Sagi (
scension) wrote in
isleofavalon2021-02-13 07:32 am
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1. [open]
đź§™ WHO: Sagi and anyone
⚔️️ WHAT: TDM and quest prompts for a recent arrival
đź•’ WHEN: Early February
🗺️ WHERE: See prompts
⚠️ WARNINGS: None yet, will edit
[A: arrival // caravan]
Oh, huh. It moved the words to the front.
[The courtesy trip to the Red Springs might be more uncomfortable than it strictly needed to be if you wound up in this particular caravan. It's not that the demonic-looking horned creature inside takes up an excessive amount of physical space - hunched over in one of the passenger seats, it's currently no larger than a bulky breed of dog. But what it lacks in fur and cuteness, it makes up for with pulsating orange veins, oversized claws, twitching elbow tentacles and uncannily human-like matted hair. Every pore of its leathery brown skin radiates a quiet malevolence. It isn't pretty.
Compounding the problem, if only slightly, is the fact that the boy slouching in the seat beside it won't shut up. This is not to say that Sagi isn't put off by the horrible monster sitting next to him, either; oh man, was he ever put off to be dragged out of an icy lake and suddenly see that. But dwelling on why this monster is here would distract him from just going with the flow until he gets to grips with the rules of yet another bizarre earthbound world, so he simply isn't. Not thinking about things is easy for him, thank goodness.
As he prods at one of the standard-issue smartphones, his lack of familiarity is written all over his face. Listening a little closer to his quiet but incessant muttering only makes it more obvious.]
I guess we can go back and change the text... Okay, let's put Day 1 for now.
[The monster seems unmoved by Sagi's inexpert fumbling with the memo app. Instead, it's watching whoever else is in the caravan with two pairs of baleful, glowing little eyes. If anyone gives it so much as a glance, it will start to emit a low, rumbling growl, finally forcing Sagi to look up from the phone.]
Hey, shh. They told us not to bother anyone. [He glances your way as well, an apologetic smile on his face. It's probably an improvement on his familiar's still unflinching, four-eyed glare.] Sorry.
[Doesn't all the mumbling count as bothering people too? Eh, maybe. He hasn't realised he was doing it just yet.]
---
[B: around Camelot]
[The city is huge, the free caravan rides are over, the choices are overwhelming, the demon creature wandered off by itself for the time being, and the clouds are so very far away. At times like this, where do you go but outside? Well, home, ideally. That's the goal. It isn't an option for this first step. So Sagi takes his at random, hands in his pockets, heading out into the streets.
He's quieter on his aimless walk than he was while trying to figure out his phone. The shops, the buildings, the strange plantlife and bizarre animals... while some of the sights remind him vaguely of places he's been, most of them just feel impossible for him to process right now, from the outside looking in. That's okay. Apparently he has time.
Across the way from the colourful window of a potions shop, he comes to a halt as if he heard someone call him. Somewhere in the soundscape of the bustling city, it's even possible that they did - but Sagi himself only picks up on the one inside his head, for now.]
I guess you are the one with experience. Sure, why not. Together this time.
[First, he throws a cursory glance up and down the sidewalk to make sure he doesn't accidentally slap anyone. Then, with little fanfare, he spreads his ghostly wings - teal green and gold on the outside, pure white on the inside, feathered like a bird's.]
Are you with me? Focus...
[He furrows his brow. Nothing happens. He frowns slightly, but continues to stare into empty space for a good few long seconds. Again, nothing happens.
Then the palm of his hand blazes brightly like a silent flashbang. He yelps and reels back, scrunching up his face.]
Ack! Oww, my eyes... Maybe not that focused.
[As suddenly as it manifested, the bright light disappears. The wings take a moment longer to follow suit. A horse whinnies somewhere nearby, its surprised reaction mildly startling its rider in turn. Sagi turns his head to squint in the rough direction of the swearing, but his angle is a little off; the highly localised afterimage is taking its sweet time to dissipate, so he can't quite see where the imminent scolding is about to come from. Whoops. Hopefully next time goes better.]
---
[C: quest - "Save a Beast, Kill a Man 🗡️"]
[The long trail from Camelot to the kraken's beach passes through a few patches of woodland scattered throughout the countryside. In the thorny undergrowth of one such little copse, a boy and his horrible tentacle monster familiar lie in wait. In theory, they've chosen a spot with a decent amount of natural cover. In practice, it's the most obvious one in the vicinity, Sagi sounds like he's arguing with himself at normal conversational volume, and his partner in crime is six foot tall with gigantic curved horns.]
No, I'm sure we can reason with him. Don't forget, we outnumber him. It has to be worth a try.
[Pretty much anyone else would make better use of this hiding place. Maybe it would be worthwhile to just shoo these two away. As is, a certain man further up the trail just stopped his horse in its tracks and dismounted with sword in hand, peering suspiciously toward the voice on the cusp of hearing...]
---
(ooc: other TDM prompts are still fair game! feel free to drop a line at
blitzente if you'd like to plot something else, or just hit me up with a prompt of your own!)
⚔️️ WHAT: TDM and quest prompts for a recent arrival
đź•’ WHEN: Early February
🗺️ WHERE: See prompts
⚠️ WARNINGS: None yet, will edit
[A: arrival // caravan]
Oh, huh. It moved the words to the front.
[The courtesy trip to the Red Springs might be more uncomfortable than it strictly needed to be if you wound up in this particular caravan. It's not that the demonic-looking horned creature inside takes up an excessive amount of physical space - hunched over in one of the passenger seats, it's currently no larger than a bulky breed of dog. But what it lacks in fur and cuteness, it makes up for with pulsating orange veins, oversized claws, twitching elbow tentacles and uncannily human-like matted hair. Every pore of its leathery brown skin radiates a quiet malevolence. It isn't pretty.
Compounding the problem, if only slightly, is the fact that the boy slouching in the seat beside it won't shut up. This is not to say that Sagi isn't put off by the horrible monster sitting next to him, either; oh man, was he ever put off to be dragged out of an icy lake and suddenly see that. But dwelling on why this monster is here would distract him from just going with the flow until he gets to grips with the rules of yet another bizarre earthbound world, so he simply isn't. Not thinking about things is easy for him, thank goodness.
As he prods at one of the standard-issue smartphones, his lack of familiarity is written all over his face. Listening a little closer to his quiet but incessant muttering only makes it more obvious.]
I guess we can go back and change the text... Okay, let's put Day 1 for now.
[The monster seems unmoved by Sagi's inexpert fumbling with the memo app. Instead, it's watching whoever else is in the caravan with two pairs of baleful, glowing little eyes. If anyone gives it so much as a glance, it will start to emit a low, rumbling growl, finally forcing Sagi to look up from the phone.]
Hey, shh. They told us not to bother anyone. [He glances your way as well, an apologetic smile on his face. It's probably an improvement on his familiar's still unflinching, four-eyed glare.] Sorry.
[Doesn't all the mumbling count as bothering people too? Eh, maybe. He hasn't realised he was doing it just yet.]
---
[B: around Camelot]
[The city is huge, the free caravan rides are over, the choices are overwhelming, the demon creature wandered off by itself for the time being, and the clouds are so very far away. At times like this, where do you go but outside? Well, home, ideally. That's the goal. It isn't an option for this first step. So Sagi takes his at random, hands in his pockets, heading out into the streets.
He's quieter on his aimless walk than he was while trying to figure out his phone. The shops, the buildings, the strange plantlife and bizarre animals... while some of the sights remind him vaguely of places he's been, most of them just feel impossible for him to process right now, from the outside looking in. That's okay. Apparently he has time.
Across the way from the colourful window of a potions shop, he comes to a halt as if he heard someone call him. Somewhere in the soundscape of the bustling city, it's even possible that they did - but Sagi himself only picks up on the one inside his head, for now.]
I guess you are the one with experience. Sure, why not. Together this time.
[First, he throws a cursory glance up and down the sidewalk to make sure he doesn't accidentally slap anyone. Then, with little fanfare, he spreads his ghostly wings - teal green and gold on the outside, pure white on the inside, feathered like a bird's.]
Are you with me? Focus...
[He furrows his brow. Nothing happens. He frowns slightly, but continues to stare into empty space for a good few long seconds. Again, nothing happens.
Then the palm of his hand blazes brightly like a silent flashbang. He yelps and reels back, scrunching up his face.]
Ack! Oww, my eyes... Maybe not that focused.
[As suddenly as it manifested, the bright light disappears. The wings take a moment longer to follow suit. A horse whinnies somewhere nearby, its surprised reaction mildly startling its rider in turn. Sagi turns his head to squint in the rough direction of the swearing, but his angle is a little off; the highly localised afterimage is taking its sweet time to dissipate, so he can't quite see where the imminent scolding is about to come from. Whoops. Hopefully next time goes better.]
---
[C: quest - "Save a Beast, Kill a Man 🗡️"]
[The long trail from Camelot to the kraken's beach passes through a few patches of woodland scattered throughout the countryside. In the thorny undergrowth of one such little copse, a boy and his horrible tentacle monster familiar lie in wait. In theory, they've chosen a spot with a decent amount of natural cover. In practice, it's the most obvious one in the vicinity, Sagi sounds like he's arguing with himself at normal conversational volume, and his partner in crime is six foot tall with gigantic curved horns.]
No, I'm sure we can reason with him. Don't forget, we outnumber him. It has to be worth a try.
[Pretty much anyone else would make better use of this hiding place. Maybe it would be worthwhile to just shoo these two away. As is, a certain man further up the trail just stopped his horse in its tracks and dismounted with sword in hand, peering suspiciously toward the voice on the cusp of hearing...]
---
(ooc: other TDM prompts are still fair game! feel free to drop a line at
c
Get your familiar into the water, [ he hisses, voice lowered and pressed against Sagi's ear to be as quiet as possible. ] It looks enough like a kraken, we can draw that man's attention.
[ Reason? Forget about it, Sagi. They outnumber him and have the element of surprise, so they'd be fools to throw that advantage away. ]
no subject
[Any connection to his mumbling just now is lost on him. Why would you up and do that to a relative stranger who just happened to see the same help request you did? That's so mean.
He at least has the presence of mind not to struggle, not with their quarry already coming into sight. He does, however, emit a longer series of mostly-muffled noises when Karma starts hissing orders at him. How is he supposed to get his familiar into the water if he can't talk to it, genius?]
no subject
He lifts a single finger off Sagi's mouth, just in case he's forgotten how to breathe through his nose. ]
no subject
[The afterling... does nothing. It's glaring at Karma, its tentacles beginning to writhe a little more animatedly than just twitching. Hands off its fellow traveller first, thank you.]
no subject
It's fine. He has plans spanning all letters of the alphabet, and next in line involves grabbing Sagi's arm and bodily hurtling both himself and Sagi into the water to make a huge splash even the approaching man cannot miss. ]
no subject
[Sploosh. Sagi's instinct to unfurl his wings under pressure still hasn't been trained out of him, making the splash even bigger. It otherwise achieves nothing, which is the story of Sagi's life. He bobs back up out of the water, gasping, not yet thinking to put the wings away again.
The man definitely heard the sound, of course - failing to spot the monster still lurking in the bushes, he hurtles down the shore like any self-respecting adventurer would. His shortsword is still drawn, but he looks more worried than hostile; neither of them are his wife, after all. "You there! Don't you know this beach is dangerous?"
The hollow act of concern makes part of Sagi bridle in a way that tossing him into the sea didn't manage, even though he already knows he shouldn't.] Not as dangerous as -
[Oops, his mouth went under again from all his continued flailing.]
no subject
-—the Kraken! Please save us, sir! It's after us!
[ That's your cue, Sagi's dumb tentacle monster!! Even if it doesn't look 100% like a kraken, a monster is a monster and the adventurer has no chance but to throw his pack aside to keep it dry while he fights in the water. It's this pack that Karma is interested in, pulling Sagi with him as he wades towards shore while the man is distracted. ]
no subject
Sagi, meanwhile, is dragged. It's beginning to annoy him, actually. The moment his feet touch solid ground again, he attempts to yank his arm away.] Okay, now let go of me! I'm getting the bag!
[He is dripping wet, his bulky feathered wings are still out, and the quietest he can manage is a stage whisper. He probably won't go unnoticed if he makes a beeline for the backpack, no matter how many horrible monsters are in the vicinity. This does not strike him as a problem. If they retrieve the bag, they can cut the pretense and just get out of here, right?]
no subject
Don't worry about us! You're doing great!
[ Karma waves at the man fighting for his life in the shallows of the water, and goes ahead and crouches next to the backpack and starts rooting through it. Gold? Pockets it. Spare underwear? Tosses it at Sagi. Where is that pelt? ]
no subject
[Eww, no, he doesn't want these. He'll just hastily set them down on the waterlogged sand before trying to peer into the backpack himself. He's willing to trust this random-ass kid until they don't share an objective any more, and it doesn't seem like a guy who led with clapping a hand over his mouth cares to listen to him anyway, but an extra pair of eyes can't hurt.]
Isn't it in there?
[It isn't. Even turning the bag inside out won't uncover anything resembling a pelt.]
Maybe he already hid it -
[He flinches suddenly, pinches the bridge of his nose, and glances back toward his familiar. Aside from the occasional perfunctory claw swipe, it's basically just sitting there. But what has it noticed? Its telepathy has yet to feature any actual words, because that would make Sagi's life easier in some small way, and that isn't allowed to happen - still, no doubt about it, he's definitely picking up on something.]
No, his... clothes? ...His clothes. He's wearing it! [He raises his voice.] Back to plan A! Knock him out!
[Yeah, the reasoned argument thing was plan B. Unfortunately, the man heard that. When the monster obediently lunges for his head, he just about manages to duck away, landing on his rear with a shallow splash. Great job, everyone.]
no subject
He probably deserves it, anyways, especially if he's wearing the pelt? Who does that? Karma was hoping that wasn't the case, that the man would find no point in wearing both the pelt and armor on top of it, but he must have suspected that the selkie send people after him and so he must keep it as close as possible.
Karma hastily stuffs the last of the pilfered trinkets into his pockets before getting up onto his feet. The guy's a bit too far and the water will slow him and Sagi down in reaching him, but that's no problem if the man can't move. With that thought, the water around the man's legs turn murky, and as he gives a cry of fright and scrambles to his feet to get away, a long serpentine body coils up from the muck and wraps itself around his legs, seven hooded cobra heads surrounding the rest of him like a spitting cage. ]
no subject
Honestly, the snake may not be the only reason the water at the man's feet is murky. His face is deathly pale. He struggles to push himself out of the cobra's coils, but only manages to lose his footing entirely, slipping waist-deep in the water. "Please, I have a family!"
The wording is what gives Sagi pause, more than the man's obvious desperation. He comes to a stop before hitting the water again, looking torn.]
He's just saying that. Right?
[He's reverted to his earlier muttering volume after shouting just now.
Noticing his hesitation, his familiar pauses too, lowering its clawed, pulsating arm instead of taking another swipe. It doesn't want to get in the naga's way anyway, sending it a vague telepathic nod to that effect; it's only humans it dislikes on sight. For a horrible monster, it's kind of passive.]
no subject
No duh he has a family.
[ What does that matter? In this case, a lot. ]
Your dearly beloved sent us, mister! [ Karma calls out, eyes flashing as one of his naga's heads chomps down on the man's armored feet and hoists him upside down in the air. ] I think you know what she wants! Ah, you're going to have to take it all off, aren'tcha?
[ The man pales— which is a feat with all his blood rushing to his head— at the prospect of having to remove all his armor while dangling from this monster's clutches, but he can't get the pelt off without doing so. ]
no subject
He looks like he might pass out...
[Yeah, no, this is uncomfortable. The sooner the man complies, the sooner they can leave. With a small sigh, Sagi pulls out the lone card sitting in his pocket and shakes some water droplets off of it.]
Let's just set him down to take it off. He can't go anywhere except into the lake.
[He unceremoniously pulls his entire katana out of the card as he says it, hilt first. You know, in case the guy tries to go anywhere.]
no subject
[ But he has to admit it's no fun if the guy passes out. Who wants to strip an unconscious man? Gross. Look at him, he's already crying, begging to be let down, he'll take it off, please, young sirs.
The naga unceremoniously drops him ten feet into the lake. ]
no subject
Which he immediately hurls out into the lake. The pelt is too bulky for him to throw very far, but by the same token, it sinks like a rock.]
Wha - why would you do that??
[The man doesn't care to answer. He just bolts for the shore. Half-undressed and shivering in the waist-deep icy water, it's more a clumsy series of splashes than a dramatic escape, but he's certainly trying.]
no subject
Haha, he's throwing quite the tantrum, huh?
[ Karma wades further out into the lake, feeling around for where the pelt had landed but mostly watching the man scramble up onto shore covered in muck and, upon discovering his empty pack, buries his face into the fabric and wails over not even having clean underwear. ]
Having to walk back to town like that... haha~ You wanna "escort" him, or call it good and bring this back to the selkie?
no subject
[As he often does when faced with a choice, Sagi looks up and stares into space for a second rather than help search for the pelt. It passes quickly. This one isn't much of a dilemma.]
Yeah, let's take him back. He must have learned his lesson by now.
[There is absolutely no evidence for this. For that matter, the man is already hurrying back up the shore to where he left his horse; in his mind, he still has time to stop his wife from leaving him if he makes it back before the pelt does. Sagi has not noticed this yet.
But he does notice the naga picking bits and pieces of discarded armour out of the lake, and that gives him pause despite still standing knee-deep in the water himself. He frowns a little.]
Is your snake... stealing his clothes? Why?
no subject
[ Don't worry about it. His naga is just being a good citizen, profit aside. Sagi seems good at not thinking about things, so Karma fishes out the pelt and dumps it in Sagi's arms so he can have something else to focus on. ]
Come on, we need to get going too.
no subject
Yeah, sure. [Under his arm it goes. Time to trudge out of the lake, head back and take a shower.] Thanks for the help.
no subject
Like I can leave a situation like this alone. Once the selkie's back home, that guy won't dare return to fight the kraken again either, so sad for him.
[ The guy gets to trudge home sopping wet with half his clothing and armor missing, say goodbye to the rest of your adventuring days. As for Karma, he accompanies Sagi back to the selkie to return the pelt, takes his half of the doubled reward for not involving the kraken, and all's well at the end of the day. ]