< The Enemy Of My Enemy ... | Ex Pulplogs | City Under The Sand >
ST When last we left our heroes they had been lead to Ogon, a fire mystic who related to them a story about the true nature of Sceadu, the Serpent of Shadows. According to Ogon's tale, Sceadu had implanted the core of its soul into the living spark of the Solar who slew it and, while that Solar lived and the spark returned to Creation, Sceadu would continue to exist.
Myrrh "Well who slew it exactly? It's going to be hard looking for just one shard."
Ogon shrugs again, blowing a ring of blue smoke from his mouth. "No idea."
Myrrh "T Hat?'s not too helpful Ogon..."
Ogon "Didn't say it would be, boy."
Captain Oteki "Sure it is, lad. We've just narrowed down our search radius from "everybody in Creation" to just the solar-powered ones."
Carmine "Surely he'd want to keep the Solar with him ...?"
Xar`Rex "Hm. We need a Solar Detector."
Captain Oteki "Just look for the crazy ones wearing a lot o'gold."
Corve blinks at Oteki and raises a brow.
Myrrh "Well I could figure it out with a few charms but...finding one out of..two...three hundred?
Carmine "Perhaps they will be twisted like the shadow serpents other minions." like me
Myrrh "Maybe. But it's still...alot of distance.
Corve reaches out to sling his arm around Carmine's waist, squeezing reassuringly. He's thinking the same thing; and not liking it one bit.
Xar`Rex "Well hopefully the guardian will be at the temple... and if not, we can at least kill the Serpent for a time."
Myrrh "If I had more time maybe I could figure out some sort of creation wide device..."
Carmine leans on corve, smiling a little.
Xar`Rex "You can make that if we do not find him."
Corve says, "Either way, we can't just stop. We need to keep moving."
Myrrh "Well...there might be a problem with leaving right this second. But we can talk about that later in private."
Myrrh he glances at Carmien.
Xar`Rex "Ogon, do you know a way into the temple that is secret?"
Carmine looks vaguely guilty. What was she supposed to say? Honey, I found a tribe of cavemen devoted to my worship?
Corve would probably not have taken it very well. Hrmph.
Corve asks, "Why can't we leave..?" He's in the dark. Poor guy.
Ogon "I didn't say you can't leave."
Carmine "Do you know a hidden way into their temple though?"
Corve "I wasn't asking you, Ogon."
Ogon shrugs, assuming Carmine likewise wasnt asking him then.
Ogon "Why would I know something like that, Lizard-man?"
Xar`Rex "Because you wish to destroy Sceadu."
Carmine leans back and kisses corve on the cheek. "Tell you soon." she says quietly
Corve blinks at Carmine. Okay, now he's curious! There's something he doesn't know? He frowns a little, raising a brow, and then nods slowly.
Ogon humphs to himself. "Well. Maybe I do."
Xar`Rex "You are wise in the ways of the tunnels beneath, yes?" he waves to encompass the cavern and its tunnels
Ogon "Happens I am, but the tunnels won't take you to the city. Nope. Need something else to get in there."
Myrrh "Such as?"
Ogon "Sandstorm. Opens the way down into the sunken city."
Xar`Rex "Hmm. If I knew where the storm should be, I could move the sand."
Ogon "Digging won't get you there, it's been tried. Has to be the storms."
Xar`Rex "How do we get a storm?"
Myrrh "Easy. Just ask a wind god."
Carmine "You have the oddest definitions of easy."
Myrrh "Ahhh Carmine, we're chosen of the sun. It's all easy."
Captain Oteki makes a sudden snorting noise at Myrrh's comment.
Xar`Rex "Hm... Ogon, where does the storm need to be?"
Ogon "Over the city, of course. It blinds their defenses and you can slip into the city under its cover. Getting out again, now that's your own problem."
Xar`Rex nods thoughtfully. "Is there anything else we should know?"
Ogon "Well, they're going to try to kill you if you go."
Xar`Rex "Hm, yes. That is ok. We are going to try to kill them too.
Corve frowns a little, listening to the conversation. Then says, "I'd be more worried if they didn't try to kill us."
Myrrh "I think I can deal with attempted murder."
Carmine seems, if anything, pleased at the though
Carmine t
Xar`Rex "Are they going to try to kill us somehow strange?"
Ogon "Probably."
Corve "Because we're not used to ritualistic murder. At all." That's sarcasm, kids.
Myrrh "Xeth, who's the local storm god?"
Xar`Rex blows a little flame into his palm and plays with it idly, flipping it around his hand and across his scaly knuckles. "Hmm. I think I know where he lives. Liked being called Most Efficacious Bringer of Storms, but I always called him Effie."
Myrrh "I suppose we need to give him a visit then."
Xar`Rex rises, flipping the little flame off his hand to burn on the cool floor. "Thank you, Ogon. We must go now."
Ogon "Yes yes, off to save the world and all."
Corve rises, taking Carmine's hand and his coat. "Thank you for the information."
Myrrh "Bound to have fun then." Rises and goes into the horrific heat.
Carmine flows smoothly to her feet, almost feeling a little cold now the boiling rocks arn't pressed up to her.
Carmine "So ... Corve." Carmine starts out hesitantly, once they've paid the DB off and are back at the inn they've chosen for the duration of their stay in Gem, one with views out over the marketplace from high in the basalt cliffs.
Corve raises a brow and sits down, after getting his equipment off. He looks at Carmine expectantly. "Yeah?"
Myrrh is showing incredible restraint that is born of an iron sorcerous will: He has yet to blurt out anything.
Carmine "Well, I ..kinda..." she glances at Myrrh. "... WE kinda ... found a tribe of ... " She hesitates. "...sun worshipping cavemen who think I'm their queen..."
Xar`Rex tilts his head to one side. "Are you?"
Corve blinks. He just... blinks. "... Oh. Kay." He raises a brow higher, as if demanding details.
Carmine "...I don't know. They're looking for a solar. with a sunlight sword. who doesn't know who she is..."
Corve smacks his forehead with his palm. "Bloody wonderful."
Myrrh "She has no caste mark though. Which might depict Carmine's...condition."
Xar`Rex "Hmm that is wonderful. Can you feel the worship?"
Carmine "... Worship?"
Carmine "... I don't feel any different. Should I?"
Xar`Rex looks her up and down thoughtfully. "Well, did you accept them as your people?"
Carmine "... No."
Corve heaves a sigh of relief. "Who are they, anyway?"
Xar`Rex "Why not?"
Carmine "They ...are...um...cavemen. They live in a cave. One of them tried to steal snuffles."
Myrrh "Yes but they're an incredible find! You should see all of the strange animals and remnants of the first age. The demense was uncapped due to failing fengshui."
Corve sighs. "I suppose we should tie this up before we leave, then."
Carmine "I guess ..."
Myrrh "I'm not sure more than Carmine and myself should go though. They were shocked enough when we arrived."
Myrrh "Who knows what might happen if they saw you or Xar.
Corve "Maybe a little more shock is what we need to discourage them."
Xar`Rex "Carmine has to go. She is the one who has to decide."
Captain Oteki "I could go along, play it safe."
Myrrh "I don't think they need shocking. This needs to be handled delicately."
Xar`Rex "Why do you want to discourage them?"
Corve mutters something.
Myrrh "Besides, leave the talking and examining to the man who found the ancient death tomb of the dreaded salt panthers!"
ST After some more pointless discussion, everyone agrees that Carmine and Myrrh will deal with the Caveman issue while Oteki, Xar and Corve remain behind to see if they can figure out anything else or learn more about what waits for them in the City under the Sands. It's a few days before the Circle rejoins and heads to the desert to seek out the Wind Lord that Xar calls "Effie" and ask him for a storm.
Xeth approaches the storm god's home dunefield politely and calls out, "Most Efficacious Bringer of Storms, we have brought tea. Are you in?"
Myrrh "Rather nice tea. The cavemen said it was local which means it hasn't been seen outside of the manse in...ages."
Bringer stirs the sands around the Circle's feet, indicating at least some awareness of their presence in his domain. He doesn't seem very interested in them.
Xeth sprinkles a few drops into the sands as they rise into the air
Corve hopes he isn't standing on Effie's face.
Bringer slowly rises from the sands, taking on the shape of a hyena as he does so. The hyena shakes excess sand from its sand-formed fur and peers at the visitors with its dull, black eyes. It licks its lips with a black tongue. "The tea is rather good, I suppose."
Xeth offers him more of the tea in a lovely wide, shallow cup. "Of course it is." He grins. "Much better than the last tea we had together."
Bringer laps the tea from the cup, eyeing Xeth without comment. "What do you want?" He asks when he's finished his tea.
Myrrh "We would like to know about the cult of Sceadu. We hear the only way in is through a storm."
Bringer "Where did you hear that?" The hyena snaps its jaws at Myrrh, looking angry.
Myrrh "Ogon."
Xeth "My dear Effie, no need to be angry. I thought you would be glad for the opportunity to stir up a proper storm again."
Bringer "I don't know anyone named Ogon." The hyena glares at Myrrh, still angry and suspicious. "I do not want anything to do with this. Go away."
Corve "If we don't get down there? Creation dies. Us, the desert, you. All of it. Sceadu's coming back; and we're trying to stop it." Corve doesn't sound angry or commanding; it's more like he's stating a simple fact.
Bringer chews on one of his feet for a moment before answering. "I can make a storm.." he does not precisely say he will do so, but it's something.
Corve "We didn't come here because we were hopeful you could," Corve tells him. Apparently, Corve's approach works on this God. For once. "We came because we KNEW you could. We HOPE you will. For everyone's sake."
< The Enemy Of My Enemy ... | Ex Pulplogs | City Under The Sand >
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