Tales of Faerun

[Macman253]

Kellak brought a rock to the fire and sat down on it, he set his keg down next to him and pulled himself another flagon of ale. Odyn perched atop the rock-tent under which Terra was sleeping peacefully. The dwarf stared into the flames and drank idly, when Leif sent a jet of flame into the already crackling fire he stood up. "Moradin's beard!" He exclaimed. The dwarf sighed and sat back down shaking his head.

 

"Like wee children... the lot of 'em." He growled before looking down into his mug, he had not realized he had thrown the contents of the flagon onto the ground. "Bloody waste." He said with a slur as he poured himself another and shook the keg, it was getting low but there was enough left.

 

Kellak turned to face the one called Rameses. "So tell me lad... ye' one o' them Fire Elemental's?" He asked, gesturing towards him with his mug.

[GrueMaster]

We'tak was entertaining brief thoughts of softskin breakfasts when Leif came along and shared his "way" of lighting a fire. *SCREEE!* He shrieked, jumping back a little from surprise. "You are blessed by the spiritss with power, too!?" The young thri-kreen looked at his clutchmate with bewilderment. "Are most softskins this way?" This actually gave We'tak a moment of self-consciousness; why wasn't his people so greatly blessed by the spirits' power?

 

Not used to such flashes of envy, the hatchling was discomforted, but quickly shook such feelings away. These were his clutchmates, and all are blessed with their own unique abilities from Mother Moon as She wills, so he would not harbor these thoughts. Though it would be good to learn more of my clutch... he thought. I am still being surprised by their strengths...

 

Since they were on the topic of fire-starting and his mind on his clutchmates' skills, We'tak quickly shot back into his usual habit of questioning, Maydiira now being his target of inquiry. "Dark Winged Pointy-ear?" *Chee?* he asked, sidling up to her. "How do winged pointy-ears make fire? Do you use fire stones, too? Or perhapss the spirits help you?"

Edited November 22, 2015 by GrueMaster

[AurianaValoria1]

"Gonna be rations or rations," Abby remarked as she dug through her bag, looking for food. Having just finished managing her own tent, the halfling had worked up an appetite as well. Rhaine, too, sighed as she sat down on a log beside the bonfire, shaking her head at Leif's display before searching her pack for her own rations.

 

Meanwhile, Argyros dipped his head to Eirene, "Of course, I do understand. My apologies if you found my question intrusive." At We'tak's sudden barrage of questions targeted at Maydiira, the dragon laughed and shook his head, "No quelling the curiosity of that one, it seems."

 

"Unfortunately," Conall remarked dryly, putting his hands on his hips as he contemplated taking We'tak aside for a talk.

 

Maydiira herself looked up at the thri-kreen with wide silver eyes, winced a little at his questions, and then slowly answered, "If by 'winged-pointy-ears' you mean people like Rhaine and I, then we usually make fire in the same ways as anyone else normally would," she gestured to Rameses, "Although we don't exclude magic when we need it. The drow of the Underdark, however, have little use for normal fire. Instead, we use what surfacers call 'faerie fire'."

[FreemasonGamer]

When Leif's invoked jet of flame erupted violently from the camp's bonfire, Rameses jumped with a wild grin as the blaze reflected vibrantly in his excited gaze and exhilarated demeanor. Clasping his hands together happily, the genasi loosed an elated chuckle and took a seat upon the bare earth once again, enjoying the liveliness of the flames that crackled in front of him. In the presence of such a magnificent fire, Rameses exhibited a degree of awe not entirely unlike that seen in the eyes of children. Although, Kellak's inquiry soon drew the genasi's attention away from the flames and towards the stout dwarf instead.

 

"No, I'm not exactly a fire elemental," Rameses answered his companion with the slightest disappointment in his voice, "But I am a fire genasi. From what little I know of my kind, fire genasi are descended from such elemental beings of fire, hence the fiery markings on my skin, for example."

 

At that moment, Rameses felt the slightest bit little self-conscious since he was not accustomed to speaking of his planetouched heritage. Regardless, the foolish smile never left his countenance as he spoke, "I hope to learn as much as I can of my ancestry and of fire genasi in general, someday. Perhaps this gathering of mages we travel to meet with might be privy to such knowledge and answers."

 

Some distance away from the bonfire, Eirene nodded shallowly in response to Argyros, the silver's apologies seemingly unnecessary. "No offense taken from curiosity." She reassured him before the dragon focused and commented upon We'tak's bombardment of inquiries for the winged drow of the group.

 

Watching Maydiira and the thri-kreen brought a softened smile to the Mulhorandi's otherwise neutral features; not only was We'tak amusing in his own innocent fashion, but Eirene also found the drow woman to be an intriguing source of fixation. Maydiira's appearance was as exotic and fascinating as it was beautiful, as if she was some divine creature portrayed upon the stained glass of a cathedral. Stranger still was the woman's accent, which Eirene found to be utterly bizarre, rich, and unique all at once. Consequently, listening to her speaking proved to be an effective means of distraction from Eirene's own brooding thoughts, although the Mulhorandi wordlessly slipped into her tent upon returning to her usual contemplation.

 

"Hey, faerie fire!" Rameses noted amusingly after Maydiira concluded her explanation of typical drow lighting. "I've heard rumors of that. Folks say it can burn without fuel or smoke and can glow any color of the rainbow. Interesting to consider for sure." While he spoke, the genasi swiftly rose to his feet and wandered over to his own tent, where he then rummaged through his things until he produced a bag of rations. Upon his return to the bonfire, he mused curiously, "I wonder if these hardened biscuits would be dangerous if flung from a sling."

[josh900]

Leif chuckled at We'tak's question. "Well..... That's one way of looking at it, sure." He answered, laughing again as the thri-kreen mentioned winged pointy-ears. "There's actually an entire race of those that live high up in the mountains, some aren't able to do magic at all." He explained, knowing that neither Rhaine, nor Maydiira was a part of the Avarial people.

 

 

[GrueMaster]

If it were possible for We'tak's compound eyes to open any further, it would have happened at Maydiira's revelation. "Faerie fire?" *Chee?* He could only marvel that such a thing existed, even more so with Rameses' description of it. He began to ask the dark winged pointy-ear if she could show him such fire, but Leif's explanation left him with another question. "'Magic?' Is this what softskins call the blessed power of the spirits? Interesting..."

 

The thri-kreen mulled over this, going quiet for once as this information began to instill a strange sense of dread. Is there a difference between this magic and the divine spirits' blessings? They do not mean the forbidden blood-power, do they? Not wanting to consider such a thought, the fireskin's comment about the hard bread gave We'tak the distraction he needed.

 

"Softskins can use food as weapons? Very useful! Thri-kreen try to find multiple uses for things, too!" He exclaimed, before pulling out one of his chatkcha. The three-pointed throwing wedge had a rough elegance to it. To non-thri-kreen, it looked much like a throwing star, albeit a much larger one, made of a strange crystal material. "This is a chatkcha, a throwing weapon of thri-kreen, often used for hunting. We make it from dasl, which is made by mixing thri-kreen venom and sand, and then it is shaped like this so it is strong and sharp."

 

Wanting to show off the craftsmanship, We'tak hurled the chatkcha at a nearby log. It struck with a solid thunk, and when We'tak retrieved the wedge, it had no breaks and still had its edge. "See? It may be made of venom and sand, but it is as strong as stone! So thri-kreen venom is useful in many ways, too!"

Edited November 29, 2015 by GrueMaster

[Macman253]

Kellak scoffed. "Aye, an' faerie fire burns hotter than Moradin's forge." He said with a dismissing wave at the Thri-Kreen and Drow. "She might not mention 'tis, but te' lasses people like te' use it to hot tere' irons 'fer brandin'." The dwarf pulled his tunic's collar down to reveal a odd shaped brand on his chest below his collar bone. "Mark tere' property right an' good te' do." The angry dwarf glared at Maydiira, "Right good at it." He took another pull of his ale, swished it around in his mouth and swallowed it before correcting his garb.

 

The little dwarf returned to his brooding, staring into the flames of the campfire as he prepared his pipe and lit it with a burning twig. He wanted no part of the Drow, and he wanted her to know it.

[AurianaValoria1]

Seeing his fellow party members seemingly so reluctant to eat yet another meal of hard, tough, and nearly tasteless rations, Argyros looked sideways at Conall and indicated his bow, "Say...fancy an evening hunt? Perhaps we can bring in something a bit more satisfying than trail food, yes?" At this, the werewolf paladin raised his brows and then nodded, "Aye, a good idea, my friend. Rhaine, with Selune's blessing, we'll be back with a better meal before nightfall." He inclined his head to the Doomguide, to which she gave an answering silent nod of approval. With that, the two hunters made towards the thicker wooded grasslands to the east, past the small pond that Rhaine had pointed out earlier. Abby then wordlessly shoved her rations back into her pack and prayed to Tymora the two silver-clad warriors would prevail in their quest for fresh meat.

 

Maydiira, meanwhile, somewhat amused by Kellak's comment and We'tak's interest, grinned and remarked, "There are many uses for this, as well." She flicked her wrist, and, suddenly, We'tak was limned in bright blue faerie fire.

 

For some reason, this elicited a storm of giggles from Abby, who rocked back on her bottom and kicked her legs up and down as she laughed.

[FreemasonGamer]

The blooming conversation among his peers intrigued Rameses, and he listened to their conversing contently while he nibbled on a biscuit whose taste and texture were utterly unremarkable. When Argyros and Conall volunteered to try their hand at hunting for some local game to supplement the party's upcoming dinner, the fire genasi grinned wildly with anticipation and nodded in agreement. "Some venison or rabbit cooked over the fire would be just short of perfect; if we had the right seasoning to go along with it, we'd be dining like royalty." Mused Rameses excitedly at the prospect, biding farewell to the two huntsmen and wishing them luck before they departed. As much as he did enjoy the fresh bounty of the wilds, Rameses rarely had a taste of it since he himself was unfamiliar with the ways of the hunt and was absolutely terrible at archery of any sort.

 

Shortly after Conall and Argyros left the campsite, the genasi's attention wandered towards the winged drow, Maydiira, who soon used her magic to create a bit of mischievous faerie fire that cast an almost ominous silhouette around We'tak's form. Rameses smirked at the amusing sight, although Abby's vibrant bout of reactionary laughter quickly caused him to erupt with a few hearty chuckles of his own. For the genasi, it felt rejuvenating to sit next to a crackling campfire and laugh among friends, and he swiftly sprang upon the opportunity to satisfy his own immature nature.

 

Gesturing mystically towards the young thri-kreen, Rameses remarked with a haunting tone and a playful smile, "Thou hast been bewitched, We'tak!" He was barely able to finish his teasing remark before bursting with laughter, slapping his knee as he struggled to catch his breath.

 

While such banter overtook the fire genasi and some of his fellows at the campfire, their revelry gradually tempted the curiosity of Eirene, who had retired to her tent in search of peace. The Mulhorandi smiled weakly as she listened to her nearby companions seemingly enjoying themselves, but she remained where she sat within the isolation of her canvas shelter. Sitting cross-legged on her bedroll, Eirene returned her focus upon the blank sheet of weathered papyrus in her lap and the stick of charcoal in her left hand; after being burdened with brooding contemplation for much of the day, she turned towards her personal interest in sketching as a relaxing outlet.

 

Unsure of what to sketch, the Mulhorandi soon began to aimlessly draw a variety of rough shapes and images, and her smile eventually broadened as her efforts steadily produced a handful of abstract sketches depicting trees, flowers, and similar objects. Of all the tasks that usually occupied her time, none of them eased Eirene's conscience quite like the practice of illustrating aspects of nature. It was only a matter of time before her sheet of papyrus was cluttered with a chaotic assortment of such illustrations; smiling widely in approval, the Mulhorandi then carefully stored away her sketches and charcoal back into her rucksack. She also considered possibly emerging from her tent to join her friends in their merriment at the bonfire, though hesitation kept her from doing so.

[GrueMaster]

We'tak looked at Maydiira strangely as she flicked her wrist at him, then... *SCREEEEEE!!!* He shrieked shrilly, flailing frantically at the blue flames engulfing him and then rolling on the ground in an attempt to put it out. Then, as he heard his clutchmates laughing, the thri-kreen noticed that he didn't feel any heat... in fact, he wasn't burning at all. *Chee!?* He stood up and looked at the blue flames burning yet without hurting... "This iss faerie fire?" *Chee...* "That is amazing..."

 

His amazement died down a little as Rameses' laughter increased and the fireskin declared him bewitched. With narrowed, compound eyes, We'tak studied the fireskin with false pique. "Bewitched, you say? Then you can be, too!" The young thri-kreen launched himself at Rameses, trying to tackle him at the waist in an attempt to spread the flames to his clutchmate.

 

Not anticipating the thri-kreen's incoming tackle, Rameses hardly had a moment to internalize Wet'ak's words before the collision struck him with what felt like the force of a horse's kick. The fire genasi suddenly landed on his back upon the earth, the wind knocked out of his lungs from the youngling's playful yet powerful act of roughhousing. As his laughter swiftly ceased, Rameses coughed once with We'tak on top of him and managed to exclaim, "We'tak, that fire isn't going anywhere!"

We'tak chittered anxiously as he realized his clutchmate's words rang true, the flames refusing to spread onto his friend. Knowing the fireskin was likely much stronger than him and could probably defeat him in a physical contest, the thri-kreen did the only thing he could: He bit him. Not deeply or severely, but it would be enough...

Just beginning to recover from the unexpected crash, Rameses yelped in modest pain and extreme shock when We'tak bit him near his left shoulder. "What was that for?!" He quickly demanded while his brows crunched together, his crimson szuldar flaring with vibrant agitation. When the genasi moved to wrap his arms around the thri-kreen's gangly form to defend himself in their escalating brawl, he discovered how his muscles were starting to tighten with his accelerated heartbeat. Attempting to heave We'tak off of him, Rameses huffed desperately for breath as the thri-kreen venom began to seize his body, and his runic szuldar marking flared like a wildfire all the while.

We'tak released Rameses and stood over him in triumph as his bite's venom began to paralyze him. *Cheecheechee!* He seemed to chirp maliciously, a mischievious glint in his eyes as his mind began working at high speeds. "You cannot move? You must be bewitched, too." *Cheecheechee!* As the fireskin slowly lost the ability to move, the thri-kreen looked at the rest of his clutch, particularly at Abby and Eirene. "So... what should we do to him first?" He asked seriously, masking his laughter; he had actually bitten Rameses out of accident, but this had turned into something entertaining now.

Rameses was lying on the ground, motionless and unable to speak as the paralysis restricted him when Eirene emerged from her tent to witness the clamor. Seeing the genasi rendered immobile as a result of We'tak's antics, who himself was still illuminated with Maydiira's faerie fire, the Mulhorandi widened her eyes and was nearly at a loss for words. She merely remarked with her left hand over her mouth in utter surprise, "Oh dear... He will not be happy when this wears off..."

"Probably... we do not have long until the venom wears off..." *CHEE!* "I know!" He ran over by the fire and grabbed a charred stick, and, making sure it was cooled down first, began drawing random little squiggles and shapes on Rameses' face. After a few breaths, the thri-kreen had his friend's face covered in char drawings. Just as the venom began to wear off, We'tak finished with what looked like a crude shape of a softskin being drawn on by a laughing thri-kreen on his clutchmate's forehead.

*WEE! CHEECHEECHEE!* We'tak laughed heartily, before jumping up a tree and climbing to a branch that would be out of reach from Rameses, where he continued to chitter happily. "Fireskin is a Drawing-Skin, now!" *Sss-sss-sss-sss!*