Ootlunds RPG

[C S]

There exists a place of wonder and mystery, as captivating and exciting as it is dangerous! It is a place with vast stretches of land that can jut high above the clouds and sink deep beneath the surface. A place of extremes and unforgiving peril, it is a world where the battle for survival rages on between giants and those who live in their shadow. Some might describe this place that is home to such terrors as hellish.

Others call it the Outlands, and they know that there is glory to be had in the savage wilderness, eked out by brave hearts and adventurous spirits.

Do not change the time of day without confirming that it makes sense first. IE: Describing an afternoon setting when it was indeed stated to be afternoon is fine. Going from this afternoon to late night in the span of a post is not, however.

No niche advantages. This means super rare and super strong materials and equipment for the sole purpose of having an edge over everything else in the RPG.

For the purpose of keeping players supplied with plenty of ADVENTURE, TT has elected to take on the role of the overarching "guild" in the RPG. The guild will provide a myriad of quests and objectives to players who do not want to head into the RPG on their own.

Rules

1) No powerplaying.

2) Players cannot kill each other's characters without permission from the owners.

3) No OOC only posts.

4) Detailed posts are good posts. Donate to your RP wordbank like the good person you are.

5) No magical powers. Real (wo)men don't need magic to beat on giant monsters!

6) Characters are not to have pre-existing history with characters owned by other players unless it has been agreed on by the parties involved.

[C S]

Sheets of rain poured from the night sky enwrapped by angry clouds. They growled and roared far above the drenched land. In the distance, partially obstructed by the rising and dipping landscape and the trees growing along the contours of it, lances of light crashed into the ground. For an instant at a time, the grassland was illuminated in full and the lone figure creeping along in the open would see the eyes peering out from the dark. The eyes, glowing with all manner of haunting color, studied the domain on the other side of the tall pines. They would linger in the darkness for a few seconds before fading back into the shadows, only to reappear with the next jagged thunderbolt to score across the black sky.

Taleun was familiar with the pattern. He was hunkered down amidst the wet grass, at the base of a small mound. His bowgun was strapped onto his back, covered in canvas to protect its frame from the elements. With it were his pouches of ammunition: large insect husks filled with small metal shards. If he found himself under attack by these creatures, he knew what he would aim for. Those glowing eyes of theirs would not be of much use if they were perforated by sharp bits of steel.

Lightning raced through the clouds. Thunder from the heavens rocked the earth far below. The eyes, like flares, burned for a moment before subsiding into the dark. Taleun made his move then, rising up into a crouched stance and speeding over to the next ditch, his feet sploshing through the storm waters. Once in position, he laid himself down in the mud and played the waiting game, judging the distance to the next available cover and how fast he'd have to move before the next lightning strike.

Recon duty was one of the few instances where a simple waiting game meant the difference between success, grievous bodily harm and death.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

A flash of lightning, and the landscape was undisturbed under the torrential downpour. Another, and a figure stood in the midst of the grassland, arms raised and strange contraptions in each hand.

A click and a boom, almost like thunder; two shells whistled through the air, like stones from a catapult on a miniature scale. A moment later, and the two shells exploded into a shower of smaller pellets. The first pellet touched the ground near the last appearance of the eyes, and exploded in a bright flash. Soon, the others followed suit; the forest's edge was alight with small, controlled explosions, echoing throughout the grassland like a nation on parade.

Warren watched the display with notable satisfaction, his bowguns smoking from the costly delivery of their payload. It would be a few moments before they'd fire again, but it was worth it; their opposition was exposed, and this job got a lot more interesting...

[C S]

All at once the dark creatures were bathed in exposing light, their eyes large and bright as the fireballs tore along the greenery. As the leaves and shrubs were torn apart by the explosions, the cluster of forest dwellers became a blur of movement and frantic sound. The wet leaves rustled loudly as leathery wings flapped, the creatures bursting from the treetops. Their bodies, the color of midnight, blended into the stormy overcast. Faint details were visible thanks to the small fires the mercenary had started, but for the most part the most striking feature of these animals were their enormous eyes. The glowing orbs bobbed in the black sky with the sound of wing beats sweeping across the open. Otherworldly screeching and squealing overtook the splattering raindrops when the creatures started to circle overhead.

Taleun cursed and went to reach for his bowgun when he was hit from the side abruptly. Despite his best efforts, one of the beasts had found him! He struggled underneath it, reaching for the hunting knife strapped to his side. While meant for carving resources off of carcasses and cutting through tough vegetation, the long blade that was curved forward at the tip was his best hope at defending himself.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Warren watched, through the darkness, at the circling doom overhead. His bowguns cooled under the sheet of rain and quickly returned to functioning form, and with a swift and expert exchange of ammo, the Hunter was back in action.

With each pull of the trigger, Warren sent a bolt of fiery orange sheering through the rain, the droplets turning to steam upon contact with the projectile, giving each shot a wispy tail. The Hunter filled the sky with them, providing a blanket of fire soaring toward the circling shapes above.

[C S]

The flying horrors banked and rolled through the air with shocking coordination, as if they were flying in formation akin to a flock of birds. The superheated shots, whether striking true or streaking past their targets, brought a warm glow to the cold exterior of these creatures. Blue scales, tar-colored fur, deep green feathers. In a flurry of activity the formation was broken. Shrieking and wailing carried through the drowning night as the dark shapes soared high into the sky, dark shapes to be lit up by the lightning strikes. Within the same moment, they came down with the rain, wings tucked into their bodies as they dove at the man firing at them.

Taleun held his knife in front of him, its sharp edge directed at the beast that assaulted him. One hand's grip was firm on the handle of the knife while he supported the blade with the palm of his other gauntlet. He heard the creature's snapping jaws over the heavy rainfall, its gaze alight with the fires burning and the orange streaks in the sky. It tried many times to weave its head around the weapon, bobbing its head from side to side, its neck compressed into a short stub in preparation to strike out. Each attempt was foiled by Taleun as he repositioned the knife to block. The beast's short snout parted as it snarled loudly, revealing many needle-like teeth that ran back into its jaws behind the obsidian tip of its beak. It reared up, one of its winged limbs raised, its silvery claws glinting in the glow of the monster's eyes. Taleun seized the opportunity, kicking at the creature's stomach with both legs and pushing it away from him. It screamed at him and he rolled away from it, scrambling to his feet and turning to face it as it too fought to right itself in the mud.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

As the cartridges of ammunition began to run low, Warren slowed his fire and made careful, precise shots. Although his enemies were closing with frightening speed, their straight path to the ground left them open to numerous well-placed shots to the head and neck. With practiced, almost machine-like precision, the Hunter opened fire...

[C S]

Puffs of pink and bits of sizzling flesh flew into the air. Bodies thudded into the ground all around Warren, sending water splashing about in all directions. They twisted and spun, bending in all manner of angles natural and not as they tumbled across the grass. Most of them were dead before impact. Some of them died because of it. The exceptionally unfortunate survived both being shot and the ensuing crash and were now singing the mournful songs of their inevitable doom, a sad wail that the booming thunder swallowed up after lightning struck. But even as they died, the others of their kind persisted, spreading their wings to pull out of the line of fire and skimming across the grass. With powerful flaps of their wings, the creatures of the canopy swerved through the air, several of them converging on the mercenary from various directions, their talons primed to tear him to shreds!

Taleun jumped out of the way of his opponent and somersaulted when he hit the ground, ending up crouched after rolling once. The thing had launched itself into flight with incredible ease, simply lunging at the soldier at first before beating its wings and taking off. Its wings were tucked into itself as it went vertical several yards before it rolled over and spread them again. In just seconds it was only a few feet off of the ground, claws at the ready. Without time to draw his bowgun and his chances at dodging the talons slim, Taleun sprung to his feet and jumped. The beast slammed into him hard, winding him, but he was able to sling himself around its neck with his available arm. The creature landed on the ground on all fours, sliding across the slick grass as it thrashed and roared. Taleun kept himself on its back, its neck in the crook of his elbow. Grunting and snarling, he started to slash at the beast with his hunting knife, fighting through the pain as much as he was battling the aggressive monster.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Splitting his focus, Warren unloaded what remained of his ammunition into the two closest attackers, turning their heads into searing pincushions. Bringing his arms close, the man combat-rolled through the wet muck of the landscape to avoid what remained of his enemies. The two animals he had left very much dead before his departure did not lose any of their momentum as they died, and were sent careening into two more of their kind as they all closed in on his position.

[C S]

The four of the pack were dispatched with a cacophonous noise comprised of their own screaming and the sound of their collision with the ground. Amidst the confusion, those still airborne closed in on the mercenary. The leading figure reared up as it neared the man, wings flaring outwards. It kicked down at Warren with a powerful leg, pinning him against the ground beneath large raptor-like talons, before the rest of its bulk came down on the earth. It stood over him with one foot planted square on his back, cocking its head in an agitated manner. Overhead, the others circled like vultures, snarling and hissing at the one that coveted the mercenary. It in turn roared at them and all at once, the unity between the creatures dissolved into squabbling amongst themselves. A couple of them got into a confrontation in flight, circling each other in a frantic assault that had them kicking at each other with their sharp claws. The remaining few dropped down to the ground to challenge the one that had Warren beneath it.

The beast Taleun fought with stood up on its hind limbs, throwing its arms out and screeching. It compressed its neck as if to strike at something and twisted its head around to grab the arm he was using to hold onto it in its mouth. He cried out as he felt its teeth sink through his leather armor and then let out an exclamation of shock as he was swung around by it. The beast's neck shot forward like a spring before its jaws opened, sending Taleun soaring across several yards of wet grass before he finally came down on the hillside, rolling several times across the ground. Dazed from the impact, he was not aware of yet more of the bright-eyed horrors prowling towards him, drawn to the commotion. Their stare was locked on the rival packmate, however, intent on battling over the prize.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

With a grunt of effort, Warren rolled over the instant the pressure on his back receded. His pack, in the claws of his adversary, was shredded in places with the movement, but gave the man some much needed room. Warren pulled his hunting knife from his belt and plunged it into the beast's ankle, nearly cutting the limb off in the process. Grabbing his mangled backpack, the Hunter wormed his way free as quickly as he could manage, knowing his attack would only draw unwanted attention.

[C S]

The beast staggered and limped in the opposite direction, holding its stricken leg in the air. Its head whipped around and it screamed at the mercenary, its bright eyes burning with fury. Before it could retaliate, the other monsters charged it while its line of sight was broken. It looked back at them at the very last moment, when they were all in the air and hurtling towards it. Their front limbs were held out in front of them, claws splayed like big cats pouncing on prey. There was a weighty collision, then there were the noises the creatures made as they mauled each other, guttural sounds mixed with the sound of tearing flesh. Droplets of water and blood alike went flying every which way.

Things were not very much different where Taleun was concerned. Though the creatures did not focus their aggression on any single target, choosing to attack whichever one of them dared to approach the man, they battled viciously nonetheless. They tackled each other to the ground, bit and slashed, kicked and thrashed. Taleun lifted himself up shakily, battered but not defeated. Adrenaline kept the worst of the pain at bay. He sheathed his knife as he stood upright and grabbed his bowgun. He pulled the canvas off of it and let it fall to the muddy ground. He then flipped up the compartment over the butt of the gun and grabbed one of his ammo pouches, loading the weapon up with the metal laden husks. When Taleun was done, he closed it and pulled the sling back until he heard it click. The gun was cocked and now it was time to let the shrapnel fly-

The sound of snapping timbers and crashing branches reached his ears over the pummeling rain. He snapped his head about to look in its direction and felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his gut. There, lit by the weak flames set by the mercenary, was a behemoth. The giant animal, something that was almost shoulder height with the tall branches of the treetops, had a dark red underbelly that transitioned to thick, brown hide on its back and sides, striped with streaks of gold. The two legs it stood on were short and stocky, ending in padded paws that sank into the mud. Its arms were large and powerful looking, well defined muscles bulging with each movement they made. It had claws on its fingers similar to an anteater's and its forearms had long, blue fur dangling off of them. Its rounded head was situated on a stout neck, its lower jaw more pronounced than the upper one with fangs protruding over its lips at the front. It had four gray eyes, a pair on either side of its head.

It also happened to be the reason Taleun and Warren were sent to the edge of the forest in the first place. They were supposed to lead it deeper into the woodland, far from the outskirts of Weywin. Instead, the sounds of battle drew it out into the open...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

The sound of the creature's approach proved a more reliable warning than anything the man's eyes could offer. In the darkness, he could scarcely make out the scale of their newest of adversaries, and immediately Warren began to weigh their options.

"What're the odds we can kill that thing?" he called out, knowing - or, at least, hoping - that Taleun was not far away.

[C S]

Warren's voice was faint to Taleun's ears, contending with the noise of the storm, and only the storm. The creatures, fighting with horrendous zeal amongst themselves just a moment ago, seemed to freeze in time. They were silent and still, the rain pounding against their bodies. Their large eyes were all directed towards the giant thudding across the field, a short knobby tail swinging back and forth behind it as it went. There were beasts laid out on their backs by their opponents, with talons on their neck pressing their heads into the wet dirt. Even they regarded the newcomer with some frightened reverence. The giant animal came across the corpse of one of the winged menaces, faint trails of vapor still wafting up from the glimmering holes in its head. It dropped down into a hunched stance, its forearms spread wide apart as it kneeled and lowered its head to the body. Without hesitation, the creature's maw opened and, using its fangs for leverage, it scooped up the slain creature.

Taleun didn't hear the crunching of bone as well as he heard Warren's distorted voice, but he definitely picked up on some outlying trace of the sound. He saw the giant's head rising an falling as its jaws broke apart its morsel, mangling its body before it was finally ready to swallow. It threw its head up and consumed the winged beast in one gulp. It looked at the other bodies littering the area, then at the groups of the sparring monsters. Its jaws parted again as it let out a deep, resonating call that Taleun felt in his chest.

The fluttering of beating wings sounded off at that instant. Those of the pack that were still able to fly took to the air, fleeing back towards the forest. They left their heavily injured brethren to whatever fate that would befall them. Lightning shot across the sky, splitting apart into jagged bolts that reached far. The giant stood up, bathed in fleeting light, an ominous shadow against the black.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"Not really very loyal, are they?" Warren muttered quietly to himself as the thunderous noise of wings and the thin silhouettes marked the departure of their original enemies. A number of the beasts, injured one way or another, were still scattered throughout the battlefield. Good, the man thought, we've got some time to think about this.

But, really, what was there to think about? Sure, they could slip away under cover of darkness while the monster gorged itself, but that would leave their task undone. Besides, that thing's hide would make magnificent armor...

"Oi!" Warren called, snapping ammunition into place beneath his bowguns. "Head's up!" A loud click followed, along with a loud whistle. The resulting shells exploded in mid-air, as they had done before, and showered the mammoth creature's back and neck with small, concentrated explosions.

[C S]

The scream of the bombs in flight brought the Weywin soldier back to his senses. He couldn't just stand there! He had a job to do! He shook his head and reaffirmed his hold on his own bowgun. "This is what you have trained for, Natols," he thought as he brought its end up and looked down its scope. The monster's face was practically inches away to him, magnified and given a dark, orange hue. It thrashed and shook, the fires catching on tufts of the goliath's fur. Taleun adjusted his aim, pointing his reticle above and to the side of the creature to compensate for the windage, rain and gravity's pull.

"This is what the Recon Corps is all about!"

He pulled the trigger. There was a slight knockback as the sling jumped forwards, sending off three rounds of husks in rapid succession. They flew through the air and thudded against the monster's skin, forming a silvery cloud of metal fragments around the area of its neck. The shrapnel shredded the flesh and the monster swung its head about, letting out a bellow that rocked the grassland.

Taleun pulled back on the sling until he heard it click. The bowgun was rearmed and ready to send off another volley. The monster, meanwhile, began lumbering towards the two monster hunters, its lips curled up in a snarl.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"Good to see he's still in the game," Warren muttered, watching the storm of shrapnel tear at the monster's hide. The Hunter's own weapons were billowing smoke once again, overheated and overexerted from their explosive delivery. In the meantime, Warren made a hasty retreat, trying to buy time for his weapons to recuperate.

[C S]

The furious giant wrapped its claws around the tail of another of the winged creatures without breaking stride. It dragged the body across the mud at first before swinging it callously into the air, where it caught the dead monster in its jaws. After two powerful bites, the giant took the tail in its claws again and flung the desecrated corpse by it. Innards plummeted with the rain as the body sailed through the air, coming down hard right in Warren's path. The bloodied pile of flesh was just a few feet away from him. The monster let loose another thunderous roar, the flash of lightning showing the stains of red being washed from its face.

Taleun scowled, his expression unseen under his helmet. He darted boldly forwards, heading right at the monster. With his strong stride, he was within its reach in only a few moments. The giant swung a huge limb down at him and the soldier dropped into the mud, sliding below the deadly strike and passing underneath the enormous beast. He fired his bowgun up at its exposed underbelly, the three-shot barrage doing exceptional damage to the thin skin.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"By the old gods and the new!" Warren gasped. The man had narrowly avoided the projectile corpse, and had ended up flat on his arse in the process. Guns still smoking despite the downpour of rain, Warren heaved himself to his feet and looked back to watch Taleun's struggle with the beast.

[C S]

The horned warrior scrambled to his feet as the four-eyed giant swung its bulk around, one of its legs raised. Taleun rolled to the side as the creature's paw went hammering down into the mud, the ground trembling from the full brunt of the impact. Without skipping a beat, Taleun pulled himself from the dirt and charged at the back of the monster's leg, splashes of mud and water trailing him along the way. He leaped up and clung to the leg with one hand, the other clinging to the grip of his gun tightly. He grunted as he hoisted himself up along its height, scaling the beast. The skin, slick from the rain, made the task difficult, but strands of fur gave the soldier the leverage he needed.

The monster moved an arm out of the way, holding it in the air as it twisted its torso around to look at the man climbing it. It cocked its head and made a strangely inquisitive squeal when it caught sight of him, perplexed. It was a creature used to things fleeing from its very presence, not having things climbing it. It brought its claws level with him, intending to simply swat the pest away, when without warning Taleun jumped up and grappled with one of its fingers. The beast roared then, its momentary curiosity replaced with anger. It threw its fist at the ground and Taleun launched himself further up along its arm, catching a clump of fur in his hand and hanging onto it for dear life. There was another shuddering impact when the monster's hand sank into the mud and it howled into the stormy night.