The next chapter: Green Passage (6/28/05)

Adventures and starship battles in a universe where the stars are dying.
Post Reply
User avatar
erilar
Posts: 6580
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:05 pm
Location: Kirkwall
Contact:

The next chapter: Green Passage (6/28/05)

Post by erilar »

Posted by Damon on the Yahoo Groups Fading Suns BBS:

------------------------------------

Behind you, the column of smoke still rises from where the Charioteer
merchant-class ship Absolution's end burned a fiery death through the heavy
embrace of Cadavius' thick atmosphere and inexorable gravity well. But
blocking possible sight of the wreckage is the thick green canopy of the
world's vegetation. At first glance, it appears like that of any other
world you have seen, but upon closer inspection, you notice the tree bark
has an almost fleshy texture, and what you expect to be leaves and the like
are, in fact, a tightly branching green mass of chlorophyll fractal
complexity, as if each tree or vine or bush branch had suddenly decided to
split itself into infinity.

Collapsed in a crater, your escape pods lie in ruin, their purpose served
and now rightly discarded. The metal still pinged as they sloughed off heat
into the already oppressive atmosphere. Here, the mist clung heavily to the
ground, your bodies, and the jungle. The sounds of life, so recently
retreating from your alien presence, begins to return in fits and starts.
Strange animals call to each other in no doubt millennia old rituals of
rivalry, hostility, and amorousness.

You begin to gather together your few possessions you managed to recover
from the remains of the escape pods. However, as you begin to set out for
the nearest signs of civilization, you are surprised by several dark,
insectile shapes that seem to be observing you from the tree branches,
hidden places in the ground, and secreted behind the vegetation...

Damon.
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
User avatar
erilar
Posts: 6580
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:05 pm
Location: Kirkwall
Contact:

Post by erilar »

Posted by Damon on 7/2/05:

---------------------------------------

>You begin to gather together your few possessions you managed to recover
>from the remains of the escape pods. However, as you begin to set out for
>the nearest signs of civilization, you are surprised by several dark,
>insectile shapes that seem to be observing you from the tree branches,
>hidden places in the ground, and secreted behind the vegetation...

Your first instincts are to brandish weapons and form a perimeter. Sir
Galthais steps forward to stay your hand. "I've heard of these things," he
explains, showing his palms to the creatures. "If we do anything hostile, I
doubt we'll ever survive this encounter. But perhaps they could help us.
Perhaps they are no friend to the Decados, either..."

The noble steps forward, indicating an intent of no harm. From the
underbrush, a hoary old insect strides forward, legs bending in ways
impossible in normal hominid physiology. It's face is utterly
expressionless, lacking either muscles to communicate with, or any
recognizable features which a human (or Vorox, for that matter) could
relate to. The creature's carapace, you notice, is cracked and scarred,
with the extremities fading from a lusty reddish to a dull brown. It's
almost human-like hands are presented forward from its naturally armored
body, in a gesture that mimics that of Sir Galthais. Meanwhile, the jungle
surrounding this scene comes alive with a cacophony of clicks, hisses, and
other strange noises. Several more insect-creatures emerge from the green
shadows, and posture aggressively. All brandish weapons of some sort,
specifically adapted to their unique physiology. Some, you note, also carry
firearms.

"We come in peace," says Sir Galthais. His statement is met with more
clicks and hisses, some downright hostile, as the insect-men continue to
posture. The first to emerge from the jungle does not, however, seem
nonplussed. It replies to it's mates with another series of clicks and
hisses, and finally turns it's large, multifaceted compound eyes towards
Sir Galthais, now so vulnerably standing before it.

"I am called Foremost," the thing intones in a series of exercises of it's
mandibles. A long, black tongue darts from a chitin-tube between these
jaws, working with the expectantly odd pronunciation of Urthish. "You are
softskins, all of you," it says, not a question (though it's hard to
determine if it was at any rate; you get the feeling Urthish is
uncomfortable to speak by this creature. "But you are not softskins that
live here. You are softskins that fall from the sky. You do not hunt us. We
will not kill you now..."

Damon.
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
User avatar
erilar
Posts: 6580
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:05 pm
Location: Kirkwall
Contact:

Post by erilar »

OOC:

Sorry, Damon. I don't think anyone knew you'd posted another chapter. Very interesting, and more great writing! I'll post Uber's reaction shortly.

Any drawbacks to carrying out our game here in this forum vs. the Yahoo group? I really like this new BBS. It's very convenient to come here and click "all new messages since last visit".

Lance
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
User avatar
erilar
Posts: 6580
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:05 pm
Location: Kirkwall
Contact:

Post by erilar »

Uberovalon, ever striving to be an example to the galaxy of a civilized vorox, even though he is in reality only slow to anger and violence through careful control, surmises that this perhaps might not be the time to appear timid.
An outward show of battle readiness appears to be important to these creatures, and Uber fears that the gentle Zen approach might not be warranted in this instance.

He draws his Glankesh swords with a mightly flourish, and slowly steps up beside the nobleman protectively. Careful not to show an immediate threat to the creature calling itself the Foremost, but rather as a counterpoint to the insectile warriors' display, he settles into an ancient battle posture, uttering a low rumbling growl, muscles bulging like Ungavoroxian constrictors beneath bristling fur.
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
User avatar
Lars Porsenna
Posts: 4778
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 5:34 pm
Location: Manta, Ecuador

Post by Lars Porsenna »

Well, if everyone would prefer to do it here, that's fine. The only things are that I want to try combat on-line (I've been taking some cues from James' campaign, and I've developed an exel map to help in this), so I'd want to be able to post the map somehow.

Damon.
User avatar
Lars Porsenna
Posts: 4778
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 5:34 pm
Location: Manta, Ecuador

Post by Lars Porsenna »

As far as what happens next...

Uber's posturing sends the insect-creatures into a flurry of activity. Previously, they had merely spread themselves protectively along the jungle behind Formost. Now, they begin to work their way around the edges of the modest clearing, watching you with rainbow colored iridescent eyes. Those warriors with hand weapons -- various spears and other similar weapons -- brandish them threateningly, while the others, with their strangely shaped firearms, merely stand at-ready, their weapons held casually in their armored arms.

Formost seems to watch casually, neither alarmed by Uber's implied threat, nor fluttered by the activites of the other warriors. He looks at Uber with an almost quizzical look, human in its gesture. "We do not know you," he replies. "Your kind has never been here, except in long-days-gone. We have forgotten your kind. But you, you will never leave this place if you threaten us...

"We are of two minds. One mind wants to kill you all outright. You are of soft flesh, easy to kill. Your meat would make good nests for our young. Just as the others have, when we wish. The other mind thinks you will speak for us, to the other softskins. In the end, it does not matter; you speak, or you die. Perhaps you speak AND die? This we do not know. In both ways, we benefit..."

Damon.
User avatar
NukeHavoc
Posts: 12106
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 1:07 pm
Location: Easton, PA
Contact:

Haugstad's response

Post by NukeHavoc »

FYI -- I finally posted my response to this to the forum:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/gri ... essage/465

it's not much, but it should be enough to get us killed. :)
Post Reply