Rogues, Scoundrels, and Knaves

Log Info

• Title: Rogues, Scoundrels, and Knaves
• Emitter: Skielstergar
• Characters: Skielstregar, Tawyse, Vaera
• Place: The Wilderness
• Time: December 30th, 2021
• Summary: Skielstregar's tarnished scales are flaking away, him at a creek trying to help accelerate that annoying itchy process. Tawyse finds his trail and checks on him, only to find out that a new coat of silver scales was coming through! Just the confidence boost he needed! One thing leads to another, and Tawyse is dunked unto the creek, and a snowball fight breaks out! Vaera arrives missing her metal leg (the swiftclaw took it, again) and gets caught in the cross fire. Skiel scoops her up to throw for him, and they try and chase Tawyse around the snow, but she proves to slippery for them until the end. Laughs are had, and they set off to get a fire started and some food cooking.

The Wilderness, Noon.

It's a fair day. The sun is out, though snow still blankets the ground and a frigid chill hangs in the air. The winds are fogiving, and no frozen chill saps the heat.

There is a creek that is frozen over within the woods, though parts of it has broken from the running undercurrent.

There is one person here. A towering makari man. Tarnished bronze flakes from him as he rubs his arm into the waters, him not dressed at all for the weather, but enjoying it nonetheless. Just in his tunic and pants with a spear nearby.

Though, what is different from the half-dead makari is that parts of him almost glitter and glimmer like the snow around him. Patches of missing scales sparkle for some reason or another.

He's humming quietly to himself.

The Gnome walks along, using a staff as a walking stick, the woman singing to herself. A nostalgic song, it sounds like, of home, summer days, the ancient quiet of the forest, things of yesteryear.

She pauses, as something catches her eye. Crouching, she peers at a set of footprints. "Now who, I wonder, would wander off the trail?"

Grinning, she begins to follow the path, putting her feet into the prints left by some 'Makari. A few discarded scales lets her know full well whom it may be. Perhaps he is still about?

The humming confirms her suspicions. She crouches low, and carefully steps out of the foot prints, using a few trees to approach. Peeking out from the last tree, she giggles lightly at the scene, her eyebrows rising as she takes in the shiny 'new' Skiel.

Skielstregar was, simply, shedding a lot. Large patches of his face and arms were bereft of his tarnished bronze scales, the hide underneath cracking and chaffed like dry skin.

And what was taking root in some places was the faintest hint of brilliant, glittering, silver scales.

He also looks incredibly uncomfortable despite his relaxed humming. Every now and then, he scratches at his chest, or his back, legs, arm, face. He's incredibly itchy. And at one point, he groans and just slides into the freezing waters up to his waist.

Tawyse sneaks back a bit, and then calls out. "Hello?" She purposefully crunches through the snow, then, heading towards the stream, generally in Skiel's direction.

"Oh, sorry. I was just checking out fresh footprints... I didn't realize someone was bathing."

The Gnome's cheeks flush. "Skiel?"

Skielstregar dunks unwater for just a moment and resurfaces with a relieved sigh, him pulling his tunic up to wring out the water.

He pauses, turning to the approaching voice. His scarred stomach is shown, though it had glitterings and gleams of scales starting to surface as some loose tanrished scales dangle off his jaw.

Though, that didn't stop him from grinning and raising a hand. "Tawyse! Peassse on your nessst!" he greets joyously. He plucks a large scale off and tosses it into a pile growing nearby after dropping his shirt. It doesn't help, it just sticks to him. "Pleasure to sssee you! How goesss?"

The Gnome steps to the edge of the stream, squinting at the Sith curiously. She grins brightly and nods. "Peace on your nest.", she intones. "I am well. How are you doing?" Tawyse takes a careful step into the water, and slowly makes her way to his side.

"You uhm. Are awfully shiny. Are... are they new scales?" She gestures back to the trail. "You're shedding scales like crazy."

Skiel chuffs once and nods energetically. "Thisss one isss well! Very well!" he answers with a grin. "It isss the ssstrangessst thing! Thisss one hasssn't been able to grow new ssscales for yearsss. And now... their sssilver is coming back!"

As Tawyse gets in the creek, he puts his hands up to halt her. "Woah, the watersss are freezing cold, Tawyssse!

He glitters and sparkles in some places as he moves.

She jumps up and down a few times, splashing water about, before giggling lightly. "Yes, it is cold. But I am able to endure it. I could probably swim it naked, no problem." The Gnome wiggles her fingers. "Droods have a way with nature, don't you know?"

Tawyse draws closer, reaching out with her hands to grasp at his forearm, and she peers at the silvery pieces embedded in his skin. "Gosh, they do look like little scales, don't they. This is amazing! What.. changed?"

She laughs then. "Think it has anything to do with your sudden gigantism from a few days ago? Something's changed in your blood?"

Skiel relents as she reassures him that she'll be okay. He chuckles at the splashes, the water not phasing him in the slightest. "Very well, very well..." he rumbles, dropping his hands.

Taw gets a hold of one of his large arms. Even on the bite scars, new, brilliant scales were pushing through. "... thisss one cannot tell you Tawyse, they do not know!"

He shakes his head. "Thisss one doesssn't think ssso. Thisss one thinksss this one being that large is due to them getting a better grip on the bad thingsss within them. Making that foul magicsss their own. That magic corruptsss and rotsss. This iss..."

He looks at the back of his arm, a row of barely there silver scales showing. "... thiss is completely different. But not unwelcome at all!"

"Well. I am still going to look into your condition, and hopefully I can get some information from the Silver Crescent. They are proving to be quite circumspect and sneaky. They are definitely paranoid." The Gnome leans into Skiel, hugging at his waist despite him being soaking wet.

"But this is a very welcome change. Not just because it restores your proper coat of scales... but I've never seen you happy before. I mean honestly happy, not the cheerful face you put on."

Skielstregar nods firmly. "Of courssse. Thisss one ssstill feelsss the draw within him. Thiss one still thanksss you for your effortsss looking into them for this one," he rumbles, returning the embrace with an arm. It's like hugging a wall of muscle.

He smiles at that, looking down at his free forearm. "... it isss becaussse thisss one feelsss more like themssselvesss. How they imagine themselvess in their mind. Shining, strong, silver. It isss what thisss one hoped to ssse in the mirror sssomeday. In other wordsss.."

He grins, and scratches at his shoulder. "... it isss a much needed confidence boossst."

She smiles brightly and nods. "A big strong, shiny silver warrior. Able to fell trees in a single swipe. Hunt any animal. Fight any battle." Tawyse punches lightly at his abdoment. "Able to take any punch and keep going."

The Gnome runs a hand along that brawny arm. "Blushes brightly when complimented on his form." She giggles lightly.

As the compliments come, Skielstregar rubs his neck and looks off to the side, him barely able to hide the grin. The punch is barely noticed. Those abs were real.

Hand running along his mottle scaled arm makes him look down at her, then down into the waters below.

"... thisss one doesssn't blusssh..." he mumble rumbles. Yep. Would be bright red right now.

Tawyse laughs at that, giving him a few more light punches to those real abs. "Oh, what's that red in your cheeks then, hmmm?" She then attempts to tickle at his sides, however much that may affect him what with having scales and all.

"So why are you dunking yourself in the stream? I mean, I know that the cold doesn't bother you, but uh, are you really just randomly out here swimming?"

Can't be a Warrior if you don't have the build for it. The light strikes are noticed now, and he chuckles at the attempts. Though he brings his hands up to his face, looking down at the reflection in the water. "... there isss no red.. makari do not blu-"

The man does not have scales currently on his sides. He jerks upright, looks down at Tawyse, and flails lightly before he suddenly guffaws aloud. "Pffff-bwahahahah! TAW!"

A large mitt plants itself on Tawyse's head, and gently holds her back so he can get a breath in. "... thisss one is trying to soothe the itching, and help speed thisss shedding up. It is... so. Very. Itchy."

She squeaks at the hand on her head, and she struggles mightily in an attempt to deliver more tickles. The best reaction she's gotten out of him so far. "Oho, hmm? I am pretty sure you are blushing, even if it doesn't show. You're doing all the things softskins do when they blush, minus the red face."

Tawyse giggles more, and continues to try to reach his sides with her fingers. "And you do laugh when you are tickled. So hah, more ways that you Sith are the same as us softskins."

Skiel remains adamant on his stance, yet still playful about it as he reaffirms, "Thisss one doesss not blush! Though the- pfffptftaaaaaahah!"

Taking more direct action now, the large makari scoops Tawyse up with both hands and holds her waaay above his head. And more importantly, away from his sides. "T-There! Thisss one would return the torture but their talonsss are too long!"

The little woman lets out a gasp as she's held far aloft, and she flails ineffectually with her arms and feet. "Hmmph!", she huffs, crossing her arms. "No fair at all." Tawyse crosses her arms, letting her feet dangle. She grins then, and flicks her feet, her wet boots splashing little droplets of water onto Skiel. "Ahah, take that you scoundrel!"

Skiel blink water away as it gets in his eyes, him twisting his head about. "Scoundrel! Thisss one isss no scoundrel! They are honorable!"

But then there's a glint of mischief that crosses those dead eyes. "But they know when to ussse thingsss to their advantage!"

Tawyse is suddenly pulled close, then slung over a shoulder, and the shedding tarnished scale falls backwards into the creek with a large >splash!<

He releases her, laughing to himself.

"What are you dooo... eeek!" Tawyse squirms against the muscly arm that holds her in place, and burbles as she's suddenly dunked under water. Her face when she gets free is priceless, there is definitely annoyance there. She might blithely ignore the temperatures, she cannot ignore the fact that she's now soaked head to foot!

"You rogue!", she yelps, immediately taking to splashing the water, aiming at his face. "So mean!" Her expression slowly changes towards cheerfulness, and she huffs, moving to sit on his chest, splashing water with her feet onto his head.

Skielstergar is grinning as she resurfaces, him clearly getting a kick out of that face. He sticks his blackened tongue out at her as water crashes against his face. "Ssssays the tickle monssster," he counters, accepting his punishment with closed eyes and a smirk.

He picks her up and plops her down on the bank after a spell. "Sssorry if that was actually rude," he adds, just a tinge guilty for the action.

Her hands quickly attempt to snatch at that tongue, and she huffs when she's set upon the snowy bank of the river.

As he is finishing up his apology, she's packing up a two-handed snowball that she hefts at him. "You shall pay, rogue! There will be merciless tickles!"

The blackened tongue is caught, and Skiel's eyes go wide, along with a 'gak!' And then he's blasted with a snowball. He speaks while caught, his eyes squinting in a smile. "Ben bish bone bill come up bith a blan bor bour onshlought."

Vaera has arrived.

She snorts and giggles madly for a moment, letting go of SKiel's tongue. "You should be careful when you stick that out, it's long enough for people to hang on to." Her tongue is prominently stuck out. "Unlike mine!" Tawyse's free hand deftly works on putting together another large snowball while the nu-silver-scale is distracted.

His jaw closes with a snap, him eyeing the return prey. But he doesn't go for it. His talons were too big, and he was conscious of it. Instead, he scrabbles to his feet, jumps across the small creek, and dives behind a pile of snow.

Tawyse blinks at the sudden speed of the Sith, and in return, quickly rolls behind a tree. "You're pretty quick on your feet, when you want to be, rogue!", she calls out.

She glances around, and plows headlong into the underbrush, her feet leaving no trace in the snow, and the brush that might stop people from passing easily... it opens just enough to let her pass.

The Gnome's head pops up a little distance away, her head poking through a snowbank, as she tries to catch sight of Skiel, her position giving her some view of the snowbank he dove behind.

GAME: Tawyse rolls stealth: (8)+6: 14
GAME: Skielstregar rolls perception: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Vaera rolls perception: (5)+10: 15

The forests were rustling loudly from the sound of someone traveling, and the source was very clearly a large, dark red Makari who was slowly making her way through the woods.

Very slowly, as they balanced on a single foot, and awkwardly hopped through the forest with the assistance of a long branch that had been roughly carved to help.

She does stop when she sees Skielstregar diving into the snow on the other side, and what appears to be a gnome hiding behind a tree. "Ah, hello, Tawyse. I was not expecting you to be here." She greets. "And hello, Skielstregar. I am sorry for the delay, but Wyrmere decided that my new leg was worth running off with, as well."

Skielstregar's loud voice carries through from behind his cover. "This one is ussually weighed down by armor!" he snips back.

Taw could just barely see the top of the makari's head, him hunkered down as best he can.

He was doing... something.

A sense of dread wafts on the air. And black ichor could be seen leaking from afar. But instead of coating him, it rolls downwards, out of sight. Then, "Oh THAT'S what that does! Marvelous!"

There's a rumbling of stomping going on. The pace increasing more. And more. And more. A look back to Skiel's cover shows he was just gone. A puff of snow in the air showing where he once was.

Then he's careening over the creek at breakneck speeds. His legs are wreathed in black miasma, footsteps staining the ground underneath him that fade away to nothing. In the crook of his arm is an array of snow based ammunition, and his hand holds one at the ready.

The sudden appearance of someone makes him think it was his original target, and Vaera receives a snowball right on the midriff.

"... oh. Hello Vaera!" he beams.

GAME: Skielstregar casts Expeditious Retreat. Caster Level: 4 DC: 13

The Gnome gives a start as Vaera starts speaking, and then she glares at the red-scale. "Shhhhh, you're giving away my hiding spot." She looks back to where Skiel was hiding... and blinks, finding he's vanished. And then is barreling up the creek like a madman.

Tawyse is just rolling away into the brush, which again opens up to allow her to move freely through it, as the first snowball thwaps into the large, red target.

"Missed me!", she calls out, as she disappears into a hole in the snow, burrowing through the snowbank.

"There are no enemies here though, unless there are?" Vaera asks the gnome, when suddenly there is the sound of Skielstregar charging through the creek. And she finds her stomach suddenly plastered with snow. She looks down, over to Skielstregar, and over to where Tawyse just was. "Ah, hellow, Skielstregar? What is this about?"

Black miasma drips and wafts off of Skielstregar's legs, it not dissimliar from earlier when he was massive. Though, he seemed completely and totally hale of mind. His silver scales had started to come in more, along the empty patches on his forearms and neck, as well as some of his face.

"Tawyse isss armed! Ssstay vigiliant!" he warns, but he was joyful and playful, were the grin on his face anything to go by.

He whirls around, looking for the gnome, but she was gone. "Get back here!" he shouts, dashing over to her at that same speed. Strides almost dozens of feet long. He throws a few where the druid once was.

GAME: Tawyse rolls stealth: (11)+6: 17

The Gnome is... somewhere. One might notice a hole here and there, just big enough to allow for a Gnome to pass. Skiel even finds a couple of tunnels, having stepped in one of Tawyse's tunnels. But Skiel's quick movement has a downside. Noise. Crunch crunch crunch. And then, from behind him, Tawyse bursts out of the snow in a flurry of the white stuff, launching a snowball at the spot between his shoulderblades. "Hah, I've got you!"

"Tawyse is not the one who just threw snow at me." Vaera chuffs, though she looks to where they had disappeared. "You are throwing snow at each other? Perhaps I may join in. Though it is not particularly fair, as I am mostly a stationary target while missing a leg."

The red makari struggles to crouch down, and scoops up a ball of snow, before she is back on her foot, and waiting for them to emerge again.

"Ack!" Skiel yelps, whirling around. His tail drags through the snow, destroying what tunnels were around He winds one back, and throws a ball at the small woman. Hopefully hitting this time.

He looks to Vaera, the silver spots on him glittering and gleaming bright. "Thisss one can carry you and you can throw for them!" He jogs over towards the redscale, him passing off his array of 'weapons' before turning around, stooping low, and picking Vaera up on his back. Strong arms lock leg and stump to his sides so she was secure, and the makari brigade was functional and ready. "With our forcesss combined, we will root out thisss snow chucker!" he declares.

He's a lot slower now, but still was he fast as he jogs around, head on a swivel.

Tawyse blinks and takes the wad of snow right in the middle of her forehead, grunting in an unladylike fashion, and topples over into the snow, half disappearing due to the snowbank's height.

She lays there, unmoving.

"You think I should throw for you? So be it." Vaera chuffs, and she discards the makeshift crutch to clamber on to Skielstregar's shoulders. The red makari towered even higher than usual, now armed with several handfuls of snowballs. She readies one, but before she can throw, she finds Tawyse toppled into the snow.

"I can jump off, but we should check on her." She offers.

Skiel lumbers about with Vaera on his back, happily smiling away. But he slows his quick gait as he spies Tawyse on the ground. He blinks, then worry comes over him as she kneels down beside her, still holding onto Vaera. "... Taw? Thisss one did not throw it that hard.." he mumbles, concerned.

The ichor stains the snow black at his feet.

She lays still at Skiel-Vaera's approach, and then suddenly she springs to 'life', a snowball launched at Skiel's chest. Cackling, she begins to flee, her form quickly morphing. Tawyse shrinks down and gains a pelt of white fur, Taw-rabbit bounding off into one of the holes previously made.

GAME: Vaera rolls perception: (6)+10: 16

Vaera has to brace her self just in case Skielstregar stumbled from Tawyse springing up, which limits any ability to counterattack for the moment.

"Playing dead? So be it." Vaera chuffs, and she reaches for a snowball as the gnome transforms. She can't hit them at the moment, but she knows enough about rabit tunnels to figure out where it was. She hurls one at the top of the snow, collapsing the tunnel the gnome sought to use for escape.

"Right there, Skielstregar." The hunter chuckles, pointing to where the snow collapsed on itself. "Now is your chance, before she manages to dig through it!"

GAME: Tawyse rolls stealth: (15)+6: 21
GAME: Skielstregar rolls perception: (3)+8: 11

It was well that Vaera braces herself, the warrior was caught off guard by the gambit. "Ack!" he yelps once more, staggering back some and off kilter. He spins to stumble forwards instead, and eventually he rights himself.

Following where the redscale points, he trundles on over, tightening his grip on the other's legs to keep them secure. The massive makari slides his foot into the tunnel, trying to block it up further. "Let her have it!" he chuffs, a happy rumble in his chest.

A small furry bundle comes barreling out of the collapsing tunnels, and charges at Skiel's feet. It raises up on its hind legs, and delivers a devastating... tap... on the silver-scales feet. Tap tap tap. Rawr, hear me roar... in bunny.

"Watch your step, Skielstregar." Vaera warns as she sees the rabbit scrambling out of the tunnels. She readies a snowball, only for Tawyse to instead attempt a more direct assault.

The red makari chuffs, and lets the snowball fall out of their hand, directly onto the druid's head.

The ferocious bunny attacks the black ichored feet, the effect slowly melting away during their onslaught and wafting away on a nonexistent wind.

Skielstregar barks a laugh the snow snowball falling and landing so.

The rabbit shakes off the snow after it gets dunked on, and it peers up Vaera suspiciously. It makes numerous attempts to jump up Skiel's leg, ostensibly in an attempt to get revenge upon the red-scale.

Then a bundle of snow whaps Vaera in the back of the head. Followed up by another one that hits Skiel between the shoulder blades.

"I see you've met Mister Wiggles.", says Tawyse's voice, from behind the piggybacking pair.

Vaera grunts when the snowball whacks her in the back of the head, and hearing the voice. "Apologies, little rabbit, but you were used as a distraction." She says, before twisting and whipping a snowball at the source of the voice.

rSkielstregar is baffled by the deception. But of the two makari, Vaera was the faster and more reactive one. She was already twisting and whipping it as he was slowly turning to face the voice.

He blinks at the redscale.

The Gnome seems unprepared for the snowball, attempting to put her hands up to deflecting, taking it in the stomach with a grunt. Laughing, Tawyse shrugs her shoulders. "He was easy to convince with great big feet stepping into his burrows." Mr. Wiggles disappears once more into the snow, content, it seems, to burrow away.

Tawyse then starts to settle down on the snowdrift, leaning back with a groan. "Going to have a few bruises later."

"I should have expected you did not dig those all yourself." Vaera sighs. "I will not catch them for dinner though, I do not have my bow with me."

With the gnome seeming finished, Vaera looks to the pile of snowballs she was still carrying. She shrugs, and dumps them directly on Skielstregar's head with a chuckle.

"That was clever," Skiel concedes, grinning. "They'll heal, worry not. Better than that broken arm."

He's about to say something further, but he sputters as a load of snow is dumped on his head. He shakes a bit, cranes his head up to look at Veara.

There's just the briefest glimmer of mischief in his eyes before he quickly turns backwards towards a pile of snow, leans back, and drops her in it.

Taw cackles as Vaera dumps her snowballs onto Skiel's head. "Hah, that's what you get, you rogue!", she calls out. Her laughter turns into a coughing fit as Skiel simply dumps Vaera into a snowbank. "And you get yours, you knave!"

Her laughter continues a while, dying off slowly into a sigh.

Vaera was chuckling to herself as Skielstregar sputtered from the snow dumped on him. The only problem was he was still carrying her, and she did not have a good way to get down while missing a leg. She was completely at Skielstregar's mercy as she is unceremoniously dumped into the snowbank. It was deeper that expected, the makari sputtering as only her snout was still poking out of the snowbank.

"I do suppose I deserve that."

Skielstregar warmly guffaws as everyone seems to be petering out, it only doubling at the amusing sight of the red snout sticking out. He shakes his head, and reaches a hand out to help Vaera up. "Ah... thisss was wonderful," he hums, looking between the two. "Thisss one thinks you two might need a fire after all of thisss. And some food! Shall we head out?"

The Gnome groans and slowly stands, fussing at her hair that has now begun to turn into a messy, frozen nest.

"A fire sounds like a good idea because you can make food with it.", Tawyse says softly. "My stomach is growling." She begins to wander about the battlefield, looking for where she set her staff, making a happy noise once it is retrieved. "Lead on!"

Vaera takes the hand, and pulls herself to her foot, which takes a lot of effort on Skielstregar's part. She chuckles, and uses the chance to shove some of the snow she gathered into his face with another chuckle. "A fire is a good idea, yes. I am getting a bit cold. And we can share food that we have. Follow Skielstregar and I, as my crutch was discarded. If any of you see a swiftclaw running around with a metal leg, please let me know. At least I can still set up a camp without it, for now."

Skielstregar, once more, sputters.

-End Scene-