As Esyld backed away from Viktor she nearly ran into Cirok, who was already mimicking her caution.  "Sorry," he mumbled as he got out of her way and continued to shuffle away from the drunk and quite possibly reckless barbarian.

As the two pieces clank together the sphere splits in the middle and pops into a slight oval shape. The center "groove" is filled by a thin mesh that reminds you of chains linked together. For a brief second it is quiet.

Then the oval flashes a brilliant white light like the dawning of a new sun. If that were not bad enough the now offensive object begins to screech like a chorus of tortured rabbits growing louder and louder.

The light frames out the form of Viktor as it spills into the cargo hold illuminating the vast cavern, nearly allowing for visibility to the door you first came through. Spots dance before your eyes as the shadows of your companions begin to be overwhelmed.

[Private to Viktor: You are simply stunned, ground Zero, Nuclear blast, you are also going to be mildly deaf for a while.]
[Private to Berta; Angrboda; Cirok; Esyld; Rael Gol: Agility roles all around to dive into the water to avoid the worst of it. You are still going to be momentarily blinded, much like when your mother turned the lights on in the morning to wake you up]

OOC: 01:11, Today: Angrboda rolled 89 using 1d100.  Agility tn 105.

Angrboda's ducking behind Viktor has Berta moving a split second before the flash of blinding lights and terrible noise starts up, the chill of the waters as she dives beneath them a blessed relief in the face of that assault on her eyes and ears.

[Private to GM:  21:47, Today: Secret Roll: Berta rolled 68 using 1d100.  Agility vs 85.]

WHAT? did someone say something?falls to one knee and grabs his ears and starts laughing as he kneels there...all of a sudden feeling quite sober...wondering what happened...

Rael was far enough and looking the other way, he did glance when he heard the commotion quickly tossing his head to the other side. Eyes watering from the bright flash of light he wobble to his feet and rubbing his eyes he calls "Are everyone alright..."

looks around in a dazed and confused state and sees Rael talking but it sounds extremely distant and muffled....rather stunned by what happened just kneels there and doesnt say a word...

One instant she had been uttering a brief laugh at her backward collision with Cirok, and the next throwing her free arm across her eyes, and ducking beneath the frigid waters, in desperate retreat from the awful light and sound...

Esyld rolled 75 using 1d100  agility @ 75% ... OMG, just barely!!

Still excusing himself in an embarrassed tone, cheeks flushing red after bumping into Esyld and nearly tripping her up, Cirok was completely unprepared for the sudden eruption of deafening noise and searing light.  As the intensity surged he saw others diving beneath the chill waters for escape, but rather than instinctively follow suit he dumbly turned to search out the cause of the chaos.  And in doing so left himself completely exposed to the full brunt of Viktor's imprudence.


OOC:

10:35, Today: Cirok rolled 79 using 1d100.  Agility test (TN 60).  Fail!

[Private to GM: Please let me know what the effects are and I'll incorporate into future posts.]

Only the preternatural reflexes of her race save Angrboda as the light flashes as she blinks and hides her eyes quickly.  Moving from behind Viktor she uses that same grace to move deftly back over to the door way, [Private to group Eng: "HEY, that wasn't very nice.  I told we are here to help."] she yells into the doorway.

Angrboda once again speaks the strange tonal noises into the room.
As you wipe the moisture from your eyes, from either the water or tears, a single blurry shape lands on the stack of boxes a few feet(1m) from Rael Gol in the cargo hold. As your eyes are able to focus better it is what appears to be a "muppet" from the bridge. Strapped about its body are various belts and other items of utility that you simply cannot identify. Its pink skin is stretched thin with a mild hunger similar to those above decks, just not as pronounced. The dull hair that adorns its head is tangled, wild, and much longer than those you met in the bridge.

The "muppet" unfurls a length of string with a small oblong object on the end of it and begins to whip it around its head in a way the reminds you of a lasso. A warbling, buzzing, noise like a horde of bees starts up. The light of your torches cast shadows giving this new arrival a very haunted look and the glint off of the black saucer eyes. Overall the posture of the thing is aggressive giving this creature an almost barbaric look.

[Private to Rael Gol: From what you remember, this looks like the same being that watched you as you picked up the silver disk. It IS the same buzzing noise that you remember.]

Tries to get up and see what is going on but just stumbles to the ground....holds his ears and hopes the buzzing goes away soon...

"STOP IT!" Angrboda yells angrily, "Screw these little beasts, if they can't play nice." she thinks as she attempts to throw a spell at the beastly little monster.

OOC:  Casting Agony, hopefully it works on the bastard.

Berta breaks the surface, her fiery tresses whipping around as she turns her head towards the newest threat, alterted by Angrboda's cry.  "One of the mad ones !" she warns, though the words are stolen from her lips by the cacaphony.  Grimly she stoops again, hunting about with her fingers beneath the water, looking for something, anything that she might hurl at the creature to dissuade it from it's present course.

Rael is standing far too close and Viktor is far to far from this mad muppet. He tries to smile, not exposing his teeth, at the the thing.

"We are friends..." he says in a soothing voice, or rather in whatever voice he can make standing in freezing water and nearly half blind from Viktor folly.

Rivulets of water running off her steel-cap helm, and from her drenched hair, she blinked rapidly, doing her best to clear her sight of both water and the after effects of the painfully bright flash.   Thankfully, she managed to keep the torch above water, so it hadn't extinguished.

Berta's warning much confirmed what she beheld.  Hazarding rapidly on what to do next, she realized Angrboda was chanting a spell, and decided to await the results, before she did anything.

[Private to GM: Holding my action till Angr's spell goes off, and we see what it does.]

Angrobda's tone switches instantly from a helpful demeanor to one of near vengeance in an instant. She sets herself into the increasingly familiar motions to loose one of her incantations...only to once again have nothing happen. [Secret to Angrboda: "...The monkey thought 'twas all in good fun, Pop! Goes the weasel."]
[Private to Angrboda: As in the two times prior, you built up the power and released it, only to have it simply vanish without manifesting.]

After a few moments the figure glances at Rael Gol and crooks it's head. The length of cord and the bauble slow till the figure catches it easily in his other hand. It extends it's hand towards the group pointing first at Angrboda then at Rael Gol. With it's other hand it gathers together the length of cord and tucks into a folded pouch at it's waist. After things are situated to the still feral looking "muppet" it holds out it's gaunt hand open palm up.

Rael glance at Angrobda, yes she appeared civil and charming but behind that thin mask was the real daughter of Melniboné revealed herself.

Again he smile and with shacking hands pulls at his pouch finding some soggy biscuits and offering it to muppet. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you..." he adds trying to keep the same soothing demeanor as before "Do you have somewhere dry and warm we could go? please we are freezing in the water."

Angrboda stares at the strange creature in front of her, [Language unknown: "Een, tra ckalekol ad pe ingoutera ore lo ortwheday t.  To ter whenre?"] she asks as she approaches the creature with caution, mimicking it's hand gesture as she does so.

Esyld gave a relieved sigh.  It was a lesson in not making assumptions.

She also gave silent thanks that Angrboda's magic had failed, as well as for Rael's more sensitive approach.   Perhaps they would have an ally, after all?

And, it occurred to her to wonder... that magic seemed not to work, here.  Was it possible this was a place of Law, then?   She'd heard tales of such, where the occult was said not to work.   It was a heartening thought, if hard to believe, amid all this craziness.

She smiled briefly at the moppet, then glanced toward the others.  Viktor, who'd caught the brunt, looked like he might need help.   Cirok too seemed like he might be more effected.  Since his head wasn't wet, she surmised he had not ducked.

"Can you see?" she asked of him.

It was good that the moppet had stood down from his aggressive posture, for Cirok would likely have borne the brunt of any assault from that direction as well.  He'd stood more or less motionless since the explosion of light and sound in Viktor's hands, his eyes blinking furiously and his head shaking back and forth every so often, as though to chase the buzzing bees away from his ears.  At least he wasn't shivering, nor his teeth clattering with the chill waters.

His head swiveled slowly when Esyld spoke to him, and he cocked it a little sideways so that he might see her from a slightly different angle.  "Can I what?" he asked, a little too loudly.  "Sea?  Oh, see!"  He chuckled slightly, and flashed a rueful smile.  "Yes, yes, more or less.  Looked into the sun too long, is all.  Big bright spots everywhere."

"You're all wet, I think.  Made it under?"  He nodded in approval, not really waiting for the answer he could barely hear.  "What's Rael and Angrboda saying?  One I can't make out, the other makes no sense.  Unless my ears are worse than I thought."  He took his head in both hands and rubbed his ears vigorously for a few seconds, then paused to evaluate.  A shake of his head told Esyld it didn't really work.

Rael Gol reaches out with his soggy biscuit as Angrboda approaches. At that moment a pealing wail of the ship echos across the cargo hold. In that tiny second of distraction the feral figure quickly lashes out and grasps Rael Gol by the hand knocking the biscuit into the water.[Secret to Rael Gol: "I saw you before. You did not seem real as they were attacking you. Nothing else survived. There was no way you were real. Now you stand before our door."] It's black orb like eyes seems to hold Rael Gol in thrall. Still holding onto Rael's hand it extends it's other hand towards Angrboda. [Secret to Rael Gol: "The moaning keeps them at bay. They are smart. You are not of the ship. They may have found a way. You did not seem them."]

[Private to Rael Gol: You are not transfixed. You can act freely.]

Angrboda flinches when the crazy creature moves but shrugs her shoulders and acquiesces to its demands, "I suppose they have a way to test for the ghost goats." she says as she holds her hand forward.

Berta curses as the small creature dashes Rael's offering from his hand and then seizes him.  Starting forwards, wading through the deep waters, she makes to draw her blade ...

... then stops, grimacing as Angrboda reaches for the creature, and none the less concerned, but trusting that the Melnibonean knows what she is doing or at least praying that is so.

Turning her head quickly, she looks to see that Esyld and Cirok are unharmed, shrugging her shoulders helplessly, then turns her attention to Viktor.  "It's me !" the warrior-woman calls out loudly as she tenatively places a hand on his shoulder, "Berta !  You took the worst of it !  Can you stand ?!!"

No I don't need a drink...oh can I stand....chuckles and attempts to stand with Berta's help...puts his arms around her and shakes his head a little...