Seaside

Locales abroad of the city centers, from out of doors to the outer planes.
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Earl of Purple
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Post Shrimp Battle

"So would I, in that case. There are deer about, if you wish for those. I was not told of any local predators, however." Including, somewhat frustratingly, giant shrimp like the one that attacked her with the satyr in it. The khajiit would advise not her as a target, but she's not sure if the satyr can target her with the ability, and doesn't want to put the idea in its head besides.
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Re: Seaside

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[Crab Survey]

"That's an easy request! Strange and boring, but easy," the pooka replies before leaping up and snatching the marker flags out of Jade's hands.

Then?

There's a blur of motion, a black smear, as the creature begins zipping from one place to another with blinding speed. It'll take a little bit of time for him to finish. Not LONG. Certainly not as long as it would have taken Jade and Tristan to do the task.

"Huh... well," Tristan mutters, scratching the back of his neck with one hand. "I guess we can move on to the next location? We'll still need to survey the riverbank and the limestone spring. Hopefully there won't be too much anomalous tail pulling going on there."

He begins heading downhill toward the river.

And lowers his voice a bit when he speaks again.

"Do you think letting that pooka out might have been a bad idea? Someone went to a lot of trouble to put it there."

[Post Shrimp Battle]

Untrue!

She was warned about small land sharks.

'Small' in this case is about the size of a mountain lion. So pretty big and potentially dangerous but not likely to try targeting a person when other prey is available.

The shrimp was a surprise, though.

It probably skittered here from Apocalypse Junction. Some radioactive wastelands have giant mantis shrimp.

"Ugh, brah. No, brah, not deer. Deer are SO lame. Maybe one of those big sand fish things! Those are totally rad. But man, finding one is such a drag they're always underground," the satyr laments. He seems to have a preference for predatory animals.

And he doesn't seem interested in the khajiit as a ride. The thought doesn't appear to have even occurred to him. Chances are his ability only works on beasts and nothing else.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Post-Shrimp Battle

Earl had forgotten those!

"Deer be quick, though. Mind if I take this?" The khajiit gestures at the dead giant shrimp in front of her. It's not a crab, but it's a local predator that Tristan didn't know about- it might be worth a bounty anyway. Which is a point; she's going to try finding Tristan for her first payout rather than go to the next spot and gather more crabs.
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Re: Seaside

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Crab Survey
"Definitely," Jade quietly agrees, "But if he tries anything..." She opens her purse to show Tristan that she still carries a screwdriver for emergencies - like stabbing an annoying fae.
Of course pookas are tricky, so if she wants to stab it, she's going to have to catch it first.
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Re: Seaside

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Morty wrote: Jan 05, 2023 8:55 pm [The Coast]

Askeladd approaches the religious building. It might be easier to appeal to people who are there to pray than those who are in a tavern, eating and drinking. He will check if he's not interrupting a religious ceremony first, though.
[The Coast]

The simple yet still respectful-looking double doors leading into the chapel stands gleaned open as he approaches despite the cold and the rain.
Still, what greets him is warmth and comfort courtesy of the two fireplaces located on the sides of the doors he came through.
These are paired with a bench and a wardrobe on their respective sides which makes the relatively small stone chamber which makes up the foyer look a bit crammed.
A bespectacled bugbear woman with graying fur sits on the rightmost bench with her ears pressed against the other set of double doors which must lead into the main hall of the building. She gives him an annoyed glance as he enters and raises her finger against her lips in a silent sign to be quiet.
Her feet are firmly resting on the thick green carpet in the middle of the foyer, seemingly wanting nothing to do with the cold stone floor.
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Re: Seaside

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Tristan gives a nod. "Let's head to the next site. Hopefully the pooka won't follow us and we won't have to worry about whatever mischief it's getting up to."

[Post-Shrimp Battle]

"Yeah brah! Not like I've got anything I can do with it. Later brah, hang loose!" the satyr says as he departs.

Goodness that was really weird.

Either way, the adventurer will be able to grab that dead shrimp and drag it back toward-

[Crab Survey]

It's honestly fortunate that the adventurer decided to head to the limestone pool first. That means she will be meeting up with Tristan and Jade at the half-way point. Honestly the chances of them just happening to encounter each other wandering around in the wilderness are pretty much zero. But adventurers from Nirn tend to have something of an impetus that pushes them in the direction of adventure.

Almost like a little arrow, pointing the way.

She'll encounter Tristan and Jade cresting a sand dune covered in moss, dune buckwheat, lemon flowers, and bright purple lupin shrubs.

Tristan squints into the distance when he spies the injured adventurer. "...is that a giant mantis shrimp?"

That is absolutely a giant mantis shrimp.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Crab Survey

"Yess it is. It broke my arm. Thought you might be interested. Had a horsey guy in it. He left to go find a landshark. Got some crabs too." Earl thinks two? But isn't sure. "If you find one, don't try blocking it. Dodge, don't block. I hurt." The khajiit dumps the pile of crustaceans near Tristan and raises their intact arm, channelling some white light into her hand and passing it over her broken limb to fix the bone as best she can. The spell's hampered by her shallow magicka pool, however, and won't last long enough to heal the whole wound.
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Re: Seaside

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[The Coast]

Askeladd nods, after a brief moment of surprise. What did he walk in on? Time to make the best of it, however. He says nothing, but walks up closer to the woman and the door, his feet somehow making no noise despite his massive stature. He focuses his hearing from to try to catch any sound going through the door, but doesn't enter yet.
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Re: Seaside

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Crab Survey
They can hope, but Jade's pretty sure the pooka will definitely cause trouble. That's what pookas do.
Jade looks at the shrimp.
She has no idea what a mantis shrimp looks like, she normally wants to stay away from the ocean. Also it's not a mudcrab which is what they actually wanted.
Tristan should take charge here.
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Re: Seaside

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[The Coast]

He can hear singing on the other side of the door, which is what the bugbear woman seems to have been listening into. It's multiple voices joined into one choir, or at least attempting to since the singers are by no means professional and many of their voices are quite distinct. What's unusual is that there are no words only a melody which raises and falls much like the waves crashing against the dock outside. Or perhaps like the tide which controls them.

Either way after a few minutes, if he waits that long, the hymn reaches a crescendo of sort and then falls silent.
The elderly bugbear nods to herself, seemingly appreciating the song.
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Re: Seaside

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[Crab Survey]

Causing trouble is, arguably, what pookas are best at.

Sometimes the trouble is more or less innocuous. Other times it is a bit more mean spirited. Whatever pranks that foxgoatcat was playing must have been pretty terrible to motivate people to 'kill' it and seal it in a binding circle. They even used all seven metals of antiquity for the binding! That's pretty serious. Hopefully our heroes don't find out WHY it was so important to imprison the little jerk.

But let's be real they totally will.

Anywho!

Pile of dead crustaceans.

"Okay that's definitely a giant mantis shrimp. Usually those don't live on land. Or get the size of big dogs. A horse- there was a satyr in it?" Tristan replies. "That's another sign of fae presence here. First the pooka and now this. I haven't really gotten a sense that we're anywhere near a weald. This place isn't... weird enough."

When you get close to a weald things get REALLY weird.

"Well, just be careful of creatures asking for your name or offering free food. And don't thank anyone around here unless you're sure they're a regular mortal," Tristan warns the adventurer. No reason not to make sure she doesn't get snared in a verbal trap, right?

Then?

He begins gutting the mudcrab! It doesn't take him very long and he seems to be pretty good at this. He picks through the creature's stomach pretty quickly with his knife. "Hmm... not seeing any coconut crab remains in here. That's a good sign. We'll still need to see how many coconut crab burrows there are near there. If the population density is low then the mudcrabs are probably just preying on other things."

Like deer.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Crab Survey

"This one ssaw it eating a deer. Not the mantis, the crabs. She reanimated it for a disstraction. Got it about the names, though. This one thanks you for the advice. She hopes her sister knows that, if she's nearby." Earl always forgets khajiit speak in third-person. For now the khajiit is waiting for her magicka to rebuild so she can fix the rest of her arm. The shield is just dumped as litter; she doesn't need it any more, and it's not worth lugging around to dispose of properly. It's chitin, so it should decompose naturally.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Morty »

[The Coast]

Why is this woman sitting outside, if she's just listening to the song? Maybe only the singers are permitted inside. Either way, Askeladd will not interrupt. He will wait for whatever ceremony goes on there to end.
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Re: Seaside

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Crab Survey
Jade nods. "Also don't answer to any name other than your own," Buttercup hasn't shown her face around the Nexus in a long while but it's good to be cautious especially since Spring is approaching (not here, mind you, this seems like one of those places that has wet and dry seasons instead).
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Re: Seaside

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[Crab Survey]

Jade is correct on all counts.

There have been no Buttercup incursions into the Nexus recently, which is a good thing. And also this particular location definitely seems tropical enough that it wouldn't adhere to the classical four seasons. Thankfully it isn't raining right now. Tristan has enough sense to avoid planning outings like this during a torrential downpour.

And aah...

The shield is discarded.

The khajiit must be running on one of the versions that has weapon and armor durability.

Tristan, meanwhile, takes some pictures of the crab guts.

Because documentation is important! It isn't science if you aren't documenting what you're doing.

Or at least not proper science. Maybe mad science.

"Okay, I think we're done with these. They'll get cleaned up by local wildlife unless someone wants boiled mudcrab for dinner,"
Tristan says as he rises to his feet and cleans his hands off with some water from his bottle. "Next stop will be the river that divides the mudcrab infested part of the terrain from the portion that's mudcrab free."

The river is, as it happens, pretty big. Wonder what Tristan has planned for crossing it?
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Crab Survey

Either the khajiit's partly running on Oblivion-era mechanics or she's been in the Nexus long enough for a bit of realism to seep into her gear. Plus she can't easily hold a shield with a broken arm, which she's still not managed to heal properly. It'll do for now, but it needs a bit of time to fix the rest of the way and will be a bit fragile for a while yet. Certainly not a good idea to try blocking another blow with it, even if the entity delivering the blow isn't as strong as the mantis shrimp.

"This one has fish in her pack, no need for mudcrab." The khajiit nods, and will follow to the river, unless there's another area Tristan wants her to go to instead.
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Re: Seaside

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Crab Survey
Jade looks over the river warily. She and water don't mix. "How do we get across?" Tristan has a plan, right? She's not going to have to scrounge together a raft from nearby trees, right?
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Re: Seaside

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Morty wrote: Jan 18, 2023 11:47 pm [The Coast]

Why is this woman sitting outside, if she's just listening to the song? Maybe only the singers are permitted inside. Either way, Askeladd will not interrupt. He will wait for whatever ceremony goes on there to end.
[The Coast]

As the song ends, the bugbear turns to him with a puzzled expression. "Now what can I do for you, stranger? Something tells me you haven't come to this temple to hear our hymns."

Meanwhile, Megeshi decides to make her voice hear within his mind. You're not really acting like a emissary of a dragon would. She muses, sounding slightly amused. Waiting around like some servant? Very undignified. Furthermore, I've already peered beyond this door and there's a painting inside that I'm curious about. You should ask the locals about it once you enter. It should be obvious what painting I'm talking about.
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Re: Seaside

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[Crab Survey]

"Good luck! And be careful of odd looking creatures. I'm not sure what else might have wandered into the area," Tristan warns as he begins checking trees growing near the river-bank. Best not get TOO close to the river, though. There are quite a few mudcrabs wandering around and sifting through the sand with their mouthparts in search of detritus.

"We'll head up river a ways. There's a natural basalt bridge that spans the whole river, apparently part of a volcanic eruption. The dike got undermined by the river, but most of the rock is still there. Very picturesque! Just don't want to fall off it. Hopefully there aren't any trolls there since we haven't got any goats."

Aries is, after all, a ram.

Not a goat.

He shines his flashlight into a burrow, finding the waggling antenna of a coconut crab waving back at him. The burrow is marked with a flag. "Don't get close to that tree over there with the green apple-looking fruit on it. It's poisonous and will make you regret it," he warns.

Meanwhile!

The Khajiit likewise begins heading up the river and will find that it is positively crawling with mudcrabs. Oddly there are NONE on the opposite side of the river for no readily apparent reason. Weird. The trick here is less finding some crabs and more finding some crabs that don't have a dozen OTHER crabs milling around next to them.
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Re: Seaside

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Crab Survey
To the bridge then!
Jade is relieved to cross on solid ground - getting soaked would ruin this trip very quickly.
"Don't eat the green apples, got it."
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Re: Seaside

Post by Morty »

[The Coast]

Askeladd doesn't respond, but Megeshi might feel a flash or irritation from his thoughts. Rather unlike his calm demeanor until now.

"I did not. I come here as an emissary of the dragon who took residence on the isle off your coast."
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Re: Seaside

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[The Coast]

That makes the old woman blink in shock. "Oh!" Is all she manages to say before she takes a moment to clear her voice.
"I... uh... apologies sir, I should have realized. D-do you wish to speak to the priest then? Forgive an old woman of her ignorance."

Megeshi makes no comment but his annoyance gives her an idea of what he found infuriating behind that ever so calm exterior...
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Crab Survey

Especially with a mostly-broken arm, getting caught and surrounded wouldn't be good. So it seems like getting a frenzy spell off into the thick of it is a good idea, followed by chugging a mana potion and setting another off elsewhere, to provide a distraction so the khajiit only has to deal with one, maybe two mud crabs at once. So that's what she's going to do, sending a frenzy spell at the biggest mud crab on the beach and another at one of the closer ones after said mana potion.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Morty »

[The Coast]

"I would like that, yes. The dragon has an important message to this community and I'd rather not wait." Askeladd opts to emphasize the urgency of his mission delicately but unambiguously.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Rebonack »

[Crab Survey]

"Or get anywhere near the tree," Tristan adds, pointing a finger at the offending tree. "It rained a bit last night and if it DRIPS on you you'll get blisters. Those trees have zero chill."

They are, arguably, the least chill tree in existence.

As soon as our heroes reach the mid-point of the bridge they'll be met with a loud, bellowing voice from below.

"WHO'S THAT CROSSING MY BRIDGE!"

Tristan facepalms. "Oh for goodness sake..."

MEANWHILE!

The adventurer decides to make some crabs ANGRY!

RAGH!

CRAB SMASH!

The largest crab in this case is an unusually large specimen that's a solid two meters across. The animal is so large and slow that it can't move very quickly, but that hardly matters thanks to how sturdy its carapace is. The mudcrab swiftly pulverizes a nearby crab only to have the rest of the mob descend upon it!

Hmm...

The crabs are all definitely distracted now.

If the adventurer can find a good way to draw them away from the other dead crabs she could grab one without being harassed. Mudcrabs aren't exactly known for their amazing sense of vision after all.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Crab Survey

The khajiit isn't interested in salvaging the ones killed in the melee she's caused. She's interested in distracting them enough she can kill one or two without aggravating the whole mob. So she's going to sneak closer to the big melee and whack a crab with her mace before sneaking away again. She'll maybe do that twice before sneaking in to grab the bodies of the crabs she killed without further distracting the mass of crabs fighting each other.
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Re: Seaside

Post by bc56 »

Crab Survey
"Seriously!?" Jade questions. She looks down. "Is this bridge legally yours or are you just squatting?" Who owns this bridge anyway? Jade's sure it's not the troll. It's probably nobody. Or maybe the gaiad whose land it's on.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Rebonack »

[Crab Survey]

Obviously SOMEONE made the bridge. But was it the troll?

Who knows!

A huge, sandy hand reaches out from under the bridge, bracing fingers against it as the troll rises into view. The creature is massive, fifteen feet tall easily with grainy skin punctuated with jagged limestone spars sticking out here and there. Hair like water weeds hangs loose and limp from its head, parting around a huge, pointed nose that dominates the creature's face.

"Legally? Who d'yu s'pose maintains this bridge? You see any royal engineers loafin' 'round here? No? That's 'cuz it's MY bridge," the troll retorts, a single, beady eye briefly visible through the creature's stringy green hair. "Now then, there's a toll to be paid. You pony it up or you swim or you get squashed. Which'll it be?"

Tristan heaves a sigh.

Swimming probably isn't an option.

The river is broad and deep. Bad news for Jade.

Fighting the troll probably isn't a great idea since HUGE and INTELLIGENT elementals are pretty darn dangerous.

Meanwhile!

Okay!

Now, this time around all the crabs have a target already. So when the adventurer comes padding over and clubs one to death they rest of the crabs don't notice. They're too busy trying to defeat the GIGA CRAB! It turns out this order of operations was a much, MUCH better idea than her previous attempt. She brains a crab or two and should be able to slip away unnoticed this time around.

Hmm...

Tristan and Jade were going to the bridge nearby, right?

Depending on how Destined the adventurer is she might feel a pull in the proper direction.
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Re: Seaside

Post by Earl of Purple »

Crab Battle- Redux

The khajiit can learn! And that wasn't a lesson they thought was needed, but the determination of mudcrabs is not something to be underestimated. So two crabs are battered and collected for the weird NPC she met who wants to look at their guts for some reason. Last time she was sent out to hunt something were skeevers for a fancy restaurant in Riverside.

The khajiit isn't particularly Destined, but she knows the Clairvoyance spell and that'll help. The glowing light illuminating her pathway is only visible to her own eyes, so her arrival might be a surprise.
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Re: Seaside

Post by bc56 »

Crab Survey
Oh. He's big. Jade was thinking she might win a fight against a troll, but that looks distinctly like too much for her to handle.
She slips a hand into her purse. "Do you take Magstercard?" She's only half joking. She's debating whether to reach for her screwdriver, her pistol, or her wallet.
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