393 replies and 30 files omitted.
>>191394Kira smiles back, even as he looks down and away. "Would you want to talk about it?"
>>191396Kira: "Well, I'm not gonna force you to talk about stuff you don't want to, that would be silly. Unless you're talking about me talking about stuff, then I don't really mind. I like being able to talk about stuff with others, especially others who will listen or understand." She looks forward as she slithers, tilting her head to one side or the other occasionally as she speaks. "I mean, I get why my appearance is off-putting to some. It's just basic biology, most creatures evolved to be fearful of snakes, and us lamias have snake tails and we look perhaps a little similar to creatures like manticores and chimeras and such and those are pretty scary, especially when they're baring down on you in attack mode. But we're not monsters, we're just otherwise normal creatures like everyone else. I just wish others would give me and my race a chance, you know? Get to see the real me underneath these scales. Then they'd see that we're not actually monsters like they keep calling us."
>>191397“Why did that yellow winged-pony say you were trying to eat one of his ponies?” Mala asks
>>191398Kira: "Oh, well, see, Silver recommended that I try to use my appearance to try to spook the possessed ponies in that airship straight like I did with the other pony earlier that I coiled around. Anyways it didn't work so I tried beating down the door so I could get in and subdue them so we could get moving, and also because I assumed the door was locked because if it wasn't then they could have just exited the room at any time and they never did. Well I guess I overdid it a bit because the door kinda...came off it's hinges and flew across the room. It pinned one of the possessed ponies under it and I couldn't come into the room without risking crushing the pony under the door, so in order to subdue the pony who was
not underneath a door I kinda put his head in my mouth and dragged him out to constrict him. I wasn't hurting him, I just needed to make him pass out due to lack of oxygen, and of course I would never in a million years actually try to eat him. It's just easier for us to use our mouths to grab onto others in that instance, you know? There wasn't enough room to get my tail in there and it would have left me exposed, and hooves aren't exactly the greatest grappling instruments in the world. Anyways, the captain saw that and I guess it's not exactly the best introduction to lamias to see one with your pony's head in their mouth and them coiled around tightly."
>>191399“But would you ever?” He asks, evidently hoping the “what” is sufficiently understood as to not need to be said.
>>191400Kira: "Well, no, no. I mean, ponies are friends, not food. Plus, I mean, it would be a little awkward to say yes while in a group full of ponies, even if I did want to. Which I don't! I just want to make sure that's clear, you know? If fact I don't think there's ever been a lamia to eat a pony before. Which
would be a good argument to use to help convince the governor..."
>>191401“Would you want to talk later, away from the ponies?”
>>191402Kira beams a bright smile at Mala. "Sure! I love talking with you, Mala." She reaches over with one of her hooves, and gives Mala some pets on the top and back of his head.
>>191403He presses his lips together, evidently in a scrunch.
“Okay. Okay. Why did you say you felt ‘useless’?”
>>191404Kira's ears, which had perked up during their chat earlier, droop down a little more again. "I can't defeat a monster in a single attack like Silver or Black Heel can, or summon allies to fight for me like Posey. When I met those soldiers I wasn't able to sneak away, which is why me and Cavaliere got so hurt. And just now, I couldn't even find
any medicinal herbs or roots or anything to help with all of the wounded creatures here."
>>191405“But, you succeed or fail as a group. It doesn’t really matter much what you do, just don’t fuck up. Keep your head down and do what you’re told, and be quiet.”
His eyes go wide, ears perk up, and he immediately looks backwards towards the rescued ponies. He can be heard counting under his breath.
>>191406Kira, intrigued on what has Mala so worried, looks back with him.
>>191407Mala extends his paw, counting each one of the rescued ponies and griffins, and making sure each is accounted for.
>>191408Kira joins him, the tip of her tail pointing to each creature as she counts along.
>>191387Cavaliere for his part helps with the movement of the wounded ponies, making sure the entire caravan makes maintains a fast pace away from the danger zone.
He has already consumed a "cure moderate wounds" potion, what should I roll for HP?
>>191410Cure Moderate wounds heals 2d8+CL HP. Potions are brewed at minimum caster level, so it would cure 2d8+3 HP (assuming it was made by a Cleric).
Posey assists as well, in whatever way she can.
>>191412Decent roll. What's your HP at now?
>>191409Six of the lucid Kostroma crew members are in the rear (Blackheel and Star Fire have moved forward, as are the able bodied airship crew, who must each carry a wounded airship crew member, with the help of three more griffins and Kostroma crew. Every single pony and griffin has to engage in the task of pulling the wounded, though some of the possessed ponies are pulled in a train by the engineer.
Mala moves behind them, and tells them “keep moving. Rest later.”
>>191414Could we hook up the train to Monstro to give the engineer a break? It can drag much more than he can carry. It would probably help us move faster.
>>191415Perhaps, though the odds that monster would fly to fast or too high and knock the ponies over is high. The bottom line is that any unconscious pony necessarily has to be carried by other ponies. That requires two able bodied ponies per unconscious one, and they will move at at best half the pace of free, able bodied ponies.
>>19141319
>>191416This group is certainly not combat-ready, especially not if the party members leave the rest to deal with the Fellow Traveler.
Cavaliere states,
"We're sitting ducks out here. I suggest we call an early evacuation for all these ponies and griffons, while we stay behind on the island." >>191417Silver: "Even that carries risk that whatever comes to evacuate them will end up getting shot down by GRU."
>>191416Very well then.
Posey remains on top of Monstro, using her vantage point to scan the horizon for any threats, or any signs of the airponies.
>>191417>19I think you should stick to ranged combat next encounter. Maybe grab a rifle and some javelins, and take advantage of your flight to stay out of reach of most monsters.
>"We're sitting ducks out here. I suggest we call an early evacuation for all these ponies and griffons, while we stay behind on the island.""Our mission is to leave the island with the airponies. The other captives, the GRU and even the Traveller are only secondary priorities to our main mission. We would not be fighting the Traveller if we could simply leave with our Talisman without risking being sunk by the GRU..."
The looks down, through Monstro's ribs at the bomb
"We will need to take care of them first..."
Btw, who has the explosive harpoon? I want to use it on The Traveller, so we can save Monstro's bomb on the GRU ship.
[Read more] >>191385>The party knows where the last set are most likely to be - on the opposite side of the bay, along that long peninsula leading towards the lighthouse. Down the mountain, along the ridge that runs down the middle of the island, then up the string of hills north of the whaling station. At every point, however, the party will be near - not necessarily on, but near - the bay that is the landing spot of the GRU soldiers.How long would it take is to get there, at our current rate?
>>191420It isn’t a quick journey. 20 or even more minutes. The double danger is that the GRU will escape their beachhead, or that the airship ponies will be overrun.
>>191421Then I guess we had better hurry.
Are we able to make it there?
>>191421>>191422Are there any checks you want us to make to get there or something?
>>191418"Yes... That really complicates our extraction plans in general... I suppose we will have to neutralize the GRU as soon as we take care of The Traveller..."
The radio turns on. There is static. It is loud at first, but then smooths out, until the channel is clear and almost non-existent. Then there is a voice. The voice is accented, but not to Severyana. In fact, it's likely a native ponish speaker. The voice is relatively deep and draws his words out, slowly and deliberately.
"Hello there, my fellow creatures. I gather you have some hesitance towards what our future can be?"
A pause, and
"Come on, I know you can hear me."
>>191436Silver blinks. Kira blinks. Both look down at the radio that has just started speaking to the party. Kira eventually grabs it and starts speaking into it, though interestingly enough she seems to have forgotten to actually press the thing to transmit so she just speaks to the radio itself. "Hey, who gave you permission to possess our radio!"
>>191437A small laugh,
"Hmm hmm"
After the pause,
"You don't wait for an invitation to extend a helping claw, do you? No, I don't think you do. You wouldn't wait to help a stranger injured by a cart on the street, to pull up elderly who has fallen, or to give a loaf of bread to a hungry chick. Nor shall I, when I can tell you're in need. Tell me, what is the source of the hesitation?"
>>191437"Do not engage with it. It could be memetic." Posey hisses in a hushed tone
>>191438Posey wordlessly brandishes a small silver object and attempts a Turning check to exorcise the object
[1d20+8 = (12+8) = 20](No idea if this would work, but I have like 9 uses of Rebuke Undead today, so I may as well try)
>>191439"
kssshk"
The radio produces static for a few seconds. There is another small laugh.
"You must have learned such mistrust over a lifetime, haven't you? That's alright. It's never too late to learn and to develop."
>>191440Posey scowls as she magically boops the off switch on the radio
>>191439>>191440>>191441Kira looks down at the radio. "I mean, he turned it on remotely. Why wouldn't he be able to turn it back on again?"
>>191442"Shush!" Posey hisses
At this point, she looks for the power supply to the radio, intent on extracting the battery.
>>191444Can I do that without damaging the radio?
>>191446Then she does so, placing the battery in her satchel pocket.
>>191446>>191447Silver: "Well...I suppose we are down one radio, then."
"I did not expect it to be able to infest the radio. It appears as though it is not only limited to the minds of living creatures. I originally thought its influence was telepathic, but it may be memetic..." Posey mutters, clearly more nervous than before
>>191448"Be ready to engage incoming hostiles. It likely knows where we are now, and it is taunting us." She says, drawing her sword
>>191449Kira: "What's 'memetic'?
Regardless, Kira tries to see if she can sense the static-y feeling that usually accompanies summoned monsters.
>>191450"An idea or concept capable of spreading itself, sometimes manifesting as information hazardous when perceived." Posey replies
>>191451Posey levitates Cavalier the battery
"I took what precautions I deemed necessary in the moment against what may have been a psychic attack from a yet-unknown entity. If that is a risk you are willing to take, I will not stop you from trying to contact it again, on your own terms." she says
>realizes obvious plot hook
"... I may have overreacted..." Posey says, her ears drooping a bit
>>191452Cavaliere reinserts the battery and turns the battery back on, before pressing the microphone button and speaking into it.
"Hello. If you can hear me, identify yourself." >>191454The radio comes on to much static, which then dies down.
"Testing testing. Can you hear me?" It's the same voice. He doesn't wait for a reply.
"Ah, you're back. Yes, I think you know who this is. We're still doing names, are we? For now at least. Very well. This is Science Officer Light Water." A short pause. "To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"