The feeling of another oncoming WACKY weather system prickles your skin. With a feeling of dread, you brace yourself for the effects of… A soothing, balmy breeze. Aaah… This weather effect will remain in play until the next dice are rolled.
1,3
Something glinting over a bluff catches your eye. A burrow in the side of the dune yields a bounty of shining golden beetles! And as they say, lucky beetles mean good fortune (and megabux$$$). Each member of the group has acquired 1 lucky beetle that can be redeemed at the end of the meta for a variety of rewards. You cannot carry any more than 5 lucky beetles total; if you run into this encounter more than 5 times, you cannot collect any more.
A thick translucent blanket of dust appears ominously on the horizon. It looms closer and closer until finally a distinctive wind whips around its waves of sand and dust, creating a suffocating climate for everyone inside of the storm. This weather effect will remain in play until a 1, 3, or 5 are rolled on a D6.
2,2
An overenthusiastic bouncebeast hops into view. You don’t pay it any mind at first, but when it starts to get closer—and closer—you realize that spring is in the air. The lovestruck beast assaults your group! The bouncebeast has 1 HP, but has a +1 to avoid being hit (you will need to roll a 4 or above to hit). Every post in which the lovestruck bouncebeast has not been defeated incurs 1 point of damage to the group (as it wounds the group’s dignity in trying to hump their legs).
The pitter-patter of drizzly rain dot the sand with dark freckles. It’s pleasant at first, but soon the rain picks up pace. A roar of rolling thunder heralds a torrential rainstorm! Soon thick, heavy raindrops coat every surface in sight. This weather effect will remain in play until a 1, 3, or 5 are rolled on a D6.
3,1
Upon encountering a heap of weather-ravaged rubble, you spot a familiar hoppity stump laying on the ground. Whether it’s a sign of the dangerous WACKY weather is irrelevant – any troll knows that bouncebeast hooves bring good luck! Your group has acquired a lucky bouncebeast hoof! The hoof can be used to reroll one dice roll during the meta. When the use of the hoof has been announced, the most recent roll is thrown out and can be re-rolled. The lucky bouncebeast hoof is then discarded from the inventory.
Little pebbles of ice fall in sheets from the sky, and soon the little pebbles feel like veritable chunks of gravel, knives, and a bad case of hypothermia. The ice storm doesn’t seem like it’s going to let up—at least, it looks that way through the blinding shards of frozen awfulness that completely obscure your vision. This weather effect will remain in play until a 1 or a 6 are rolled on a D6.
3,4
Something glinting over a bluff catches your eye. A burrow in the side of the dune yields a bounty of shining golden beetles! And as they say, lucky beetles mean good fortune (and megabux$$$). Each member of the group has acquired 1 lucky beetle that can be redeemed at the end of the meta for a variety of rewards. You cannot carry any more than 5 lucky beetles total; if you run into this encounter more than 5 times, you cannot collect any more.
Passing through the desert, the only thing that is particularly interesting is the grim landmark of a set of lusus bones half-buried in the desert sand. This is not the lusus you’re looking for! Carry on. Look, there’s a little troll skeleton beside them... Aww!
4,3
You find a peculiar desert creature snuffling around in the sand! The poor little guy seems pretty bewildered by all of this weather stuff, so you decide to give it a warm pocket to cling onto. Your group has adopted the multi-limbed gerbil! After the meta, each member of the group can bring their own special friend home.
Zeffer had been oddly quiet as they'd set out across the familiar sands of the desert, a smirk on his face and his goggles slung around his neck. It certainly was a familiar situation, one that he might not have cared to repeat except for the fact that so much time had passed. Time was more than enough to dull those jagged, hurtful memories, and the prize this time was too alluring to ignore. It was as if it were made for him, and he'd been more than willing to put up with all the strange precursory bullshit to be on his way. The back alley slime shop, the abduction, the secretive meeting - they had been through it before, more or less, and instead of feeling worried or frightened, the blueblood was excited and energized.
Who could pass up a chance at a machine that could make storms at one's will? Not Zeffer. The very prospect made his eyes shine madly with glee, and he had contacted his friends the very night he'd heard the news. Poor Rero was nowhere to be found, it seemed...but loyal Aprife was a different story. He'd all but dragged the yellowblood along for the ride, and here they were, boots crunching on the same sand they had some sweep or so ago.
"Which way d'ya think we should go first?" He finally asked with a grin, gripping the straps of his packs as Arcus slithered up behind him. His lusus rarely accompanied him on these sorts of trips, but the big snake had refused, this time, which was just as well, Zeffer figured. There was no pride in him about the objective at hand; he had to get his hands on that machine and they could use all the help they could get!
GROUP STAMINA: 5 GROUP HP: 25 GROUP INVENTORY:
saedusk rolled 2 4-sided dice:
3, 3Total: 6 (2-8)
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 7:43 pm
Rumor mills rarely, if ever, told the truth. They were always buzzing with lies and speculation, founding drama where there otherwise was none. While Aprife generally found more pleasure in rumors based in some form of legitimacy, he lived it up in these circles regardless, soaking up whatever he could to entertain himself until the next big, actual story hit. Considering how short a time it had been since the quake in New Hemisect and the sudden snowfall he'd heard about elsewhere, it was surprising when out of the blue the news began broadcasting about a new hot topic, the WACKY, and something to do with the royal labs, no less.
Instantly the streets had lit up with new rumors, ones he could really sink his teeth into, and the yellowblood had been in the middle of reviewing the night's notes when a letter from Zeffer showed up at his door. A grin had stretched across his face then, the same sharp, slightly too excited one he wore now as they trudged through thick sands and occasional winds towards what would hopefully be the mystery lusus and the weather device that had his blueblooded bff all atwitter.
"Up there, maybe?" A finger was raised towards a dune some ways to the right of them, a decent vantage point, he thought. It was only a second, barely enough time to blink, but before he could pull back his hand again, something snapped hard and sharp against it and he yelped. "What the ******** was that??" he spat, holding out his hand to show off the offending 'injury,' nothing more than a slightly discolored spot forming where something had hit him. The desert air took an unexpected dip into frigid territory, then it really started coming down, not rain, but ice of all sorts and it hurt.
Bumblesuckle, who had been riding shotgun in Aprife's bag, darted with urgency over to where his fellow lusus was, hovering under his head as if seeking shelter from the sudden onslaught. Coming along had been the little bee's own idea, after he'd seen in the note that Arcus would be there too, but now he already appeared to be regretting it.
"Good idea!" Zeffer was about to take off for the dune before the sudden chill wind whipped up, and he gave a surprised yelp as sand was blown up into his face. He immediately donned his goggles, confused about what Aprife had meant, until several pieces hailed down on him as well. It was enough to drag a laugh out of him as he climbed to the top of the hill with an arm up to shield his face.
"That machine is probably making the weather go all nuts! Get your goggles on!" He called back, and tensed up at what he saw. It looked like a downpour, but he knew better than that - all those little 'raindrops' were probably pieces of hail just like the ones they were already being pelted with. "s**t!" He nearly tumbled back down the dune as he hurried to hunker down, pulling his hood tight around his head as the icy deluge hit them.
Arcus hissed angrily as he was pelted with the flecks of ice. This sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen in a desert! As Bumblesuckle approached, he nudged the smaller lusus under one of his wings (a much better umbrella than his head, really), and not a moment too soon. The massive reptile let out another noisy hiss as the hail became even more stronger, before it seemed to pass right over them, leaving the ground covered in little melting pieces of ice.
"Man, that was freaky. Are you alright??" Zeffer called back down, apparently no worse for wear himself.
GROUP STAMINA: 4 GROUP HP: 25 GROUP INVENTORY:
saedusk rolled 2 4-sided dice:
4, 2Total: 6 (2-8)
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:48 pm
Keeping up with his companion could be hard enough on any old normal night, but slopping up the side of the dune with the wind in his face, hail beginning to fall, and treacherous sand at his feet made sure he was paces behind where Zeffer was, nearing the peak. It was equally tough to tug down his goggles from their resting place on his forehead while simultaneously trying to keep the bigger chunks of ice from smacking him in the face. He managed, though, in time to drop down into a crouch and cover his face around the same time Bumbs found his refuge under Arcus's wing.
It really was lucky for the bee, his scaly protector's hide was much tougher than the fluff and flab he was made of, though he buzzed his wings in a nervous pattern at the way the snake hissed in response to the unusual weather's assault. Still, just like that it was gone and the moons were out again. He poked his fuzzy face from the feathers as Aprife stood back up and trotted to the top of goal number one.
"I'm okay, thanks man," he assured, patting a firm hand against the blueblood's shoulder before venturing a couple paces away to see what he could see. It jumped out at him pretty quickly.
Tucked into the side of the dune opposite from where they'd come was a sun bleached set of bones, animalistic but otherwise nondescript. In fact, it was only the more familiar anatomy of a troll skeleton steps away that alerted him to just what their discovery was. His laugh was a little awkward, but he thumbed towards the find to alert Zeffer. "Hey, check it out. Not quite the lusus we were looking for, huh? Aha." No time to worry about that, right? It was time to take better advantage of their view from here now that the smoke, so to speak, had cleared. "See anything?"
"Good! Shame to get cut to pieces the minute we set foot on the desert. Holy s**t, though! I can't believe that thing is so powerful! Wonder if it could make any lightning." Zeffer pondered, letting his hood flop back as Aprife took a few steps ahead of them. He just couldn't help but daydream about it, about how absolutely wonderful it would be to summon a storm on a whim. To have a perpetual raincloud over his hive. Now that would be something!
Arcus came slithering up after the two trolls, shaking little ice and water droplets from his body. He was a bit chilled, and agitated, but not injured. He allowed the smaller lusus to hitch a ride on the underside of his wing, if he so chose, where he would be safe and relatively dry. The two had bonded just as their trolls had, and Bumblesuckle was quiet and pleasant to have around. Arcus couldn't deny that he rather liked the way the other lusus smelled.
Aprife's question broke Zeffer from his daydreams, and he hummed, squinting as he took a look around as well. One skeleton....two skeletons!? Zeffer lifted his goggles to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and then laughed an almost uncharacteristically anxious laugh. "Hah, yeah! Not quite....we'd better keep moving!" He didn't believe in omens, of course, but seeing the remains of those poor suckers in the sand certainly wasn't much of a morale booster! He was sure they'd have better luck.
GROUP STAMINA: 2 GROUP HP: 25 GROUP INVENTORY:
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:28 am
Considering the nature, the harshness of the desert, Aprife couldn't say he was totally surprised by their find, though he was taken slightly aback when all they had to do was cast their gaze again to find a second set of probable lusus bones. The call to keep moving was a welcome one and he was already stepping —carefully, so he wouldn't slip and make a fool of himself in the sand—down the side of the dune in their new direction.
He'd shot a glance back to catch their guardians sliding up over the top of the hill, as well. Or rather, Arcus doing the work while Bumbs all too keenly accepted the ride, clinging shamelessly to the winged snake's soft plumage. The yellowblood rolled his eyes, but the bee was content regardless of the judgement he probably didn't even notice. Arc had become a favored perch and, without a doubt, the first actual friend he could ever say he'd made, even if he was always the one to lecture his charge on making them. Their first meeting had been interesting, the other's sheer size and strong, intimidating presence had set the little creature abuzz with immediate worry. Yet, he had proven surprisingly mild and relaxing company, one Bumbs always wanted to tag along to see when Aprife went off to visit Zeffer.
Oh, and Aprife had almost forgotten. "Zeff, that thing can make hail in the desert, there's no way it couldn't summon you a little lightning whenever you wanted." The yellowblood was laughing, the mood lightened by his friend's dreams of weather-themed grandeur as they continued on.
GROUP STAMINA: 2 GROUP HP: 25 GROUP INVENTORY:
saedusk Crew
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Hivestuck Captain
Alien Datemate
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:51 am
REFRESHING REST POST
Everyone in your group is well rested. Your group recovers three stamina, to a maximum of five! Your group recovers 13 hp, if you were previously at zero!
Not weeks after Bloodfest, a familiar snowfall begins to accumulate on the ground, and then rapidly accelerates into a snowstorm. Between the snow, sand and a rapidly changing WACKY sky, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of up and down, let alone a white lusus in a snowstorm. This weather effect will remain in play until a 1, 3, or 5 are rolled on a D6.
1,3
The group decides to take refuge in a cave far in the distance. Taking the trip was well worth it, and even though you’ve lost some time in the night, the cool air is really quite refreshing. The group can choose to spend some time bonding in the cave. Hanging out in the cave for 3 posts will result in everyone in the group regaining 1 stamina!
Uh oh. The ground rumbles suddenly. Not again! Sure enough, after a moment the rough shaking of the ground resumes with surprising force. It’s an earthquake! This weather effect will remain in play until a 2, 3, 4, or 5 are rolled on a D6.
2,2
You find a peculiar desert creature snuffling around in the sand! The poor little guy seems pretty bewildered by all of this weather stuff, so you decide to give it a warm pocket to cling onto. Your group has adopted the multi-limbed gerbil! After the meta, each member of the group can bring their own special friend home.
Something glinting over a bluff catches your eye. A burrow in the side of the dune yields a bounty of shining golden beetles! And as they say, lucky beetles mean good fortune (and megabux$$$). Each member of the group has acquired 1 lucky beetle that can be redeemed at the end of the meta for a variety of rewards. You cannot carry any more than 5 lucky beetles total; if you run into this encounter more than 5 times, you cannot collect any more.
3,1
Out of the storm emerges a very disgruntled wet bedraggled desert sandcrawlinglizardbeast! It has no intention of humoring more desert interlopers. Or maybe it's gotten confused and thinks its a tornado. The sandcrawlinglizardbeast has 10 HP. The group takes 3 damage each post it hasn't been defeated yet.
What’s this? A piece of the WACKY? A part of a ship? A discarded Greasy-Bake Condescension Oven? Whatever it is, it’s pretty beaten up, but the tech looks significant. You decide to pick it up just in case. Your group has acquired a pile of charred technology! Each troll in the group gets one, and is recommended to hang onto it, you never know what it will be useful for.... You cannot carry more than one charred technology.
3,4
The feeling of another oncoming WACKY weather system prickles your skin. With a feeling of dread, you brace yourself for the effects of… A soothing, balmy breeze. Aaah… This weather effect will remain in play until the next dice are rolled.
Plop. Plop. Something drops from the sky, landing over the hill. Another flops into the sand nearby, making an unpleasant squelching noise. Plop—splat. At your feet, the grey, gooey eye of a fish stares back up at you. Plop. A mackerel. Plop-plop. A few sardines. Plop plop plop plopplopploploplopopop—FISH RAIN! This weather effect will remain in play until another weather effect is rolled. Players may roll 2d4 for their regular item, location and lusus encounters, but will be plagued with a constant fishy invasion until then.
4,3
Something glinting over a bluff catches your eye. A burrow in the side of the dune yields a bounty of shining golden beetles! And as they say, lucky beetles mean good fortune (and megabux$$$). Each member of the group has acquired 1 lucky beetle that can be redeemed at the end of the meta for a variety of rewards. You cannot carry any more than 5 lucky beetles total; if you run into this encounter more than 5 times, you cannot collect any more.
Zeffer laughed at his friend's response, smirking like a shark. "Man, I can't wait to get my hands on that thing. We're gonna have so much fun!" He cackled, forgetting that his idea of 'fun' wasn't always the safest or driest type of fun one could have. Did it really matter, though? He almost began to daydream again, when the ground started to shake, and a deafening roar rumbled through the air.
"Oh s**t!! Is that it!?" He hollered as a freakishly large beast stampeded past and nearly took another tumble down the dune they were standing on. That had to be it, he realized, because what other lusus would have equipment tangled up on its face?
"QUICK APRIFE, WE GOTTA GET IT!!!" He roared with laughter as he leapt down the slope, whipping his batons out and giving chase. The thing was big, and fast, and it probably wouldn't give the prize up so easily. The blueblood didn't mind at all, and found the whole situation quite exhilarating.
GROUP STAMINA: 5 GROUP HP: 25 GROUP INVENTORY:
kamileunaire
Floppy Member
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saedusk rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-6)
saedusk Crew
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Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 5:15 am
The look on Aprife's face, both amused and cautious, said he knew enough about his friend's fun to expect the unexpected. Yet, it never really seemed to matter what dangers came with the time they spent together, he enjoyed it anyway. It was a rush nearly every time, or even when it wasn't anything more than your average chill session, it was still nice to have an actual bro rather than a handful of strangers. He was glancing back at the blueblood when the first signs of the monster lusus hit them, and the heavily vibrating and shifting sand beneath them made him slip a little.
It was a short struggle back to steady feet, but as soon as the war cry sounded in Zeffer's excited voice, he was charging right behind. With a little effort, he wrestled his scourge from its place buried under a few unnecessary things in his bag. A notebook or two and some pens, of course. "It's fast!" he hissed, raising his hand to give it a go. Sometimes short-range weaponry had its downfalls, but with a little effort he was able to snap at the beast's leg. He could tell it wouldn't do much, though. Its skin was tough and his shot had been barely able to hit its mark.
"s**t, get it before it gets away!
DAMAGE: 1
GROUP STAMINA: 4 GROUP HP: 25 GROUP INVENTORY:
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 8:16 am
REFRESHING REST POST
Everyone in your group is well rested. Your group recovers three stamina, to a maximum of five! Your group recovers 13 hp, if you were previously at zero!
A floppy bouncebeast is no stranger to the desert, and when one bounces into your group’s path you’re suddenly struck with an idea. The lusus has been running wild for a while now… It could probably use a snack. Your group has captured a live bouncebeast! If the next 2D4 roll result is not to fight the lusus, the group can decide to use the bouncebeast to attract it to their location instead. Your roll will be treated as though it was originally a lusus encounter. The live bouncebeast can only be used once, and the group can only carry one live bouncebeast with them at a time.
1,3
A sudden cold snap whisks through the desert. There’s a n** in our nose, a chill in your bones and your cheeks are just a little more vibrant in hue. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be much more than a quick blast of frigid air. This weather effect will remain in play until the next dice are rolled.
Something glinting over a bluff catches your eye. A burrow in the side of the dune yields a bounty of shining golden beetles! And as they say, lucky beetles mean good fortune (and megabux$$$). Each member of the group has acquired 1 lucky beetle that can be redeemed at the end of the meta for a variety of rewards. You cannot carry any more than 5 lucky beetles total; if you run into this encounter more than 5 times, you cannot collect any more.
2,2
Uh oh. The ground rumbles suddenly. Not again! Sure enough, after a moment the rough shaking of the ground resumes with surprising force. It’s an earthquake! This weather effect will remain in play until a 2, 3, 4, or 5 are rolled on a D6.
An overenthusiastic bouncebeast hops into view. You don’t pay it any mind at first, but when it starts to get closer—and closer—you realize that spring is in the air. The lovestruck beast assaults your group! The bouncebeast has 1 HP, but has a +1 to avoid being hit (you will need to roll a 4 or above to hit). Every post in which the lovestruck bouncebeast has not been defeated incurs 1 point of damage to the group (as it wounds the group’s dignity in trying to hump their legs).
3,1
There’s little time to get to higher ground as a surging wave of water sweeps through the plains. Aided by a localized storm system, the flash flood rolls through quickly and viciously. This weather effect will remain in play until a 2, 3, 4, or 5 are rolled on a D6.
Something glinting over a bluff catches your eye. A burrow in the side of the dune yields a bounty of shining golden beetles! And as they say, lucky beetles mean good fortune (and megabux$$$). Each member of the group has acquired 1 lucky beetle that can be redeemed at the end of the meta for a variety of rewards. You cannot carry any more than 5 lucky beetles total; if you run into this encounter more than 5 times, you cannot collect any more.
3,4
The feeling of another oncoming WACKY weather system prickles your skin. With a feeling of dread, you brace yourself for the effects of… A soothing, balmy breeze. Aaah… This weather effect will remain in play until the next dice are rolled.
The peace in the desert seemed too good to be true. Turns out that nice quiet spell was just the calm before the storm – or maybe all of the other weather effects were just too busy getting sucked in to that giant TORNADO straight ahead to do you any harm. This weather effect will remain in play until a 1 or a 6 are rolled on a D6.
4,3
In the distance… Is that a mirage? It certainly looks too good to be true, but as you get closer you break into a sprint when you realize that the oasis is exactly what it appears to be! Your group fully recovers HP!
"I got it!!" Zeffer was practically screaming as he barreled down the dune, leaping up to slam his batons against the beast's side. That got a loud roar out of the creature before it sped up, far quicker than Zeffer could ever hope to match, though he tried.
"Damn! Let's try to follow it!!" He cried, motioning for their little ragtag group to follow. He'd following it off a few yards, and could still see the dust it was kicking up.
GROUP STAMINA: 5 GROUP HP: 25 GROUP INVENTORY:
saedusk rolled 2 4-sided dice:
2, 2Total: 4 (2-8)
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 6:42 pm
Try was the key word as the two stormed off after the lusus. Unfortunately, it's much larger size and long, powerful legs assured it was many paces ahead of them after only a short while. Aprife was fairly certain they wouldn't catch up now unless it suddenly fell prey to a whim and changed course.
"Damn it," the yellowblood heaved, already feeling some of the strain of attempting to keep up. It wouldn't matter for long, though, if the WACKY had anything to say about it. As busted as it was and as close as they had come to it with the lusus's appearance, it actually wasn't that much of a surprise when something decided to go haywire. The ground beneath their feet gave a great rumble, sands shifting unnaturally. Aprife couldn't hold his balance when the next wave hit in rapid succession and his legs felt near uncontrollable in that instant as he hit the ground on his knees.
"Feels like a quake!" he shouted, eyes snapping to Zeffer momentarily before searching out their guardians. Was everyone alright?
"It can do that too!?" Zeffer cried out, before he finally lost his footing. The earth shaking around when you were in mid-jog wasn't the best way to keep your footing, so down he went, falling back on his a**. Since when were earthquakes part of the weather? He scoffed as he got back up, arms held out for balance. He turned his head back to look at Aprife, knowing that the going would be difficult until the shaking subsided.
Arcus had watched them attack the other lusus, and didn't seem particularly fazed by any of their shenanigans. He certainly wasn't going to tangle with the renegade, who was much larger than he was, and would allow his charge to take care of it. As usual, Zeffer seemed more than capable of handling himself. But, now what? The massive snake glanced around as the ground began to heave beneath him, though there was hardly any effect. His long body gave him good balance, and he watched with vague amusement as the two boys struggled to stay upright.
Zeffer had managed to take a few steps back toward his friend before the rumbling slowly subsided. "Is it done? That's totally cheating, man. Earthquakes are in a whole other realm than weather." He scoffed.
