Post by Markas Virnala on Nov 27, 2019 15:20:48 GMT
"Fury Road"
20th Entry in the Journal of Markas Virnala
It feels cold in Daring Heights now…. Not that the weather has turned yet of course. Baine decided to take us on a trip to the Plane of Fire for some light breaking and entering.
We had all met in the OCF grounds; Varis, Sunday, Ghesh, Traavor and me, after Baine received a letter from someone called Kasam. Not actually sure what his deal is but from what I can gather, he grants people favours and Baine at some point has asked him for help getting a weapon with a little power behind it. Kasam called in a favour he was owed by a smith who can help out, only they live on the Plane of fire in "The City of Brass".
With no direct way there that we know of, Kasam agreed to send us to the city which thankfully saved a long journey. I have come to learn about the different Planes since coming to Kantas. Za'Suul I know is fairly close to the Plane of air and it's not so far a leap to assume there are others but actually reaching the Plane of Fire was a little bit of a shock.
The city was beautiful, but it was also like a nightmare. Tall and ornate towers made of metal loom overhead, intricate designs and gleaming surfaces in contrast to the ominous and threatening red sky above. Canals ran through the city, down to a vast sea, all of which was lava. Bronze hulled ships floated in the air above the surface rather than sailing in the water, many manned by dwarf-like creatures called Azer. Directly above was a blazing sun we found never truly set but seemed to wane from a scorching white to deep fiery red, casting everything in an almost hellish light. There was a shimmer to everything like it was on fire and the city's population reminded me a little of Sigul, a mix of all sorts of creatures only all somewhat 'fiery'. And the heat! It was suffocating! The moment we appeared my lungs burned breathing in the hot air. We later learned the Efreeti somehow manage to keep the heat at bay a little but out in the black plains that seem to make up most of the Plane of Fire it was considerably hotter.
We didn’t have too much of a chance to explore the city being brought almost directly to the Smith Kasam mentioned who seemed, although a little reluctant, to be expecting us. After some quick introductions, The smith said they could help Baine out but would require some materials first. Namely, a whole head of Fire Breath and Fire resistance Potions. While we could go about trying to find/buy them all, it would cost us a small fortune so we were directed instead a mountain, a few hours away by boat where a Fire Giant was supposed to have a small stockpile of them. The idea being, we sneak in and steal the materials and get back without being killed in the process. The smith seemed to be expecting this to be the course of action though and sent us to the docks where we met Avanter, an Azer who had a ship we could use to get there.
It was a long and uneventful journey across the Sea of Fire. Whatever the Efreeti did to reduce the heat and protect the city from the roaving Ash storms on the plane seemed to be replicated in miniature on the boat as the occasional ash cloud passed around us as we cut in. Although there was a noticeable drop in temperature on the ship compared to outside, it was still pretty uncomfortable.
After an hour or so the novelty of an entire sea made purely of the Lava became normal, the only distractions being the odd rocky protrusion from the lave and the others on the boat, which, besides the group of us, consisted solely of Avanter, who wasn't exactly the talkative type. We did pass through a ravine between cliffs of Obsidian and Onyx at one point but besides the red sea and black walls, there wasn't a great deal to see.
Around 8hrs or so after leaving, Avanter docked us on a black and rocky shore, a few hundred yards from a large cavernous opening leading downwards at a slight angle. A long tunnel led down into the Fire Giants lair, Black walls and floors with large flaming Braziers spotted along the walls now and then. It wasn't difficult to sneak in and find potions, Baine and Ghesh piling them into two large sacks but just as we turned to leave, the Fire Giant burst into the room. And with that, we ran for the exit.
We were making good distance from the Giant but we could hear his thundering steps behind as us we ran. As we reached the exit, however, a massive Portcullis was dropped, trying to trap or crush us. In any case, it was a close thing. We all got through in time but a few of us were a bit too close for comfort, getting battered by debris as the heavy metal slammed into the ground below. It did buy us some time to reach the ship again and get going before the Giant managed to reopen the gate. But he wasn't about to let us leave that easy. He started to chase the ship and actually hurled an enormous ball of magma at the ship to stop us, landing square on Avanter, crushing him instantly.
It's been about an hour now since we lost the Giant. Varis pulled an interesting feat, growing wings and flying back out to meet the Giant. I thought he was mad to try and fight it alone but whatever he did seemed to scare it off. Even from the boat we could see the change in its face as he approached it. Meanwhile, we managed to roll the magma ball off of Avanter and Sunday brought him back from the brink of death and he took control of the ship again from Baine. Even then, just brought back from death, the only thing Avanter would give us was a nod. It's looking like it will be another slow trip back so I might see if Sunday wants to train now.
It wasn't a slow trip back.
Was probably not wise training with Sunday either…. It went well, I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I managed to avoid almost everything she threw at me, but the effort of her casting spells and healing the injuries I did take might have been better spent dealing with the Newts.
By now, the sun was "setting" and turning a deep red, casting everything in a red light. I had taken up a spot in the Crows nest and was using the spyglass Sherlock gave me to scout ahead. I could see the pass we came through before but more than that, in the distance was a rolling wall of ash clouds, dyed a blood red by the fading light. Spanning the horizon and rising hundreds of feet into the air, the clouds seemed to be swallowing up the world as they moved and churned on themselves.
Avanter did slow a little but didn't seem too put off by the storm, managing to navigate into the pass without any real trouble. As soon as we hit the clouds, a deep lurch rocked the ship as we started to be buffeted by the winds and heat, enough to spill Ghesh out of the Hammock he had set himself up in at least. Traav had made himself a little nook in the other crows nest but not being able to see anymore, I dropped back down to deck. Sunday seemed to be enjoying the storm at least. I caught sight of her standing at the front of the ship at one point with her arms spread out wide…. Not sure what she was doing but she seemed happy?
A short time after entering the pass, Baine started trying to have a heated discussion with Avanter, saying he could hear something over the winds. In what I assume is one of the longest conversations Avanter has ever had, he turned to Baine and simply said, "Scavengers".
Through the ash, we could make out two skiffs, coming up alongside us, level with the height of the crow's nest. While Varis jumped on to eLk to board one skiff before they could board us, the rest of us prepared for the boarding party from the other side.
The fire Newts began dropping onto the main deck, swinging over on flexible poles standing upright from their skiff. While it seemed more reliable than just jumping, it didnt stop 3 from falling over the edge, disappearing behind us as they dropped into the sea of fire. I rushed forward to join Baine as he met them head on as Ghesh decided to do the same, abandoning the ballista at the front of the ship to Sunday. The Fire Newts put up a fight but we soon had them outdone between the two moving walls of carnage that is Baine and Ghesh and my own fluid style. Sunday continued to fire on the group on deck with the ballista but we soon found out ranged combat is probably not her strong suit, as a large bolt narrowly missed Ghesh and slammed into the deck between us.
The boarding party despatched we turned to see how Varis was doing on the other Skiff. We couldn't see much of course through the rolling Ash clouds but we could hear the sounds of fighting. It wasnt long before Varis was back, completely immaculate besides a few splatters of Fire Newt blood on his sword and armour. After cleaving his way through the second boarding party and dropping the bodies (with some notable bolts sticking out of them, courtesy of Trav) off the side, he decided he wanted the skiff for himself and set about towing it along behind us.
Avanter didnt look pleased with the new hole in his main deck but then he didnt really look happy with much at all to be honest.
After another few minutes we relaxed a little as no other boarding parties seemed to be coming and, after another hour or so, the storm finally passed and we came out of the pass.
When we reached the open sea however (still weird referring to it as a sea), a fleet of similar skiffs came out of small nooks in the cliffs and began chasing us. Two boarding parties we managed fairly well, but we collectively decided it wasnt worth trying to take them all on, so we decided to try and outrun them.
The magma ball the giant threw at us had eaten it's way through the hull and started to slow us down so Traav managed to cool it down with a weird water jug he found while Ghesh, Baine and Sunday where taking turns 'encouraging' the air elementals in the sails to work harder (also, that's a thing apparently. That's how the ship moves!?) As Varis starts plotting routes and I opened the sails up more.
We started to make some head way from the main group but a few of the smaller skiffs were closing the distance on us, until suddenly the ship almost came to a halt. Avanter was gesturing angrily at the holes in the deck, still unwilling to talk to us so Traav and Baine went about fixing them. They managed to plug them pretty quick and get us moving again but not before 2x of the skiffs came along side us and began boarding again. We split between the raiding parties again and quickly took them down, only to have even more catch up and begin boarding.
Thankfully, with the hole plugged and Avanter concentrating on getting us moving we didnt have to worry about any more boarding parties catching us. We tore through the last stragglers, Varis comandeering two more skiffs to tow along behind us in the process before getting back up to speed. Sunday helped me camouflage the back of the boat with some paint we found and with everyone chipping in, we finally saw the rest of scavengers break off the chase.
Once back to the City of Brass, exhausted, hot and in Traavors case, extremely drunk, we left Avanter with barely a word (unsurprising) and made our way back to the Smith.
Sunday managed to offload the huge cursed sword she had been carrying around with her to the Smith, thinking it would be safer there than in Kantas and after some waiting around, Baine was finally presented with his new, old Maul. Setil, the Smith, seemed happy to finally be rid of their debt to Kasam more than anything. Does make wonder what the favour was owed for... and whether Baine now owes one.
20th Entry in the Journal of Markas Virnala
It feels cold in Daring Heights now…. Not that the weather has turned yet of course. Baine decided to take us on a trip to the Plane of Fire for some light breaking and entering.
We had all met in the OCF grounds; Varis, Sunday, Ghesh, Traavor and me, after Baine received a letter from someone called Kasam. Not actually sure what his deal is but from what I can gather, he grants people favours and Baine at some point has asked him for help getting a weapon with a little power behind it. Kasam called in a favour he was owed by a smith who can help out, only they live on the Plane of fire in "The City of Brass".
With no direct way there that we know of, Kasam agreed to send us to the city which thankfully saved a long journey. I have come to learn about the different Planes since coming to Kantas. Za'Suul I know is fairly close to the Plane of air and it's not so far a leap to assume there are others but actually reaching the Plane of Fire was a little bit of a shock.
The city was beautiful, but it was also like a nightmare. Tall and ornate towers made of metal loom overhead, intricate designs and gleaming surfaces in contrast to the ominous and threatening red sky above. Canals ran through the city, down to a vast sea, all of which was lava. Bronze hulled ships floated in the air above the surface rather than sailing in the water, many manned by dwarf-like creatures called Azer. Directly above was a blazing sun we found never truly set but seemed to wane from a scorching white to deep fiery red, casting everything in an almost hellish light. There was a shimmer to everything like it was on fire and the city's population reminded me a little of Sigul, a mix of all sorts of creatures only all somewhat 'fiery'. And the heat! It was suffocating! The moment we appeared my lungs burned breathing in the hot air. We later learned the Efreeti somehow manage to keep the heat at bay a little but out in the black plains that seem to make up most of the Plane of Fire it was considerably hotter.
We didn’t have too much of a chance to explore the city being brought almost directly to the Smith Kasam mentioned who seemed, although a little reluctant, to be expecting us. After some quick introductions, The smith said they could help Baine out but would require some materials first. Namely, a whole head of Fire Breath and Fire resistance Potions. While we could go about trying to find/buy them all, it would cost us a small fortune so we were directed instead a mountain, a few hours away by boat where a Fire Giant was supposed to have a small stockpile of them. The idea being, we sneak in and steal the materials and get back without being killed in the process. The smith seemed to be expecting this to be the course of action though and sent us to the docks where we met Avanter, an Azer who had a ship we could use to get there.
It was a long and uneventful journey across the Sea of Fire. Whatever the Efreeti did to reduce the heat and protect the city from the roaving Ash storms on the plane seemed to be replicated in miniature on the boat as the occasional ash cloud passed around us as we cut in. Although there was a noticeable drop in temperature on the ship compared to outside, it was still pretty uncomfortable.
After an hour or so the novelty of an entire sea made purely of the Lava became normal, the only distractions being the odd rocky protrusion from the lave and the others on the boat, which, besides the group of us, consisted solely of Avanter, who wasn't exactly the talkative type. We did pass through a ravine between cliffs of Obsidian and Onyx at one point but besides the red sea and black walls, there wasn't a great deal to see.
Around 8hrs or so after leaving, Avanter docked us on a black and rocky shore, a few hundred yards from a large cavernous opening leading downwards at a slight angle. A long tunnel led down into the Fire Giants lair, Black walls and floors with large flaming Braziers spotted along the walls now and then. It wasn't difficult to sneak in and find potions, Baine and Ghesh piling them into two large sacks but just as we turned to leave, the Fire Giant burst into the room. And with that, we ran for the exit.
We were making good distance from the Giant but we could hear his thundering steps behind as us we ran. As we reached the exit, however, a massive Portcullis was dropped, trying to trap or crush us. In any case, it was a close thing. We all got through in time but a few of us were a bit too close for comfort, getting battered by debris as the heavy metal slammed into the ground below. It did buy us some time to reach the ship again and get going before the Giant managed to reopen the gate. But he wasn't about to let us leave that easy. He started to chase the ship and actually hurled an enormous ball of magma at the ship to stop us, landing square on Avanter, crushing him instantly.
It's been about an hour now since we lost the Giant. Varis pulled an interesting feat, growing wings and flying back out to meet the Giant. I thought he was mad to try and fight it alone but whatever he did seemed to scare it off. Even from the boat we could see the change in its face as he approached it. Meanwhile, we managed to roll the magma ball off of Avanter and Sunday brought him back from the brink of death and he took control of the ship again from Baine. Even then, just brought back from death, the only thing Avanter would give us was a nod. It's looking like it will be another slow trip back so I might see if Sunday wants to train now.
It wasn't a slow trip back.
Was probably not wise training with Sunday either…. It went well, I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I managed to avoid almost everything she threw at me, but the effort of her casting spells and healing the injuries I did take might have been better spent dealing with the Newts.
By now, the sun was "setting" and turning a deep red, casting everything in a red light. I had taken up a spot in the Crows nest and was using the spyglass Sherlock gave me to scout ahead. I could see the pass we came through before but more than that, in the distance was a rolling wall of ash clouds, dyed a blood red by the fading light. Spanning the horizon and rising hundreds of feet into the air, the clouds seemed to be swallowing up the world as they moved and churned on themselves.
Avanter did slow a little but didn't seem too put off by the storm, managing to navigate into the pass without any real trouble. As soon as we hit the clouds, a deep lurch rocked the ship as we started to be buffeted by the winds and heat, enough to spill Ghesh out of the Hammock he had set himself up in at least. Traav had made himself a little nook in the other crows nest but not being able to see anymore, I dropped back down to deck. Sunday seemed to be enjoying the storm at least. I caught sight of her standing at the front of the ship at one point with her arms spread out wide…. Not sure what she was doing but she seemed happy?
A short time after entering the pass, Baine started trying to have a heated discussion with Avanter, saying he could hear something over the winds. In what I assume is one of the longest conversations Avanter has ever had, he turned to Baine and simply said, "Scavengers".
Through the ash, we could make out two skiffs, coming up alongside us, level with the height of the crow's nest. While Varis jumped on to eLk to board one skiff before they could board us, the rest of us prepared for the boarding party from the other side.
The fire Newts began dropping onto the main deck, swinging over on flexible poles standing upright from their skiff. While it seemed more reliable than just jumping, it didnt stop 3 from falling over the edge, disappearing behind us as they dropped into the sea of fire. I rushed forward to join Baine as he met them head on as Ghesh decided to do the same, abandoning the ballista at the front of the ship to Sunday. The Fire Newts put up a fight but we soon had them outdone between the two moving walls of carnage that is Baine and Ghesh and my own fluid style. Sunday continued to fire on the group on deck with the ballista but we soon found out ranged combat is probably not her strong suit, as a large bolt narrowly missed Ghesh and slammed into the deck between us.
The boarding party despatched we turned to see how Varis was doing on the other Skiff. We couldn't see much of course through the rolling Ash clouds but we could hear the sounds of fighting. It wasnt long before Varis was back, completely immaculate besides a few splatters of Fire Newt blood on his sword and armour. After cleaving his way through the second boarding party and dropping the bodies (with some notable bolts sticking out of them, courtesy of Trav) off the side, he decided he wanted the skiff for himself and set about towing it along behind us.
Avanter didnt look pleased with the new hole in his main deck but then he didnt really look happy with much at all to be honest.
After another few minutes we relaxed a little as no other boarding parties seemed to be coming and, after another hour or so, the storm finally passed and we came out of the pass.
When we reached the open sea however (still weird referring to it as a sea), a fleet of similar skiffs came out of small nooks in the cliffs and began chasing us. Two boarding parties we managed fairly well, but we collectively decided it wasnt worth trying to take them all on, so we decided to try and outrun them.
The magma ball the giant threw at us had eaten it's way through the hull and started to slow us down so Traav managed to cool it down with a weird water jug he found while Ghesh, Baine and Sunday where taking turns 'encouraging' the air elementals in the sails to work harder (also, that's a thing apparently. That's how the ship moves!?) As Varis starts plotting routes and I opened the sails up more.
We started to make some head way from the main group but a few of the smaller skiffs were closing the distance on us, until suddenly the ship almost came to a halt. Avanter was gesturing angrily at the holes in the deck, still unwilling to talk to us so Traav and Baine went about fixing them. They managed to plug them pretty quick and get us moving again but not before 2x of the skiffs came along side us and began boarding again. We split between the raiding parties again and quickly took them down, only to have even more catch up and begin boarding.
Thankfully, with the hole plugged and Avanter concentrating on getting us moving we didnt have to worry about any more boarding parties catching us. We tore through the last stragglers, Varis comandeering two more skiffs to tow along behind us in the process before getting back up to speed. Sunday helped me camouflage the back of the boat with some paint we found and with everyone chipping in, we finally saw the rest of scavengers break off the chase.
Once back to the City of Brass, exhausted, hot and in Traavors case, extremely drunk, we left Avanter with barely a word (unsurprising) and made our way back to the Smith.
Sunday managed to offload the huge cursed sword she had been carrying around with her to the Smith, thinking it would be safer there than in Kantas and after some waiting around, Baine was finally presented with his new, old Maul. Setil, the Smith, seemed happy to finally be rid of their debt to Kasam more than anything. Does make wonder what the favour was owed for... and whether Baine now owes one.
