Swamp Things Part 1 - RPLOG
Participants
Date
20/10/477
Log
Tobin stands waiting on the boardwalk of the swamp, tossing little pebbles out across the brackish water among the mangrove trees. The oversize corgi is just sitting there, bopping his head to a little tune that apparently only he can hear. "Be here soon, be here soon," he sings tunelessly to himself as he watches his pebbles plop into the swamp.
Given that he was heading to the swamp, Thelergramor is in his basilisk form. All scaled and such. Wearing his usual plague mask and pants, while also shirtless, the wolfilisk walks on up to the boardwalk, lugging his heavy cannon and flamberge with him. Speaks: "You the guy looking for help out here? Not more cannibals, I hope." Smirks behind his mask, looks back and up for anyone approaching.
Natska arrives shortly after, in her full kit as well. The jaguar tilts her head to the side as she eyes the basilisk for a moment, then raises her eyebrows. "Thel?" she asks. "And you must be our client," she says to Tobin, giving him a bow of her head.
Cassidy trailing along the boardwalk shortly behind Natska, the dapper dressed fennec arrives on the scene. Gloved hands folded behind her back, she leans forward and peers at Tobin from behind her mask. "My, my. I did not expect to see you out here."
Tobin looks up from his impromptu entertainment with a big doggy smile. "Hey! Y'all came! Great! Hello Miss Cassidy!" he calls, tossing the rest of his pebbles out into the water, "Name's Tobin! Tobin Hardbottle." The canine holds out a big, dirty mitt to shake. "Glad y'all could come!" he says, "See, I was s'posed to come out here and get some stuff fer my big brother, and I did!" The corgi puffs out his chest proudly, then deflates a bit. "'Cept I gone an' dropped it," he says, pointing out over the water. Over among the mangrove trees, the water seems to fall into a bit of a stream or a trail, tumbling away into the dark swamp.
"I woulda jus' chased after it myself," Tobin says, "But I heard there could be some nasty things down there in the bog." He looks hopefully at the three Freeswords. "So," he asks, "Can you help a fella out? I can pay you."
Thelergramor shifts his cannon under his arm, holding it lovingly... Adjusts his mask as he turns to CnN. "Ah, there're two of my three favorite ladies. Yes, it's me, Natska. Mask give it away? Or the scars?" Chuckles and looks back to Tobin. "So, swim around in the swamp water, picking up... stuff. Pfft, I've done worse for money."
Natska's notched ear flicks, but she nods. "Yea. I think we can handle it with this team. What are we looking for, exactly?" she asks. "And the mask did, Thel, as well as not having a shirt. That is certainly very much your personal style."
Cassidy looks down at herself and hums. "Well. I am not properly dressed for digging in the mire, but... I will certainly go along to help keep an eye out and fend off any nasties that we may happen upon! Count me in, yes. I've been out of the adventure game for too long."
Tobin grins at Thelergramor. "Yup!" he says, "Easy money, right? And we get to jump around in the swamp!" The big corgi looks around at the others. "It's a big old crate," he says, miming a box big enough to stuff Thelergramor into comfortably. The canine scratches at his thick sideburns. "It should be alright," he says, "I packed it all in real good and it's all sealed up so nothin' gets wet!" The big guy hops down from the boardwalk, splashing up to his knees in the muck. "Jus' watch out fer them mudscuttle thingies," he says, "Steppin' on one is what made me drop the box in the first place!" With that, he starts slogging toward the muddy trail between the mangroves.
Thelergramor nods at Natska, grins behind his mask. "Shirt would just weigh me down. And hide my most attractive assets." Traces one of his scars and then speaks to Cassidy. "Hey, no reason to get your clothes muddy. Noone but us here if you want to take 'em off." Shrugs, squints at the swamp. Bad place for a cannon. All wet and shit. Brings it with him anyway, dropping into the muck behind Tobin. "So, a bigass crate. Probably didn't wash downstream then."
Natska settles a stern look on Thel from behind, then shakes her head. She eyes the path ahead, then makes an air-assisted leap, lightly bouncing over the worst of the mire and getting a short ways ahead of the group to have a look. "You are quite shameless, aren't you, Thel?"
"As much as I'm sure you'd love to see me mud wrestling with Natska, I'm going to have to decline," Cassidy says with a snort as she kicks up a bit of air magic to hover over the muck, cape fluttered behind her in the artificial breeze.
"Naw," Tobin says, "Didn't wash nowhere." The sizable corgi heaves his bulk over a little barrier of mangrove roots and on to the quick stream bubbling away. "Couple of funny lookin' critters jumped up outta the swamp and snagged it!" he says before quickly sliding down the fast moving, muddy incline, leaving the others behind.
Thelergramor is now wet. Water much higher on him than Tobin. Holds his cannon at chest height with some slight exertion. "Well, now I've got one good cannon shot left... So, they picked up the box and left? Fun." Snorts and wades through the swamp; glances back at Natska and Cassidy. "Shameless? Nah, I'm ashamed of alot of the shit I've done recently. Won't lie, I do like the thought of you two wrestling, though. Better if I were involved somehow. But we can talk about my undying love for the two of you later." Turns back to follow Tobin.
"Wait. You dropped it, and then it was carried off by... things?" Natska asks, pausing in her hop from tree to tree and rock to rock to look at Tobin. "That could be crucial information," she adds, although her tone is neutral. Her tail lashes back and forth once, and then she moves again, keeping pace with Tobin now. "How many are a couple? Funny in what way?" she asks.
Cassidy floats along at Natska's side, nodding slowly. "Yes, important information indeed! I don't suppose you know which way they went?" She asks, giving her fingers a few experimental snaps as she runs over math in her head in preparation.
Tobin is splashing unconcerned through the muck at the bottom of the slide. "What?" he calls loudly to Natska, "Couldn't hear you over that awesome mud slide!" The canine is filthy. And apparently pretty happy about it. "I think they went that way!" he says, pointing at a huge mass of mangrove trees all growing together. "I think that might be a door or somethin!"
Sure enough, at the base of the mangroves is some sort of grate, woven out of swamp vines and fallen mangrove branches. It looks natural enough to avoid casual glances, but is fairly obvious from this close.
