Tree Punching

Log Info

• Title: Tree Punching
• Emitter: Cryosanthia
• Characters: Cryosanthia, Iuitl, Geir, Garrett, Kaelyn
• Place: W02: Mictlan
• Time: Wednesday, January 29, 2020, 4:53 PM
• Summary: Cryosanthia is taking her frustrations out on a tree when noise gets the attention of Iuitl, Geir and Garrett. She explains that she is angry over the resolution of her last assignment, where her advice ended in Ezil entering a demonic pact. The other sith offer advice, and spell assistance. Garrett arrives with a gift and Kaelyn wanders by. The others leave and Kaelyn instructs Cryosanthia in the use of dragonspitters, causing more damage and noise as they shoot trees with them. Innocent, innocent trees.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-<* W02: Mictlan *>-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Located within the Deep Woods, and hours past Wilderness Pointe, in the heart of its northern woods, bones frame this hollowed-out space. Massive and heavy, they reach towards the sky, meeting--almost--in the center like great and worn stalagmites. Or giant teeth. After a few seconds--it's quickly evident that this is a space carved from a dragon's bones. A very, very large...dragon's bones. The air smells of ash, brimstone, and earth. Underneath the apex of the bones lie the workings of a central Fire.

The grounds are run by shamans of the sith-makar, and the sacred space dedicated to the Death Singing Dragon, one of their names for the goddess, Vardama. There are always a number of them about, from a mixture of tribes. Formally, the sith use it to sing the souls of their dead back to the land of Wing and Flame, and celebrate the Memory of Blood. It was here that brave heroes stood, and vanquished the ashen warriors of old, thereby freeing the land from Thul's curse. Informally, it is a gathering place.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  Appearing, in Order  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Cryosanthia  6'7"     245 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A dashingly tall, lithe white lizardgirl with tattoos.
Iuitl        5'2"     149 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    Short sith, mottled black scales, tired green eyes
Geir         5'8"     200 Lb     Sith-Makar        Male      A short, copper-scaled Sith-makar.
Garrett      5'8"     160 Lb     Half-Elf          Male      A human in black leather, constantly wearing a hood 
Kaelyn       5'4"     1110 Lb    Dawn Elf Taur     Female    Tall-ish, extremely curvy 5'4" redhead Elf... (VERY ENERGETIC!)
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

A sense of anticipation fills Mictlan. Caste gather in groups, huddles, as they plan their part of the coming caste ceremonies. Crafter-caste are busy with commissions to add decorations and finery to festival outfits. Each caste too, have selected some dragon bones, and have begun to decorate them with the tools of their trade.

Mictlan. Some distance from the central fire and the side fires. Out of sight of the ancient dragon bones. Away from the shamans' huts, the warriors' rests, the caravan parking and the beast corals. The near woods, where the snow lies heavy on the ground and drapes along the branches of the trees. There is a repetitive thumping noise, not the friendly kind of tail-greeting, more the martial noise of a Warrior caste working through a routine. Or, something of a similar nature. A lone tree is suffering particular attention. Tall and ancient it has overseen a lot of sith-makar activity. Today, it endures as one of them attacks its base, hitting hard enough to shake snow from its bare branches.

"FRUSTRATION! ANGER! DESTROY!" The white sith-makar bellows the ancient words. Words that are barely beastial sounds, devolved draconic, which retain their visceral meaning. Are understood as rage noises which reflect different flavours of anger, or anger itself in a pure form. With another roar, "RENDYOU!", the lithe lizard girl attacks the tree, smashing it with her hands. Adding to the slashes and crushed bark evidence that a wrathful sith has was here. <draconic>

Iuitl approaches the sound of something savaging nature, only to overlook the sight of the taller sith-makar punching and clawing and roaring her hatred and fury toward the tree. She doesn't interrupt the other's efforts, she simply watches what she's doing with a placid sort of distant curiosity. Blinking slowly, her brow ridges lifted, her expressive face locked in an uncertain appearance. She'll wait to be addressed, not wanting to prod any raw nerves by saying anything that'd make a rampaging Sith-Makar angry.

Cryosanthia's flashy cloak, rapier, and fancy hat are set to one side. The bundle has some lumpy, cylindrical form wrapped inside. Without the finery and only her armour, her light exhuberance is hard to find. Especially as she stands in a fighting pose and punches the tree, one hand, then the other, developing bruises more than anything else. With another roar her hands transform into claws and she slashes. A quick one-two that rips away more bark.

She steps back, chest heaving. Eyes locked on her target with a predatory glare. Hands clenched at the low ready. Her bellow is more coherent, "I hate you tree!"

Iuitl looks pretty enthused by the end of all of this thrashing. She isn't sure what has her so upset, and she can't help but loose a chuckle when she hears that announcement of displeasure toward the large plant. She looks the tree up and down, seeking some sort of reason for this tree to be hated, but probably doesn't find much...

Cryosanthia growls incoherently again, her emotions still high. She charges the tree now, headbutting it. This does not go well. There is a solid >thunk< as her skull impacts. Her momentum stops completely.

"Ow." She also seems stuck. She pushes against the trunk and pries her head out of the bark, then slumps into a sitting position with her legs sprawled. She rests back against the tree, breathing heavily. At this point she notices Iuitl. She quietly gazes as the smaller sith for a long, quiet moment, finally saying. "I look like an idiot, don't I?" Geir has connected.

Iuitl approaches to stand near the paler reptile, peering at the rather pathetic site. She doesn't move to help, she just smiles in apparent amusement, because she has no idea what's going on here and no idea how to process it. Frankly, she can only confirm, "You do." And give a brief laugh. "This tree is a very poor sparring opponent. What has driven you to such strange behavior...?" And this is when she reaches out and gives a few tugs of Cryosanthia's shoulder to try and dislodge her head from the wood of the tree, leaning her weight back to help. quietly moves along

"Well it looked at me funny." Cryosanthia explains, accepting the assistance to get her disentangled from the tree and bark. She is pulled away and shifts to a more comfortable sitting position. She exhales a few strong breaths, the air hissing through her nostrils. "I made a mistake. In combat. Now a friend is messed up. Again. Because he listened to me."

Geir moves along quietly, his eyes wide and alert as he approaches the sound of ... combat? Then a laugh?

"Peace on your nesst.", he intones as he comes to a stop a short distance away. "One iss curiouss.", he says softly. "But one is unsure if it is wisse to assk." The copper-scale looks from Cryosanthia to Iuitl. "None are injured, one hopes."

Iuitl rubs at her jaw. Aw, dang... she's no good with feelings. So, instead, she decides to sit down next to the taller woman, laying the longspear she uses as a makeshift staff along her lap. She closes one eye and asks her, "Did you intend for him to be hurt?" with a curious cock of her head. Her gaze is drawn after this to Geir, whose approach makes her face light up. "Peace..." she says, dipping her snout in a strange, almost bashful way. Shy?

"No injuries of the body, at least."

"Peace upon your nest," Cryosanthia replies to Geir, thumping her tail and then looking around at the snow. She shakes her head, "No injuries. I didn't intent him to be hurt. I tried to... wait, I'll start at the beginning and not the end. Ezil, this one, and a few others were sent to deal with a situation. We found a demon, the demon that Ezil killed a few days ago, behind it. He was upset about his anger taking over the first time, talked about it at the fires a few nights ago. So this time, when the Demon cried 'Mercy' I told everyone to let it surrender because Ezil wanted to question it."

The coppery one approaches Iuitl and gently lays a hand on her shoulder, crouching to bring himself more level with the two other Sith. "One has a present. Of a tasty variety.", Geir says quietly, glancing over each shoulder and lowering his voice further. He pauses, looking to Cryosanthia. "The demon. They took advantage of your friend, and attacked when people were distracted?"

His hand, mewnwhile, has dipped from Iuitl's shoulder to a pouch on his hip. He pulls free a small package, wax paper which he slowly opens. "Hmm, the softskinss enjoy the fruitss of Am'sshere. They have found a way to dry them, and mix them with other fruitss and nutss." He offers up a largish piece of orange to Iuitl.

GAME: Iuitl rolls Knowledge/Religion: (4)+8: 12

Iuitl listens to the story she's told, and grimaces at the notion of providing a demonic entity anything like mercy. She doesn't openly criticize, but it's clear she knows what went wrong here. She closes her eyes briefly when she feels the hand on her shoulder, and then peers up at Geir, her tailtip wiggling with subtle energy.

Dried fruit? Heck yeah. Iuitl accepts the snack, and pops it in her mouth. She delights in the flavor, and her feathers puff up with joy, showing off a cheerful side of her. Then she regards Cryosanthia again, having something to say. "In the future... Demons are not to be trusted. If you must question one, restrain it immediately. Ensure it is unable to move or act. If you cannot do that, it is best to slay it and seek answers elsewhere. They do not see mortals as friends, allies or masters. They see us as bags of meat to rip apart."

"This is something to learn from."

Cryosanthia laughs a little, turning her head to the side to pretend privacy for Iuitl and Geir. The undercurrent between them was not lost on her, even with her own feelings being volatile and distracted. She continues her story while staring off into the distance. "No, we were ready for a surprise attack, expecting it even. We were trying to get it to drop it's weapon and surrender properly. The demon twisted his surrender into a demonic pact and now my friend is sworn to defend him from all, including his former master, a Duke of Hell, until he is safely returned. The demon laid all the conditions and made no promises. It is a bad deal."

"I know that from personal experience." Garrett says as he moves out of the shadows. "I dont like the wilderness...even my home city is still a city." He says, lowering the cloth off his face to show his face, emerald eyes watching the various people. He then looks to Cryosanthia and offers a satchel to the white dragonborn. "A gift. I take care of my friends." He says. Inside is a loaf of bread and dried meats and fruits.

The enjoyment of the dried orange by the black-scaled Sith brings an expression of mirth to Geir's face. He nods slowly to Cryosanthia, while offering her a piece of dried orange as well.

"Ah, jusst sso. Demonss are.. at the besst, cunning, at the worsst, among the most intelligent beingss known. Ssome are exceedingly violent, while otherss do their damage with their tongue. Sstill.. there may be a way to undo ssuch a pact." The copper-scale rubs his chin, his hand pulling free a dark, somewhat purplish piece of dried fruit. It's smells rather pungent, and is obvious to those nearby. "One of the dragonfruitss, or sso the softsskins call them." This iss offered up to Iuitl, with Geir's approximation of a grin.

Garrett's arrival draws Geir's attention momentarily, an eyeridge rising up slightly as he offers something to Cryosanthia.

Iuitl frowns and places her fingertips to her jaw, looking overwhelmed by the notion that someone would trip right into a demonic pact like that. She closes her eyes, and then opens them again. "There are ways to break such pacts through magic," she explains, "But it is exceedingly difficult." She shakes her head slowly... Though her frown is interrupted by more gifts of dried fruit. She takes the offering, and nibbles on this one, her eyes closing as if she was experiencing some kind of nostalgia.

She seems so happy, and even leans to the side against Geir's leg. Bump.

Well here comes Kaelyn! She's wandering up from the south, the elf-turned drake-taur is currently stretching her arms above her head, as al for legs power her blithely on... And look at this! She's not knocked a thing over with her tail! Yaaaaay! At least not yet... And here's another thing, she's moving rather fluidly at this point, at least while she's not paying a lot of attention to what she's doing.. Then she notices loooots of people..... and pauses, kind of mid stried a forepaw behing held up, and really only three legs touching the ground... "Ummm, hiii!" She calls out cheerfully.

Cryosanthia gives Garrett a worried look, "How long where you hiding there?" She takes the offered gift, opens it to look at the food, dips her nose to sniff. "These are delicious, I am not hungry now, but will soon. Thank you.

She sniffs at the pungent scent. Dragonfruits. She closes her eyes. Inhaling it. Home, so close and so far. "It was quite cunning. I was hoping you know..." Cryo looks at Iuitl. Her tailtip flips a small hopeful arc in the snow. "Something. So it might not be a complete monsoon."

"There's more to the story." The white sith-makar continues, "We were beyond the Veil. The demon had captured a Claw of the Great Singing Dragon, and had its weapon. No person had died in the area for a month, so we were wary since the demon had captured this Celestial. All was eventually resolved, but I don't know. By trying to protect Ezil's conscience I trailblazed a path to the pact."

The copper-scale goes still when the feathered Sith leans against his leg. He looks to her smaller form for some long moments, before slowly, carefully, extending an arm and wrapping it around behind her back, the hand appearing on her opposite shoulder. "One has other such treats at one's tent. A few other things from the market in Alexandria."

Geir peers to Cryosanthia a moment, and nods slowly. "One believess that you have a strong will, and an undersstanding of what iss the right thing to do. Do not beat one's sself up too badly, as Iuitl has ssaid, you can learn from it, and can help otherss in future with what you have learned. One can offer one'ss sservices. One is a shaman of the Death Dragon."

The coppery one peers at Kaelyn a moment, her lower half causing him to raise both eyeridges. His mouth opens and closes a few times, not quite sure what to make of Kae's four-leg drive.

You paged Geir with 'Oh, by Claw of the Death Singing Dragon, she meant she met a mini-death, celestial servant of Vardama' From afar, Geir grins! "It is nice to see that you're getting into the swing of Sith things. :)

"Not long." Garrett says as he looks to Cryosanthia. When Kaelyn comes he looks to her and he watches the drake-taur. "You get around do you?" He asks curiously as he watches the artificer

Iuitl finds herself held by Geir! She was being mildly affectionate, so she wasn't expecting to be held. She peers up at him, her tail doing a quick fidget, then toward the others. Her eyes show a good-natured warmth toward Cryosanthia, seeming patient and calm toward her. "I know a spell I can try, it is my strongest magic for these things, but if it doesn't work then we would need to break it the hard way or... find a more knowing shaman."

Kae blinks and peers at Geir, she recognizes the CopperScale! She then umms and looks down, and her hands cross under her chest before she shrugs "I got a lil bigger since last time... " She says and then shrugs "Rebounding transfigurative curse or whatever this is." She says and then grins and waves to Cryo.. "ooh Ooh!!!" She then pulls out a box! "Here! Those lessons you gave me that one night helped! Even if I kinda broke a few trees and limbs that one day I thought it'd be fun to race with those transfigured shamans the other night..." She then ummms..

She glances to the others.. "That was sooo not a good idea, my chest is still hurting." She says and rubs at her fore-chest (the front bit of the chest on her lower body) and one of her rather heavy shoulders there... "Yus I can move fast, I can't change direction fast evidently." She adds, then waggles the box and grins at Cryo.. "It's not a whooole lot, but it's an augurey, it'll show the stars in a tent and stuff at night or even in a dark enough room during the day... It also has a compass on it to show north, so you can orient it and stuff!" She says, and grins broadly, her tail lashes once or twice but soo doesn't even come really close to impacting anything... Kae then sits on her haunches and looks from person to person now and then waggles the doodad at Cryo..

Then she sees a few little ones... Kae is using her other hand at this point to offer.. Candy...

Iuitl pauses to reach up and touch at Geir's face, patting it a couple times, as if silently saying 'good bye,' and then she says, "I must depart. Stay safe." This is said to everyone, and she scurries off, gathering her longspear as she goes. Cryosanthia listens intently to Geir and Iuitl, "I appreciate your thoughts, and I would speak to you about private matters. All this, perhaps I should not be telling but I have no scent how Ezil will wish to deal with this. He may be harder headed than this one." She looks up at the damage she's caused on the tree.

The copper-scale chuckles at Kaelyn's explanation, and shakes his head. "One is ssurprised to ssee you sstill stuck in that form." He blinks, then, the touch to his face by Iuitl distracting him. He nods to her as she stands. "Sstay ssafe, Iuitl." His disappointment in her leaving is seen plainly in his facial expression.

He nods to Cryosanthia. "We can all work on it to puzzle it out, yess?"

The white sith-makar looks curiously at the box, reaching out and taking it, She laughs "Thank you. I do have a compass. It's supposed to point towards my heart's desire, which is in the North. I am sorry your chest hurts, you do seem to have grown. One might load you like a caravan now."

Cryosanthia nods her head, inhaling and snuffing in Geir's direction. "Yes." <draconic>

Kae waggles her arms, yes she's flailing "Only a lil bit since last time I saw him!" She says and motions at Geir.. "He like saw me the day I changed and stoofs, I was like umm I think the size of a cart horse then, but well trying to get rid of this has made it rebound and each time I got a lil bigger and stuff, and some of the draconic bits kind of blended more with my torso and all!" She adds, yup, no tail flailing around with the rest of her at lest! Yaay the elf has some self control! nope that tail lashes, whipping some gravel and rocks up and Kae blinks, then huuufs, her cheeks puffing out.. "I was doing so good too." She mutters, and peers back at the other... "Anyhoo, I do pull a cart!"

Cryosanthia watches Iuitl leave, notes Geir's disappointment, says nothing.

"As your experiments make you larger, would it be best to not, and stop while you are manageable? What was your stolen object like, have you consulted the many theives guilds in case it has shown up for pawn?" Cryosanthia asks. Her eyes drift around, looking for Garrett, who seems to have gone into hiding again. She pushes the button on the doodad Kaelyn had supplied, "What happens when there is no tent?"

Geir slowly straightens, and stretches at length. He offers a polite nod, and a wave to the others gathered. "One musst be on one'ss way." He looks to Cryosanthia. "One hass been sspending time here, sso if one'ss assisstance iss required, one sshould be easy to find". He looks to Kaelyn. "One hopess you ssolve the mysstery." He turns then, and begins to head away.

Kae ooohs "Yus, rebounding curses are a pain... Anyhooos, yeah that's been my thing for a while..." She says and shrugs "Though I've not like gotten bigger bigger lately, just more of the features blending into my torso, and agian I've stopped. I've also passed on my notes to a few magi and another artificer and a few others to keep an eye out for the object..." She says and smiles cheerfully.

Cryosanthia gets to her feet, walking around Kaelyn and examing the changes, the slight differences that might have occurred since she last saw her... two nights ago? Her eyes were different then, there seem to be more fine scales on her though. She grins, "Yes, though some are blending easier than others."

Kae waggles.. "Well I hope no more changes!" She says and flails her arms... "But yeah, so right after I changed I didn't have this happening." She pulls the back of her shirt, the large scute-like overlapping plates get a loot finger but they run up her back and they're the same color as her hair... There's a faint dusting of fine scales after that too. She then lifts her hair up.. "Goes allll the way around my hairline, but agaaain, I dun wanna change no more!" She says adn yeah, more flailing... "Soo anyhoos, how are you guys doing?"

Cryosanthia looks over at a large tree she tried to destroy with her hands earlier. She smiles and shakes her shoulder, "This one is much better now. Some thoughts were troubling, but there is a path through. Your scales are lovely, strangely newt-like, to see them up against hair is... unusual"

Then she has the most terrible idea, "You said you worked on airship? Would you be able to build one for yourself now, and float over Alexandria?"

Kae ummmms.... "Well one of these days I could build an airship and stuff.... Probably, if I can't get cured I might have to figure somethng else out..." she says with a shrug... "I doubt I could move around like this int he cramped confines of a ship.

"I meant, that the balloon could lift you, and you could float over the city" Cryosanthia clarifies, then shakes her head, "Just a jape, your artifices are so intricate I believe you might make anything. Do the air-ship sailors sing shanties like the sea-ship ones do?"

Kae shrugs "Some do.." she says and umms "And the airship I worked on was less balloonie, and more flying sailing ship with lotsa proeplers." She says cheerfully, and waggles her arms some more "It was reaaaalllly biiiig, I doubt I'll have that kinda moola any time soon!"

Cryosanthia had left a small bundle of things off by a tree, which she retrieves, putting her had on her head, and attaching her cape. Her rapier goes into her belt. She's left holding a chalice, which she seems to have no idea what to do with, so she keeps it in hand and moves back beside Kaelyn. Looking along the drake-taur's back, she asks, "I would like to learn one of their songs, and I did not realize it would be a great cost. Hmmm... Do you polish your scales?"

Kae blinks curiously "I take baths? Regularly?" She responds and shrugs slowly... "I use a biiig scrubby brush with an extention on it too!" She adds and beams.. Yus preening time...

"That sounds adequate then. I get polish." Cryosanthia looks around, have all the younglings run off with all the candy. She pouts a little, "You seem more stable on your feet, would you like to try another exercise?"

Kae blinks curiously at Cryo.. "I needs to have my scales polished?" She asks, blinking and looking completely confused... "Ummmmmm...."

"No, not necessary. Most do not. It is considered vain." She tosses her head, a motion that would look a lot better if she had hair. Clearly a learned habit. "Try this."

The white sith-makar demonstrates an exercise. She kneels down and plants her hands, then stretches her tail out behind her, curls it and lifts her hips up. Once she has made an arch out of her back and tail, she lifts her feet up and cross them over her tail. Then, she starts doing push-ups. She alternates bending her arms and using her tail as a fixed point, and her arms being locked up and her hips rising and falling by the way she curls and straightens her tail. "Like this, so. Strength and balance. Your upper chest muscles seem well developed but your arms are noodly, you may wish to try with your forelegs instead. If you wish."

Blink.... Blink... "Ummm I probably has a muuuch different mass to surface are athan you do... I can tries..." She crouches her forelegs some, then tries to use her tail to hold her self up... She falls over, and again... More falling over... "I'm thinking my mass to muscle and bone ration and stuffs is a biiit different than yours.. I has a LOOT of my weight in my hind legs there and rump." She says and well casually lifts a rather massive clawed foot up... She then wiggles her toes....

Cryosanthia hops to her feet and watches. She bites her lip in thought, "Hmmm... well try just the one back leg, and your tail, and one lifted, kind of like you're doing. Your tail pretends to be a hind leg. You can tripod just fine, so this should be easy for you. Wow your toes are huge."

Kae blinks and looks at said toes... "Right now There's not much about me that aint hyooge." She says and grins a bit... She then tilts her head and ummms... "Soo minor bit of anatomy and all, so my lower half is basically a full on feral dragon, or drake.. considering I has no wings." She says and grins a bit... Sooo that means my elbows up here... She says and tries to spread them some like a persom might normally try "Dooon't spread quiiite the same ya knoows?" She says and grins a bit.. "Yeah they are kinda dextrous." She demonstraits by picking up a nearby rock, a small one between what would be her 'thumb' and 'forefinger' on that forepaw.... "Buut I has limited movements saddlly.... I might has to like try and build that up by maybe hot walking like you do with a horse on one of those spin around thingies in a round pen or maybe just carrying around a buuunch of weight on my back and stuff..." She says and rubs at her neck...

After a bit she does try the adaptation of the exercise too...

Cryosanthia nods, "Yes, I am familiar, and you do resemble them quite a lot. Those two ideas, the pen or the weight, are very good. I don't have either with me, but perhaps horse trainers around Alexandria might." The white sith-makar strolls around the elf-drake-taur, continuing to watch. When she thinks she isn't looking, she tries to pick up a pebble with her toes as well, then throw it. She manages to flick it away. "Are there other things you would have me assist with, what brought you to Mictlan today?"

Kae grins "I saw you here recently, and figured I'd bring the thingie in thanks for you helping me get a modicum of control on this tail of mien!" She says happily! She then tilts her head "Anyhoo, yus, being this way isn't too terrible... So yus, I do have kind have made my self used to the fact that I can be this way for a very long time, at the same time I look for a cure." She says and shrugs "I guess I'm kinda lucky, the form I got isn't sooo unruuly that I can't live with it... I mean I know a lady who's like me a taur, but well a cow, a biiiig dairy cow." She says and holds her hands waaaay out...

"I have seen her, she is big, and very conscious of her size. I would not want that condition. I do appreciate the device, once again, thank you." Cryosanthia executes a small bow, "I hope you find you cure. It will be unusual when you are not like this. I had another thought... did you bring the Beeeg Boom?"

Kae itlts her head and oohs, nodding "Never go anywheres without it." She says and pulls out the lil beeg boom... She then grins and tilts her head 'You wanna try it I take?"

"Oh I can try it? But you said it made the biggest boom when you shoot it!" The white sith-makar hops from foot to foot, looking much the eager lizard, "I'll shoot it though?"

Kae grins a bit "Lemme give you a demonstration of how it functions. Okie? Then I'll let you shoot it all you want." She says cheerfully. She then tilts her head and moves off to the side, where she pulls some paper, it's a biig piece of parchment.. She draws an x in its center and hangs it from a large-trunked tree.... Making sure to pin all 4 quarters,a nd of course pick a place a good distance from any Sith...

Kae then grins and lays her lower half down, some 20 feet away from the target. It's not a terrible far distance, but enough to learn with...

Next Kae pulls out the Boom, and another pistol. Both are rifled bore pistols, some 60 Caliber by the look.... Kae then grins and tugs out one of her boxes of paper satchet cartridges... "Ookay... First and foremost... The cartridge. There's a loading operation here..." She says and takes up the less expensive pistol... She then pulls the hammer back till it clicks once "Ok pull this back till it does the first click, this will get the flint away from the frizzen.. this strike plat here..."

Cryo follows along, crouching down beside Kae when she lays her forequarters down. She takes the pistol offered to her. Her hand is large for the grip but it fits. She pulls the hammer back slowly, until it clicks. "Flint, and Frizzen, and strike plate. Yes."

Kae grins "The Frizzen is the strike plate... " She says cheerfully... "Ok now pull that hammer back to half cock... Keep your finger off the trigger." She says and motions to the parts... "next, take up one of these cartridges, or sachets... Notice that each end has a different way of folding it... I've tucked the twist into the sachet on one end, and that end is also marked red, the sachet has the twist on the outside on this end... It's black... Black is powder, red is the end with the ball in it... You can also feel a weight difference..." She says and grins.. "Also if you feel careful you'll notice a fabric texture under the paper."

Cryo moves her finger off the trigger. It was there. She very carefully moves the trigger back to half cock. As directed she picks up a cartridge, checking the colour at either end. She rolls it under her fingers, "It's hard to feel much, that may be finer than I can tell. I feel the ball."

Kae grins "Ok, The end with the twisty bit and the black mark on it... You tear the twisty bit off, with that facing up, pour the powder inside into the gun." Kae uses her teeth to tear off the very end of the twist, and carefully pours the contents into the barrel, by tearing just a little bit she's made a nice hole for easy loading... "Theeen you take the sachet, turn it around, with the ball down and put it over the ball, using your thumb to hold the ball in place and maybe push it into the barrel a bit.... Next, you do this." She slowly pulls a rod out of the bottom part of the pistol, in line and underneath the barrel, and motions to the cupped end. "Turn this down." She does and holds it over the ball. "See how it cups the ball some? Then push." She says "Be gentle though, but firm." She demonstraits and then quickly rams the ball into the pistol... "Go till it seats firmly then give it a few light taps..." Again she demonstraits, "Stow your rod..." She says and puts the rod back... "Now it's loaded..."

Cryosanthia follows, attempts to follow. Her teeth are a lot more pointed and sharp and she has a long snout of them. She manages the tear but gets some of the powder in her mouth. Before the rest spills, she pours it into the barrel. Pushing the ball in with her thumb goes much better. She turns the pistol over, finds the rod, and places its cupped end. Gentle, but firm, she pushes it down. Tap, tap. Drop the rod. Pick up the rod. Shake off the rod. Store the rod. Her head bobs, "This one is loaded."

Kae grins "That's the tricky bitt.. here's the fun bit... Finger off the triger." She says and holds the pistol by its handle proper, in one hand... She then motions to the pistol. "At the nose there's a blade, and back here is a fork, put the top of the blade in the middle of the fork... right between the uprights, line the pistol up so that what you want to hit is on top of the blade... When you aim.." She says and grins... SHe then pulls out a tiny powder horn.. "Flip your frizen forward.." She does just that... "While it's still in half cock, finger off the trigger.. pour a measure into the frizen.." She does just that, this dumping a small amount of fine black powder into the cup below the frizzen.. "close it..." She says and then hands Cryo the little powder horn... "Now it's ready to fire.. At this point..." She says and pulls the hammer back. "Make sure to line up like I said, then gently squeeeze the trigger, don't pull hard dont' jerk, just squeeze." As she says she does exactly what she says..

There's of course the striking of the flint, a flash from the pan, and a big boom all right, as a .60 cal ball is sent down range, blowing a small hole in the middle of the paper... The hole is actually quite visible... "NOw you try."

Cryosanthia keeps up with the lesson, moving her finger off the trigger again and holding it up. She looks for the blade and the fork. "How do you see them all at once, the target the blade and the fork?" Wait, now she's being handed the powder horn. She flips up frizen, manages to pour the powder into it, although there is too little at first, and then she taps it and it overflows, putting some on her hand and the ground. She closes the frizen. Finger off the trigger again. She pulls the hammer back until there is a click. Next she lines it up on the paper and tries to figure out how to align things with the hole.

GAME: Cryosanthia rolls ranged-4: (12)+4+-4: 12

Cryosanthia carefully squeezes on the trigger, as instructed. She already flinched when Kaelyn fired hers, and her shot isn't bad, for a first shot, but it's nothing spectacular. She hits the paper, high and to the left. She laughs loudly, "HA! Yes! This is glorious!"

Kae grins and sets the cartridge box next to Cryo.. "Do it again, I have plenty of ammo, I usually carry some 100-200 shots with me." she says cheerfully... Then Kae shrugs, picks up a cartridge, and in rapid fassion litterally, without looking she's got the weapon loaded... She's charged the pan, then brings the gun up, pulling the hammer back with her thumb, before she takes aim and cuts loose.... It's quite conceivable, the artificer could probably get 15-20 shots off with the boom stick a minute without too much difficulty!

GAME: Kaelyn rolls ranged+2: (4)+8+2: 14

Cryosanthia goes through the routine again. She keeps her finger off the trigger, pulls the hammer all the way back, then sets it forward to half-cock. She takes a cartridge, bites the black end, a little smaller this time, and pours it in. The cartridge is turned around, the ball pushed in. The rod is taken out, placed, geeeently pushed. Then tap, tap. She doesn't drop it this time, replacing it under the pistol. She holds it up to aim, brings it down, checks her finger is off again, opens the frizzen, finds the horn and manages to tap an appropriate amount in. The pan is closed, the hammer pulled back. That aiming thing is done again. Squeeeeeze....

GAME: Cryosanthia rolls ranged-4: (11)+4+-4: 11

The hammer drops. There is a flash. The barrel belches as the gun goes off. A small smoke cloud hovers. It's another shot that's high and to the left

"Oh wow, heh. Take that paper." The white sith-makar cackles.

Kae grins cheerfully.. "Kinda fun aren't they.... Not quiiiite the same as a bow, much louder, but once you learn how to load them, they're pretty easy to shoot... Hard part is coming up with the loads... That takes a little bit of learning and knowhow... " She says cheerfully... "There, shoot, have fun!"

Cryosanthia grins as well, "They are. What sort of loads have you come up with?" She reaches for another cartridge and goes through the loading procedure. Full cocked, half cocked, rip the black end and put the powder in the barrel, squeeze the ball, push the ball. Tap, tap. Put the rod back. Full cock, half cock. Fill the pan, close, full cock. Aim. Fire!

GAME: Cryosanthia rolls ranged-4: (17)+4+-4: 17

The gun goes off! She's getting better. There were a few extra steps, but the ball strikes a lot closer to the centre. "Huzzah!" Ezil pages: Well I got a lot of information about that plot, and it's something he would share with Cryo at some point.

Kae shrugs "I user, a finer powder, and usually use about a 50 grain load... I have all the stuff that measures it out bsed on grain size and volume." She says and shrugs... "Shooting firearms is all about preparation... When I go out, expecting to get into a fight, I keep the pistols loaded, then all I gotta do is charge the frizzen, pull the hammer and pull the trigger. If I -know- I'm in a combat situation, I leave the pistol's frizzen charged and closed and then all I gotta do is pull the hammer back and pull the trigger... Reloading is the toughest part..." She says and umms 'Ooh, and when I want to be quiet with it, I use my bow.. Or my ray..."

Cryosanthia giggles, "A bow or ray would be much quieter. Those strategies are wise. I would not be able to use this in combat. Unless it was prepared. Normally, I would do this." She twists her hand through an arcane gesture.

GAME: Cryosanthia casts Ray of Frost. Caster Level: 1 DC: 13
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls ranged: (2)+4: 6

And the white sith-makar casts a Ray of Frost, and completely misses the target. She shakes her hand. "Damn, that happened yesterday too. My pointing is off."

Kae ooohs and noddles "Yup, I can do a few things through my bluepprints and stuff that mimic casting spells. I won't be like uber spell-y like ever, but I can make lots of useful items and use those in combat... It's kind of an artificer thingie.. Though ideally, I don't get into combat."

"This one is a Speaker, so... I am to interfere in combat and resolve it with words or great deeds." Cryosanthia says thoughtfully, "You are greatly talented, I am impressed with all the things you have made."

Kae ooohs and shrugs "Well it is Artifice.. I kinda hope to at least one day, make it so Artificers are seen with a bit of a better light and all... Most folk don't like us.." She then smirks and looks down, tail wagging a bit "Don't see why though." She says and winks playfully.

Cryosanthia says, "That is a good goal. I have heard that they are not liked. I have not encountered artificers, beyond you and Merek. You have both been very friendly. The instruction has been fun."

Kae grins a bit... "Nope we're not, and there's good reason." She says and shrugs a bit as she starts to get to her feet... "Anyhoos, if you're intersted in a dragonspitter, I can see if'n I can build you one to learn with... The're kinda pricy, but I imagine, without a lot of training it'd be an expensive and dangerous play toy?" She adds and then looks at her own time piece, her has a little chibi-dragon-sprite that belches out 'fire' that turns into the numbers and Kae sighs... "Eeeef, I soo gotta go give a dissertation at the academy..."

"It would be good for making noise even if I could hit nothing with it. I do not have a lot of gold right now. I would in time, want one." Cryosanthia hands the dragonspitter back, then peers curiously at the time piece, "That is adorable. There is not much time, good luck with your dissertation. I need to stay here, and ...." She glances at the scarred tree, "... think some more. Safe journey, and Peace be upon your nest."

Kae blinks and peers at the tree and looks back at Cryo. "Well, okies! Think well... Though yer more than welcome to wander into town... Once I'm done with the dissertation, I usually stay at the Fernwood, I has a semi-permanent residence there, though part of it got moved to the stables..."