Topic: The War: Preparations and Alliances

Elly

Date: 2007-06-30 11:30 EST
((OOC Note: This is an open SL free for people to join in. It's meant to just be silly fun. So if you want in, post! Your character can either go to Elly's atelier, to Lacerta's fortress (about to post about that a little) or unwittingly find themselves involved in another way. Like, just put them in the northern woods, and I'll find a way to write you in and get you involved. ;) ))

To put it quite simply, The Witch was exhausted.

Groaning, she slumped over her desk, frowning at the open text and papers strewn about. Between running her atelier, writing for the Oracle, the Pegasus racing, and the upcoming war, she just had entirely too much on her plate! "I don't think I can read any more about you today Zoshonell~" Whining, The Witch shut the book and stood up, taking a moment to yawn and stretch. If only she had time for a nap, but nope! She had to keep moving.

Readjusting the hat on her head she wandered towards a window and peeked out from within her atelier. A group of about fifteen pumpkinheads were assembled just outside, training with Waster the Pumpkinhead. He was a small guy, but he excelled at the use of the sword. Swinging his through the air, he called out his orders to the pumpkinheads behind them, all wielding a sword of their own. "Ba! Baba..Ba! Baba...Ba! Baba...Ba!"

The Witch watched the pumpkinheads proudly as they moved. Swing, thrust, parry... swing, thrust, parry... they all moved as one, fluid and graceful as water. Well, they were until one of the pumpkinheads stumbled forward, accidentally impaling another pumpkinhead through the back of his head.

"Baaaa~!!"

Sword dropped, the impaled pumpkinhead ran around in circles, frantically flailing his arms a moment before angrily shaking his fist as the impaler. Waster sighed and facepalmed. Things were going so well too...

"Aw, it's okay Waster~!" The Witch called out to him encouragingly. "You're all getting so much better~!" She giggled and waved to the pumpkinheads, and even the impaled one stopped to smile and wave back. Nevermind the sword sticking out of his head...

Knock! Knock!

Furrowing her brows at the urgent knock at the door leading to her room, The Witch turned and tilted her head curiously at it. "Come in~!"

Door swung open and in stepped Julia, one of The Witch's favored soldiers. Once plain, she owed quite a bit to The Witch after getting a makeover, because now she had a boyfriend! Julia was an average height, with pale purple hair (once a light blonde) gathered into a high ponytail and held by a red bow, and vibrant blue eyes (once hazel), almost too bright to look directly into. She was wearing the required uniform for a soldier of her station as well, which is to say, she wore a silver sequined leotard that had sheer red fabric pulled and gathered to her right hip, allowing some to fall over part of her leg. Along with that were matching white glovettes adorned with red bows, and white boots. Also with red bows.

Noting the look of urgency on her face, The Witch frowned. "Is something wrong Julia~?"

Nodding, the purple haired girl huffed. "Melody set a tree on fire with a mana wand!"

"Again~!?" The Witch was in disbelief with her exclamation. Groaning, she shook her head. This was the fifth time! "Why are you here then~?"

"We don't know what to do!"

Violets blinkety blinked. "What did you do the last four times~?"

"We had Joshe put the fire out!"

"Where's Joshe now~?"

"He's taking a nap!"

"Why don't you just wake him up and have him put this fire out too~?"

Julia beamed then. "Oh, that's a good idea Miss Elly!" She giggled and clapped. "Thank you! I'll get him now!" She bowed a little to The Witch before backing out of her room and ran off to find and wake Joshe.

The Witch's army needed a little work...

Lacerta

Date: 2007-06-30 11:32 EST
"Po? Pu? Ri? Are you in here darrrrlings?"

Lacerta slithered across carpet draped over stones into a recently finished room of her fortress. The room that housed her three finest and most favored fighters. Silvery blues swept over the room, and a smile touched The Sorceress' lips when she spotted two of the trio seated on a bed, giggling and conversing with each other. When they spotted Lacerta, they chirped in delight, quickly standing and padding over towards her, bare feet not making a sound.

Po and Pu looked like they could be twins, and even if she wasn't there, Ri made them triplets. They were tall girls, at least six foot and looking to be in their early to mid twenties. They were pretty, but in an odd sort of way. Hair was long and pale pink, flowing past waist and rear and matched their crimson eyes. They weren't dressed, no no. But they weren't entirely naked. Light green leaves that seemed to grow directly out of their pale skin covered chest and.. parts, letting them keep their modesty. To a degree at least. Seriously, no clothing. How modest can you get?

"Ri isn't here with you two?" A blue brow arched as Lacerta glanced between the two girls.

One shook her head, chirping faintly. The other chirped as well, warbling a little. Voice even more lyrical than Lacerta's.

"That's a shame, but I suppose I can tell her the good news later, no?" Hearing that, the girls looked to Lacerta curiously, who then smiled warmly to both. "It took a bit of doing, but I managed to send word to King Canis, letting him know of our situation. I have just received word back that he will not only be sending us supplies and money, but he is sending Volans to aid us as well."

Po and Pu gasped in perfect unison, giggling in glee as they took each others hands and danced around to express their excitement. Pu's cheeks were tinted with a light pink as she looked to Lacerta, warbling in question.

"I'm afraid I don't know exactly when darling.. but it shouldn't be much longer." Another warm smile was offered to the girls she towered over. "You two can get back to what it was you were doing, it was not my intention to interrupt. I simply thought you might like to know.. now I need to go speak with Hans and find out how our new wizards are coming along. You two take care, yes? And do tell Ri the news if you see her before I do."

More chirps and warbles were offered to Lacerta before Po and Pu scampered away and took a seat on one of the three beds in the room, giggling and whispering and conversing once more, with more excitement now. Lacerta watched them a moment before she turned, slithering down the hall towards the Wizard's quarters.

Things were going well for her so far...

NorseLady

Date: 2007-06-30 13:53 EST
Word had eventually spread to the Norse Viking's encampment. The Seafaring Warrior quickly learned that a little Witch by the name of Elly (and her army of pumpkinheads) needed additional help with an upcoming war against some Sorceress called Lacerta.

Surely Elly could count on Shylah, and so it came to pass that the friendly Witch received a hand-delivered missive a couple of days later. The parchment paid for and sent by Shy, employing a special messenger who traveled under the cloak of night to Elly's Atelier. To secure the delivery, magics had been placed not only upon the lad who brought the written communication, but upon the letter itself so that only Elly's touch could unseal the scroll.

It was written:

Elly,

It has come to my attention that you are to do battle in the near future against a female sorcerer. Therefore, I am willing to extend my help to you and your pumpkin-head brigade. Though I am not in RhyDin at the present time, do not fret over my participation or aid. You can count on me.

Sincerely,
Shylah Vulpecula



Woe be to this Lacerta.

Firebreath

Date: 2007-06-30 15:00 EST
Shadow had wandered into the North woods, seriously looking for things to kill. The anger around her was a nearly tangible thing. She growled and kept walking. "This was a stupid idea. There's nothing out here."

Elly

Date: 2007-06-30 15:04 EST
The Witch looked over Joshe's unconscious body. Mainly because the only thing he wore was a loincloth, as that was the designated 'uniform' for the men in Elly's army. The concern over the fact that he was unconscious was secondary at best.

"Oh no, what are we going to do now?" Julia frowned as she peered up at The Witch from her kneeling position next to the large, handsome unconscious and useless male.

Violets blinkety blinked as they looked from Julia, to Joshe, to Julia, then back to Joshe. Finally, a little finger was pointed in his direction. "How did this happen~??"

Julia stood up, placing a hand to forehead as she struck a perfect 'woe is me' pose. "You see, after I woke him up we were running through here and he tripped and fell and he must have hit his head on that rock!" Pointpointpoint to said rock next to Joshe's head. "What can we do about the fire now Miss Elly?"

The Witch? Sighed. She totally sighed. "Where's the fire at Julia~?"

"Down there." Point. "Over near where the fifth brigade is training."

"You mean next to the river~?"

"Yes!"

The Witch stared at Julia for a long moment, and if one looked carefully? They might have seen a violet eye twitch. "Why don't you just get the fifth brigade to put it out with the water in the river~?"

"Oh! That's a brilliant idea Miss Elly!" Julia jumped up and down a moment, clapping. "I'll go do that now. Thank you so much, you've saved us all!"

Violets followed Julia a moment as she ran off, then shifted back to Joshe a moment. Had to appreciate the body and all. "Ickybod~!!"

A moment later The Pumpkin came waddling up, looking up towards The Witch expectantly as he gnawed on something. "Ba~?"

"Can you get Joshe a medic in case he- what do you have there Icky~?"

The Pumpkin shrugged, and held the tightly rolled up scroll towards The Witch before taking hold of Joshe's arm to drag him off elsewhere. Not too mindful of his well being in the process either. Ah well.

The Witch didn't notice, she had taken the scroll from The Pumpkin and blinked in surprise as it unrolled in her grasp. Lips pursed she wiped a pumpkin seed off of it as she held the parchment close to read. A blink and she re-read it, then laughed out loud in joy.

"I knew I could count on Shylah~!" Hopping up and down The Witch did a little victory dance as she hugged the scroll tightly to her bosom. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou~!" A happy squeal cried out towards the sky.

Finally, someone with common sense was on her side!

Lacerta

Date: 2007-06-30 15:24 EST
"Hans isn't here?"

"No ma'am. He isn't. He stepped out not too long ago to scout around the area, make sure everything was okay in the surrounding areas."

Lacerta arched a brow to the young sorcerer. "He went alone?"

"Yes ma'am." He nodded, shuffling his feet a little. Standing next to someone at least two heads taller (a girl at that) was a little intimidating to him.

Frowning, brows furrowed as she looked out a window and over the woods. "I wish you guys wouldn't do things like that." Sighing, she shook her head. "No matter, I'm sure he's fine. Eleanor's sad excuse of an army wouldn't dare tread so far east."

~~~~~

Meanwhile at a clearing near Shadow...

~~~~~

"Ha! You're pitiful old man!"

Leila, one of the few in Elly's army with skill, sneered as she shoved said old man to the ground, snatching a tome he had been carrying around with him away. She was dressed as many others were in Elly's army. The same Julia had been dressed, save red had been exchanged for purple, a stark contrast with her short bright green locks and golden eyes.

Landing with a thud, the old man frowned up at her, reaching up towards that tome. "That doesn't belong to you!"

Leila thrust her spear forward, holding the point of it close to him as she kept him at bay. "I wouldn't do that old man!" She smirked, letting golden eyes dart aside to her newly acquired prize. "I'm sure Miss Elly will love what I found... now it's just a question of what I should do with you." Grinning, her gaze found the old man again, narrowing slightly in thought.

Firebreath

Date: 2007-06-30 15:31 EST
She heard the yelling and ran in that direction, breaking quickly into the clearing. Leaning against the tree she asked lazily. "Why are you doing that to the old guy? I could hold him...Or bind him for you?" The offer made. She was bored and pissed. Bad combo.

Elly

Date: 2007-06-30 15:46 EST
Hearing footsteps, Leila frowned and snapped attention away from the old man on the ground towards the newcomer against the tree. A faint look of confusion touched her features. The silver haired one certainly didn't act like she was on the side of the sorceress, but she didn't recognize her from The Witch's army. And she certainly wasn't dressed like one of The Witch's soldiers...

The old man on the ground? He blinked. Like, five times. A look of incredulity was cast towards the silver haired woman. Bind him? Hold him? And do what with him after that?? Did he really even want to know? With Leila distracted he wasted no time. A clump of dirt was grabbed between bony fingers and thrown up into her face.

"Gah!" Shrieking, both spear and book were dropped to the ground as she clutched at her eyes, wiping away the dirt that stung so so bad. With Leila out of commission, the old man reached forward, reclaimed his book, then started scampering towards some bushes.

But he cast a dirty and suspicious look towards Shadow first. Because, well.. she was going to bind him and do god knows what!

Scowling, Leila looked back to the empty space that once had the old man, then frowned over towards Shadow, pointing.

"This!?" Pointing to the empty space. "Your fault!" She snatched up her spear and pointed it to her. "You on The Witch's side or The Sorceress' side?" Golden eyes narrowed as she awaited a response.

Firebreath

Date: 2007-06-30 16:03 EST
She spun, keeping her eyes on him. After a moment a chrash and muffled struggle could be heard. Said old man AKA escapee came floating back to her, bound and gagged by golden flame ropes. They weren't burning him...Yet. The book floated behind him, about three feet back.

"My fault? Yes. Problem solved. Now then, who are the 'Sorceress' and the 'Witch'?" Black and red eyes trained on a spot in between the two.

Elly

Date: 2007-06-30 22:42 EST
A bright green brow arched way up high as the old man came floating back. How simple was that!? Spear was lowered and pointed away from Shadow as Leila grinned madly, stepping up to the man to pinch his cheek, then past him to snatch that book out of the air.

"Oh man, that was great!" Golden eyes swept towards Shadow, narrowed and wicked. "Yer off the hook for now chickadee." Sing song, jesting words, before Leila stepped past the man again, looking the book over a moment.

"And if you don't know who's who around here, seems you just stumbled unwittingly into the middle of a war." Smirking, Leila tucked the book under an arm and looked back towards Shadow. "The Witch is who I fight for. Or.. Miss Elly. Sweet kid, real powerful, helps a lot of girls like me out." She didn't elaborate on what she meant by 'girls like her' though. "This nasty snake of a woman just moved in and starts.. talking about all this bad crap she's done, but she hasn't done it ya know!?" Leila was angry then, scowling as she shifted weight from one foot to the other. "She wants to drive her out of Rhydin but she just doesn't deserve that."

Leila eyed the old man a moment, contemplating what to do with him. She wasn't *really* all about the violence. Taking him as a prisoner back to the atelier seemed to be the thing to do now.

"I'm sure she'd like to meet you, seeing as how you helped me out here." Leila thumbed towards the old man, then upnodded Shadow. "She may even want you to join our cause... So, you with us or against us?"

Firebreath

Date: 2007-07-01 00:17 EST
She found herself grinning broadly in reply, whomever this lady was she was cool. Few liked her magic, most found it scary or weird. The aura around her swirled and became visible for a few moments as she solidified the bonds on the old man, securing the spell. It would appear as a rapidly swirling maelstrom of red and black, occasionally inter-shot with gold; a ball around her, extending for about five feet. Licking and biting at anything in range. After a few moments it dissipated.

"So, I stumbled into a war, eh? Well, it'll give me things to kill." A feral expression crossed her face, eyes glowing brightly. "Worth a shot. For now, I'm with you. I'll meet this lady Elly of yours." During this whole exchange her blade hadn't been drawn. She hungered for the ability to fight all out. To fight without fear of killing or dieing. Much as she had when she'd sparred with Gabe...Erm, sparred was a bad word, beaten the crap out of each other fit better.

NorseLady

Date: 2007-07-01 01:06 EST
In the distance, echoes of strange gruntings and heavy-footed marching can be heard on the pre-selected route that leads directly to Elly's Atelier. Eerie vocals similar to that of a cadence used by human soldiers. If anyone in Elly's Army can decipher Ice Goblin-speak, then they can translate for her.

Leader: Sound Off!
Group: One, Two
Leader: Sound Off!
Group: Three, Four
Group: One, Two ... Three, Four!

Leader: Shylah sent us to this fight
Group: It might be our dismal plight!

Leader: It's been ordered we must go
Group: Arse is cooked if we don't show!

Leader: Sound Off!
Group: One, Two
Leader: Sound Off!
Group: Three, Four
Group: One, Two ... Three, Four!

Leader: Elly's in up to her ear
Group: She might fall on her rear!

Leader: We dun know but we been told
Group: Punkin heads aint so bold!

Leader: Sound Off!
Group: One, Two
Leader: Sound Off!
Group: Three, Four
Group: One, Two ... Three, Four!

Leader: Lacerta's end is coming near
Group: Shouts and cries of great cheer!

Leader: Will be heard throughout the land
Group: Cuz we're here to take a stand!

Leader: Sound Off!
Group: One, Two
Leader: Sound Off!
Group: Three, Four
Group: One, Two ... Three, Four!


Now just in case anyone gets the brilliant idea to run away or attack the Norse Viking's 'gift' (first of several), sent ahead of the Ice Goblins is a Runner carrying a scroll for the Witch, protected by magic as like the first missive from the Seafaring Warrior. Again, only Elly's touch can break the seal. . .

Elly,

I am sending to you this platoon of twenty (two squads of ten) Ice Goblins. Tis of utmost importance none of your pumpkin-heads touch them, for if they do you shall have frozen gourds on your hands.

The goblins have been given explicit instructions not to touch anyone that battles for you, but only those that are against you. Also, they have been told to follow your complete directions, so please choose your words wisely. Ja, they understand the Common tongue.

Ice Goblins are superior in chaotic fighting!

Sincerely,
Shylah Vulpecula

Elly

Date: 2007-07-01 03:03 EST
Leila was used to magic, people who lived in Rhydin for any notable amount of time would be. Should be. Besides, The Witch could do some crazy stuff. She knew not to be afraid of it, especially if it was on her side. "I'm not real sure there's goin' to be much killing. Miss Elly doesn't like death much, but if things get tough or someone fights back too much-" There was a definite pause in her speech as she sneered at the old man, rounding him before she was standing behind him. "-roughing them up might not be out of the question." Lifting a leg, she placed a boot to the old man's rear and gave a good hard shove. "Alright, start walkin' old man!"

Warmth somehow found it's way to Leila's features as she turned towards Shadow. "We gotta head west to get to Miss Elly's atelier. It shouldn't be too long if we all walk fast." She started walking, still with book under one arm, and spear in hand as she used it as a staff of sorts. Steps were quick, not far behind the old man's, since he was walking quickly, silenced by Shadow's gags though. Golden eyes swept to Shadow, looking her over. "I'm Leila by the way. Care to share your name too chickadee?"

~~~~~

Meanwhile, back at Elly's Atelier...

~~~~~

The Witch was outside, having just given some orders to pumpkinheads out and about. She was just about to turn and head back inside the atelier when...

"Miss Elly!!"

Emily, dressed as Julia was save the only difference was her outrageously bright pink hair and lavender eyes, rushed towards The Witch just as quick as she could, panic writ all over her face. "Miss Elly! It's awful.. so awful! They're coming to kill us all!!" She screamed, panicked and shaking.

The Witch seemed a bit nervous as well. "What~? Who's coming~?" Violets grew wide as she peered around. A few pumpkinheads had noted her look of urgency and started their approach.

Emily pointed beyond a nearby hill. "Over there! They're coming.. they're coming!!" Finally the girl couldn't take it any longer. With a blood curdling scream she placed the back of her hand to her forehead, lavender eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she collapsed to the ground in a faint. Dead to the world.

The Witch blinked at Emily's unconsious form, cheeks puffed and red, then peered towards the indicated hill, frown touching her lips as she heard the chanting then.

"Brigade two and three, take up your stations~!" Her shrill voice sounded in the area around the atelier, and action soon followed. Pumpkinheads scattered and reassembled, twenty in front of atelier to protect it, and at the front? The Witch of course, watching, waiting.

The forms of the ice goblins appeared over the hill, all in methodical march. The Witch lifted a hand in the air, waiting. She wouldn't signal for attack just yet, as they weren't attacking. Yet. Unfortunately she nor anyone else there understood goblin speak. The Witch's features grew curious as the Runner sprinted forward, scroll in hand. Scroll that looked awfully familiar...

"Shylah~?" Pumpkinheads looking on in anticipation as The Witch took the scroll, which immediately unfurled at her touch. Violets blinkety blinked and widened as she looked over the written words, then grinned in oh so much glee. "Shylah~!" This parchment was also hugged to her bosom before she spun about to look upon the gathered pumpkinheads, still awaiting orders. "It's okay~! These are allies sent by Shylah~!" Some of the pumpkinheads looked in disbelief, while others cheered and hollered their merry 'ba's.

Violets twinkled as she spun around once more, this time to face the ice goblins. They sure weren't a pretty bunch, but they would come in handy. "Thank you all for coming~ Thank you all so so much~!" Shylah's gesture had honestly touched her. For a while she worried if anyone cared... yes, even The Witch had doubts and fears sometimes. With newfound confidence she started barking out orders.

"Wally~! Get Emily to a medic~! Brigade two, find brigade five and reassemble at the front lines~! You five~!" She pointed to five of the ice goblins. "Go over there-" Pointing down towards where the river was. "-find Julia and help her put out that stupid fire~! The rest of you~? Come with me so I can get you suited up~!"

NorseLady

Date: 2007-07-02 01:20 EST
Unlike the cadence marching Ice Goblins, the Seafaring Warrior's second 'gift' (of allies) are arriving in a more unorganized fashion as they meander through the woods toward the Atelier. But, do not assume these two-and-a-half-dozen fleshless cadavers are incapable of developing a coherent structure. This large group of thirty Skeletons, all wearing matching buffalo heads for helmets and carrying broadswords, could very well be the founding members of the Water Buffalo Lodge of worldwide fame.

The Grand Poobah calls out to the Witch from a safe distance; She can tell he is the Grand Poobah because of the tattered, red (now faded to pink) satin sash he wears across his bony torso that reads: 'I Am The Grand Poobah!'

"I have a scroll for a Miss Elly!"

Rolled up parchment held out for her to clearly see. Elly certainly knows the drill by now.

Message in familiar script. . .

Elly,

Additional fighters to help in the battle against your foe(s). They take directions well and are quite good at causing distractions. Superb warriors, unafraid of walking into the fray!

Sincerely,
Shylah


Before Elly can say, "Hit it boys!" The Skellies form three lines of ten and begin to sing and dance in unison, as if they are on a Broadway stage. Accompanying music from out of the blue, is heard:

"Chow down!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chow down!

We're chompin' at the bit, baby
Our stomach's on a growl, son
Chow down!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chow down!

Lacerta's been invited on a date
We'll have her raw, won't be long to wait
Chow down!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chow down!

We think we should begin the meal from scratch
So many juicy segments to detach
Chow down!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chow down!

Be good as gold for she's as good as carved
. . . . . . .We're starved!
Chow down!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chow down!"*

Just as quickly as they began their song and dance number, the Skeletons now stand at attention waiting for Elly's instructions. From the back line comes a whisper, "Snake tastes like chicken."



* Lyrics from The Lion King, edited to fit the scene.

Firebreath

Date: 2007-07-03 08:11 EST
She nodded "Okay, sounds simple enough.." Relaxing the bonds on the old man so that he could walk. Not run, walk. Watching a moment as Leila walked ahead before smoothly catching up. "I'm Shadow..Shadow Kitera. Nice to meet you Leila."

Her red-black gaze trailed over her for a moment, then went back to scanning the area. "So tell me about this Miss Elly of yours? What's so cool about her?" Watching still for danger when she heard the song, the last refrain. Her eyebrows knitting. "What was that?" Granted though, her hearing's sharp. They hadn't been walking that long.

The RPS Guy

Date: 2007-07-11 12:36 EST
The three of them stood just outside the atelier quietly watching the goings on about the place and in the surrounding woods while waiting for the war to start. They all wore loincloths and leaned lazily on their spears, the butt-ends of which were planted firmly in the ground for support. They were here to repay a favor to the Witch for helping them with the spider monkey problem; they were here to fight on the side of the Witch, the side of good?and evil? It was unclear to them which side was what and for what and why loincloths were chosen as the uniform, but, they were here non-the-less. They passed the time practicing their three-part harmony of ?Witchy Woman?. Woo hoo witchy woman, see how high she flii-ii-ii?iiiiiesss?. Chris also brought out the grill and is selling burgers and grill cheese sandwiches. They also have a nice selection of ponchos, some t-shirts, and a Whip-It balloon dispenser for the kids.

?This sucks. I?m freezing!? McDoodles, the Caddy, was getting grumpier by the second. ?Who makes their army wear loincloths when armor is available? No, forget the armor, when shirts and pants are available. I own shirts and pants, I could?ve worn them!?

Chewie, the Intern, mumbled something in French and shook his spear in the air a few times before settling back down into the lazy lean. Chris and the Caddy just nodded and gave a grunt in agreement. It was almost like Chewie went native or something as soon as he put on the loincloths so they just agree with everything he says to keep him happy by nodding and grunting a lot.

McDoodles however, not willing to let it go, continued to complain. ?Shouldn?t we at least have shoes? Doesn?t the Witch know that shoes exist? I mean seriously, think about it, what would you say is scarier. Me rushing the field of battle in a loincloth or in my polyester plaid pants, the ones with the Easter colors, some white shoes, and a skin-tight green checkered shirt that looks like a blow back from the 70?s?? Looking between Chris and the Intern, ?the 70?s, that?s what!?

Chris just smiled. ?I dunno Mac, I kinda like this thing.? Looking down at the loincloth as he bounced from one foot to the other, ?lotta freedom to it, comfy; its like I?m out there and I love every minute of it! I think ? ? Getting cut off as Chewie begins shouting more of that French mumbo jumbo and shaking his spear at the sky has Chris giving the Caddy a look. ?I sure hope they get this started soon because the natives are getting restless.?

NorseLady

Date: 2007-07-17 15:05 EST
Shylah not only travels by Sea, but also by Land. Most know the female Viking enjoys adventures, especially to out-of-the-way destinations; places that mayhap hold mystery and intrigue. So it is of no surprise to find her on a dirt road leading to an ancient and mystical town. A town mentioned to her by Villagers and Farmers alike, in whispers, while resting at hearthside at some quaint Inn or drinking establishment.

An opportunity presents itself, and Shy jumps on it. Promises are made. Monies exchange hands, on the sly.

Directions given, and with the aid of an old Wizard's magic, the group of people (sans the Seafaring Warrior) appear at the Witch's Atelier. Having suddenly popped in at the Jack-O-Lantern house, a man holds out a scroll and quickly announces it is for Elly, and they have arrived to help in her battle against Lacerta.


Elly,

On my way to St. Ives I met this mann with his seven wives.
Each wife has seven sacks, and in each sack are seven cats,
Each cat has seven kits!

Kits, cats, sacks, wives. . .
How many did I bribe on my way St. Ives?

Sincerely,
Shylah


Now if Elly knows the Seafaring Warrior well enough, she is aware that Shy has a sense of humour. Though some simply do not understand it at times, the cute little Witch can be sure that the Viking was amused while writing her note.

Will Elly be able to calculate the number? Perhaps she will keep Ickybod busy trying to figure it out? Or would that be too much for the little pumpkin-head to handle and cause an abrupt explosion of orange goo?

One thing is certain and beyond a doubt ... the group truly is there to help out in Elly's War.

Elly

Date: 2007-07-17 18:00 EST
"Shadow.. that's an interesting name." The golden eyed amazon wannabe nodded, then lit up at the mention of The Witch. "What isn't great about Miss Elly?" Leila grinned, beaming with pride at the mention of her leader. "She's beautiful and benevolent, does nothing but give to this sewer of a city." She walked leisurely for the most part, a touch faster than the norm. "But this.. this sorceress.. she wants to kick her out, take Rhydin for her own, rule us all like a tyrant!" Leila had nothing but contempt for Lacerta, who, she had never met. Had only heard about. From The Witch. But that's a reliable source, right?

Having ordinary human hearing and being an ordinary human, Leila heard nothing, saw nothing. But? She knew Shadow was more than mere human. "Ya heard somethin'?" Scowling, she turned towards where Shadow was looking, head canted to the side a little. "That's the direction of the atelier. Sure hope there's no battle going on there. But if there is, we could be walking into a war zone. Don't need any extra weight either." A pointed look was given to the man before she looked to Shadow. "Think you can secure him to that tree there chickadee? It'll keep him out of the way and we can high tail it back there, post haste."

~~~~~
Elly's Atelier...
~~~~~

The Witch had made considerable progress. Her army was coming together nicely. She couldn't oversee everything, but she had delegated trust to other individuals. Pumpkinheads and ice goblins had been broken up into squads, and each squad had a leader. Armors and weapons had been passed out, except for the attractive men, they were stuck in loincloths (sorry McDoodles!), supplies were being gathered and packed.

Smooth sailing.

And the arrival of the skeletons made things better! Sure, Julia ended up fainting when she caught sight of them after 'The Great Fire' was put out, but Julia was useless anyways. Really. Even The Witch knew this.

As Shylah's Skellies sing and dance, The Witch danced as well, giggling and clapping at the sight. She was in love! Pumpkinheads watched jealously as she was absolutely enamored with the skellies. Even after the number was over she ran forward and danced and twirled with a few of the skellies, dishing out hugs, handshakes, and blowing kisses, not at all disgusted with the fact that they were.. er.. skeletons.

"Thank you all so much for coming~! You're so talented~! After the war you have to teach the Pumpkin Brigade how to do that~ I'm sure you're all great at choreography~ Maybe you and the goblins and the pumpkinheads can put on a show for the town to celebrate our victory~! At the Harvest Festival too~!" Violets glistened as she daydreamed about such thoughts, and gave a little sigh.

"Considering you're the Grand Poobah, you should be in charge of Shylah's Skellies~ I think a division of two groups might be more manageable too~"

More kisses blown to the skeletons, The Witch scampered off to make more preparations and do more planning~! And to eat a cheeseburger or three that was being grilled near the atelier. Mm mm!

~~~~~

It wasn't long before Shylah's third gift arrived. The Witch did a meet and greet with each of the group, and sent them off to join the rest of the army. The man with the scroll was kept near however, as The Witch was absolutely boggled!

"It's not as tough as it sounds~! Seven times seven times seven times seven is the same as seven to the fourth power which is the same as seven times four which is... twenty seven, right Ickybod~?" Inquiring violets darted down to The Pumpkin, who blinked once to The Witch, and shook his head. "I'm wrong~? Shoot~"

The Witch and The Pumpkin spent a few minutes together with an abacus, using all their brain power to solve this riddle. Long story short, the abacus was set to fire, and an answer was never come up with. Two heads are sometimes worse than one, considering who's involved.

"I know~! I bet Chris or McDoodles or Chewie is really good at math~!"

Dragging the man with the scroll along, The Witch wandered out towards where the trio was gathered, beaming her prettiest grin to them. The Pumpkin stopped to purchase himself a grilled cheese and looked over the t-shirts on sale.

"Chris~! I have a problem~" A little pout was given to the loincloth wearing man. Her idea of making that the uniform for the attractive men? Brilliant, and she knew it! "Are any of you good at math~? Shylah sent me a riddle and I can't figure it out because it's really, really hard~!"

The man was prompted to re-read the scroll for the trio, and The Witch waited, violets wide with anticipation. Surely they would know!

NorseLady

Date: 2007-07-18 11:35 EST
As Fate will have it, one of the man's wives decides to let her cats out of the bags.

All of the cats scamper off. No place is safe from such curious felines, and where the mother cats go, so follow their kittens. Soon the Atelier and its immediate surrounding area is being inspected. Much sniffing and marking of territory is taking place, including that of Pumpkinheads, Skellies, Chewie, McDoodles, Chris, Julia and Elly. The only ones excluded from the cats attentions are the Ice Goblins.

The other six wives, seeing how happy all of the furry creatures are, open their sacks and let out their cats, as well.

Now the place is teeming with cats of various sizes and colours: Black, White, Gray, Orange, Tan. And there are those with stripes, spots, and calico coats. But the most amazing sight of all is one little kitten the colour of purple.

The old Wizard (whose spell went slightly awry and brought him with the others to Elly's place) turns to the man holding the scroll and asks, "Why did you marry so many women?"

Said he, "I think it's much more fun than getting stuck with just one."

NorseLady

Date: 2007-07-19 09:16 EST
'Fun' does not appear to be what is happening at the present time. Knowing he must get the situation under control, and quickly, the husband reaches into his vest pocket and pulls out his trusty kazoo; it is the only way to save everyone from drowning in the Feline Sea! As he starts playing, his wives begin chanting:

Practical cats, dramatical cats
Pragmatical cats, fanatical cats
Oratorical cats, delphioracle cats
Skeptical cats, dispeptical cats
Romantical cats, pedantical cats
Critical cats, parasitical cats
Allegorical cats, metaphorical cats
Statistical cats and mystical cats
Political cats, hypocritical cats
Clerical cats, hysterical cats
Cynical cats, rabbinical cats!*


Fortunately for Elly's Army (as well as the rest of RhyDin), the husband's kazoo playing lures the cats back into their sacks ... except for that one little purple kitty who is hiding inside the Atelier.

Perhaps those cats can be used in some way against Lacerta and her followers once the battle begins. And perhaps Elly's enemies will hate the sound of an instrument that imparts a buzzing quality to the human voice. It certainly had annoyed Shylah when she heard it, and is one of the reasons why she decided to enlist their help.



*Lyrics from the musical Cats

Firebreath

Date: 2007-07-23 10:30 EST
"Shadow.. that's an interesting name." The golden eyed amazon wannabe nodded, then lit up at the mention of The Witch. "What isn't great about Miss Elly?" Leila grinned, beaming with pride at the mention of her leader. "She's beautiful and benevolent, does nothing but give to this sewer of a city." She walked leisurely for the most part, a touch faster than the norm. "But this.. this sorceress.. she wants to kick her out, take Rhydin for her own, rule us all like a tyrant!" Leila had nothing but contempt for Lacerta, who, she had never met. Had only heard about. From The Witch. But that's a reliable source, right?

Having ordinary human hearing and being an ordinary human, Leila heard nothing, saw nothing. But? She knew Shadow was more than mere human. "Ya heard somethin'?" Scowling, she turned towards where Shadow was looking, head canted to the side a little. "That's the direction of the atelier. Sure hope there's no battle going on there. But if there is, we could be walking into a war zone. Don't need any extra weight either." A pointed look was given to the man before she looked to Shadow. "Think you can secure him to that tree there chickadee? It'll keep him out of the way and we can high tail it back there, post haste."

She blinked a moment about the bit about Elly, nodding slowly. Listening still. "I pray there isn't a battle, but it's hard t-" Her eyes widened and she grew quiet as she felt the gate magic. Lines of gold appearing on his skin as the magic hit her. She blinked a moment and muttered a couple bads words under her breath. Nodding to Liela she snapped her fingers, four of the nearby trees had a symbol glow about midway up the trunk.

Those four trees did their best to surround him, and if possible catch him. If this succeeded the biggest tree would wrap all its branches around him, and the binds would wrap around the tree. Confidant they'd catch him she turned to Liela and knelt. "Get on. Ride piggy-back, it'll be faster.."

Elly

Date: 2007-07-23 17:40 EST
Leila was listening to Shadow, but when she stopped talking, she frowned a little bit. She was about to ask what was wrong, but then she spotted those lines of gold. One green brow arched way on up high, then the other soon joined when she could have sworn sub-kosher language touched her ears. For the moment, she sat back, letting Shadow work her magic, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. She had to admit, there was a twinge of jealousy there. Mere human she didn't have the ability to sense things the way others could, and she couldn't cast nifty magic like Shadow or The Witch could either.

Snickering as the old man was wrapped in branches, she gave him a pseudo salute. Wide eyed he didn't say a thing. There wasn't much he could do at this point to help himself. "See ya later old man, and thanks for the gift." The tome was held up and shown off along with a wink before she looked back to Shadow, blinking as she knelt.

"Piggy back? Whoa, dontcha think yer a little..." She trailed off, recalling the magic and everything she had just seen. With some, there was simply more than meets the eye. "Right, you're the boss chickadee!"

Tome tucked snugly under an arm, and spear held carefully as to not bring the point close to Shadow, Leila moved, carefully climbing on the other's back.

"I sure hope you know what your doin'."

Lacerta

Date: 2007-07-23 18:22 EST
~~~~~
Somewhere North and far away...
~~~~~

There was still no word on Hans, so The Sorceress worried some. Not overly much though. It would do little good, and she needed to keep a cool head on her shoulders. Besides, she had trust in him, that he was capable and intelligent, able to handle himself should things get bad.

Still, just in case, she had sent a couple scouts to find him. Silas and Tarin, two aspiring soldiers who, given some time and experience, would be mighty warriors one day. For now, they were young and inexperienced, but had a great deal of natural talent with the blade, and a quick wit about them. Lacerta valued such things, especially in times like these, when an army was a hard thing to assemble. No. A *good* army was hard to assemble.

Troublesome however, was the news some other scouts had brought back to her. There was much activity going on at The Witch's atelier. They couldn't get close enough to see, but The Sorceress knew The Witch had that disgusting Brigade of Pumpkins at her disposal, so if she were acquiring more troops? Lacerta needed to do the same thing. And she had an idea of how to do so. Tricky it was, risky it was, but if it paid off?

Eleanor would fall.

Accompanied by Po, Lacerta set out into the woods, moving further north, deep into woods barely touched by mortal man. She felt guilty for leaving the fortress, but she trusted her army. It would be a brief trip however, and this was a mission she had to do. She couldn't send any other, for she knew it was likely any she sent wouldn't likely return.

Of course, Lacerta had to wonder if she'd be returning, as a shrill little cry suddenly rang out within the dead quiet of the dark woods.

Firebreath

Date: 2007-07-24 14:26 EST
She nodded. "Me too..." Standing slowly, and breathing for a second. A slight shift and she had the strength now to support this stunt. No visible change though. A slow smile as she crouched slightly. "Hold on tight, okay? And don't look down. We're gonna be moving very fast.."

With that warning she jumped up, into and then on top of the tree canopy. Jumping from branch to branch, heading in the direction she'd felt the gate magic come from. "What am I looking for?" Said to Liela, another burst of speed as she turned her head to help the other hear her question.

Elly

Date: 2007-08-15 08:12 EST
As Shadow leapt up into the air, Leila's hold on her tightened. "Holy-! Yer a strong chickadee!" For a brief moment, the sudden change in altitude was a terrifying thing, but soon a grin found it's way to her face. This was pretty awesome! Maybe someday The Witch would be able to augment her to these levels. The thoughts of a new body didn't seem like such a bad thing right now.

"The Witch's atelier is pretty hard to miss." Leila extended her spear forward, pointing off to the right. "It's that way. Shaped like a big pumpkin. Surrounded by a bunch of little talking pumpkins, but they're pretty harmless." She was unaware of the additions to The Witch's army as of this moment. That'd be a nice shock. "If you look to the west a little, ya can actually already see part of her courtyard visible." Spear shifted that way to point, and indeed, some sort of golden structure was partially visible. Thing was much bigger and nicer than the atelier in her opinion...

And spear was redirected once more, back towards where the atelier was, hidden a little deeper in those woods. At this rate it'd take mere minutes to get there. "So just head that way Shadow! I assure ya you won't miss it!" And with those words, her grip tightened again, and grin spread wider.

Firebreath

Date: 2007-08-15 08:57 EST
She cackled after a few moments, a high confident sound. "I told ya! I'm not human. Why would I have human limits? As long as we don't get attacked we're fine." Her gaze turned to follow the spear, and indeed. The patch of gold was easily visible. Waiting a moment until Liela was holding on tight again before heading West.

Her eyes drifted half closed, and she followed her internal compass. Followed the magic. Within a couple heartbeats she was going faster, not holding back. With this change her speed doubled, and the shift was starting to show a bit. Her nails were growing longer, and her skin was getting harder; her body heat got higher to. About now it was like hugging a space heater.

And very, very shortly they hit the edge of the clearing. The atelier was only a yard or two in front of them. Shad wasn't looking though. Her eyes were closed, breathing steadily as she let Liela down. Kneeling there she shivered slightly. Slowly her eyes opened, and she turned back to face Liela. "There are goblins there.. And more then just pumpkins, I think Elly's amassed a nice army." A rueful snicker. Her irises were honing toward red, the blue that remained was a hard, cold color.

"Don't worry.. I'm okay, it's an instinctive reaction, the wards sent my hackles up. I'm okay though."

Kalis-nar

Date: 2007-08-16 20:17 EST
To Miss Elly, from Kalis-Nar, God-King of Athas

Dear miss Elly, i wish you success and victory in your war against this Lacetra. Though if you have no need of my armies, i would still offer you advice if you seek to have it, i am a god of war after all, and i have been in the business of war for many centuries and on many worlds. So if you have any questions either ask me, or my High Priestess, Narisa-Vesh, as she has been at my side and fought at side for over four hundred years. Once again good luck, and may victory be yours.