First of all, check what I know of this place, what seems intuitively sensible, yet what I cannot link to any immediate perceptions thus far. What do I feel I will find here? Examine this perception carefully, and seek insights inwardly.
Secondly, I should have some perception of magnetic fields, considering I am something like a petrel or an albatross. Move my head around while keeping my eyes closed and try to sense the magnetic field's direction. Maybe I can tell where north is, or at least get a clue of the general inclination of the field.
Thirdly, look for unusual hints of something more than the typical in all of my senses, even the rather limited ones like taste and smell. Anything unknowably strange showing up on those?
{Intelligence check -> Success} You begin by examining your senses. You can see. You can feel, which is why the stillness strikes you so oddly. Hearing.. you can't hear anything. You knock your talons on the surface of the cornice on which you are perched.. and don't hear anything. You chirp, and you can't even hear the chirp resounding through your head. Hmm. You then close your eyes and spin yourself a few times, trying to see if you can tell what new direction you are facing. You do okay with that, so that instinct seems to be working. Taste and smell.. you take a big sniff of the air, but that's not conclusive, as you smell dry air. You stick your beak into your feathers and try again. The same, more dry air, but you have no way to tell if it's your body not having a smell here or your sense not working. Taste is more difficult, as you'd have to find something to eat, and there is nothing obvious around here, not even pebbles or dust.
What you know is that you were heading out here to find the diety Replop, whose domains cover healing and construction, although you didn't expect the fire. You've come here.. and something seems to be wrong, as everything is utterly still, as if something is absent.. or dead.
Hmm.
Can I "fix" this wound by thought? Try to do so. Break off if it just gets worse.
Continue inward.
You try to fix it, but run into the difficulty of controlling your thoughts. The more you try to not think about your horrible wounds, the more they dwell on your mind. When you look next at yourself, they seem to be more or less identical to the real world, and perhaps even worse. In better news, you cannot feel them and they don't seem to be restricting your movements.
Moving on.. you walk inside, through the tunnel. After a few moments, you enter another chamber. This one is more eclectic, you can make out several objects on the wall, a large metal apparatus, a set of several transparent disks, and a workbench, which has what appears to have a blue jellyfish on it.
More immediately noticeable is the creature in front of the workbench. It appears to be a bird, but smaller than yourself, with longer wings relative to it's body, standing on a pair of hind legs with short talons, and a third pair of limbs holding the jellyfish in place. You are noticed, and what you presume to be Drolson drops his tools and turns towards you. Different species or not, there is no mistaking what is an inquisitive glare.
Skylark spreads her wings, taking in the magnificent view. Landing back down she examines Zanda.
"I am confused, why is your appearance such, Zanda? I come on behalf of my people, we seek help from the evil that preys among us."
Fly around, talk.
As you speak, you notice that Zanda has taken on a form similar to your own, rather than the form of the runner which greeted you first.
"It's fun, Skylark. There are many creatures in the world, and each has it's own joy in being. A runner has it's own experiences, and it can be quite a thrill feeling the patter of a brisk rainstorm on your back. It is quite tedious, however, to be eating as much as they need to. That's always going to be a burden for them."
"As for your own problems, well.. it looks like you're going to come to an end, assuming you don't starve before the runners decide to wipe you out. You're outnumbered more than a hundred to one, and quite honestly, each runner is a stronger warrior than one of your own people. You have those humans with you, sure, but there's only about five hundred of them on your side of the sea, and most of them want to follow their fellows and build boats and leave, rather than fight."
"So... what's your plan?"
"Yup, that's me. Nice to meet you. Are you by any chance a god? It sounds silly, but I thought I would ask. If you are, I think I might be here on behalf of my race. Personally I think they're making a big deal about nothing, but some defeatists apparently think we birds might be on the verge of complete annihilation at the... appendages... of beings called swiftrunners. Do you know of any way I can make my countrymen stop complaining so much?"
This time, you watch as the words appear in front of you. Instead of being wiped out and drawn anew, the lines fade and are replaced simultaneously by the new ones.
"Remind me.. which people are you again?"
Drak Flyson, Toaster.
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=146184.msg5850342#msg5850342No Hands,
Flying,
Unproven. Combat at +2. 3/12 HP
Right leg wound, 6/6Body wound, 3/5Spirit, 3/3Kallo Kwatu, Harry Baldman.
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=146184.msg5850468#msg5850468No Hands,
Flying,
Expert Diver. Combat at +2. 12/12 HP.
Spirit, 3/3Skylark Sodu, Vivalas.
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=146184.msg5862564#msg5862564No Hands,
Flying,
Strong Wings. Combat at +2. 15/15 HP.
Spirit, 3/3Khaal the Incredibly Old, Nunzillor
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=146184.msg5862941#msg5862941No Hands,
Flying,
Addled. Combat at +2. 12/12 HP.
Spirit, 3/3You are in the realm of the gods.
Author
Topic: Roll to Save the World. [4/4] Turn Eighteen: Wrong Number. (Read 16710 times)