fellsing

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Fogdance looks momentarily startled when Skobeloff gets up and starts talking, but Tamba is quick to calm her. "It's alright, he's fine," the green drake says, patting the older dragon's leg with her wing. "No one is hurt, and that's all that matters for now."

"I... see," Fogdance says. She squints at Skobeloff, likely trying to place the trickster in her memories. Clearly, she recognises something familiar about him, but after a moment when the memories refuse to come to her, she simply shakes her head. "I suppose we should all go downstairs then, to the kitchen. You can all fill me in and we can discuss our next move." She grimaces. "If the others are still missing, we probably should do something." She pauses again, another look of straining to remember on her face, before she shakes her head and begins exiting the room. Tamba and Pleexem start to follow behind her.

---

Echo winces slightly. "I've... been better," she says. "You may have noticed that the island is a little different from how you remember it. As an elemental, I am tied to this island, particularly to this swamp. The Darkness has found its way into the hearts of many inhabitants, and I've been using my magic to keep it from seeping into the very earth itself." She glances behind her to the mouth of the cave, where Fellwing would recall from her visions she saw an injured drake resting a little further in the cavern. "Among other things." Her eyes linger on the cave before she turns back to the group. "With so much energy going to keeping the Darkness at bay, maintaining my physical form like this a little trickier than usual."

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Tamba and Pleexem must have had similar thoughts to Skobeloff because neither of them moved, instead looking between Fogdance and the trickster as if waiting for some sort of cue as to what to do next. When he did nothing, Tamba quickly went over to the grey dragon, placing her wing on her leg.

"It's alright," Tamba says quickly. "You're okay, you're fine."

Fogdance looks at her. "What was I doing before... and who is this?" She motioned to Skobeloff. "And why is he lying on the floor like that? Did..." She places a wing on her own forehead. "I don't remember what I was doing before." It seems to Skobeloff that her memories of what she was doing while her shadowself are clouded and hazy. She doesn't seem to remember encountering the trickster, or anything she may have said and done at the time.

Tamba seems to realise this and quickly speaks up. "You were acting weirdly," she says. "When the others started to go missing, you went out to look for them. When you came back, you didn't seem to be yourself."

"The others?" Fogdance squints as she tries to remember. "Yes, I think I remember. After Maug left, Alto went missing. Then Vipereyes. Then Kyte."

"You went looking for Kyte," Tamba chimes in helpfully.

Fogdance nods. "Yes... yes I went looking for them, and then..." She frowns. "I thought I heard something. My children. I thought I heard them in the woods, calling out for me."

"Your children?" Pleexem croaks, finally seeming calm after his supposed panic.

A pained expression passes over Fogdance's face, which quickly turns to a realization that she might have said something she wasn't supposed to. "It's nothing," she says quickly, shaking her head. "Clearly, I wasn't thinking correctly." She looks back at Tamba. "Everything after that is fuzzy, dream-like. Did I say or do anything strange?"

Tamba doesn't respond, instead looking over to Skobeloff. It seems Fogdance doesn't recall what she did while in the grip of the Darkness, so there is likely no danger of Skobeloff revealing himself and explaining what happened. That being said, in her currently confused state, the group should probably be as gentle as possible in their explanation. There also seems to be something she is keeping from the drakes, likely tied to whatever made her fall to the Darkness in the first place. Skobeloff might be able to get more information, but again, he'll have to approach this as delicately as possible. What will he do?

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Tamba: Wow, Pleexem, that was good acting.
Pleexem: Oh I wasn't acting! I thought the plan was going to go wrong and was genuinely having a panic attack.
Tamba: ... oh.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

The twins nod, though once again with hesitation of Pleexem's part. He keeps glancing at Tamba as if expecting her to object. When she doesn't, he simply gives a small sigh of resignation as he watches Skobeloff put his plan into motion. Once the trickster is in place and starting to put on his act, both siblings start shouting, Tamba calling out for Fogdance by name while Pleexem gives wordless yelps and gasps of horror.

It doesn't take long before they hear Fogdance's steps stomping towards the room and she flings open the door. "What? What happened?" she shouts, her eyes darting between the twins and the fallen Skobeloff.

"I... I don't..." Pleexem stammers before he starts hyperventilating, causing Tamba to cut in.

"We just woke up to this!" The green drake motions towards Skobeloff. "I think he's poisoned!"

Upon hearing this, Fogdance is immediately fussing over the trickster, cradling his form in her claws as she calls out his name. After only getting choking noises as response, her eyes start welling up. "This... this can't be..." she says. "I..." She looks between him and the seemingly regurgitated porridge on the floor. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I read Vipereyes' notes, I thought-"

"What did you do?" Tamba interrupts, shouting at the older dragon. "What did you do!?"

"I didn't..." Tears start falling down Fogdance's cheeks. "I didn't mean..." The older dragon buries her face into Skobeloff and starts weeping. Between her sobs, Skobeloff hears the dragon muttering the words, "No... not again... my poor, poor child... I'm so sorry, I failed you again..." Once again, Skobeloff gets the strong sense that she's not seeing him as he is, but as someone else, someone she has failed to care for and protect.

As she speaks, one vaguely sees a faint shimmering on her scales as they lighten slightly to a paler, brighter shade of grey as her realization of what she has done starts to sink in and the darkness slowly loosens its grip on her. The sobbing stops as Fogdance's lifts her head and looks down at Skobeloff in her arms. Confusion fills the dragon's eyes as she seems to finally perceive Skobeloff for what he truly is. She lets go off him, taking a few steps back and looking between him and the twins. "Tamba? Pleexem? What is, what is going on? What was I...?" Her voice trails off as she becomes at a loss for words.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Do I need to make another roll to sneak back to the cell or does the sneak roll I've already made cover both trips?

@rush99999

I'll say it covers both trips.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Tamba and Pleexem exchanged concerned glances at Skobeloff's plan, and for a moment it looked like the latter might even object. While Tamba knew the trickster well enough to trust his plan, Pleexem did not and he eyed Skobeloff with a mixture of doubt and worry. However, after another glance at his sister, Pleexem conceded with a nod.

Tamba turned back to the blue drake and nudged him with her wing. "Good luck," she said. "We'll be waiting and listening out here should anything go wrong."

Upon exiting the room and making his way to the kitchen, Skobeloff would note that same eerie stillness he had witnessed on his way to the stronghold, which made the subtle creak of the floorboards seem all the more noticeable. Fortunately, these sounds did not seem to alert Fogdance, and Skobeloff didn't catch any sign of the older dragon on his way down the stairs. Once he reached the kitchen and began searching, he quickly found what he was looking for: a cupboard full of various herbs and medicines, which he could only assume belonged to Vipereyes. The Myndoth scientist had likely gathered these from the surrounding wilderness and collected them as part of her research. While Skobeloff's knowledge of plants did not compare to that of Vipereyes, it didn't take him long to find a bundle of leaves that he recognised as being a strong sedative. He didn't know the name of the plant exactly, but he knew its smell as he had caught a whiff of it when pretending to eat the meal Fogdance had prepared for him earlier.

---

A long silence met Stargaze's words. Then, in the water, a few paces in front of them, several bubbles started forming along the surface before the water itself started to rise up and formed itself into the top of Echo's face. Her eyes regarded the dragons warily before settling on Stargaze, and the drakes caught a look in the elemental's eyes, relief mixed with a grimace. Echo approached the group quietly, more and more of her body forming from the muck until her entire torso was visible.

"Stargaze," she says at last. "It's good to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances." She smiles, but it's a weak smile, a pained smile. From this distance, the drakes are able to see that her body is barely holding itself together, as if at any moment it will start melting back into the elements that form it. The leaves that make up her hair are drooping and withered, and the bio-luminescent lights that dot her skin are shining dimmer than Stargaze has ever seen before.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

@Vertigo @Digizel Do either of you have anything to add or are you okay with me making the next post?

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Hm...Act Despite Danger feels more applicable to me, but maybe I'm just not reading into things right. It does seem kinda like an oversight that there's not something for this particular thing. xD Then again, given the only three stats we have, I suppose something that applies cunning probably works in general.

@Digizel

Possibly. Depends on the scenario, perhaps, and how one is being stealthy. I'll have to think more about it in the future.

At the end of this chapter, I am going to ask for feedback on what you guys think this game is lacking so I can consider what other custom moves to make.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

@XxFellsingxX

Could Skobeloff reach the kitchen again without alerting Fogdance?

@rush99999

Hmmm, roll me a Mislead Or Trick to see if he can. (since it's the closest thing this game has to a stealth roll xP)

Does Stargaze know of any specific rules Echo has, while growing up in her care?

@Guardian Angel Haruki

She doesn't get visitors to her cave that often so she doesn't have many rules. The few times she had people visit, they usually just stand near the entrance and call for her.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Season's greetings, everyone! Have a post and I hope you're enjoying the holidays, regardless of what (if any) holiday you are celebrating. x3