From: Paul, Brett Subject: Bamf [16] Rest easy There seem to be several people in the group who are interested in the stars, and who would recognize the constellations and motions of the stars on Earth. Together, you determine that the stars above you now are different, somehow, from the ones you know from Earth. However, they move the same way, and sometimes, even seem to make up the same pattern. They are more colorful than those on Earth, and some even seem to change color as you watch them. Oddly enough, the color changes seem to localize themselves to a particular area of the sky. For example, a star might turn red, then blue. As it is turning blue, an adjacent star may be turning red. When the first star turns back to red, the second star is turning blue. This happens in odd, unpredictable patterns, and one star doesn't seem to be limited in the colors it changes to. You are able to find wood enough to make a warm, inviting fire on the beach. It takes the edge off the chill in the night. During the time you are on the beach overnight, you do get to look around a little bit. The vegetation near the beach is mostly low, though there are some trees. There is a lot of dune grass, like what you saw on the island. It grows mostly nearer the water on the beach. There is also an abundance of insect life in the area, most notably green-headed biting flies. They tend to stay near the beach as well. Some of you get bit, but are able to swat them or shoo them away, though they might get a few good bites in while you sleep. During the night, as your conversations quiet down, you hear the sounds around you as they seem to grow louder. Crickets chirp happily along throughout the area. Occasionally, you hear flapping sounds from overhead, emitting from small creatures, black as the night itself, elusive in the darkness. You never seem to get a good look at them as they travel along, seemingly ignorant of your presence. Greg takes his turn at watch. The water can still be heard, lapping quietly on the beach nearby. Greg senses that something around you has changed, that something is different, but he can't pinpoint what it is. Then, he realizes that what he thought was different was what he heard. The crickets are silent. Even the ocean's waves seem to have been muffled somehow. Off to the west, you hear something walking clumsily through the trees and brush. Crash, whoosh, crack! Greg sees sudden motion in the distant brush, continuous motion that approaches the beach very quickly. A rush of adrenaline tinged with fear strikes Greg, and for a moment, he is unable to act. Then, he hears the sound of footsteps as they tread heavily through the sand on the edge of the beach. He stands abruptly. The rest of you are definitely awake now, looking around. As quickly as you can focus your eyes, your attention is drawn to a dark, unnatural shadow on the edge of the beach. Greg is standing, and like the rest of you, he is unable to move. He simply cannot get his legs to act under his own volition. He can only stare at this vague darkness that is holding his attention. Just below the shadow, you see motion in the sand. Footsteps! There are footsteps directly below the shadow. As your mind assimilates this information, you realize that the shadow is really a man, but you can't seem to make out a definite shape or any features of this man. Standing among you all, the shadows coalesce into a defined form of a well-dressed man. His shirt is an odd off-white, as if made up of moonlight. His suit jacket, vest, tie, and top hat are blacker than the night. His skin is a pale white that seems to glow in the star and fire light. He carries a black cane that seems almost to absorb the light around it. He begins to speak with a voice as smooth as silk, as deep as a canyon, that comes from all around you at once. [ooc: Imagine Darth Vader's voice.] "Greetings to you all. I trust your journey was," he chuckles lightly, "comfortable." He looks over to the boat that ferried you from the island. "Do forgive my manners, my name is Medizar. I believe I am the reason you were brought here. You see, I need your help to free this world." An ominous smile spreads slowly across his face. As he bears his teeth to you in a feral grin, you notice that they are colored nearly the same as his shirt. You also notice that his canines (teeth) are greatly extended. "Come to my castle to complete your quest. Travel west past the great tower where you will see a never-ending plain. At the far edge of the plain, you will find me. Do make sure my servants cause you no harm." He begins to laugh, a deep, resonant laugh that fills your ears seductively. You almost want to laugh along with him, but again, your body does not cooperate. Taking a breath, Medizar's laugh deepens. His chest shakes with his dark merriment as laughter flows from him and into the night. Then, he dissipates into a swirling cloud of fog and mist before your eyes. The hold on you is released, as your senses reel to try to take in everything around you at once. Your muscles are stiff and sore, as though you've been in one position for hours. Greg steps forward twice, attempting to catch his balance. Greg notices that the stars have shifted around substantially, though you still stand on the beach where you landed. Turning to see where Medizar went, you look to the trees, and see nothing but shadows. You turn and look out towards the ocean, and the awful, penetrating feeling fear you have come to know since your arrival rises up in you again. You see the ghost ship under full sail bearing down on the beach where you are. Knowing that the ghost ship is 150' tall, you guess that it is perhaps a mile away, tolling its mournful bell as it weaves a heavy, grey mist behind it. [Now what? I mean, besides asking yourself, "now what?"] ---------- From: Jeff Willis[SMTP:thor@bji.net] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Rest easy NRPG: I think that those ghosts sailors are his servants. I'm waiting to see what the others are doing... or at least pausing to take everyone in first. :) ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Rest easy > [Now what? I mean, besides asking yourself, "now what?"] "Oh, so summon us here, but make us journey to get to you?" Saif asks the area where the man once stood. Turning to the others he says "Me thinks I smell an ulterior motive here." Looking out at the approaching ship he shakes his head. "I also think it's time to get out of here. We've got a tower and then a castle to find." Saif gathers up what supplies he can without overloading himself, making sure we take as much fresh water as possible. "If I had a parachute harness I could make a dandy backpack" he mutters as he slings things into pillow cases and sacks. Saif ---------- From: gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com[SMTP:gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Medizar "Okay, I can be a little obtuse at times, but I don't think we need Brady to tell us that was Evil." I chuckle nervously to myself. "Anyway, I think we do need to go to his castle; but I think I'd rather not help him with whatever it is that he's got planned. "There's definitely a lot of power, there, though. I couldn't even move, even though I wanted nothing more than to throw a big old glass of holy water in his face, drive a stake through his heart, run away, collapse and curl into a little ball. Anything at all. I don't like vampires. "So I guess the next order of business is to find the great tower. Well, almost the next..." Greg ---------- From: gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com[SMTP:gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship Looking to the east, I groan as I see the ghost ship. "We can't take on the whole ship of them. It's possible that we can lose them in the woods. John, can you Shapeshift into a bird form, probably an owl, and find what's through the woods? Dana can then lead us on the trail you find." I grab any good sized rocks I find shove them into my pockets, taking the sling out, and fitting one rock into the pocket. Greg ---------- From: John D. Proulx[SMTP:dewelar@ix.netcom.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship Greg Thomas Dinkelman wrote: > John, can you Shapeshift into a > bird form, probably an owl, and find what's through the woods? "Who, me? I'm still trying to figure out if my poetry does anything..." I assume you were talking to Jeff here. :) John Proulx ---------- From: Jeff Willis[SMTP:thor@bji.net] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship >> John, can you Shapeshift into a >> bird form, probably an owl, and find what's through the woods? > >"Who, me? I'm still trying to figure out if my poetry does anything..." > >I assume you were talking to Jeff here. :) I will assume the same thing... :) Okay... I'd like to say one thing... "If I turn into something like a bird, it'll be hard for me to fight... because if I turn back I'll be in pretty bad shape, so can we take a consensus on what I should try, preferably something that can move through the woods fast and fight as well." ---------- From: Marshall T. Vandegrift[SMTP:marsh@intrlink.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship >I will assume the same thing... :) Okay... I'd like to say one thing... >"If I turn into something like a bird, it'll be hard for me to fight... >because if I turn back I'll be in pretty bad shape, so can we take a >consensus on what I should try, preferably something that can move through >the woods fast and fight as well." "Since we all seem to think getting the heck out of here is a good idea, how's this. Instead of Jeff scouting, he can change into a horse and carry the two slowest people. Meanwhile Dana can do a quick check to see if there are any large creatures in the forest. While that's going on, I'll try to set up a wind blowing from the coast that might, hopefully, slow the ship down some. After we do all that, we start running. "Sound good?" Marshall T. Vandegrift (mailto:marsh@intrlink.com) ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship > I will assume the same thing... :) Okay... I'd like to say one thing... > "If I turn into something like a bird, it'll be hard for me to fight... > because if I turn back I'll be in pretty bad shape, so can we take a > consensus on what I should try, preferably something that can move through > the woods fast and fight as well." "How about a wolf? Or a large hunting cat like a jaguar with good night vision. Say, did your visual acuity change at all when you were in tiger shape? Or was your sense of smell sharper?" As Saif is talking he keeps getting ready to beat feet out of here. Saif ---------- From: gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com[SMTP:gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship Marshall wrote: > Jeff:> >I will assume the same thing... :) Okay... I'd like to say one thing... > >"If I turn into something like a bird, it'll be hard for me to fight... > >because if I turn back I'll be in pretty bad shape, so can we take a > >consensus on what I should try, preferably something that can move through > >the woods fast and fight as well." > > "Since we all seem to think getting the heck out of here is a good idea, > how's this. Instead of Jeff scouting, he can change into a horse and carry > the two slowest people. Meanwhile Dana can do a quick check to see if there > are any large creatures in the forest. While that's going on, I'll try to > set up a wind blowing from the coast that might, hopefully, slow the ship > down some. After we do all that, we start running. "Jeff becoming some type of mount is a good idea. If you're going to exhaust yourself, though, Marshall, you'll have to be one of the riders. "John, try taking the sword and reciting "Jabberwocky"--only the verse about the vorpal blade! Not the rest of it. Last thing we need is a Bandersnatch running around. "Hopefully we won't have to use any of this. I've got my boots on, though, so I should be able to trek through without worrying about twisted ankles or anything. If we do the horse thing, whoever's on it had better keep their heads down. Running through woods at night on a horse can be a dangerous thing." > "Sound good?" "Definitely sounds like a plan." Greg ---------- From: Paul, Brett Subject: RE: Bamf [16] Ghost ship >"How about a wolf? Or a large hunting cat like a jaguar with good night >vision. Say, did your visual acuity change at all when you were in tiger >shape? Or was your sense of smell sharper?" You had the senses of the tiger, vision, smell, hearing, etc. If you want more specifics, I can try to find information about them, but I don't have it on hand. Anyone else have specifics on vision, smell, etc. of a tiger? Dana? - Brett ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship > You had the senses of the tiger, vision, smell, hearing, etc. If you > want more specifics, I can try to find information about them, but I > don't have it on hand. Anyone else have specifics on vision, smell, > etc. of a tiger? Dana? If it is much like a cat the acuity will be down but sensitivity to motion up. Low-light vision obviously up. Good nose (although a dog is much better) and hearing shifted somewhat upwards from ours. Still waiting on an answer if my ESP experiment worked. Saif ---------- From: Dinkeldog@aol.com[SMTP:Dinkeldog@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship In a message dated 97-07-30 21:33:06 EDT, thor@bji.net (Jeff Willis) writes: << >"How about a wolf? Or a large hunting cat like a jaguar with good night >vision. Say, did your visual acuity change at all when you were in tiger >shape? Or was your sense of smell sharper?" >> "Or a bear. They tend to make a lot of noise, but they can move quickly. I don't think they have the enhanced senses of the large cats and dogs, though." Greg ---------- From: Animalz@aol.com[SMTP:Animalz@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship > > John, can you Shapeshift into a > > bird form, probably an owl, and find what's through the woods? > > "Who, me? I'm still trying to figure out if my poetry does anything..." Very punny. :) Okay, John, go ahead and try to serenade them back out to sea.... But if it works, we may have to rename you Lorelei. Or was that Mary. . :) Dana ---------- From: Animalz@aol.com[SMTP:Animalz@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship - Jabberwocky In a message dated 97-07-30 19:00:06 EDT, gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com (Greg Thomas Dinkelman) writes: > "John, try taking the sword and reciting "Jabberwocky"--only the verse > about the vorpal blade! Not the rest of it. Last thing we need is a Bandersnatch > running around. LOL! :) If you need the words, I could come up with most of them having memorized it in high school. Meeting up with a burbling Jabberwock coming through the woods would also be a bad thing, so be careful with it, John. :) Dana ---------- From: Animalz@aol.com[SMTP:Animalz@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] the Rest is easy?! > "Greetings to you all. I trust your journey was," he chuckles lightly, > "comfortable." He looks over to the boat that ferried you from the > island. "Do forgive my manners, my name is Medizar. I believe I am the > reason you were brought here. Hmmm... 'the reason' we were brought here, not necessarily the bringer. > You see, I need your help to free this world." From whom? or what? and why? not only that, but why us?? Maybe this guy is not the one we should be allying with. If we can find out who he is afraid of, or who his rival is, we may find a bargaining position. > An ominous smile spreads slowly across his face. As he bears > his teeth to you in a feral grin, you notice that they are colored > nearly the same as his shirt. You also notice that his canines (teeth) > are greatly extended. Oh, great... we've gone into Ravenloft. :) > "Come to my castle to complete your quest. Sure, and get stuck here forever?.... no thanks. > Travel west past the great tower where you will see a never-ending > plain. At the far edge of the plain, you will find me. And how exactly are we supposed to get to the far edge of a never-ending plain? > Do make sure my servants cause you no harm." Well if he wants us to make it to his castle, he'd better call off the guards. > The hold on you is released, as your senses reel to try to take in > everything around you at once. Your muscles are stiff and sore, as > though you've been in one position for hours. Can't say I'm overly fond of this Medizar dude. But at least now we have some direction to our romaing, if we decide to go to his castle, or west in general. If he didn't bring us here, maybe we can find who did and see if they can send us back. > You see the ghost ship under full sail > bearing down on the beach where you are. Oh, no! Not again!! > [Now what? I mean, besides asking yourself, "now what?"] I concur with the general statement that we can't fight all these ghost sailors. Y'know, if these sailors are Medizar's servants, maybe we can use that knowledge to turn them away. Command them in his name to return from whence they came. Give it a try Brady, you're the one with the 'commanding" voice. Too bad paladins can't do *real* magic. :) And after that, a good strong wind to help send them on their way would be great, Marshall. Just try not to tire yourself out too much. Then let's boogie off into the woods following whatever game trail or footpath we find heading away from the beach. Again, I'll try to communicate with any wildlife out there to find a path, fresh water, food, shelter, weapons, a teleport pad (okay, that may be stretching it a bit :). I think if we can get away on our own two feet, we shouldn't ask Jeff to transform into anything that would exhaust him. We may need that ability for something else. Hmmm... random thought that just struck me.... I'll try to summon horses. Hopefully tame ones. :) Equiped with saddles and bridles would be akin to a limited wish, so I won't even try that one. :) At any rate, let's get away from the beach as quickly as possible. I'm going to carry my driftwood staff and try to let my eyes adjust to the low light in the woods, looking for game trails or any sort of path through the trees. Tiger vision sure would be helpful right now. :) And tiger move silently and sniff out dangers and listen for anything out there..... :) Anyone else coming with me?? Dana ---------- From: Animalz@aol.com[SMTP:Animalz@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship - shapeshifting In a message dated 97-07-30 00:46:36 EDT, thor@bji.net writes: > can we take a > consensus on what I should try, preferably something that can move through > the woods fast and fight as well." How about a wolf? Or a rhino? Maybe a Tazmanian Devil?? Perhaps a tarrasque would be best. :) Dana ---------- From: Animalz@aol.com[SMTP:Animalz@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship - tiger > Anyone else have specifics on vision, smell, etc. of a tiger? Dana? Well, tigers are one of the few cat species to actually enjoy jumping into water upon occassion, so I imagine they wouldn't smell as bad as others. Not sure how foresightful they are, so I can't really say if they have "vision". Oh! That's not what you meant? Oops, sorry...... :) Umm, well, like most cats, their sense of smell is probable really about average. Dogs/canids have more highly developed olfactory senses. Eyesight, though, is pretty darned good. Especially at night, though not as good as an owl. Hearing is also very keen, not so much colorwise but very sensitive to movement, ie black and white vision. I can't give you specifics on how far, how many decibels, etc, so *you*, Mr. GM, will have to make a judgement call on those. Tigers are also the only (IIRC) large cat to purr. :) Dana ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] the Rest is easy?! > > island. "Do forgive my manners, my name is Medizar. I believe I am the > > reason you were brought here. > > Hmmm... 'the reason' we were brought here, not necessarily the bringer. Good observation. > And after that, a good strong wind to help send them on their way would be > great, Marshall. Just try not to tire yourself out too much. "Well, possibly" Saif says. "Then again, a physical force like the wind may have no effect on the ghost ship. Personally I would rather not stick around to perform that particular experiment." > At any rate, let's get away from the beach as quickly as possible. I'm going > to carry my driftwood staff and try to let my eyes adjust to the low light in > the woods, looking for game trails or any sort of path through the trees. > Tiger vision sure would be helpful right now. :) And tiger move silently and > sniff out dangers and listen for anything out there..... :) I still like the Tarrasque idea. > Anyone else coming with me?? Saif's outta here. ---------- From: Paul, Brett Subject: RE: Bamf [16] The forgotten ESP experiment ...or was it a government coverup? You try focusing on Brady's thoughts... reaching into his mind, looking for surface thoughts, emotions, fleeting notions... anything. All seems to be quiet, though for all you know, you might just be listening with the wrong sense. Things just don't feel right as you attempt to reach out. Rethinking your approach, you attempt to reach out again. This time, you'd swear you had some stray thoughts enter your mind... thoughts of climbing a rocky cliff face... then you get another image. You see the face of a young girl, perhaps in her twenties, with dark hair and a thin features (not anorexic). She smiles at you, and you feel her affection. The image breaks up quickly, leaving you with a headache that seems to pound in your temples for hours. - Brett ---------- From: Adequis@aol.com[SMTP:Adequis@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship Alright I am SICK of these stupid ghosts!!! They think there tough, they don't even have muscles!!!!!!!!! Okay, so I am done ranting, but it pisses me off, first a vampire says we are her for him, I am NOT here to serve a blood-sucking cockroach, second, he chuckles about his servants and then these losers show up again. I personally think it is time for these retards to feel the presence of a real master! At this I start to pray for God to show his might against these servants of evil and send these servants of Medizar back to where he dug them up. I am holding my cross. ---------- From: Adequis@aol.com[SMTP:Adequis@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship I don't have much opinion on what creature Jeff should turn into. What Dana said about waiting a little might be a good idea. Also everybody get ready with the holy water it hurts them (at least it did...) I am not in a big hurry yet. How many sailors are there anybody remember. I am slightly perturbed and will take a little convincing to run again. Brady ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] The forgotten ESP experiment > ...or was it a government coverup? Give it the name of some obscure western US city and we could make millions on the series. ;) > Rethinking your approach, you attempt to reach out again. This time, > you'd swear you had some stray thoughts enter your mind... thoughts of > climbing a rocky cliff face... then you get another image. You see the > face of a young girl, perhaps in her twenties, with dark hair and a thin > features (not anorexic). She smiles at you, and you feel her affection. > The image breaks up quickly, leaving you with a headache that seems to > pound in your temples for hours. Thanks. Saif ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship > Also everybody get ready with the holy water it hurts them (at least it > did...) > > I am not in a big hurry yet. How many sailors are there anybody remember. I > am slightly perturbed and will take a little convincing to run again. "What, you are actually planning on facing these things?" Saif shakes his head. "Sorry, but my goal here is to survive this ordeal and get back home to my family. If I can avoid a fight that is going to be my strategy. Heroism is for AD&D and PBEMs, not real life." (OOC: ) Saif picks his gear up and follows whoever it was that was already walking towards the forest. ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] The forgotten ESP experiment > >> The image breaks up quickly, leaving you with a headache that seems to > >> pound in your temples for hours. > > > >Thanks. > > I give you a headache, and you thank me? Can I borrow 20 bucks? > > - Brett :) I figured that would happened. Can't wait for the bloody noses. Saif ---------- From: Paul, Brett Subject: Bamf [16] Timing I, of course, don't mind everyone trying to do different things. However, to give you a feeling for the sense of urgency we're looking at here, the boat will probably arrive on the land (where you are standing) in about 10 minutes. You have time to discuss your options, sway others one way or the other, attempt to do things, get set up, and finally, to act. I hope to put out a post tomorrow, so please let me know what you want to do between now and then. Dana - You had attempted to scan the area for wildlife, but your efforts were unrewarded. Nothing happened. Many of you said that you wanted to do something. Please solidify your plans and let me know your intentions. The ship is nearing even as we speak! (Ok, read.) Jeff, you've been surprisingly quiet... :-) - Brett ---------- From: John D. Proulx[SMTP:dewelar@ix.netcom.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Rest easy Sorry, guys -- my e-mail server was down all day yesterday, and it looks like I've got a lot to cover, so here goes. Paul, Brett wrote: > Together, you determine that the stars above you now > are different, somehow, from the ones you know from Earth. However, > they move the same way, and sometimes, even seem to make up the same > pattern. They are more colorful than those on Earth, and some even seem > to change color as you watch them. Oddly enough, the color changes seem > to localize themselves to a particular area of the sky. For example, a > star might turn red, then blue. As it is turning blue, an adjacent star > may be turning red. When the first star turns back to red, the second > star is turning blue. This happens in odd, unpredictable patterns, and > one star doesn't seem to be limited in the colors it changes to. Well, that's confusing enough to make this place unidentifiable. > There is also an > abundance of insect life in the area, most notably green-headed biting > flies. They tend to stay near the beach as well. Some of you get bit, > but are able to swat them or shoo them away, though they might get a few > good bites in while you sleep. Hopefully these insects aren't poisonous... > "Do forgive my manners, my name is Medizar. I believe I am the > reason you were brought here. You see, I need your help to free this > world." Dana responded: > Hmmm... 'the reason' we were brought here, not necessarily the bringer. I have to agree with Dana and Saif on this one. This was a perfect choice of words by our 'host', since if he is our enemy (or at least the enemy of whomever brought us here), he isn't lying. Very telling. Greg wrote: > "John, try taking the sword and reciting "Jabberwocky"--only the verse about the > vorpal blade! Not the rest of it. Last thing we need is a Bandersnatch running > around." Dana responded: > If you need the words, I could come up with most of them having > memorized it in high school. I'm willing to give this a try, and since I don't know the words, I'll need Dana's kind assistance. I will then test the sword on a nearby rock to see if it was effective, hopefully without breaking the blade. If this does not work, I will try my other assumption (that only original poetry brings magic a la Piers Anthony's Adept) and say something like 'Rock on the ground/Start making sound' (being a cat person, I hate to use doggerel, but these are desperate times), hoping that one of the rocks will emit some sort of noise to drive away the things-that-go-bump-in-the-night. If none of these things work, I'm all for heading for the woods. I don't think we're ready to face an army of undead (Brady's invocation notwithstanding). Being on the heavy side, I probably qualify as one of our slowest people should Greg decide to go the equine route. John Proulx ---------- From: Jeff Willis[SMTP:thor@bji.net] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Timing >Jeff, you've been surprisingly quiet... :-) Just waiting to see where the others are going... I'll support either way. :) ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Timing > Many of you said that you wanted to do something. Please solidify your > plans and let me know your intentions. The ship is nearing even as we > speak! (Ok, read.) Gather up stuff. Run away. Saif ---------- From: Saif[SMTP:saif@xmission.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Rest easy > this does not work, I will try my other assumption (that only original > poetry brings magic a la Piers Anthony's Adept) and say something like > 'Rock on the ground/Start making sound' (being a cat person, I hate to > use doggerel, but these are desperate times), Stile (or was it Style?). He's the one I thought of when you were discussing your powers earlier. Good series. Saif ---------- From: John D. Proulx[SMTP:dewelar@ix.netcom.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Rest easy Saif wrote: > Stile (or was it Style?). He's the one I thought of when you were > discussing your powers earlier. Good series. > > Saif 'Stile' was the main character's name. The first three were very good, but I didn't care much for the second group of books, though. Anthony is one of those authors who really knows how to beat a dead horse (IMHO, of course). John Proulx ---------- From: Marshall T. Vandegrift[SMTP:marsh@intrlink.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship Jeff wrote: >"HHHmmm... possible... but are any of us THAT slow or THAT fast? Not to >mention wouldn't a horse have a hard time going through the woods without a >road or something." Also we haven't tested to see how big or small I can >get... so it's probably going to be one shot..." "I wasn't so much thinking of speed as I was time. Considering that undead probably won't get tired very quickly, we may end up running until dawn." Greg wrote: >"Jeff becoming some type of mount is a good idea. If you're going to exhaust >yourself, though, Marshall, you'll have to be one of the riders." "Even assuming Jeff does become a mount, I won't try and make a large enough wind to stop them. Plus, I'm fairly sure I'm the fastest runner here and could keep up with the rest even if slightly tired." Saif wrote: >"Well, possibly" Saif says. "Then again, a physical force like the wind >may have no effect on the ghost ship. Personally I would rather not stick >around to perform that particular experiment." "It's my guess that to physically harm us they, and their ship, have to be physically here. I don't plan sticking around long though :-)." Paul, Brett wrote: >Many of you said that you wanted to do something. Please solidify your >plans and let me know your intentions. The ship is nearing even as we >speak! (Ok, read.) Alright, I'll try to set something up that will keep the wind blowing from the coast for a while. If it seems like I'm tiring myself out too much, I'll quit. After that (assuming the others are already leaving), I'll start running at a leisurely 8 min/mile pace, changing pace only if absolutly neccesary. Marshall T. Vandegrift (mailto:marsh@intrlink.com) ---------- From: gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com[SMTP:gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Ghost ship Marshall wrote: > "I wasn't so much thinking of speed as I was time. Considering that undead > probably won't get tired very quickly, we may end up running until dawn." > > Greg wrote: > >"Jeff becoming some type of mount is a good idea. If you're going to > exhaust > >yourself, though, Marshall, you'll have to be one of the riders." > > "Even assuming Jeff does become a mount, I won't try and make a large > enough wind to stop them. Plus, I'm fairly sure I'm the fastest runner here > and could keep up with the rest even if slightly tired." > > Saif wrote: > >"Well, possibly" Saif says. "Then again, a physical force like the wind > >may have no effect on the ghost ship. Personally I would rather not stick > >around to perform that particular experiment." > > "It's my guess that to physically harm us they, and their ship, have to be > physically here. I don't plan sticking around long though :-)." > "I would agree with Saif here. Best not to stick around here to find out." > Paul, Brett wrote: > >Many of you said that you wanted to do something. Please solidify your > >plans and let me know your intentions. The ship is nearing even as we > >speak! (Ok, read.) > > Alright, I'll try to set something up that will keep the wind blowing from > the coast for a while. If it seems like I'm tiring myself out too much, > I'll quit. After that (assuming the others are already leaving), I'll start > running at a leisurely 8 min/mile pace, changing pace only if absolutly > neccesary. "I should be able to maintain that pace for a good hour at least before we need to break. I'm not going to be good for much of anything tomorrow, though--old injury. "I'll pull up the rear of the group, with the sling, I'm the only one with a missile weapon. I've also got the canteen, so if they're onto us, I can soak a stone in the holy water and then sling it at the ghosts following us. "My guess is that they won't follow us too far inland--ghosts tend to be tied to a specific location, in this case the ocean, probably. Their boat most likely can't go to far inland. The island is one thing--mainland should be a complete other story. "At any rate, people, I think it's time to run. Marshall, you're taking the lead, then?" I stand by the trail as we grab what is easily carried and head for the woods. I do intend to be the last one out of there, hopefully before the ghost ship comes within sling range. Greg ---------- From: John D. Proulx[SMTP:dewelar@ix.netcom.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Medizar Regarding the previous comments about our good assumed-to-be-a-vampire Medizar, has anyone considered that, since he knows we're going to come after him eventually, he would prefer to do it at a time of his own choosing? Specifically, I believe he wants us to go to his castle _now_, while our powers are not yet fully developed to the point where we can resist, much less defeat, him and his minions. This is the main reason I want to head for the forest after my attempts at shoring up our defenses. Regarding distance running, I'm not in that great a shape and doubt I could keep up a pace of 8 minutes per mile for much more that 2-3 miles. I could probably keep up a pace of 12 minutes per mile for a few hours, or 10 minutes per mile for somewhat less. John Proulx ---------- From: gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com[SMTP:gdinkelm@ccs.lmco.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Medizar > Regarding the previous comments about our good assumed-to-be-a-vampire > Medizar, has anyone considered that, since he knows we're going to come > after him eventually, he would prefer to do it at a time of his own > choosing? Specifically, I believe he wants us to go to his castle _now_, > while our powers are not yet fully developed to the point where we can > resist, much less defeat, him and his minions. This is the main reason I > want to head for the forest after my attempts at shoring up our > defenses. Good point, John. I would agree that there's something or someone acting to counter tall, dark, and creepy--maybe we should search him/her/it/them out. Didn't Medizar say something about a tower on the edge of the plain? Maybe there's something there that can direct us to real living people in this world. Kind of makes you wish you had some kind of signal flare, doesn't it? > Regarding distance running, I'm not in that great a shape and doubt I > could keep up a pace of 8 minutes per mile for much more that 2-3 miles. > I could probably keep up a pace of 12 minutes per mile for a few hours, > or 10 minutes per mile for somewhat less. > We go the speed of the slowest person. If Marshall's faster, than he can go and scout ahead a little bit. Like I said, I've got the missile weapon, I'll stick to the back of the group. If the nasties catch up, I can grab a tree branch or something, but I shouldn't be winded. Greg ---------- From: Animalz@aol.com[SMTP:Animalz@aol.com] Subject: Re: Bamf [16] Medizar In a message dated 97-08-02 07:30:34 EDT, John D. Proulx writes: << Regarding the previous comments about our good assumed-to-be-a-vampire Medizar, has anyone considered that, since he knows we're going to come after him eventually, he would prefer to do it at a time of his own choosing? Specifically, I believe he wants us to go to his castle _now_, while our powers are not yet fully developed to the point where we can resist, much less defeat, him and his minions. >> Good point, John. Who knows what this guy is up to. If we can taunt him a little, he may reveal something of his plans. Why exactly were we brought here? What does he intend to do with us or have us do? And to whom or what? The sooner we learn more about what we can do in this world, the better our chances for defending ourselve against Medizar, his minions and his plans. If he does have an enemy, that entity may help us out ("the enemy of my enemy is my friend"). Then of course, we are making an assumption based on our initial reaction to Medizar. He may not be the evil that we think he is. He may be the lesser of two, or more, evils. So, next time he shows up, or we meet up with him, let's try to get him talking without commiting ourselves to anything. "Know thy enemy." Dana