Jump to content

Burnmad

Premier Members
  • Posts

    5,481
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    27

Other groups

Year 16

2 Followers

About Burnmad

  • Birthday 12/09/1997

Profile Information

  • Gender
    he/him/his
  • Location
    Somewhere in Indiana

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://
  • LEGO.com Account
    Jman322

Recent Profile Visitors

7,433 profile views

Burnmad's Achievements

Master of Fragmentation Rampant

Master of Fragmentation Rampant (166/293)

  1. IC: Selamat - Iron Canyon The young Glatorian nodded, a bead of sweat shaking loose from his jawline and vanishing into the bone-dry sands of the canyon floor, sating them not one whit. The spear with which he upset the sand before them had shifted from one arm to the other and back again as they traveled. It was important to make sure one arm was not tired out before the time had come to use the weapon for its intended purpose. He did not spare a glance back at his companions, but his thoughts were upon them even as his eyes scanned the canyon walls ahead for the places where they had yielded to the elements; where wind and grinding sand had carved out places beyond sun's reach, where darkness covered all and the air cooled your sweat-slick body until you were ready to venture out into the slowly baking desert once more. He felt a mix of emotions towards the leader of their expedition, Vulcanus' Second Glatorian, who walked several paces behind him. On one hand was suspicion; Tueris had concealed details from them about the plague they were to be investigating. On the other hand was the knowledge that, aside from the events which had seen him disgraced and demoted, the Glatorian had never failed Vulcanus before. Selamat had never known the man before today, but he'd felt as if he did, Tueris was such a fixture in the village. He did not believe that the older Glatorian would lead them into certain death-- even if that was exactly what Tueris seemed to think he was doing. The others in their party he had never seen nor heard of prior to this venture. He was uneasy about having the two Agori with them, especially if they were wandering into a Bone Hunter trap. Still, one of them was a medic, and their talents would prove vital if one of the fellowship was to be injured. Or, indeed, if there was truly a plaguestruck village waiting for them at the end of the canyon. His mind vacillated on which possible outcome to this trip would prove true, and on which would be preferable. Though he had never fought another being outside of nonlethal arena combat, he knew at heart that he was a formidable opponent, and had no doubt in his ability to strike down whatever foes fate placed before him. But a plague? That was something that could not be slain with sword or spear, nor warded off with a shield. He would prove fairly useless if they were forced to treat the ill. Any member of the party could fall ill themselves, were they not careful around the sick. Then what? They could not simply be brought back to Vulcanus, where they might spread the plague to another village entire. If they could not be healed, would they be forced to die in the desert, for the sake of the others? What if Selamat could not return to his home, could not become its greatest warrior, its protector? What if protecting Vulcanus came to mean staying away from it, dying for it? His brow furrowed at the thought, and in that moment, his eyes lit upon a particularly deep shadow that rested in a recess of canyon wall. "There," he spoke, voice hoarse from some hours of disuse, as his free hand lifted from his side to point out the cave to the others. "Let us ensure that it is not already occupied, and then we may rest there until the sun has passed overhead." OOC: @a goose @Nato G @oncertainty @Toru Nui @~Xemnas~ IC: Skrall - Bone Hunter Fortress Skrall did not look at his companions as he weighed in on their debate. His eyes were busy surveying their surroundings, watching for any sign of foul play; reminding the deserters that they were not trusted. "These people are common bandits. They weigh gain and loss on a scale. We bring little more than our gear, and the goods we have offered them, and we shall leave with nothing more than our gear and the goods they offer us in return. If they were to do anything, they would do it here, where they are strongest. But they will not. They would lose a dozen men or more, and our future business as well. As long as they have the weak Southerners to prey upon, and as long as they know that we are strong, they dare not to bite the hand that feeds them." OOC: @a goose @BULiK @Nato G @oncertainty @Toru Nui @Vezok's Friend
  2. IC: Selamat - Iron Canyon Selamat stepped forward. "Let me go first," he offered to Escus, as he drew the spear from his back. In lieu of explanation, he took up the forward position in the procession, lowering the tip of the spear into the sand in front of them. The technique was one which he had heard from an older Glatorian, a drifter who had visited Vulcanus once when Selamat was young. It served two purposes; while it kept his spear at the ready out in front of him, it also created a disturbance in the sand several feet in front of the traveling group. By moving the spear tip back and forth while walking forward, the disturbance could be made to mimic the movement of a sand snake, one of the favored prey of the larger predators of Bara Magna's deserts. It was insurance; a trick that marginally increased ones' odds of surviving a run-in with the ambush hunters that haunted the nightmares of every tribe's scouts and travelers. Last Selemat had heard, the Glatorian who'd taught him the technique had been killed and eaten by a pack of dune wolves, which notably were not ambush predators. OOC: @a goose @~Xemnas~ @Nato G @oncertainty @Toru Nui IC: Skrall - Bone Hunter Fortress Skrall watched, not moving a muscle, as Atakus walked away from them. He would wait two and a half seconds for one of the younger Skrall to follow him; if none stepped forward by that time, he would. He would have stepped forward immediately, but the task was not suited to him. His slim frame meant that the prisoner might try, in his desperation, to run, or to overpower him. Either way, he would force once-Skrall to submit, of course, but it would still look bad. Better that one of the younger, broader Skrall do the deed, so that once-Skrall would be less likely to bother trying. But of course, it was also vital that the Skrall as a whole turn out one of their number for the task, promptly and without speaking. Three seconds of them standing dumbstruck would be unacceptable. Thus, two and a half seconds was the time limit Skrall would wait. OOC: @Skrall
  3. IC: Selamat - Into the Abyss Selamat stood stock-still as the elevator shook its way unsteadily down to the canyon below. There had been several moments prior in their journey which had struck him as the point of no return, but this was, without any doubt, the no-returningest of all the points they had crossed thus far. The elevator seemed to him as alike to Charon's ferry, carrying them across the River Styx into the depths of the Underworld. But if he saw the canyon as Hades, then he likewise saw himself as Heracles, the peerless champion who would plumb its depths and deliver Theseus - who, in this strained analogy, he supposed must be the people of Ferrum? - from their imprisonment. He was, perhaps, more of an Orpheus. But, that was a myth he had not read. And so he stood there, waiting for the elevator to touch down upon the sandy rock floor of the canyon. OOC: @~Xemnas~, @a goose, @Nato G, @oncertainty, @Toru Nui
  4. IC: Selamat - Precipere The reason of the elder's response seemed to satisfy Selamat, and he nodded. "Thank you, elder." OOC: @a goose @Nato G
  5. IC: Selamat - Precipere Selamat was not supposed to speak during this interaction. One of their number had been designated to do the talking, and that one was not Selamat. Nevertheless... When Tueris stopped speaking, he piped up. "Excuse me, honored one," He began, addressing Somok, Precipere's elder. "Did you say that the other member of your tribe who was to join us had fallen ill?" His concern was only halfway buried beneath honorifics and social etiquette. @a goose @Nato G
  6. IC: Selamat - Precipere You didn't think to tell us that before we departed? He said it in his head. It was an impressive exercise of restraint on his part - the shock of the news nearly activated his implants. But that restraint was for naught, unfortunately; the way his gaze snapped instantly from Somok to Tueris left no doubt that this was the group's first time hearing the information that Tueris had just related so casually. They'd been told there was a plague waiting for them, they'd even been told that the information came from the Bone Hunters. But the knowledge that the Bone Hunters had found the Iron Tribe's leader - alive, even - and delivered her charred remains to Vulcanus? It changed the situation drastically. Had Tueris planned to tell them this if Somok hadn't brought it up? If this was 'need to know' information, they had needed to know. Selamat remained silent, but his eyes were boring a hole in the back of Tueris' head. There would be a discussion about this later, when they were not among strangers.
  7. IC: Selamat - Precipere Standing behind Aurax with the rest of the expedition, Selamat bowed wordlessly to the Ash Tribe's apparent leader. It was not worth questioning the implication that they would not be permitted to pass through on their return trip-- evidently, most of his fellows did not plan on making a return trip. He did, but that was a bridge to be crossed when he reached it. He turned away and began studying the construction of the building they occupied, hoping that, permission for passage having been attained, they would not waste further time here. People of the Iron Tribe were very likely dying as they stood here. OOC: @~Xemnas~ @a goose @Nato G @oncertainty IC: Skrall - Approaching Bone Hunter Stronghold Skrall snapped to as Atakus called out their fast-approaching destination. While making sure his visible weapons were visible and his concealed weapons were concealed, he spared a glance to the two younger Skrall in the cart. "Here we go, Skrall. My advice: Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't be afraid to return any stares that come your way, though." As their party neared the mesa, and he completed his self-check, he returned to surveying the sands. Populated did not necessarily mean safe, and the growing intensity of the dunes made for much shorter sight lines. @Skrall
  8. IC: Skrall - On the Road He thought quietly for a moment, eyes returning to their previous routine of surveying the land around them. "Dunno," he said, after some moments. "I'm no Sister, I can only see what's in front of me. If they ever had intelligence, they lack it now." OOC: @Nato G @oncertainty
  9. IC: Skrall - On the Road "Once," Skrall replied, eyes now briefly diverting to meet the younger Skrall's gaze. "We did much as we are doing now; delivering a reject to sell to the bone hunters. Only, we did not continue further south after we had done so." There was more to the story. He felt a sudden impulse to share some of the details with them. "On our way back, we were attacked by one of the desert's creatures: An upright predator called a Vorox. Closest thing to a true 'people' that the dunes have. Seemed we surprised it while it was dragging a kill back to its den. It punched a hole in a Skrall with its tail, and gave a few more some minor scratches before we hacked it to death. The scratches were fine, but the Skrall that got jabbed started seizing up, couldn't move, could barely even breathe. Surprisingly, he lived. Unlucky for him, as he got transferred to logistics for being the first blood drawn by the South." OOC: @Nato G @oncertainty
  10. IC: Skrall - On the Road Skrall, to this point, had been silent-- straining his ears to listen to the conversation in both carts at the same time. Taking it all in, drinking in the words of his various traveling companions, trying to get a bead on their perspectives, their weaknesses, and their merits. At the same time, his eyes scanned the horizon, as much to spot any lurking denizens thereof, as to appear like he was not eavesdropping. The results came as a surprise. Well, partially-- that the three male youths were hopeless greenhorns was no surprise. But, there was an unexpected level of nuance to their childish ignorance. Magnet Hands was a thinker; open-minded. If he took care to keep his skull from being similarly opened, that quality might serve him well, when he had gained the experience to know what things were worth thinking about. The other Skrall in their cart struck him as more of a watcher and a follower, someone who took in a great deal of information about the world around him, but struggled to operate without direction. Quite easy to influence, if handled properly, Skrall thought. In the other cart, it was clear that the third youth was trying desperately to be properly Skrall-like. That made him quite predictable, but not necessarily dependable. The female, Skrall could not get a read on. She had said too little, and revealed of herself even less. This was one thing which was not surprising-- of course the female, feared and reviled by all who knew what she was, would not be forthcoming with details about herself. Un-Skrall was not worthy of consideration; even if he managed to earn Skrall's respect, orders were orders, and the traitor would soon be left behind them with the Bone Hunter slavers. Still, the claims he had made were of great interest, and Skrall wondered with a detached curiosity how much of them had been truthful. The scout was the most intriguing of all Skrall's companions. Skrall had initially written him off as a foolish outcast, an ill-fitting link in the Skrallic chain. Now Skrall wondered if the scout was not, perhaps, the wisest of them all-- other than Skrall himself, of course. The scout's story stuck in Skrall's mind even more than un-Skrall's had; the implications it had for Skrall, and what it said of the merits of the Southerners they had come to conquer. There was no doubt in Skrall's mind that the scout had glimpsed one of the myriad faces of Truth-- the ever-shifting crumb of knowledge that few ever saw more of than a mere outline. The question was, had he survived the encounter fully intact? That was a question that would have to be answered through further observation. Presently, it occurred to Skrall that he had been silent for quite a long time while the two youths with whom he was sharing his wagon had been conversing. He thought it prudent to join their conversation, for the sake of group cohesion. They seemed to be talking about Tajun, and one had just asked why all of the Southerners did not live there. "Not enough resources for everyone to live in one place," he said, without tearing his eyes away from the desert sands. "They do as the Skrall did in the North; control sources of not just water, but also food and raw materials. The only difference is that instead of all being Skrall, the villages which control those things in the South are all different. Instead of the leaders taking the fullness of the land's bounty and rationing it out as needed, they distribute it randomly, through a foolish process called economy." OOC: @Nato G @oncertainty
  11. IC: Selamat - Arena Vulcanus "Whatever awaits us, I am confident that we will get through it, by the strength of our arms and the sharpness of our wits. Nonetheless, it would behoove us to start our journey while we yet have the half-light of dawn before us. We shall wish to be amidst the canyons by time the sun is directly overhead." @a goose @oncertainty @Nato G @~Xemnas~
  12. IC: Selamat - Arena Vulcanus Selamat was just finishing his breakfast as the others began to stand. He hoped that they had not been waiting for him. He was perfectly able to eat on the move, and had done so numerous times prior. He rose from his cross-legged sit as if unfolding, feet sliding beneath him and pushing him to a standing position without the aid of his arms, which were occupied by placing his emptied lunch bag into a satchel that was then pushed around to hang at his hip, opposite his sword on the other. He was ready to depart. With an Agori in tow, it seemed? He fancied that it may, indeed, be possible for her to hold her own out on the sand, and he hoped that this was the case, as they would bring dishonor upon themselves if she perished in their company. If the rest of them survived, that is. @a goose @Nato G @oncertainty @~Xemnas~
  13. IC: Selamat - Arena Vulcanus Selamat, still chewing a mouthful of bread, glanced at the Agori that was entering. Before he could swallow, Tueris and another had already spoken up to object to the small being's presence. He nodded his agreement to the words of Vulcanus' disgraced former Second Glatorian. "It is a treacherous path we will walk," he muttered. His voice was remarkably high when compared with most men, and pleasantly smooth. @a goose @Nato G @oncertainty @~Xemnas~
  14. IC: Skrall - Roxtus Stables "We won't," Skrall cut in, ending the conversation as well as his comrade's concerns. "We present a strong front to the outsiders. We are Skrall!" As he spoke, he looked to each in turn-- even the female. Even the scout. Not the traitor. "Now," he said, looking to the cart they had been loading, "let us finish our preparations and be on our way." OOC: @a goose @BULiK @Nato G @oncertainty @Toru Nui @Vezok's Friend
×
×
  • Create New...