SideStory: Campfire Songs

[Dracos]

Apr 03 19:29:55 <Kamvakua>   The fire crackled along, a mere hour after the Moon Maiden had returned to the stars, several of the companions not quite up for sleeping yet.
Apr 03 19:30:26 <Kamvakua>   Kamvakua eyed into the flames, relaxing against a large oak tree, enjoying the feeling of relief without the fangs of ogremoch's curse in his soul.
Apr 03 19:33:27 *   Mari is also relaxing, lying on the ground, hands behind her head, looking up. "Trees, sky, NATURE," she says suddenly. "Never thought I'd be so glad to see all these things again."
Apr 03 19:34:19 *   Nikkolai is simply gazing at the moon in a decidedly love-lorn fashion.
Apr 03 19:36:53 <Knight>   "I do not think we were made for tunnels," agrees Knight. She sits on a nearby log, though her own gaze is fixated upon the ground.
Apr 03 19:37:24 <Kamvakua>   "At least we were traveling earth, and not the plane of machines or across the paths of hell, burned from any life.  Being trapped in a city for good would surely be a torment though, to miss these simple beauties."
Apr 03 19:39:23 <Mari>   "Hey, I'm a city girl myself. Forests aren't usually my thing, but it's better than feeling like the roof could fall on your head at any moment. Wide open spaces again? such a relief."
Apr 03 19:40:49 <Kamvakua>   "Really...I don't think I ever caught...or asked where you were from.  Would you care to tell of your home?" He wondered simply, his blue eyes gazing down at her.
Apr 03 19:45:37 <Mari>   "Welll, the way I look at it, home's not so much a place as a state of mind. Wherever I sit my ass down to rest, that's home for the night. This is a roundabout way of saying I was pretty much always a gypsy." Mari shrugs.
Apr 03 19:47:36 <Kamvakua>   "Ah, I've only been on that path a few years now.  Being on the road opens ones eyes in a way that doesn't happen in one place."
Apr 03 19:47:59 <Knight>   "Early in this life, I heard someone say that home is simply where you are the most comfortable," remarks Knight.
Apr 03 19:48:37 <Nikkolai>   "Home is where the heart is. Or so they say." Nikkolai shrugs.
Apr 03 19:51:46 <Kowork>   "Home is where you have fun," Yulia pipes up, "All of you sound so mopey and introspective!"
Apr 03 19:51:49 <Mari>   "Mm. Well, I've had comfortable houses, sure, so I guess technically the mountain eyrie, say, or the mansion overlooking the sea of fire, or the luxury apartment back on some prime could've counted as 'home,' but we moved around so much that none of 'em really felt important in that way."
Apr 03 19:53:29 <Mari>   "Hey, there's only so much fun you can have in a forest," Mari counters. "I don't see any taverns, or theaters, or shops here, do you?"
Apr 03 19:53:34 <Kamvakua>   "Well, it's hard to match a courre for cheer," Kamvakua smiled as he teased Yulia.
Apr 03 19:56:23 <Kowork>   "Then we make fun." Yulia flutters over to Nikkolai, perching atop his head. "Hey, do any of you know how to dance or have anything fun to drink? How about singing?"
Apr 03 19:57:39 <Mari>   "I know how to dance a little. Kinda sorta. I think it loses some of the effect when I'm two feet tall, though. I can *definitely* say that I don't have anything to drink," Mari adds, sounding disappointed.
Apr 03 19:59:18 <Kamvakua>   "We've been traveling through such rough areas, we've neglected to get fun traveling supplies, we can make do with song," Kamvakua smiled.  "Yulia and Mari could try an aerial dance to join in.  Just because we lack ministrels doesn't mean we can't sing."
Apr 03 20:00:12 *   Nikkolai frowns slightly. "I can't dance, but I can provide some music, if need be."
Apr 03 20:00:43 <Kowork>   "Right!" Nodding along and hopping through the air to Knight, "Ooooh, what about you, Miss Greenhand?"
Apr 03 20:01:49 <Mari>   "Oh, sure, you can watch me struggle to outfly the magical creature who was born to it. Well, I'm not gonna be the only one looking silly. ...Yeah, Knight, how about yougive singing a go or something?"
Apr 03 20:02:24 <Knight>   "Uh, I'll just watch." Knight seems unusually tense, and she clasps her hands firmly together. "I don't really know much about entertaining others- oh, I couldn't! I don't have any sense of.. what's it called, pitch?"
Apr 03 20:02:32 <Kowork>   "
Apr 03 20:03:04 <Kowork>   "Oooh, don't be a spoilsport! Just try it, it's fun! Oh no, don't give me that 'I don't know so I'll chicken out because I'm secretly afraid stuff!'" Hopping on Knight's head, "I bet you have a pretty voice!"
Apr 03 20:03:13 <Kamvakua>   "That's a shame,"  Kamvakua humed a few notes, "It's not about being great anyway."
Apr 03 20:03:46 <Mari>   "Why do you think I asked you? Come on. Besides what if we find one of your siblings and need to win, I don't know, a SINGING BATTLE or something to free them? You'd be totally unprepared!"
Apr 03 20:04:42 <Knight>   "I'm not afraid!" retorts Knight, frowning. "I just know my limits! It will surely be awful- what? A battle of songs? Such a thing exists?"
Apr 03 20:04:44 <Kamvakua>   Kamvakua's pondering over good campfire  songs was squandered as his eyes bulged at the notion of a singing battle.  The notion seemed quite foreign.   "What would a singing battle be?"
Apr 03 20:05:12 *   Nikkolai darts to his feet. "A battle of songs! A duel of the vocal chords!"
Apr 03 20:05:33 <Nikkolai>   "It sounds....grand. I say we have our own contest!"
Apr 03 20:05:37 <Kamvakua>   "Yes, but how do you know who wins?  Especially with a group," Kamvakua returned.
Apr 03 20:06:02 *   Nikkolai ponders for a moment. "Popular vote?"
Apr 03 20:06:04 <Mari>   "Oh, sure such things exist. No matter how silly it is, people will compete over it--oh, uh, well, see Nikkolai, I guess."
Apr 03 20:06:23 <Kowork>   "A judge!" Yulia pipes up, "I'll be the judge, of course!"
Apr 03 20:06:47 *   Nikkolai bows comically to the courre. "No better a judge could there be, my dear."
Apr 03 20:07:06 <Nikkolai>   "Shall we draw straws to see who goes first?"
Apr 03 20:07:25 <Knight>   "If none of us can sing, then I couldn't ask anyone for help..." murmurs Knight, starting to shake her head. "I'll have to do it, then."
Apr 03 20:08:12 <Nikkolai>   "It's all about who sings *less horribly*, Knight. Not who sings the best."
Apr 03 20:08:24 <Nikkolai>   "Or is that the least horribly?"
Apr 03 20:08:36 <Kamvakua>   "I can sing," Kamvakua frowned a bit at that.
Apr 03 20:08:51 <Kowork>   "I'll get straws," Hopping off to the ground, Yulia busies herself getting some.
Apr 03 20:08:54 <Mari>   "That's the spirit. Just think of the practical applications, Knight: a rousing song before a battle would be a great moral boost for troops. So there are tactical uses!"
Apr 03 20:09:19 <Kamvakua>   "I've heard of stirring bards that could drive men into a fervor of combat...but never really met the like."
Apr 03 20:09:20 <Nikkolai>   "Precisely! Morale is half the battle, you know."
Apr 03 20:09:49 <Knight>   "Yes, yes, that's right, isn't it? I should have remembered that from experience," replies Knight, propping herself up. "I don't know any songs, though."
Apr 03 20:11:22 *   Nikkolai wanders over to the nearest tree, taking off his necklace of Singing Crystal. With a wordless gesture, he Flies up into the air to tie the crystal onto a low hanging branch that was a good three feet from the crown of Kamvakua's head.
Apr 03 20:11:52 <Kamvakua>   "What's this...ah the musical crystal you got a while back?"
Apr 03 20:12:24 *   Nikkolai floats back down to the ground, dusting his hands off in a satisfied manner. "Indeed it is. I can easily supply the music."
Apr 03 20:12:34 <Kowork>   Yulia returns with straws, "Gather around when you're ready," she says, "Draw away to see the singing order!"
Apr 03 20:12:37 <Nikkolai>   "I've picked up a few tunes on my travels."
Apr 03 20:13:05 *   Mari flies forward and grabs a straw. Surely taking one first minimizes the chances of picking the short one!
Apr 03 20:13:53 *   Nikkolai grabs the second straw, not caring much whether he is first or last.
Apr 03 20:14:32 <Kowork>   OOC: Anyone grabbing a straw roll a d10, I'm using this to determine order.
Apr 03 20:14:38 <Mari>   roll 1d10
Apr 03 20:14:39 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Mari rolls 1d10 and gets 8." [1d10=8]
Apr 03 20:14:53 <Knight>   roll 1d10
Apr 03 20:14:54 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Knight rolls 1d10 and gets 4." [1d10=4]
Apr 03 20:14:55 <Nikkolai>   roll 1d10
Apr 03 20:14:56 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Nikkolai rolls 1d10 and gets 10." [1d10=10]
Apr 03 20:15:09 <Kamvakua>   roll 1d1
Apr 03 20:15:10 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Kamvakua rolls 1d1 and gets 1." [1d1=1]
Apr 03 20:15:11 <Kamvakua>   roll 1d10
Apr 03 20:15:13 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Kamvakua rolls 1d10 and gets 2." [1d10=2]
Apr 03 20:15:13 <Kamvakua>   OOC: Sorry
Apr 03 20:15:47 <Kowork>   Kamvakua gets the short straw, then Knight, Mari and Nikkolai with the longest, "So you start," Pointing at the Goliath, "Woo hoo! Good luck! Sing well and maybe we'll get some moonshine!"
Apr 03 20:16:46 *   Nikkolai nods to Kamvakua. "Any requests? If there is a song you'd like to sing, name it!"
Apr 03 20:17:21 <Kamvakua>   "Shouldn't we get moonshine before we start singing, a song in any way," He smiled.  "Let's see... you wouldn't know any Goliath campfire songs, would you Nikkolai?  They're usually done in rounds." He checked.
Apr 03 20:18:18 <Kowork>   "Well, there's real moonshine in Arborea, literally! If you do something with all your heart, something good might happen! It's moonshine, and hopefully it'll give us moonshine!" Yulia perches atop Nikkolai once more. "So try really hard!"
Apr 03 20:18:21 *   Nikkolai frowns thoughtfully. "I seem to recall something about sailing a ship down a river of dreams...does that sound familiar? to you?"
Apr 03 20:22:05 <Kamvakua>   "No," He smiled.  "Well, it's been a while and never with an audience not half drunk," Kam grinned at the group.  o/~ One day, I walked the road and crossed a field," He started his baritone filling the clearing, a bit rough and not one of a trained musician, but mostly on pitch, o?to go by where the hounds ran hard./~o
Apr 03 20:23:30 *   Nikkolai smiles and raises his hands, conjuring four balls of soft light, each emitting a different color! He knows the tune and alternates the colors to fit the song, trying to coax music out of the Singing Crystal.
Apr 03 20:23:52 <Kowork>   OOC: Do you have ranks in anything like perform(sing), Kam?
Apr 03 20:24:04 <Kamvakua>   OOC: No.  Just a high cha score.
Apr 03 20:24:19 <Kowork>   OOC: Make a charisma check for the sake of judging, then feel free to continue on and finish your song how you please.
Apr 03 20:25:02 <Kamvakua>   He waved a hand, the flames crackling in the clearing, the fiery light bouncing off the crystal above his head.  o/~ And on their master raced, behind the huners chased through the woods and along the paths.  Ahead them all, one young lady rushed along, her horse beating on the path with tired hooves, the hunger of the chase clear in her eyes. o/~
Apr 03 20:25:25 <Kamvakua>   roll 1d20+4
Apr 03 20:25:26 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Kamvakua rolls 1d20+4 and gets 8." [1d20=4]
Apr 03 20:28:59 <Kamvakua>   o/~ Before mine eyes, her horse did stumble, the hunter flung through the air, the prey lost within the grasses.  Though proud she stood, her hunting knife at her side, her bare feet padding along the ground behind refusing to give up the chase.  A hunting girl she leapt into the greens, chasing the fast red fox on foot, refusing to give up the night's dinner.  Long did she run, the grace left long behind, but in time she brought a fox
Apr 03 20:28:59 <Kamvakua>    to heel. o/~
Apr 03 20:30:03 <Kamvakua>   He bowed a bit, bringing it to a close there.
Apr 03 20:30:14 <Kowork>   Yulia claps and claps, "Oooooh, you have a nice baritone!"
Apr 03 20:30:35 <Kamvakua>   "Thank you, Yulia."
Apr 03 20:32:19 <Knight>   Knight steps up to a tree stump, and clears her throat. "It's.. something I heard long ago. I might get the words wrong," she admits, and she takes a deep breath.
Apr 03 20:32:34 <Kamvakua>   "ANd thanks for the musical accompaniment...though it seemed a bit random," He ceded back letting knight step up.
Apr 03 20:33:12 <Mari>   "Well, it's not like Nik's a musician. We should just count ourselves likely if he hits the right chord 10% of the time."
Apr 03 20:33:56 *   Nikkolai clears his throat, glaring at Mari. "Ah Knight...what is the name of the piece? I might know and can accompany you easier?"
Apr 03 20:34:20 <Knight>   "Sing for me," she replies, and a cloak of shimmering stars dances around her- giving her voice a faint echo.
Apr 03 20:35:17 *   Nikkolai nods. "Yes...I know it. Old and very beautiful. A moment, while I prepare."
Apr 03 20:36:05 *   Nikkolai murmurs and the orbs fade into shades of melancholy blue. Dulcet tones emit from the depths of the crystal, a song that touches the heart. He nods to Knight to begin.
Apr 03 20:36:08 <Knight>   o/"My love, sing for me farewell
Apr 03 20:36:09 <Knight>      -that sweet sound
Apr 03 20:36:09 <Knight>         -of the past days...
Apr 03 20:36:09 <Knight>      It always remembers me.o/"
Apr 03 20:36:10 <Kowork>   Yulia hops over to Mari's head and settles there, leaning over to her ear.
Apr 03 20:36:30 <Knight>   o/"The life of my loves
Apr 03 20:36:30 <Knight>   -beloved of my heart
Apr 03 20:36:30 <Knight>   -sing slowly...
Apr 03 20:36:30 <Knight>   Bring peace to my soul.o/"
Apr 03 20:37:13 <Knight>   o/"Strengthen your lyre and sing
Apr 03 20:37:13 <Knight>   -the hymn of death
Apr 03 20:37:13 <Knight>   -the sky will open up to us...
Apr 03 20:37:13 <Knight>   And we then fly into the sun.o/"
Apr 03 20:37:35 <Knight>   roll 1d20+4 let's see
Apr 03 20:37:35 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Knight rolls 1d20+4 let's see and gets 11." [1d20=7]
Apr 03 20:38:22 <Knight>   The song sound a bit strange- the lyrics seem slightly discordant, as if a few were being left out or added in by mistake. Knight exhales slowly, and all but bolts from the stage.
Apr 03 20:38:44 <Kowork>   Yulia claps, "Not bad, not bad! Ooooh, you should practice awhile then become a singing knight!"
Apr 03 20:39:25 *   Nikkolai nods solemnly. "A worthy entry, Knight. Very beautiful."
Apr 03 20:39:58 *   Mari bats halfheartedly at Yulia. "Hey, do you have to clap right next to my ears?"
Apr 03 20:40:23 *   Kamvakua claps. "Not as pitch deaf as you claim."
Apr 03 20:40:45 <Kowork>   "Yes," Yulia giggles, "Who's next?"
Apr 03 20:41:23 <Mari>   "I guess me. There's so much pressure in going last! So I'll let Nik do that."
Apr 03 20:42:17 <Nikkolai>   "Hmph. Name of your piece...'Missy'?"
Apr 03 20:42:34 *   Nikkolai sticks out his tongue at Mari impishly.
Apr 03 20:44:16 <Kamvakua>   "Don't tease someone before they sing," He elbowed nikkolai.
Apr 03 20:45:32 *   Mari coughs. "Uh, 'Straw-haired Bess.'" So Mari starts to sing. It's obvious pretty much instantly that this is, well, a *different* kind of song than the other ones. The tune is simple and loops back on a basic, memorable phrase, but the main thing is that you'd more expect to hear it coming from a gang of drunken soldiers than from a pixie. (more)
Apr 03 20:47:22 *   Nikkolai brightens noticeably at the mention of the song title. He immediately brightens the orbs into a riot of colors, speeding up their revolutions around the crystal!
Apr 03 20:49:00 <Mari>   As far as you can tell, there's some basic story in there about a farmgirl experiencing an escalating series of misunderstandings, but this is obviously not what it's *about*. 80% of the lyrics are innuendo. Conservative estimate. Mari sways and prances about as she sings. A mug of ale would realy complete the picture here. (more)
Apr 03 20:49:30 <Mari>   Mari is abundantly *not* an experienced singer, but what she is is energetic. And loud.
Apr 03 20:50:09 <Kowork>   OOC: Go ahead and make your check too?
Apr 03 20:50:14 <Mari>   roll 1d20+2 I have less charisma than everyone, boo
Apr 03 20:50:16 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Mari rolls 1d20+2 I have less charisma than everyone, boo and gets 18." [1d20=16]
Apr 03 20:50:51 <Kowork>   This gets a lot of watching from Yulia, who wolf-whistles by the end of it. "You keep going, Mari! Shake it and move it!"
Apr 03 20:51:33 <Mari>   "Hey now, you only paid me to sing!" Mari counters.
Apr 03 20:52:01 <Kamvakua>   "A beauty dancing is never undesired, Mari."
Apr 03 20:52:42 <Nikkolai>   "I'll second that. You dance well, Mari." Nikkolai acknowledges with a dip of his head.
Apr 03 20:53:02 *   Kamvakua claps encouragingly for Mari.
Apr 03 20:53:14 <Mari>   "Ah, well, if we have a dance contest, maybe then I'll *really* show off. Until then, you'll just have to use your imaginations."
Apr 03 20:58:09 *   Nikkolai clears his throat and steps to the front of the little group. "I'm afraid that I'm not one for a rollicking tune. Well, at least if I'm singing. This is a song I stumbled upon a few primes ago and it has...resonated with me, for lack of a better word. Forgive any mangling I may do if you've heard it before."
Apr 03 20:59:04 *   Nikkolai closes his eyes and on an unspoken cue, the four globes above begin radiating a deep violet, eliciting deep, mournful chimes from the crystal.
Apr 03 20:59:32 <Nikkolai>   o/ Home is behind
Apr 03 20:59:32 <Nikkolai>   The world ahead
Apr 03 20:59:32 <Nikkolai>   And there are many paths to tread \o
Apr 03 20:59:51 <Nikkolai>   o/ Through Shadow
Apr 03 20:59:52 <Nikkolai>   To the edge of night
Apr 03 20:59:52 <Nikkolai>   Until the stars
Apr 03 20:59:52 <Nikkolai>   Are all alight \o
Apr 03 21:00:06 <Nikkolai>   o/ Mist and Shadow
Apr 03 21:00:08 <Nikkolai>   Cloud and Shade
Apr 03 21:00:10 <Nikkolai>   All shall fade
Apr 03 21:00:12 <Nikkolai>   All sha~ll
Apr 03 21:00:14 <Nikkolai>   .....fade \o
Apr 03 21:01:03 *   Nikkolai opens his eyes as the mournful tones dissipate.
Apr 03 21:01:12 <Nikkolai>   roll 1d20+6 Did I make you cry?
Apr 03 21:01:13 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Nikkolai rolls 1d20+6 Did I make you cry? and gets 7." [1d20=1]
Apr 03 21:02:08 <Kamvakua>   "..." Kam kept politely quiet, golf clapping.
Apr 03 21:02:26 <Mari>   "Well. The words were pretty and I could tell they really meant something to you," Mari says, encouragingly.
Apr 03 21:02:43 <Knight>   "It was quite a mournful song," adds Knight.
Apr 03 21:02:44 <Kowork>   "Um..." SCratching her head, Yulia smiles, "Good effort! Good effort!"
Apr 03 21:04:33 <Kowork>   "Well!" Yulia flutters into the air, "That's all of you, so I have a winner!"
Apr 03 21:04:56 <Mari>   "Oh yeah? Who is it?"
Apr 03 21:06:17 <Kowork>   Yulia pauses a moment, eyeing Knight but saying nothing.
Apr 03 21:07:22 *   Knight curiously tilts her head.
Apr 03 21:07:51 <Kowork>   "Well, I think it would be best if you win." Yulia says, "I think you'd make a great singing bard-knight! Don't you?"
Apr 03 21:07:55 <Kowork>   "But!"
Apr 03 21:08:18 <Mari>   "I don't know. Bard might be a cursed occupation in this group."
Apr 03 21:08:33 <Kowork>   A moment later she sighs, "It's not to be. On the other hand..." Going to Kamvakua, "Youhave a really strong baritone, but...it's just not quite there. Too masculine. That means..." Snapping her fingers, "Mari, you win! You should be the bard!"
Apr 03 21:09:18 <Mari>   "Oh...I mean, Alright! What do I actually win? Anything?"
Apr 03 21:10:24 <Kowork>   "Let's fly up a bit!" Yulia takes to the air, "Don't worry, we'll be back soon!"
Apr 03 21:10:25 <Kamvakua>   "Applause," Kamvakua clapped for her.
Apr 03 21:10:54 <Mari>   "Um, alright, sure." Mari zips off after Yulia, not really knowing what to expect.
Apr 03 21:13:43 <Kowork>   Up and up the two go, up really high and into the tree line! Thick treebranches are here, woven together. Once in, "Soooo..." Drawling htat out, "Let's pray for moonshine! It's worth a shot, right? Moonshine straight from the moon!"
Apr 03 21:16:20 <Mari>   "I don't have a lot of practice at praying. It, uh, hasn't been a big part of my life in the past. But I'll give it a try. What does this do for us again?" Mari kneels (although the gesture loses something given that she's floating in the air) and does her best to look contrite and respectful for...the moon, or who/whatever.
Apr 03 21:17:49 <Kowork>   OOC: Roll a d1000?
Apr 03 21:18:14 <Mari>   roll 1d1000 mystery rolling~
Apr 03 21:18:16 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Mari rolls 1d1000 mystery rolling~ and gets 589." [1d1000=589]
Apr 03 21:18:18 <Kowork>   roll 1d1000
Apr 03 21:18:19 <Hatbot>   
ACTION --> "Kowork rolls 1d1000 and gets 569." [1d1000=569]
Apr 03 21:18:52 <Kowork>   You pray and pray and pray! With a humph," "Aaaaw, I was hoping it would work!" Yulia whimpers, "Oh well, that was fun!"
Apr 03 21:19:36 <Mari>   "What would've happened if it had worked? Are we talking like real moonshine, or what? Because I think I heard somewhere that was the name of a drink..."
Apr 03 21:22:56 <Kowork>   "Um, I dunno, I just made it up!" Grinning now, "But let's go down and have some more fun!"
Apr 03 21:23:28 <Mari>   "Sure." Mari flies back down to see how the others are getting on in her and Yulia's absence.
Apr 03 21:24:06 <Knight>   "You've become quite adept with the crystals," remarks Knight, gazing towards Nikkolai.
Apr 03 21:24:47 <Nikkolai>   "Though I might not be the best of vocalists, music is one of my passions. I've been experimenting in my free time."
Apr 03 21:25:00 *   Nikkolai flies up and retrieves his necklace.
Apr 03 21:25:28 <Mari>   "Is that what Granny had you learning while you were away?" Mari says upon returning.
Apr 03 21:26:55 <Nikkolai>   "The music is my own. Granny Tam and her friend had me learn...other things."
Apr 03 21:27:15 *   Nikkolai settles back against his pack beneath a tree near to the fire.
Apr 03 21:28:25 <Mari>   "Ooh, that's ominous. What kind of 'other things?'"
Apr 03 21:28:56 *   Nikkolai smirks. "A little of this. A little of that."
Apr 03 21:29:23 <Kamvakua>   "You did study the things they had you learn, right?"
Apr 03 21:29:51 <Mari>   "Oh, yeah, now I see. That's good work--a degree in This or a doctorate in That can take you far in life!"
Apr 03 21:30:26 <Nikkolai>   "Indeed it can. Here, let me show you!"
Apr 03 21:30:29 <Knight>   "Can you show us some of the results of your studies?" asks Knight, curiously.
Apr 03 21:31:40 *   Nikkolai mutters something under his breath, and four slimy tentacles burst from the ground and begin tickling the party, drenching them in some wet, opaque substance best not identified!
Apr 03 21:33:00 <Mari>   It's a good thing Mari can fly, and she does so now to stay out of reach! "HEY now, that's just creepy! You're going to grope our enemies to death now?"
Apr 03 21:33:33 <Kowork>   "Yeeek!" Yulia flies up, "There's names for people who do things like this!"
Apr 03 21:34:01 <Mari>   "Yeah, and I'm adding one to the list. From now on, we're going to call them NIKKOLAIS."
Apr 03 21:34:39 <Knight>   "That is utterly disgusting!" notes Knight, trying to shove off one of the appendages and back out from within their reach. "But any enemy would be thorughly demoralized- this is for enemies, correct?"
Apr 03 21:34:59 <Mari>   "It'd better be!"
Apr 03 21:35:05 *   Nikkolai laughs loudly. "Of course. The *real* things are much bigger and far nastier."
Apr 03 21:35:06 *   Kamvakua smacks them away.  "That's...foul, Nikkolai, just what were you planning with that?"
Apr 03 21:35:36 *   Nikkolai dismisses the tentacles and they burrow mysteriously back into the earth from whence they came!
Apr 03 21:36:02 <Nikkolai>   "They'll do well to immobilize our enemies so we may dispose of them at our leisure."
Apr 03 21:37:10 <Knight>   "I won't discount the possibilities of those... creatures. As long as we can slay them from a distance, anyway. It is quite one thing to have tentacles, and quite another to be immersed within them."
Apr 03 21:38:21 <Mari>   "Yeah. I don't want to start getting paranoid about setting foot on the ground again, but I think I will if those things come up near us again."
Apr 03 21:40:23 <Kowork>   Settling on Nikkolai, "You're a strange wizard. Y-you aren't going to have those appear when we're alseep, are you?"
Apr 03 21:40:25 <Knight>   "You should avoid the sea, then. About half of the natural denizens use such appendages to fight."
Apr 03 21:40:53 *   Nikkolai waves a non-chalant hand. "Ah, don't worry, Yulia. It was all in good fun. I enjoy a good joke, but I'm not that *cruel*."
Apr 03 21:41:01 <Mari>   "Noted, Knight. I was never much for sailing anyway."
Apr 03 21:41:03 <Nikkolai>   "At least, I don't think so."
Apr 03 21:41:42 <Mari>   "Sooo, how cruel are you, then? I just think it'd be good for us to have a good estimate."
Apr 03 21:42:32 <Knight>   "As long as you restrain your cruelties to our enemies..."
Apr 03 21:44:57 <Kamvakua>   "I think I will go for a morning bath after that," Kamvakua frowned.
Apr 03 21:45:46 <Mari>   "I think I need a mental bath just to wash out the bad pictures." Mari shudders.
Apr 03 21:46:56 *   Nikkolai smirks. "Well, I'll leave my levels of cruelty to your imagination, my friends."
Apr 03 21:47:21 <Mari>   "That's not exactly the kind of assurance I was looking for," Mari grumbles.
Apr 03 21:47:29 <Nikkolai>   "But luckily for you, I'm too sleepy to play any more pranks tonight."
Apr 03 21:48:19 *   Nikkolai rolls over on his bedroll, careful not to squash Yulia. "Sleep well, all. 'ware the slimy ones."
Apr 03 21:48:31 <Nikkolai>   And with that, Nikk tries to drift off to sleep!
Apr 03 21:50:01 <Mari>   "Right, that does SO much to put us at ease. I could go for a good night's sleep myself by this point, but I'm getting it well away from you!"