Log:Broken Dolls: Briarwolves & Bats

Broken Dolls: Briarwolves & Bats
Participants Ziv, Regina, Rowan, Levi and Etsy as ST	9 October, 2017 One of the cybernetic briarwolves is found inside the looptrod -- again -- and Ziv rescues a tiny bat.
Location H02
-> >> Rowan to Here << <-============================================= Rolled 1 Success < 2 5 7 7 8 > ============================-> >> Intelligence + Wyrd No Flags << <- -> >> Rowan to Here << <-============================================= Rolled 1 Success < 3 5 5 7 10 > ========================-> >> Intelligence + Wyrd - 1 No Flags << <- -> >> Levi to Here << <-============================================== Rolled 2 Successes < 2 2 4 4 5 6 7 8 10 > =================================-> >> Stamina + Wyrd No Flags << <- GAME: Levi spends 1 Glamour GAME: Levi spends 1 Glamour GAME: Levi spends 1 Glamour -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 1 Success < 1 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 > =========================-> >> Wyrd + Animal_Ken.Bats No Flags << <- GAME: Ziv spends 1 Glamour -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 1 Success < 1 2 2 3 4 6 6 6 10 > ====================================-> >> Wyrd + Wits No Flags << <- GAME: Ziv spends 2 Glamour -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 4 Successes < 1 2 2 3 3 3 5 6 10 10 10 10 > =========================-> >> Wyrd + Animal_Ken.Bats No Flags << <- GAME: Ziv spends 2 Glamour GAME: Rowan spends 1 Glamour GAME: Levi spends 1 Glamour GAME: Ziv regain 2 Glamour Rowan has had a bad day, and as often happens on bad days, she's found herself wandering through a hedgegate almost mindlessly. Today she's blessedly found herself in a relatively safe patch. She murmurs to herself, "I wonder what cyborg wolves eat..." Ah, the question for the ages. She does, at least, have her habitually worn assortment of tokens and a knife on her belt, so she's not totally defenseless...Only mostly. Something's making a mess of the Looptrod. Whatever it was, it's huge, and apparently angry, if the detritus of its passage is any indication. It seems like the thing TRIED to stay on the trod, and mostly succeeded, but careened into the foliage on either side multiple times, smashing branches off trees and trampling less fortunate foliage under huge, human-shaped feet. There was, for a short time, some very angry vocalizations, but those have tapered off. What's left at the end of the trail of wreckage is a huge boulder... one that breathes, and occasionally slams a massive fist into the earth, out of anger or despondency. It's not quite clear. It's entirely possible that the thing wrecking havoc on the area had an audience, since someone's up in a tree and has been searching through the area for a while now. Underneath of bark, around the branches, and into hollows. Unfortunately it's still day, and the crashing of a tantrum down below likely didn't really help what Ziv was looking for. For the past while she's been hugging a tree instead, sinking her claws into it and staring down boggle-eyed. -> >> Regina to Here << <-============================================ Rolled 8 Successes for an exceptional success. < 1 1 4 4 4 5 6 8 8 8 9 9 10 10 10 > ===========================-> >> Dexterity + Wyrd + 1 No Flags << <- -> >> Regina to Here << <-============================================ Rolled 2 Successes < 1 1 2 3 3 5 5 7 7 8 10 > ==========================-> >> Expression + Wyrd + 1 No Flags << <- GAME: Regina spends 2 Glamour Why is there a giant of a woman wandering around in the hedge with no evident weapons, wearing a white chef's coat? More importantly, how the heck is that coat still prestinely white after running around in the hedge? The answer to that latter question is probably the fact that it's Hedgespun, made of shimmering spider silk, and the answer to the former is evidently "eating things", since that's what Regina stops to do when she passes a bush with some small fruits growing on it. She takes one off, takes a small bite, then makes a face and spits it out and tosses the fruit back into the shrub before continuing on her way. When she reaches the spot where the angry living boulder is the giant leopard-seal woman stops and peers with big brown eyes at the figure. "Yeah," she says. "Sometimes the ground pisses me off too." The signs of danger and tantrums has Rowan perk up, more alert. She looks around, up, down...up again as she spots Ziv and gives the bat girl a little nod and a few hand signals that suggest she feels Ziv should stay put and stay quiet while Rowan does the dirty work of engaging the mess-maker. And then there's the eating giant...And Rowan scowls for a moment then starts moving closer, in a defensive stance, "Did I miss the fight?" She calls out by way of greeting, half-joking. Game: Regina has a "Crafts" Skill of 7 (Specialties: "Cooking"). The boulder- roughly the size of a Ford Escalade- lifts its head off its knees in a startled jerk, staring at Regina past a thick fall of granite locks, shiny and polished. The eye peering at her suggests Asiatic heritage, as does the facial structure, but the accent is 100 Fort Brunsett. She might be a stranger, but she's local- and her face is wet... and starting to scowl dangerously. "... what do you care. Who are you." The boulder unfolds, up to its full, towering height, staring at Regina. "... seal," she mutters with growing apprehension. "NO." She lances one gargantuan finger at the woman, lips curling as she growls, "I am NOT GOING B-" 'Did I miss the fight?' ANOTHER voice? This time a leafy, pretty one. Rather than curling her hands into fists, the boulder's fingers curve around open air. "... how many of you are there?!" -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 2 Successes < 1 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 9 9 > ==========================-> >> Dexterity + Athletics No Flags << <- Up above, not that anyone's likely to notice it, is a sudden shaking of branches as Ziv bounds over to another one. It's made easier by being a Windwing, certainly, and she catches the branch with ease before skittering up further onto it. It's not as graceful as it could be, and awkward when she walks along the branch afterwards, sinking her claws down into it. Another bound and she clings to the side of the trunk, getting a better vantage point on Regina and Rowan talking to the boulder, and deciding not to come down. A giant leopard seal in a chef's outfit is scary, and so is a boulder. Rowan, she at least, knows. Regina does not look the slightest bit intimidated by the size of the boulder. She's a good 6'10" tall as it is, and so heavily muscled that it shows even through the thick hide that being a leopard seal has bestowed upon her. She's not as big (currently) as the stoney woman, but she's pretty darned large as it is. "I'm not asking you to go anywhere," she points out with a shrug. "If I wanted anything out of you it would probably be a friendly wrestling match. Hah!" She lets out a single sharp laugh, like a seal's bark. "Though maybe this isn't the best time and place for that, is it?" Her mouth, it should be noted, is big even for her size, and full of very large teeth. Those canines are quite a bit bigger than an average man's thumb. "And there's only one of me, but I can't speak for the others. Of whom their seem to be two." She tilts her head. "Is that right? Whom? Who? Oh who cares. Have any of you seen a prickleberry bush around here? Oh, yes, introductions. I'm Regina Hazard, a Knight of the Knowledge of the Tongue, and part of the motley called Adventure Time! That's with an exclamation point at the end." She doesn't say her court, but from the way that vines with little berries and the like spring up around her, she's probably Spring. She glances up at where Ziv is, and then over at Rowan. "I don't think I've met any of you. Anyone hungry?" The best way to meet people is over food, right? "You mean here, like?" Rowan asks, "Probably...well, at least three." She shrugs and gives a little grin, though she seems to be catching on that something may be a bit off with Levi. "You alright, my friend? You seem a little out of sorts. Why don't we go back to town and have a nice cup of tea, sort you out, yeah?" Ah, the Irish solution to all problems; a nice cuppa tea. She frowns slightly, not upset, but as if a thought is percolating through her brain, looking to Regina she asks with a little laugh, "Like the mad show with the pink princess?" Presumably talking of the motley. "I'm Rowan. Perfectly harmless, not a knight or a duke or even a squire of anything at all." The question of hunger has her raising her hand quickly, like an over-eager child. Up the path, away toward the Evercaverns, there's a long, low sound that sounds rather entirely like the sound of an engine dying, combined with the sound of a horn being blown. Or a howl. Or... something. Seconds later? A black cloud of wings flutters past Ziv very quickly, up in the branches, their tiny voices repeating: "run away run away run away" Levi stares at Regina as if she doesn't quite understand, then twists to face Rowan as she introduces herself as well. She remains silent a few moments before speaking. "I'm L'vi-" She speaks the word too fast, as if cutting it off, then tries again, slowly. "... Levi. I am-" HNNNNNNNNNNNN! The loud sound from the caverns draws her attention, and she spins to face the caverns, fingers working slowly in midair. "... what was that." Ziv seemed about to answer Regina, her mouth was open, and then her ears prick in the direction of the loud sound - before immediately going back. A jump is taken into one of the higher branches, as the flurry of smaller wings goes past - just what Ziv was looking for, before getting distracted by the other Lost below. "Hey!" she calls out, a voice they can understand. Before realizing it would probably be not only stupid but a bit cruel to ask them to wait. "What's happening?" It's likely the others below can get a glimpse of her, at least - it's easy to pinpoint her with the yelling. Danger danger not again! comes the response from the fleeing bats, in a tongue that only Ziv can understand. Run away! -> >> Regina to Here << <-============================================ Rolled 2 Successes < 2 2 4 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 > =================================-> >> Stamina + Wyrd No Flags << <- GAME: Regina spends 1 Glamour Regina's attention snaps in the direction of the sounds and she bares her teeth. "I'm not sure what it is," she admits, rolling her shoulders and then breaking into a jog as she heads in that direction. "But it might taste good! I'm going to go check it out. Anyone who wants to come along, feel free! It might even be big enough for all of us!" Yep, first reaction to meeting strange things in the Hedge is whether she can eat them. Definitely an ogre. As she's going she grows larger, not tremendously but noticeably. Rowan looks up at the tiny voices, then toward the direction where the howling sound has come from. She looks...happy. Excited even. "Did you hear that, lads!? That sounded like a feckin' cyborg wolf to you?" She gets out her tiny knife and lets out a little laugh, as she informs those gathered, "I'm gonna catch one." Which could easily and understandably be translated to 'I've got a death wish', but she seems quite lively about her impending annihilation. She is right on Regina's heels as the giant seal woman heads into the danger zone. Levi stares after Regina and Rowan for a moment before looking to Ziv and rumbling under her breath. "If this is a trap, it's terrible. I'm going." And she starts pacing after the others. Her strides make it easy to keep up with the others. It's actually hard not to outpace them. -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 5 Successes for an exceptional success. < 1 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 10 > ==========================-> >> Dexterity + Athletics No Flags << <- The bats are clearing out very quickly, and Ziv doesn't blame them at all! Her ears flick back, but the bats aren't going to be much help here, and there's trouble ahead - with the other Lost heading straight towards it while she was distracted. "H-h-hey, wait!" she calls out, leaving where she was clinging to the branches, and running along the top of one and bounding off like a springboard before it gets too thin to hold her weight. Briefly she flares her wings, but they don't currently help much - what does is that she's graceful, and manages to stick that landing before running after the others. The bats -- their batty voices unintelligible to anyone except Ziv, just sounding like a distant, angsty chatter -- are quickly gone. Pshewm! Up the trod, there's... something... crawling down from the trees, and probably not by its own volition. Rowan might be very well right: it might be a cybernetic briarwolf. It looks a mess, whatever it is. It's not so much crawling down, on closer look, as sort of ... slowly falling. Losing its grip, tumbling. "That looks like it's going to hurt," says Regina as she continues jogging toward where the thing is falling to the ground. Since it seems likely that something had to hurt it, if it's hurt, then that might mean other things are around which are capable of hurting mechanical wolves up in trees, and she'd rather not just charge blindly into something, so she's keeping an eye open around her too. -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 4 Successes < 2 2 5 6 7 8 9 9 10 > ===========================-> >> Wits + Composure + 2 No Flags << <- Rowan heads straight for the tree the creature is falling from, picking up speed to try and reach it first, knife out and hand hovering over her feathered bag. "Damn, I hope it's still alive." So far, thoughts of 'what kills a briarwolf in a tree?' haven't quite percolated through her determination to 'catch' one of the creatures. As far as Ziv can hear right now, there's just the beast itself, crashing through the trees. Maybe. There are tiny high noises now and again, but she can't pick out the location at the moment. Then again, that ... whatever it is... is making an awful lot of noise with its falling. "What... IS that thing." Levi's voice rumbles from the back of the pack, her pace slowing as she stares at the mangled mess of thorns and machinery tumbling from the tree at a strange, lazy rate. "Is that what made that sound? Why do you hope it's alive? It looks dangerous, and-" And Rowan doesn't. But she doesn't say that. Just implies it. "...You're new to this, aren't you?" Ziv chirrups at Levi, keeping pace with the stone girl - because if bad things go down, she'd rather have a meat shield nearby! Which is probably not great for forging new friendships or anything like that. "It's um... briarwolf, I think? People have been looking for it... aaaand, if it's hurt, there's probably something else nearby..." she notes, flicking her ears and twisting them this way and that. Whatever that thing is, it's continuing to tumble out of the tree. It's flesh and machine, howling and ... crying? ... bleeding, ripping up the trees and branches on the way down. Tumble tumble... thud. It makes a sort of ... tiny... pathetic... creaking noise. Tries to get up. Collapses. -> >> Regina to Here << <-============================================ Rolled 2 Successes < 1 2 2 4 4 7 8 9 > =================================-> >> Wits + Medicine 9-Again << <- "I've only heard rumors," Regina says, unconcerned as she keeps heading toward where the thing is heading. The ground under the tree, that is. She slows as she starts to get near and then pauses to look around them. "I don't see any obvious injuries, other than what it might have gotten falling out of a tree. Also, I've kind of lost my desire to try eating that thing, looking at all the pus. Even I have limits. Hah!" Rowan considers the creature, seeming pleased that Regina no longer has aims to make it into dinner. "You think it'll live?" She kneels down next to it and takes a closer look at the creature. "Musta been up there a while to be that bad off though. Maybe something put it up there for later?" She shrugs and leans in dangerously close, absent-mindedly and belatedly answering Levi, "I told the queen I'd bring her one to keep as a pet. I bet a broken one'll be perfect. Animals always like people better if they've nursed them back to health, right? I mean, you've all seen that video of the guy with the deer, right? It's pretty much the same thing." Totally the same thing as clickbait videos. "Of course I'm new to this," mutters Levi, staring at the putrid amalgamation. "... only got through the thorns today." She looks disgusted at the idea of eating the creature, but Rowan's words leave her rigid, her tone cold. "WHICH Queen." Ziv stays back from the creature - she doesn't know how to help it, and she's largely keeping eyes on the area. Someone has to do it, afterall. Her ears are still perked up, trembling at any sound - which they do at Levi's words, at which point she clears her throat and says, "Errr... Freehold Queen. Probably... not the one you're thinking of..." Regina's attention pretty much all slides off of the briarwolf and over to Levi, because she's not currently all that worried about the wounded critter and Levi just said something fascinating. "You JUST escaped?" she asks, and her voice is suddenly heavy with sympathy. "Shit, I didn't realize. Whatever Queen you think she might have meant, I'm betting it's not that one, and if she had some intention of taking you back to where you just escaped of she'll end up filling my soup pot tonight. I'm sure as hell not letting anyone take you back there, as long as I've got a say in it." She doesn't seem to think that's what Rowan meant, though, so she doesn't seem stressed about it, and she tells Rowan, "you want to carry that thing back? I suppose we can do that." And she starts trudging over toward the fallen briarwolf. -> >> Rowan to Here << <-============================================= Rolled 0 Success < 1 3 4 5 > ================================-> >> Wits + Medicine No Flags << <- GAME: Rowan spends 1 Willpower -> >> Rowan to Here << <-============================================= Rolled 2 Successes < 3 5 5 6 8 9 > ========================-> >> Wits + Medicine - 1 + 3 No Flags << <- -> >> Rowan to Here << <-============================================= Rolled 3 Successes < 2 2 7 8 9 10 > ===============================-> >> Wits + Composure No Flags << <- -> >> Regina to Here << <-============================================ Rolled 4 Successes < 1 2 2 3 5 5 7 8 9 9 9 > ================================-> >> Wits + Composure 9-Again << <- -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 2 Successes < 1 2 2 4 4 6 7 8 10 > ===========================-> >> Wits + Composure + 2 No Flags << <- The thing on the ground tries to lash out, one of its twisted, long arms flopping out toward Regina. The claws on that thing are still wicked sharp, and if someone gets in range of them, or gets some of that pus in a wound, ew. There's a tiny screeching pain-sound somewhere nearby. Not from the briarwolf, though. It's really hard to figure out where, exactly, it's coming from. GAME: Rowan spends 1 Glamour Rowan nods, and beams at Regina, glancing to Levi and offering as an afterthought, "Yes, totally not the queen you're thinking of. This one's like us, and lovely. Don't worry, friend. As this lovely giant of a woman says, we'll keep anything from hurting you or taking you anywhere you don't want to go. " She considers the briarwolf and says, "I'm sure it'll be fine, right? I mean....other than where those implants seem to be trying to explode out of it through a puss fountain, it looks in tip-top shape." She considers, then ducks her hand into the feathery bag at her side, the feathers shimmer and the cold and silver straps catch the sunlight. The flap of the bag, a strange, ugly bird face, opens it's very human-like eye and tries to start a staring contest with whoever happens to look at it. From the bag, Rowwan pulls out a series of steel cables, bites her lip, then sighs and starts to try to lash them onto the beast without getting clawed. "Anyone wanna give me a hand? I know those creeps in Autumn would love to have some fun with this thing." Whatever other noises may be going on she seems oblicious to. "I think the... others said that these things are made, but then they kind of... hm... decay? Someone might have been... gathering titles and making them." Ziv, on the other hand, is not helping - she might be more of a liability up close and personal with a mutated briarwolf, what with easy to tear wings and not necessarily being very fight-y. The tiny sounds do catch her attention, though, and she begins to walk around the area turning her ears this way and that. Regina walks up to the thing but stops just out of range of its thrashing claws. "How about I knock this thing's silly ass out, you tie it up, and then we carry it back? I can fix it up later, once it's not so... flaily. Hah!" And when the things leg flails by she steps in, gives it a swift kick to the chin, and then hops back out of reach in case it continues to flail around. "I sure don't want it. That doesn't look like good eating at all." She watches for a moment to see if the briarwolf stops flailing around, then she looks toward the sound of the other thing they heard nearby. "What was that?" Game: Regina has a -1-point "Flaw (Cannibalism)" Merit. Levi relaxes marginally at the dual reassurance, her hands curling from rigid claws to loose fists. "... not the Queen of Storms, then?" Further confirmation comes, and she nods faintly, looking distinctly uncomfortable at Regina's shift in demeanor. "... thank you. I didn't just escape. Been running for... ages. I just made it HERE today," she specifies, watching the others handle the wolf. "... I know this is Brunsett. Or out there, it is. What's here." She looks to Div at the signs of sorry, having ID'd her as the scout. Rowan frowns slightly, about to protest when Regina gives the beast a kick, then sighs and considers, nodding as everyone starts noticng other noises, "Yeah, sure, sounds like a great plan. Let's get this thing roped up and outta here. New girl probably wants to have a wee rest in a safe place anyway." She works the steel cables around the creature as quickly as can, handing ends out to anyone who wants to help. "Let's get moving, yeah?" -> >> Ziv to Here << <-=============================================== Rolled 3 Successes < 2 2 3 3 5 5 6 9 10 10 > ===========================-> >> Wits + Composure + 4 No Flags << <- Ziv's searching and moving about has her training in on the sound rather quickly. Apparently not all of the bats made it out of range so quickly. A tiny little thing, silvery-black, flops around, squeaking painedly. Its wing has been broken, rather badly, and it cries softly in a voice only Ziv can understand: it hurts it hurts it hurts, over and over and over. A good clock on the back of the head from Regina and the cybernetic briarwolf is... out. Easily restrained with the cables that Rowan produces. Magic! "Don't even know who that is," Regina admits. "Hah! So definitely not her in my case." Since the briarwolf seems to have stopped moving when she kicked it, she moves forward to help Rowan with tying the thing up. "You want me to carry this for you?" she offers. "It doesn't look very heavy for me, but might be for other people. It shouldn't slow me down." Ziv is not being a good scout at the moment, she's distracted with the bat at the moment, rather than keeping a watch out on the area around them. She spreads her own wing-hands out, trying to corral it into a position where she can scoop up - hopefully without it flopping too much, and doing further damage to the wing. She chirps soothingly at it - and likely misses Regina coup de gracing the briarwolf for the sake of Rowan's promise to their queen. "Rest... yes. Please. It feels like I haven't stopped since... since I found the thorns again. I'd love a rest." Levi watches Ziv scoop the poor thing and cracks a teeeeeensy smile, before looking to the others. "... which way is out." Rowan beams at Regina, perfectly happy to let someone else do the heavy lifting of this adventure...literally. "Sure friend, thank you kindly." And now that she knows she doesn't have to haul the thing back, she's moving lightly toward the nearest hedgegate, clearly knowing her way. "Come on yous," she calls to Levi and Ziv in a half-hearted effort to make sure they come along as well. To Levi, she offers, "My van's just out this way. You can take a rest there, if it suits ya." Eyeing the briarwolf she adds, "/If/ you don't mind a bunkmate, that is." -> >> Regina to Here << <-============================================ Rolled 3 Successes < 1 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 7 8 8 10 > ===============================-> >> Athletics + Wyrd No Flags << <- The tiny bat, whimpering and shivering, flops into Ziv's hands, and pulls itself with its good wing toward her. Clearly, at least for the moment, it understands her to be one of its own kind, and seeks comfort with the fledermaus Winter. Regina grabs the dire wolf by a bundle of the cables that they tied it up in and just picks it up like it's an empty bucket, then starts walking after Rowan toward the hedgegate. She acts like the thing is so light that she's not even making an effort to carry it, nice and casual, no problem. No wonder she offered. She could probably carry everyone at once and not break a sweat. Possibly including Levi. Ziv's probably lazy-dressed, wearing an oversized hoodie as a dress, with a pair of biking shorts underneath and no shoes - for as long as this nice weather lasts, anyway. So she has some spaces to secret away a bat, if she needs to. It's pulled towards her, and cuddled in against her chest, before she goes to catch up with the others. A moment is taken to absolutely gawk at Regina as she strongwoman manhandles the briarwolf like it were nothing. "Whoa."