strode out of her alcove, sack with greaves and scraps over her back, long femur tucked under her arm. Her deft hands were busy wrapping the wet, chewed leather lacing around the knob of the leg bone, in order to fasten the dagger there as a sort of crude but brutal pick. Just in case.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...But maybe she'd let that rat be, it looked like too fair a fight. Damn thing was almost large enough for her to ride...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stayed close to the cavern walls as she exited, more comfortable with their closeness than with the cathedral-sized open space before her... But now there were voices. <em>Strange</em> voices! Not the yappy voices of the taskmasters back at Brixlemlix, and not the paeans to the dragon-gods that that old stupid Yarkwerrka was always chanting... she pressed her lips together and hefted her makeshift weapon in one hand, the other groping about for a rock. Finding one, she approached.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Humans!</em> Three's eyes widened, and the rock dropped from her hand with a clatter - the perceptive might very well notice the noise, and very likely the pair of gold-glowing eyes peering at their gathering from the shadows. she could probably cripple the big dark one.. but that would bring a fight. And they all looked as out of sorts as she was.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And holy <em>shit</em> she was thirsty! <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her bone-dagger-pick thing was gripped tightly in both hands, and she spoke, her voice at first a high squeak, before she clears her throat to speak more normally... in a slightly less high-pitched squeak. "If you bunch of fur-bearing troglodytes think I'm your prisoner, think again! I'll use your toes for marbles!" A pause. "Otherwise, we're okay. Are you going to drink that?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Winning friends and influencing people.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 05:06:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div><br>There's a jingling of iron chain as Zabeth eases her way into the main room.&nbsp; "Whoever put us here, they seem to have a mind for games."&nbsp; She sidles up to the crowd, sizing up the assembly.&nbsp; "All of us have something in our cells, and--" she pauses to double-take at Mikka's robe and slippers, "... and, ah, it seems that the cell's items are not necessarily fitting to the prisoner."&nbsp; She hauls up a suit of rusted chainmail-- though complete, it's seen better days.&nbsp; She offers the heavy chain sheets to Alisandra.&nbsp; "Unless, of course you have a use for this."<br><br>She sighs, offering it over.&nbsp; "I'm with him.&nbsp; We pool our resources here, boil some water, and make some torches.&nbsp; &nbsp;I found a chest in my cell, that'll burn."&nbsp; She shrugs, looking about.&nbsp; "Let's find the bloody door already."&nbsp; <br><br>Pausing to see what the others were musing about, she notes the stains scrawled on the tablet mid-room.&nbsp; She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes fixed on something there.&nbsp; Long fingers trace over the symbol-- a stain that strangely resembles a smudged face.&nbsp; To her, however, it is eerily reminiscent of a a skull and rose.&nbsp; "Memento mori," she whispers softly, continuing to stare, before consciously shaking off the crawling sensation of dread that has shaken her, for a moment.<br><br>Sweat causes the filmy cotton garment to cling to her, and she wipes at her forehead, leaving a small smudge of rust and dirt on her skin.&nbsp; "I'll look for a way out."<br><br>She begins to search, checking for obvious doors first, and if she finds none she looks for loose stones, unnatural seams, or shadowy alcoves that might hold a tunnel.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 05:28:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>Just as she was about to inspect the symbol on the stone slab, her attention was caught by the sudden announcement of the female kobold who threatened the party with an ultimatum. Being an orc, Xanja immediately growled and readied the staff in front of her as she took a battle stance while her eyes dotted all over the place for other potential enemies but primarily focusing on the female reptilian.<br><br>"Humans? Dere be humans here?" she asked in a Jamaican accent. And sure enough there was one. Silently as she grit her teeth bare open, the young orc growled almost in silent. She was obviously not alone and there was no telling what was going to happen. Like some sort of wild animal, the young orc pressed her back against the stone slab as she panned her head around and gripping the staff very eagerly just ready to spring into action at any given moment.</td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 05:43:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul looked from Kae to the dripping pool. He knew all about surface water, but subterranean water sources were beyond his ken. "I don't know if this water is going to be safe. There were a few boxes and things in some of the alcoves, so that'll be a start. I suppose this cavern is high enough that the smoke won't hurt us."<br><br>He looked around the cavern again, then nodded to Zabeth. "I'll get the fire started while you look for a way out. Even with the torches, I can't see a thing down here." He shook his head again, frustrated at being cut off from the open sky.<br><br>Katul started towards Zabeth's alcove, his bone club held at the ready, and then whirled around at the sound of the kobold making her proclamation. He raised his club for a moment, before it became evident that the kobold wasn't hostile. "We're all prisoners here," he said, and flicked his gaze towards the dripping pool. "You're welcome to it, but we don't know if it's safe." He gave the kobold a brief salute of greeting, then continued on in search of furniture to burn.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 06:35:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The strangers were looking around, and if they were to investigate the other alcoves this is what they would find.<br><br>Upper 3- Chest with cloth armor-shabby but useful-long staff<br><br>upper 4-suit of armor, rusted mail with a plate chest, all covering a very large&nbsp; skeleton. longsword with broken tip, and a battered iron shield<br><br>lower 2-chest with leather harness and boots and loin cloth-short sword and short bow, quiver of arrows, very plain.<br><br>lower 3-burlap sack full of odds and ends of cloth armor, robe, tunic and trousers, gloves and bracers-twin throwing daggers, short staff<br><br>lower 6- odds and ends of cooking utensils and eating ware-water skins- a battered tea kettle-a large bin of charcoal<br><br>lower 7-several crates of dried food, beans, rice and flour in sealed clay jugs- a barrel of salted meat (no idea what it is)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chulanowa</strong> on <strong>15-12-2014, 08:37:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Kittenpeeler/Three/Three.jpg)</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her shining eyes flitted one way, then the other, narrowed suspiciously. She's totally judging. After a moment, she creeps out of the shadows, the glow of her eyes fading to a more normal green with slitted pupils, her small body clad in the musty old leather tunic and the flap of fur-lined cloth at her hips - at least in the front, only her tail is there to cover the rest of her backside. Three-toes feet, ankles, and calves are clad in sheathes of felted green cloth and fur.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"If it's bad water in a cave, boiling it would just make it worse. Concentrates the impurities. Not like puddlewater." she says matter-of-factly. Her fingers shift on the bone haft of her weapon, eyeballing the tall, fuzzy creatures, still wary. Once she gets to the pool, she reaches out a finger, to catch a drop from the trickle, bringing it to her mouth. A limber pink tongue darts out to taste the liquid. <em>Smack smack</em>. She considers, then shrugs. "I've probably drank worse," she says, crouching to pull mouthful to her snout with one cupped hand, the other still wrapped around her weapon.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After her thirst was slaked - and she had burped softly from her guzzling, she leaned back, braced on her tail. Examining the other 'prisoners' one by one, a sense of distaste seems to be growing. "Well. None of you have livestock tags. <em>That's</em> good. Means it's not hobgoblins. Especially good for you," she informs the elf nearest. "They like the humans with the wobblechests." Her eyes cast about the darkness in the large cave, tongue brushing a last trace of water from her lips. "This place is huge. Hrm. Best way to find 'out' is fire - it'll bend if there's a draft. Don't know if that will work in a space this big, or down this low, though..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sat quietly for a moment, mulling it over, then unslung the bag from her shoulder. "Anyone need pants?" She pauses, looking up at the big dark-skinned human, realizing the size difference "Ooooor wristguards, I guess?" A smile of carnivorous teeth is passed around the group "Three's tiny leather pants emporium is <em>now open</em>!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Muse</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 00:33:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Someone who did not know the ways of elves might mistake the man lying still in the alcove with his eyes open and still for a fresh corpse.&nbsp; In truth, Nym Liam was simply resting in the preferred fashion of his sylvan kin, in a meditative state of oneness with the world called the Reverie.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So subtly had whatever spirited him away come over him, that the elf had not stirred.&nbsp; Slowly, though, the outer sensation of laying on stone—not a soft cloth stuffed with down—and the inner sensation of an unfamiliar spiritual landscape brought the sylvan elf out of his trance.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nude and lathe with the musculature of a hunting cat and smooth skin like caramel, the wood elf stretched languidly.&nbsp; Then his eyes luminescence ever so faintly butterscotch as he examined the paterns of stale air—soft flows of azure against the lines of chill sapphire walls.&nbsp; The orange warmth of nearby torches drew his attention.&nbsp; Nym Liam twisted around and observed the area around him.&nbsp; Part of him went immediately ready to snap to his feet like an uncoiling serpent.&nbsp; Huntsman's instincts kept him still and quite as he assessed his new surroundings with all five senses.&nbsp; His eyes—catching visible light—slipped into that spectrum and sensed their glow.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After a few moments of getting his bearings, a particularly disturbing thought came to him.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Is something cutting me off from my magic?&nbsp; Or are there just no growing things in range?</em>&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 01:30:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Flix! Flax!" He exclaimed again, with all the surliness of a sailor awakened by a storm. Obviously, this must be some sort of Faerie swear. He fluttered away from the tablet in the central area, and darted upward. He rose about twenty feet off the ground, and darted around in a seemingly erratic way. Then, all of a sudden, zoom! Straight back down again, and this time, darting into an alcove.<br><br>In his case, he winds up in the alcove that happens to have the dried foods. He tinkers and throttles at the boxes, and breaches seals with the relatively strong muscles he has. No magic, it made him sad, he could just open them with magic... that would be awesome. "But no, no magic," He seemed to finish his thought aloud.<br><br>He investigated the contents of this alcove, and scowled. "Trix-trax. No berries? Why no berries? Why no berries?" He asked, repeating himself for emphasis. What sort of cruel captor would torment them by depriving them of sweet, succulent fruit? Still, though, he was feeling peckish.&nbsp; He hummed loudly as he darted back out, and seemingly wanting to slowly meet every one of the others in his own way, he goes to... the rogue! The little ball of light goes zooming towards the rogue, and stops abruptly a foot in front of her face.<br><br>"Hi. Are you hungry? I found food, and I could cook. Even with no magic, it's fun," He just sort of spouted off his thoughts, no real forethought apparent. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Izaya Orihara</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 01:42:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://s27.postimg.org/47l5lspvl/Duke_Pantarei_full_452999.jpg)</div><br>Emerging properly from the alcove, his steps quiet save for the rustle of chainmail, Dalvarien cautiously neared the variety of individuals who had been speaking earlier. Clad in a mix of the salvaged chainmail and leather crudely put together from the decayed armour, as well as the piecemeal remnants of his own clothes, and armed with a rusty bastard sword, the slender half-breed probably didn't look particularly presentable. The fey's own thoughts on that matter showed, in the manner in which he uncomfortably attempted to maintain his state of dubious dress. Among other things, he hoped that they weren't hostile, especially now as his powers were suppressed- though it looked to him like they had been similarly deposited here. Dalvarien also hoped that he wouldn't be mistaken for a woman, since that wasn't entirely an uncommon happening. As one could imagine, it lead to difficult situations.<br><br>Dalvarien spoke, his voice just as misleading as his appearance, as well as less confident than it would be in a normal situation. "Um, does ...anyone... have any idea what exactly is going on? Or is that just a vain hope?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 03:50:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/09/1392559621072.png)</div><br>All of this was moving so quickly out of her element.&nbsp; They had questions but no answers.&nbsp; People were talking about possibilities for survival, which were completely out of her element.&nbsp; Conjuring up fire and water shouldn't be an issue, and yet, there wasn't much she could do.<br><br>"Well, my weapon training pretty much consists of a longsword and a bow," she said.&nbsp; "If anyone finds either of those that I can use, I'd appreciate."&nbsp; Granted, most wizards knew how to use clubs, crossbows and such, and she could probably figure it out but she'd be a lot better with either of the other two.<br><br>Another person came out, and Alisandra spoke up.&nbsp; "We're all here against our will, no idea why, apparently these markings have selected us but it's very difficult to say with any certainty at this point.&nbsp; We're trying to figure out how we can survive."<br><br>She was having a hard time keeping up with everyone.&nbsp; Most conversations she had were based on a few people, with far less flying around or repeated explanation.&nbsp; Still, she had to do her best.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 04:06:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kae walks over towards the pool, seeing as the kobold said it was drinkable. As she looked into the deep water she blinked several times. "I wonder how deep this thing is? Can any of you swim underwater or breathe underwater?&nbsp; I think I see a switch down there, something shiny anyway."<br><br>She sat down by the pool and reached into the water. She went as far as her shoulder touching the water, but could not reach whatever it was. "I can't reach it."<br><br>-----------------------------------------------<br><br>The pool indeed held a clue, a circular device that looked like a switch of some kind. It turns counter clockwise. The pool in about ten feet deep.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Muse</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 05:53:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nym Liam blinked, smiling briefly as one of the fair folk zipped through the room and missed him behind the crates of food.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rising to a full height of six feet and some change, the nude, caramel bodied elf called after the retreating pixie softly, “ho there little cousin.&nbsp; Have you been here long?”&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unembarrassed by his nudity, the elf strode around the crates and out into the main chamber.&nbsp; Long copper hair drifted behind him.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Good morning,” he looked around, somewhat surprised by the number of people he found, and delighted by their diversity.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“My name is Nym Liam Greensong.&nbsp; Does anyone know how I got here?”&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 07:10:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul proceeded first into Lower 4, the alcove in which Alisandra had awakened, and found the closet which Zabeth had opened with her skill. He knelt down in front of it and hooked his hands underneath its base, grunting with effort as he slowly dragged it away from the wall. He looked at the rocks screening the alcove from the cavern, and grimaced. "Well, I can't get this out to the cavern intact, so I'll have to take it apart in here."<br><br>"Or..." he mused, then stood up and began rocking the closet back and forth, working to build up enough momentum to tip it over and smash it against the rocks. That should at least begin the process of breaking the thing up, he reasoned.<br><br>"We've got plenty of cloth and things for kindling, right?" he called to the people in the cavern. "As long as we've got those torches, we'll have a fire going in no time. Anyone found anything else interesting?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 07:33:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The raven haired beauty woke with a start, the crash of something falling nearby startling her. "What the bloody fel is going on?" she yelled. She got up and then noticed she had not a stitch of clothing on. Thankfully her long dark hair covered her mostly. <br><br>Gasping in shock she looked around and found a small sack nearby in the dirt. Shaking it out she found a robe she could pull over her head. It was not much more than a rag, holes in it from where moths or rats had chewed through the thin fabric. It was black in color and she thought it fit her well, though it was very tight in the area of her bust and hips. She looked around more and found a long slender staff, broken to a splintered point at one end. <br><br>She noticed the sound of voices and particular a voice very near that sounded male. Cautiously she ventured out. They would have already heard her so she did not hesitate to stride out of her alcove to the next one. She saw the dark male and smiled. "Hello, I am Rose of Charon. You look very strong.&nbsp; Where is this place? I have no memory of it."<br><br>She looked around at the others. What a ragtag group!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 08:00:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul grunted in satisfaction as the closet crashed against the rocks, watching large sections of it fall apart. He placed one foot on the largest remaining piece and was about to apply his full strength to it when Rose's shout caught his attention. He peered out of the alcove and smiled a broad smile when he saw the voluptuous, long-haired woman approaching him.<br><br>"I am Katul Thunderhooves. I wish I could tell you where we are. We have been brought here through some unknown magic, and we're all looking for a way out." He gestured around the cavern, to where people were investigating the walls and the pool. "I'm gathering some wood for a fire - we will need to eat if we are down here for much longer."<br><br>He tapped his bone club against his left hand, nodding emphatically. "And if anything does attack us here, of course I will protect you or whoever it threatens."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 10:32:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rose smiled at the dark man, "Greetings Katul. I am glad to see you are friendly at least. I have no idea how I got here, but rest assured I will find out and there will be hell to pay!" Now let me see who else is here.."<br><br>She turned to the others and looked them over. Elves and humans, and a kobold and an orc? "My greetings to you, and what is that strange thing flying in the air? Is it a bug or something? Looks rather large for a butterfly."<br><br>Rose strolled over to the slab in the middle, running slender painted fingers along the tracing of a dragon. "This is odd. I thought all dragons were extinct. "<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 14:04:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div><br>Zabeth examines the murky water, trying to pick out the shape of the switch, or handle, or whatever lies at the bottom of the dank pool.&nbsp; She has seen complicated mechanical traps disguised as corroding stone before, so she tests every surface stone for density, and she surveys the ceiling with care.&nbsp; "Alright..."&nbsp; she sighs, glances sidelong at the group.&nbsp; "I say we send the kobold."&nbsp; She glances up, deadpan, to meet the gaze of the little creature.&nbsp; "We can tie a string around your waist.&nbsp; &nbsp;It'll be like fishing."<br><br>Humor is often her crutch in the worst times, but it's been so long since she's smiled that she can barely let the expression rest on her bow-shaped mouth.&nbsp; "Sorry.&nbsp; Gallows humor."&nbsp; The glint's gone from her eye and she sets back to staring into the abyss, readying herself.&nbsp; "Not to sound like an opportunistic <i>thief</i> she says quietly, "but fire and food would be good, because the water looks cold."&nbsp; She closes her eyes, and though her culture doesn't accept nudity as freely as most, she seems to throttle her regard for modesty as she reaches under the cotton shirt and pulls it overhead.&nbsp; "Also, I'll trade these rags for some leather or chain-- anything that doesn't slow me down."<br><br>Her body is pale and sinewy, and with the shirt overhead her breasts teardrop against her lean, stretched torso, two jutting pink nipples pointing at an upward angle, before they settle as she squats to slide off the ragged breeches.&nbsp; Her ass is as toned as the rest of her, but her trim waist gives her lithe body a lovely violin-shape as she bends forward, and she hairless from the waist down.<br><br>She has tattoos of many sorts on her skin-- deep blue under her creamy skin, in whorls and jagged slashes to speak of her rank among thieves' guilds, and more than a couple of pale- and even a few fresher pink- scars on her legs, arms, and back.&nbsp; The most obvious of these is a criss-cross of seven lines that span from the backs of her shoulderblades down to the crack of her bottom when she straightens up.&nbsp; "Please be ready to stall any mechanism that may spring up to close this well."&nbsp; She takes a few deep breaths, expelling them from her lungs, and easily climbs up onto the well's rim, her bare feet dangling with a faint splash as she sits and breathes deep, like some berserk mermaid, the breath visibly swelling her ribs and rippling her whole body's muscles.&nbsp; "I'm clean, don't worry.&nbsp; I won't foul the water."&nbsp; She grins, then slips feet-first down, hanging by her hands as she's partly immersed in the shocking cold well, takes one more huge breath, and drops down into the darkness below the water's surface.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 16:49:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alarm! So many people now. This was getting a bit too much for the little Fae. Especially since he could not find a single other of his kin amongst this group. That was a little saddening. Another Faerie would make this less scary. He unconsciously tried to turn himself invisible, to hide, but with their magic still severed, nothing happens, of course. <br><br>"Cousin bug, nnnnnooooope!" He proclaims, apparently denying that he was either a cousin to the only other male that decided it was cool to leave everything dangling and exposed, or a bug, as the newest lady, who smelt of magic, had commented. "La'Cael'Rah is a Faerie. Silly flower, you should know these things!" He sounds excited, but not particularly upset, which is probably a good thing. Although there's nothing he can do now, upset Faeries are, in general, never a pleasant experience. <br><br>The rogue apparently did not acknowledge his humming bird like speech, so he just sort of twirled around in the air, before darting off and around again. He settles on Thunderhooves shoulder, this time around, or at least would attempt to. He doesn't ask for any sort of permission or anything, he just kind of goes and tries to sit on the darkly-skinned man's shoulder. "I can make food," He chirps. "They have no berries, though. But I see flour and water, and that makes hardtack. Which is disgusting! And beans and rice go good together, humans say. Also disgusting! No sweets. How can there not be any fruit?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 21:07:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul watched Rose examine the stone slab, while he dragged the wood from the smashed closet into a clear space near the middle of the cavern. "I've never seen one myself, but I've heard stories from people who say they have. Maybe there's a dragon down here, or maybe it's just a symbol."<br><br>He looked from Rose to Cael, smiling as the small creature alighted on his shoulder, and reached up to touch Cael's shoulder gently. "Alright, that sounds great!" He then pursed his lips for a moment. "No, you're right, it sounds disgusting, but it's what we've got. Let one of the women know if you need a hand with the cooking. I'll see if I can bring down one of those giant rats once I've got the fire going."<br><br>He started building a fire with practised ease, stacking the thicker pieces of wood in a pyramid formation and tucking the smaller pieces underneath. He added a few pieces of discarded cloth that the various prisoners had found and rejected wearing, then found himself distracted by Zabeth's bare body, his eyes tracing along her muscles and scars. When she descended into the water, he shook his head and applied the torch to his creation, making the beginnings of a campfire.<br><br>He looked up at Nym as he announced his presence, quickly taking in the tall elf's musculature. "Greetings, stranger. I am Katul Thunderhooves. We don't know yet, but we have some ideas." He pointed to the stone slab. "There might be a clue for you there."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 21:54:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The water is indeed cold, as Kae leans down to point to the switch she can see. "It's right there, Zabeth. Straight down, it looks like you might be able to push it to one side, a peg that can be slid along that groove." She hopes the rogue can see well enough in the darkness of the water.<br><br>"Can we get a light over here? It might help her to see it." she then notices the dark haired witch. She could sense the magic boiling beneath the surface of the woman. Glad for now she could not reach it. Kae's own connection to her Goddess was strong, though she could not cast anything at the moment.<br><br>Her eyes went to the wood elf and she blinked as he appeared to be very naked and unashamed at that. She nodded to him and a small smile came to her lips. "Perhaps you can find something to wear in one of the other alcoves. We may need some protective clothing in these depths." she implied she did not mind looking at his nakedness, but was concerned for his safety and health.<br><br>Katul's suggestion to kill a rat was a good one. "Thank you for the fire, Katul. Rat may be distasteful to some, but I am thinking that Cael can do wondrous things if he can find some spices in the crates. I will help you, Cael." she smiled.<br><br>They may be a diverse group, but they all seemed to realize that working together was a benefit for all. She hoped they could find more useful things in the other alcoves. Perhaps even ropes and containers for the food and water.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 22:20:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>Still taking her defensive position, the young orc watched as everyone conversed with one another and realized like herself, they too were in a much similar predicament as she was in. Then as Rose wandered to the center of the chamber, Xanja tilted her staff in a vertical position and let go one hand. Clearly she was backing off and watched as the lady graced her hand over the etched emblem on the slab and inspecting its insignia. She had noticed Rose being curious about the design and Xanja only concluded she was interested in the design shaped like a dragon.<br><br>"Dragon eh?" she spoke out "Dere be no dragons, it be a child story" Xanja said feeling some skepticism in Rose's tone of voice. "Wut I wanna know is how to get outta dis place" the orc then panned around and mulled the idea of exploring all the other alcoves. Then with a last look at the groups, Xanja then stepped away from the center grinning. "Let's see dere any goodies" and with that, she started to check out which available alcove to explore, hopefully finding something useful in any of them.<br></td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 22:26:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(As per request, all of these can be explored)<br><br>Upper 3- Chest with cloth armor, robes and tunics and pants-shabby but useful-long staff<br><br>upper 4-suit of armor, rusted mail with a plate chest, all covering a very large&nbsp; skeleton. longsword with broken tip, and a battered iron shield<br><br>lower 2-chest with leather harness and boots and loin cloth, leather tunic and leather trousers-short sword and short bow, quiver of arrows, very plain.<br><br>lower 3-burlap sack full of odds and ends of cloth armor, robe, tunic and trousers, gloves and bracers-twin throwing daggers, short staff<br><br>lower 6- odds and ends of cooking utensils and eating ware-water skins- a battered tea kettle-a large bin of charcoal<br><br>lower 7-several crates of dried food, beans, rice and flour in sealed clay jugs- a barrel of salted meat (no idea what it is)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>selfexiled</strong> on <strong>16-12-2014, 23:58:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kobolds and orcs now too... Mikka was liking this place less and less. Kobolds were often an annoyance but orcs were generally killed on sight where he was from he'd watching it while they were still in the same room. Aaand another elf, go figure. Happy to be naked too from the look of him. Another woman... her threadbare robe if it could be called that barely seemed to hold in her figures finer points. This surely was a test from the Gods to resist the lures of the flesh.<br><br>Katul was quick with finding the wood and making the fire, <strong>Hey, I'da helped ya with that if you'd asked. You're not the only grown man here. But least you got the fire going. I can help you hunting down the rats if you want seein' how they don't really sit still much and we don't currently have a bow and arrows.</strong> He couldn't help but follow Katul's gaze to Zabeth. Thoughts of the Gods trials fleeing from his mind surely there was a god paying attention to them for allowing such a figure in their presence. <br><br>Though at the mention of the cold water Mikka was stirred to action for other than corporeal reasons. Icy water often brought hypothermia with it and with these shitty clothes warmth would not be readily available. Coming over to the side of the pool,<strong> I can swim too. If the cold takes to much from you I can pull you out and get you to the fire quick enough.</strong> Of course his mind wandered back to something the fairy said about rice and was currently devising what it would take to brew up some rice wine down here in this hole.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 02:04:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>Xanja entered into the lower 3rd alcove and looked around. Using the torch light available and the ambient lighting from the main central chamber, the orc immediately began scouring the room until she came across that painted a grinning evil smile across her face. A gauntlet with blades embedded in them. She soon squatted down and picked up the article and inspected it seeing whether or not it was in good condition.<br><br>Carefully, Xanja slid the gauntlet over her bandaged forearm and gripped a fist trying to get it to fit snuggling.<br><br>"Hmmm, dis may do well" she mumbled feeling satisfied that such daggers would definitely come in handy. However, a sack caught her eyes' attention and Xanja immediately headed over to dig into its content. She however dropped the long staff on the ground. After scouring through the bag, there wasn't anything value to her. The orc then ran her hand along the ground to find the staff she momentarily abandoned, but only to pick up a much shorter one.<br></td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 02:35:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div><br>Glad, at least, that no one seemed to stare when she dove into the well, Zabeth squeezes away the pain of the pricking cold that draws the head from her body in waves, causing her lungs to spasm and tighten as her heart races.&nbsp; It's everything she can do to keep composure and force herself down into the darkness.<br><br>Even if she had a light above her, she would never be able to see the bottom of the well.&nbsp; Her own shadow would cover it, and lacking the natural ability to see in darkness or low light, she recognizes that without the others topside, she would never have known of a mechanism, or tool, or whatever it is at the bottom of their spring.<br><br>She reaches the basal point, and her hands met the algae covered rock and scum in the basal well-- she recoiled instinctively, much like she'd accidentally touched the cold innards of a long-dead fish.&nbsp; She now must scissor her bare legs to remain stable, and she feels around on the surfaces with her eyes shut tight against the darkness.&nbsp; She is deep enough that the pressure is causing a pinching pain in her inner ears.<br><br><i>If the old crew had seen this, they'd never let me live it down,</i> she thought silently as her hands fumbled to learn the crevasses and swells of the stone basin's deepest recess. <i>Not like they never saw me naked before.&nbsp; There was that game of Queensman Dice after a cask of Orletian rum and oranges... oh, how Rico had bellowed with laughter and Lunasol had smirked in satisfaction to see she was so much better endowed than me... or there was the time I got shitfaced with Kailan at the lake--</i><br><br>She felt it... her lungs were starting to strain just a bit more, but she was holding out better than she expected.&nbsp; She let out a puff of air to relax her lungs a bit, and the bubbles tickled their way up her body and her nose burned with the cold water flushing up to her sinuses.&nbsp; <i>it had to be head-down...</i> It was some sort of lever, or bold-throw, she decided.&nbsp; She felt for a mechanism, but found none.&nbsp; Keeping hold to the slime-slicked handle she hesitated long enough to pat down the walls for grates, tubes... any hidden mechanism that a trained rogue could not survive without expecting.&nbsp; She searched the slick surfaces with one hand, bracing herself by spreading her legs into a lateral split, allowing her to pin herself firmly with the force she balanced against each wall.&nbsp; <br><br>Another puff of air, more bubbles.&nbsp; Her cropped hair ranged from her head in Medusaen waves in the small abyss.&nbsp; Her lungs were beginning to alert her of their desire to function properly.&nbsp; <br><br>Setting her mind to it, she steadied and tensed her thighs to stabilize herself, then matched her grip with her off-hand, interlocking her fingers.&nbsp; She tugged firmly at the lever to slide it along the groove, finding the muscles in her hands, arms, and shoulders straining with the effort.&nbsp; &nbsp;Bubbles began to stream from the corners of her mouth as she exhaled with the exertion, but the lever would be moved.<br><br>Releasing it, she righted herself gracefully and pressed her bare toes along the bottom, crouched gently, and then exhaled her breath in a steady stream as she propelled herself from the floor like an arrow towards the surface.&nbsp; &nbsp;She blew out the last of her expired breath and drew a deep, fresh one at the surface.&nbsp; The rush of air around her face was sooner than she expected, she realized... though only ten feet down, it had felt like she was diving into the void of death itself.&nbsp; She looks up expectantly, hoping to learn what effect this had caused.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 02:38:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As the rest of them fooled around with exploring and trying to do something with the pool, Rose starts looking over the others with more attention. She walks towards the one who emanated some demonic taint. "You are a very interesting one. I can detect something about you almost...devilish." she purrs at him. Though she has no magic to charm the demon, except her own innate womanly charm. Her dark brown eyes gaze at him with an almost hungry intensity.<br><br>It is her will alone which has enabled her to bind a demon to her service in the past. Her long dark red hair almost seems black in the lack of proper lighting. "I am Rose of Charon. I did not catch your name."<br><br>She is distracted by the sound of stone grating on stone as the whole cavern rumbles. Dust flies from everywhere and cascades down on the party.<br><br>To the east of the pool a heavy slab of stone lowers itself down until there is only a lip of about a foot. Beyond the torchlight a long and dark passageway opens. At the far end a deep red glow seems to beckon. The smell of sulfur permeates the air from the passage. It is warmer in the passage as well, and it slopes upwards in a mostly straight line. It appears to have been carved out of the bedrock. The floor is loose pebbles and has some with sharp points. None of the pebbles are smaller than a pea and some are fist sized. <br><br>Kae gasps as the dust filters down, covering her face from the choking dust. When the air clears she points to the other end of the cavern. "Look! A door that way!" as she turns to look at the others she sees the one closer to them. "Two doors? Which one leads out?"<br><br>Standing up she walks to look at the closest one. Her long purple hair flutters in a draft that seems to come from where they are and leading up into the dark eastern passage. "The air flows towards this way." she smells the sulfur and wrinkles her nose. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chulanowa</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 18:40:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Kittenpeeler/Three/Three.jpg)</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The kobold who would be a short shorts merchant looked around with a grin, still holding the old leather greaves out like some great prize. And then Zabeth 'jokes' about sending the kobold. Three huffs and chucks the stiff armor at her. "Here, have some pants." She looked from Zabeth, then to Nym, starting to feel self-conscious about apparently being the only person here who didn't have soft, wobbly, dangly bits.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wait. Self-conscious? That was supposed to be <em>superior</em>. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Muttering about overgrown gnomes and some such, she let her green eyes flicker to Kae. "Well, I can't <em>breathe</em> underwater, but... Well, I think I can see under there pretty well." There's a flicker over her eyes, a pale, nearly-clear membrane snapping over them from the inner corner of her eyes. Kobolds are tunneling creatures, of course they have eye protection. Taking a breath, she plunges her head into the water. her tail tipping upwards for balance. She might not have dangly bits, but anyone who cares to look is getting a show of smooth brass-and-tan skin and a soft-looking, pink-tinged crease anyway.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After a few moments, she comes back up, a shuddering breath, and snort, sending droplets of water back into the pool. "That's f-f-fuck-king c-c-cold wat-ter! Fbbbfffpppt!" She half-chatters, half-snorts as her eyes return to their usual bright, alert green. "I-if we c'could find a p-pole..." She glances to Nym thoughtfully, then up to where Katul stood, then finally shook her head. "No, no, s'gotta be about like, twelve feet or so... shorter if you don't mind the cold..."She minds the cold, arms wrapped around herself as her little body shivers to warm up. Her eyes squint from the ice headache forming and fading in waves already. "Goddammit..." she snarls softly.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then Zabeth was in the water, and the Kobold rolls her eyes. "Or we could send the world's biggest dwarf." A sharp-toothed little grin as she peers over again to watch, tail down this time. When the rogue came up, she even reached to gasp an arm, her hands surprisingly supple, soft, and warm - not at all reptilian... well, except for the semi-sharp nails. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Aaaaaand</em> then Zabeth is dropped like a baby - a <em>human</em> baby, not a kobold baby, mind you - when the cave rumbles and a door opens. "Ooooooh, gadgets!" Her nose twitches at the sulfur smell, her sharp little mind going through her education in geology. She scoops up her homemade military pick. "That way goes <em>down</em>. Maybe even to a lava seep. I think we ought to go the other way, unless you want to get eaten by a magma leech or something."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This place is weird. And seriously, doesn't that thing get damaged if you run around all the time without pants?" she inquires to nym suddenly, gesturing to his genitals, her small hand almost close enough to give it a thump, if she chose.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 20:14:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kae smiles at Mikka and chuckles. "I think the water is cold, maybe because it is melting snow? Or maybe ice, if that is sulfur that way, there must be ice above us and the heat might be from lava below. What do you think?"<br><br>She blushes at Nym. "You should try to find some clothing, so you don't catch a chill." she turns from him to study the other door, wondering where it goes.<br><br>Rose peers at the two doors and frowns. "So we get a choice? How droll, maybe one end leads up and the other down? I wonder if up is the way out and down is deeper...or the other way around?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>selfexiled</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 20:21:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				To engrossed with Zabeth's swim to even register the kobold's kicking and sputtering in the water until after Zabeth returns back to the surface. Mikka was more than a little irritated when the kobold or Three as it called itself, lent a hand only to drop it the moment the doors began to move, sending Zabeth momentarily back into the water rather ungracefully. On the plus side she didn't have to worry about the cloud of dust and debris the shifting doors brought with them.<br><br>He extends a hand down to Zabeth with a smile and hoping the dull lighting was hiding the color in his face. Her hair still swirling in the water helped hide the important parts but it didn't diminish the fact that she could've been mistaken for at that moment a water nymph; creatures who, if you believed they were real, were considered to have an entrancing beauty about them. <strong>It would seem we are all in your debt lady. You've found the way out... kind of.</strong> Adding the 'kind of' after Three's remark about one door leading to a possible lava flow or magma leech, whatever that was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Izaya Orihara</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 20:44:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/09/Duke_Pantarei_full_452999.jpg)</div><br>Earlier, when Zabeth undresses to swim into the depths of the pool, Dalvarien's pale cheeks turn a hue to match his crimson eyes, and he rapidly attempts to avert those eyes, though the shy fey is still afforded quite the view from the corner of his vision, before the woman thankfully descends into the water. <br><br>Dalvarien's gaze soon&nbsp; turned to the woman, Rose, who seem to possess and unusual amount of interest in him, judging by the way she spoke, and her intense gaze. Blushing faintly, he replied quietly, "I'm... Dalvarien Mandragoran...."<br><br>Nonetheless, he was also slightly worried as to her intentions. It was clear she had detected that he was partially descended from a demon, and that heritage had often proven to be a thing of trouble when others knew about it, as it often did for daemonfey, though Dalvarien didn't seem obviously demonic in appearance, save for his eyes. Sometimes it brought about greed, curiosity, hatred, persecution or a fair variety of responses. Rose's intentions weren't entirely clear, so what she planned remained to be seen.<br><br>It seemed that the trigger for their means of exit had been activated by the ...immodest woman... who had swum beneath earlier. The air shook as two passages opened in the rock, one east, and one west. Unsure himself, Dalvarien thought he might try the westerly one, though he didn't want to risk going there alone, especially without his magic, and with little to protect him save a rusty sword, the&nbsp; corroded chainmail, old leather and the torn remnants of what clothes he'd been wearing before, all worn together in makeshift attempt to remain somewhat decent. Though of course, it looked like it could fall apart any minute. Which didn't exactly bolster his confidence, or make him any more at ease. Especially with that over eager red-haired woman in his vicinity. Perhaps the situation was dangerous in more ways than one.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chulanowa</strong> on <strong>17-12-2014, 21:02:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It was a leech. Probably made of magma, <em>that's</em> what. She sniffs a the air some more and shrugs. "No way to tell which way goes where. If whoever built this place" - and she sounds <em>certain</em> that it was built - "is anything like kobolds, there's probably bolt-holes from every chamber." She pauses, tapping her fingers against the femur-handle of her new weapon. "Well, except the ones nobody is supposed to escape from. <em>Butthat'stotallydifferent.</em>" A big, who-me innocent grin. "<em>Anyway, I think we'll be best-served going... uh... thattaway," </em>she says, pointing to the western exit<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"First though, before we get all muzzy about who's going where... Maybe we toss all our jank in a pile and see what can come of it, huh? What've we got, some bones, swords, a little wood, some scraps of shit... I could make you a chainmail bikini," she offers to Nym with an amused grin.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Has anyone found food? Or something to carry water in?" she barks out, loud enough to echo around the chamber, for those scouting the other alcoves to hear. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>18-12-2014, 04:01:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul smiled at Kae as he finished tending the fire to a suitable cooking configuration. "You're welcome. Can I leave the fire with you and Cael, now, to handle the cooking? I want to help finish looting these alcoves."<br><br>He stood up and looked Mikka over, nodding. "Catching rats may be a task for two men without a bow or sling. I can try to catch one with my hands if you herd them towards me. Try to find some while I look for more supplies. I'll be right back."<br><br>Katul was about to step into the Lower 2 alcove when Zabeth threw the switch and the two stone slabs slid down to reveal a pair of passages out of the cavern. He stopped and watched the mechanism at work, impressed and surprised at something so complicated in such a place. Kae and Three started discussing the geology of finding the exit, and he smiled to himself, glad to have a creature who actually lived underground with them. He stepped into the alcove and started searching.<br><br>A minute later, he emerged triumphantly, carrying a pile of leather clothing, a short sword, a short bow and a quiver of arrows. "We're in luck!" he said, grinning, as he set the leather down on the cavern floor near the fire. "Some more armour for whoever needs it, and a sword and bow. Perfect." He ran his fingers over the sword blade, testing its sharpness, then examined the bow for quality.<br><br>"Cael found food in that alcove," she told Three, pointing to Lower 7. "I say we get a meal prepared, then investigate these passages." He pursed his lips as he looked between the two exits. "Both of them, I think. There are enough of us to explore two safely, and we'll just get in each other's way if we all take the same passage." He grinned at the kobold. "We aren't all as talented underground as you. Usually being tall works in my favour."<br><br>He made sure there was room near the fire for Zabeth, beckoning for her to come and warm herself. He stepped back and stripped off his leather harness, so that he could lash the sword's scabbard to its back. His bare back, laced with powerful muscles and no small number of scars and tribal tattoos, gleamed in the firelight as he worked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>18-12-2014, 04:48:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0y8wEtc.jpg)&nbsp; </div><br>Zabeth, oblivious to the source of her aid despite her mistrust, takes Three's clawed hand in her slender, strong fingers, shaky with cold.&nbsp; Then, just as she's lost her footing and emerging over the lip of stone-- oh, there goes her support, and she's over her head again.&nbsp; At least, this time, she is spared the cold shock and simply thrashes around for a moment before she manages to wedge her bare feet against the site.&nbsp; "Gods' blood--" she manages, sweeping the lank, soaking hair from her eyes with a toss of her head, and she manages to quickly, if perhaps accidentally, clean the falling dust from herself before taking Mikka's hand with a grateful tug that hoists her small fame, dripping and streaming water, to dry land.&nbsp; <br><br>"I s-s-suppose I d-d-deser-r-rved th-that," she manages between chattering teeth, and she actually clings to Mikka like a drowning man to a pier.&nbsp; "Oh, ok-kay..." she quickly gathers up her ragged cotton garb, one arm folded demurely over her breasts, and begins to vigorously rub her blued skin.&nbsp; "Th-thanks," she says to Mikka with a weak smile, then appreciatively follows Katul-- slightly disoriented, she wobbles just a bit, and it's clear she's huddling up to try to warm rather than maintain any scrap of decency.<br><br>Crouching by the fire, she extends her hands to it one after the other, hunched over it and scrubbing in between to try to bring some life back to her pinpricking skin.&nbsp; "D-didn't find it,"&nbsp; she says aloud, gesturing for a moment toward Kae.&nbsp; "She spotted it."&nbsp; She stays there, oblivious to the directions of the others, and meekly slips the cotton pants over her bare ass, thinking clearly enough to check for the knot holding her stash of pins and file.&nbsp; She holds the cotton shirt to her chest, staring gratefully into the fire, until she warms enough to dress.<br><br>"I would love... I mean, love... that l-leather armor."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>19-12-2014, 01:57:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Zig-zag! Excellent, Cael gets a helper," The Fae chirped with delight, and flew in a circle around Kae's head. He had chosen to remain completely naked, and did not seem to think anything of it. Of course, he was used to being invisible to humanoids, generally being antisocial towards his own kind, and never getting particularly cold... clothes just seemed weird. <br><br>"Over here!" He darted off, leaving behind a faint trail of his briefly glowing wing-dust as he darted back towards the alcove with all the food. If he had it, he could have just used magic to move all the supplies out and closer to the fire; but he couldn't do that, and as strong as he might be for a Faerie, his strength is probably outmatched by a human new-born. He can't physically carry anything over, so he has to get one of the non-Faeries to do it.<br><br>"Woooah! <strong>Nope</strong> nope <em>nopenopenopenope</em>!" Squealing, shrieking, and general panic and alarm come from the Faerie when the whole world seems to shake and rumble. The little one flew around in an erratic figure-eight. He stays in that alcove, though, which may very well have shielded him from any sort of debris falling about. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chulanowa</strong> on <strong>19-12-2014, 05:21:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Kittenpeeler/Three/Three.jpg)</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A short nail tapped against her teeth as Three considered Katul's words. "Yeah... <em>yeah</em> I guess I don't need to be tripping over a bunch of milk-drinkers, all night-blind and bonking their heads and everything." An impish grin is given to the man, and the others around the fire. There's even a hint of a blush from the compliment, forming in rosy patches under her eyes, as well as the double-crest of scales along her nose and brows. "That's right, stick with Three, she'll take good care of..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She trailed off, as Cael was pointed out, as if just noticing him. her lips pursed together with a soft little oooooo noise. That spiteful little part of her kobold brain wonders what he'd look like tacked to a board, but happily, the curious, and somewhat mercenary part won out over that. "You found food? lead on, Sprinkles!" She trots after Cael, the tiny - well, to her he's only short - man's bare behind level with her gaze as he leads the way to the alcove with food.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What in the name of the first egg... Flour? And what is this?" she asks, running a hand through the rice, looking intensely puzzled by it. That and slightly disgusted, as one often is by foreign foods. Judging by her dentition, rice probably isn't often on the menu. "Hrm. Guess we'll grab some of each, and see what people make of it, huh, Sprinkles?" she asked Cael, before filling one of the sacks each with the rice and flour.&nbsp; The discovery of salted meat sent her tail a-quiver though, and only the fact that the stuff is rock-hard and likely to burn her sensitive tongue stop her from plowing in. Smoothing her hands over her chest piece, she looks to Cael - or Sprinkles, as he is now apparently known. "I'll bet you five gold that some fool tries to take a bite out of this as-is." Grinning, she stuffs some of the Unidentifiable Fleshlike Objects into a third and fourth sack. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And so, with much grunting and dragging, food was delivered to the group. Probably not enough for <em>all</em> of them, but really, who expects a kobold and a faerie to take into account the appetites of these monstrously-sized creatures. "I got grub!" she pauses. "Speaking of grub, be sure to check the meat before you chow. There might be dinner guests."<br><br><hr> <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the others sorted through the food - and very probably went back to fetch their own stocks, Three pondered the pile of goods they had dragged out of the alcoves. "It's like a bunch of monks decided to hole themselves up in here. Beans? What is this, a nail?" She picked up a long chunk of rust - just rust - and flicked it into the fire, scattering sparks. She put on her 'thinking face', which consisted of cupping her slender chin, a finger covering her lips, as she <em>stares</em> at the garbage. <em>Tell me your secrets, O janky shit...</em><br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well... if we pare off the fat from the mystery meat, and render it down in that kettle over the fire, we could make some more torches... For those of you who need 'em." she notes, because of course she really doesn't, and is very smug about this. "or grease up that bow; if it's been strung this long, it's going to have some temper issues... Uhhh... could turn that fork into a trident for Sprinkles..." More pondering. "If we get really hungry, we could eat the leather. or one of the elves."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pauses and glances around, eyes wide. "....elves' rations of that rice crap, I mean." <em>Excellent</em> save. "Seriously, what did you say that was, some sort of swamp grass? Humans eat weird stuff. Fucking monks, leaving us all their shitty ... <em>shit</em>. Might as well shred the cloth for twine, good way to not get lost." She looked around at the others, annoyed that even her genius can't make much use out of this Gully Dwarf rummage sale. "other than that, I... guess we're as prepped as we can be?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Muse</strong> on <strong>19-12-2014, 13:50:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Nym Liam Greensong</strong><br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The copper haired elf occasionally chuckled too himself at the various barbs sent his way, even when the kobold implied that he might be food, he just shot the little lizard-girl a teasing grin.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The others to greet him received similar smiles—dancing eyes, but not always so evilly amused as the kobold received.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He'd almost finished gathering up what he could when he realized that people were coming p&nbsp; out of the water.&nbsp; Having brushed out some of the cloth armor and donned a pair of shorts by now, the sound of a splash lead him to hurry over to offer a hand to those fighting to get out of the water.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He wasn't fast enough, but did manage to get quite a delightful eyeful of the bold damsel who'd gone down to flick the switch.&nbsp; He gave a soft chuckle and past her an extra robe as he returned to that alcove and finished donning and cinching a quilted outfit—not much for armor, but better than his bare chest.&nbsp; IT could also keep him warm and provide padding for other pieces he might later find.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Did anyone need this staff?” he inquired, picking up the long staff that someone had dropped in favor of the shorter.&nbsp; “It looks perfect for me, and maybe a knife or two if they can be spared?”&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He dug around for a rope of decent belt to which he could bind a few bags for transporting what they'd found.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When at last the young elf was as equipped as seemed proper, he headed back out to crouch by the fire.&nbsp; Taking a bit of the meat he sniffed, then carefully sank his teeth into the outer edge of one piece—trying to get an idea of what it was rather than actually meaning to eat it this dry!&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>19-12-2014, 17:41:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>She didn't say much. But long after she exited the alcove, the orc gotten what she needed so far, but hadn't explored and plunder the other alcoves due to being surrounded by others. After the doors had opened up to reveal two paths and the parties splitting up from one another, Xanja remained with the group that would eventually enter through the East pathway. However, her stomach growled and realized she hadn't had any breakfast since she supposedly would've waken up in the inn and be treated with a hearty meal. After all, she did pay for a mere one night's stay.<br><br>Sniffing about, Xanja tracked the source of anything that could be considered food.<br><br>"Ey dere, I hope you pack something to make my belly shut up" she said grumbling while twirling the short staff in one hand and rubbing her belly with the other.</td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>19-12-2014, 23:18:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The fairy was so fast that Kae had a hard time keeping up with him. She followed his bright glowing form to the alcove where food had been found. Picking up some of the things and a kettle, she brought them to the fire and then dipped the kettle in to the water. "I suppose we can just boil away anything odd in the water, we should fix something to eat so we all have full bellies before we go on to explore." She then put the kettle over the fire and started adding some of the dried meat and some rice. It might be the Fairy who would spice it up, according to what he found interesting.<br><br>Kae smiled at the Orc. "It may take some time for this to cook. Maybe we can make some flat cakes to munch on with the flour and some water? I think I saw some dried berries in there. I bet that fairy will find them and want to use them."<br><br>(It will be assumed that the flour and some other leavening agents will be found and we will have pancakes with berries and later some stew.)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>20-12-2014, 04:10:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul finished assembling a crude setting for the sword, bow and quiver on his leather harness, then shrugged it back onto his chest. Suitably armed, he now looked the part of a nomad warrior properly. Or at least as much as he could without a horse between his legs.<br><br>He gestured generously to the pile of leather armour he left on the cavern floor. "It's all yours, then. I'd check it for insects and things before you put it on, mind you. Who knows how long it's all been sitting there? Good work with that switch. If we all keep working together like that, we'll be out of here in no time."<br><br>He made a couple of trips into the alcoves to haul out the rest of the food that Cael and Three had started moving, making much better time with his prodigious strength and greater size. He then consulted with the cooks and went hunting for the utensils they needed.<br><br>"We're doing alright, I think," he said, unslinging his bow and pondering Three's suggestion of getting it properly oiled. "We have weapons and armour and food, and some tools. Once we've all eaten, I say we separate into two groups, and explore these two exits. We can check back at this cavern every so often, I suppose, in case one of us finds the way out. We should mark the path we take..."<br><br>He snapped his fingers and grinned. "With grease. If we can boil down some grease from the meat, we can use it to mark arrows on the walls as we go along. At least that way, it won't be washed away by dripping water."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>20-12-2014, 05:59:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The smell of cooking makes Rose hungry and she wanders over to the cook pot. "What is this? Does anyone have any spices? Maybe at least some salt and pepper?" She looks at the pile of clothing and selects a nicer looking robe. <br><br>"I think this one will do me a bit better. At least it may fit, though I will just wear it over the old one." She slips the looser robe over her head and picks up a length of cording and ties a belt around her waist. "I think I will explore the Western opening, it looks intriguing. Who is going with me?"<br><br>She looks around and smiles at all of them. "Well, Is anyone going to try the East side then?" Her eyes travel over Katul and then Mikka. Nym now has clothing on and she grins at him. "Feeling better now you have clothing?"<br><br>The orc gets a once over as well as the lizard. "We are quite the mixed lot, aren't we? I wonder if any of us have anything in common? Does anyone remember anything from their past?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>20-12-2014, 16:04:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>The orc grumbled still not feeling all cheery given what has happened so far. She turned to look at Rose with dissatisfaction on her face.<br><br>"Wut you mean? The only ding I remember from mi past is dat I wanted to wake up and eat" was her response and once again, her stomach growled. The smell of freshly cooked meat was getting to her. She looked at some of the other meat yet to be cooked and with a quick of a wrist, she silently swiped one of them before it had a chance to jump in the cooking fire. With a subtle growl and a crunch, Xanja started eating away on the raw meat. Fortunately as an orc like herself, raw meat was sometimes a typical delectable in her clan. Finally feeling somewhat content, the orc faced the entrance corridor towards the East.<br><br>"Hmm, maybe dere be more food, mon." she grumbled. "Why da Hell not, let's go dere I say"<br></td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chulanowa</strong> on <strong>21-12-2014, 14:27:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Kittenpeeler/Three/Three.jpg)</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The kobold grimaces when Xuna takes a chunk of the hard salted meat and bites a chunk out. "I was kidding, for fuck's sake. And Sprinkles didn't even take the bet." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Grumbling, she shoulders a limp sack from their collection. She glances to Katul at his idea, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "I'd suggest using some of this metal to carve arrows or something. it should just be limestone down here. Nice and soft, and it'll be lighter under the surface. Easier to see than grease smudges, too. And it won't smell like food." She glances over to where the meat is being prepared. Not that <em>that</em> smells like food, either... <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Calling dibs on West side, then," she chirps, already scampering in that direction, eager to be away from the salt-chimping orc. Who knows what else it might want to eat?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>21-12-2014, 18:24:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Make sure no sediment or lumpy things get in the water. Most bad stuff boils away, but never those.. And it's not cursed water, so yay!" Some of the pond and lake Faeries he knows are quite fond of cursing those who take their water. But, he seemed to be the only Faerie around.&nbsp; Besides, even if one inhabited that pool, they probably wouldn't have any mojo, like the rest of them.<br><br>The food was all brought out by others, and Cael still found himself lamenting his magic-less-ness. He watched, and he waited, and then he started to investigate.&nbsp; Zip, zap! Flitter-flutter! Here and there, everywhere! The little ball of light zoomed with alacrity, moving so fast for such a small thing, that one might find it difficult to understand how he can even be investigating anything.&nbsp; The answer, though, was simple: experience and training. <br><br>Eventually, he finds a bowl, which he would indicate the presence of to the one who was helping him cook. "Handful of flour! Handful of water!" Search, search, search; squeal! "Berries, berries, berries. Crush the berries! Handful of berries!" He poked, prodded, and jabbed at a small pouch that, sure enough, contained a modest portion of dried berries. It looked like blue and black berries, which were certainly safe for consumption. As far as his indication of measurements, he basically said to use equal parts of everything.&nbsp; They did seem to have a white powder on them, though, which could be a result of the drying process. Or...<br><br>He sneezed. And then, he sneezed again! "Mold? What's that?" The Faerie took one of the dried berries, and licked the white stuff on it. Then, he sneezed again, and the berry dropped and went rolling away. "Ah! Wild yeast, wild yeast," He repeated, a lilting quality to his voice. "That makes dough get big. I want my get-big magic back. Yeast doesn't make me get big," He lamented.<br><br>"Cael," pronounced like the word 'sail'. The reminder, given to the kobold, lacks the usual mirth the Faerie man seemed to have. Apparently, Sprinkles was not going to cut it. Faeries were a finicky lot, you see. But then, the glittery one was back to scouring through the goodies, and eventually emerges with small satchets of spices. It seemed like dry, powdered garlic, salt, pepper, and a variety of dried green aromatic herbs; probably things like basil, dill, parsley, oregano, thyme, and so on. <br><br>Cael decides to do the spicing himself, which is a bit heavier on the greens, but which would have just enough pepper for a touch of... not even heat, but let's call it warmth. And the garlic taste would be subtle; definitely there, but an undertone, rather than an overtone.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>21-12-2014, 21:13:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The delightful Cael had the cooking well in hand with his 'big' helpers and soon they had a stew and some kind of bread that tasted of berries. It was more like pancakes and it was very good. Kae fixed a lot of the berry cakes and when all had eaten their fill she packed them carefully in a basket lined with cloth to keep them from bugs. The basket was easily situated in a backpack that she carried along with a few other supplies. <br><br>"If we each carry some of these things, we will have food to carry with us. There are skins for water too, so fill one up for yourself and carry that too. If we are to survive in here, we need to be careful. I will head east with the hope of finding the way out. If we don't find anything in the next day to get out or...if any of you gets hurt...I don't know...maybe come back here?" she looked around at the group. They seemed determined to split into two parties. <br><br>Rose sniffed at the stew and ate a small portion of it, the cakes seemed a bit dry but not bad. She placed a few in some cloth and attached it to her belt to snack on later. "I am heading west. Good luck to all of you." She then headed out the west exit.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>HopeFox</strong> on <strong>22-12-2014, 05:20:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/hopefox17/Marano1.png)</div>Katul found himself watching Rose with interest as she walked around and donned a new robe, and nodded to her. "I have a good feeling about the western exit." He shook his head, furrowing his brow as he tried to remember his past. "I know I went to bed with my wives, and I think there was a battle yesterday. But that's all I can think of."<br><br>He nodded to Three's suggestion. "That would be safer, yes. I think we have enough blades that we can risk dulling two for that purpose."<br><br>He started doing a more thorough inventory of their collective gear while Cael and the others did the cooking. When it was ready, he sat down cross-legged near the fire and ate his portion of the meal, using the bread to scoop up the stew.<br><br>"This is perfect. I feel much more alive now," he said, smiling at the cooks. "Thank you. This makes all the difference."<br><br>After the meal, he checked his weapons, attached a couple of waterskins and a small portion of bread to his belt, and struck out after Rose to the west.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>24-12-2014, 21:30:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>Long after eating away the uncooked meat, and then partaking in the finished feast, Xanja let out a big sigh. Then as she turned and walked away from the crowd with only a few steps, the young orc opened her mouth and let out a echoing burp. Fortunately, it wasn't the gurgling vomit-type, but more of a stereotypical one. Licking her lips and her tusk, Xanja stretched out and growled.<br><br>"Well, dat was fun, no?" she said overlooking what she could now carrying given that the party was soon to split their own ways. With whatever waterskin she could carry availably on herself, Xanja then found some large chisel-like stones and sat down on the ground preparing to sharpen one end of her short staff as quickly as she could while hearing Rose stating she was going to head out towards the West and wishing good fortune to all the adventurers.<br></td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Muse</strong> on <strong>25-12-2014, 12:25:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219273.msg10814746#msg10814746">Quote from: Verasaille on 20-12-2014, 05:59:10</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I think this one will do me a bit better. At least it may fit, though I will just wear it over the old one." She slips the looser robe over her head and picks up a length of cording and ties a belt around her waist. "I think I will explore the Western opening, it looks intriguing. Who is going with me?"<br><br>She looks around and smiles at all of them. "Well, Is anyone going to try the East side then?" Her eyes travel over Katul and then Mikka. Nym now has clothing on and she grins at him. "Feeling better now you have clothing?"<br><br>The orc gets a once over as well as the lizard. "We are quite the mixed lot, aren't we? I wonder if any of us have anything in common? Does anyone remember anything from their past?"<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The copper haired elf offered Rose a rueful chuckle and nodded.&nbsp; “This isn't exactly the sort of place one wants to relax, right?” he replied to her comment on him feeling better with clothing on.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Last thing I remember, I was at home taking some rest.&nbsp; I have a nice house up in the boughs of a maple, not far from a clean spring.&nbsp; Some woodlarks nest on the other side of the tee.&nbsp; I was listening to them sing to their hatchlings as I slipped into the reverie.”&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He graciously accepted the meal as it came out, eating carefully with an understanding that he wasn't sure when they'd be able to renew their supplies.&nbsp; He ate fully of the stew, but packed away two of the pancakes for later.&nbsp; “I'll take a look to the east.&nbsp; Anyone care to come?”&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He frowned a little at the thought of scratching marks in a cave—even one clearly already heavily worked.&nbsp; “I suppose,” he shook his head.&nbsp; “I don’t like the idea, though.&nbsp; Whatever else lives down here will be able to follow those marks just as surely as we can, but I don't have any better ideas.&nbsp; If we were in the woods I could show you how to make signs that don’t harm the plants.”&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Before heading to the east, Nym Liam's butterscotch eyes studied the image fo the dragon that had been pointed out earlier.&nbsp; “Dragons are no myth,” he told the orc girl.&nbsp; “Xanja, right?&nbsp; My homeland was terrorized by one when my father was a young man, a mere three centuries ago.&nbsp; He doesn't believe they've all died out.&nbsp; He said that some of the great wyrms will find ancient hordes in the depths of the earth and nap for several mortal generations at a time.”&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>25-12-2014, 23:15:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The stew seemed to help everyone and Kae was happy at least they had some food. She smiled at the wood elf and nodded. "I will accompany you Nym. All I have is this staff, I hope we don't find anything too evil. I believe the Orc is joining us. Cael? Are you coming East with us or West?" she offered a pleasant smile.<br><br>She looked to the tunnel to the East and walked towards it, peering into the darkness. "We will need a torch, it's quite dark."<br><br>The Eastern tunnel was indeed dark for the most part, except for a dull red glow far to the other end of what looked like about a thirty foot walk. The ground was uneven and loose rocks and larger ones littered the path. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>25-12-2014, 23:27:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br><br>Finished at last, Xanja had a stabbing weapon and after twirling it around and thrusting almost like a spear. Then when everyone had their share of the soup, the orc then peered down and saw about one more serving left and immediately scooped up using a bowl and immediately drank it down before letting out a grunting satisfying gasp. Then turning around, she watched as the lady began to tread towards the path of darkness. Following behind, she grinned.<br><br>"Ya gurl, be watchin' yuh be stepping. Dere be nasties hungry for some attention, mon." she growled a low-dimmed chuckle. Xanja panned her head around squinting hard as she tried to observe and inspect the East corridor.<br></td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Muse</strong> on <strong>25-12-2014, 23:47:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nym Liam chuckled softly.&nbsp; He grabbed a few unlit torches, then lit one on the fire and offered it to Kae.&nbsp; He held another against hist staff, a little bit high, and took the lead.&nbsp; "Xanja, right?" he inquired of the orc, deftly probing the ground ahead of them with his staff as he went.&nbsp; "Can you see heat?&nbsp; I've rarely known an orc who was happy out during the day."&nbsp; <br><br>Truth be told, he'd never before met an orc save to introduce them to the business end of his staff--which was both ends--and had never spoken to one before who didn't have an arrow in it--usually one of his.&nbsp; This buxom savage had a sort of charm to her that appealed to him.&nbsp; Her rough and tumble sense of humor seemed rather more like elven war-jests or human gallows-humor then the sadistic glee he was used too from the orcs who warred on his home every few years.&nbsp; The combination of corded muscle, wide hips, and high, proud breasts appealed to his xenophelia, as well.&nbsp; <br><br>Kae was quite appealing as well--albeit to the opposite sides of his personalty than that the orc girl appealed.&nbsp; She was softer and curvier than most elfmaids, but not without poise or power.&nbsp; She had a ready smile, intelligent eyes, and showed signs of appealing wit.&nbsp; <br><br>Plus he didn't have to struggle to look at Kae's face without gagging.&nbsp; <br><br>Flipping one of the knives up and down in his off hand 'til he had&nbsp; afeel for it's weight and ballance, Nym Liam stepped in front of the two girls and started down the hall.&nbsp; He kept the torch high, doubly so if Xanja proved to have heat sight.&nbsp; In Nym Liam's experience, it wasn't so difficult to perceive light and heat at the same time--though both could be a little fuzzy--but a torch was quite a bit brighter to heat sight.&nbsp; Indeed, a halfling and his pipe could be mistaken for two separate men at a distance.&nbsp; A torch could put up quite a glare!&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>26-12-2014, 03:26:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She was quite content to let the wood elf step in front of them, in fact letting the orc go ahead as well, as she seemed willing to be protective. Kae stepped carefully as her still bare feet did not like the rough stone.<br><br>"Yes we need to tread carefully, these rocks are sharp. What is that smell ahead? Is it sulfur? Smells like rotten eggs. Or something burning." she wrinkled her nose at the smell. But it was the warming of the stone beneath her feet that gave a better clue. As they neared the far end she could feel more heat coming from the opening ahead of them.<br><br>She looked behind, wondering if the fairy was coming with them? She did not like leaving him behind.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>28-12-2014, 18:00:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br>"Yeah, dat be mi name" she replied but then she let out a disturbing mean growl when the strange sulfur smell suddenly hit the orc in the nose like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden, Xanja was almost behaving like a growling dog sensing trouble. Orcs have been reputed to be naturally-born hunters and often use their nose to track the scents of their preys.<br><br>"Dis not be good, mon." she warned slightly hunching over with the spear at the ready. While Nym was secretly admiring the young orc's body noticing she appeared very curvy, Xanja still bared some athletic muscle tones, even ones protruding against her arm and leg bandages. However, given her young age, she had much to fill out until she resembled a true Amazonian frame. As she treaded forward, the orc haphazardly tripped on a rock and fell forward face flat on the ground with a thud. She unintentionally tossed the spear forward into the abysmal dark and when it could no longer be seen, the rattling sound as it bounced about echoed through. Xanja laid there for a brief moment grumbling angrily. Finally, she did a push-up shaking the debris off her face.<br></td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>30-12-2014, 22:07:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Cael, for his part, only nommed away at the pancake-like bread, since it contained two things he really liked: grains and berries, both of which were traditional offerings for his kind. Though, usually the grains took the form of boiled cereal grains; porridge. It was close enough, though, given their circumstances. <br><br>After he had his fill, he ended up taking a brief nap. It was around the time when the others were starting to leave that he stirred from it, and flitter-fluttered about. He zoomed through the air, fast as a gnat, and caught up with them easily enough, hauling a single dried berry along with him with both of his hands. <br><br>The darkness of the tunnel did not bother him all that much. Magic meant he could just amplify his natural light to make things bright and cheerfully colored! Except, you know, try as he might, nothing happens. That was depressing! "Flix flax," The Fae murmured, in what one may assume is some sort of Faerie swear, based simply on the tone he used. "I want my magic. Is my magic hiding down here?" <br><br>He zoomed, perhaps carelessly, ahead of them all, apparently not bothered by either the heat or the smell. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Muse</strong> on <strong>04-01-2015, 16:50:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“There's some hot springs back home that smell like that.”&nbsp; Nym Liam's nose wrinkles.&nbsp; “Three of them have geysers.&nbsp; One's very dramatic.&nbsp; It erupts every day at about nine in the morning.”&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The copper haired elf glanced at the little sprite.&nbsp; “I'd like to find mine down here, too.”&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Xanja took a fall, he paused next to the shapely orc girl and offered a hand.&nbsp; It looks very strange in my heat-sight.&nbsp; Like a luminous rosy cloud that rises and recedes like the tide.&nbsp; I think the way is clear, but something cunning could be hiding just past it, like a thief lurking in a shadow.”&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Verasaille</strong> on <strong>19-01-2015, 01:02:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kae was trying to stay out of their way.When the orc fell she hurried to her side."Are you all right? The ground here seems to be very uneven. We must all watch our steps. I don't have any way to heal you without my magic either."<br><br>The orc seemed all right, so they continued. The passageway opened into a large chamber. Down below them, perhaps a hundred feet or more, was a river of lava. It moved slowly and the heat rising from it seemed to warm the air intensely at the opening to the tunnel. Across from the mouth of the tunnel where they stood, several large outcroppings of rock stood defiantly against the encroachment of the lava.<br><br>The remains of a bridge dangled off the ledge where they stood. A matching section was on the other side, about twenty feet away. The bridge appeared to have been cut in the middle. Somehow they would have to find a way to cross and repair the bridge.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Biles</strong> on <strong>19-01-2015, 08:54:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><div align="center">Character Sheet (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219271.msg10790908#msg10790908)</div>(http://s25.postimg.org/6uany6v4v/Xanjanursedon.jpg)(http://www.safaribwana.com/IMAGES/companyimage/spacer.gif)</td><td><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Xanja Nightgrifter</span></strong></em></span><br>"Bah, dis ground steppin' on mi last nerve" the young orc growled just as she wiped the dust off her face with one hand. As she slowly adjusted herself to get up, Xanja panned left and right to see the two elves of different type flanking her as they became concerned for her well-being. However, she dropped her head slightly looking forward with a sour puckered face just before she blustered out in anger before grumbling under her lips. Clearly the mere fall didn't really do any physical harm except to punch her pride below the belt. Poutingly, the orc got up and started stomping forward with both fists clenched.<br><br>"Let's go mon." she said. As the party eventually reached the dead end, Xanja bared her clenching teeth out into the open as she constantly shielded her face from the intense heat flowing out from the glowing red ambient before her. When they reached the lava of river, the orc grunted and panned around wondering what was going to happen next. She then turned around only to feel the blast of heat wash up her bare back.<br><br>"Okay, looks like dis path not goin' anywhere. Any yuh guys have ideas?" she asked before turning her head to view the vast lava river. However, the orc had failed to find the staff she had dropped when she tripped over a lodged rock on the ground.<br></td></tr></tbody></table>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: IC -East</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Muse</strong> on <strong>27-01-2015, 20:44:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nym Liam strode up the edge and looked down into the lurid red flame.&nbsp; Butterscotch eyes rose to the other side.&nbsp; HE shrugged and--just because he could--he took his staff in one hand and stretched it out across the distance.&nbsp; <br><br><br>Turning back to the others he said, "Let's look for a way around."&nbsp; The elf was fairly tolerant to the elements, but the heat rolling off of the molten stone oiled his visible skin with sweat.&nbsp; <br><br>After taking three steps away, the caramel skinned elf suddenly paused. 'Wait a moment..."&nbsp; He strode quickly over to their bags and pulled out a coil of rope, thent two others.&nbsp; <br><br>"Cael," he called out, "Are you still around?"&nbsp; <br><br>He glanced about for the little pixie.&nbsp; "I can try to get these across without him, but I'd <em>far</em> rather Cael just fly these across." <br><br>He carefuly measued out a specific number of arm lengths of rope--about thrice the length of the chasam--then he wrapped the rope past that several times around the base of the rope ladder.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
		</dl>
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