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, welcome to The world is began to end

18:23, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

And so it began:

Posted by ApeirosFor group 0
Koharu Saito
player, 39 posts
Sun 26 Jul 2020
at 18:43
  • msg #131

A wild stalenger appears

Koharu approaches the floating-starfish-thing curiously, staring at it with unmasked curiosity.  She walks all the way around it in a slow circle while the others talk to it.  "May I ask, how do you speak this language?" she asks, curiously, trying to work out how it speaks at all.
Apeiros
GM, 112 posts
Gathering Stories
from the Storm
Sun 26 Jul 2020
at 21:35
  • msg #132

A wild stalenger appears

In reply to Koharu Saito (msg # 131):

In the Stalenger Description, their communication is chameleonesque and by tentacle tapping, requiring Language in some other character and proximity to make comunication possible. No one likes a skill tax on Languages; look at the results of every Eternity forum topic on the subject. For anyone who missed or forgot (because it is normally not important), in this game, Language skill is used to attempt communication when there should be none...providing an alternate path when the Story is driving you a specific way.

In this case, the captured Edeinos can't communicate with the party (because he has nothing worthewhile to communicate) so the party will eventually get past it somehow and move on; but this new arrival [Heavy Handed GM Hint] for whom you don't have a name [/HHGH] can communicat with both groups, through reshaping and restricting the air flow ports it uses for locomotion and vibrating the passageways, it is able to approximate the sounds well enough that you can understand exactly what it is saying.

Unpronouncable
player, 4 posts
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 00:09
  • msg #133

A wild stalenger appears

In reply to Koharu Saito (msg # 131):

The stalenger doesn't turn to face Saito. Instead, it shifts its five arms so that the arm pointing at the Storm Knights droops as well while the arm facing Saito extends itself. The air wheezing out of its arms sounds out, "With great effort. Some invaders learned this language to aid in invasion. I heard humans' love of life and knew they not enemy."

The arm facing Saito rises up, as does the two arms to her right. The dangling tentacles unfurl and twitch excitedly as its skin coloration shifts to pink. "Help?"
Dr. Sita Chandrasakar
player, 46 posts
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 02:16
  • msg #135

A wild stalenger appears

After treating the last surviving edeinos, a curious Dr. Chandrasakar approached the strange-looking new arrival. As she passed Ben, she casually crossed in front of his pointed firearm, blocking the line of fire to the creature.

It hadn't been an accident, on her part. Best case? It would help reassure a potential new ally that they meant it no harm. Failing that, at least she'd be in the way of the being's first attack, which would both protect Ben, and also give him a healthy, uninjured chance to react. And worst case? Well, then she might end up with a lethal gunshot wound to the back, is all. And was that really such a bad outcome, all things considered?

No, probably not.
Matthew Matherson
player, 54 posts
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 03:21
  • msg #136

A wild stalenger appears

Matthew notes to himself how things have gotten so strange so quick that it's starting to feel like home.  With Pierre's strange magic, Sapphire's god's blessing, and Matthew's own spells things felt like they were falling into place.  But this floating starfish... this was something new to Matthew.

He eyes it curiously and suspiciously.  He didn't think he noticed any magic coming from it earlier.  Is it flying by some sort of weird science?  Does it have lighter-than-air bladders that it fills and expels from?

"Have any of you seen one of these things before?" Matthew inquires to the others.
Unpronouncable
player, 5 posts
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 03:55
  • msg #137

A wild stalenger appears

In reply to Matthew Matherson (msg # 136):

"Many here. Not fight like edeinos. Hide lots." Its skin changes back to maroon, and the four arms not facing Matthew all droop. "Many still serve Kaah. Much sad."
Jason Keller
player, 41 posts
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 16:48
  • msg #138

A wild stalenger appears

Jason paused and slowly turned to look at what was talking. His eye went wider and wider. His mouth opened and then opened more without closing. He leaned back a bit but had to stop when his back and head reached the truck right behind him.

After a long few moment, he found his voice once more. "what the f..." There was more talking. "you guys see that too, right? a...f...flying starfiiiish???"
Sapphire
player, 119 posts
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 17:07
  • msg #139

A wild stalenger appears

"Our new acquaintance is a folk. A sapiant person with the same ability to choose right and wrong, Honor or Corruption as the rest of us" Sapphire said, her voice an 'explaining this' rather than accusative in any way.  Perhaps in Aylse sapient creatures took more forms than on core Earth. Even to her though, this was quite an unusual form. Still the evidence of her senses was clear, and Unpronouncable was a person

Sapphire addressed the unprouncable one more directly "Those that serve Kaah... is there any way that we can approach them peacefully and reason with them? Is there anything we can do that would enable us to talk to them without having to kill them all?"
Ben Altman
player, 57 posts
Damage: S:4
Pos: 3 Exp: 0
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 17:14
  • msg #140

A wild stalenger appears

Ben has still has his gun set on the thing and had it in his sights. One wrong move and he would shoot the thing.

"Yes I see it and hear it too..." Ben said "You want to help?" he asked the starfish thing "Tell us on the enemy troop position, their fortification and their supply lines. Lets talk about their goals here and how do keep expanding their ahm weird lands into civilized lands... answer truthfully and you'll get the respect of a prisoner of war, otherwise..."
Apeiros
GM, 114 posts
Gathering Stories
from the Storm
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 19:44
  • msg #141

A wild stalenger appears

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 140):

nothing to see here
Unpronouncable
player, 6 posts
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 23:33
  • msg #142

A wild stalenger appears

The stalenger's maroon skin deepens in color as it addresses Sapphire, "Many serve false prophet. Some change minds." It ponders a brief moment and then turns pink, its center and right arms lifting into the air. "I change mind. No serve Kaah."

It does not shy from Ben's gun, though its only physical response to Ben's question is its skin shimmering to resemble the surrounding trees. It levels the arm facing Ben as well as the two rear arms, but the two front arms droop. The tentacles hang loosely. It says, "Two tribes march. Two Bor Aka. More? Short flight away that way."

It regards the captive edeinos. "Tribes not own him."
Pierre De Gaulle
player, 44 posts
Tue 28 Jul 2020
at 07:52
  • msg #143

A wild stalenger appears

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 140):

Pierre goggled at Ben. "Seriously? They are primitives. They don't have troops, positions, fortifications, logistics or indeed anything even vaguely resembling planning or organisation."
Sapphire
player, 120 posts
Tue 28 Jul 2020
at 08:09
  • msg #144

A wild stalenger appears

"What he said" Sapphire said agreeing with Pierre "In your history you could ask the crusaders those questions and they would just look at you without comprehension. Their method was simple: a religiously driven mass migration. There was almost no coordination, and there didn't need to be. That's probably what we have here. Their 'Kaah' wants the tribes to move, so they will do that. This place is heaving with life: there is no shortage of food, and while a tribe is moving it isn't going to deplete it. They have no ammunition needs, they just pick up another flower if they want to make a spear" she kicked one of the spears that the Eidenos had been wielding to demonstrate

"We've been briefed on why they win. They win because in this place people forget how to even say the words you just used. They win because only people like us can keep spells and weapons working. Without the spells and weapons you are down to trying to fight these people with flowers, sticks and stones... good luck with that"

"But what we haven't been briefed on is 'who is Kaah'"
she turned to Unpronouncable "Could you tell us who he is, what he wants, and why you no longer follow him?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:24, Tue 28 July 2020.
Dr. Sita Chandrasakar
player, 47 posts
Tue 28 Jul 2020
at 13:28
  • msg #145

A wild stalenger appears

Sita listened to Ben and Sapphire, interrogating the floating creature at gunpoint with scarcely any introduction or preamble, and she grew disturbed. Was this why the group hadn't confronted her yet, about being a werewolf? Because they'd all made some kind of cold mental calculus, about how she was "useful" to them for now, despite being a "potential hostile"? A furry weapon that they could take advantage of, until they decided to discard it later?

I am more than that
, she thought, examining the starfish. And maybe you are, too.

She stepped in front of Ben's pointed weapon again, and this time didn't let him readjust his aim to keep her out of the way. "Pardon me for interrupting, but there is something much more urgent than answering these questions. This young woman", she gestured toward Fraulein Marlen, "needs us to rescue her father. Right away. Which might also, in the end, lead us to . . . well, savIng the entire world."

She looked at the floating creature. "Would you like to join us? It would give you the chance to answer their questions in greater depth, as we traveled, and also give you a chance to help us save many lives, if that's of interest to you."

Say yes, she thought hopefully. Show them you're more than just a tool or a weapon.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:39, Tue 28 July 2020.
Ben Altman
player, 58 posts
Damage: S:6
Pos: 3 Exp: 0
Tue 28 Jul 2020
at 16:07
  • msg #146

A wild stalenger appears

Ben was surprised and annoyed by Pierre response. From Sapphire he didn't expected much but to be berated by both of them in front of an unknown entity especially when said entity replied. This bode no good for group cohesion. When Sita moved to block his sight he mentally sighed.

Was she reckless because she knew she could turn into a large monster that could tear steel doors? or maybe she was immune to damage and forgotten the others were mere mortals. Or maybe she was one of those conflicted persons that was ashamed at her violence and compensate by over pacifism.

Instead of going into a silly argument about blocking line of sight or safety, he did something else. He took two steps back and to the right, getting a clear sight once more.

"My name is Sargent Altman." he said, weapon still hovering at the potential hostile. "Would you please allow me to search your mind to validate you are speaking the truth and are not an enemy in disguised?"

"Once we establish you are indeed a friend we could discuss, enemy leadership, troop position and location of missing family members." he stated this his gaze moving from Sapphire to Pierre and back to Sita.

He tried to get the feeling of the thing but with all the negative emotions around him it was hard to focus and all he got was a splitting headache.

OOC
Ben would use Empathy to assess the starfish emotions at this time.
19:01, Today: Ben Altman rolled 5 using 1d20.  Empathy.
Result: 14 (Skill) -5 (roll) = 9 vs. 12 fail
Resist damage: 13 (Skill) -5 (roll) = 8 fail by 4 = +2 Shock

Koharu Saito
player, 40 posts
Tue 28 Jul 2020
at 17:21
  • msg #147

A wild stalenger appears

Koharu continues to watch things unfold quietly, and then suddenly takes a few steps forward to stand next to Sita, blocking Ben's new line of sight.  "You are outvoted on this matter," she says simply.  "Lower your gun."
Unpronouncable
player, 7 posts
Wed 29 Jul 2020
at 01:01
  • msg #148

A wild stalenger appears

The stalenger levels out and turns toward Ben. Its tentacles relax, and its skin changes to white. <White>"Search mind? No understand."</White> Even amid the chaos, Ben doesn't feel any active resistance by the stalenger. Its skin coloration reverts back to match the surrounding trees as the two front arms on the sides drop down. "Name is--" Its tentacles flail about seemingly at random.

"But you no understand. I think name in your tongue is--" An undulating series of whistles spanning across two octaves emit from all five arms at different intervals. "Yes?"

"Kaah say he follow Lanala. He lead tribes here. Kill many. I follow Lanala. Kaah lies. Others no see he lies. Others leave Kaah. Not many." The skin shimmers briefly to a maroon color.

At Sita's question, the stalenger's skin flushes pink, its front and right arms rising. "Join. Yes. Help fight invaders. Drive off Kaah."
Matthew Matherson
player, 55 posts
Wed 29 Jul 2020
at 11:58
  • msg #149

A wild stalenger appears

"Ben," Matthew says gently as he approaches from Ben's line of site and puts a hand on his shoulder, "It's ok.  This... entity... does not seem intent on harming us.  I may not look it, but I am as alien to this world as he is, yet we are friends.  You are the Third Eye my friend.  Trust in that more than your sight."

Matthew's voice and demeanor are calm but he, in fact, is not.  He has seen the look in Ben's eyes in many others before.  Some were friends and some were enemies, but for all of them he ached.
Ben Altman
player, 59 posts
Damage: S:6
Pos: 3 Exp: 0
Wed 29 Jul 2020
at 13:53
  • msg #150

A wild stalenger appears

Ben was annoyed at the whole reaction but he had to admit that the thing was more cooperative than his so called companion.

He lowered the barrel of the gun so it wouldn't be aimed at the thing but would be ready to return. "Really? and why are you so trusting? because it speak English? or maybe because it said it was a friend? neither of those should be enough to trust someone. Honestly I have no idea how you are all so damn trusting a minute after we got into an ambush? had it occurred to you that it is playing us because it want to survive?"

"As for what I sense? I sense hostility, mistrust and frustration... I can't tell it is from us or the thing because it is very strong."
Koharu Saito
player, 41 posts
Wed 29 Jul 2020
at 17:18
  • msg #151

A wild stalenger appears

"Perhaps, look within," Koharu suggests, smiling as the barrel is at least lowered.  "Wanting to survive seems a fair motivation, doesn't it?"

She shakes her head a little, and turns around to face the.. person.  "But if survival were your main goal, I think you'd have stayed quiet and waited for us to leave.  And if you wished to attack us, you'd have done so with the others.  You could be a spy, I suppose, but that seems rather advanced for this region.  On balance, your stated motive seems most likely, though I think it's fair to say we may remain wary for a time - some more than others."

She considers.  "And if you actually want to join, I must offer two caveats.  One, resisting Kaah is not our primary goal at the moment, and two, I think we're going to need to agree on a nickname.  Whistler, maybe?  How do you feel about Whistler?"
Sapphire
player, 122 posts
Wed 29 Jul 2020
at 19:24
  • msg #152

A wild stalenger appears

"The Gods are using us as their pieces" Sapphire added to the discussion "We are indeed fortunate because the Still Earth will kill us all if we don't do something. I feel their hand in the arrival of our new acquaintenance with the unpronouncable name."

"Since we are their Chosen Champions, it's probably wise to go with the path they have chosen for us, rather than fight it. Suspicion is a powerful tool, and it is good that you are using it Ben. I am from a different world from you, and it's clear that in your world betrayal and deceit and corruption are more common. I do observe though that we are not in the Earth in which you learnt your suspicions. We are in a simpler, more primitive world. Me: I detect no corruption or deceit in this being."

"Let us remember that we are not fighting an invading army with generals and complicated plans.  And right now our enemy, as Koharu says, isn't Kaah and the lizard men... it's the Still Earth. "


She wondered who was doing the hostility, mistrust and frustration because it certainly wasn't her. She had noticed from Ben's body language that he was frustrated with her for reasons that she didn't understand unless it was just his bigotry about people with pointed ears, but she didn't return those emotions.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:24, Wed 29 July 2020.
Unpronouncable
player, 9 posts
Thu 30 Jul 2020
at 02:18
  • msg #153

A wild stalenger appears

The stalenger's tentacles twitch, and its rear two arms rise up. A cavalcade of hues ripple across its skin like the Las Vegas Strip, not that it would know what that would look like. "Whistler. One that whistles? Good."

It then relaxes and floats closer to the captured edeinos. "Questions?"
Ben Altman
player, 63 posts
Damage: S:6
Pos: 3 Exp: 0
Thu 30 Jul 2020
at 19:41
  • msg #154

A wild stalenger appears

Ben shook his head as he lowered his gun another notch, if Whistler was about to betray them it would not be now. No, it would be somewhere else, where there would be an advantage to said betray. For now, all he could do was watch the thing and hope he was wrong and the other right, civilians... he shook his head.

He shook his head again as he turned to Sapphire "I don't know much about your world or others but I know that if you underestimate your opponent you'd suffer for it. I have a feeling this is true in every world." he pointed at the ambush sight "Just from the lay of this ambush you can see they have a good grasp of tactics. The fact they were able to mass large forces, move them rapidly and feed them show they have more strategic thinking and understanding than you give them credit for."

He pointed at the star fish thingy "Even our new friend was able to provide us with tactile information about the current enemy forces in this region."

"and..." he said with a slight feeling of dread "... we need to decide what we will do with the captive once we are done interrogating it." Ben heard WWII stories of what happened to Axis POW, especially in the first days after D-day. He had little love for Nazis and didn't shed any tears about more of them getting killed half a century ago but the moral dilemma was terrifying. Up until recently he was sure he would never have to face such a choice...
Sapphire
player, 124 posts
Thu 30 Jul 2020
at 20:25
  • msg #155

A wild stalenger appears

"I didn't call them stupid, or lacking in personal tactics" Sapphire said puzzled. She didn't understand Ben's antagonism, and it saddened her, but there wasn't much she could do about it

"Please don't dismiss my words out of hand because they are spoke by 'a pointy eared Elf from an other world who knows nothing about the real world'. Consider before you dismiss them that perhaps there is something in them"

"I assume you have a similar quote in your world 'If you understand yourself and your enemy though you fight a thousand years you cannot loose. If you understand neither, though you fight a thousand years you cannot win'. Consider what the questions you just asked, and the way you are thinking about the lizards mean in the context of that quote."

"As for underestimating... I said it was a mass migration not an army. The difference is important. Each unit.. let's call them tribes... uses  'right now' tactics, but there is no control of the whole. There is only 'let us go this way'. They don't 'mass large forces' they start a pilgrimage. I didn't say a mass migration was weak...quite the opposite. But mass migrations are defeated in different ways to armies. Our history has such examples and so does yours I assume"

"Have you every been on a pilgrimage? I have. It is a glorious thing. Ecstatic. Your God is walking with you, every step you take is in the footsteps of your best friend who loves you, and every moment is full of significance and joy. If you want to understand the enemy you need to understand a pilgrimage. Perhaps you even need to do one... it only takes a week and we will be opposing these for perhaps years to come. I will help you if you wish. And you need to understand the God they worship, and what are his or her aspects and dominions. Perhaps you even need to experience one of their worship ceremonies. Without that understanding of their motives, of what is important to them... 'though you fight a thousand years you cannot win'"

This message was last edited by the player at 04:10, Sat 01 Aug 2020.
Jason Keller
player, 42 posts
Sun 2 Aug 2020
at 17:06
  • msg #156

A wild stalenger appears

Jason frowned at Ben, who was being not unreasonable, but was being kind of a dick about it. And lumping people together. Some of the others made good points as well, though Sapphire went on about 'the gods' a bit much, but trusting too quick was a road to disaster in the 'new world'.

He let out a sigh. "I've an idea about the prisoner, but that's not important right now." He glanced at Sapphire. "You're right and you're wrong. We're not all of us what you think. And we, this planet, are fending off MULTIPLE invading armies. Hell, I'm pretty sure the lizards took my aunt and uncle."

He waved a hand. "Anyway. For now, we watch this...'Whistler'..." He gave Saito an amused look, "and treat with care and at least some suspicion until they've proven themselves. Talk is cheap."

He looked at everyone. "Agreed? Yes? No? We do have more pressing matters."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Sun 02 Aug 2020.
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