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Post by hadopelagic on Oct 9, 2022 21:37:17 GMT -6
((OOC Una thanks the candlemaker and then tells the gang about her magical candle, as well as the beast's aversion to large fire. She accepts a butchering weapon from Ash.)) (Items: Flint, candle, big butcher's knife.)
It was a sorrowful tale. A tragedy, regardless of the end.
"My dear Fedlimid," Una said, gently accepting the candle. "I'll weep for your dead, when there's time for tears."
She leaned forward and reached for the candlemaker, squeezing her hand gently.
"When the beast is gone, you can light candles for them all, with no fear. I promise."
She glanced toward her friends. Ah. Ash found weapons!
"As for my story." She stood. "Where I come from, in a faraway island, we're dying very slowly. Every decade, fewer babies are born. I haven't seen a child in many years. Haven't heard their gentle songs, high and sweet."
Una stood.
"So we must fight until the very last. Good night, Fedlimid."
Una hummed a march as she approached the guard's post, where Ash and Vincent stood.
"Its first human victim," she informed them, while taking the largest butcher's knife and swinging it experimentally in the air, "was a child."
Satisfied that she was armed with a formidable blade, Una continued, "My candle will attract the manticore, which is funny, because it doesn't like large fires. That's what Fedlimid said. I love her and will be very sad if she's killed."
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 9, 2022 22:44:17 GMT -6
John: John eats the small bowl of ham. It’s preserved, but of good quality. The Winemaker leans over to offer her hand while he eats. The caution on her face tells him that she is familiar enough with wild animals. She is likely not, however, familiar with Kumihos.
She smiles in his direction once, then wanders over to the vat of wine creation, before placing all the wine grapes within.
August: August’s episode does not seem to be noticed by the Pitchtapper(E), who appears hard at work with his jar, and otherwise completely distracted. The tall, scarred man methodically cuts into the tree, collecting the sap that weeps from the bark with a flat wooden spatula and his pitcher. As the sap slowly leaks from the tree, he carefully collects it.
The mummy turns its head towards August as he approaches, and waves the empty jug up and down, then nods towards the Pitchtapper. It appears you cannot fill a jug without the appropriate tools, or the Pitchtapper’s permission.
Which made it a good thing that August had come to join them.
“The manticore. You’re mad, but a good kind of mad.”
He chuckles somewhere deep in his chest, and holds up a wrapped hand missing several fingers.
“I already had a run-in that almost cost me my life. I’ll tell you… at the last minute, I swung a firebrand at the beast, and it turned away from me. I bet a bigger fire would deter it….”
The Pitchtapper takes his nearly full jug of pitch and offers it to August.
“This is highly flammable, but there’s only so much we can collect. I can give you two Firebrands, but they’re all we prepared…”
(You have acquired a full jug of pitch and two firebrands)
Una: Fedlimid the Candlemaker smiles sadly, and grasps Una’s hand in her own for a long moment before releasing it. Her fingers are thickened and worn from many years of making candles.
“I will light a candle for your far away island, so that you may hear the song of children once more.”
She waves as Una rejoins the others.
“Farewell.”
(You have acquired 1 magic candle)
Ash and Vince:
Ash brings the butchering implements to arm August, Una and Vince. Vince brings the leg of pork. He finds a large, flat piece of stone to place it down for now, until they can come up with a plan.
(Ash, Vince and Una acquire Butchering Implements.)
All:
Two crows fly in and alight on a nearby building. They mutter and the larger of the two pecks the other;
"’I do not need your cryptic messages,’ He said.”
“Said who said whooo. One heart earned, another three left behind. The old one grows impatient."
The other crow almost sounds like it is laughing. It stares at the group gathered and mutters
“Fools, fools.”
As the crows speak to one another, the group hears a cry in the night, like the wail of a newborn baby beyond the wall, in the darkness. The sound is piercing and unnaturally loud. And close.
The village seems to hear the sound, for both the crows and the villagers pause what they are doing, straining their ears.
The guard pulls a dagger out of his belt, holding it up, as if the small weapon could fend off such an enormous creature.
“It’s here…” He whispers to the group assembled.
Map: ibb.co/P6SqshG
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Post by tsukikoko on Oct 10, 2022 10:29:55 GMT -6
[OOC: At the sound of the manticore, John finally gets his fluffy butt in gear. He pushes the winemaker with his head, trying to get her to hide, then approaches the group and tries to signal to August to light a big fire and give them more time, while patting the ham urgently and gesturing to the gate. They need to get it spiked and outside!]
For the longest while, John seemed to content to lay there and contemplate whether he should lure the girl out of sight, or let her continue to make the alcohol that was so delectable.
Right up until he heard the unnatural sound somewhere akin to a baby's cry.
The Kumiho's head snapped up, his ears swivelled forward and eyes abruptly intense. An old drive flared rapidly to life inside him - to defend what property was his. The manticore couldn't be allowed to kill the woman he'd laid claim to, or destroy the source of alcohol that was so wonderfully crafted. Were the fox at full strength, as he used to be, he'd have torn the rival beast down where it stood.
Instead, he was going to have to rely on the group. The lack of power churned a thick irritation in his gut and he snarled, low in his throat, in the direction of the wailing cry, his lips pulling back just a fraction too far to be natural.
Once he'd smoothed his expression back to neutral, John turned to the winemaker and bumped her with his head, trying to push her towards any kind of shelter or hiding place he could see. He didn't have much time, unfortunately, so all he could afford her was that meager instruction. Then the fox was off, gliding towards the assembled group and their ham hock. The Kumiho cast his gaze across everything they'd gathered, huffing with frustration at how little time they had; the alcohol was potent and hopefully if they spiked the meat the manticore would be as affected as he himself had been, but it would do them no good if the beast was instead distracted by all the living, breathing, likely about to be yelling and screaming denisens of the fort.
They needed time.
Turning his attention to August and swallowing down his instant revulsion at how he was about to behave, the Kumiho reared onto his hind legs and pawed urgently at the vampire, before scratching his claws on the Firebrand. Fire was often a good option to ward away creatures, when they weren't of the fire or water element-inclined variety. It might buy them some time.
He nosed too at the ham hock, before pointing his muzzle to the gate. Back to the ham hock. Again to the gate. Trying to signal that they shouldn't leave the bait in here.
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Post by indeath on Oct 10, 2022 16:38:19 GMT -6
(( August brings the gear with the help of the mummy. He’s trying to be brave, asks the plan. Items: Wine, holy balm, firebrandsx2 and pitch.))
“Blast it and darn it! I thought we’d have more time..”
August let the mummy carry the lighter implements as he hurried over to his friends. It was game time. His eyes widened when he caught the meaning of the fox. He looked at the gate and held the firebrand tightly. Could he do this?
“I ain’t a wuss but me? I dunno… Maybe Ash could come with me?”
He looked to the others for advice. He felt out of depth. He could do it though, right? It was scared of the fire. If this was his duty he would do it. Bravery after all was just putting away your fears and doing right.
” I can do it… Do we got a clear plan? No point wagglin’ a fire stick at it if we don’t got actions ta back it up.”
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Post by beastly on Oct 10, 2022 18:54:19 GMT -6
Vincent spotted the stone, and set the meat down there, before catching up with the group. He quickly deduced what was going on, jumping into the conversation.
"Large amounts of fire scare it away. If we can make that happen, we can buy more time to set up."
He scowled at August, pointing at the vampire, speaking very shortly.
"If you can do it, do it. We need more time. We're spiking the pig with wine, getting the beast drunk, and then killing it with the weapons. Maybe we can set it on fire too, but it needs to be fended off. Do it quickly."
He looked at the fox and his gesturing, furrowing his brow. He didn't speak fox, and hadn't had a dog since childhood. This was a magic fox, though. He was pretty sure. He thought the animal wanted him to take the leg out of the village, but he would likely be attacked if he brought it out now. They needed to carve a spot for the wine in the animal and then douse it first.
"You want me to take that outside?"
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Post by hadopelagic on Oct 10, 2022 21:09:56 GMT -6
((OOC Una asks Auggie to make a Rum Ham and volunteers to guard the gate and ward off the Beast, if needed. She asks the guard if there's a back door to the fort.))
(Items: Flint, candle, butcher's knife.)
Una had never heard a baby cry before; it was an unpleasant sound, shrill and plaintive. Perhaps the manticore used it to lure well-meaning humans to their death.
"Spiking the pig?" Ah, like the legendary Rum Ham! Una had learned of it on a cautionary television show about terrible people. "Yes! Of course! The meat must be soaked in warm wine. Auggie, could your new friend help with that?" She tilted her head toward the wine woman, who surely had a pot. "As you work, me and John can guard the gate!"
Una held the butcher knife aloft. Then, awkwardly, she lowered it. "I'll need the firebrand. Oh! Mister Guard, is there a back exit?"
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 10, 2022 22:10:20 GMT -6
[ OOC: Ash offers to help make a big fire to buy them more time, as he doesn't feel like he'd be much help with spiking the pig meat. ]
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 11, 2022 0:20:35 GMT -6
The Winemaker does not take much encouragement to go into the hut to hide. She moved quickly and closed the door behind her.
John approaches the others and suggests they do something with the leg of ham that is not leaving it within the gates. August and Ash offer to help distract the Manticore.
Una addresses those gathered, suggesting they heat the wine and then soak the leg of ham in it. The Winemaker and some of the other villagers have already gone inside their huts, so she cannot hear Una’s suggestion, but her large vat for making wine sat unattended in front of her vineyard. The mummy, however, hears her suggestion, and totters over towards the vat to help create Wineham on her orders. It pauses for confirmation before it is joined by August, who places the ham inside of the vat of fermenting fruit, and then pours two full bottles of wine over the vat, before lighting a fire underneath it to heat the mixture. It will take a few minutes to reach boiling.
You have FOUR uses of pitch remaining.
The two crows caw and take flight, fluttering off into the night air noisily and off towards the vague shadows beyond the fortress gates.
As they leave, another crow flies by. It’s voice is distinctively haughty, and perhaps, familiar to some(From the waking world). It screams;
“Run. If this is a game for one, it will be death for the others."
The guard nodded as he was addressed by Una, arm shaking. He continued to point his knife toward (A) the front gate.
“There is another gate behind you, on the other side of the village (G). The gate will open for you, but be careful, the Beast moves quickly.
As if summoned by name, there is a soft snuffling noise, followed by the sob of a baby, far louder than any natural child’s cry. The sound travels, as if whatever creature it is happens to be moving, up and down, left and right, closer and closer. There is a pause, and then they hear a thump.
Then the door wriggles, gently at first, then more violently. They can hear the wall shake with it, sending a small hail of stones down from up high. Those who can see well enough in the dark catch a flash of massive tawny paws tipped with razor-sharp claws probing underneath the gate, reaching for anything that might be within its grasp, before withdrawing, then they appear again in a different place. The gate is not going to hold forever.
The guard takes a shuddering breath.
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Post by indeath on Oct 11, 2022 3:25:25 GMT -6
(( August gives Una the firebrands and pitch. Takes a weapon from the pile then cooks with his mummy pal. He keeps an ear out for trouble.))
“Dr. Una! I am at ya service, ya just the bee’s knees! Ya ain’t allowed ta get hurt though.”
He placed the torches and pitch carefully in front of her. Then he took one of the weapons just in case he needed to rush in and help.
August had grown attached to his little team in a short amount of time. He was even warning up to the hunter and would be sad if any of them got hurt in this quest.
He smiled at Sir Mummy warmly as they waited for the ham to be made alcoholic enough.
“Ya know, don’t listen ta those other guys in ya tomb. Ta me? Ya a real hero, a total MVP!”
He waited for it to be soaked enough to take the manticore out. Keeping his senses alerted to any danger that might face his friends.
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Post by tsukikoko on Oct 11, 2022 17:29:09 GMT -6
[OOC: John interpretatively wiggles to Vince and Ash, coordinating a plan.]
Alright, they were going to really soak that ham. John found himself shaking his head, but he supposed if they were trying to absolutely ensure the meat was alcoholic enough...
But the Manticore was pushing it's paws through the gate, like a cat trying to break into a bathroom. They weren't going to have enough time! His head snapped this way and that, appraising what they had, having ideas and throwing them out again.
In the end, his attention settled on Vince.
The Hunter was less likely to baulk at danger, John thought, which meant he could be useful in lighting a fire near the beast. The Kumiho certainly wasn't about to risk his skin when someone else could first!
After noting the Manticore's paws coming through the door, John swallowed what he could of his pride (lest he might just die to this thing and where would that leave him), to paw at Vincent's leg, in order to get his attention. He nosed frantically for the man's flint, hoping he'd kept it from earlier, while his tail pointed towards the jar of pitch.
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Post by beastly on Oct 11, 2022 18:59:07 GMT -6
((The gang makes a plan. They send Ash flying with the candle, equipped with a bottle to protect it from the wind, and Vincent prepares to make a big pitch mess set on fire once the manticore has been distracted. Una gets ready by the gate.)) ((Items: Flint, Pitch))
Vincent looked down at the fox, frowning as he tried to understand. The flint was actually in his hand, and he was able to connect the dots. He rambled a little, trying to convey his thoughts quickly.
"You- yes. Okay. The fire scares it away. If we can get the fire out there, it will scare it. The gate, it's wood- Ash," he turned to the scaled person, " Can you fly with a candle and lead it away so we can make a big fire? We could use- pitch. Pitch and a door? Wood. But we need to open the gate."
He looked around, trying to formulate a plan quickly, hand twitching for where his gun should be.
Ash spoke. "With a candle...? I can try, but... we do not have a closed lantern, do we? The flame may go out..." He was willing to try at least.
John looked at Ash, his ears flicked. He scampered away and grabbed an empty bottle, one of the ones emptied into the vat, then returned with it and held it up.
Ash blinked at the fox and the bottle; it took him a moment to realize what the creature was implying. "Oh. It... may work." He took the bottle.
Una passed the candle to Ash. "Good luck, brave Ash." She also gave him her flint. "I will be listening at the gate - call for help, if you need it."
Vincent nodded at Ash and ran over to a hut and took hold of a door- but quickly realized it wasn't going to be fast to rip off. They didn't have that kind of time.
"Door won't work. The pitch?" The hunter went to prepare the pitch.
“We believe in ya, Ashy!” August contributed.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 11, 2022 19:19:15 GMT -6
[ Ash takes the candle and goes to distract the manticore. ]
After a brief conversation, Ash accepts the task provided to him - taking the candle to fly and distract the monster. He was nervous, his scales standing on end, but if it was necessary to help protect the others he would do it. He had been given a bottle by the dog-thing, presumably to serve the purpose of a lantern to protect the flame, and it took him a moment to work out how best to use it for that purpose. He stepped away from the others to an out of the way area and carefully smashed the back end of the bottle, then placed the candle inside, using the neck of the bottle as a grip. It should work, he hoped.
Once the others were ready, he took the flint Una had given him and lit the candle. "Please be... Be quick and careful." He fidgets, then nods to the others and leaps into the air, flying over the gate to try to distract the creature.
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Post by hadopelagic on Oct 11, 2022 20:38:15 GMT -6
(Una watches Ash leave and then readies for action Items: Firebrand, pitch)
After Ash took to the air, Una briefly watched him fly away. Then, she turned her attention to the gate.
Earlier, Una had dropped the butcher's knife in order to hold the firebrand in her right hand, which was superior to her left hand. Humans usually favored one side over the other; Una could have shapeshifted into an ambidextrous body, but that would've been unusual, and she was supposed to imitate an *average* human woman.
In the back of Una's mind, she worried: what if the manticore was faster than a cheetah? What if he caught Ash? Could Una race to her friend's side, brandishing the firebrand? Why hadn't she given her body longer legs? She'd focused on sturdiness and strength instead of agility. Had that been a mistake? It sure seemed like one now. Especially since, of all the members of her group, Una was probably the slowest.
When Una returned to Wathais, she'd learn how to roller skate. Then, she'd be very fast!
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 11, 2022 23:29:57 GMT -6
As the others readied the pitch and weapons, August and the Mummy stir the rapidly heating vat of wine and ham. It has now reached a point where it is cooking. Despite the unappetizing discoloration of the meat, and the strange changes in color the wine and grape mixture experiences as it heats, it actually seems to smell…well, like food. As it sits, slowly changing color from dark pink to a very deep red. After a little while, the mummy pokes it with a stick, hard enough to dent the skin. The inner portion no longer appears to be dry, but has become saturated. August feels as if it is now thoroughly soaked in wine, just very hot.
Leaping over the stone and wooden fence, Ash caught sight of the Beast. It was truly massive, easily the size of a bull, or at least twice the size of a very large lion. Its body was composed like a big cat, though his head was disconcertingly flat and humanoid where it emerged from its thick mane, giving the creature the appearance of being unfinished, or without a face. The tail was long and muscular, coiled over its back. It ended in a wicked, comma shaped stinger.
Its emotionless, leonine eyes stared back at him as he flew over its head, though he saw its body bunching down, gathering up momentum, before it dashed after him. It moved more quickly than one would expect with a body that size, though its gaze seemed fixated on the candle.
Ash’s plan was working. The candle lead it on, and his flight outpaced it. The two moved down the hill quickly, headed over the spongy, uneven terrain back towards the direction of the farm.
Far above, as the clouds parted, the huge, blood red moon shone down upon Ash. The light painted the clouds in deep blues, yellows and purples. The light also highlighted another feature; a familiar dark shape, likely catching the updrafts there. It hung in the air for a long, long time, then, almost imperceptibly, appeared to change direction, making a very slow circle.
As the sounds of the creature’s movement recedes, the guard looks at the gate, and then at all gathered, as if asking if he should unlock it now. He swallows hard, holding his knife as if it would protect him from such a beast.
Map: ibb.co/C1kt9ZG
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 12, 2022 17:13:05 GMT -6
[ Ash leads the manticore toward the farm. ]
Ash glanced down at the creature as he winged over, took in it's size, and then with a heavy wingbeat rose a bit higher. He wasn't sure how high it could leap, and he didn't especially want to test it. He spared a quick glance skyward to note the giant bird above - it didn't seem to be descending yet - and then he set to leading the manticore back toward the farm. He kept to a zig-zagging path, making sudden moves to appear enticing - and also to avoid any sudden lunges. He was actually a bit more worried about the giant bird than the grounded beast.
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