Welcome to Gaia! ::

(Looks awesome Viper, cant wait to see the colored version.)

"She didn't touch anything did she?" Michiyo said making her way to the
carraige. "Cause that might be bad. I mean whatever did we do with those
things" Thinking of the thing that made her like this. No clue what happened to them.

pausing for a second Michiyo sighed. "You have got to tell me where you
found all these people." She said looking around and then looking at Vor'dra.
"Interesting friends indeed, though."

"Good to know there's another female around here not afraid to show her curves..." Vor'dra commented, trotting up alongside X'el and licking her lips as she eyeballed the drow's maternal form. The dominated guard shuffled along behind the heavily pregnant succubus, his eyes slightly glazed over and his movements jerky.

Tempted to wack Vor'dra with her staff, Roxanne resisted the urge to do so as the drow woman might mistake it as an attack on her. While she had never met one in person, Roxanne was well aware of what a drow was and what their cruel culture was like. "I assume you to be one of his brother's concubines on the run then? You don't strike me as the welcoming party type..." Roxanne added, standing alongside Cassius now.

X'el felt the natural heat emanating from the succubus as she approached. No form of mental coercion would break the defenses of a Drow that had come to blows with the sorcerous Illithid in the past, but...maybe no coercion was needed. After all, the demon did have some awfully juicy assets to offer. And, living among a matriarchal society, X'el was certainly no stranger to the more sapphic pursuits of the flesh. That would have to wait, though. For now, she just stared fire into the succubus's eyes and gave her bounteous belly a light stroke.
She turned her attention to the reptilian man but didn't take his hand. She inclined her head. "I am honored by your words. Your kind are known to me, through your cousins that live in the vast lakes of the Underdark. Fierce warriors and far fiercer companions. You may keep your coin, however; I have plenty of riches to my name back home."
She shot a dangerous glance at the pregnant warlock.
"You think me a concubine? I am flattered that you believe I have the brazen beauty such a person would require, but no. Thalmius and I were...involved, long before he rose to power here."
The Drow took a few steps to the side and leaned on the carriage, shrugging her shoulder in a gesture that indicated the whole area.
"This place was once a humble outpost that rested atop an entrance to my lands, underground. I was on an advance scouting mission when he came to the people on the surface and offered them his brand of salvation. Despite my goals, I found myself entranced by what I overheard. His words. His promises. I found myself seeking him out one night when he was alone. I'll admit I was surprised, because he didn't react the way I'd seen humans react to my kind in the past. Instead of fear or violence, he just...smiled at me."
Cassius nodded somberly. "That's how it always begins with him."
"Indeed. We had a kind of tryst, in secret of course. I saw many years with him, and as this city took root and grew, so did the distance between us. It was my cursed luck that recently found me expecting, so I snuck up here to see him as I often had in the past. I thought maybe it would reignite the passion we once had for one another." she looked down, her voice breaking. "I was a fool."
"People often do foolish things when they are in love." Cassius said, gently placing a hand on her arm. "But I assure you, it is no fault of your own. My Brother has no love for anyone but himself."
X'el glanced up at Cassius and gave him a small smile. "Hard to believe you're related to him, let alone that you are his Brother."
"A compliment if I ever heard one." Cassius said, returning her smile.

Vor'dra happily returns the drow's fiery glare with one of her own as well as a seductive smile. Drow were well known to creatures of the underworld, their dark nature almost as bad as some of the lesser demons that populated that plane of existence. "We're gonna get along just fine..." She whispered in the language of the dark elves.

Roxanne bows slightly as the drow corrected her mistake, it was easy to assume a man of great power as Talmius would have likely surrounded himself with women of great beauty."As much as I love the touchy feely moment we are having, it might be best if we relocated our carriage to another hiding place as our battle was far from subtle..." Roxanne suggested, her pregnant body leaning heavily on her clawed staff.

(Feel free to write yourself in another different character Art, I think SD and Fallen have both run at least two or three different ones through.)

Roxanne shrugs. "I'm down for anything if it gets us out of this blazing heat." The warlock replied, waddling towards the open carriage door. While unnatural magical heat didn't affect her like other humans, Roxanne remained on the pale side of human skin tones and didn't enjoy long periods of exposure, especially with her increased body mass.

"Welcome aboard m'lady..." Vor'dra whispers, tracing a couple fingers across X'el's belly as she sauntered past the drow. Her dominated guardsman shuffled along behind her like a blind dog on a leash, even to the point that she had to mentally command him to make the step up into the carriage.

((So, here's a refresher for anyone who may not know -or if you've just forgotten- this: our carriage is now essentially like a medieval TARDIS from Doctor Who; it has a huge common room with a sitting area, kitchen, fireplace, the works. Some doors around the main floor lead off into a library and a privy and other useful rooms. The coat closet is by the main door, of course. There is a large staircase that ascends to a sort of balcony/catwalk which has doors that lead into the halls where the quarters are. The carriage doesn't fly or anything, although it does drive itself and it can travel quickly over long distances if need be. I may sketch up an image one of these days. At any rate...that should make some things in this next post a lot less confusing!
Also, I'm certainly not opposed to new characters or the resurfacing of old characters...but because of our somewhat hidden party location, it may be best to try to work with me to get you situated in a way that works. Either that, or waiting for a more opportune moment, as Captain Jack Sparrow would say.))

Cassius made his way to their little carriage following his friends. He took a last glance around the alleyway, more as a cautionary measure than anything else, and then closed the door behind him as he entered. Everyone seemed to have settled in nicely, so he approached X'el.
"I still can't quite wrap my head around all this..." she said breathlessly, looking around the vast main hall of their veritable palace on wheels. "Sorcery on this level is uncommon, even among my people."
"Well, it certainly wasn't without cost. But...all for the greater good! Yeah?" Cassius replied.
"Indeed." X'el said. She blinked a few times and then looked at Cassius, more direct. "So, shall I sit with your driver to get us where we've agreed to go?"
"Ah. Well. You see..." Cassius began, sheepishly putting a hand on the back of his neck. "We don't have a driver, exactly. The carriage sort of takes a cue from the party and gets us where we want to go. In this case, since we've agreed to follow you..."
"You jest." X'el said flatly.
"Nay, my lady! Here..." Cassius beamed. He took her hand and seated her in one of the comfy chaise lounges that were centered around the fireplace nearby. "If you'll just take a seat and then focus on where it is we need to go, the carriage will do the rest!"
X'el looked skeptical, but she closed her eyes nonetheless. Her expression was blank for a moment, and then the whole room lurched gently as the carriage set to motion. The pregnant drow gasped in shock. She stared at Cassius, speechless. He just grinned and then turned to take a seat of his own.
The ride itself was fairly uneventful, as such things go.
When the carriage reached its destination there was another light tremor around the room as it came to a halt. The sound of rushing water echoed softly from outside, complimented by the occasional squeaking of what must have been bats. Cassius took to the door and opened it slowly, peering out to assess their new location.
The carriage had stopped in a cave, although it was suitably lit by luminescent fungus scattered across the walls. A small stream ran across the center of the chamber they were in and a carpet of moss covered most of the cavern floor. It was cozy, such as a cave could be.
X'el stepped out of the carriage past Cassius and looked around.
"Incredible! This is exactly where I..." she turned to face Cassius. She caught herself gushing and ceased abruptly, instead gesturing down one of the tunnels. "Uh. The sewers of Suncrest aren't too far in that direction. The water always flows downward, so following it against the flow will lead back to the surface."
Cassius nodded with a polite smile, stepping out onto the soft moss himself. He stooped to brush a hand across it, then watched as two bats bickered in a cacophony of squeaks and fluttered deeper into the cave. It had been some time since he'd been so far underground. He'd forgotten how beautiful it could be, in its own way.

((I'm certainly not opposed to trying to sketch something out for the carriage! The only thing about omitting the staircase at this point would be that several people have already made use of it in their previous posts. Although it isn't there just for decorative effect; when I first imagined the enchanted carriage, I was trying to design it with accessibility for the many pregnancy passengers but also with defensive attributes in case anything less than friendly got through the front door. Having the balcony gives an elevated position of attack for the home team, and having the quarters beyond it would also cause any attackers to have to make it up the stairs and past that line of defense to get to anyone who may be wounded or in labor or otherwise out of commission. See?))

X'el watched Cassius with amusement for a moment and then turned her attention to Roxanne.
"We are nowhere near deep enough that my people should be a problem. This passage isn't one we frequent any longer since the establishment of the cult on the surface. There is little of value this far from our cities, anyway. The only reason we were scouting this area to begin with is rumors of an ancient relic with powerful magical properties buried nearby. Obviously a fruitless pursuit, at this point. Although, speaking of magical properties..." She took a few steps closer to the warlock and gave her a careful once-over. Her eyes seemed to keep finding themselves drawn to the swell of Roxanne's pregnancy, but she kept her face neutral. She continued in muted tones, just between the two of them. "I find it hard to believe that the women of your entire party have found themselves so heavily expectant by chance alone. What has happened to you all that caused something like this? More to the point: Is it something that would harm my own unborn? You will tell me this, warlock."
The drow had daggers hidden in her stare, though there was a touch of genuine concern to them. It was as if she was trying on an expression entirely unfamiliar to her. She wasn't necessarily accusing or antagonizing, simply interrogating in the only way she knew how. Perks of being raised by the ruthless, indeed.

Cassius felt himself flinch when he heard Vor'dra's voice ring out through the cavern.
He had been less than friendly with her during their carriage ride, and made it a point to show his disgust for her newfound pet whenever he could. Sure, being so openly jealous was childish. After all, he did keep reminding himself that she was a succubus, a demon of seduction incarnate, and it was only in her nature. But that just wasn't good enough anymore. Why, he couldn't say. There were certainly more stable women to be so attracted to, and he wouldn't be hard-pressed to find them. Maybe it was just his belief that everyone had good inside them, especially those who tried so hard to hide it. Surely, then, Vor'dra must have some good inside her. It probably felt good inside her. All hot and...
Wait.
He felt his thoughts betray him, no doubt influenced by Vor'dra's natural aura.
No.
No, dammit!
"NO!" he crowed aloud.
Suddenly, the enthralled guard that had been following Vor'dra around froze. He tried to keep moving, but it was like pushing against an unseen force. The guard's hair and skin began to turn white and flake away. His eyes lost their color. Finally he slumped under his own weight, and when his knees hit the ground he burst into salt.
That's when Cassius saw his reflection in the water of the stream.
He was floating just off the ground. His eyes glowed with lavender fire and his skin was pale over blackened veins beneath. A gust of ethereal wind had kicked up and encircled him. One of his hands was reaching out toward the pile of dust that had once been the guard. The most horrifying part of all: he was smiling. Maybe even laughing.
When he realized what had happened, he came back to himself. The light died in his eyes and he dropped to the ground, landing in the shallow water. Everything returned to normal in an instant...save for the guard. He was gone forever.
I did that. And I enjoyed it.
That was the last thought that ran through Cassius's mind before an alarming amount of blood began to run from his nose and he blacked out.