Session Log 4 - 07-12-04 DamaGM: Male announcer voice: Previously on NYPD... on GURPS: Tales of Lassane... DamaGM: Jacen: We're all gonna burn to death! DamaGM: Jasper: So, not! DamaGM: Jacen: Yuh, huh! DamaGM: Jasper: Nuh, uh. DamaGM: Evayne: Ugh... stupid accidental elemental... DamaGM: Jacen (points at Evayne): This is your fault! DamaGM: Evayne: It is not! DamaGM: Jacen: Pthb! DamaGM: Evayne: Pthb! DamaGM: Kayden: I'm too old and I'm not talking to anyone. DamaGM: Evayne: Hah! I'm morally superiour to you chumps because I can summon fire elementals! DamaGM: Jacen: Like the one that burned down the town? DamaGM: Evayne: I didn't do that!!! DamaGM: Everyone else: Whatever... DamaGM: Evayne: Whatever. Look, you guys help me, or your souls are damned for eternity. Oh, and it's about to rain. Revel in my supreme power! Bwahahaha! DamaGM: [Cue scenery: A hilltop at night, overlooking the burning town of Balam. Jacen, Jasper, Evayne, and a silent Kayden, along with two horses, are gathered around.] DamaGM: Evayne turns away. "We need to find shelter. The sylph have told me that it's about to rain soon." * Jasper scans the area... seeking a reasonably safe, lightning-proof sheltering spot... Jacen: "Shelter. Well...there's the town. It's gotta be safe there by now, right?" Jasper: ...Employing what naturalistic knowledge he has at his disposal. Jasper: "Let's try North. It looks like farmland... we might be able to find someone willing to give us shelter. Or a barn to lurk in, if nothing else." * Jacen nods. "Lurking. That takes me back. Alright, let's go!" He struggles to get up in a horse's saddle. DamaGM: Kayden snorts at Jacen's struggles... before less than gracefully climbing onto the second horse's back. Jacen: "Bloody...there." He wiggles uncomfortably in the saddle...his feet dangling well above the stirrups. Clearly this horse was stolen from someone taller than him. DamaGM: Evayne scowls briefly. "If only walking wasn't so slow..." She huffs mightily and scrambles on behind Kayden. * Jasper hops on in front of Jacen. * Jasper commences operation... 'go somewhere else'. DamaGM: With the only competent rider (that is, Jasper), leading the way, the quartet set off at a slow pace down the hill. Traveling is easy, and you make good time. However, after half an hour or so of travel, thick clouds start gathering overhead. Jasper: "Well, getting a little wet isn't so bad... as long as you don't get penumonia and die." Jasper notes evenly, glancing warily at the sky, and picking up the pace a little bit. DamaGM: The hills eventually give way to flat plains and farmland, but the one or two farmsteads you pass are dark and appear to be in a state of abadonment. Jacen: "At least the rain should keep the efreet at bay," Jacen comments innocently. Jasper: "Well... I guess we could try one of these. Hopefully nobody will be along to kick us out before the rain clears up." DamaGM: By the time you reach a farmhouse in decent repair, the storm is just beginning. A light rain has begun, soaking all of you in a few minutes. * Jacen pulls his cloak around him and holds it tightly. * Jasper glances around cautiously.. in case the occupants are just sneaky, or someone else has already elected to lurk there. DamaGM: The main house is relativly small, smaller than the inn that you just recently left. It has no windows. No smoke drifts out of the chimney, but that just might be from the lateness of the hour. * Jacen nimbly vaults off the horse's back and darts over to the door. He puts his ear to it and scrunches his face in concentration as he tries to listen in. * Jacen shrugs and tries to open the door. DamaGM: Shrieking protest, the door slowly swings open at Jacen's touch, revealing the gaping mouth of darkness within. * Jasper secures the horses... out back if possible, hoping to keep the area looking uninhabited. DamaGM: Kayden and Evayne both dismount. Kayden nods to Jacen, and follows Jasper to secure the horses. And to survey the surrounding area. DamaGM: Evayne prods Jacen in the back. "Well?" she whispers. Jacen: "Uh...hello?" Jacen calls hesitantly, realizing that secrecy was lost with the door's shriek. "If anyone is there, may we come in? The night is foul, and cold...and we crave rest. We can pay you for your pains?" He looks towards Kayden and Evayne. "Also, we have a pregnant woman with us!" DamaGM: Evayne stares incredously at Jacen. "*WHAT?*" Jacen: "It's alright...you're not showing much yet," Jacen assures her. He peers into the house. "No answer. Guess it's okay." With that, he scurries into the darkness...as much to escape Evayne's wrath as to check the place out. DamaGM: Jasper, you see... darkness. And more darkness. Total, unreliveved blackness. You can't see a thing, but your shin finds something with a loud -wap!- Jasper: "Ach! Light bless it!" It's said with all the feeling of sailor-level cursing. * Jacen eeps and jumps back. "Sorry! I didn't see you! I still don't see you, in fact. But we're not looking for trouble, just a dry place to sleep!" DamaGM: A light flares in the darkness, revealing Kayden and Jasper. Kayden is holding an oil lamp, and looks highly amused. "Don't you think it's a little foolish to enter a dark room without a light?" Jacen: "If you had a light, why didn't you have it burning?" Jacen replies, stung. "Besides, how did you get in here before me? I was the one at the door, taking all the chances." Jasper: "Better than staying outside in the rain without a light." He shrugs, glancing around the room, checking for signs of its length of abandonment. DamaGM: Kayden indicates the door behind him, which he and Jasper had come through. "Youd've known about the second entrance... if you've bothered to scout the area." DamaGM: His tone is mildly disapproving. Jacen: "That's what you're there for," Jacen says unconcernedly. "Does the fireplace here work?" He looks around. DamaGM: The room isn't in the best condition, but definitly not the worse. It consists of padded mat on the floor near the south wall, a table and two chairs, both in need of repairs, and a small firepit in the center of the room. DamaGM: The door that Evayne and Jacen entered through is on the west wall. Jasper and Kayden's door lies to the east. Jacen: "Firepit!" Jacen hurries over to see if there's any wood stockpiled. DamaGM: The firepit has been used, but not recently. A good guess would place its last use at about seven or eight hours ago... Jacen: "Huh...these ashes are still...kinda fresh," Jacen notes, poking at them. DamaGM: A small stack of wood, mostly dry, is stacked against the wall by the east door. Jasper: "Hm... people may be returning. Let's try and have a minimal impact on things, all right?" Jacen: "Funny. You'd think someone was here just last night. Pretty funny, huh?" He gives the others a weak grin. Jasper: "That would include avoiding using other people's firewood. If we want to stay here at all." Jacen: "But...but...surely they'd want to come home to a nice fire?" Jacen points out. "The room already warm and cozy." Jasper: "Not if firewood is in short supply." He shakes his head. "I'd rather not risk a confrontation with whoever lives here." He glances at Kayden. "That's for their benefit, not ours." Jacen: "Well what are we supposed to do then? Sleep under the horses?" Jacen points at Evayne. "You heartless fiend, she is with child! Would you kill her unborn babe?!" DamaGM: Evayne twitches and glares at Jacen. "Consider yourself blessed that I *can't* summon efreets." Then she jerks her hood up and stalks out. * Jasper glances at Evayne. "I'll admit, I have fewer compunctions about responsibility for the loss of fictional babies." Jacen: "Hmph." DamaGM: Kayden sighs heavily and gives Jacen a "look what you did *this* time" look. Jacen: "It's not -my- fault if she doesn't know she's pregnant," Jacen says to the warrior. * Jasper sighs. "I'd better try to bring her back in." Jacen: "Aye, well...don't mention the baby to her. She seems moody. Women get like that." He nods sagely. * Jasper follows Evayne out quietly. Approaching so as to neither disturb greatly, nor sneak up on. Outside... DamaGM: Kayden waits until Jasper leaves... then stares pointedly at Jacen. "Well? What're you lazing around for? Build the fire up, lad." He sits on the floor, unslings his sword and begins to polish it. Jacen: "But...I...right! Yes." He scrambles to the wood and starts tossing planks into the firepit. Once a decent pile is there, he begins arranging them into an elaborate structure meant to make sure they burn efficiently and slowly. DamaGM: The wood catches, and pretty soon a good size fire has been lit. DamaGM: Kayden glances at the fire, grunts as if he expected nothing less, and continues to clean the blood from his blade. * Jacen sits close to the fire to dry his clothes, and wrings his cloak out onto the floorboards next to him. "So what do you think?" he asks at last. "This...Evayne." DamaGM: "I think she's got a nice butt." Kayden's lips twitch in the beginnings of a leer. Jacen: "Uh...right. But, I mean, her story. The relic...the church...all of it," Jacen replies. "You think she can really pay us? And who knows who took the relic? Or who else wants it! Why, that Theodist might have been in the inn for it!" DamaGM: Kayden shrugs. "On a battle, you don't have time to rationalize things. You either do what you're told or you desert and die. We agreed to help her. We don't need to know reasons." Jacen: "Yes, but...this isn't a battle," Jacen points out. "So knowing the reasons would be nice." DamaGM: "All of life is a battle." He holds the sword up to the light to examine it, then brings it down and resumes cleaning. "The sooner you realize that, the easier life will become." DamaGM: "Reasons only complicate things." Jacen: "I like complicated," Jacen grumps. "Complicated is...interesting. You just want to help because of her butt." DamaGM: "Not just because of her butt." He grins. "She's got a nice rack, too." * Jacen sniffs. "She's like...half your age. You could be her dad." DamaGM: "Women like a man with experience. Shows that he doesn't just grab and grope." Jacen: "Oh, and you're not?" Jacen shoots, "I bet I could find a lot of barmaids who'd question that." DamaGM: "Bah, name one." Jacen: "Well, there was Hannah, back in Hillswright," Jacen notes. "She was actually very nice. She gave me an extra pudding for free." DamaGM: "Hannah... Hannah... Oh right. Hannah. The girl with the freckles and the perky-" He pauses as Evayne and Jasper enter, dripping wet, then continues smoothly, "Attitude. Very energetic, Hannah was." * Jacen 's mouth twitches, and he looks over his shoulder. "Jasper! Evayne! Come sit over here by the fire." He scoots over to make room. DamaGM: Evayne shakes her head slightly. "If it's all the same to you, I'm going to sleep." She puts her words to effect by wrapping herself in her cloak and stretching out on the bedding. * Jasper nods with a sigh. "I guess we can help them replace the wood if it is a grave matter." He tries to wring out his robe, while still wearing it, before taking a seat. Jacen: "Of course we can!" Jacen says happily. Jasper: "Someone should keep watch, in case our 'hosts' show up." DamaGM: Kayden nods to Jasper. "You're right. Jacen will take the first watch." Jacen: "Aww..." Jacen moans theatrically. "I always take first waaaaaaaatch!" Jasper: "I will, if you prefer." Jasper offers... only moderately concerned at undermining Kayden's proposal. Jacen: "Nah, it's okay. I'm used to it," Jacen grumps, even more theatrically. "He'll whip me if I don't." Jacen: "Like a mule." Jacen: "Like...an OLD mule." * Jasper nods slowly... trying to determine how best to interpret the hyperbole. * Jacen gets up and wedges little sticks under the two doors, then dusts his hands off. "Funny, building a place with no windows," he mutters. DamaGM: Kayden clears his throat loudly. "Better a mule than an ass." He nods to Jasper, though. "First watch it is. The boy can take second." Jasper: "Quite. Let's hope they aren't vampires." He lies out on the floor, making a bed of his equipment as best he can. "Very well. Jacen, I'll wake you in a few hours." Jacen: "But...I thought -I- was taking first!" Jacen whines...with a somewhat suspiciously enthusiastic undertone to it that suggests he was just waiting for the chance to do that. * Jasper shakes his head tiredly.. and proceeds to watch the doors, and listen to the fire... and vice versa. DamaGM: "Quiet, lad, before you wake the pregnant girl." Jacen: "Oo...yeah. Sorry." With that, Jacen settles down and curls up near the fire. DamaGM: Kayden takes up a position on the floor by the east door, where anyone forcing entry would have to hit him with the door to get past him. Sitting with his back to the wall, his sword propped in his arms, he quickly dozes off. * Jasper waits for the others to be asleep... before opening a small wooden box in his pack, and taking out a small, bloated looking, black worm. It wriggles irritably. * Jasper places the leech on his skin and lets it feed... for no medical purpose at the moment, but one must keep one's leeches well fed, until their services are required. * Jasper repeats this procedure with a few more of the tiny creatures in the box... not allowing them to drink their fill... but being sure they won't starve. Fresh y-shaped scars are left on the otherwise unmarred flesh just above his wrists, hidden by his robes. DamaGM: Jasper's watch passes uneventfully, as does Jacen's, and Kayden's. Morning comes. The rain has passed sometime during the night, the fire has died down, and the owners of the shack have yet to return. * Jacen wakes up and stretches blearily, then hunkers down to poke at the coals, coaxing whatever warmth he can from them. * Jasper is lying sprawled on the floor, his fingers and eyes twitching... dreaming something. DamaGM: Jacen, Kayden is still by the door, in the same position he was last night. Evayne is gone. DamaGM: With a little effort, he gets the fire going again. * Jacen yawns again and gets to his feet. He takes the stick out of the door Kayden isn't guarding, and pokes his head outside to look around for Evayne. Jasper: "Mmmuurmmph..." Jasper groans desperately as the heat of the rekindled fire impresses itself on whatever dream he's having. DamaGM: The sky is a bright blue, uncluttered by clouds. Thankfully, the west door lies in shadow, so he is not immediatly blinded by sunlight. Evayne isn't anywhere he can see. Jacen: He closes the door behind him, gently, and calls, "Evayne? The fire's going again. Thought I might cook some breakfast, if you're hungry." He walks around to the front of the house, where the horses were tied. "Evayne?" * Jasper sits up jerkily, waiting for his brain to fully admit that it was just fooling him. When he finds both Evayne and Jacen absent... he wastes little time in seeking them out. DamaGM: A sudden gust of wind strikes Jacen squarely in the middle of his chest, hard enough to knock him onto his rump. He hears a faint, high-pitched giggle. * Jacen shakes his head and rubs his heart. "Wha...oh, that's not right. Use magic on me, willya!" He jumps to his feet and looks around, trying to isolate where the giggle's coming from. DamaGM: As Jasper rushes out, Kayden cracks open an eye to survey the empty room. "Hmph. A little *over* eager, aren't they?" He stretches a little, then settles back down. DamaGM: Jacen, a second gust ruffles through your hair, and you catch a flicker of bluish light at the corner of your eyes. More laughter is heard. Jasper: "Jacen." He inquires as he approaches, not registering anything out of the ordinary. "Where's Evayne?" * Jacen whirls and charges at the spot he saw the blue flash, occasionally ducking abruptly, or jinking violently from side to side to evade invisible blasts of air. * Jasper narrows his eyes, seeking the sourde of Jacen's (especially) odd behavior. DamaGM: Despite his bizarre and erratic movements, several more gusts tug at Jacen's arms and legs. Abrubtly, one leg is pulled out from under him, knocking him to the ground yet again. Jacen: "Agh!" He lies there, then rolls over and kicks to his feet again, quickly turning around in a circle to look all around...he seems about to shout something when an incongruous expression of realization lights his face. "Hey! You're that sylph thingy, not Evayne." DamaGM: As if to confirm this, a bright blue light appears above Jacen's head. * Jacen rubs his shoulder and winces. "Sheesh. That kinda hurt, ya know. Hey, do you know where Evayne went off to? I was gonna cook everyone breakfast." DamaGM: The light giggles, and spirals down from its position, circling first Jacen, then Jasper. Then both of you, whipping up a mild breeze in its wake. Jacen: "Not...especially helpful, are they?" Jacen notes to Jasper. Then he says to the sylph, louder, "Sorry...didn't catch that. Can you lead us to Evayne?" * Jasper nods politely at the thing. DamaGM: The sylph bobs around erratically. * Jasper addresses the Slyph in the elder tongue... *Take us to the one that called you, please.*. * Jacen looks at Jasper curiously. DamaGM: The sylph darts around excitedly and zooms off. DamaGM: And then it loops around and settles itself in Jacen's hair. * Jasper glances at Jacen skeptically. "You aren't a summoner, are you?" Jacen: "Uh...no?" * Jacen bats at his hair. "Hey, getoff...I'm not Evayne." * Jasper sighs and tries again. *Lead us to where you arrived.* DamaGM: The sylph nimbly dodges Jacen's fingers. At Jasper's request, it hovers in front of Jacen for a moment, then darts away.... straight up into the air. It stops at a height of abouty thirty feet, a brighter blue speck in the sky. * Jacen chuckles. "It came from the sky, get it?" Jacen: He shouts at it, "Evayne! Take us to...EVAYNE! Funny eyes, see?" he points at his eyes. "Girl! Get it! GIRL!" He makes a motion at his chest to suggest the presence of something...curved there. Jasper: "I suppose it could have arrived spontaniously..." He says doubtfully. "Even if she did summon it, I doubt it knows her name." DamaGM: The sylph drifts lazily down to a height of about ten feet, and begins to make swooping patterns through the air. Jacen: "Well, hells. I guess we'll just look around then. She can't have gotten off far." Jasper: "Though... something a bit easier to track by might be the right tactic, yes..." *Take us to the one with red hair.* Jasper: "If they aren't color blind, and it's seen her... that should do it." Jasper: "...maybe." he adds, continuing a footwise search. DamaGM: And at that, the sylph shoots towards one corner of the house, dances about in the air, then darts around the corner, out of sight. * Jasper follows it at a hustle. Jacen: "there it goes!" Jacen cries gleefully, and dashes after it. Jasper: "You speak high Elden, then?" He asks as he runs alongside. Jacen: "Me? Hells no!" Jacen answers, grinning. DamaGM: At the front of the house, where the horses have been tied to the elm, the sylph waits, bobbing almost impatiently. It circles the trunk of the tree. Jasper: Jasper looks around the tree carefully... and up in its branches. * Jacen comes to a stop at the tree. "But...we were just here you silly thing," Jacen complains. * Jasper thumps on the tree trunk. * Jacen just looks up, not muttering anything. DamaGM: "What in Isian are you two doing?" Evayne's faintly irritated voice comes, not from the tree, but from directly behind you. Jasper: "Just playing with a Slyph." Jasper replies smoothly... again not particularly lying. Jacen: "Tring to get this stup...oh hey." He turns and looks at her. "Where've you been?" DamaGM: Evayne, arms folded, regards you both with a look of puzzlement. "My morning vespers. What sylph?" Jasper: *Come sit in his hair again.* Jasper points at Jacen as he speaks to the Slyph. Jacen: "That thing you summoned." Jacen: "It's been leading us a merry chase. Did you tell it to do that?" DamaGM: Evayne stares wide-eyed, not at the sylph, but at Jasper. "You speak High Elden!?" Jasper: "I am a scholar, not a warrior." He replies calmly, eyeing the last place he saw the Slyph. DamaGM: The sylph has drifted behind Evayne and circles her, trying to gain her attention. "A scholar," she says flatly. * Jacen points. "There it is!" DamaGM: The sylph has drifted behind Evayne and circles her, trying to gain her attention. "A scholar," she says flatly. * Jacen points. "There it is!" * Jasper nods at Evayne. "Practical knowledge, though. Somewhat, And.. I can hit people with a stick in a pinch." Jacen: "Speaking of which, that sliff hit me twice." DamaGM: "I'm sure," she says dryly. Jacen: "You ought to chastise it." DamaGM: "I'm sure you deserved it," she says to Jacen. Jacen: "What? I was just calling you! I was going to make breakfast!" DamaGM: However, she lifts a hand, palm up, and the sylph immediatly hovers above it. DamaGM: "Well, for future reference, I don't like being interrupted during my vespers." Jacen: "Oh," Jacen says. "Well, maybe next time you'll let someone know when you go to vesper. Or put up a big sign that says, 'here be me vespering.'" Jasper: "Considering the mind-twisting our foes are dealing with... it might be wise to consider letting each other know before wandering off, yes." Jacen: "Then I'll know to watch out for crazed sylphs." Jasper: (are should be 'of the' or some such...) DamaGM: Evayne narrows her eyes in vast irritation. "I don't have to explain my personal business to either of you. And as for crazed sylph." She focuses her attention on the hovering blue light. "/Sitha./" DamaGM: The blue light immediatly pulses and glows bright white. DamaGM: After about ten seconds, the sylph returns to normal. Jacen: "No, you don't have to. But if you don't, then be prepared for someone coming around looking for you." * Jasper watches the slyph intentl yas it 'does its business'. DamaGM: As the sylph returns to its normal blue self, Evayne lowers her hand slowly. Her eyes are slightly glazed. "I see..." She blinks, then looks at the sylph directly. "Thank you." The sylph bobs once, then vanishes on a gust of wind. Jacen: "So what was that all about?" DamaGM: "They're ahead of us. North. Headed for ruins. Sylph aren't good at distance but... if we leave now, we can catch them by nightfall." Jacen: "Who is?" * Jasper makes sure the horses are generally good to go, as he listens to Evayne's response. DamaGM: "The Shev! The ones that stole the artifact!" DamaGM: She spins on her heel and stalks back towards the house. "Come on! We've got to get going!" * Jacen nods and bursts into the house to get Kayden and put out the fire. * Jasper hurries after to collect what of his things he left behind. Jacen: "Kayden! We're going! The Shev are going to the ruins!" DamaGM: (Press Start to Continue... 3... 2... 1... GAME OVER!)
DamaGM: Outside, the rain has picked up considerably, and it takes you a moment to notice Evayne, as her black cloak helps her to blend into the darkness. She's standing a short distance away from the shack. Her hood is down, her face lifted to the sky. DamaGM: Over the hiss of rain, Jasper can hear her voice. She's singing, and doesn't seem to notice him. DamaGM: Jasper immediatly recognizes the tune: the hymn of the dead, to ease the souls of those who have died in Darkness. * Jasper stands back in solemn silence, listening. ... Resisting the temptation to join in, as best he can. DamaGM: As Evayne completes the last two verses, he joins in, his voice blending with her soprano, a little rusty at first but mellowing out near the end. She jumps, clearly surprised, and glances at him, but continues the hymn to the end. DamaGM: When the last notes trail off, she turns to look at him directly. "You... know the hymns?" Jasper: Jasper nods solemnly. "Well enough to use them, when it is called for." DamaGM: She looks confused at this. "Where did you learn them? Did you attend the masses at Maun?" Jasper: "Yes." He replies... shuddering slightly at what is painfully close to a lie by omission. DamaGM: Evayne frowns, and, stepping a little closer, tips her head up to get a better look at Jasper's face. * Jasper steps back at the same time, trying to objectively change the subject. "We should get back inside... lest a hymn beseeching recovery from illness becomes necessary for the both of us." DamaGM: Evayne studies him for another moment, then let's the matter slide for now. "I suppose we should." She turns toward the door, takes a few steps, and pauses. She says awkwardly, "...thank you. For singing with me." Then she walks inside. * Jasper nods graciously and replies quietly, half to himself. "Thank you for reminding me." Back...