The Muck Pond

[Fleegle]

Okay, I've got one here for AngelSpice and for Snake_byte. Schme and Varrius, it is getting pretty late for me so I'll have to follow up on yours tomorrow, or I guess technically, later today .

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(This one is for AngelSpice)

The bird kept an eye trained on the mermaid slinking towards the ocean. It made a screech and flew over the plains, hovering over the water. It cackled and made a series of little screeches. Some waves crested and splashed, seemingly in response. The bird then climbed higher into the sky and made circles over the shore.

As Audirda descended onto the beach, the water rolled back. As she approached the wet sand where the water had just been, it came rushing up again, rolling over her hands and tail. The water seemed to hold itself at that level, not receding again as one might expect. As she advanced further into the water, impelled by hunger, the water pulled away from the shore, dragging her along into the depths. It was forceful but not violent, and Audirda did not seem to mind. As she became fully submerged, she could detect an echoing noise that seemed to surround her. Seemingly out of nowhere a school of fish appeared before her and encircled her. They were not hostile in any way, and danced dreamily about her. Their fins occasionally brushed up against her and left a tickling sensation.

"Eat, daughter." a far-off voice spoke, and yet in some way it seemed to come from within her head at the same time. The school of fish seemed to glitter a bit more than before.

(I hope I did not go too far AngelSpice... I assumed your character would head straight into the water. Please let me know if you only wanted to go as far as the beach, and I will change your bit accordingly.)


(And now for Snake_byte)

As Beelzebub walked through the archway, it lost sight of the old man, who had vanished into the inner recesses of the structure, through a small doorway into a pitch black room. He emerged mere seconds later (strange given that he did not seem to move very quickly), and came out carrying a pile of parchment and a little bone flute or whistle of sorts hung about his neck.
The look on his face had grown serious, and he went to stand behind a little stone podium, erected just before what could only be an altar. The altar seemed to have fallen into disuse, as it was covered in dust and cobwebs. Ilosep paid it no heed, instead he went about his business, arranging various bits of parchment on the podium's tablet. As Beelzebub approached, Ilosep commanded him to stop. Whether it wanted to or not, it could not move any closer to the podium. Something was holding it, paralyzing it.

Ilosep drew the little bone whistle (apparently a piece of some animal's collar-bone) to his lips, pursed, and blew. A sharp, shrill "peeeeep" erupted from the tiny bone, and suddenly voices could be heard filling the once-empty hall.

A host of ghostly figures materialized in the hall. They all seemed to be chatting amongst themselves, and Beelzebub was not able to make out any specific words.

"Silence!" commanded Ilosep. His voice thundered through the hall, no longer the gentle rambling of an elderly man. Something seemed to have changed within him.
The voices fell silent
"The court has gone over your file, Beelzebub, and has determined what your fate is to be!"
The voices rumbled a bit, then died back down slowly and softly.

"Your fate... is SoulWrench! You will be able, from this day forth, be able to will any mortal soul to do three actions of your choosing. But choose carefully, for you may only command three things of that soul for their entire lifetime! While that soul is performing the action you will become a stone statue, so keep in mind the length of time it will require for that soul to complete the action. Remember, you can only influence MORTAL souls. You will be unable to command gods, even when they are in avatar form."

At this point, Ilosep blew his whistle, and the voices rose up once again. Shortly thereafter the ghosts disappeared and the hall was silent.

Ilosep gathered up the bits of parchment and stepped down from the podium. Regaining his previous mode of speaking, he said softly, "That is all, Beelzebub. I hope I will not have to see you again. I do this fates business as a favour to Anesek. Oh, and if you run into any other new creatures of the muck, would you send them my way? Unless they are a sea creature, I'm afraid the sea is out of my jurisdiction. No, the sea has her own way of handing out the fates and I'm afraid she does not like me very much. Really, it is a silly reason, but I'd rather not get into it... especially with the likes of you." He smiled at Beelzebub and shuffled back into the dark room. He did not return.

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(Yes, I know Snake_byte's was longer. I can't guarantee the same length for everybody. It all depends on where you go, who you meet, how important the events are to the story, that sort of thing. I promise I don't play favourites And Schme, Varrius, I promise to do yours tomorrow!)

[Fleegle]

(Schme, your turn)

The little mush man could hear puffing noises coming from the cave as he approached the tree. MushBall tugged at the box, which gave little resistance. The dry stringy material holding it to the branch snapped and the box slipped out of MushBall's "hands", smashing into splinters on the ground. He heard an inquisitive grunt come from the cave. Obviously something alive was in there. Not knowing much about the world, MushBall was not afraid of this. Besides, he was much more interested in that little box, though he must have been saddened that it was now broken. But inside the box, something glittered. On closer inspection it turned out to be a silver fang. It was quite beautiful, and had a little hole in it, allowing you to thread a string, as if it were intended to be put on a necklace.

As MushBall stood there, a muscular blue man fell from the tree above him. The man said nothing to MushBall and headed to the mouth of the cave.

(For Varrius)

As Varrius entered the cave, he noticed a faint light coming from another chamber. Since it was rather dark, Varriuss kept stumbling on the rocks. He entered the lighted chamber.

He was greeted with a deep, menacing growl. A massive creature stood awkwardly on its hind legs before him. The monkey-thing hadn't lied in his description of Tagus, but perhaps could have been a little more specific. Had he been, Varrius would likely have decided not to go in the cave. Tagus was a giant, bear-like creature with the head of a dog - an ugly, mean, flat-nosed dog. Indeed Tagus was pleased to meet Varrius, though he had no intention of sitting down for tea.
The huge beast bore down on him quickly. Varrius could not even get a word out before Tagus was upon him. The animal brought its front claws down on Varrius' shoulders, shredding his skin and forcing him to the ground in pain. Tagus stamped one his hind legs on Varrius' belly, crushing the organs and snapping some of the lower ribs. Varrius was now immobilized below his torso.
Tagus picked him up and bit him in two, casting the still-living torso onto the cavern floor. It then picked up the lifeless pair of legs and lower body and ripped that in two, one leg separating at the pelvis. Tagus sucked that leg clean and cast the bloody bone aside, then began to work on the remainder of the lower half. Meanwhile, the torso remained, still barely holding on to life. It was uncertain whether Varrius would still be alive by the time Tagus got to the rest of him. Varrius could still clutch at the rocks and drag his half-body along if he wanted to.

(Varrius, sorry about the gruesome death... but your character fell into the monkey's trap You can write your death scene and the beginning of your new character in the same post if you like. I didn't describe your screams or anything, or the actions you took while you were a torso, so I'm hoping you'll fill those in for me Again, I'm sorry you were the first to die...)

[Varrius]

*cries*

Varrius screaming obscenities as the beast tore him in half suddenly became silent and his silver eyes stared, as they would for evermore...

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Name: Kitty
Height: 4"1
Sex:Female
Covered in a light blue fur all over her body.
Yellow Cats eyes
Smallish Cats Ears

A Cat in all but mind and fur colour Kitty pulls herself out of the Muck and grooms herself with her tongue, looking around Kitty sees the torn up corpse of anohter cat. Her fur standing on end she notices the Muckman and feels a sudden affection to if for some reason. Prowling up to the Mushball she rubs her back against his legs and seeing the Mush on her back decides better. Opening her mouth for the first time she says "Miaow", relising that she cannot speak she tries to convey to the Mushman that she needs his help.

Finnally relising what she needs to do she connects her mind to his and thinks, "Hello, can you help me? As you can see I have only just crawled out of the Muck Pit and do not know what to do", Hoping that he could hear her this way.

*That is my new character*

[El_Skwidd]

Vex and Xev look at each other in the presence of the awesome snake.

"Groff, huh?" Vex says. Still hungry, they inch towards the plants and both eat a stalk. It is enough to fill their tiny stomach for now.

"Wow, tastes like... well I don't really know what it tastes like," says Xev.
"Whatever yours tasted like, I'm sure mine tasted better!" Vex argues.

After a brief bickering and snapping match, the two decide that the serpent may have been right. They make their way back to the Muck Pond... sloowwwwwllyyyyy.

[Fleegle]

(Hmmm... perhaps I should have been more clear about special abilities... but I don't want to be a stick in the mud, so I'm going to allow you, Varrius, to use mind communication, just so long as your character can't read minds. I would consider that a "magical" ability. As to whether MushBall can hear you, well, I'll let Schme decide that.)

(Wow, this is a first. Varrius, I will leave the response to yours in Schme's capable hands, since your response depends entirely on MushBall's actions)

(So this next one is for El_Skwidd)

As Vex/Xev approached the Muck Pond again, they heard blood-curtling screams and harsh language emerging from the cave, followed by loud, smacking, chewing noises. Moments later, they noticed that the pond had started to seethe and bubble again. A large blue cat emerged. She began to groom herself as Vex/Xev continued along to the Old Temple.

(El_Skwidd, before I continue, I want to ask you if you only intended to pass through the Pond area, or if you planned to stop there on the way. I will add to this post accordingly depending on your answer... please PM me your answer, thanks.)

[AngelSpice]

Audirda looks around for whoever spoke, but she doesn't see anyone and, impelled by hunger, reaches out and grasps a fish. She raises it to her mouth and tears into it with her pointy teeth.

After satisfying her hunger she swims along the shore under the circling bird, playing in the surf and exploring her new environment. After a refreshing swim, she starts looking to see if she can find where the voice came from.

[Fleegle]

"I am right here, daughter." the voice spoke. A dark patch appeared under the water, before Audirda. It resolved into a magnificent, dark blue giant whale. It stared at her with a kindly eye, and approached within a few feet.
"Do not be afraid." the voice reassured Audirda. It seemed clear that the voice was coming from the whale, though it could be heard in the innermost recesses of her mind.
"It is I, the sea goddess, Dietris. Of course, you do not know me, but I am your mother, in a manner of speaking. For you are a creature of the sea, and a part of my blessed dominion. I shall watch over you as long as you remain in my waters. Of course, all of my creatures have their role. The fish I sent for you, they knew their role. They offered themselves willingly for your benefit. You too, daughter, must have a role. I shall give you the gift of SilverSight. Darkness will no longer impede your sight. But you must use your gift to help others, or else you will develop the silver sickness, and light will bring you excruciating pain."
The whale blinked lazily and slowly turned away from Audirda. "Follow me to the Anemone Gardens. There my son will grant you this gift."
The whale swam away and descended into the depths. A host of shiny fish followed in her wake, provinding a path for Audirda to follow.

[Schme]

The little man of mush was indeed most distressed and surprised by the shattering of the neat little box, but this quickly passed as he beheld the pretty silver fang. “Why, this is the most marvelous and beautiful thing I have ever beheld!” he said, and he stood there a moment admiring his beauty. Then, looking up at the monkey and over at the blue man entering the cave, he quickly got a look of greed in his eyes. “I must not let them have this! They are not worthy of it! And besides, it is rightfully mine, after all. It was indeed I who discovered it.” And so, he hastily bent down and snatched up tooth in his hand, and for good measure, grabbed the little pieces of the box and the piece of string that had held it, just in case he had need for them later.

As the great screams came from the cave, the mushman decided it would be best if he did not involve himself, and he backed away so as to have the monkey’s tree in between himself and the mouth of the cave.

While he was collecting his thoughts, MushBall was again startled at the feeling of something rubbing up against his back. Turning around, he observed the exotic looking catlike creature. “How very odd she looks!” thought the mushman. “Why, she is not made of mush at all!” Being newly born, he quite naturally assumed that he was the perfect example of an optimal being. “But” he thought again “Although really very strange looking, she is rather good looking in her own right. Rather like the fang…”

It seemed as though she was trying to get a message across to him, and again Mushball was surprised, as no one had ever made any attempt to communicate to him in any way in his entire life. Recovering from the initial shock, he seemed to understand vaguely that she was asking him for his help, although in what respect was at all specific.

“Well,” thought the mushman. I suppose I am the person one should naturally come to for help, as I am the wisest and most resourcefull person I know.” He decided that he should, in all his great kindness, give her his aide. But how to tell her. He decided that the best way would be too try and convey his message directly from his mind through the air into her’s, aswell as a series of helpful physical conveyors.

And so, he conveyed (or at least tried too), through a mixture of loud sound mumbles and gurlgles and grand arm gestures, the following. “Hello my friend, and greetings. I am the great and benovolent MushBall, child of the Muck Pond, and viewer of all I that I can see. You do well to come to me for counsel and direction, as with my having spent a great deal more time on this earth than yourself, I know a great many things which a youth like you could not possibly comprehend. A veritable well of wisdom am I. Again I say, you do well to take advice from me. Stick with me, child, and you’ll go far. Now, as for what too do, it just so happens that I’ve a really quite wonderful idea. That tree, you see, is quite full of fruit, and I think it only makes sense that we set about to take control of it and bring it into our possession. Our collaboration on this will make it all the easier. Quite ingenius if I do say so myself.”

This is, of course, what he intended to say. How much of it he got across was very much dependant of the poor cat’s ability to comprehend him. He was not quite sure if she’d understood himself, but resolved to himself that if not, she could not be very intelligent, as he was a creature of great charisma and perfect articulation.

He thought it best too hide his precious possessions from her for now, and so decided to postpone his plan to string a piece of that long grass through the hole in the beautiful tooth, which he thought would make a very splendid and regal ornament, which would go wonderfully with the heir of nobility and sophistication he undoubtedly conveyed.

Spying an odd looking two headed creature approaching the Muck Pond at what he thought to be a suspiciously slow pace, he turned to it (or them) and waved one of his little arms in greeting.


(I have a feeling that I made that just a bit too long and much. If so, it’s easily fixed. Just say the words. Sorry, I do have a tendency to go on a good deal about things.)

(I have to say I am very impressed. What wonderufull writting, Fleegle! You must have had this story in your head for some time, no?)

[Snake_byte]

As the ghosts fill the hall I don't move, I hardly notice them.

The old man goes on in his judge-like act, he leaves no room for talk. Leaving me with questions unanswered which brings about a glowing frustration.

I was given a gift, a gift with a small price. After a bit of thought about "this gift" I begin to wonder less about my questions and look around the room.

I notice little but the door I used to come in so I slowly walk out of the room to the temple entrance and from there to the doorway of the temple.

Right before I step out I hear an echoing scream come from the cave. I stand there and I look abroad. I see a two headed turtle heading slowly my way and a small pile of mush talking to a blueish catlike creature. None of which seem very appetizing.

I walk down towards the muck pond passing all the new creatures paying no heed to them and stopping at the tree before the cave. I stare into the cave and take a deep smell of the air. "I sense fresh blood".

I spy the monkey playing in the tree and ask it in a low voice "Do you know who resides in this cavern?"

[Varrius]

Getting a vague sense of how wise the MushBall was Kitty is proud of hereself for making the right descision on who to befriend. Through his gesturings she gets the message that he wants the fruit from a nearby tree and agrees that she too is most hungry.

Purring althewhile she heads towards the trees and looks up the long trunk, being careful to avoid the winged figure.

"Excuse me", she tried to convey to the Monkey "could you please spare me and my friend some fruit, we would both be most grateful if you did"

[Fleegle]

(Since the three of you, Schme, Snake_byte, and Varrius are all pretty close in time and place, I'm going to attempt to write the response for all three of you in one shot. Also, there seems to be some confusion about the location of the tree. The tree contains the monkey, the fruit, and the little box which has now fallen off, and is outside the mouth of the cave.)

The monkey-thing peered into Beelzebub's eyes as the winged creature spoke to it, his golden pupils seeming to flicker. "Why, Tagus lives there! Yes, but he mustn't be disturbed. He just ate you see, and he doesn't enjoy visitors after a meal. No, he gets quite irritable in fact."
He peered deeper into Beelzebub's eyes. "Ah ha! I see that stupid old man has given you a gift. Yes, well, I've had just about enough of his gifts. I can tell what you're thinking! But it won't work, I'm not mortal. I am the great and mighty Garob! Don't let appearances fool you..."
At this moment, the blue cat approached the tree and asked Garob if she could have some fruit. Beelzebub could not hear any of this of course, since the cat was not projecting on it.
Garob glared at the blue cat. "NO! GET LOST YOU MANGY CUR! IT'S ALL MINE! MINE, MINE, MINE!" he screamed, his voice rising in pitch as he did so. He bore his teeth at the cat, his face contorting into a most vile expression.
At that very moment, a great wind rose up and swept through the branches of the tree. Several fruit fell out of the tree onto the soft ground.
Garob swung by his tail and landed his feet on the branch he had been hanging from. He hurled the fruit he had been eating up into the sky, causing it to land several feet away on a hard rock and splitting into tiny chunks.
"CURSE YOU, URDAST!" he exclaimed, shaking a tiny red fist at the sky. He huffed and puffed for a few seconds, then resolved to stare back at the cat. "Hmmf, well they're bruised now. I don't want them anyway!" He crossed his arms in front of him and looked indignantly away from the three figures below him.

[Varrius]

Not understanding much that the Monkey had said Kitty nevertheless saw some fruit fall to the floor. Thanking the monkey in her head Kitty Headed over to the rocks where the fruit had fell.

Rolling it over the MushBall she purred as to show that she had brought some for him.

She then began eating a peice of the fruit herself.

[Schme]

The MushBall, although again confused by the scene, decided that the attainement of the fruit had someone been through his ingenius planning and ingeniuty, and he clapped his little hand like appendages with delight, as if to say "Well done, well done."

He was liking this catlike creature more and more. Not only did she appreciate his endless virtue, but she followed his instructions perfectly well, which must, of course, mean that she was really at very least moderatly intellegent in her own right.

MushBall then picked up three pieces of fruit in his little arms, and taking one in his right hand while holding the others with his left arm, he tilted back his head as far as he could (which was not all that far) and rose the piece of fruit to where a mouth traditionally is. He then pushed the fruit up against this spot on his head, and his skin gave, allowing him to push more. With a gurgling sound, he pushed the piece of fruit right through his skin into his inards (whatever those happened to be). He proceeded to consume the two other pieces of fruit this way, and after he was done, he mumbled in a satisfied manner.

MushBall then eyed the others around him. The large looking clawed creature seemed to have been talking with the monekey. He found this conversation most interesting, and took it all in silently. He then walked over to where the long grass grew, and pulled a few tufts of it out.

He then returned to where Kitty was sitting, and stood very silently as she ate her meal. He did not explain the long pieces of grass he had in his hand.

[Fleegle]

(HOORAY! We made Sticky status Once again, Varrius and Schme I'm going to write your response together. Snake_byte, I will wait for you to react to Garob)

As Kitty ate, and MushBall gathered the grass, a large predatory bird (the one that had been circling before, but had left) landed upon a small rock. It cackled and clicked its beak, looking at MushBall and his companion. A voice echoed in the minds of both of them. "May I have a bit of fruit, children?"
The kindly voice seemed to be associated with the bird, though it continued to click its beak. However, it was obvious to both MushBall and Kitty that it did not come from either of them, and it seemed a giant coincidence that the voice came just moments after the bird had landed.

[Fleegle]

<duplicate post, sorry>