Emily Silsbury Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Emily snorted, started to speak, then thought better of it. Then she reversed herself again."Rationality! Hah! We are a world of wimps and ignorant peasants who think we are all geniuses because a few of us are. And I don't know a single rational person! We have a world where a good child is one who doesn't disturb mommy's nap, where a good man is one who can accumulate a healthy bank account without getting caught. We live in a world where women can be executed for showing their ankles, and people scream for blood every time they have to pay fifty cents more a gallon for gasoline!"She looked around in disgust."Myth and legend? Whatever. I don't want whatever you're smoking. But the world I'm living in could use a minotaur or succubus to shake things up now and then."She shook her head and lapsed into a crossed-arm silence. Then broke it for one final retort."Pfft. Rationality."She rolled her eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 Brihn nodded, her gaze serious. "It sounds as if your world is going to have issues with creatures of legend appearing in your world. The previous heroes of Dalton worked to patrol the gate, to control access. Now that the Caramines are becoming an issue for you again, you will likely find that you'll need to take up that role again."Some of them looked disbelieving, and Brihn said, "Do you think it was random chance that drew you here? You all have something incredible to offer to your world. You are all important to the grander scheme of things. You are being called to be the next generation of heroes. And I am going to help you achieve that status, by teaching you how to use the Doorways." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Sagebrush Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 "Heroes? Us?" Brad asked rhetorically, meat juice glistening on his face in the glow of the campfire."You expect a couple artists, a deviant, a self-proclaimed 'spider', and Dalton's version of a Tolkien Elf to somehow guard the Ways from the Caramines?" He added, gesturing to himself, Frida, Deek, Emily and Lorelei respectively."I mean, look at us, either you're out of your bloody gourd, or are going to bestow upon us some kick-ass abilities be teaching us how to use a Door...Called by some righteous tunes or not." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 "I will bestow no powers on you," Brihn said softly. "You wouldn't have heard the Song unless you were beings of power." She paused while her strange, dizzying eyes met each one of theirs. "You may not believe your own powers yet, but you have them. You are the heroes of your kingdom, your realm." Her voice was resolute, and brooked no argument. And, more than that, she seemed to believe what she was saying, completely.She stood. "I'll give you the knowledge you need to begin, but in time, you will have the tools to fight the Caramine and all your enemies." She turned to Oreili. "May we borrow cloaks so that they will not freeze while I teach them what they need?"After a moment, the woman nodded and several fur cloaks were brought forward for them to wear. When they were covered, Brihn asked, "Are you ready?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorelei Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Wrapped in the folds of the borrowed fur cloak, Lorelei did, indeed, look very much like a Tolkien character; she was only lacking pointed ears and elaborate handcrafted jewelry. It was impossible to be angry with Brad for his comment, however. Irreverence seemed an intrinsic part of his nature, and it was natural for people to react in such ways to stressful situations.This, she concluded, was just such a scenario."Heroes of our realm?" she murmured, half-disbelieving. It seemed impossible, and yet, here they were, walking through the snow in a place that, by all rights, should not exist. ...Especially on the other side of a window in one of their dormitories. "If there will be conflict, as you say, then we have little choice but to be ready. I admit, I am somewhat skeptical, but this all seems very much like a dream. It may be some time before our mental equilibrium is restored." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frida Ricci Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 "Perhaps, if your time is limited, it would best suit us to learn what you have to teach now, and to work on deducing the rest of the mysteries you have presented us with later? These warrior women were kind enough to host this meeting for you.. and for us. It seems the least we can do not to intrude upon your hospitality longer than necessary..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily Silsbury Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Emily looked at Lorelei, then at Frida. She rolled her eyes and sighed hugely. She gave the singer her best bored look."Whatever." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 "Then let us go," Brihn said, standing up. As she started to move away, Oreili stood as well and spoke. "If you wish to repay the warmth of our fire, there is a small matter." Brihn looked surprised, then irritated, then calm, all in the matter of three seconds. "If I can do it," she told the tall woman, "I will.""It is not for you," Oreili stated. "It is for the Daltonites." She moved to stand before Lorelei, holding a necklace made of cords, wooden beads and a claw of some kind. She held it so that the necklace dangled from her hand, and the claw suddenly tipped up, pointing at the woman who lingered at her shoulder. "It finds Chiderans, when you hold it like this. It will point. One of our sisters lives in your world; during our last contact with them, she choose to remain there, for love." Her face twisted and her voice became rough. "Love for a... man." There was an uneasy mutter from the others, as if Oreili had cursed in a church. "The claw will point to the nearest Chideran, which will be her, or her daughters. Please, find her and tell her that the old Pimszt is dead, and the new one would welcome her home." Dark, somber eyes regarded Lorelei, Frida and Emily evenly. The two boys received no such consideration. "Can you do this?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frida Ricci Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Frida stared curiously at the necklace for a moment, then tilted her head to look at the other woman. Her words, when spoken, were not unkind, but merely inquisitive."I could probably pass the message along. But do tell me.. if she left you for the love of a man, what makes you think that she wishes to come back, even if you have a new Pimszt? Would you welcome her man too, or any children she might have had?"She paused for a moment so that she would not stumble over their word for what she assumed must be their leader, and spoke it carefully instead. Then she waited patiently for a response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 Oreili shrugged. "We don't know. But we do know that she is Chideran, and no man can satisfy us for long," she said without rancor or pride. "Her man is not welcome, but her daughters are. They are Chideran as well, and they'll be longing for home as much as she.""Chiderans do not use men to reproduce, and they only have daughters," Brihn clarified. Her gray hands tugged up her hood, the black fur softly framing her delicate features. "It is doubtful that they could mate with a human male and produce offspring." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Knight Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 "Oh, sure... now she talks." Deek mumbled after his several failed attempts to get the Amazon's 'digits'. Quietly he sat among his allies (okay, a bit closer to the amazon, but mostly on the Dalton side...) listening to the story and the situation unfold around him.Sure, it was a bit hard to swallow, but the fact that he stood in this place, through a portal whose existence was impossible lent some credence that perhaps logic was needed to take a back seat, if only for a moment of fifty."He's not welcome? Harsh." Deek said aloud. "We'll do what we can, I'm sure. As interesting as this side quest is though... perhaps we should follow the other woman and level up first, huh?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frida Ricci Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Frida nodded with assent at Deacon's suggestion, and held out her hand to the Amazon woman, taking the necklace. After a moment's hesitation, she slipped it around her neck, having no other safe place for it."Very well.. if I can find your companion, I'll be sure to pass your words along to her. In the meantime, perhaps Deacon is correct, and we should now focus on the task at hand?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 Brihn nodded and led the way into the night, away from the warmth and light of the fire. She paused at the edge of the fire's red glow and said, "Someone, please bring a torch? Thank you." She had no trouble walking through the darkness, back to the hanging hide door. She paused before it and turned to talk to them. "The Ways are places where the barriers between the worlds are weak. They can be pierced and crossed unintentionally, but they can be intentionally used as well. To use them intentionally, you need a marker for the boundary, and you need a place for the Key. Once you have built a marker and defined the entrance, you have a Door."She cleared her throat and glanced at them to make sure they were following. "The Key for a realm isn't a piece of metal such as you think. Rather, it is a thing or set of things that mystically empowers a Door to open to a given realm. If you know a Realm's Key, you can access that Realm."She paused and glanced at them. "Questions?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Sagebrush Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Excited that trudging through all those years of teaching art history had finally paid off in something interesting at Dalton, he had eagerly followed Brihn into the night and back to their Door."So...sorta like the chalk in Beetlejuice, draw a door and there ya go? Or are you saying that the key to a realm could really be a bag of marbles or even a particular coin?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 "Beetle juice? I assume the liquid from a bug could be a Key or the components of a Key," Brihn said, the cultural reference clearly going right over her head. "And there is a bit more to it than drawing a door on a wall." She flashed an impish smile at the thought then sobered again. "It takes time and effort to build Doors."But yes, a Key can be virtually anything - a bar of gold or a handful of weeds from the field." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Sagebrush Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 "Does it always have to be the same bar of gold or weeds...like a key...or do the rules allow some flexibility? Could we use gold ring instead of a bar?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Knight Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 "Like Planescape," Deacon chimed up. "There is this city called Sigil, the City of Doors. Portals could, in theory, open at anytime or anyplace. Trick was you had to have the right key, and it could be anything. The door to your house could be a portal to Mount Olympus but only if you were carry exactly eleven olives and while wearing a toga... obviously some people were caught by surprise by what they opened completely on accident, while others never knew they had a portal that lead them to everything they ever desired sitting right in their cupboard. Kinda weird game... but fun." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 "It sounds like a good practice game for using the Doors," Brihn nodded. "If you open a Door without assigning the Key, you'll end up someplace random. So very similar in many ways."She pulled two items out of her dress, holding them out to be seen. One was a piece of paper, covered with handwriting; the other was a white feather. "This is the Key for your Realm. The feather must be white and the paper must have thoughts on it," Brihn instructed. "All Doors have an opening in which to insert the Key; this Door has this pouch." She slipped the paper and feather into the pocket. The space between the hide and the frame filled with darkness again, and when Brihn drew aside the hide, they all saw the black tunnel that had lead them here. "Are you ready to go home and discuss things further there?" their guide asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorelei Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 "I think, perhaps, that would be for the best," Lorelei replied quietly. She had been lost in thought, trying to absorb as much of the information Brihn shared as possible, but the mention of 'home' roused her from her reverie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 Brihn nodded and stood to one side, holding the hide for everyone. Quietly, she waited for them to pass through and leave Wonderland. But unlike Alice, they weren't going to return to their normal home; that had been taken away from them already, and they couldn't go back to that naive place again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frida Ricci Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Frida thanked the woman quietly, in her calm but eerie manner, and stepped through the doorway without hesitation. After all, experience taught that what had happened the first time would happen the second, and she fully expected to end up back in the room where they had started off in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 Frida led the group back into the attic of Lancaster. Sure enough, they were back in the attic. As they stepped out, Brihn stopped, her eyes becoming unfocused. "Excuse me," she said, "my brother needs me. I'll come and find you later, after you have had a chance to process." Turning, she hurried down the stairs, leaving the group alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Sagebrush Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 "Right, don't leave us hangin' or anything. We'll just, you know, go back to the grind." Brad said at Brihn's retreating form.Talk about building them up and knocking them down.Turning back to address the new group, 'the Doors' he said, "Well, I'd keep your mouth's shut on this if you don't want to see yourself booted and put on lithium. Let's play this by ear and wait to see if she really comes back. That cool?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn OOC Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Click to reveal.. 3 xp for all of chapter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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