Not a Vacation

There stands before you, an mage of what seems to be middling status among the other mages. His robes are neither overly nice, nor underwhelming. Though, there are notably scorch-marks on the sleeves, hem, and an odd burn near the neck which may have at some point caught his hair on fire as his hair is notably shorter and... curled at the edges in that way that hair curls and blackens when its been burned. Which by the way is the scent of this room. That of burned hair. There's music playing in the background of the room. Not by a musician or even an instrument of some kind, but rather a light voice repeating the same lyrical tune over and over. You're not sure where it's coming from.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it," The voice rises slightly in a musical swell, and he winces. "Is to go to another plane and catch a rare fish that exists there. However long that might take."

The mage pulls out a trio of fishing rods, and leans them against his desk but near to the group of you. Then he pulls out of his sleeve several thin vials. Six to be exact. "The purple ones will take you there, the blue ones will bring you back once your mission is completed."

GAME: Choler rolls sense motive: (10)+6: 16
GAME: Elena rolls Sense Motive: (2)+10: 12

Choler is here reluctantly, it seems, and her expression speaks of dubiousness. Press X to doubt. "Does it breathe fire, or something? Is there a uh... extinguishing feature? Sorry, Distinguishing feature of these fish?" She moves forward to accept the vials. "Do you have some for these two?", she wonders with a toothy grin.

GAME: Asmli rolls sense motive: (14)+1: 15

It's the smell of burning that has Asmli on edge as he listens. Still, he is nearly out of coin, and not much has come up, of late. His usual good-natured smile is absent, and he looks wary - even nervous. "Which plane are we going to?" he asks succinctly.

Elena looks the man over. The burn marks. The fishing rods. The -- strange magical mouth humming whatever tune is currently running through the room. She steps forward, hands clasped in front of her, asking very gently, "Are you -- alright? Do you perhaps need the services of a healer more than a fish?" The burn marks keep drawing her attention, even if the man doesn't have any visible /burns/. The look on the clerics face, though, suggests that she might be a bit more concerned about what's wrong in his head than what's wrong with what's on it, though she's at least polite enough to not voice the opinion out loud.

"The fish?" The man looks confused for a long second. "OH THE FISH. Yes. Ah..." He thinks for a few seconds and then quickly continues. "It's gold! Yes gold! Impossible to miss. Ah... no! It doesn't breathe fire." There's a flush on his face and he scratches the back of his neck where some of his hair has been burned away. "Definitely doesn't breathe fire."

"The plane is very nice! Very pretty. It's mostly made up of islands on this big ocean. You'll like it there." He offers you a comforting smile and then a more startled look at Elena. "Yes, I'm fine! Perfectly fine. Even better once you're on your way. I mean... that is... You should be off! No time like the present!" He smiles again.

GAME: Asmli rolls sense motive: (10)+1: 11
GAME: Elena rolls Sense Motive: (13)+10: 23
GAME: Choler rolls sense motive: (15)+6: 21

The Gobbo peers at the man, her eyes squinting suspiciously. "Yes, what does the fish look like? Gold? It is gold coloured, or made of gold? Is it small? Medium sized? Continent sized? Something in between." She steps a little closer, still squinting up at the man. "Does it fly? And you said it breathes fire?"

The description draws a sigh of relief from Asmli, and he perks up a little, as one feeling rather better about the whole thing. "Lot of fish in a place like that. What else should we know about it?"

Elena looks to her companions, and then back to the man. It seems that she's almost ready to say something, but the other two start in with their questions. Rather than repeat the ones already asks, she simply palms her two vials, waiting on the others. There's something curious in her gaze, scrutinizing, though whatever's on her mind she keeps quiet for now.

The mage's eyes widen and he takes a small step back from Choler. "It's... large! Quite large! Very large!" His eyes glance toward the fishing poles he set near you and coughs. "That is... you should be able to catch it with the fishing poles that I've provided. It might be a challenge though! You adventuring sorts don't mind that though do you?"

The man scratches the back of his neck some more and continues. "It's ah... used for some alchemical purposes. Potions and the sort don't you know. Which is why I ah... want one! It does /not/ breathe fire. No fire! And... it doesn't fly either. What kind of fish flies? No. It uh... swims... in the water." He makes a hopeful little motion with his hand like a fish might swim in the water.

GAME: Elena rolls Sense Motive: (10)+10: 20
GAME: Choler rolls sense motive: (11)+6: 17
GAME: Asmli rolls sense motive: (9)+1: 10

Choler grins toothily, and puts her hands on her hips. "So uhm, I'm going to have to ask you to start from the beginning. What do the vials do, exactly? And what does this fish look like? I have a distinct feeling that uhm... you haven't said a single thing that's the truth, not even the hello was convincing."

Asmli snorts and crosses his arms across his chest. "Bet me, it's that gold dragon baby that wants you to fish for her endlessly again." He smirks, clearly thinking himself clever. "Choler, looks like you're going by yerself, less'n you want to share them potions. I could use the coin."

Elena listens to the other two, looking at the clearly nervous man. As gently as she can, she offers, "There is no fish. Is there?" Though she doesn't seem entirely put off by that. "But it's clear that you need help anyway. So. Would you tell us what, exactly, we should really be expecting?" And then, over to Asmli, a somewhat horrified look. "You don't really think that..." And then, over to Choler, "Do -you-?"

The man pales - signifigantly. "Nononono! There's a fish! I /swear/ there's a fish!" He glances over at Asmli and manages to look even more nervous. He swallows and tries to get himself under control. The guy is however, sweating profusely. "I... I just need you guys to go to this island and... catch the fish? Just um... drink the purple vial and it'll take you to the island. Perfectly safe I promise."

GAME: Asmli rolls sense motive: (9)+1: 10
GAME: Elena rolls Sense Motive: (15)+10: 25
GAME: Choler rolls sense motive: (6)+6: 12

The Gobbo looks to Asmli for a few moments, and sighs. "Fiiiine." She gives the Khazad two purple vials, and Elena gets two blue ones. Leaving one of each for the Gobbo. Perfect. "Oh yes, there's a fish out there. A lot of them. And a little golden dragon, yes?" Choler rubs at her cheek, and looks to the other two. "I'll go if you do."

"Yeah, I'll go. Sure is a pretty little thing. Maybe if we teach her to fish, she'll get all she wants for herself." Asmli stands up and takes the potions. "Least it ain't the Plane of Fire. You two ready?" There's a glint in his eye.

Choler huffs and snatches one of the purple ones from Asmli, and switches it with one of the blue ones that Elena has. "You two are no fun.", she grump. She pops the cork on her purple one and slurps it down. "Ewh, it tastes terrible."

The mage's eyes skip around and he coughs, pointing to Elena's potions. "You'll ah, need one of the purple ones to get there." He seems a touch uncomfortable, and behind him the humming comes to a sudden stop. A fact which causes the man to tense up immediately. Out of nowhere, appears as Asmli predicted, a tiny gold dragon. The dragon in question is no bigger than your average house cat, and it zooms over to Asmli's shoulder and lands neatly on it.

"SEEHETHINKSIAMPRETTY!" She screeches loudly at the mage and the man winces at the loudness of her voice and... Choler disappears with a little 'pop' as she drinks the potion.

Asmli's eyes widen in delight as the gold dragon settles on his shoulder. He'd been right! He laughs openly. "Come on, then. Let's hope too much sand doesn't get in these gears." The potions switched in his hands, he quaffs the purple one. "Let's teach you to fish."

Elena watches as the other two drink their potions, giving the gold dragon a cautious glance. "Alright, then," she agrees, offering the mage an easy smile. She twists the cork out of her own potion, tossing it back with a wince as she tries so very hard not to think about what manner of ingredients go into such things.

Down the potions go and with a quick 'pop' everyone finds themselves in quite a different location. Namely, you are all on the beach. There's a bit of forest inland. Enough to provide a bit of shade and the hope of inland streams and food. Though notably the trees are... red. In fact the leaves are red and orange and yellow to varying degrees though they're in full foliage which suggests that it's not fall here so much as maybe... this is simply the color of the trees here. There's no grass, just a line where the sand becomes a thick brownish-red tone. The water around you is exactly the color that its supposed to be, clear and blue and stretching out as far as the eye can see.

The little gold dragon purrs at Asmli and then leaps into the air, circling the island a little and looking down at the little place that you've found yourselves in. It's a little on the hot side, but not uncomfortable, but... there is one problem. Namely... No one thought to grab the fishing poles.

Choler immediately sits down and crosses her arms. "So uhm. Who grabbed the fishing rods? I made sure we had potions." She peers out into the water, squinting. "There'd better be fish in there. Or else we're kinda uhm.. well, going back empty handed."

GAME: Asmli rolls survival: (14)+6: 20
GAME: Choler rolls survival: (19)+1: 20
GAME: Elena rolls Survival: (8)+4: 12

Asmli snaps his fingers, remembering too late the fishing rods when Choler mentions them. "We forgot the rods." He looks around him, and snaps his fingers. "Trees might do. Din't think I can climb..." He starts off across the sand towards a copse of the trees in question, but immediately finds himself in difficulty, walking in the shifting sands, and before too long, he's limping. "Think one of you can get one of those branches? Braid the grass into a string?"

Elena gives Asmli an easy nod. "I've climbed taller," she tells him, taking a running leap and shimmying up the branches as she does as instructed, finding a comfortable place to rest as she starts tearing leaves into strips, braiding them to the best of her ability. "How long of a line do you think we'll need?" she calls down, looking at the leaves within easy reach to assess how much she might be able to get out of them.

Choler falls asleep in the sand quickly enough, and after a few moments free-wheeling around the island the little gold dragon lands a safe distance from the goblin, watching Asmli and Elena as they start their efforts at making a fishing rod or two. It seems that the pair has the task well in hand and one quickly begins to form itself.

"Maybe - two or three of me?" Asmli calls up to Elena, looking up into the trees from the bottom and squinting into the dappled sunshine. "Make it long, easier to make it long and tie it off than make it too short and braid more in."

Elena's slender fingers make short work of the braided rope, easily conforming to what the dwarf asked for and then some. It's not exactly expert work, mind. The woman is clearly not used to having to survive in the wilds for an extended time, but she does well enough, having had formal training at some point. A few minutes and she's dropping back down from the branches, three-or-four Asmli's worth of braided leaves coiled around her shoulder. Unshouldering it, she asks, "Where would you like it?"

"Need a branch, too, not too big. They're green, that'll help," Asmli answers, limping from tree to tree and peering up until he finds one that pleases him in the middle of the copse. He unslings the urgrosh from its harness, aiming the axe end towards the base of the branch in question. He's having to hold it by its other end to make it reach, though.

Elena attempts to help as much as possible. She's short, and light. Only a foot or so taller than Asmli himself. But she manages to reach the end of the bigger branch in question, attempting to use some of her weight to pull the thing down enough for Asmli to get a good swing at. "Seeress," she whispers, "while you make your servant's spirit soar, her body very much wishes not to, as she has seen the comic shows put on in the markets and decided long ago she would rather be a spectator than a performer."

GAME: Asmli rolls weapon1: (4)+8: 12

So hard does Asmli laugh at that that the blow he sinks into the tree to cut the branch free is not particularly good. Strong, but not well-placed, and he glances at her worriedly. "You won't fly, you'll fall when it gives way."

"Oh," she says, nodding along, though her face is no less worried at the thought of the branch coming down on her. "That is -- comforting." A nervous chuckle then, but Asmli at least seems to be making progress.

GAME: Asmli rolls weapon1: (4)+8: 12

Another blow, this one similarly placed. Asmli has an awkward angle to be sure, given his height, and this will take him time to do. Eventually, he manages it, the branch cracking as it starts to give way under Elena's weight.

GAME: Elena rolls Reflex: (6)+2: 8

Elena holds on to the branch until it seems that it's going to give way -- and apparently just a bit too long. She drops to her feet, attempting to dance out from under it as it falls, but manages to lose her footing in the sand, falling and landing hard on her ass. Though thankfully still out of the path of the tree. She gives a bright, mirthful laugh, looking down at herself as she moves to pick herself up, brushing off that strange red sand from otherwise immaculate robes that were destined not to stay that way, it seems.

There's a tinkle of laughter from the area where the goblin fell asleep. Undoubtedly from the little golden dragon basking in the sunlight and watching you both with bright golden eyes.

When the fairly narrow branch comes free, it drops to the ground at Asmli's feet. Good thing he's got steel covers on one boot and cannot feel the other foot. The urgrosh drops, and he stares down at it, laughing himself, that red sand covering his boot. "Come, let us set up our fishing line." Hefting the end of the branch over one shoulder, urgrosh and harness in the other, Asmli hauls the entire branch back towards the beach, letting its leafy end trail in the sand.

Elena follows him back down to the beach, walking in the trail that the leaves make through the strange-colored sand. Not that the tree itself is anything but strange, to her. She glances at the dragon, curiosity getting the better of her, but attempts to keep her attention mostly focused on the dwarf. "So," she asks, finally, "why do you think we're really here? I doubt it's for any sort of alchemical fish. And the burn marks worry me."

The dragon blinks languidly, the sun making her lazy. She snorts into the sand and wiggles one tiny ear at Elena. "I was just trying to help! It's not my fault his experiment caught on fire!" She snuffs and wiggles her tail in the sand a little. Mostly to show it off. It glints prettily in the sunlight.

"What'd he do?" For all his limp, Asmli motors down the sand with what would otherwise be a bounce in his step. "You know he did something. Bet me he deserved it."

Elena laughs. "That, or he was simply careless," she adds. "There is no reason to attribute to malice what can be duly explained by mistake, in most instances." Though she does look over at the dragon, offering a smile. "What say you? Do you have any insight as to why the experiment might have caught fire?"

Her head tilts in the sand and lazily she replies. "He was using too much sulfur. I tried to tell him, but he told me that he didn't need my help." She hums low in her throat, watching you make your fishing pole. "Silly peoples. He should have buffed my scales like I offered to let him. He made funny sounds when it all caught on fire."

-TBC