Staunton Bluffs Episode I: To the Borderstone

[Le Noir Faineant]

Before heading out too far, Tavian turns and tells his companions, "In case we lose sight of eachother, I'll give the rope three quick jerks then pause and give three more quick jerks if it's safe to come forward."

"We probably don't want to yell too much, in case the vibrations could effect the bridge," he says, "Besides, if we run into something unfriendly we don't want to let it know we're here."

With that, Tavian turns and continues to inch across the bridge.

Tavian moves two metres on the bridge. [I assume Alain and Stocker hold the rope.]

Suddenly, the ground under his feet begins to feel like BURNING, and he feels his boots roasting while he stands there. Does he move on?

[Tavian]

Before heading out too far, Tavian turns and tells his companions, "In case we lose sight of eachother, I'll give the rope three quick jerks then pause and give three more quick jerks if it's safe to come forward."

"We probably don't want to yell too much, in case the vibrations could effect the bridge," he says, "Besides, if we run into something unfriendly we don't want to let it know we're here."

With that, Tavian turns and continues to inch across the bridge.

Tavian moves two metres on the bridge. [I assume Alain and Stocker hold the rope.]

Suddenly, the ground under his feet begins to feel like BURNING, and he feels his boots roasting while he stands there. Does he move on?

So this is a sudden change and not gradual?

If it is sudden, I will look down, shocked, then, with a gulp, continue forward.

If it is gradual, like it was getting warmer as I walked, then I will turn around and head back.

[kintire]

"Yikes!"

Shana leaps back from where she was standing, looking wildly around for the source of the heat, swinging the levelled crossbow around and backing rapidly away from the mysterious heat, eyes wild. If the heat effect is repeated she will bolt

[Shana's pretty familiar with magic and odd events, but she's had a bad few days... I think Average panic is appropriate.]

[Mad Skipper]

"What the...?!"

He wants to move his feet, and is about to, when he realises that because he is anchoring Tavian he cannot. Instead, he grits his teeth and tries to muscle through the pain, for flight is currently not an option to him. The safety of Tavian is paramount to such a selfish concept.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear..., he remembers once reading. And now, he is trying damn hard to believe it.

((Quote is actually from Ambrose Redmoon. One of my favorite quotes, and most appropriate. :) ))

[Don Fernando]

"Hey! it's burning, my feet are burning...the ground...something strange..." Jarryd removes his feet from where he was standing trying to find a cold spot, while still holding the rope for Tavian.

"Is this some kind of magic??" he asks to anyone who wold listen.

[DamienJ]

what if it is merely a distraction, to keep us from the real goal?"

[OOC: Can I do a Spot up the shore to see if there's any thing worth noting?]

[Does Nicholas over the shore into the dark water, or does he just check the coast line?]

[OOC: He leaned over to look at the water, and he looked around the coast line, so I would say both ]

Nicolas reaches out to take the rope offered him by Jarryd, but jumps back when those holding the rope start squirming in pain.

"What's happening?" he asks. "and why do I seem to be saying that frequently lately," he thinks to himself. Out loud again, he says, "Perhaps we are not meant to go this way..."

[Le Noir Faineant]

So this is a sudden change and not gradual?

If it is sudden, I will look down, shocked, then, with a gulp, continue forward.

It's indeed a sudden change... So, I assume Tavian moves on a few metres, until the rope is stretched to the maximum.

What now?

"Yikes!"

Shana leaps back from where she was standing, looking wildly around for the source of the heat, swinging the levelled crossbow around and backing rapidly away from the mysterious heat, eyes wild. If the heat effect is repeated she will bolt

[Shana's pretty familiar with magic and odd events, but she's had a bad few days... I think Average panic is appropriate.]

Coughing and sweating, Shana stops a few meters behind her earlier positon. The hot wave from the ground seems to follow her... Only a second later, she again feels that burning under her shoes...

[OOC: He leaned over to look at the water, and he looked around the coast line, so I would say both ]

Nicholas leans over the edge of the cliff, and wants to check if there's something in the water...

For one moment, he sees nothing but the cold dead sea.

Then... There's something down there... He would know what it is, if one would tell him, but right now, he can't remember... Something so close and yet so wicked...

For the others, it looks like this: Nicholas looks down to the sea, then staggers back and falls on the ground, his eyes wide open.

[Nicholas takes 3 points of unlethal damage, but will be able to get back on his feet immediately.]

[kintire]

"Its following me! There's something in the ground!"

Shana will bolt for the bridge, under the assumption that something that lives in the ground won't like it on the thinner bridge, dashing onto it untill I am well over empty space, then spinning round and levelling my crossbow at the ground, looking for any sign of movement

[Tavian]

Hearing the commotion from the others, Tavian realizes that they need to move now.

He turns around to see Shana moving quickly onto the bridge.

"I feel the burning too, but it seems it's not from the bridge itself," Tavian says, "Everybody follow me. Whatever it is, we need to get out of here."

With that, he gives three quick tugs on the rope, then pauses and tugs thrice more.

"Carefully now, it seems steady enough but with the satyr this won't be easy."

[CapN]

"Is this some kind of magic??" he asks to anyone who wold listen.

"Don't know, but that's easy to find out."
I cast detect magic and look around him.
Then I try to find out what is it that scared Nic.

[Don Fernando]

Things are happening so fast... Jarryd is now confussed. The lady is running towards the bridge.."Wait!!! ... we dunno if it's safe..." Jarryd yells his strange accent more clear now. He's unable to grab her without letting the rope go.

But Jarryd considers it, Nicolas needs help. "Nicolas!! are you alrtight??" he shouts to him, as he realizes he's on the ground with his eyes fixed somewhere.

"What now?" he asks himself.

[BigBadQDaddy]

Alain looks to the people with hot feet with suprise.
"what is wrong?" he asks sincerley and with a tone of confusion.
He then sees nicholas fall backward on the ground.
"What is going on?" he asks out loud in complete confusion.
Sensing some sort of danger, although what he does not know, he prepares to pull free his long sword. In the meanwhile he makes to help Nicholas to his feet, while asking him:
"Are You alright, what did you see?"

[Le Noir Faineant]

[From you posts, I can't find out if anyone joins Tavian on his walk over the bridge. So I assume the small one stays near and watches the others.]

"Is this some kind of magic??" he asks to anyone who wold listen.

"Don't know, but that's easy to find out."
I cast detect magic and look around him.
Then I try to find out what is it that scared Nic.

[In my games, *detect magic* reveals strange colours. Usually, white is a hint for godly magic, green for arcane magic, and scarlet for dread magic.]

The world around you suddenly is bathed in scarlet. Everything except your companions seems to be magical.

Suddenly, those who feel the burning under their feet realize it is gone.

[Nicholas is conscient and awake, of course...]

[kintire]

Shana is backing rapidly across the bridge, not leaving her companions too far behind, but clearly anxious to go.

"lets MOVE!"

[Boccaccio Barbarossa]

Avra watches in confusion, as people exclaim and fall down. More and more, as events unfold, he becomes convinced that something is not as it seems... like the freezing wasteland is nothing but wool over his eyes... But try as he might, it remains. he watches, waiting for something clear cut to react to, something to consider, to attack...

He waits. And watches.