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(073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 11:10 am
by waysoftheearth
vvvvvVVVVVVVVVVVWWHUMP!


Highbough, Ulric, Desmond/Mondes, Josiane, Wen, Armando, Helmut, and Ashtad are flung out of the air to come staggering into a noisy, hot, red place.

A hot brutal wind is howling through the dunes, lashing them with the sands it pushes ahead of it, and making their cloaks flick and snap dramatically. They realise IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO SHOUT TO BE HEARD OVER THE WIND.

They immediately note the thick heat, and that the light here is strangely dim and too red. But despite this they are quite certain they stand outside, in a desert. A bleak indigo sky roils overhead, the alien clouds whipped before the terrible wind like spilled ink. The red dunes are intermittently capped by ridges of black rock and surround the company in a hundred-yard wide crater of gritty red sand.

Behind our heroes, at the epicenter of the crater, leaning at a slight angle and a foot or two buried in the red sand, is a stone ring very much like the one in the Ring Room--although this one appears harshly weathered and long disused.

Highbough finds the mirror in his hands has already crumbled into a fine dust that vanishes immediately into the wind...

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:31 pm
by doctorx
Josiane crouches, using her shield to protect herself against the stinging sand. She examines the stone ring as best she can for any sign that may have been left by their friends.
Just to clarify, ways - was Ulric not coming with us?

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:49 pm
by waysoftheearth
Yes, Ulric is here. I overlooked him in the introductory post, but I've added him now.

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 12:17 am
by Condorcet
"Baal's breath!" hisses Helmut, as he recovers from the shock of the transition to find himself in... Hell.

The Blade of Seyal is out of its sheath in an instant but, without a clear enemy to strike, he turns first left, then right, hunting the demonic horde that will, surely, imminently, pounce.

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 4:55 am
by ehiker133
Desmond and Mondes look around, taking in their surroundings. Presumably the fortress they are looking for must be near here, as must Dieter and Olaf.

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 4:09 pm
by mushgnome
It takes Highbough a few moments to get his bearings, but otherwise he appears to be in his element. "DO YOU SEE THAT RIDGE?" he shouts over the wind. "FROM THERE WE HAD A CLEAR VIEW OF THE ALCAZAR AND THE ANCIENT BATTLEFIELD. I SUGGEST A SCOUTING PARTY TO THE RIDGE, WHILE JOSIANE, ULRIC, AND I ATTEMPT TO FIND GUSTAVE WITH THE SPECULEM."
Here we are! Don't panic...

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 4:21 pm
by ehiker133
Desmond nods in understanding and taps Armando, the other party member he thinks might be able to stay unseen, on the elbow to get his attention and gestures that they should scout ahead and points to the ridge.

He makes sure his crossbow is readied and then glances at the other to make sure he is ready. Once Armando gives him the OK, he'll start heading towards the ridge, keeping both sets of eyes alert for danger as well as signs of Olaf and Dieter.

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 11:28 pm
by Condorcet
Seeing they are not imminently to be food for a horde of daemons, and the apparent calm of the old elf, Helmut slowly recovers from his initial panic (with an embarassed glance about his seemingly unphasable companions).

He remove his helm and wipes away a growing stream of sweat, but replaces it when sand stings his face. Deciding his place is beside Josiane, he sets himself there, keeping what wary eye out he can in the blinding sand storm.

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:18 am
by flightcommander
Armando is already hunched among his cloaks and checking his crossbow when Desmond taps his arms and gestures towards the ridge. He nods in reply and follows his shorter, braver companion to the ridge ...

Re: (073) Wind and Sand

Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 12:52 pm
by waysoftheearth
Desmond/Mondes and Armando exchange signals in the blasting wind, check their alien crossbows are cocked and loaded, and begin to trudge toward the dune ridge in the direction indicated by Highbough. The scathing sands are coming almost directly across their right shoulders now, and they both find it necessary to guard their squinting eyes with a raised hand. Despite the oppressive heat and blasting wind, they make reach the base of the dune in quick time...

A yearning whine suddenly comes to everyone's ears over the wind--coming from dead ahead over the dune. Everyone's eyes snap up to the ridge as the whine rises within seconds to an intolerable screeeeeeaam!

Desmond/Mondes and Armando falter as a HUGE dark shape suddenly appears over the ridge top, and immediately becomes ENORMOUS as it hurtles toward them at ridiculous speed!

It's some kind of hull they realise momentarily as it SMASHES! catastrophically through the top of the dune, tearing awkwardly angled masts and rigging off itself, splintering any number of hull timbers, and causing a mighty avalanche of red sand to be flung violently toward them!

Desmond/Mondes and Armando fling themselves aside as the wave of red sand near buries them, and the stricken vessel pile-drives between them like a stampeding herd of bull elephants.

At last the hull comes to a grinding halt half way into the crater, and the wind lashes away the great cloud of sand.

Our company at the ring gradually uncover their eyes to blink, dumbfounded as a lone figure strides up to the daunting prow to look down at them from less than 20ft away...