"The whole sky around here is darker when viewed through the needle as well, so the influence of this being is pretty strong."
I'm going to assume we talk about what happened and Genesis looks through his needle at Grey's eye. Then he is going to attempt to push the magic out of Grey's eye - unless he thinks doing so will cause harm - like the magic is barbed or something. He only has one glove on, so if that isn't enough he'll borrow one from Grey or let someone with two gloves try it instead.
If everyone else is ready, let's go back to the village (since we know where that is now) and head east on the trail. We can talk among ourselves on the way.
Description: Classic 80s action hero looks, kinda quiet. think Kurt Russel from the movie Soldier (only probably less mute)
Nature: Pureblood
Status: Currently has nothing high to fall from
HP: 10
Inventory: Robe, gloves, needle (black unsettling magic from the gourdling. One gourd's worth), Ceramic bread loaf. Hammer pendant of missile resistance and freezing when wet.
Fate Points: 4
Debby, Tess, Luta, Grey, Hugh, Bob, Flameo. ~~(character)~~ indicates currently broken link
You attempt to push the magic out of Grey's eye and find that there is no magic there to push. Huh.
"Whoever is creating this magic is more like us Homunculi than a normal mage or or one of the great Magi, yet is truly ancient. This being is older than the covenant. They seem to have become restless. Since the magic hurt Grey, they may be well aware of our presence already, so we have to be careful."
Aaron sees if he has any meat for Tess in his collection of food in his sleeves, and then attempts to know if the creator of the gourds is hostile, or merely secretive. He walks with everyone else if they start back toward the village.
Name: Aaron Blackstar
Description: A thin, tall man with pale skin, long ink-black hair, and a carefully trimmed goatee. His eyes look like finely faceted balls of smoky quartz.
Nature: Cognizant
Status: Slightly worried.
HP: 10
Inventory: Robe, needle, and gloves. Assorted conduit food in sleeves.
FP: 0
Links: Red:Hugh, Yellow:Youare, Green:Grey, Orange:Greed, Blue: Aa
[?]
The creator of those gourds is hostile. Hostile is all it knows. It was made for violence, for wars beyond imagining.
You yank a steak out of your sleeve and toss it to Tess.
"Does anyone have any meat in their pockets we need it for healing Tess."
If no one has any meat look around for an animal to kill with my rifleaxe, also see how Elizabeth feels about the current goings on.
Name: Debby
Description: Looks like a regular human woman but with the head of a deer.
Nature: All-Tounges
Status: Normal
HP: 10
Inventory:
purple robe
white gloves
big ass needle
Sword
Elizabeth Audrey Foxington, the living fox doll, now with parka
Rope
Rifleaxe
10' rope
Spork with sharp serrated edges on the spoon part
Humanoid doll made from a knotted sheet, it's alive now
Fate Points: 4
You take the steak from Aaron and press it against Tess' back. The meat melts directly into her skin and the wound closes with a hiss of steam. [Tess HP +5]
Liz seems to be mostly ok but she says something about the forest scares her. She doesn't like those pumpkin things either. She says that they are "Like her, but wrong." She likens them to an insect in a human skin.
<snip>
“Ho! Ho! Ho! Would one of you mind giving me some help (or at least some advice)? I swallowed two of those gourd things and now I have some of that magic inside me, and I’m concerned it could become a liability. I’ve tried twice, unsuccessfully, to cough it up, but I’ve failed both times. Is there anything one of you could do to help me get both of the pieces of magic out, or should I just keep trying to cough them up?”, Hugh queries the group.
"Isn't your stomach infinite? Why do you need to cough this up?"
“Ho! Ho! Ho! Well, I suppose I can just let it go. It’s just that I’m concerned that, having the magic inside me, whatever we’re up against might be able to use it against me and/or the group. I think I’ll just let it go for now. Trying to cough it up felt like trying to cough up barbed wire.”
Hugh stays with the group, scanning his surroundings with his needle periodically, ready to defend himself and the group.
Part of a rock wall.
Darkness.
Plates and silverware
The distance between the conduit and the village.
An extremely tiny part of the distance between the inn and the creature.
Several (possibly wrong) answers to the question of where the creatures are.
(Possibly) several pieces of Hugh’s chipped teeth.
Two gourd creatures (with magic from an unknown source.).
Name: Hugh.
Description: A large, fat, bald human male who, despite being seemingly obese, is immensely strong. He towers over others, with the tallest of the other (current) humonculi only coming up to the center of his abdomen. He has a hearty laugh that makes his belly shake like a bowl full of jelly, and is very kind and jovial
Nature: Glutton.
Status: Ho! Ho! Ho! Let it go! Let it go!
HP: 9
Inventory: Robe, gloves, and needle.
Fate Points: 2
Red - Aaron
Orange -
Yellow - Genesis
Green - Greed
Blue - Youare
Indigo - Grey
Violet - Aa Tou Tou Lesia
Edit: action.
"If it can hit me in the head all the way from here, we might be in for a challenge."
Then he is going to attempt to push the magic out of Grey's eye - unless he thinks doing so will cause harm - like the magic is barbed or something.
If there's magic inside Grey's eye, he wants it gone.
After Genesis's ministrations Grey goes out with Debby to find something to shoot.
Heading east on the trail sounds fine.
Name:Grey
Description: A hairless pink colored man with lacking facial features, little more than a pair of eyes, two holes for a nose, and a line for a mouth.
Nature: Verbomancer (Maintain)
Status: Agh my eye. Something doesn't like to be seen
HP: 6
Inventory:Purple robe, one of Genesis’s gloves, one of Grey's gloves, giant needle and a rifle fused to a magic saber
Fate Points: 3
Red Genesis
Orange Debby
Yellow Aa-tou-tou
Violet Youare
Blue Tess
Indigo Hugh
Green Aaron
The entire team returns to the village, waits for daybreak, and then heads down the road to the east, through the forest.
In the light of day the meandering road seems far less threatening. The first few hours walking are downright pleasant. The wind blows gently through, blunted by the trees, sending cascades of autumn leaves and pine scented needles down from above. Sunbeams dapple the path and the world outside the tree tops seems to blaze bright white in comparison to the cool shade below. Animals peek and scatter as the group moves along, furtive looks from squirrels and rabbits through the undergrowth. Birds sing in sharp warbles and chirps and larger things move at a greater distance. Deer maybe. The path itself is about as meandering as a river, often straight but other times winding back and forth through large stones and small valleys.
Its maybe 5 hours and many miles into the forest where they find it. The path, cut into the soft black soil and emerald grass of a gentle hill, is circling around the side of a huge boulder. As they come around to its eastern face they find something stuffed up against the bottom of the boulder, on the very edge of the path. Its a large backpack and a few other smaller bags, partially open, a few of the contents scattered out around them. It doesn't looks though the bags have been ransacked, rather like they simply dropped to the ground and a few things popped out as a result. Nothing that has fallen out looks particularly valuable, more like the ordinary effects of an ordinary life. A bowl, some cutlery, a bundle of twine, that sort of thing.
On the stone near the pack is a small smear of what appears to be long dried blood. Not much, maybe a skinned knee's worth.