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>>190101That’s a very good point. I’m kind of feeling like there should at minimum be a roll here. Or a challenge.
>>190102Let's see here, then. The dice gods gave Kira a nat 20 earlier, they may have run out of generosity. Or, perhaps not.
[1d20 = 9] >>190103I'm gonna assist with my smooth-talking superspy bluff mod
"She raises good points. You should listen to her." Posey chimes in
Bluff
[1d20+16 = (5+16) = 21] >>190096>also sureJust reminding that it can be detonated easily OR accidentally, without the assistance of an explosives expert
>>190100>>190103It takes a moment to respond.
“Yes…” then it turns to Silver.
“If you can make him unconscious, I can persuade him more easily.”
A second of pause, then it turns to Silver,
“Why don’t
you join in our unity?”
Then to Posey, though it misses her exact position,
“Or you, you who backed out just before achieving Harmony?”
[Read more] >>190106"Add another blindfold. And put a helmet on him. Or anything made of metal around his head." Posey demands, with a flat tone
If she was disturbed by this behavior, she does not show it on her face, but she narrows her eyes with professional caution
"No more word about our position. Do not even THINK about where we are headed. Everypony just follow Kira as she tracks the scent."
>>190106>>190107Silver:
"To achieve great things, sometimes it requires one working from outside. Trust in me."Silver turns away from the vessel, and nods at Posey's statement. Kira resumes leading the party, assuming nothing else interrupts them.
>>190107This time, it gets Posey’s position correct. It speaks in its loud whisper,
“You. You are lonely. Resentful at the world. I know what it is like to resent. To hate those who have reduced you to where you are. But this world is not at fault. This world, with all of its limitations, may be transcended, or lifted, to something better than what you see. Come back. I can show you. Come back to me. I have seen you. I know you. I was like you until I came here. I can make it better. I can make you better.”
Mala keeps his position, but Blackheel moves closer, and holds onto his revolver.
>>190108The Petrushka hisses at Silver
>>190109Posey ignores the statements, not looking towards the pony
"Do not engage with the prisoner any further. Gag him."
>>190109Silver places a hoof on Black Heel's shoulder. "Ignore him, it is just Traveler speaking through his vessel. Your soldier is still in there, beneath all of that. But yes, we should gag them."
>>190111>>190112The Petrushka aims its blindfolded head first towards Posey, and then towards Silver, and hisses.
>>190114"Mindsight? Well then, have it your way."
Posey hops off her bone lurker and draws her blackjack, smashing the pony in the head to knock him out
If one blow isn't sufficient, she hits him again until he is unconscious.
>>190085Cavaliere takes 10 to hold the items within the ribcage. He looks wistfully towards the second torpedo.
"I'd like to be more sure we can kill this thing. That torpedo isn't armed and might be safe to move via towing across the terrain. It'd strain the rope and drastically slow down your 'vehicle,' 'Captain.'">>190086With the machine gun feeds, he has to be careful to coordinate movement via the accompanying griffons to prevent them from breaking. If the gun is tied to one of the beast's vertebrae, the feeds would be wrapped around and held with rope.
"There is no firing this from the creature, and we'd be lucky to hit anything if we put it on the ground. I wish we had a tripod. I suppose we could brace it against a rock, and pray we don't need to aim.">>190089>>190090Cavaliere scouts ahead for Posey, or at least attempts to with the creature's speed, and when the GRU are spotted he gestures to keep the thing out of a clear sightline. It's not easy but at least the terrain is hilly.
>>190115"Good call." [Read more] >>190115Silver: "...I hope they will not mind having to be treated for concussions after this is done."
Kira: "You know, concussions are
really bad for your health."
>>190115>>190114Are there any other prisoners for me to knock out?
>>190123Yes, there are at least three more prisoners. Whether they
need to be knocked out is a separate question.
>>190125I say we may as well knock them out anyway.
Can Kira determine how far it is to the airponies?
>>190140Kira already rolled a 30 earlier. She shouldn't need to roll again.
But nice roll.
>>190139>>190140Less than a mile, but not there yet.
>>190128Does she?
>>190144Are they walking in their own? It would be inconvenient to carry them.
>>190144Kira relays this information to the others. "We're pretty close, we just need to keep plodding on."
>>190145Silver: "Probably good idea to leave them be until we need to. I worry for their mental and physical wellbeing if we keeping hitting them over head."
>>190145Yes.
>>190146Mala looks down at the now knocked out pony, then back up to Silver.
"I think his ear plugs got loose... I'll get him off of the line. It'll only take a moment." He tilts his head. "Do you still want him?"
>>190147Silver nods, and gives Mala some much-deserved pets between the ears. "Yes. No creatures left behind."
>>190148Mala smiles and bends his neck upwards to better receive the pets. He closes his eyes as he does so but opens them when he next speaks to Silver.
"How will he be carried though?"
>>190149Kira now pipes up, wanting to feel more useful. "How heavy is he? I might be able to carry him if we tied him around my back!"
>>190150Mala moves a step back as Kira nears,
"Uh, not that large. 160 pounds, maybe."
>>190147Posey does not knock out anymore ponies unless they express behaviors similar to the one she just knocked out.
>>190144Alright then. It should not take us long to get there.
Do we see any signs of airpony activity on the way there? Hoofprints? Blood splatters? Signs of a struggle?
>>190151Kira turns around, showing her back to Mala and Silver. "Mind helping tie him to me?"
Silver looks at Mala, to see if he'd help him assist the snej with this idea.
>>190153I'm still deciding on precisely what I want to do nextIf there are preferences...>>190154Mala looks back to Silver with a "do I have to?" expression. He's taken initiative to do things before...
>>190155Silver chuckles slightly. "Would you help me with this, please?"
>>190157Mala looks up towards Silver with his big, brown eyes and leans back. His tail slowly curls down and to the right as he stands there, almost frozen in place but at the same time leaning further and further back, until it seems he is in danger of falling over on his hind quarters. But he jumps up in a sudden movement and with his mouth and paws moves to remove the unconscious pony from the line, though he takes the rope in his mouth and drags the pony towards Kira. All the same, he seems to want to not touch the giant snake-thing.
>>190158Silver helps with the moving of the unconscious pony as Kira giggles. "Come on, Mala, I don't bite. Remember how friendly we were getting on the plane ride?"
>>190159Mala turns his head towards Kira, his body angled diagonally towards her. His ears stand tall, and his eyes are focused on her. He says nothing, but stands there for several seconds.
>>190160Kira twists around to look back at Mala, smiling. She flicks her tongue out in the air.
>>190161Mala looks down towards Kira's body, then back to her eyes, then back down again, dragging the pony forward. He moves his paws along trying to find exactly where on Kira's body to place the pony. He starts high on Kira's back, on top of the goat, feeling the creature inside her with the press of his paws. Then he backs off of that, and moves lower on her body, where her tail is thinner and less conducive to carrying anything. The process is rather invasive, and Mala's frantic movement with his paws betrays that he feels the process is awkward.
>>190162Kira: "It's okay, Mala. Why don't you try to put him higher up my back? It'll be a little hard to carry him from down there. Silver is willing to help you if you want!"
>>190163Mala skittishly pulls the pony high onto Kira's back, and tries to tie him to her, at first seeming to circle around her body, but then instead more conservatively tying the pony to Kira's backpack and the leather straps already on her body. He tries to make sure it is secure but does not seem to want to intrude much. He does step onto her back at one point. Oddly he's gentler than even Neela despite being much larger, with soft padded paws and with soft and deliberate steps.
>>190164Silver helps to finish up the tying, making sure it's nice and secure. Kira moves around, making sure the pony will stay stuck to her.
>>190155>>190144Have we made all necessary checks to get to the airponies? We're just waiting for everyone to be ready to progress to the next plot point, right?
>>190171I believe so, yeah.
>>190164>>190165Kira, eventually deciding that the pony is securely tied to her, reaches down and gives Mala a big hug with her forelegs. "Thank you so much, Mala! You're such a big helper!" Once the hug is finished, she gets back up and points in the direction of where the party needs to go. "Okay, creatures! To the destination!"
>>190173"Kira, keep a look out so that you detect the airponies before they detect us. When you sense them, signal me so that I can approach them before the herd does. If the airponies have had even half as rough of a day as we have, they will be on lookout for any incoming threats." Posey says
Posey begins to strip off her grotesque armor, revealing her less-threatening, fluffy white self. She bundles her armor with her weapons and pack saddle on top of Monstrous, keeping only her satchel that contains her tiara and spell components.
"We also do not know if the Traveller has enthralled any of them yet. I would like to go ahead of the herd to parlay with the airponies and affirm their cooperation in being rescued. If I get shot... I get shot..." she adds, with a shrug
"So be a dear and keep that tongue of yours to the wind so you can smell them before they see us."
>>190175Kira does a mock salute with a giggle. At the mention of her tongue, Kira flicks in in the air as she begins to keep a lookout for ponies.
Spot:
[1d20+8 = (3+8) = 11]Listen:
[1d20+8 = (2+8) = 10] >>190176Maybe just take 10 instead.
[1d3 = 2]>>190165Mala is surprised, and looks down towards his paws, presumably making sure to avoid being captured in Kira's constrictor grip. He repositions his paws to be in a more stable position. However, he relents, and hugs back.
Though his shape is
sort of like a pony, he does not feel or smell like one. His head is lower on the shoulder, he is rather fat, though fairly muscular and with a large bone frame, making him very large over all. His legs are thinner than those of an equivalent sized pony. He has a distinct smell, not necessarily subtle or pleasant. But the biggest difference by far is how much fluffier he is, with thick fur on much of his body and a mane that extends halfway down his back.
After the initial reluctance, he does seem to value the hug. He probably doesn't get many, and certainly not from females.
>>190175>Posey is taking active measures to not appear so obviously hostileNoted.
>>190176With a flick of her tongue, Kira can tell what she already should have known: that all smells, however strong or subtle, are carried on the wind. And the party is upwind of the alleged location of the airponies.
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