[Moderated Quest - Prologue] An Ill Omen

[Lye]

Cain Jodin found silence. Until, another clatter sounded from the interior of the hut. Scratch and skitter lead to another series of racket. No words nor whimpers replied to the pirate. An animal? A child in fear? The dark interior lead little detail from the outside.

The sound of hooves beating against the worn path made way through the opening at the forest's edge. From it, emerged horse and cloaked rider. Garbs of brown linen wrapped around his form as slack fluttered in his wake. Upon arriving at the village scene, his gloved hands pulled the reigns, forcing his steed to its hindquarters in protest. When his mount steadied, the rider dismounted, throwing back his hood.

"Afternoon," he bellowed in a hoarse, seasoned voice. Pale skin and sharp emerald eyes cut a path of observation to the four within sight. Messy curls of earthen brown framed his chiseled features, nearly devoid of visible defect or blemish. From the sides, two tipped ears barely broke the thicket of hair - an elf.

"Terrance Lor'enahr, with the Alerar Guard," he stated firmly, the beams of sunlight bringing notice to glimmer under his robes he quickly adjusted from view. "State your business. This land is off limits to strangers."

Meanwhile, as Vincent turned the gem over in his hand, a weight would increase almost exponentially. What once fell like a few ounces now felt as if several pounds. The heavier it became, the more it began to glow with Vincent's blue sparks. Until it finally leveled off and flashed bright. A crack formed in its pristine facets and the gem shook threateningly as if it were about to explode.

Shifter's weighted pockets, on the other hand, remained quiet. Yet, an uncomfortable sense of fatigue crept into notice. A connection to the effect of Vince's?

Terrance eyed Vince's predicament and an expression mixed of shock and confusion painted across his face.

"Quick!," he shouted with a step back. "Throw it!" The albino Alerian turned away, shielding his face with an arm.

Hopefully the scholar would heed his warning. Time was limited.

---

[Meanwhile, elsewhere.]

"Scout 029 has arrived, but... there's something you might want to see."

"What is it?"

Footsteps echoed, followed by brief silence.

"You see that?"

"Is it--? No... It's exceeding capacity? Perhaps a mage?"

"Uncertain, no incantation was done or similar magical trigger. Latent energy?"

"Hmm..."

"Sir?"

"Activate and ready the first wave. We might have some real test subjects to try out. Finally, something better than bandits."

"Yessir. First wave is ready. Waiting for your mark."

[jdd2035]

Cain was just about to open the door to the skittering shifting thing what ever it was when his ears picked up the rumble of hooves. Quite different from the livery rented mutinous sod of a mule that he had rode, these were pure blood beautiful, hard rode horses of good stock. What was most catching was when Cain let his eyes focus on the lead rider was pale. From the look of the cloths, the horses and the way the lead rider held him self Cain figured that he was of some import or at-least thought himself as of some import.

Cain marked the door with the skittering rattling thing in his mind and by a mark with his saber and sheathing his blade approached the incoming riders. In reply to the riders "Ahoy, good after noon" said in a voice that could carry over two hundred yards of ocean. Followed by a more subdued "Our business is with the Guard Captain of Ettermire and the Aleran Guard. Here are our papers sir." With that Cain reached into a coat pocket and produced the wax sealed letter showing the request for bold adventurers and the map showing the location where soldiers and villagers had disappeared.

"I am Cain Join, Captain of the Peregrine." He introduced himself the removal of his hat. The Other members the group he didn't know well enough to introduce so he refrained from doing so. He could have mentioned that the Peregrine was a letter of marque for the Corone Republic but it wouldn't have signified in this nation so he left it alone. Cain finished and replaced his tricorn hat upon his head. He than stepped back and let the others introduce them selves with the clattering sound in the back of his mind.

[Devyn]

Vyn watched in silence as the others poked around a bit, eyes narrowed. Something was most certainly off about the whole scenario, and os for the moment, the inventor was perfectly happy to sit back and let other people explore. After all, if they ran into trouble, the first casualty certainly wouldn't be her, and so she would have more time to prepare for any dangers that might come their way. Instead, she stared at the mysterious looking one as he traveled out of her direct course of view, and then switched to the other man (Captain Cain Jodin?) as he went to investigate a strange clattering noise. What is that?

"I can hear it," she stated plainly, taking a few steps in his direction before pausing to cock her head to the side. Are those hooves?

Another new arrival came into view, with pointed ears and, pale skin and green eyes. Elf. What are they doing here? As the man called out a greeting and then demanded to know their business, Vyn sighed and shifted her weight. What was with all these people and wanting to know other's business? Did it look like they were a bunch of bandits waiting to attack some unfortunate victims? Why the fuck did he think they were there? The captain seemed not to see it that way, and acquiesced easily, pulling out his papers. Eh. Well, I guess it doesn't really hurt...

"Same for me," she muttered, digging around in her belt a bit before pulling out the crumpled advertisements. However, she gave the elf no name and immediately stuffed the paper back into her belt, eye straying to take in the village more.

Along with the village, Vyn caught sight of the sparks flying from Vincent's hands, and started, turning to face it with eyes wide. What was happening? All of this mystery shit was seriously confusing and seemed to be getting weirder and weirder by the minute. A crack spread through the gem as it shook and bright flashes of light emanated from it, causing the woman to squint and continue to stare at the stone in bewilderment. Should he really be holding that? This is why you always let other people touch the mysterious objects first...

The elf was getting to be quite panicked by now, which only made her squint harder. Does he know what's going on? If he does,why doesn't everyone else know about it? What makes him so special?

"Yes, Vincent. Do drop the weird rock spittin' blue sparks," she said quickly, backing away. It looked like both the situation and rock were out of hand at the moment, and she didn't fancy getting caught up in whatever it was. Plus, if the man was about to get his hand blown off or something, it probably wouldn't be for the best.

[Cards of Fate]

Vince didn’t need to be told thrice, with a flick of the wrist he sent the shard flying into the distance. Just in time it seemed, the moment the shard was a safe distance away it exploded into a spark of teal. The scholar’s eyes furrowed upon this discovery and suddenly the gears clicked.

Magicicyte.

The Empress of the Tarot Hierarchy used several weapons fueled by this mysterious mineral, and it appeared Vincent had just stumbled upon a very low grade product. However, Vincent was an Emperor, not a fool. The fact that the man knew what he was holding was probably a sign that he knew something about who had done this. Feigning ignorance the scholar reached into his robe and pulled out a similar parchment.

“Names Vinnie, thanks for saving my skin there sir.” The scholar then bowed and flashed a toothy grin. “Any idea what that gem was sir? It was awfully…explosive.” The scholar held out his hand to shake the man’s. Whilst doing so he reached out mentally to one Alyssa Snow with the help of a fancy device she had loaned him.

‘Alyssa can you hear me? I need a lowdown on you guns ASAP. I think I’m about to get shot at by a bunch of shitty knockoffs.’

[Lye]

[Meanwhile, elsewhere...]

"They got the message."

"Perfect. Deploy the first wave. This time, we'll get some real field data."

---

The crystal flew from Vincent's hand and ruptured like a firework. Streams of light trailed behind shards, skipping and clattering against the world terrain. A few motes harmlessly bounced off Terrance's arm, sparing his eyes from misfortune. As the light faded and ringing from the percussion dwindled, Terrance faced the group yet again. Much to his confusion, four became three. The stranger furthest from him had vanished and Shifter was no where to be seen. Terrance lowered his brow in suspicion.

"Captain Jodin," he began, assuming this man held highest rank of the three. "I appreciate your willingness to assist. As you can see, there are forces at work here beyond our knowledge."

He moved his sharp gaze to Vincent, paying no mind to the teenage girl.

"I'm afraid I'm as dumbfounded as you and frankly, it's the first time I've seen them do that." The albino's voice held pause and his tone strangely wavered. As he spoke, his expression remained flat and stern. Almost too calm for the scene around them and the oddity saturated in every charred stone and burning building.

It was that very moment, Terrance winced as if pained with a sudden migraine. His hand lifted to clutch his head, opening the flaps of his cloak wide enough to expose the source of the glimmer upon his arrival. A contraption, unseen to the likes of any Althanian hung from a strap across his chest. Its precision machined lines, polished metallic surface, and oddly shaped handle resembled closest to the stock of a heavy crossbow yet lacked the limbs for propelling bolts.

Terrance's steed snorted with a shake of its mane and an uneasy stomp of its hooves. Then, as if startled, it loosed a harrowing neigh and reared to its hindquarters. The Alerian's grip fell from the reigns and no sooner did it feel the slack of freedom did the mustang slam itself to the ground and kick into a full sprint.

"You have to run," Terrance groaned, his arms shaking as if resisting an unseen shackle. "Find. Cover. Now."

The brewing storm overhead flashed and rumbled its own threat. In the wake of the thunder, two small marks hissed on the wall near Cain's head. Not there moments ago, the stone seemed scorched by fire and the familiar red glow of heat dissipated from the center of the black crater. Similarly, a new hole hissed in his valued tricorn.

From the mountain ridges, silhouettes emerged from the rocky craigs. Patches of earth and stacks of scorched hay stirred. From the land of silence, two dozen men of varied appearance crawled, each holding an object of similar form to Terrance.

"Run!" Terrance roared as he armed himself with the strange weapon. He raised it toward the three and put his finger on the trigger. Seemingly, the glimmer of life dulled from the Alerian's eyes and his face fell slack. Cold, menacing eyes stared down the length of the weapon, framing Devyn past its tip.

"Fire." The single word echoed from source unknown.

Terrance squeezed the trigger and a haze of frost spat from the weapon's mouth as three pointed bolts of ice sped toward the inventor. From behind, a volley of golf ball sized fireballs, crackling arcs of lightning, and unseen jets of concussive air loosed toward them. Each newcomer at the source of one attack or another.

Across the plains, the familiar hiss of rain began and the moist scent of wet earth washed away the stench of smoke and ash.

---

[Elsewhere...]

"The first wave has engaged, but we have a problem with 029."

"I noticed. Shame. He had the most intact personality and appearance of the first batch... Minus the pigmentation."

"What should we do?"

"Same as the others. Have him self terminate."

*Sounds of hissing, tapping, and strange feedback.*

"No good. 029 isn't accepting the command. He's becoming self-aware."

"Have the first wave eliminate him. Make it a priority! If he leaks anything, they'll have us executed!"

"Roger."

*More strange feedback.*

---

"Vince?" the feminine voice echoed into his mind through unexpected static. "Is that you? I'm having a hard time hearing you..."

Then, the connection severed, leaving the scholar with a headache as though punched directly in the back of the head.

Shifter's Shadow is disqualified for failing to meet the 72 hour deadline. SirArtemis will be joining you this round. Ask questions in the recruitment thread or via PM about anything you didn't understand or want more information on.

[SirArtemis]

Artemis had been watching from the mountain ridge, eyes darting around the landscape and zooming in and out to absorb as many details as he could. Silence and stillness not more than half an hour prior now erupted with activity. Clearly those below had no desire to be tactful or patient in their investigation, choosing instead to blindly waltz into the fray and hope for the best. Not the route Artemis would have taken, clearly.

Yet despite how much he had wanted to stay clear of the group and perhaps trail them, maybe even avoid them and search for these supposed bandits on his own, he now felt compelled to intervene. When two dozen men and women had erupted from the mountain he stood upon, though at a lower altitude than he, the choice to stay out of it was ripped from his grasp.

Seeing the rain come in as well as the elemental power of the attackers, he quickly donned the head and glove attachments of his gade undersuit and hopped out onto the edge of a large crag that jutted out of the mountainside. He lifted his arm up and willed his sentient weapon, Judicis, back into its natural form: a bow. Pulling back where a string should have been, black energy conjured quickly where the arrow too should have been. As Artemis let fly at one of the men storming out of the mountainside, the projectile struck true and knocked the attacker unconscious.

’At least they aren’t immune to magic,’ he thought gratefully. He quickly notched another magical projectile and let fly, picking off targets almost as quickly as they rushed out of the side. He started from the back, hoping to minimize the chance of being spotted. After all, Artemis was a man of stealth and not being noticed when he didn’t want to be proved natural to the vagabond.

Atop the mountain he knew he would look like a humanoid covered head to toe in all black cloth and leather, raining down arrows of black energy as well – such an absurd notion. Still, he had no choice. Something sinister lingered in this place and he would certainly find out more once he had the chance.

“Initus Daros,” he mumbled through his mask, activating the magic of his obsidian earring.

“Artemis?” a voice responded seconds later.

“Who else would it be, Daros? Do you have a lot of friends who use this kind of magic?” Artemis growled in frustration.

“Thought I’d ask. What’s going on? You sound . . . occupied.”

“I’m sending you visual. I hope you’re ready.” Without warning Artemis activated the second layer of magic, sending a constant stream of visual to his magical ally who remained safely in his home in Knife’s Edge.

“Oh boy,” Daros added. “You’re lucky I was lounging about. I wasn’t ready! But boy it looks like you’re having fun!”

“Daros, what are they using. Those weapons - they look like magical guns of some kind.”

“Hmm, hard to say. You’ll have to get closer. Can you take one from them?” The question caused a grumble from Artemis, frustration clear on the man’s face.

“Damn it Daros, fine. I’ll contact you soon if I can get one in my hand. Don’t go anywhere! Terminus.” And as quickly as it had begun, the link was broken. Artemis continued to let arrows fly as though they were just droplets of water raining from above, joining the downpour as subtly as Artemis had joined the fray.

He had struck down plenty of the attackers, unsure as to how many would remain down, and returned his bow to the form of a black bracer upon his left wrist. Using his enhanced boots and natural agility, he began to scale the mountainside quickly, moving toward the remaining attackers who had left his range with remarkable speed.

Whether he had wanted to or not, soon he would be joining those down below. Yet again he found himself in a fight that he could have avoided.

[Devyn]

Everything up to this point had been rather disorienting. However, as the events took an unexpected turn, Vyn could only begin to imagine what might happen next. As the elf revealed the strange contraption of some sort strapped to his chest, her eyes widened, taking in the unexpected object. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, and judging by the point, it probably wasn't something made for healing purposes. What? It's so... But now was not the time to admire whatever new creation was before them, for it seemed that Terrence had other plans.

The man uttered his warning, which only served to befuddle the woman even more, who had not moved a muscle since his words. The sky rumbled overhead, and while she paid it no mind for the moment, she was only too aware of it. It sounded different than any storm she'd ever heard before, almost as if it were its own entity, ready to devour the innocent bystanders below. A hissing noise soon followed, and her eyes darted over to the stone wall, where two rather nasty looking scorch marks resided. Vyn's gaze travelled to the captain nearby, and noted the hole in his hat as well, throat beginning to dry. I'm pretty sure that wasn't there before.

Even more movement was upon the landscape, and she twisted to watch that as well, almost forgetting about the strange elf in the process. By the end of the day, if she was still alive, her neck would be very sore. The ominous silhouettes with very similar contraptions to Terrence were visible, and seeing them caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. Knowing her hair, it was more likely all of it had risen, though. He has the same sort of weapons as these mysterious strangers marching towards us. This is not good.

The call for them to run once more caught her attention. What really caught her attention, though, was the contraption on Terrence's chest, the one that happened to be pointed directly at her. It was most definitely not for healing. It was most definitely not for beneficial purposes either. The elf was being very bipolar. What type of person calls for people to run, and then points some pointy thingy at them the next second?! Scrambling backwards as much as she could, Vyn gulped when her back hit the wall of the building behind, belt jabbing into her waist.

"Hey, now, is that really neces-" Devyn quickly stopped talking and dropped to the ground, rolling forwards as she did so in an attempt to avoid the three bolts of ice. Let's not die today. All I wanted was some easy money! Too much to ask for?

[jdd2035]

Cain had just given his papers to the pale elf and thus was close enough to take action. He grabbed what ever projectile weapon the pale elf was firing and forced it up as best he could. At the same time he grabbed the projectile weapon Cain drove his knee into the pale elf stomach. Cain was by no means any sort of martial artist but he knew that a good swift kick to the stomach can knock the wind out of even a healthy orc; and his kick was a touch faster than normal.

There was other concerns of course the other combatants popping up and firing from the hills and the like but his main concern was a live prisoner. All the while he was struggling with the pale elf Cain lamented "Why is it always magic?! Every time there is some major problem any where there is magic involved! Belay your firearm elf!" He gave another swift kick into the elfs stomach.

It's not that Cain hated magic it was more that he didn't really have an answer for it. He was a fair tactician at sea, he could fight as any good adventure and he was quick but he had no answer for magic. He didn't know any of its properties he only knew that a lot of the end results ended in situations like he was currently in.

[Cards of Fate]

Vincent dropped to the ground with practiced ease. In his line of work ducking from surprise fire was quickly learned, or else. The Emperor’s eyes shot from Devyn, to the pirate with a now significantly cooler looking hat, and then to the man who seemed to disappear. Several more shots rained down, but Vince hardly had time to notice. Terrence was having a murderous episode himself it seemed, and he had given away what Vince assumed they were being shot at with.

“They’ve got fucking guns…” the scholar hissed to himself as he scanned the surrounding area for cover. A crumbled stone wall that once partitioned a garden from the road stood just high enough for the scholar to seek shelter from the assailants he knew of. Without a second thought he dove for the mechanic on the ground, scooping her into his arms and diving behind the cover. The pirate had opted for some close quarters combat, and it appeared another man had joined the fray in the distance.

Instinctively the scholar snapped his fingers and summoned a glowing Tarot card, shimmering in teal sparks. He took a moment to take aim at the foes in the distance and flung it with terrifying precision. After flinging several cards the scholar turned back to watch the sailor in his fight. Several ice shards flew towards the grappling pirate looking to aim true.

The scholar grimaced and projectiles, focusing in on them. “Cease.” He growled, willing his entire mind on the shots. The shards froze midair, losing all momentum. He held his focus for a moment and then dropped the shards on the ground, his head throbbing. Something was wrong, why had he been cut off from Alyssa?


"We need to get out of this fucking town!" Vincent growled. "We're in a slaughter zone..."

[Lye]

Heated bolts of fire laced across the damp stone and mud with violent hissing. Shards of ice screamed past the four with mere inches of error and shattered against battered walls. The arcs of lightning, however, danced across the falling rain like webs of light.

Terrance loosed another volley of lethal shots into the air as he struggled with Cain. The ablino grunted as he tried to wrest control from the pirate. Shock flashed across his face as the first knee embedded into the elf's stomach. The air from his lungs pushed out from the blow, eyes wide and mouth open. Yet, his grip remained firm. Terrance clenched his teeth and readied to slam the butt of the rifle into Cain's head, but a second knee checked his attempt. The albino wheezed an exhale he didn't think capable. His knees shook, eyes glazed over, and grip fell slack from the rifle. As his body fell to the muddy puddles at their feet, the leather strap pulled taught to the rifle, taking it with him to the ground - pirate in tow if struggle persisted.

Terrance was out.

A shot of lightning flashed across the sky with deep, percussive thunder in tow. Two weaponized versions of nature's fury lashed across the damp ground, sending crackling light surging through Terrance's body and energizing the water at Cain's feet. Electricity snapped and popped, aiming to electrocute the pirate through his boots and spread out toward Vincent and Devyn.

The soldiers on the mountain side continued their reign of fire, removing mysterious boxes from the underbelly of their limbless magic crossbows and replacing them with new ones. A source of munition? As each new bolt of fire, ice, wind, or lightning roared from the muzzle, a small crystalline shard spat from the side of each weapon. One of these soldiers lined up a shot with the little girl in his sights. He put tension on the trigger until an arrow of darkness slammed into his mid back and sundered the consciousness from his body.

"Sniper!" shouted the splotched skinned half-orc beside him before he too was knocked unconscious by a magical volley.

Half of the remaining muzzles turned toward the mountainside, firing blindly as the elemental projectiles peppered the landscape.

"There!" a red and blonde teen shouted, pointing out the fast moving figure of their attacker.

Like trained military, their fire converged on the source of moment, blasting stones beside Artemis with their magical payload. Three balls of fire and two concussive voids of wind sped his way, all seeming to lead his movement with calculated accuracy. Meanwhile, an unnatural force invaded his mind, and severed his link to the obsidian artifact on his ear. Similarly, the unspoken bond between warrior and weapon fractured. Though still present in its most basic form, Judicis now felt distant, as if something has abruptly placed itself between them. As a result, an aching headache manifested in the back of Artemis's mind.

Those not focused on the new attacker took aim on the three still exposed in the village streets. Ice bolts fired toward Vincent only to cease and drop in place mid-air. The soldiers to the left and right were launched several feet backwards as magical cards slammed into them and erupted with sparks of blue. Two dozen became halved in the blink of an eye, but elemental ballistics still rained down upon them.

All the while, the storm whipped up its fierce winds, billowing down the mountain side. Another arc of lighting stretched from the skies above and slammed into the nearby fields. Mud, dirt, and water sprayed form the impact with crystals and fragments in tow. As these unknown facets flew through the air, they lit up with light similar to before and exploded just as the one Vince held. Not only had the enemy fire put them in peril, but now nature's wrath threatened to turn the stretch of land into a mine field. One bolt of lightning became a MIRV of exploding crystal shards.

TL|DR -

Artemis took out a few soldiers, but managed to get some attention he could have done without. His link to the outside world is severed as is his similar mental connection to his weapon. The reason of which has yet to be identified by the players and attempts to utilize mental contact create an increased headache. Five rounds (three fire, two wind) are on course to connect.

Vincent similarly took out a few soldiers and spared Cain a free session of acupuncture. However, the lightning rounds from the attackers are providing trouble for anyone standing in water. He too is cut off from the outside world and is affected by a dull, throbbing headache with any attempt.

Cain has successfully disarmed Terrance, but has yet to wrest the weapon from his body thanks to the leather strap around the torso. Lightning rounds from the attacker have electrocuted Terrance and their effect is unknown (lethal or incapacitating). The rounds have energized the puddles of rain and are attempting to do the same to Cain as they did to Terrance.

Devyn is largely unaffected in this post. She is at an angle where rounds have limited chance to affect her, but the electricity in the water may prove troublesome to her.

All of them have noticed that when the lightning strikes nearby, it not only throws up dirt, rock, and mud where it impacts, but tosses around the mysterious crystals littered everywhere. These crystals are energized by the lightning and explode in flight, raining shards and shrapnel.

Cover is highly advised. The attackers are affected by magic similarly to anyone else. Communications via mental or magical means within and outside of the area are suspiciously cut off. Each projectile spell is not lethal in its own right, but packs quite the wallop. Fire projectiles are infinitely less lethal, but the electrical ones are more potent with less range thanks to the rain. Ice shards and wind blasts are not affected by the weather.

Attackers are of varying skin color, eye color, and hair color. Their garbs are standard civilian with no identifying markers. Each one has an unusual trait that is nearly unheard of like a red and white eye. Skin splotched with darker or lighter patches. Horns on some and tails on others without similar demonic identifiers. All of them are seemingly a mashup of world races (orc, elf, dwarf, human, draconian, fey, etc).

I am free for questions.