Career Day

==============================>  1) Career Day  <==============================
 Open/Closed: CLOSED: This event is only for the Confirmed players below.
              However, you can still sign up for this event with +event/signup,
              to let the GM know that you're available if one of the
              Confirmed players doesn't show up.
      Poster: Jibbom
  Start Time: 08:00:00 PM (EDT), Friday, September 14, 2012  (13m 38s past date)
    Location: Alexandria
 Level Range: 2-5

 Rosewall Academy, one of Alexandria's finest schools for children between the 
 ages of four and sixteen, is about to host their semi-annual 'career day'. 
 While this event is usually intended for local craftspeople and merchants to 
 find promising apprentices, some unusually open minded teacher has put out a 
 request for volunteers from the Explorer's Guild who are willing to talk to 
 the children about exciting career options in the field of adventuring. Come 
 inspire the next generation into foolhardy and dangerous quests in the grand 
 adventuring tradition!

  Signed up: You are currently signed up for this event.
	     Use +event/leave to remove yourself from the signup list.
  Confirmed: Ormarr   Donk   Mikilos   Constantin   Angrid
===============================================================================


-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-<* Plotmaster's Room *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
          A very special plot room!
          Channel: PlotOne or PlotTwo
          Add: addcom p1=PlotOne or addcom p2=PlotTwo
          PrP Help: +prhelp
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 Jibbom          Steel Von Ironblood, Bane of the Night.               0s   4h
 Ormarr          A short, bandy-legged, pepper-and-salt oruch          6s   23h
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Out <O>                   
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Angrid has arrived.

Mikilos has arrived.

EVENTS: Career Day is scheduled to start RIGHT NOW!

Jessa has arrived.

<Meet> Jessa joins Jibbom.

Zalara has arrived.

<Meet> Zalara joins Jibbom.

It's a beautiful sunny day at Rosewall Academy. The spacious central courtyard, normally where children play between lessons, has been filled with tables for representatives of various employers to use. Most, including the Explorer's Guild, have little stacks of cheaply printed pamphlets to distribute with information about their fields. Well, except for the Printer's Guild. Their pamphlets are quite nice. Students mill about from table to table, asking questions and listening to long-winded rants from various tradespeople. The crowd is mostly somewhere in their mid teens (or the equivalent for the Academy's non-human students), but a few curious younger children are in attendance as well.

At one end of the courtyard is a small elevated stage. Each employer will have a turn to give a little speech about their work, and most of the crowd seems to have gathered around to listen. The Explorer's Guild has been given a table at the far opposite end of the courtyard, making it rather difficult to listen. A look around the table might suggest the adventurers have been stuck in an area reserved for less 'conventional' career choices. On one side of them is a table for 'Fizzlefuse Enterprises', which is manned by a middle-aged gnome some of you might find familiar. He's apparently recruiting for factory workers, dock workers, and 'test subjects'. On the other side is another gnome-manned booth, 'Mitzleroy Imports', looking for the same (minus the test subjects). Children wander by, peering curiously.

Mikilos wanders a bit himself through the assorted booths, sticking fairly close to his assigned area in case something comes up. But really, if you're the sort of kid honestly planning to be an Adventurer when you grow up, the practical and level headed talk the wizard will give isn't the sort of thing you want to listen to. Instead, a Bane of Night Plushie has been left in the elf's spot.

Ormarr sits underneath a large banner of something or the other. His beard is as stubbly as ever, and he has his hands laced together over his stomach. He wears a set of hide, the bristly surface melding well with the tribal paint he's placed on for the evening. And he has his chin resting on his fist currently as he watches the kids go by.

Sit behind a table? Oh -hell- no. There's only so much tedium even a dwarf will tolerate. Of course, Angrid is positively impressive. His armor is polished to a high shine, the plates glinting with sunlight. A light cloak of gray linen hangs off his shoulders, and his beard has been combed, forked, and bound with rings of hardened leather. His shield and axe are slung on his back, also polished and gleaming, and his helmet is slung off his belt. Right now he's mingling with the children, his broad face surprisingly welcoming as he speaks with any brave enough to approach him.

"This pamphlet is entitled 'So You Want To Heal Reckless People For Fun And Profit'," Jessa says as she inspects one of the pamphlets being offered at the Adventurer's Table. "And inside is says, 'Have you ever dreamed of dangling from the end of a rope over an abyss while slobbering jungle creatures await at the top of the rope? If so, being an adventuring cleric may be just for you!'" She looks around, baffled. "Who /wrote/ this stuff? Seriously!"

A few children do seem quite interested in the Explorer's Guild's table. There's a group of maybe half a dozen who keep staring at it. Yet they seem nervous about approaching, whispering to each other between glances at the table. A handful of others venture close enough to take a pamphlet or ask a question, but they seem to flee quickly. Perhaps they're being scared off by Fizzlefuse, who keeps yelling about "Exciting opportunities for scientific experimentation" at any child who haplessly wanders within shouting distance. Meanwhile, Ormarr isn't the only hide-clad individual at the event. A grizzled-looking oruch who apparently represents the 'Alexandrian Fur Trapper's Union' is taking the stage for his speech. The school's headmistress, a Dawn Elf woman with silver hair, can't entirely disguise a look of concern as she watches from nearby.

Ormarr stirs as a group of youngsters come up. And without saying much at first, he tilts his head to the side, and rolls down part of his armor. "And this is where I near got my fuk--" wait. Parents. "--dadgum head chopped off." He squints at them then, and then reaches over to pilfer one of the pamphlets. "Come on up an' take a look at it!"

Zalara smiles as she has a small table where she is showing off some of the artifice devices that she has. She still hasn't perfected the map artifice she's working on, but she is happy to show some of the other amazing devices one can make if one becoming an artificer.

Whirlpool has left.

Tossing the pamphlet down with a roll of her eyes, Jessa slowly turns around. She looks bored. Anyone who know halflings should immediately begin getting nervous. "I should arrange for some writers from the Temple to come down and help with these pamphlets. Goodness me. The way these are written, people would think the Guild of Accountants to be a more exciting career choice." She has been shooed away from the Cleric's table three times now---it seems to amuse her more every time it happens. No one seems to know what to make of the Ceinaran and a few of the older clerics -remember- her.

"What? Ah, no, I don't think there's a 'Princess Guild'. A princess is something you're usually born into. Might try talking to the 'Noble Works' over there, though think they're looking for chamber maids. Ah, yes, I suppose if you found you're own country, can be a princess if you like. Yes, the Explorers Guild booth is right over there. No, I don't think the real Bane of Night is comming, something about quarry nymph slumber party. Yes, I'll be sure to tell him hello for you. Alright, good luck Thomas." Waving the child away, Mikilos pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. "Was I ever this young? I'm pretty sure I was never this young.

Angrid finally has an audience -- several of the older boys have worked up the courage to approach the armored dwarf, and he's gesturing with his hands as he speaks. "You never take the hit right on the shield if you can help it. Use it to swat the attack away." He gestures with his left arm, and the boys mimic it. "Ah, that's it. Then... ye thrust or chop!" He makes an exaggerated hacking motion with his right hand.

Zalara is also giving out a free mechanical toy to all the children who come to her small table and listen to her about being an artificer. A 6 inch metal gnome that when you press the button on his back his titan armor activates and covers him. He comes with his very own death ray too, batteries are not included as he's wind up. She is demonstrating some of these for the children.

"Now this one's where a wyvern bit me, back in th' day," Ormarr says. After the neck, he holds up a forearm to display the (badly) healed over bite marks. "Chewed me up good, I reckon. Havin' a shield like that guy has ain't no bad idea," he jabs a thumb towards the khazad. "Course, sometimes you don't have /time/ for a shield." He glances down at the pamphlet he'd snitched, then flips it over to look at the back. The back shows a man dangling above a chasm, with a sludgemonster below. "Don't know what's off about these," he tells the Muse. "Seems about right." And he hands the pamphlet to whatever kid's willing to take it. To another, "Want t'see where it nearly chomped off m' head?"

For the most part, the children's reaction to the adventurers seems to be one of uncertainty and fear, or at least confusion and drastic misunderstandings. However, a few do seem genuinely interested. As the group of gawkers works up the courage to step forward, each adventurer will find themselves fielding questions from some youngster or youngsters who seem to at least have a small kernel of aptitude and interest in following in their footsteps.

The gruff oruch trapper on stage at the moment does not seem to share the students' fascination with the Explorer's Guild. Raising his voice in the middle of the speech, he turns so he appears to be shouting in the direction of the Explorers' table. "And /that's/ why the truly tough become /trappers/, not sissy adventurers! If you want to be really rugged, to live the life of an outdoorsman, you'll sign on as an apprentice trapper, not some adventuring ninny!"

"Trappin's a good way t' put food on the table. I'm not about to disrespect that," Ormarr says. The older oruch is leaning over to show one small girl where he'd nearly gotten his head chopped off. And he straightens, shrugging the armor back into place. "Ya ought to go talk to'em if you're interested in that sorta thing."

"Yes but it DISTINCTLY fails to mention how often you have to run. It just implies that you dangle and then BOOM you are finished with the adventure. Also, no where does it mention airships or floating cities or fireballs that -- what's that, young giant freak?" A boy that has at least a foot on the little priestess is asking about fireballs. "Fireballs! Let me tell you about fireballs! You don't want to know about the fireballs! Why, this one time, I watched it burn ALL the hair off this one elf. Oh my goodness, he whined like crazy until I was done healin him. I had told him he was so very lucky he had a nicely shaped skull until the hair grew back. If the hair grew back. I never did check. I suppose I should have." The halfling pauses. "Also, at the end of an adventure, if you did not screw it up too terribly? You get treasure and sometimes little pretty princess tiara type things like I gave to Agril this one time." She pauses. "THAT IS RIGHT INSTEAD YOU CAN BECOME RICH AND STUFF." Maybe she doesn't like beaver pelts or something.

Mikilos nods sagely. "Yes, Adventurer's do bathe more than once a year, so if you're not into that, a Trapper might be the way to go." Blinking mildly, he quirks a brow and the next question. "Fees are usually based on a contract option thru the Guild itself. Usually you have some option, but some jobs are assigned, because nobody really wants them. Pay is based off difficulity and danger, and typically includes a hazzard bonus. So the more dangerous things pay better, tpyically. Yes, there is a contract with the temples for healing. Resurection gets a small discount, but really, if you die, you're usually just dead. Comming back is NOT a common thing."

Zalara hears the trapper start to complain about adventurers. "Hey! Adventurers help people. Despite all the treasure. Adventurers help people and defend them against things that normal people wouldn't be able to deal with. Those two over there." She points towards the Professor and his rival, "They own their children's lives to adventurers."

Angrid rolls his eyes at the bellowing trapper. "Ignore him, lads -- er, and lasses," he pauses, noting a couple girls as well. "Everyone's got to find their own path. And I won't lie; it's a hard path. But," he places a gauntleted hand on the shoulders of the bravest, the ones standing closest. "You do things that matter. That change the world you're in -- hopefully for the better. That's why the gods make adventurers; to do the things nobody else could do."

"An' about twice a week yer rollin' in shit. We get stuck with th' jobs no one else is willin' ta take," Ormarr says cheerfully enough. He reaches down to pick up the mug of water before continuing to speak. "I can't tell ya how many hours I spent in th' sewer. So there's pay in it, sure. ...but you'll be wadin' through shit a while." He takes a long drink, then lowers the mug. "Then there's the wyverns. Pretty things." Pause. "Dumb as rocks an' about as friendly."

The loud oruch seems to have no intention to let this awkward moment of unprovoked taunting pass quickly. He continues his shouting. "You see that, kids? Sissy adventuring types don't even have the courage to come up and defend themselves! They just sit back and let the /real/ men do the /real/ work. Why I bet not even one among them could best a real trapper in an arm wrestling match! Explorer's Guild? More like Exploring... Pansies!" It's not the cleverest taunt, but he laughs heartily as if he's said something clever all the same.

The children don't seem to know quite what to make of all this taunting. They mostly just look uncomfortable, and quietly continue to ask questions when they get a moment between shouts.

Ormarr had come here to dissuade the kids. Hells knows he's old enough for the 'get off my lawn sthick'. But he squints at the other member of his people, and stands and stretches old joints and old kinks. "Damn, that hurts. ...hey. Muse," he says to the lucht. And he jerks his head over, apparently having something he doesn't want overheard.

"Look, young giant. I have no idea if you can keep the girls away by rubbing hobgoblin blood all over you. Trust me, in three years, you'll be asking if that /attracts/ them instead." Jessa pauses. "It doesn't. So don't try it." She dusts off the brilliant scarlet robes and starts to stroll toward Ormarr. Out of sheer habit, she points out, "Down here."

Ormarr gets this look on his face that...and then, eh. What the hell. He looks back towards the other oruch, and jabs two fingers at him. And then at himself. And then back again. ...and then he leans down to mutter something to the diminutive Muse of Ceinara.

Mikilos pauses. Don't let the LoudMouth get to you. Don't let the LoudMouth get to you. Don't.... ah hell, let's go kick some ass. Turning sharply, the wizard begins to stroll towards the stage.

Angrid's expression becomes dour. Something flashes across his face, a memory perhaps, and he grates something cutting under his breath in Khazad. Seeing Ormarr standing up, he refrains from stepping in.. for the moment. Instead, he speaks to the kids again, "So some of you keep staring at me... so I guess you're wanting a closer look at this." He carefully unslings his war axe, making sure the leather wrap is secure on the blade. "This is a khazad-kahrin, what humans call a dwarven waraxe. It's not a weapon for the weak or unskilled -- no, I won't let ye handle it, son, sorry. You'll need bigger muscles first."

Zalara frowns more at the trapper. "Yah and trappers are the laziest hunters there are. They set their traps and than leave. How much more lazy can you be? You call adventurer's wimps, let's see you go up against some monster. I bet you'd soil your britches."

As Mikilos makes his way towards the stage, he steps right into a cleverly concealed snare that's been placed along the path. Rope suddenly wraps tight around the wizard's ankle as he is lifted aloft. Within seconds he is dangling upside-down from a tree near the stage. The oruch erupts with laughter, as do many of the children. The trapper grins wide, much of the venom and anger leaving his tone. "You see, kids? Whether it's adventurers or wild beasts, cunning use of quality traps can be used to capture even the most dangerous of adversaries. It's a rewarding trade which teaches you a variety of useful skills."

Jessa looks attentively up at the man as he mutters, waving off the poor and confused hapless boy who is following her and trying to figure out just what she meant. Something Ormarr says amuses the hell out of her and she leans back, clapping her hands together and twirling gracefully. "Let's do it! The trappers are very charming and they can do lots of dangerously damaging things with their traps and all. Nono, fellow adults, do not take that away from him. After all, beavers have teeth that can bite and I'm sure there are many hapless sorts that make for entertaining sights dangling from a tree. But can a trap do THIS?" The cleric gestures dramatically at Ormarr. Several people at the clerical table dive beneath it.

Ormarr straightens and as he does, he jabs those fingers at the other oruch again. "You better let him down," he growls. And then--then? He reaches down to the Earth. And She responds. There's the appropriate transformation montage that follows, but the important thing? The MOST important thing?

He is now a pony. A pretty, pretty pony. With a long, brushable, and floofy tail and sparkly pony-mane. Who sticks its tongue out at the trapper. And lowers itself to the ground, practically /inviting/ pony rides. In a room full of children.

<OOC> Ormarr wildshapes into a pony. ^^;

<OOC> Ormarr says, "Jessa is in charge, now. :D"

Angrid's eyes widen. Even the kids are dumbfounded at Ormarr's change. Angrid looks at the oldest, and says very quietly, "Lad, are you seeing this too? I swear, by Daeus's name, I haven't had a drop to drink today." The boy nods, looking stunned himself.

Mikilos yeeps in susprise, and swings upside down, flailing for a moment before calming down. Listening a moment, he applauds the trapper. "I must admit, that was very well done. And quite the choice of bait for your trap. I am impressed. Though if you're still up for the arm wresteling, I'm still game." Says the elf. Swinging upside down. It's a trick, it's gotta be. The wizard's lips are moving.

It isn't the most graceful mounts. Jessa does a rolling sort of flip and just barely manages to avoid rolling off the other side by grabbing the floofy mane and holding on for dear life. She clears her throat and TOTALLY MEANT TO DO THAT GUYS as she scales the pony's neck to stand atop his head. LUCKILY, she's really small, yo. "Children, if you want to set the occasional trap and wrestle a weasel and trap hapless elves? Be a trapper. You may even occasionally take a bath if you do. BUT! If you want to consort with wild crazy men who show off scars and can turn themselves into pretty magical ponies and run around and get PAID to carry around weapons and make decisions that would make your parents WEEP to think of how AWESOME it is" stupid, weep for how stupid it is, Jessa, "and get TREASURE and the chance to spend time with AMAZING magic users and STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL PRIESTESSES! Well. Come on over and ride the pony."

The trapper gives Mikilos a smile that is mostly amused, but actually might have a bit of an apologetic note to it. "Thanks 'fer bein' a good sport there. I had to have somebody unwary to demonstrate on. It's all in good fun. Now then, kids, who's ready to..." And then the halfling and the druid make their little demonstration. Needless to say, the children are immediately fascinated. Especially the younger ones. "Pony!" Is cried by dozens of voices as they clamber to get close. The oruch onstage looks horrified. "No! Wait, kids! I haven't even taught you how to skin an otter!" "Your time is up, sir. Thank you." The headmistress curtly alerts the oruch. He departs the stage with a bit of a pout, his audience effectively stolen.

The pony gives a flick of its mane and begins to prance around the room with the clip of hoof and the swish of tail. Clip-clop, clip-clop. It makes sure to pass by several of the more interested children. Of course, Ormarr can't speak, so it is totes up to the diminutive Muse riding along the old guy's back, and everyone else there to well. Explain anything.

Angrid is doubled over, cracking up now. The look on the trapper's face just made his day. Still, a few of the bigger lads are grinning as well, the older ones less enthralled with 'pony!' and more intrigued at the prospect of wearing armor. Angrid wheezes, and waves the younger ones on. "Go... ahahaha, go on, now. One doesn't see an oruch turn into a... ahahahah ... precious pony every day."

Zalara laughs a little bit as she sees the pony. She is a bit surprised by that and she is glad she has her table by the other adventurers of the explorer's guild. She hmms as she gets an idea and she takes out her notepad to write it down before she loses it. She puts the notepad away and she looks back to the pony and priestess. "That right children be an adventurer and get to see amazing things like that." She spots Angrid and waves to him.

The pony gives the khazad a Look, and whickers before turning back around. Arngrid is promptly presented with pony-butt! 'Precious' indeed! And of course, one of the little girls begins trying to brush his mane.

Well, crap.

Mikilos swings passivly, not too upset; you practice in all sorts of odd conditions as a wizard. "Could you let me down please? I could try to do it myself, but no one is watching and I'd probally damage your rope."

"Kids, I have to tell you. This is NOTHING. I have totally chased away skeletons and vampires, fought killer sloths and even was thrown at what proved to be a rabid yeti once. Life is never boring and--yes, girls, please. The pony LOVES having his tail braided. In fact, I think I have some beautiful ribbon in my pockets here." Jessa shimmies down the neck of the pony and stamps a tiny foot. "Stop moving around. These girls are INSPIRED. This is a HOLY MOMENT." -That- is the problem with having a little Muse on your back. She hands over ribbons in a rainbow of colors. "Braid away, girls. Why, have any of you ever been camping? That's a lot of adventuring too! So fun! And you can wave around swords and axes. And shoot bows. And if you're smart or charming, maybe throw around fireballs!"

If a pony could roll its eyes, it so would. Or you know. SIGH. In MISERY.

The widespread interest in the magical pony is not lost on Professor Fizzlefuse, the gnome occupying the table nearest the group. He strokes his chin, a devious expression on his face. "So, the children like ponies, do they? Well, Professor Fizzlefuse shall have to dazzle them with... the ultimate pony!" Grabbing some incredibly complex piece of artifice without an immediately obvious purpose, he abandons his table and begins to march towards the stage. The headmistress looks displeased. "Sir, it's not your turn yet. The representatives from the Glassblowers' Guild are next." "Balderdash! It's time for science!" The gnome declares. The trapper, meanwhile, sulks off. Fortunately, he does hear Mikilos before he gets too far. "Mmm? Oh, yeah. Let me get my rope-cuttin' knife." He says, sulking back towards his table.

Mikilos is totally too distracted to hit his que. No fireball to puncuate the statement.

"Excuse me. ELF. Is it not true that Explorers often throw around fireballs?" HELP A HALFLING OUT.

Angrid catches sight of Fizzlefuse on a tear. "Oh oh. Lads, you know that feeling you get when you see storm clouds rolling in?" He begins making his way after the incensed gnome. "Oi! Fizzlefuse! What's this I hear about a wedding in the near future?" Yes, he's deliberately trying to derail the Professor from doing... something problematic.

Zalara adds, "Don't forget that if you are really smart you can build awesome armor and have a death ray." She takes out her death ray to show all the children. "You can shoot your foes with this and you get to build cool artifice devices."

Mikilos shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't. But that's a heck of a lot of blood rushing to his head just now, and the wizard is more than a little destracted. The Trapper is going to lower him -slowly-, right? Right?! Glancing towards the halfling, Mikilos nods and waves vaugely. "Yes, yes, just a sec." Fishing upside down thru his pouch, the magic user gestures towards what looked to him like an empty spot. Well, to be fair, the top of the Brewer's Guild booth -is- empty. And for the good of all, it -is- less a 'fireball' and more a 'ball of fire'. Still, flaming magical doom near combustable objects...

Fizzlefuse is indeed subject to being easily distracted. He shoots an angry glare in Angrid's direction. "You heard wrong. My daughter Sparkwire is grounded for the foreseeable future, and I will thank you not to spread indelicate rumors to the contrary." The gnome at the Mitzleroy Imports table makes a loud scoffing sound, dismissing the topic. Sadly, Fizzelfuse is only distracted for so long, and storms the stage while pressing buttons on his bizarre device. The headmistress sighs heavily. "Sir, please, if you can just wait your turn, I promise..." The gnome ignores this, shouting. "Children! Gather around! If you are impressed by a mere ordinary pony, prepare to be dazzled and amazed when Fizzlefuse Enterprises technology summons a pony from THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES!" The device is beeping rather ominously now. The trapper is off grumbling and sulking, retrieving his knife rather slower than he should.

Angrid lifts his bushy eyebrows. "I didn't say anything about your daughter. So what, did she try to run off with an oruch?" And then the damned gnome starts pushing buttons on his device. Mentally, Angrid says something extremely unprintable about Fizzlefuse; the gnome's reputation DEFINITELY precedes him with the dwarf. "If that thing explodes, I'm feeding it to you, Professor," the fighter warns.

"AND THERE ARE THE FIREBALLS." Jessa looks so completely pleased with herself. She leans over and points out that there should totally be a pink ribbon in the tail along with blue and purple. "There you have it, kids! You get cool scars, you can use your companions for transportation, your friends can make things explode from afar and you may even get a princess tiara at the end! Also, we drink a lot of beer. And that, children, are just a few of the reasons why you should seriously enjoy a career in adventuring. Now who wants to ride the magical princess pony?"

The pony whickers, and then again at the mention of beer. Beer? Beer sounds delicious when this is all over. In the meantime, he gives his tail a bit of a flick. The kids are fetching ribbons. And combs. Or...something is happen. He turns his head to glance up at the Muse, and then back down to the kids.

Constantin has arrived.

<Meet> Constantin joins Jibbom.

Zalara is leaning forward to see what the Professor's device will do . She hopes it works and she is still holding her death ray. "Ooh I hope that it's really a pony. I've always wanted to make one of those."

A number of things happen in very rapid succession. A dwarf eyes the flaming sphere with obvious alarm as it nears the inappropriately potent liquor samples the brewer's guild brought with them. "Hey, lad! Watch where you..." BOOM! A cask of something or other explodes, combusting with surprisingly little exposure to heat. Jessa, Zalara, and Constantin bravely dive in to save the children from the blast (or at least that's what they can claim later), getting struck with wooden splinters and splashes of flaming liquor. While the children escape unscathed, a sizeable shard flies as far as the stage and lodges itself in Fizzlefuse's contraption. Red lights begin flashing as it shakes and smokes. The gnome drops it and backs away, eyes wide. "Uh-oh..."

Constantin arrived late, as he is wont to do. /Fashionably/ late. Which is why he's in position to bravely (or something) interpose himself. And by interpose, we really mean, get caught so flat-footed he didn't have to move a muscle. So brave!

"A practical demonstration. KIDS THIS IS WHAT WE DO!" Stupid things in the face of ridiculous situations. Jessa hits this one right on the nose. "Okay, now. This is where you practice being nimble and hitting the ground. Quickly. First one on the ground gets to rid the pretty pony first!""

The pony's eyes roll as chaos erupts. And it whickers once, twice before taking a step forward, and nudging at one of the kids who's still standing there in shock. Except Ormarr can't talk. He nudges the kid again. Get DOWN!

Constantin just stands there, trying to stay between the volatile thing and the children. He's still blinking a little, and his mouth is working like he's trying fantastically hard not to curse.

Angrid flinches, and glances back to see some idiot dropped a fiery sphere next to the brewer's tent. "Who the blazes did that? Did ye forget we use dwarven spirits sometimes to burn out nests o'vermin?!" Then Fizzlefuse's device takes a hit and the idjit drops the device. "Oh for the love of Reos," the dwarf groans, and runs toward the mechanism, his axe swinging around in a low arc as he tries to swat the blasted thing away from the children and buildings. Connecting, but how far can he drive it?

Zalara hears the explosion and she does try to go towards the children, "Get down." She gets a piece of sharpen in the leg, but she's able to pull it out. She pushes up, "Are you okay?" She eyes the device and she gets a good look at it. "I think I can fix it." She shouts before Angrid hits it away. "NO!!!!!" She shouts as she goes to chase after it, "What are you doing? You never hit it. I could fix it!"

The device crumples with a loud crunch when Angrid hits it, rolling away. Fizzlefuse looks horrified. "No, you fool! What are you...?" BOOM! The device explodes. This career day is really having a lot more explosions than it should. When the smoke clears, three creatures are on stage near the device. They are decidedly not ponies. They're roughly the right size, and they have four legs, but that's where the resemblance ends. They're covered in dark red fur and have eyes that glow like fire, with wolflike muzzles and rows of sharp-looking teeth. Fizzlefuse stumbles away, horrified. "Those aren't heaven ponies! Those aren't heaven ponies at all!"

Needless to say, absolute panic erupts. The children scream and flee, as do many of the other recruiters. Including the trapper who was supposed to cut Mikilos down.

Jibbom dropped Jibbom's Timestop.

ATTENTION!!!

Jibbom has dropped a Timestop. Please +init, then cease all roleplay and actions immediately and wait for Jibbom to instruct you further. For additional in-combat commands, please type: +thelp.

===== Current Initiative Order =========

----------------------------------------                 
 23                  Not-ponies
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 14                  Zalara
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 13                  Constantin
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 12                  Angrid
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 10                  Jessa
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 9                   Ormarr
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 5                   Mikilos
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The decidedly non-ponylike creatures grin toothily in an unsettling manner before turning to the nearest adventurers, opening their maws wide. They breathe out gouts of fire that cover the stage, setting the whole thing ablaze, leaving Angrid and Zalara singed in the process. The headmistress is shouting and panicking, doing her best to usher children away from the stage. Fizzlefuse, on the other hand, has dived after his heavily damaged machine, looking quite horrified.

Zalara skids to a halt as she sees the fire coming her way. She dives out of the way and she dodges the worse of the fire, although she's still gets hurt by it. She frowns as she gets up and she activates her armor. The hexagon shaped metal backpack on her lights up and her armor starts to come out. She's soon covered in her protective armor and she brings her death ray up to bear. She flips the switch to frost and she aims it at one of the creatures. The death ray lights up with blue energy then a blast of cold energy shoots from her death ray right at the beast. She hits it bad, but the fiery creatures is able to resist the after effects death ray. She starts to back up so she doesn't get blasted again.

Constantin takes a vial from his belt, and anoints his warblade. It shimmers, then the light goes dark and seems to settle into the metal itself. Constantin holds the sword in a low guard as he rushes forwards!

Angrid shrugs off the scorching flames, and smiles viciously at the 'not-ponies'. "Oh, ye're so in for it now, lads..." He whips out a vial as well, dumping it on the business end of his axe, his weapon shimmering with a pale light as he hefts it and begins to advance into position to start some beatings.

"Oh -sure-," Jessa says sarcastically toward the various clerics who are not used to operating in the field. "All of a sudden I am good enough to be lumped in with the clerics!" A few are raising hands and gesturing toward where people are likely hurt. "Magical Princess Pony. Ceinara will provide you with a holy armor, inspiring you to great feats of...um...." She looks down at the horse. "hoofstrikes in battle. Or whatever else you can think of!"

The pony is busy nudging kids when the Muse jabs her tiny heels into his flanks. The head comes up and he stares, and then charges across the field, pony-mane flying as he gallops his fat little heart away. And that's when the not-a-pony takes a hoof to the face.

Mikilos winces at the brew's explosion, still swinging from the rope. "Okay! My bad! Sorry, sorry!" The elf gestures, the ball of fire disappearing in a puff. And then there are FireDogs on the stage. "....okay, that is -totally- not my fault." Focusing a moment, the elf begins to mutter again, a blueish glow forming around his hands.

The fire-breathing monsters snarl and dive at those attacking them. One snaps at Constantin, who narrowly avoids the bite. The magical pony Ormarr and Angrid are not so lucky. Each is the recipient of a surprisingly powerful and painful bite. The creatures' teeth are hot enough to burn flesh as they sink in.

Constantin starts circling, sword cutting up from below. He aims for belly, but the cut is jerky and short. He murmurs unhappily, and continues to traverse.

Zalara sees the others moving forward and she's not right in the line of fire. She knows the range of her death ray as it recharges and she moves up to just in it's range. The death ray dings as the recharge button pops up and she slams it back down. She aims as she keeps the setting on frost as she lays into the beast with another ray of icy cold.

Angrid lets out a howl as the beast tears into him, his armor groaning as he's injured by the beast's savage bite. "DIE, ye confused critter!" His war axe comes up, and slams down hard into the monster's flank, tearing a deep wound into it.

Holding up the symbol of Ceinara, Jessa calls out, "Ceinara's healing fires on all of--damn it, pony, stop twitching around so much!" Well. The healing energy was rather...less than impressive. Maybe she was distracted or something.

WHAM! Ormarr pivots on his front hooves, slamming his back into the creature. It hits, more with strength than accuracy, and the creature drops, with a U-shaped hoof-print in its forehead. "Nnnnnn!"

The surviving pair of creatures seem undaunted in their bloodlust, despite their wounds. Angrid keeps his furious attacker at bay, but this time Constantin is the one who must endure a powerful fiery bite upon his shoulder. Meanwhile, Fizzlefuse appears to be ignoring the battle entirely in favor of sighing at his destroyed machine. "This is going to take /days/ to fix..."

Jessa has reconnected.

Jessa has partially disconnected.

Mikilos sighs, and gestures, the blueish light from his hands drifting a short distance away. The spell effectively finished, the elf grabs his blade from it's holder and mutters a spidery phrase, the mithril glowing white hot a moment as arcane energies blast down it's length and explode in a crackeling bolt, ripping thru one of the HellHounds.

The blue light of summoning swirls and collapses on itself with a burst of golden light, forming into a divine being a raw Goodness.

<I! am! here! to! help!>

Bolts of bright light stream towards the Not-Ponies, but fail to connect.

Constantin takes a clever step, takes the side of one of the snapping beasts. He swings hard, and cuts the floor good and hard!

Ding! Zalara's death ray finishes recharging and she hits the button on the gun so it will be ready to fire again. She aims at the one in front of Angrid as he looks to be the one that's hurt the most. She takes careful aim and her ray of chilly energy slams into the beast and she gets it good. It's looking bad as the icy ray slowed it down.

The next frost beam makes the creature stumble, and that's what Angrid's been looking for. He gets a good grip on his axe, and rears back. "Say goodnight, ye freakshow beastie!" Then the axe comes down, splitting the creature's head in half and splattering the contents all over the ground.

"I SHALL SAVE YOU! ONWARD, MIGHTY STEED!" Jessa's really getting into this. As they near him, Jessa almost seems to launch herself at Angrid, her hands reaching out until she touches him. "Ceinara, provide your healing energy for this poor man who is defending children!" Her prayers aren't the most elegant but they seem to do the trick with a flash of healing light.

Oh god. Ormarr's ears go back but he surges forward at the tap of heels. His hooves hit the earth, pony-strength carrying them to the wounded Angrid's side. Once they get there, Angrid will notice a distinct horse-stink. Smells like stables, a-yup.

The last of the beasts doesn't take kindly to being ignored. Shrieking as the bolts strike it, the creature leaps onto Constantin, biting his neck powerfully. The burns bring down the warrior, as it chomps away. <I'm helping! I'm helping!>

The arcon sprays another pair of lightbeams near the firey dog.

Mikilos eyes the lack of results, and sighs. "Not sure why I thought that thing would be useful..." Murmuring another phrase, the elf gestures, and a quad of archane bolts streak from his swordtip, slaming into the hellhound and tending flesh with arcane might.

Timestop: Plotmaster's Room has left.

The pony shakes its head and mane before trotting over towards the fallen Constantin. And then nudges the warrior with a hoof. 'Get up,' that might say. And he tosses his head again, ears making a flapping sound.

Zalara sees Constantin go down and her death ray dings again. It's ready and Zalara brings it up to bear as she takes aim. She fires another frost ray at the fiery beast and she puts it's flames out for good. She puts her death ray away as she moves over towards the fallen ally, "Is he going to be okay?"

"Princess Pony! We have someone else to save!" Either Jessa is really playing it up for the involuntary audience or she's kinda getting TOO into things. Either way, she slides down from the back of the magical pony and kneels beside Constantin, murmuring a saner prayer this time and sending a rush of healing energy into the man. Then she stands up and turns toward the gathered crowd, throwing up her arms. "And that's why being an Adventurer is a fabulous career path!" And then she stands there, panting faintly and apparently expecting wild applause.

Ormarr turns. And looks over his shoulder at the Muse on his back. And then at the crowd. His ears are back. Oh, sure. There's no changing back NOW. At that thought, he gives a toss of his head, his ears flicking side to side. It makes a sort of flapping noise.

And inexplicably, he has a craving for apples.

Zalara puts away her death ray and she heads over to the damaged artifice before her titan armor runs out. She gets over to it and she hmms, "Hold on a moment let me see if I can do something." She gets out her tools and she starts to work on it to try to fix it.

Angrid shakes the smoldering blood off his axe, looking at where his armor was torn by the monster's assault. "Damn," he grumbles. "This is going to be expensive to get fixed..." He glances at Jessa, approaching the halfling with his usual heavy tread. "Thanks for the assist, lass. 'Twas a bit touch and go there for a little bit."

Mikilos sighs again, swinging softly a moment before lurching upward and sliceing the rope holding his foot, the magic of the blade cutting as if thru air. For an instant, the elf falls, then slows as the pendant around his neck sparkles, and he drfits slowly to the ground.

The Being of Divine Light floats down next to the wizard.

<I helped!>

• snerk* *ahem!* "Yes, yes, thank you for that. Now, Take Knowledge." The elf reaches out, and lightly touches the Archon, his eyes flashing for an instant with arcane light.

The chaos has mostly cleared. The extraplanar hounds vanish into smoke and sulphurous clouds after defeat, and the fires they lit upon the stage gradually burn out, leaving a smoky smell lingering in the air. The courtyard has mostly deserted now, with children and craftsmen alike having fled from the battle. Only Fizzlefuse remains, sighing heavily. He seems appreciative of Zalara's assistance. "Oh, thank you. Good to see another person of /science/ here. Not some horrible machine-wrecker!" He glares at Angrid.

While most are fleeing away, one girl has suddenly rushed back towards the stage. A wiry teenage girl with wild hair rushes in, wielding a makeshift club that looks like it used to be a table leg. She has it raised above her head as if ready to clobber something, but stops short when she sees no sign of the devil dogs. "... What happened to those things that were breathing fire everywhere?"

Ormarr's pony-ears perk forward.

Jessa pouts. The halfling actually POUTS. WHERE IS HER AUDIENCE? Sighing, she turns and--there's the plucky little girl. Sidling up--ending up somewhere around the girl's hip, she says thoughtfully, "So. That career in Adventuring. I have this pamphlet..."

<I understand!>

With a flash of golden lght, the Archon dissappears, only to reappear a moment later, a large leather bag dropping with it at Mikilos feet. With a shimmer that probally equates to an enthuastic wave, the divine being a few singers short of a chorus fades back to it's native plane.

Rolling his eyes, Mikilos picks up the sack and heads towards the wounded, pulling several rolls of banadages threated with herbal ointments from inside. "Don't worry about the armor, I'll fix it. Least I can do after blowing up the Brewers."

The pony gives itself a shake again, and then eyes the audience. And the kids. And his ears flatten. See. This? This is why a person thinks before putting their foot in their mouth. He's stuck for an evening of pony rides. And just across the way? There's probably a little girl, or a little boy, once the chaos clears. Bearing ribbons.

The girl with the table leg seems to need a moment to calm down. But once she does, she's quite receptive to Jessa's pitch about the glories of adventuring life. She certainly seems to have the right attitude. As for the other kids, it takes some convincing to corral everyone back into the courtyard. Still, the allure of pony rides is a powerful one, and the career day slowly resumes. Sadly, many of the fleeing craftsmen never return, but some do come back. And the trapper finally cuts Mikilos down.

The headmistress, needless to say, is not happy about how the event has gone. She tolerates their presence for the rest of the day, but glares angrily at both Fizzlefuse and the adventurers. It's an open question whether either group will be invited back next year.