The Misadventures of the Missed Adventurers

[Jack Simth]

ooc:[Agreed, it was necessary.]

Jack "Narp, I'm curious, how are you feeling?"

Narp "Oddly, not too bad. I've got a slight headache, but nothing even resembling the Last time."

Jack "That's about what I thought. The bandits' defenses ate my spell. You were only fully under it for about half a second."

Arthur "Didn't you say it rode adreniline?"

Jack "Yes, but it is still a spell. It mostly just enhances the effects of adreniline, and terminates itself when the supply drops past a certain level. The bandits' alchemy effectively terminated it, much as I would if I had a need to cancel it."

Back up on the tower, the bandit commander pulls a small hourglass out of a pocket. It is clear it is enchanted, as it is keeping perfect time despite the fact that the commander is holding it upside down. There's not much time left in it.

The commander views the ongoing battle. Half of his men were out of the fight, either dead or too wounded to stand, and his men had only managed to take down half of the golems. At this rate, it was likely to be a matter of mutual annhiliation.

However, this rate couldn't be kept up for much longer; the alchemist had told him with much certainty that those potions would stop working when the sand ran out, and it was almost gone. He'd always said it and he'd always been right.

The commander made a decision.

Commander "SWORDS DOWN!"

Bandit "But sir!"

Commander "YOU HEARD ME! SWORDS DOWN!"

The bandit who had spoken up reluctantly drops his weapon, and the golem he had been fighting ceases to attack him, instead turning towards a bandit still fighting. Seeing this, the other bandits can't drop their weapons fast enough. The golems then back into the stairwell, and take on a ready position, neither dropping their gaurd nor taking the offensive.

Another bandit speaks up.

Bandit "What now?"

The commander is silent a moment as he watches the Last of the sand drain out of hourglass. A moment later he clutches his head, as does the rest of the force.

Commander "Ugh, now we wait and see. Hopefully, someone we can negotiate with will arrive. Meanwhile, let's start patching people up."

[ November 02, 2003, 05:03: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]

[Krsqk]

[ooc: post in Progresso ]

The golems, having worked quickly, are nearly finished with their work. All who are saveable have been healed, while only twenty yards of the wall remains unrepaired. People mutter and shake their heads at the sudden attack and the strange turns of events. A few babble incoherently about flying men and trees, but no one takes them seriously.

The party gathers near the base of the wizard's tower and prepares to ascend.

Arthur "The Baron should be back any minute now. He must have covered the distance from my mountain by now, even with the messed up weather."

John "I'm more worried about what he'll find when he gets here. I'm not sure I have an explanation that he'll like. And we still have a slew of bandits up there to negotiate a surrender with."

D "Not to mention that we left the psi and her...her...that creature back in the mage cave. There probably are a few loose ends for us to wrap up there."

Jack "The golems seem to be guarding the rest of the bandits now. The activity from their control runes has died down quite a bit. Probably the bandits have stopped fighting."

While the party wearily climbs the steep, winding staircase, a distant trumpet sounds simultaneously with a watchman's cry announcing the sighting of the baron and his soldiers. John briefly glances out a slit toward the gate and pauses, then continues up while muttering under his breath about damping flour and his workroom.

[ooc: Done, but not great. It seems like a FF scene before a major battle where every character feels obligated to say something before they go fight. ]

[ November 08, 2003, 04:03: Message edited by: Krsqk ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

OOC:[well, here goes nothing...]

Narp "shouldn't one of us greet the baron? someone he already knows, perferably? someone he's more likely to react to with happiness?"

Narp looks at John. Everybody looks at John. John glares at everbody and mutter's something about his workroom. Then he mutter's something else. Finally, he says "ok, ok, i'll meet him. And explain the lot of you. somehow." Narp and Arther are certain that his gaze linger's on them a moment longer than nessasary. Jack is oblivious.

so, it is that when the Baron strides into his great hall, he is greeted by his old friend and an explanation that has the double virtues of being true and more comprehensible than anything he has heard so far.

ooc:[i guess i came up with how to do that. sorta.]

[Jack Simth]

At Last, the party comes to the top of the tower, where the golems are blocking the doorway.

Jack (to golems) "Line up against the wall."

The golems just stand there, facing the door, swords at the ready. After a minute, Jack pokes one. It collapses in a pile of dust; the sword it was holding clatters loudly to the floor.

D "So much for them Lasting an hour."

Jack "Of course - there was more than one bandit in range at any given time, and they all drew power from the golems. I forgot to account for that. It's a good thing the bandits stopped when they did. Hmm, is the damping field still active?"

Jack forms a small glowing globe between his hands, which slowly shrinks to nothing.

Jack "Yep, it is; pretty strong too, as we are pretty far from the center of the effect. Perhaps it sustains itself on the energy it drains. If so, we may not have as much of an edge as we thought."

D "How much indication do you think the bandits have of our lack of immediate backup?"

Jack "I suppose they don't have any, do they?"

Narp "That sword was a little loud."

Jack "Okay, so they do have a clue."

ooc:[so, should we try to bluff the bandits down, wait for the baron's men so it isn't a bluff, be open with the bandits and alert them to both circumstances, or something else?]