Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows (ALPHA)

[ShadowWolfSBI]

It seems that now, the impossible has been done. The supposedly impossibly secure Ironscar Prison has suffered its first true escape. Four fugitives, marked for death, have evaded patrols and now stand within sight of a mansion that they were directed towards by a mysterious benefactor.

And go for reactions to the flashy jump effect.

 

[Caulder]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Mekel's first reaction is to raise his greatsword and ready himself for combat, having been slogging along with the group quietly the entire time. But before he can start swinging, he notices the mansion ahead, and slowly lowers his blade. "Someone mind explaining to me what the hell just happened?" he asks, looking at his......allies...with a questioning glance.

 

[Chameon]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Gilfer laughed slightly, as he shook his head, muttering with amusement "It would appear that we are where we should have been, should we have been elsewhere. Some one thing seems to have gotten impatient with our progress, and that some one thing would, at an estimationining would be up in advance of where we would appear to be. Or, perhaps, the squirrels were warning of this. Evil, vile, delicious looking squirrels..." At that last statement, he seemed to be distracted, his tongue momentarily lapsing across his lips as he shook his head in frustration, as if to clear out a thought.

 

[Caulder]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Mekel sighs, his mask hiding his look of disdain at the shapeshifter. "You're more confusing than a blind prophet, Gil." he says, turning to the only woman in their presence. "And what about you? You have any idea what may have brought us this far?"

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Lanric finally stopped shaking his head. "Okay... What just happened..."

He paused a moment, then...

Knowledge (arcana)

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"...I think that we just got hit by some kind of time-warping effect."

He gave his head one more shake, then looked at Elise. "I guess that's the destination up ahead, then?"

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Elise just stiffened, relaxing as the others started to talk about what had happened. "Let's just try out best not to do that again, I think." She muttered, before answering Lanric's question. "Mansion, countryside, us. Far as i can tell it's the right place. Shall we?"

 

[Caulder]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

"Let's just get somewhere warm and dry. I swear there's moss growing on my armor." Mekel says, hefting his greatsword onto his shoulder and trudging up the path, not bothering to wait on other opinions.

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Slight assumption about to be made by the GM...

It only took a short while for the group to reach the mansion. When they reach the door, it silently swings open, as if they were expected.

Standing in the middle of the entry hall is the same woman who'd appeared in the cell shared by three of the group. Tall, with sharp features. Black hair down to the middle of her back. Hazel eyes studying the group. She was dressed in a crimson dress with black highlights, a different outfit from the appearance in the cell.

Her tone was pitiless when she addressed them. "Well, you took long enough. We were beginning to wonder if you'd ever make it. Oh, and I see you've brought a friend... Well, no matter. The master wants all of you to appear before him, but before that you need to be made presentable. Slaves!" She paused here long enough to give a single clap of her hands. At this, a number of men and women dressed in rather traditional servant's livery assemble, heads bowed. "The people are our guests. See them to their rooms. I want them cleaned, dressed, and refreshed. Quickly."

Something about how she says that last sounds almost like a threat, and the servants seem to take it as such, leading the group to a set of rooms all connected to a mutual sitting room. Warm baths are quickly set up within four of the private rooms, and four platters of hot, and rather delicious, food are also brought up and set to warm. Each of the private rooms also has a wardrobe full of assorted clean clothes.

Clothes are all mundane. And the servants will remain to assist in the removal of the armor.

 

[Chameon]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Gilfer scratched his chin. It would be impolite to arrive in a form that was false, when they were recruiting him, fairly obviously, for his truest capacities. At the same time, he did not want to get devoured, as baring that many blood veins in front of a vampire lady seemed like holding a wrist in her mouth, fairly risky and foolish with little real sanity . So, he focused on his features, he tried to shift the details. Something new, something...stranger. Something more appropriate to a dinner party, while not, perhaps being too...clean. After all, they wanted him for a maddened savage monster, he suspected, so, who was he to blame them for their tastes and break type.

His form, mentally, cracked, split, and changed. An unnaturally long shape with a bent spine, with multiple vibration sensitive cysts covering his back that would be hidden under the clothes they provided. Hair of long waves of synapses, and hands with a multitude more bones then they should have. Sightless eyes instead of what was so normal and appropriate, eyes that stared into the void. Slowly, the idea came to shape, and slowly he tried to force it, eventually managing to manifest in his outfit, which still fit him, to all appearances.

After a moment of looking in the mirror, the outfit a cheapened motley of multi-colored cloth, with cloth shoes, slightly sharpened teeth cutting out of an open, skull-like head, he asked the servant politely "Do you believe this shape would be more appropriate for this kind of function?"

 

[Caulder]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Mekel looks about the room he's brought to, his mask hiding his true emotions as he leans his greatsword against the wall near the doorway, motioning for the servant to help him out of his armor, before he disrobes beside the bath and tends to his own hygiene, though he leaves the mask on the entire time.

Once he had cleaned himself well enough, and dried himself, he found himself standing before the wardrobe, completely lost as to what he should wear. That is, until his eyes settled on a black longcoat, quickly grabbing that and a brown tunic and pants to wear beneath it. Once he had dressed himself accordingly, he looked to the side, at his greatsword leaning against the wall, and decided he wouldn't need it, seeing as how there was likely little chance the woman would have broken them out of prison just to kill them.

With a stretch, he walks out into the sitting room, and plants himself in a chair, crossing his left leg over his right and waiting for the others, his mask staring blankly across the room from its place on his face.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Elise grinned a bit at mention of the pampering in store. She hadn't been treated to so much before, and she took full advantage, feasting on the food provided, and relaxing in the tub for a few moments before cleaning and dressing herself, having sent the servant outside once the bath was prepared.

When she entered the sitting room, she was dressed in a stark black evening gown, with silvered highlights and the sides left open to reveal her dusky skin. Her long hair had been brushed and lay in waves down her back, and a few pieces of simple jewelry adorned her neck, and fingers.

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

The servant merely stepped back somewhat at Gilfer's shift, and seemed to not have an answer for him.

A moment after Elise sits down, Lanric emerges from his room, now clad in a black outfit vaguely resembling a twisted mockery of the standard, unarmored uniform of the kingdom's soldiers and guards. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his right arm seems to have an additional layer or two. Once back out into the sitting room, Lanric took a moment to eat the meal offered.

 

[Caulder]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Mekel's head turns to face the woman, and seems to look up and down her figure a few times. "Now where have you been all my life, beautiful?" he asks in a rather jesting tone, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "So. What do you suppose this woman wants from us? I mean, I'm just a mercenary who just so happens to derive great pleasure from strangling people. You can't swing your arms without hitting four of my kind in a seedy tavern. What about you two? Anything special I might want to know?"

 

[Chameon]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Gilfer's grinning face looked through the fleshy, neurode-covered hair, a single eye staring between two filthy strains of the material at Mekel, a toothy, far too sharp mouth half the way down his face as he responded calmly "You know as much about me as I am to be informed about me. Perhaps the slightest bit less, just maybe. But, who am I to have been informed of this information but myself in a world which has no desire to speak to us in manners which make sense? Speaking of manners which make little sense, my friend soldier, you seem to have been separated with little rhymes or songs dancing as to the 'why'. Be the reason tyrant or jester, I would be curious, as we have all bared our reasons. Ah, and introductions are to be demanded. I am Gilfer, I know not a thing or two about this place."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Elise smirked. "Hiding, under a layer of grime." She answered smartly, preening a little under the praise. She glanced over to Lanric as he entered. Her own arms were bare, the burnt-on scar prominent on her forearm.

"As for why they want us, Seems they could have gotten as much from people -not- in prison. Maybe they're expecting us to die, once we've accomplished what they want."

 

[Caulder]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

"Or maybe they just want people without a conscience to do something less than socially acceptable." Mekel says, his arms remaining crossed, his sleeves thankfully covering over the brand on his forearm, as he looks over at Lanric. "Despite how gods damned confusing Gil's question was, I'm thinking the same thing. Why were you holed up in a seperate cell, mate?"

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Lanric seemed about to respond to Mekel's questioning, when Gilfer's little speech cropped up. He paused for a moment, as if sorting the words, then spoke up. "As for questions about why we, or perhaps just you three, were picked for this... I'm not sure. Seems to me that you know at least a little bit more about what's been going on than I do."

He sighed slightly, then he continued. "As for your questions about me... If I understood them correctly, you were asking about why I was separated in the prison... I'd managed to hear the guards talking during one of the shifts I'd had to sit through. Seems that they thought I had some kind of disease or something like that, and they didn't want it to soil their fun with other prisoners." Here it seemed that he was somewhat scornfully referring to the executions.

"As for why I was there... I'd been trained to use both normal combat means, and magic, to battle foes. I'd been using already dead bodies for training dummies, and they caught me... Of course, that was in part due to some kind of undead showing up during one of my sessions and attacking me. Knocked me out completely, felt like my whole right side was buried in ice when it happened."

"When I woke, my eye color, and skin color, had started to pale out. Same time, white started showing in my hair. I'm not entirely sure, but I think I may be starting to turn into something else... Maybe some kind of undead."

He stopped speaking for a moment, then quickly added, "Oh, yeah... Got busy explaining and forgot part of the questions... I am Lanric Tolzen."

A knock was heard on the door leading to the hallway, and one of the servants stepped through. In a meek voice, the serving man spoke. "Your presence is requested in the main hall."

 

[Caulder]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Mekel hefts himself out of the chair at Lanric's mention of the undead. "Well. If you ARE turning into an undead, then perhaps you may be of use to us. Undead can become rather powerful given time and know-how." he says, turning to face the door when the servant enters. "Best not to keep our benefactor waiting. I don't want to feel her fangs buried in my neck any time soon."

 

[Chameon]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

Gilfer ran a hand through his neurode-laced hair, a moan of pain coming out of his mouth and blood coming out of his tongue after a moment, wincing slightly "This form was perhaps closest to one of my worst ideas in terms of usefulness and application." After a moment though, shaking out the pain, he started walking towards the main hall, blood now red across his sharpened lipless teeth as he stepped into the room.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Shadowed Path - Into the Shadows

"They don't always pick the neck, you know." The woman piped up, amusement in her tone. "Sometimes, the wrist is easier. Or if they seduce their prey, there's even more options. Woman like that, head between your legs, last thing you'd expect is the sudden bite to the thigh, isn't it? Femoral artery pumps quite a lot, she'd feast."

She paused a moment as the servant arrived, standing smoothly. "Besides, she's said twice now that she works for someone greater. it's that one you should be worried about." She commented, following Gilfer towards the next hall.