RandomWiki | ShadowWorld / Session 77 browse

Lana: Artanis moves as fast as he can without jostling Lana more than necessary. Egani and Okhfels pound out of the workshop in pursuit.
Okhfels: "Where are you going to run to, Elf? All the way to Kaitaine?"
Artanis stops as the powerful human overtakes him and blocks his passage. He glares at Okhfels but doesn't reply. He takes a bearing of his surroundings, as if he wanted to evade him again.
Egani: Egani, panting a bit, attempts to gently take Lana from Artanis.
Egani: "Come on, big guy, she's hurt quite badly. Give her to me."
Okhfels: Okhfels is fit enough that he's just taking deep breaths, not truly tired. "That was stupid."
Artanis: "Don't touch her, you defiler."
Okhfels: To Egani: "Go on back to your house. I'll handle this."
Artanis despairingly looks down at Lana, whose chest just barely lifts itself up and down to her feeble breathing.
Egani steps back two paces, giving Okhfels a small amount of the space he wants, unwilling to truly leave his patient.
Okhfels: Okhfels puts a hand on Artanis's shoulder. "I'm with you on the whole 'defiler' thing. But what did you think you were going to do?"
Artanis retreats from the touch. "Bringing her back to Sel-Kai is necessary if she is not to be utterly destroyed by this thwarted wizard."
Okhfels: "You're going to carry her the whole way? The skyships are gone... and with any luck there won't be any more."
Artanis looks startled. "What? You let the skyships go?"
Okhfels: Okhfels laughs. "You see that forest over there? They call it the White Wood. It eats skyships for lunch... even way out here. It's gotten two of them so far."
Okhfels: "So let's sit down and talk about what's going to happen next."
Artanis delicately puts Lana down, filled with dismay and then sits down himself, burying his face in his hands.
Okhfels: Okhfels sits down cross-legged on the other side of Lana.
Egani: Egani arches his neck, trying to diagnose Lana's health from eight feet away.
Okhfels: "I know some people around here who can help take care of Lana. People who aren't going to do crazy things with her."
Artanis looks Okhfels straight in the eye. "You do?"
Okhfels: "Yes, I do."
Okhfels: So if you'll trust me to get a squad with a stretcher, I'll make sure she's brought to someone who can take proper care of her."
Artanis suspiciously eyes Egani who is still standing around. Then nods in approval to Okhfels proposition
Egani allows Okhfels to continue his...plan, curious where this is going and pretty sure that Lana isn't bleeding out.
Okhfels: Okfhels stands up, pulling up a small sapling in the process. He carefully snaps the branches and wads it up into a ball. He raises it to his lips, and blows on it. The wood smokes, then glows, then bursts into flame.
Okhfels: Taking the flaming wood in his hands, he throws it high in the air, in the direction of the lake.
Egani cocks an eyebrow.
Okhfels: Within minutes, men are coming towards Okfhels at a run. Okhfels stands proudly as his men cluster around.
Okhfels: "You, you, you. Get a stretcher. Bring this woman to Fahd." He indicates Artanis and says, "The rest of you, make sure this one doesn't make any trouble." The men salute, and immediately set to their tasks. Okhfels walks over to Egani.
Artanis stands up, feeling betrayed, but doesn't speak a word of protest as the four men approach him.
Okhfels: "Egani, I'm going to go back to your house and tell Isadora what just happened. Do you want to come with me?"
Egani: Egani cocks his head to the side, considering Lana's fate in Fahd's hands. "Well, I guess she's not bleeding. Do you suppose she'll be safe?" He then turns and heads back with Okhfels.
Okhfels: Okfhels nods.
Artanis: "Sirs, I need to follow the wounded woman, if you please."
Okhfels: The troopers, bearing long spears, shrug and let Artanis pass. "Boss didn't say you couldn't."
Artanis: Satisfied, the elf quietly follows in Fahd's tracks, humming a lovely song...
Okhfels: The troopers follow along behind him, spears at the ready. They permit him to walk where he will, but not to enter any tents... harder to keep an eye on him there, too much trouble to get into.
Smerf: The stretcher bearers trace their way across the camp, finally arriving in an out of the way clearing where Fahd sits on the grass, his eyes closed.
Smerf: Fahd opens his eyes and looks up. After a look at the approaching group, he turns to Artanis. "Yes?"
Okhfels: The men carrying Lana say, "Okhfels wants you to take care of this one." They know who Fahd is. They have an inkling what Okhfels means.
Artanis: *Good evening. I am accompanying the wounded woman, Lana. I'm a close friend of her and she will need my supporting presence."
Smerf: Fahd takes a long look at her and "hmms".
Smerf: Fahd turns to the stretcher bearer who spoke, "Why did he send her to me?"
Okhfels: T Hey ? look at each other meaningfully. "He thought it would be best."
Okhfels: "She's very near death," one of them says.
Okhfels: "And he trusts you."
Artanis: "Pardon me sir, I forgot to introduce myself: I am Artanis Aeldarunde." A brief pause. "Can you save this woman's life?"
Smerf: Fahd looks askance at Artanis, "Why would you think I could?"
Artanis flinches. "Are you not a competent surgeon?"
Smerf: Fahd looks oddly at Artanis, "Surgeon? I am no surgeon. I serve the spirits of our anscestors."
Okhfels: One of Okhfels men puts his hand on Artanis's shoulder from behind. "I think this qualifies as 'making trouble' pal."
Artanis: "I see..." He represses the wrath swelling inside him.
Artanis immediately turns around and gives the man a deadly look. "Sir, do not touch me, ever again. Did I make myself clear?"
Okhfels: "I'll touch you if I damn well please, buddy... I don't take my orders from the likes of you. Now Back Off." A half=dozen spearpoints level themselves at Artanis.
Smerf: Fahd looks up at the men with the stretcher. "Very well. Leave her there," he nods to an open space in the grass, "But make sure that Okhfels comes to see me... soon."
Okhfels: The stretcher-bearers nod, leave Lana where they are told, and after a quiet word with each other, start off to find Okhfels.
Artanis: "Alright, if that's how you see it... You can lower your spears, I will not assault you."
Smerf: Fahd places a hand lightly on Lana's forehead and closes his eyes again, humming.
Okhfels: "We're not idiots. Now let's find somewhere else to be, eh?"
Okhfels: The spearpoints don't move.
Artanis: "Do as you please, but I will stay by the shaman."
Isadora: "What's going on?" Isadora calls as she approaches with Okhfels and Egani.
Okhfels: Okhfels goes over to his men and converses quietly with Alshor.
Egani: As he gets close enough, Egani draws close to Lana, trying to reassure himself that she is well.
Smerf: Fahd looks up suddenly at Okhfels, "What, precisely, did you send this woman to me for?"
Isadora: Isadora looks at Lana briefly, then tries to draw Egani and Artanis aside.
Artanis: "What is it, mylady?"
Egani: After assuring that nothing dramatic has happened to her, Egani meets with Isadora and Artanis.
Isadora: "We need to talk," Isadora says, looking back and forth between them. To Artanis, she says, "Egani here has some sort of grudge against you; apparently the pointy ears bother him. But he's known around here, and you've been only trouble in our brief acquaintance. I need you to start from the beginning and tell me what's going on."
Okhfels: Okhfels nods to Alshor and then goes over to Fahd.
Smerf: Fahd looks up at Okhfels, still waiting for an answer.
Okhfels: Okhfels considers his words carefully.
Artanis: "Excuse me? How did I cause trouble? I came in search of an elf who detained knowledge that I was seeking. He seemed to have died. Then I don't quite remember what happened, I wasn't feeling to well. Somebody told me that an elf woman was wounded at Egani's house. I had learned from Laura just some time before that Lana, an old friend of mine, was to arrive shortly. I put two and two...
Artanis: ...together and arrived just on time. That's all."
Okhfels: Okhfels "I didn't expect you to kill her, if that's what you mean. But she is near death."
Smerf: Fahd looks up at Okhfels, "What makes you think that?"
Isadora looks over at Egani. "And you say Artanis took the remnants of Sebastian's spirit, somehow?"
Artanis: "Hah. This is ridiculous!"
Okhfels: "Because Isadora and Egani both have done their worst... most folks don't live through both of them."
Smerf: Fahd blinks at Okhfels, "She is quite alive, I assure you... just not... all here."
Smerf: "An important part of her stands in the realm of the anscestors."
Isadora gives Artanis a hard look. "You're walking a fine line here, sir. I'd rather avoid more trouble today, but you've been rampaging around the camp as if we're supposed to trust you."
Egani: "As I had just succeeded in gathering up all...most, of Sebastian's immortal remains to put back in his body, Artanis burst into your tent, waving his sword around and sucked up all of Sebastian's soul. I find that it's still in there and is by no means alone."
Okhfels: Okhfels nods to Fahd. "That'd probably be Egani's doing. He's been fooling around with that stuff a lot lately."
Smerf: Fahd shakes his head, "He is playing with forces beyond himself. It is dangerous. He must stop."
Artanis: "Ludicrous! If I had done anything like that, I would have been the first to remember."
Egani: "Laura was assisting me with my operation to salvage Sebastian and was a witness to it."
Okhfels: "I'd love to put a stop to it for good, for my own part."
Isadora: "I'll ask Laura what she remembers of events, then. But I need you two to stay away from each other. Is that going to be a problem?"
Artanis: Destabilized, Artanis falls back slightly.
Smerf: Fahd nods to Okhfels, "You still haven't answered my original question."
Okhfels: "That's right."
Isadora quirks a smile at Artanis, almost sympathetic. "Don't worry, mystical bullshit happens to everyone here. Think of it as a welcome present."
Artanis: "As long as he doesn't put Lana's days in danger, I have absolutely nothing to do with Sir Egani."
Artanis: A puzzled look is Isadora's sole reply.
Egani doesn't have anything to say.
Smerf: Fahd stares at Okhfels, clearly waiting.
Isadora looks steadily at Egani. "I think we both know you've been given plenty of room to work out here," she says to him. "Don't test me on this one."
Egani: "Isadora, I am your man."
Okhfels: Okhfels leans close to Fahd and says, quietly, "I wanted to show you Egani's handiwork firsthand. That's why I sent her over here."
Isadora nods and smiles, her momentary coldness gone. "Good enough." She claps Egani on the shoulder, then looks to Artanis. "Stay with Lana if you want, of course, but she's in good hands with Fahd, and Laura might appreciate your company."
Egani looks strangely at Isadora for the comment about Laura, but takes up the invitation to stay with Lana.
Artanis: "I..." He doesn't want to say it, but if Eganis stays, he'll stay too.
Isadora wants to send Laura someone to comfort her, but finds comforting people in short supply at the moment.
Okhfels: Okhfels leans back from Fahd. "We done?"
Smerf: Fahd gives Okhfels a long look, then nods and closes his eyes again.
Okhfels: Okhfels goes over to join Isadora.
Isadora: "Thanks for sorting this out," Isadora says to Okhfels. "Fahd will be enough to keep them in line, I hope."
Okhfels: Okhfels nods.
Okhfels: "I know you trust him."
Isadora looks sideways at Okhfels. "You know, for a minute I thought..."
Okhfels: Okhfels smiles his smile and puts an arm gently around Isadora's shoulders.

Lana: Laura stares at the door through which everyone has just run. After a long moment she collapses onto a bench trembling, tears glimmering at the corner of her eyes.
Isadora: "They'll catch him," Isadora says over her shoulder as she peers after the chase. Turning back to Laura, she looks at the other woman for a long moment, then looks away. "I'm sorry."
Lana: Laura looks up, emotion after emotion flitting across her face, "It's just too much, Isadora. First Sebastian, now my sister?"
Isadora: Isadora's face turns from pensive to expressionless as she looks back to Laura. "Your sister challenged me to a duel. I did my best to oblige without killing her."
Lana: Laura looks up pleadingly, "But... why couldn't you have just explained things to her? I'm sure if you had just explained how Sebastian died, how it was all a terrible accident, then she would have understood."
Isadora shrugs. "I killed a friend and she wanted blood. She was speaking a language I know very well, Laura--I didn't stop to look for another translation." Her voice is quiet and a little tired.
Isadora shrugs. "I killed a friend and she wanted blood. She was speaking a language I know very well, Laura--I didn't stop to look for another translation." Her voice is quiet and a little tired.
Smerf: Laura blinks confused, "But... wouldn't an apology have been good enough?"
Isadora: It's Isadora's turn to blink. "I'm not sure which is less likely--me offering an apology, or her accepting it."
Smerf: Laura gives Isadora a hard look, "But you are sorry, aren't you? I mean, you weren't trying to kill him, were you?"
Isadora: "I didn't stop to make a decision about killing him, if that's what you mean."
Smerf: Laura looks slightly horrified, "You mean... you just killed him? You don't feel bad about it at all?"
Isadora: "Of course I do." Isadora bites the words off and turns away suddenly. "But don't pretend he didn't know what he was doing."
Okhfels: Okhfels pushes the door open. "Who doesn't know what he's doing?"
Egani follows Okhfels in "Do your people know how nuts the elf is? Can they handle him?"
Okhfels: Okhfels shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. But the fact that I assigned almost the whole troop to do it should give them a good idea that I want it done right."
Isadora: Isadora's face is angry and a little confused as she looks over to Okhfels, but she smooths out the expression before she turns to face him fully. "What's going on with Lana and the elf?"
Egani: "Ah, good." Turning to Laura, "Okhfels has arranged for accomodations for your sister with Fahd. You may want to help him out with her care."
Okhfels: Okhfels shoots Egani a steely glare.
Smerf: Laura nods to Egani thankfully and wipes her eyes. She gets up and heads out the door.
Egani looks at Okhfels and then at Laura as she starts to depart. "Wait."
Egani: "Did you need her for something?"
Okhfels: "Why would I?"
Egani: "Uh, I don't know...nevermind, sorry." Egani seems used to misinterpretting the weird nonverbals of people around him.
Smerf: Laura nods again and exits.
Isadora sighs and looks over at Egani. "An awful lot of people seem to be losing their souls around you."
Okhfels: "Right."
Okhfels: Okhfels holds out his hand to take Isadora's.
Egani: "Two elvish rites in such a short time. Bad luck. It's no wonder that I'm involved though, as the only doctor and the only sorcerer on your side of the colony"
Isadora squeezes Okhfels' hand, though her eyes stay on Egani. "Please help me to understand. So the elves... what, do their souls fall out or something?"
Egani: "Oh...them! I thought you meant Sebastian and Lana..."
Egani: "No, I killed them. What about it?"
Egani: "...or did you mean Sebastian and Lana?" Egani looks concerned.
Isadora: "Both, actually. Why did you kill the elves?"
Egani: "The first one was robbing and threatening me. The second one was more complicated, but ultimately I decided to sacrifice her to save Lana's life. She wasn't capable of doing so and it was her job. And I found her most unpleasant."
Isadora: "What about Artanis? Will this be a recurring problem, or was it just those two?"
Egani considers for a few seconds and shrugs noncommittally. "Why?"
Okhfels: Okhfels just shakes his head.
Egani: "They're all crazy. You can see that, can't you. They're dangerous to have around. I don't mean that to be as callous a justification as it sounds -- more of a prediction of possibilities to come."
Isadora: "I wouldn't know--you've killed them before I had a chance to talk to them," Isadora says mildly, but her eyes glint.
Okhfels: "He's real good at spotting loonies."
Egani: I still have the residue of Vella, we might be able to arrange for you to talk to her. And some significant part of Altynaruk is living on in Archelaus.
Egani: "Actually, I'm a little disconcerted by that latter fact, but he doesn't seem hostile toward me, so it's interesting to watch."
Okhfels: "Isadora... now? Please?"
Isadora: Isadora's eyes flicker sideways to Okhfels and she gives him a tiny "wait a minute" headshake. To Egani, she says, "I need a better reason than 'I don't like elves' to give you Artanis. Stay away from him if you can't control yourself."
Egani is clearly shocked. "I didn't ask for him!"
Egani: "Isadora, I have no intention of harming him. I just think it's possible that he might cause trouble."
Isadora smiles briefly and humorlessly. "I know you weren't asking for him--that's the problem." She shakes her head. "We can keep an eye on him. Right now, anyway, he's with... wait a minute. Fahd?"
Okhfels: "Yes."
Okhfels: Okhfels' face betrays the slightest shadow of a smile. There's an aura of satisfaction about him, that only someone as close to him as Isadora can detect.
Egani: "I'm not following this Isadora. What's going on?"
Isadora: Her eyes fixed on Okhfels' face, Isadora says, "Nothing's going on... right?"
Isadora: After a second, Isadora looks back from Okhfels to Egani and shakes her head. "I just need to know that you'll stay off Artanis. If you think he's causing trouble, tell us, don't kill him yourself."
Egani: "How dare you!?!"
Okhfels: "*Now?*"
Egani: "I did! A Nd ? you know what you did about it? Absolutely nothing."
Egani: "I put him in jail instead of killing him when he murdered Sebastian."
Egani: "I came to you. I tried to follow all the prosocial norms. And you fucking ignored the situation. Both of you."
Egani is glaring at Isadora and Okhfels both.
Okhfels: "What are you talking about? He didn't kill Sebastian."
Okhfels: Okhfels bites off the rest of his thought.
Egani waits for Isadora to stab him.
Isadora: Okhfels' tone vanishes from Isadora's mind as she rounds on Egani. "Murdered Sebastian? I ran my sword through the man's body, Egani. Are you planning to pull my soul out, too?"
Egani blinks in confusion. "What does one have to do with the other?"
Isadora: "All right. Let's go talk to Artanis. I'd like to hear his side of events." Isadora starts for the door.
Okhfels: Okhfels follows.
Egani follows too, still hot, but interested to see how Isadora handles this.
Isadora: Possessed by a vague uneasy feeling that she should see what Fahd is doing, Isadora walks quickly.

Shadow World

Back to Main Wiki

Heroquest Homepage

Pm Wiki