Start of #Odal buffer: Mon May 03 17:16:09 2010 [18:27:17] When last we left our heroes, they had encountered zombies on the ocean floor, scratching at the entrance to an ancient temple, long-since sunk. Attracted to the noise they made, the living dead had begun to approach the apparati [18:27:24] [session start] [18:28:22] * Eilenia frowns. "Onward. Unless they start forcing their bodies into the joints and gumming up the works, they can't hurt us." [18:35:32] * Kouri scowled out the viewport. "I prefer it when I can punch them..." [18:35:43] * The apparati begin pressing forward, crushing zombies in their mighty claws, and piercing their unliving bodies on sharp legs. Truly, no zombie is a match for your mechanical lobster [18:40:06] "Okay... mechanical lobster is not being so bad at the zombie crushings." [18:40:27] "Haha! Feel the wrath of Bahamut!" [18:40:53] * Eve_Kasnora is steering her apparatus into crowds of zombies, while mainting direction. [18:43:19] * Eve_Kasnora plows a claw into the horde of zombies, scattering them into the briny deep, while crushing the head of another zombie with the other claw. [18:43:43] "You are no match for lobster of Justice!" [18:44:27] That's hardly sporting. [18:44:32] * Eve makes short work of the zombie horde [18:44:53] * Kouri frowned. "I do not like these lobsters..." [18:45:55] They work fine. Though they certianly aren't suitable steeds for a Wild Hunt. [18:47:15] You should all see the Wild Hunt some day [18:48:04] "What is being the Wild Hunt?" [18:49:43] "I can't say I know what it is, either?" [18:51:39] Why, a grand hunt that sweeps across the skies with great speed. And woe betide anything that earns the ire of the windrider host [18:54:48] "Sounds... suspicious." [18:55:07] * Finally, the lobsters approach the temple, its claws scratching against the ancient gilded doors [18:55:29] * Eve_Kasnora taps the claw of her lobster delicately as she can manage against the doors. [18:55:31] Suspicious? [18:55:37] What is so suspicious about that? [18:56:06] "You were not telling me what they are hunting." [18:59:24] Oh, deer or other, more fantastic creatures. Or darker things. [19:00:30] "Darker things?" [19:00:51] Things we don't talk about. [19:01:41] "See? It is being suspicious." [19:03:15] It all depends on who leads. [19:15:09] * The lobsters keep scratching at the door, reaching for some hidden latch or catch. In the distance, you can see some distant parts of the temple, broken open [19:15:26] How about we go there instead? [19:15:48] * Paera continues piloting her apparatus quietly, trying to ignore the zombies as much as possible. [19:16:23] * Kouri folds her arms, leaning back and closing her eyes. [19:18:09] * Eve_Kasnora spots the zombies Paera is avoiding and barrels into them. [19:18:39] "Bahamut's Lobster will crush you!" [19:18:49] Is that what you named it? [19:19:18] "No. It's name is being Lobster of Justice." [19:20:00] ...I'm glad you're enjoying this. [19:21:11] "I am always enjoying chance to rid world of evil. Even at bottom of sea." [19:21:46] * Eve_Kasnora operates the Lobster of Justice toward the ruined walls of the temple in the distance. [19:22:04] Then every day must be a fantastic adventure for you. [19:23:06] "Everyday we are killing monsters, yes." [19:23:52] * It's a long trip, but the apparati finally make it to the broken-open section of the temple. The remnants of ancient battles can be seen here, with strange obsidian swords and odd golden chainmail littering the ocean floor. As you approach the walls of the temple, you notice that they seem to be undulating on the inside. [19:27:41] * Kouri moved to glance out of the port, biting her lip slightly. "Mhm. Interesting..." [19:28:35] * Eve_Kasnora frowns at the unnatural movement. [19:28:44] Who fought here, I wonder. [19:31:17] I question if the zombies have enough intelligence to be evil, but I admit they are often used as tools of such [19:33:50] "Mindless killing machines are being a threat to life. Bahamut protects under water peoples too." [19:34:06] "Why is building alive?" [19:35:11] They could be mindless lifting machines. [19:35:19] * Eilenia looks at the building. "Oh, is it? I hadn't noticed." [19:39:35] * As you investigate the building, you feel a telepathic presense surveying the apparati, seeming to come from everywhere around you. [19:41:31] "This... is not being good...." [19:42:52] "No, not good at all..." [19:43:35] * Paera looks around. "Oh, great." [19:44:18] * Finally, the telepathic presence speaks, its mind, ancient and deep, seeming to echo. Along with a faint telepathic pressure, you hear it inside your mind. [19:44:22] * "is poke" [19:44:49] Hello there? [19:45:17] "Gah!" [19:46:43] * The walls undulate further as pseudopods form and begin to reach out to the apparati. [19:46:46] * "is here" [19:47:11] I am Eilenia Amastacia. Who are you? [19:49:13] ...uh. [19:49:36] * The first set of pseudopods reaches out to an apparatus and begins to tug on it. [19:49:41] * "i am" [19:49:51] Why are you? [19:50:52] * "old ones" [19:50:57] * "long gone" [19:51:03] * "left here" [19:51:14] * "sharp ones" [19:51:19] * "no bones" [19:51:25] * "world hole" [19:51:38] ...this mean anything to anyone? [19:51:45] "Ummm?" She swallowed slightly, biting her lip. "Eh...?" [19:52:14] * The barrage of psionic messages stops briefly, and then: [19:52:19] * "hand" [19:52:40] Eye. [19:54:12] * "eye" [19:54:26] You heard it, Eve. [19:54:38] Hand. [19:56:05] ... [19:56:22] "I am not being prepared to do any such thing." [19:56:56] * Eve_Kasnora starts backing her lobster out of the place. [19:57:08] "Go Lobster of Justice! Go!" [19:57:23] * Eve_Kasnora rattles the controls, trying to get extra speed out of it. [19:58:00] * Eilenia considers the voice. "The hand is here?" [19:58:32] The pseudopods pull at the apparatus, trying to pull it towards the walls, but Eve is able to force her way out of them. [19:58:42] * "hand" [20:00:13] Where does your allegiance lie? [20:00:33] The maimed god? [20:00:53] "Everyone out!" [20:01:04] * Kouri blinks. "Out?" [20:01:12] Don't be silly. We'd drown. [20:01:25] "Out of temple not lobsters!" [20:01:58] * "aurena ones" [20:02:03] * "old ones" [20:02:20] Primordials? [20:02:39] * Paera nods quickly, and turns her apparatus around. [20:03:02] * Eilenia doesn't protest. [20:04:03] * "two legs" [20:04:07] * "world men" [20:04:19] * "two arms" [20:04:28] "Humans?" [20:06:35] * A brief telekinetic image flashes in your minds, of a race long-forgotten, of humanoids with skin as black as night, dressed in simple white robes that go to their feet and cover where their eyes would be. On the creature's forehead, however, is tattoo in golden ink of an eyeball, that flicks around curiously as if surveying its surroundings. [20:06:48] (Telepathic, rather) [20:07:22] Fascinating. [20:08:31] "Are.. are you... of Ioun?" [20:09:28] * "thought god" [20:11:54] * Paera relaxes, stopping her apparatus. [20:12:04] "Goddess of Knowledge, yes. Are you being of her?" [20:12:37] * "of aurena" [20:12:42] * "aurena thought" [20:12:45] * "thought god" [20:13:45] I'm not familiar with "Aurena" [20:15:41] * Kouri shook hr head slightly. "Mhm.. no, not I..." [20:15:51] The Aurena...they're followers of Ioun. So, not directly, but close enough. [20:16:44] Oh, good. [20:21:29] "Do you know how to destroy Eye of Vecna?" [20:22:19] * "eye" [20:26:05] * The pseudopods begin pulling the apparati again, now that they've stopped moving away [20:26:08] "Yes, destroy." [20:26:48] "No! Bad temple! Give knowledge, don't take!" [20:27:04] To get rid of the Eye and the Hand and the Head forever [20:27:18] * "no destroy" [20:27:24] * "sharp ones" [20:27:29] * "no destroy" [20:27:35] * "no bones" [20:27:41] Why not... ? [20:27:41] * "no destroy" [20:27:57] * "world hole" [20:28:04] * "no destroy" [20:28:08] "...Lost forever?" [20:28:23] * Paera scratches her head. "Is it saying...if we destroy the eye, it'll make this 'world hole'?" [20:28:50] "I was thinking we were supposed to be throwing the Eye into the world hole, making it lost forever." [20:30:39] Hmm, that could be right too... [20:31:18] * Kouri frowned, tapping her foot. "It's too broken to really tell for sur ewhat it's trying to say,." [20:31:52] Broken, is it? [20:32:18] Or it just communicates on a different level than we do. [20:32:30] * Eve_Kasnora tries to think really hard at the walls, picturing the Eye shattering the pieces. "Destroy Eye?" [20:32:30] ...I guess it could be both. [20:34:22] * You can sense the intelligence trying to find a way to bridge the gap. Finally, an image of the eye, inert, is provided, and it says, in two short bursts: [20:34:26] * "i am" [20:34:31] * "no destroy" [20:34:50] Disable the eye, then? [20:36:04] * The pseudopods finally succeed in pulling one of the apparati against the wall and, somewhat alarmingly, it seems as though the rear hatch is being opened from the outside. [20:36:54] What are you doing? [20:36:58] "MOVE!" [20:37:04] "IT SAYS IT'S THE EYE!" [20:37:40] * Eve_Kasnora pilots the Lobster of Justice into the other apparatti, knocking it loose of the wall. [20:41:19] * Eve knocks the other apparatus loose from the wall as the pseudopods begin to open the hatch. Cold ocean water begins to flood the inside of the apparatus, before a shrill whistle enamates from the control panel, and failsafes activate, forcing the hatch shut against the rush of seawater [20:42:14] If you aren't aware, entity, the outside is quite dangerous. [20:42:48] "It says it is Eye! This only being bad!" [20:44:05] "Yes, we have to get out of here, now, this can't be good at all~!" [20:50:31] Uh...Eve, I think you're making things worse. [20:50:41] * Eve_Kasnora pushes the other lobster toward the exit with the Lobster of Justice, since Elena doesn't seem concerned with the obvious danger. [20:51:00] "It is evil thing! It will drown you!" [20:51:19] * Pumps hidden inside the dislodged apparatus begin to bilge out the half-flooded inside of the mechanical lobster, and it begins to shake as it drains itself. [20:53:40] * The entity brushes against the minds of the crew of the lobster being pushed. [20:53:58] * "open gate" [20:54:13] * "inside here" [20:54:20] * "i am" [20:54:51] Inside here, water is. [20:59:12] * Eve_Kasnora pushes the other apparatus outside of the walls, finally. [20:59:30] "Why are you still talking with it? It said it was the Eye!" [21:00:07] I...don't think that's what it's saying at all. [21:00:20] I'm not sure how you got that idea, silly human [21:02:45] "It showed the Eye, and then was saying 'I am.'. I am not seeing room for interpretation. It is Vecna. It must have attacked temple in past and destroyed the people there." [21:03:07] "And then it tried to drown you!" [21:10:34] * Eve continues to shove the other lobster along [21:11:17] Sorry sir, we'll continue this discussion outside. [21:12:42] "Sir?! You are crazy Elena! That thing is Vecna!" [21:13:02] "Whateve rit's trying to say, we can't understand completely. Whether it is or isn't, we should err on the side of caution and get moving." [21:13:18] Eve! How can it be Vecna and be loyal to servants of Ioun at the same time? [21:13:45] "Lies and Secrets!" [21:14:16] "It was trying to open your hatch! At crushing depths!" [21:15:07] * The people inside the lobster that was opened are aware that no water entered until Eve crashed into them. [21:15:20] Eve, no water came in until you hit us [21:17:06] "But.. it was opening hatch!" [21:17:20] And you were putting water in [21:17:25] Maybe YOU'RE Vecna [21:17:36] "..." [21:17:55] "It has gotten in your minds! This trip is failure! We are going back!" [21:18:00] Wouldn't that be a twist. [21:18:10] * Eve_Kasnora starts pushing the other lobster toward the surface. [21:18:25] * Eilenia realizes that Eve has both hands and eyes. Just like Vecna. [21:18:49] (That is, she is posessed of both those things, not that she has both of them. Which she does, but Vecna doesn't) [21:19:03] "Your minds have been twisted against your own survival instincts! And me!" [21:19:30] * Eilenia does, but Eve is fun to mess with [21:20:10] "We are leaving this evil place and never coming back!" [21:20:29] * Meanwhile, in the Lobster of Justice, Tarpaulin awakens. He looks through a porthole at Eve apparently trying to roll the other apparatus over [21:20:59] * "I say! Underwater derby time?" He burbles. [21:21:30] Why would that creature be Vecna and tell us that it is? [21:21:33] * Eve_Kasnora wheels on Tarp. "Stay back! You could be corrupted too!" [21:21:37] Vecna wouldn't give away a secret like that [21:24:47] * Eve_Kasnora whirls back to the magical voice-box containing Elena's voice. "Be quiet! You're just trying to trick me!" [21:25:18] "We are leaving and when we are getting to Refuge Float I will be fixing all of you!" [21:25:20] * Tarp blinks. "Oh dear! This seems like a problem. A problem solved by choking!" [21:25:44] * Tarp advances on Eve, flexing his four hands at the ends of his spindly arms [21:26:08] * Eve_Kasnora is too engrossed at ranting at Elena. "You'll be thanking me when your mind is your own again!" [21:26:29] "You'll s-grrk!" [21:26:32] "Can we both stop fighting and keep going~!?" [21:26:44] Certainly [21:26:44] * Tarp begins choking Eve into unconsciousness, whistling a merry choking tune [21:30:09] * Tarp takes the helm. "Ahoy-hoy! All aboard the S.S. S.S.!" [21:30:12] * Eilenia marches the lobster back in to the place [21:31:23] ...Tarp, did you just... [21:31:26] * Tarp follows the lobster back in. [21:35:39] * The pseudopods reach out, and pull the lobsters to the wall. Barring any more interruptions, the hatches begin opening again, and then the wall seems to shrink away and open up, with the pseudopods forming a seal around the apparati [21:35:51] * Assuming that nobody tries to stop this process [21:35:57] * Tarp bows. "Ssssure did!" [21:36:07] Good job, Tarpaulin [21:39:45] * The inside of the temple is made of white marble and obsidian, with ancient religious frescoes on the walls, the eye of Ioun being a common trait among them. As you step out, the holes in the wall close almost all the way, leaving visual access to the apparati [21:42:28] ...well, one way to handle it, I guess. [21:42:41] Wonderful to be out and about again [21:42:46] ...not like it's the first time we've had to knock her out. [21:43:06] Humans are rather driven [21:43:23] * Tarpaulin drags Eve out of the apparatus and places her on the ground, beginning to stretch his limbs and joints [21:44:05] * Kouri (Mibbit@h54.18.16.98.dynamic.ip.windstream.net) Quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client) [21:45:23] * Flarelord (Mibbit@h54.18.16.98.dynamic.ip.windstream.net) has joined #Odal [21:45:26] * Flarelord steps out first, taking a hesitant glance about the entryway. "Mhm~. Guess we should have a look around. Sounds like this presence isn't trying to hurt us as much as Eve seemed to think. [21:45:33] * Flarelord is now known as Kouri [21:45:47] * Slowly, a piece of the wall begins to break off. At first in crude human form, it begins to shape itself, and after less than a minute, it's formed into a female shape, with the nubs of small horns and tapered elven ears. It makes a strange gesture that seems to have something in common with a sign of greeting. [21:46:24] * Eilenia returns the sign [21:49:11] * Eilenia goes to shake Eve awake, curious about the form being mimicked [21:49:37] * Kouri blinked, and returned the sign lightly. [21:49:49] * In halting common, it announces "Hello! You are in temple." [21:53:17] Hello [21:54:12] * Paera looks curiously at the strange being. "...hello." [21:54:58] We're hoping to destroy the eye. Or at least blind it. [21:55:38] It pauses and furrows its brow. "Destroy the eye..." [21:56:02] "What sort of temple?" -- Kouri asks this in Elven, rather than common, first/ [21:56:47] * Eve_Kasnora rouses awake, frowning. "What happened?" [21:56:48] * Eilenia furrows her brow at Kouri's strange dialect. [21:57:24] Oh, Eve, you were wrong after all. [21:57:50] "Where are we?" [21:57:53] * Paera nods. "Even blinding it would do for now, so we could continue to look for a way to destroy it completely." [21:58:32] Inside the temple, of course [22:01:04] * In elven, the creature responds. "Temple..." Then in Common, resumes. "Is Aurena temple. During Vecna's time. Aurena built it... to protect from..." She struggles to think of a word, so instead, the floor lifts itself up, pulsing, and becomes a battle in miniature. On one side, the temple and the tiny black creatures in white robes. On the other, skeletons and shambling lizards that walked on two feet, men and elves, and strange plants that pull [22:02:05] that pull themselves along the ground by their roots. [22:02:36] War [22:04:49] "I see. What are we protecting here?" she asked. "The eye you were talking about was the Eye of Ioun, right?" [22:05:17] * The creature nods. "Vecna's war. Vecna..." Another scene rises from the floor, of a man being cut down in battle, hand severed and eye taken as a trophy. "Vecna's ones came. For eye and hand. Aurena suml temple. Keeping eye and hand safe." [22:05:29] (Sunk) [22:06:45] * She creature blinks. "We are protecting the hand. We protected the eye, but..." She pauses. "Not the first people to find the temple." [22:10:04] * Eilenia frowns. [22:10:16] "Ah... so this must have been long before the Eye was brought to my village. My people kept it secret for a long time, but the eye was stolen from us." [22:10:26] If it helps, a number of people were guarding the eye for generations after it came up [22:11:17] Could you tell us about the last ones to come here before us? [22:14:18] * She looks past the group, and cradles her chin in her hand. "A long time... Before, dead came. Before that... A long time." She frowns. "Not talking good." [22:15:09] "Who are you? And is there some way we could help?" [22:17:03] She makes the gesture of greeting again. "I am Temple." She sighs. "Long ways you could help." [22:17:15] [Session end] End of #Odal buffer Mon May 03 17:16:09 2010