party of four, demon action [Help A Noob Out]

First topic message reminder :

Alright, so i haven't gotten way too much help starting on this board, so i figured i'll just jump straight into it. I've done things like this before... that... one time... but hey come on, how difficult can it be right?

So i'm looking for an adventuring party for this one, 3 or 4 people would be awesome. I intend to basically just work background, set up scenarios and whatnot, and basically work the Dungeon Master role.

It's going to start out a little fluffy, but not too soft, sort of like a mace wrapped in 6 inches of cotton, and then once we get the ball rolling, i'm gonna take that mace, light the cotton on fire, and hit you in the face with it repeatedly until it all burns off.

The Roleplay is primarily action, but there will be chances for plenty of cottony fluffy wooly goodness in between, and for a while it can probably be related to fighting in an Arena. First you're in the barracks, nervous, tense, not quite able to relax. Then you go out and fight like a crazy arse, and only when you're done do you get to come back and REALLY chill. Then you go out and fight again, and come back and relax again, and we'll just repeat that for a while, until i decide to break out the big guns. Sound good?

Three phrases can thoroughly describe my intentions for this roleplay: Powerful demons, Ultimate evil, True apocolypse.

Velia had been in these caves for at least a day or two, she had lost track, and was beginning to feel as if there was nothing to find. That is, until she found the face of a person who seemed to be just as surprised by her presence as she was by his. This feeling was fleeting, though, as in the next moment she was falling towards the water below. She let out a yelp before her mind realized what was happening, and even then it was in a state of frenzy. The only clear thought she had was that she needed to hit the water with the least amount of herself as she could. She folded her arms across her chest and pointed her legs towards the water below, but even that was too much for her body to handle, and she fell unconcious.
Even her subconcious seems to be confused, as her dream is a bit hazy, and she only remembers bits and pieces of it. The strange man she met before coming in, the trek to the mountain, and the face of the man she had met just before the floor fell out beneath them. Of course, being a dream, they didn't go in the right order, but that wasn't of major importance.
A sharp pain in her chest suddenly makes her open her eyes. She recognizes the man from just a few moments ago, or what she hoped was only a few moments ago, and he was awfully close. She attempts to cough, but she finds she can't quite manage that. She rolls over to one side, putting a hand on the ground and coughing up a pretty decent amount of water. She coughs a few more times until it's easier to breathe again. The pressure that she had felt on her chest and the feelings of anxiety left her. Rolling back to her back, she looks up and sees the man again. Just content that she could breath again and was awake, she didn't do anything except take deep breaths. Then the thought that he could be an enemy crosses her mind.
She attempts to jumps back, trying to find her balance all at once, but finds she can't find her footing, and settles for moving away from him quickly. She stares at him for a few moments, trying to assess the situation. He doesn't... look, as an enemy might, and he did save her life, afterall, but just to be sure.
She opens her mouth to speak, but only a strange rasping sound comes out, so she clears her throat and tries again. "Who are you?"

Fenris stands up slowly, smoothing down his armour; it's more like leather scalemail than steel, being more supple and flexible. It's a thin layer of steel that's been tempered in the Troll Forges of Drakan'Ghul; they have a way of fusing the metal so it has the strength of steel plate mail and the flexibility and weight of boiled leather. He got it after a particularly sensitive matter was solved by yours truly. What it was? Well, that would be breaching the confidentiality agreement he had to sign.

Fenris ignores the girls question. Oh, it's a sensible one; always know who you're around and whether or not they're a threat. Most people opt for the "Where am I?" which, whilst important, makes no impact on your situation until you know who everyone is, how you got to wherever you are and why you're all there. Only then does "where" come into the equation.
"Who I am is of no consequence, girl," he answers. His voice is a slow, partially nasally drawl. Not whiny or high-pitched, just as if someone with a deep voice had a slight nose problem. "All you need know is that I am not your enemy." For now, at least. If she did spring the trap and is playing dumb, then she becomes his enemy. Or if she betrays him; then nothing on this world will stop his vengeance. Of course, assuming for now, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that she is a victim as well, she is likely thinking similar thoughts about him; did he spring the trap, is he an enemy, is he dangerous? The answers, of course, are no, maybe and yes. But perhaps some reassurance is necessary.
"Were I an enemy, would I have fished you out of the lake?" he asks simply in his slight drawl. He doesn't give her time to respond, though, as he turns around to face the hole in the cavern that he thinks may be a way out. "Can you stand?"

Depending on just how far Fenris' vision stretches in these caves, he may or may not be able to see that the tunnel he is looking at is unlike the ones above, in the sense that it is straight as an arrow, and he may or may not be able to tell that it stretches on for a very long way. Depending on Velia's clearheadedness, and either adventurer's knowledge of the isles of Cendor, they may or may not realize that they are in one of the ancient rooms of one of the many giant dens that were carved into the mountains millenia ago. If either adventurer realizes just what this cavernous room is, they may also wonder what on earth a man sized tunnel (namely the tunnel Fenris is pondering) like those above is doing attached to a giants den, and if either has an eye for detail, they further continue to wonder why the conveniently man-sized tunnels do not appear to have actually been manmade. Of course such questions may or may not seem prominent at the moment...'

OOC: Start wherever you want. The only ban i have is that you cannot have COME FROM the other end of the tunnel that Fenris is currently pondering. And you can do whatever you want for whatever reason, so long as it doesn't interfere with my ban.

Of no consequence? Whether or not she knows his name from the mouths of her shadier accquaintances would make all of the difference in this situation, but it doesn't seem as if she will be getting a name from him. Her eyes narrow as she looks over him, but there was really nothing she could do. If he really isn't her enemy, she wouldn't want to go questioning him and angering her only possible ally down here, wherever 'here' is.
So instead of pondering whether or not he's the enemy - he did save her, afterall - she decides to make sure she's alright. Other than the dull pain in her chest, the only other visible damage was a few scratches on her hands, presumably from being dragged up onto the rock. She can deal with these.
The man's voice catches her attention, and her eyse narrow again. Again, he makes a good point. He wouldn't have saved her if he wanted her dead. All that rules out is that he isn't an assassin, or at least an assassin after her. He could still be an enemy, but just needs information out of her. There's no use in thinking over that too hard now, though. Can she stand?
Velia slides her feet under her, without pain to her relief, and stands. She takes a few steps towards the man, so that they are near each other, but not terribly close. She looks over at him, then follows his gaze to the tunnel before them. "I suppose I can." This situation isn't ideal, but falling through the floor of a cave isn't something a person is normally and actively ready for. A strange man for an ally, and seemingly only one way out may not be a good combination, but she can work with it.
"So... let's go." She motions forward, and starts off towards the tunnel.

Fenris watches her heave herself to her feet a little unsteadily from the corner of his eye, ready to lend a hand if necessary. He may not know or trust her, but as she has given no concrete reason for him to distrust her as of yet, he supposes that he has to go with the evidence; Rule #83: Distrust everyone, but do not consider someone an enemy without sufficient reason. Besides, right now, they're presumably in the same boat. No idea where they are, who the other one is or even why the floor collapsed on them. Of course, the question of why she's down here is rather important, but it ranks very low on the priority list. Let's be honest; even if he asked, she could easily lie. His abilities do not, unfortunately, include mind reading or ultra persuasion. His mental barriers make him all but immune to those, but do not grant him a gateway into someone else's mind unless they touch his mind first.

He sets off towards the darker hole in the cavern wall, and approaches carefully: Remember Rule #20. Things aren't always what they seem...and although this tunnel looks like the only way out, he hasn't really looked all that hard. Rule 21: Don't jump to conclusions. Rule 84: Explore all possible alternatives. Those two combined certainly lend themselves to this situation, and in an unknown environment, he needs to be careful. "Look, Girl," he says, pointing at the tunnel entrance, "These tunnels do not look man-made." Although he couldn't see it from the shore, the light level being as low as it is, now that he's close up he can see that the rock just isn't made the way that men would make it. For one thing, it's too uneven and rough in parts, too smooth in others. Every race has its different ways of building, and this looks like nothing that Fenris has seen before...and yet...it tickles something in his memory, this kind of building, and it annoys him that he can't quite remember it.

But still. Who built it isn't an issue; this passage is obviously very old, so old that it doesn't appear on any maps; he's studied hundreds, maybe thousands of maps of the tunnels beneath various mountain ranges in his time as a Mercenary, and he never saw a cavern like this marked on any of them. When the light is better, he may well get out one of his maps to consult...but he has the feeling that this cavern isn't on any of his maps, and that it is very, very old.
"Did you know this cavern was here?" he asks the girl, running a gloved hand along one of the smoother areas of the wall.

Velia reaches the mouth of the tunnel only a few paces before the man. It's nothing too remarkable, so she enters without too much caution. It's the only way out, so if death lies in or at the end of the tunnel, there's really nothing to do about it. She simply looks forward as she trudges towards the far side of the cave.
The only thing that brings her mind to attention is the sound of the mans voice. She looks at him, then up at the walls, and stops. He's right. These walls couldn't be man made. There would be at least a subtle sign of a tool or a man's touch. She walks over to the wall and places her right hand on it. She makes a small sound of agreement, and then continues walking, leaving her hand on the wall, feeling every sharp edge, bump, and smooth spot along the way.
The next time she really focuses, she finds herself looking over the man. He's not remarkable, but he could certainly pose a threat. He's taller and bigger than her, and carried her dead weight easy enough to get her of of the pool, so he's at least strong enough to take her down. Although many scenarios play through her mind, none of them seem to make sense in the present situation. There would be nothing for him to gain with her dead. For now, he can be counted as a minor threat.
Her hand hits the sharp end of a rock, and she jerks it away, letting it hang at her side instead.
The man's new question strikes her as funny for some reason, and she lets out a short breath of a laugh. "No. Not until we fell right into it." she glances his way, but then looks forward again. "Why? Did you?" she can't see why he would. Why would he have fallen into the trap so easily? No matter, they both fell, and whether he set the trap or not won't make much of an impact on her life until she gets it of this place anyway.

Fenris watches the girl walk down the tunnel alone, still talking as he waits by the entrance. "I think you should stop, girl," He calls down the tunnel, "until we've established that there are no alternatives. Just because this is the first way out we've found, doesn't mean it's the best." He turns around to look at the cavern behind him. "To answer your question, girl, no I didn't know about this cavern. Which means that it isn't on any map. Which means, considering the appearance of these tunnels and the depth of this cavern, that it's very, very old...." the last sentence or so was more him thinking out loud...what have they stumbled upon? And how can he make money out of this?

Things arent always what they seem... My number one rule. Obviously.... Actually that was my only rule. I played smart. Generally. But I couldn't pass up a good time of messing with people's minds, probably not very smart. It was in my demon nature. I chuckle quietly to myself.

I've been around for too long not to know that. I could hear Echo vaguely humming a war chant, an annoying, horrible nervous habit of hers. I clenched my fists, and released them slightly... We walked along the path and I felt her hit my elbow again.

"Stop pushing, you've jogged my elbow for the third time!" I grumbled and Echo stares at me with hard, clear, diamond cut eyes. I silently trudge, listening for anything suspicious...

"Stop..." Echo said, swiftly fading into the shadows, "I hear something.... Voices..."

Instinctivly, I shrunk into my kid form [see bio] and let out a whimsical, innocent giggle. I always had a bit of fun doing this.

I could hear Echo sigh quietly under her breath and I smirked as we both walked into the mouth of the tunnel, looking extremely out of place, two six year old kids in black tattered dresses... A man and a woman stand up ahead and I push out my lower lip, making it quiver... I couldnt take any chances, who knows what they were up to. Who they were. What they were....

(((Originally i said not to come from the other end of the tunnel, but ya know what? do whatever you want, and the same goes for anyone else who's looking for a way in, i'm just going to get creative. So i'm lifting the ban i put in place, start wherever you want)))

There's a small sound from within the tunnel, and Fenris spins on his heel to look. Rule #86: Any sound, no matter how small, could be the sign of an attack. Be aware. What he sees doesn't relax him whatsoever; Two girls? Down here? On their own? Not bloody likely. This is a perfect example of Rules 7, 15, 20, 21, 32, 33, 44, 83 and 85. The long and short of it? Do not trust anything that you find in a suspicious place. Especially if they look innocent.
His body shifts into a fighting stance, even though it still looks casual. One foot is slightly forward, and his arms are bent and ready to move at his side.
"You can stop right there," He calls in his slow, nasally drawl, "I don't know what you are, but you will come no closer." They will have to give him some pretty bloody good evidence that they aren't here to cause trouble. As he said before; the chances of two children being down here are literally nothing.

The man turns around, and tells me to halt. I clench my fists, no one gives me orders, a small hand grabs my wrist and pulls me back, Echo... I take in a long breath and calm myself.

I let out a small, whimsical giggle, absorbing the energies around the man, quietly taking them apart piece by piece.

"You have great power...Strong heart.... No fear..." My ancient demonic accent slides through my teeth and I pause, Echo stands a bit behind me, "You are smart... But your logic is also your weakness... You tend to over look a few things from time to time.." I say, my eyes narrowing slightly at the man.

"Jinx...Shut it." Echo hisses from behind me, her grip tightens on my arm.

"It's fine..." I say quietly.

Fenris raises an eyebrow as the girl speaks. Did he hit a sore spot? Possibly. Any pretence the girl had of being innocent has disappeared like smoke in the wind at him telling her to halt. Does she not like taking orders? He should file that away. Rule 87: File away any weaknesses you can detect for exploitation in the future, if necessary. Whoever this girl is- and he's judging that she's powerful, if her tone and her comments are anything to go by- her weakness is her pride. And once you know somebodies ultimate weakness, it doesn't matter if they know you know. They won't be able to stop themselves playing into your hands. But first thing's first. Get her out of his head.

Her first probe took him slightly by surprise- something that he will berate himself over later; he allowed her small form to lower his defences- and she entered the first layer of his mind, or aura or whatever she's reading. Since his Aura is just his thoughts leaking out of cracks in his mind, he must have some kind of leakage somewhere. Not surface thoughts, but intentions. True, he may overthink things, but his rules have kept him alive this long. He isn't about to abandon a working system, after all, just because a little creepy girl says that it's a weakness. Oh, he knows he has weaknesses, and he knows what they are. He isn't going to think them, in case the girl can see his surface thoughts, but he knows what they are. He sat down and wrote a list just after the day he wrote his code:

#51: Maintain a realistic assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of your job, at least you will never utter the line "No, This Cannot Be!! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)

And he intends to not die.

"That's enough, girl," he says, sealing his mind completely. It takes a little concentration, but he can completely seal off his mind and his aura from unwanted observers. It's a combination of the Demons Blood he was injected with affecting his mind, his constantly growing abilities and a year training with the Eleven Monks of the Shang-ling mountain range. He didn't master their techniques- he can't move something with his mind, or see things a split second before they happen- but he got good enough to protect his thoughts and feelings.

Of course, it may or may not work with her. Although he's shut off his thoughts and his aura about a hundred times as effectively as a human should be able to- and most other races that aren't inherently immune to mind games- this girl is still an unknown quantity. The extent of her powers are unknown, and he has to be ready to pull out all the stops. He shifts his body a little, but his major focus is on his mind. If she wants to break in, she's going to have a helluva fight on her hands.

A small smile creeps onto my face slowly, showing off my sharp teeth, "Very good... You know how to block someone." I say quietly, feeling a steel wall between me, and his energies. I could probably break through it, but it seems I have hit a nerve with him as he says to me "Enough." Echo steps forward and pushes a few curls behind her ear.

"Forgive my sister... She is...." She glares at me, "Extremely rude."


Our accents differ, for we had not grown up together. I had grown up on the south end of the demonic lands during the war, and her the north. Hers was a bit more formal, mine was more casual. I chew on my lower lip as I watch a small orb appear next to me, and Darcie soon takes form [read my profile].

You fool! You have shown off too much of your powers... She growls at me and I can feel Caleb's eyes on me as well. I back down from my high authority stance and a dark, demonic growl under my breath.

"You ruin my fun." I mutter.

Fenris doesn't answer the first girl. She is obviously looking for a rise, or a bantering contest. He is not about to indulge her. He's already spoken to her more than he cares to; she hasn't demonstrated that she's hostile yet, but if she attempts to break into his mind- which she appears to be about to try, if her sarcasm is anything to go by- then he will do his best to repel her. The first clash is always the worst. That's when most people throw everything they have at the barrier, hoping to break it down. Oh, it works for strong individuals, but he has ways of dealing with strong individuals. His mind is strong, but he isn't the strongest; therefore, he has to rely on his tricks to get the job done. If he can weather the first assault, then he can fight back just as hard. Maybe get close enough to run her through or break her neck, although he would have to be careful; he has no idea what else she's capable of. It takes less effort to defend your mind than to attack someone elses; obviously, you have the home field advantage, you don't have to batter down a barrier you just have to reinforce an existing one...in short, it's like fighting over a castle, or a fortress. It takes less men to hold it than it does to take it, after all.

His preparations are cut short when the second child speaks. This one is different in tone to the first one, and appears more friendly. Of course, Appearances can be deceiving. They could just be playing good cop bad cop. However, he has to deal with one of them, and he is willing to give the second "child" the benefit of the doubt, for now.
"Yes, she is," he says slowly. "One of these days, she's going to try to probe the wrong person. There's always someone stronger, after all, and it would be the height of folly and arrogance to assume otherwise." He tilts his head a little, adjusting his eyes to better make out the details. His sharp ears catch the first girl mutter something in an aside, and although it is probably just to the second girl, the way she said it...it gives him the heeby jeebies. Which is never good.

"Now, since I assume you have come from the other end of this tunnel, what is on the other side?" Not that he can trust anything they say, but it is certainly worth asking. Then, he'll either get an expectation as to what is waiting, or a complete lie. But hopefully he should be able to pick up on the lie, if it happens. Hopefully, his mind should be protected enough to prevent the implantation of suggestions or some such. But he makes a mental note: As long as these girls are around, keep the strongest guard you can on your thoughts, even whilst sleeping.

I smile, my deceptive ways kick in and I wanted to tell them a great made up story but Echo quickly slaps a shadow over my mouth, keeping me from talking.

"We know as much as you do." She speaks quickly and efficiently, "We came from a portal created by my sister while we were running...."

She has said too much, I quickly wrap her wrist in a bond of energies and yank her back, blasting the shadow off my mouth. I stare at the man, a small, almost too quick of a grin, appears back on my face.

"Well, if you'll excuse us..." I pull her away a bit further.

"Hush you ignorant brat!" I hissed under my breath, "Dare speak another word to this man about who we were running from and I will have your throat, you understand?"

A snarl parted my lips and Echo's eyes narrow on me.

"What if he's one of them." I ask harshly and she sighs quietly.

"He isnt..."

"Well I'm not taking any chances."

Velia stands back from the scene, she was too interested in the reactions between the newcomers and the man she had come in with. She could learn a lot more from watching them than she could by getting involved. The two girls definitely aren't who they seem to be. Not only are they not acting like young girls, challenging a strange man like this, but they give off an odd vibe. She recognizes it from somewhere else, someone else she had met, but she couldn't quite place it. Of course, as there usually is in a pair, the second of the two... 'children', seems a bit more level-headed and knows how to take control of a situation. The first, really needs to watch who's she's talking too.
The man, is still a mystery, but it's nice to know he's not just cool and aloof with her. It's normal, but hopefully he'll crack eventually, even if just a little.
She tires of standing in the background and takes a few steps forward. She's not very sure of what to do, so she stands a few feet away from the man, and about the same distance away from the girls. She doesn't usually get stuck in situations like this, but then again, this isn't a situation many people would ever find themselves in...

Fenris watches as the first girl gasps a little and the second one cuts off, possibly due to some kind of link or ability that he has yet to see in practice, or maybe just because she's realised what she's saying. One of the girls pulls the other one to the side and starts- presumably- berating her a little, hissing quietly. Unfortunately, his sharp hearing isn't quite sharp enough to make out what they're saying, but the fact that they can make portals is intriguing. It could have been said to mess with him, but the fact that she was shut up quickly suggests that it's the truth. If that is so, they would have the ability to make it seem like a floor was dropped from beneath them, which would make this cavern not connected to the one they were in before in any way. Of course, without concrete evidence, he can't make any conclusions.

His thoughts are cut off as the girl from earlier walks past him to stand between them. Not an advisable place to be, if they come to blows. She could get caught in the crossfire, and neither of them knows the girl well enough to care if she is hurt. Oh, his code forbids it, but he'll just shove her out of the way if they start fighting. Simple.
But still. Maybe he should try and get her out of the way peacefully first. "Girl," he says, "That is not an advisable place to be." He says, his clipped voice pronouncing every word slowly and carefully.

Not looking at him, Velia looks at where she's standing. Not exactly where she intended to be, but that's what she gets for not thinking that move through. She simply walks backwards until her back hits the wall and props a leg up on it. "Happy?" She raises her eyebrows. She really couldn't care less about how he felt about this, but she just gets the funny feeling that in a fight between the three of them she would be the first one down.
She turns her attention to the girls, her eyes narrowing at them. Of course, she wants to know who they are and why they are down here, but by playing this game with mystery man, they are just holding her up from her goal, to get out of here.

I pause quietly as I take notice of the girl, I could feel her in the first place, but took no notice.... Echo's clear eyes dart this way and that, and she turns quietly with a small smile.

"Forgive me..." She says quietly and my eyes narrow slightly, that girl.... I give small snarl under my breath, the familiar vibes were enough to set my teeth on edge. I smile darkly and turn to the man, from what I had seen he had nothhing to do with the Fallen, those who were chasing us before hand. And I quickly stick out my hand in a friendly gesture.

"Jinx." I say through a dark, spikey grin.

Are there four here?

I'm waiting for the others...

is that a no?

*shrug* no clue.

lol ok

there's supposed to be, but i think the fourth got tired of waiting for an opening and stopped watching the thread. give it a couple days and see if he responds, just to tell us he's still here, if not, feel free to take his place.