You struggle your way through the strange plants and the heady need to roll around in them, and while some of you have turned into animals, all of you are determined to continue in to bring this to a close. You make it through the woods, and stumble onto the wild lawn of the manor house itself.
For a moment, it is quiet: the weather cool, the trees swaying just faintly in the evening breeze. Crickets chirp somewhere in the distance, and the musty smell of mushrooms -- clinging to the trees, to the front of the house, to the stones around you -- is heady in the air. You take a breath in --
And suddenly, the air is filled with spores, the mushrooms bursting and releasing a cloud of faintly-glowing green dust.
_____________________________
OOC:
At this point, all PCs are through the swamp and standing in the lawn in front of Circe's lair -- where another trap has been set off!
If you missed the previous prompt, unfortunately you can no longer reply to it. START HERE INSTEAD!
Roll a 1d20.
If you roll a 4+, you manage to hold your breath and not breathe in too many spores, passing through the trap unscathed. If you roll a 1, you're turned into a small animal, but retain your wits. Until you're cured, your HP is 70, and you deal 5 damage each turn, no roll required. If you roll a 2, you're turned into a medium animal, but retain your wits. Until you're cured, your HP is 60, and you deal 8 damage each turn, no roll required. if you roll a 3, you're turned into a large animal, but retain your wits. Until you're cured, your HP is 55, and you deal 12 damage each turn, no roll required.
If you reply to this prompt with at least 200 words within the next 24 hours, you can claim 5 XP for this trap. If you don't respond within that time, you'll still have an opportunity to roll, but not to post your reply and get the bonus RP!
If you are turned into an animal, you can either ask around in the hopes that someone has a cure, or stay an animal for the remainderof the finale. The choice is yours.
Chrystali
Soldier of Song
Smerdle
ShortGreen
tatterpixie
Viva Viola
Shaddaling
Whimsical Blue
Baneful
Lissesul
SSBrosB
xelhaspixiestix
Silent Comet
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:22 pm
The sudden weight of a hand on her shoulder made Misha start and come to an abrupt halt. When she turned and saw Edward, though, she relaxed immediately. Her hand came up to lay over his and squeeze in the most reassuring manner she could manage. For a moment, she was quiet as she searched his face. Nothing seemed amiss; of course, it was Edward so it would be a bit hard to tell if it really were or not.
"Hey, there, stud," she said lightly and offered him a sunshine-bright smile. "I'm glad you're okay. Feeling up for a little revenge?"
If you roll a 2, you're turned into a medium animal, but retain your wits. Until you're cured, your HP is 60, and you deal 8 damage each turn, no roll required.
It finally looked like they had arrived at their destination as Tom and the others came upon a manor. Of course there was a manor in the swamp, wasn’t that how every bayou horror story started or something?
He was able to look at it for a bit before suddenly coughing a bit and once again he felt his clothes come off of him. Damn it! He did NOT want to be an owl again! Sure, it seemed that he didn’t get the mind of an owl again, but still! He couldn’t learn how to fight in this form! He didn’t want to be stuck like this! He wasn’t an Animorph after all! I mean sure they had cures, but he wanted to fight in human form!
Luckily though it seemed as if a few of his fellow chosen had some cures on them and he circled around a bit before he landed next to a woman, he didn’t know her name, however he had seen her talking about carrying some of the cure with her and stared up at her and chirped as well as he could as an owl. Owls could be cute right? However, before she could even react and to his great surprise, she changed too!
Looking at her, his beak agape for a moment, he gave another quick chirp before riffling through her things, and taking out what looked to be the containers for the cure. He moved one towards her and took the other to where his clothes were and broke it a bit to drink the liquid inside and turned back. Luckily he managed to put his clothes back on too, though he didn’t have to be embarrassed, quite a few of the chosen fell into her trap it seemed. He just did not trust his abilities to fight while he was an owl.
dirigible plum
pre-agreed cure agreement
Character Name:Tom Wolf Brief description of character: A new doctor who tends to be quite sarcastic though isn't sarcastic with his patients. A bit in the dumps because he has been unable to find a job as of yet. Always wears a black cowboy hat when possible.
If you roll a 2, you're turned into a medium animal, but retain your wits. Until you're cured, your HP is 60, and you deal 8 damage each turn, no roll required.
There it was. Lex looked over the wild lawn and the manor sprawled out and old. So close, they were nearly to their goal. But something smelled, different. Not the heady sweetness of earlier, but something mustier, savory like mushrooms and mmhm, mushrooms sounded good about now. They stretched and stepped out into the wild lawn of the manor.
And head first into a cloud of spores and green dust and breathed deeply before falling down, hacking slightly. Ugh, oww, that hurt. They twisted and stretched and the grass was suddenly a lot closer, and they could smell more? Lex paused, flexing a paw? Okay then. They wiggled out and twisted, looking over their new sleek, furred body, and grinned, giving a series of cooes. They were pretty.
They wiggled in the grass, paws wavering in the air before realizing wait, they probably should get their cures… and pay attention! It could be dangerous around here. They wiggled back into their shirt, heading towards their pants and set their teeth into the plastic baggy, slowly tugging it out.
Multiple cubes of sugar wrapped in parchment paper, and carefully wrapped hard tact biscuits were inside. They swished their tail and cheerfully trotted up to Misha, looking up, and grinned. Hold this for them? (Lex is now a Giant otter)
It was all Rob could do to continue on with the strange, heady scent of the plants wafting around him, but continue he did, along with the other Chosen determined to stop Circe. Before too long the field of plants ended, and he found himself on the lawn in front of the witch-queen's manor house. "This ain't too bad," he muttered to himself, looking around. If it weren't for the circumstances of their being here, this would be downright pleasant, the trees rustling in the cool breeze, the grass, even the mushrooms everywhere.
He spotted Misha and Ed not too far away, and Sid close by them as well. Might as well take the lull in the action, no matter how temporary (and he felt certain it was only temporary) to join his friends and fight alongside them if it came to that (and he also felt certain it would come to a fight). Starting toward them, he raised an arm to wave.
Before he could call out, the mushrooms erupted, filling the air with a cloud of spores. "What the-" Even the spores didn't look natural, faintly glowing green in the twilight. Around him he saw other Chosen turning into animals. "Oh no, not again…" Holding his t-shirt sleeve over his mouth, Rob held his nose and his breath and rushed across the lawn toward Sid and the house.
Whimsical Blue
ShortGreen
Beejoux
Character Name:Robin Attewood Brief description of character: Rob is a dreadlocked punk who's secretly a Boy Scout, a grump with a heart of gold. Pugnacious, fiercely independent and "on" all the time, he loves wine, women and song and is the biggest beer snob on the planet.
If you roll a 2, you're turned into a medium animal, but retain your wits. Until you're cured, your HP is 60, and you deal 8 damage each turn, no roll required.
Only when Songtao stopped in the middle of the mushroom patch to fumble for a cure did she realize that that was really damn stupid. She had been so surprised by the Apollo Chosen's transformation and subsequent request for a remedy, that she just stopped in her tracks (like an idiot) and reached into her pocket for a plastic container.
She froze, a tickle in her throat keeping her from holding her breath, but instead of the cough she expected, she sneezed. Or something like a sneeze. She didn't even remember if she made a noise, only that it was the most peculiar, possibly the worst, feeling. During the sneeze-or-whatever, she could feel her face project and harden, while her neck elongated, all in a single jolt. Her skin prickled horribly as her body shrank, becoming too slender to hold up her clothes.
A crane uneasily picked her way out her boots, barely noticing when the Apollo Owl Doctor managed to snag one of her cures while Songtao adjusted to her whole new (literally, she could almost see a 360 degree) view. Barely she noticed others changing as well, including a massive otter.
When she finally felt steady enough to do much more than wobble, Songtao began to sort through her clothes with her long-taloned feet. (Sorting was generous way to think of it; it was more like shoving things around.) The small container of jellied congee finally reappeared, and Songtao tried to open it with a foot. Then her beak. Then her other foot. She kept forgetting to look at it one eye at the time, since anything directly in front of her was a bit fuzzy. It didn't take long for her to become frustrated. She spotted the blonde German woman she had noticed around camp before. In other, less urgent circumstances, she would doggedly try to figure it out on her own. But for now, she was going to have to swallow her pride and ask for help.
She walked over to the Ares Chosen and tried to catch her attention, nudging the woman with her beak and then pointing at the container several times, hoping she'd catch the jist.
The wolf continued to loop back when she ran too far ahead (lupine paws took her so much further, so much faster than her own two feet), checking on those she knew that were around her: Misha, Ernst, Tom, even those she met in passing like Asher. She'd round back to brush against Marisol and then dart forward again, a creature of nerves and energy and a driving sense of loyalty to those she ran with. The ferocity wasn't all consuming, but she could feel the fierceness of her new form just beneath her fur, a ripple and a gnash of teeth away.
Rose sneezed when the green spores were released, immediately doubling back to her dancer and pressing her furred side to the woman's leg. She couldn't tell if the stuff was just what happened to her, or something sleep inducing again, or something new and entirely horrible. It didn't seem to be affecting her, for better or for worse; her fur remained that of a wolf and fair in color, her eyes clear and her wits still her own. Maybe Circe's plan would backfire...but it was also possible by the time they found her, there'd be a different sort of trouble of being a beast.
Whuffling softly, Rose pushed forward, nosing those around her in the right direction if they got too disorientated by the going-on's.
Quote:
Part One: If you roll a 4-6, you're turned into a medium animal, but retain your wits. Until you're cured, your HP is 60, and you deal 8 damage each turn, no roll required.
Character Name:Juniper Rose Brief description of character: An enigmatic songstress who seems to have stepped out of a time long passed, Rose is level-headed and self-reliant, perfectly willing and capable of doing what's necessary with her own two hands. Strong-willed and no-nonsense, she's a bit reserved but puts on affable airs, making her somewhat pleasant to be around.
He met that smile with a small one of his own, happy to see she was relatively alright. There was a cut on her face, probably bruises scattered about--he had his own--but she seemed to be moving normally, and that was a relief. "Revenge, sure." While that was indeed something he was after, it wasn't at the top of his list. "Eager to get out of this swamp and back to Michigan." Where it was cooling off, and there weren't bugs eating them alive. Where they weren't turning into animals.
Where things were relatively peaceful, and they could get back to the semi-normalcy of their lives.
They were almost to the house, moving past the lawn towards the garden wall and the steps, and the scattering of mushrooms that had been nothing more than an after though suddenly burst into a cloud of spores.
Coughing, Edward scrambled to drag the handkerchief tied around his neck up over his nose and mouth, his other hand tightening on Misha's shoulder at the same time, dragging her back to a halt. "Watch out!"
Mathilda continued to follow the rest of the Chosen through the swamp, and up to Circes' house.She waved her hand in front of her face as her vision suddenly blurred.
'Wha? What is going on?' She coughed and tried to clear throat but then realized breathing in might not be a good idea. Covering her mouth, the blonde looked around.
Mathilda watched in a mix of awe and horror as several Chosen began to change. She didn't feel herself change, but she was still worried.
Moving forward, she tried to find an area that didn't contain the spore., but was stopped when she felt something against her leg. Looking down, she noticed a creature at her leg. She tilted her head at the sight of a crane. Humming, she crouched down.
"Ah! Hello little one! Can I help you?"
Tilting her head, she noticed the bird was pointing toward something. Standing up and moving closer, she noticed a jar.
"Oh, is this a cure? Is this yours?" Picking up the container, she moved back toward the crane, but stopped half way for the Chosen's clothes. Hurrying back, she sat on the ground in front of the bird and opened the container.
Marisol almost stumbled, hand coming down a little more forcefully against the wolf's thick fur, as around her chosen began to turn into animals. Without bothering to think, she brought a hand up to cover her nose and mouth. The air around was suddenly filled with a green glow and she bent down, taking to steady herself on a knee as she looked to make sure her queen was safe.
Below the fumes, she pressed her face briefly into the canine's fur, before once more holding her breath and rising up. She walked purposefully forward trying to force her way through the cloud of mushrooms. She'd already been an animal once and she had no intention of returning to that against her will. Not to mention, unlike the others, she'd turned relatively early and had no chance to make a cure. Which meant she had to stay human, to cure Rose. And if it came right down to it, she'd make sure the blonde was the one cured.
Once through, she bent overly light to take in deep breaths of air. The lawn was a wild mess around her and she was sure there were many more traps to overcome but as long as she wasn't alone--eyes cast down to take in the wolf beside her--she was sure they could defeat Circe.
Character Name:Marisol Whelan Brief description of character: Marisol is a young woman who is adept at fitting in and capable of charming most of those she meets. A thrill seeker at heart, she does not shy away from difficult tasks or the spotlight.
Deity: Hermes Weapon: Whip HP: 47 Minicert:
anemosagkelos
Offline
Sage of Chaos rolled 1 20-sided dice:
15Total: 15 (1-20)
Sage of Chaos
Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:54 pm
She was nearly too absorbed in herself, and how angry she was, to notice the other Chosen covering their mouths. Izzy yelled, briefly, “What?!”, and felt something hit her tongue. Nothing crisp and cold, like snow would be, but fuzzy and sour. Her eyes flew open and she spat out what she could, and her hand covered her nose and mouth.
It was nearly pretty, like a layer of pollen wafting over the meadow, and glittering gold in the weak evening sun. Izzy’s hand squeezed hard over her spear, keen and looking to see if there was a source for the trap, but she could not see anything. She wished for air as, for a moment, the spores for greater and thicker around her. She could not see beyond a few feet, and could not wave them away. The spores pressed in on her and she closed her eyes against them, needing air, needing to breathe -
And then suddenly, the press was gone. Izzy exhaled, then dared open her eyes, and the golden pollen was not there at all. There were just Chosen, most human, some doubled over as beasts.
She forgot her rage for a moment, and patted her jacket pocket until she felt familiar lumps. “I have two cures!” she yelled into the yard. “Come over here if you want one!”
And hopefully, Circe would not try this tired trick one more time. Izzy would quite like to beat up the witch with her human hands.
The one-two punch of the mushroom explosion and Edward's yank to her shoulder temporarily threw Misha completely off-balance and she stumbled. She cursed under her breath, sharp and quick and directed just as much at herself as at the surroundings, but then laughed as her body came up solidly against her "rescuer's". Slamming into Edward's tall form certainly beat landing on her butt in the spores and muck. She shot him a grateful smile before lifting her hand to cover her mouth and nose. It wouldn't work nearly as well as his handkerchief. Better than nothing, she thought.
Setting her other hand at his waist, Misha used Edward as a steadying point while she straightened and caught her bearings again. Then she turned her head to look for the others who had been close. Brian? Beth? Were they okay?
Seeing a rather adorable furry critter where Lex had been standing, though, made her eyes go wide and she forgot entirely about the hold she still had on Edward. "... Lex?"
Normally he was more observant than this, but it was dark and Zan had almost been consumed by narcotic plants or turned into an animal or whatever just minutes before. It wasn't exactly easy to see the manor they were approaching with all of that going on, and he only truly noticed it when he was almost on top of it, thrust out of the thicker trees onto Circe's scraggly, untamed lawn.
Zan looked up at the house, amazed and a little annoyed that he hadn't seen it sooner, and his brow furrowed slightly as he examined it. There were mushrooms on the door, which was just weird, not to mention kind of gross. He might have had more to say or taken a sample of them or any number of other things, but he had barely formed his eloquent "this is nasty" opinion when the very fungi he had been so intent on staring at burst into a floating cloud of death.
He might not have actually played The Last of Us himself, but he had a few acquaintances who'd been into it rabidly enough to share their thoughts on mind-controlling plants. It was the first thing Zan thought of when he processed what was going on, and he drew the collar of his t-shirt up over his nose and mouth in response, backing away from the gaseous shrooms. Fortunately, their effects seemed to pass as quickly as the ones from the weird grasses had. Unfortunately, they left another handful of Chosen animals in their wake.
He was trying to remain as quiet as possible so as not to draw attention to their approach, but he broke his own rule to say, "I've got extra cures, if anyone needs," before going silent again.
Cures: 12/13 quote me if you want one <3
Character Name:Zan Gethin Brief description of character: Friendly, perceptive, phony. Zan has wholeheartedly embraced the more mundane aspects of his new life at the Prytaneum—such as regular meals, his stipend, and the gym—but his inability to stick with any one thing for long has left him struggling to pin down how he might best serve his god long term.
Sylvia was grateful for the solid touch of Brian’s hand on her arm. It was only a little thing, but it was reassuring, a connection made, and she offered him a smile for it. It was also nice to see their group increase -- first with Misha, wonderful sass intact, and then Lex, and finally a face she did not know, but a friend of Misha’s it seemed, and another to their group nonetheless. Perhaps they could all look out for each other -- safety in numbers? It helped further when, a few moments later, Beth linked arms with her. Contact was reassuring. She smiled at Beth and gave a nod, “Definitely. We’ll make sure we get through this together.” She would at least do her damnedest to make sure they did.
It was nice to see that not too many Chosen had turned, either. She was sure there were still a few cures around, thank goodness, but they hadn’t taken a tally, and every turned Chosen was another cure gone. It would be nice if they could save those. Just in case. At least until Circe was done in.
She was a it surprised when she realized that they were already at Circe’s yard, as it were. The path had been one thing, but the yard was just as overgrown. The growth was beautiful, but certainly untamed, and it spoke somehow to the wild and unpredictable nature of the witch she was sure was causing it. She stopped to observe, taking a breath of the green around them, eyes flicking over the scene before her. Mushrooms... she smelled mushrooms -- and spotted a few as well, tan and brown tops poking through some of the grass. Frankly, mushrooms could be dangerous. Poisonous, irritating, problematic in so many ways. She eyed them suspiciously.
By her suspicions, when the spores were let loose, she was relatively ready. She turned and covered her nose and mouth with her elbow, taking a last gasp of what she hoped would be fresh air behind her. Beth tugged at her arm and she whipped back to watch their path, but then Beth’s hand slipped. Beth was on the ground, crawling and choking on air. s**t! Sylvia wanted to ask her friend if she was okay, but she yet dared not breath. Instead, she crouched slightly and maintained contact as best she could, keeping a hand on Beth’s back and shuffle-running beside her.
Eventually, the danger dissipated, leaving fewer upright humans in its wake. Even Lex, she noted, was gone. But in his place, an adorable otter approached Misha with something to offer in his teeth. Sylvia might have giggled if it weren’t so frustrating to see Circe’s traps working and animals returning to their ranks. Not that animals weren’t still useful -- they seemed to still have their wits about them -- but still.
She was able to keep her breath held as she tried to forge through the yard behind Beth, waiting longer than she might think necessary for the spores to thin to what she thought was a comfortable scarcity. She was desperate for air by the end, but she tried to breath slowly; gasping would only lead to issues, and possibly more spores inhaled if she wasn’t careful. Rolling her eyes and groaning a bit, she stared down the manor before them. Whether or not Circe liked it, they were still coming, and they weren’t going to let her off easy if they could help it.
[ will get word count later ]
grasshopper pie
Brief mention~
Shaddaling
Brief mention~
ShortGreen
Brief mentione~
Yekaterin
More than a brief mention~ ;P Edited my post to reflect yours, even though your post is later. Will go post again in a minute for follow-up to field...
[ Hopefully I tagged everyone right... ]
Mika_Yumi
Dapper Dabbler
Offline
Shaddaling
Wrathful Shapeshifter
Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 2:42 pm
Yup, that was them. Lex chattered happily, bringing the baggie of cures to Misha and cheerfully rubbed against her legs, crooning softly. They curled their tail around her ankle before giving a quizzical chirp at Edward. Who was that?
