"I generally just steal a skin when I want to go among folk who might not want me there." The medicine man says. "Might be a good time to test those skills out."

The appearance of small frown mark between Rabbit's brows is all the reaction to that that makes it to the surface: Rabbit looks out at the dead again. "Most of them don't have much skin..." she observes, thinking hard. A sensation like a forgotten idea pulls at her mind for attention.



The conversation in Rabbit's thoughts takes only the space of a blink: then Rabbit's eyes widen, she gives a sort of squeak, and her empty clothes collapse in a pile.

[[18:51, Today: Tan Xiaohan rolled 7,1 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,1.  much medicine.]]

A small, very literal Rabbit hops out from under the shirt, stands on her hind legs, and pulls down an ear to look at. Her markings are back to black in this form, which would at least be camoflage on the ground outside.

Gazes moved his eyes between the Thunderbird and the Raven.

"The Hooded One was not the Raven, I thought? How is it he leads them here..." he said, and thought hard on the options before him.

The thought of facing either the powerful Hooded One, or even Raven if that was his true identity, filled him with icy fear. But the Temptation of ending the fight here, now... the other shaman, Rabbit, had drawn Raven's blood. If Raven could bleed, he could be killed.

OOC: Do I know of the plan/desire to return Black Kettle and Red Cloud to life with the Ghost Dance? Would Dogwa's words be readily interpreted to mean those two?

The snake slither-shrugs again. "Anyone can be hidden beneath a robe such asss that. Check hissss hand, if you doubt. But The Raven is clever. He hasss many who take hisss name and work hisss will. Isss that the one, true Raven? Who knowsss for ssssure? But he leadsss the Black Ridersss."

((OOC: Yes, he'd be aware that the general purpose of the Ghost Dance being organized is to try and return some of the dead to life. Red Cloud and Black Kettle are the most prominent folk to have been killed recently.))

He accepts the stone and looks at it with a strange expression that is a mix of reverence, uncertainty, and remembrance of things past. It was not long after that he had first met the one who would come to be called Screaming Rabbit, who was now by his side.

"Yes, perhaps we should disguise ourselves, but still move quietly so as not to attract notice," he agreed. "I can perhaps help you in moving quietly."

Rabbit pulls her lasor out of her clothes and spends a little time carefully unpicking the knot that binds the thunderbird feather to it with her teeth: this she takes to Thunder Walker, gesturing to wave it around then at the outside. She leaves it on his foot, hops back for her lasor and picks it up in her mouth.

Just to check, the bunny throws her head violently to the side, flicking the blade to full extension. Satisfied, she closes it against the ground and carries it in her mouth to Thunder Walker's side.

((OOC: *poke, poke* Waiting for updates from Gazes and Thunder Walker...))

Gazes stared a long time. Much longer than he usually stared at anything other than the stars themselves.

"Dogwa. Can you help me reach the Swiftest Eagle? I can call for aid."

Gazes began chanting, softly at first, but then with more fervor as he called out to the spirits to aid him.

OOC: Unless the dreamworld Hunting Grounds won't allow it, I'd like to call Normal Spirit. Is that something I can do in this state?
This message was last edited by the player at 04:03, Thu 23 Feb 2017.

The snake shakes its head. "Not interesssted in becoming Eagle'sss dinner." The snake looks down at the roots of the tree they are in. "But The Ssssscreaming Rabbit That Sssscaressss The Wolvessss and The Walker In Thunder can help you. Sssscreaming Rabbit is fiercssse enough that even the Eagle callssss her friend."

((OOC: Oh, you can do that, yes, but heed Dogwa first...you don't want your snake friend eaten by Rabbit's eagle friend, do you? That would be all manner of embarrassing.))

Gazes grins and stops his chanting.

"Ah yes. Would you guide me to them, friend? My terrors chase me through the trunk."

He pulled his cloak tighter around himself and regretted never learning the art of skinwalking.

"Climb." The snake says. "Sssseek the root. Coyote'sss den isss right below usss."

Gazes nods. With a short embrace of his Spirit guardian, he begins to climb down the trunk of the tree, wishing he had either warshield or coup stick with him.

He forced himself not to consider the fact that he was currently climbing the source of his greatest nightmare. Not to consider that a wrong step could send him hurtling through space at the mercy of any wandering manitou.

He glanced over at Rabbit as she made her transformation, and then picked up the feather that she had given him. He didn't know whether she would understand him in her present form.

"I think I can take us there, Rabbit," he said, concentrating on the diamond he had once taken from the Uktena. He remained quiet for some time while he focused on the stone, fervently thinking of the spirits and his ancestors, asking them for the favor he needed.

If Rabbit shows no sign of returning to her normal form, he will reach down and see if she wishes to be picked up.

---

18:56, Today: Thunder Walker rolled 18 using 1d20, rerolling max with rolls of 18.  Minutes.

Thunder Walker spends the required time imbuing the stone with Contact Spirit World, using the Open Portal ability with the Power Points stored in the stone:

18:59, Today: Thunder Walker rolled 4,6 using d6+1,d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.
Tribal Medicine.

Tribal medicine: 6
This message was last edited by the player at 01:03, Fri 24 Feb 2017.

Gazes At stars climbs, down and down. Luckily, unlike his frequent nightmares, he's not the focus of anyone, but he can feel a power rising from the den at the roots of the tree.

He reaches the ground, and sees a faint light from inside the den. It looks like a tight squeeze.

---

As Thunder Walker concentrates on the stone, filling it with power from around him and forging a connection with the spirit he wished to travel to, Laughs At Darkness suddenly looks up at the entrance of the den.

"heheheheHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he cackles.

---

From inside the den, Gazes At Stars hears a chilling, mournful coyote howling. Or is that laughter? He's not entirely sure, but either way, it doesn't sound at all inviting.

((OOC: Hmmm...the Portal function of Contact Spirit World usually doesn't connect two place in the Hunting Grounds...it's a portal to/from The Hunting Grounds to the Material World. But since you have Wanbli Luja's feather, that's a good physical connection, and sympathetic magic is known to work in Deadlands. So alrighty. I can give you this. Remember that opening a portal from the Hunting Grounds has a -2 penalty (it's easier to get in than get out), though that's still a success.

The 18 minute focus time, however, is more than enough time for Gazes At Stars to reach the roots of the tree and find the den...and LaD tries to scare him away with an Intimidation ToW.

23:59, Today: Laughs At Darkness rolled 4,4 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Intimidate ToW.

Eh. Not the best roll. Gazes, make a Spirit check.))

Gazes at Stars balked for a moment.

No, he thought, not inviting at all.

Then he pressed forward, squeezing through the entrance, mumbling something about wishing he was a snake.

23:05, Today: Gazes At Stars rolled 3,11 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+5)11. Spirit Check.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:10, Fri 24 Feb 2017.

Unsure quite what Thunder Walker was doing or where 'think' would take them, Rabbit just tugs her clothes nearer the mighty warrior whilst he chants. She seems cautiously amenable to being picked up so long as he doesn't grab her, but is distracted by scuffling above, loud to rabbit ears.

Giving Thunder Walker a 'one moment' look, Rabbit hops off to investigate.

The first thing Gazes At Stars sees as he crawls into the den is a speckled bunny hopping toward him with a folded straight razor in its mouth.

The first thing Rabbit sees is Gazes At Stars, trying awkwardly to climb though a hole not really built for people.

"...could do it without a problem. But no, I'm not a snake..." Gazes was saying as he eked his way into the Den. He stared at the armed rabbit.

"Hmph," was about as much coherence he could muster

The small black and white bunny looks and grunts back at him, ears curiously forward rather than defensively flat. *hmh!*

Apparently satisfied, she hops back to inform go Thunder Walker, waiting until a pause in concentration to draw rough stars on the ground with the lazor and obviously stare at them with a head-toss at the entranceway.

The shaman chuckles as he looks at the star scribble. "Come on in, Gazes At Stars! You're right on time!"

The shaman looked at the cloaked and hooded figure.

"So I have been told. We seek Black Kettle and Red Cloud, yes? Once they are safe, I have heard of a way to cripple the Dead Army that marches across the deadlands"

The shaman wrapped in the coyote skin snickers.

Then he's quiet.

An uncomfortably long time.

Loooong time.

Then...

He's still quiet.

Until...

He's still quiet.

Yup. Still waiting for someone to say something. He tilts his head at Gazes.

And is still quiet.

With everyone's attention elsewhere, Rabbit takes the opportunity to brush off the soil from her ears, lick her paws and wash her face.

Gazes looks up a few times while the coyote-clad man stares. But there are no stars in the roof of the den, and so the signs are difficult.

Laughs at Darkness tilts his head.

A sign.

"Then we are agreed. We will find the souls of Red Cloud and Black Kettle, keep them safe, then find the heart of Tom Custer, now in the hands of the one with Rain On His Face, and use it to dance the ghost dance on Greasy Grass, thus severing the power of the Black Riders and depriving Raven of his manitou army.

"This will leave only the man Custer himself and the Ravenites as an impediment to Wovoka's vision. The failure of Raven's army will draw the Ravenites to the forefront as they scramble to recover or revenge, and Yellow Hair's army's will be forced out by the Ghost Dance.

"All signs point to this."

He stares with a satisfied smile on his face.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:51, Sat 25 Feb 2017.

((OOC: So, who is waiting on what, here?))