Prologue E: Radiant Fury

[20:10] <~Radio_GM> ---The Coltifornia Campaign, Group 80---
[20:10] <~Radio_GM> ---Prologue E: Radiant_Fury---
[20:10] <~Radio_GM> Fire is such a wondrous thing, isn’t it? Always the same, yet always changing. Fire can build just as much as it can destroy. Fire can provide warmth and comfort just as much as it can provide pain and hellish injury. Yes, fire is defined by its own paradoxical nature, which makes it all the more fascinating.
[20:10] <~Radio_GM> But you have a much more intimate relationship with fire. You cherish it, so much that it has become an integral part of the kind of pony you are. That same spirit is the one that propelled so many before you to move West, in search of better things, better times, and better lives.
[20:11] <~Radio_GM> You know your own motivations for coming west better than anypony else. Whatever it was that drove you to come here, you are right at the western border of the Coltifornia region, having conquered the Sierras. You now find yourself on a trail leading on westward, in the skeletal remains of what was once a lush forest.
[20:11] <~Radio_GM> All around you, the barren trunks of enormous trees surround you. The green foliage that had once covered them is long gone, yet their branches stretch far and wide, casting as much of a shadow over your head as any forest would.
[20:11] <~Radio_GM> What you do now is within your hooves. This is now your story to write.
[20:20] * Radiant_Fury would, on any other day, relish in the fact that there was once a blooming forest here, and that some glorious spectacle of fire wiped it out. However, the fact that she wasn't around to see it bothered her today. As she sets off down the trail, she tries to picture what this place had looked like as Balefire consumed it. It brings a faint smile to her lips.
[20:21] <~Radio_GM> It makes a nice image indeed, doesn't it? There is a certain thrill and beauty to destruction and desolation, especially when it is brought about by that glorious thing called fire. But indeed, you see nothing else as you continue to trot along the trail.
[20:23] * Radiant_Fury 's smile fades the longer she trots without seeing anything of interest. She was -hoping- to find something. Some sign of civilization, some tinder for the Great Fire. But no. This places bores her. A snort of annoyance every few steps or so shows that she's not having a nice time.
[20:29] <~Radio_GM> It seems that fate is content to keep you waiting for the Great Fire. You see nothing of interest, nothing beyond this great expanse of skeletal trees.
[20:43] * Radiant_Fury internally grumbles. Part of her wants to set fire to the entire place, again, and part of her is convincing herself that it's a waste of energy. Bothersome, this place is becoming. The internal struggle amounts to a groan. "Bored..." she mutters.
[20:46] <~Radio_GM> Indeed, it must be boring. But the landscape doesn't seem to care, as it continues to wind on and on.
[20:49] <~Radio_GM> But then you do see something, just out of the corner of your eye, so fast you nearly missed it. You see a sudden flare of light off the trail to your light, a burst of orange light. It didn't look at all unlike a flame.
[20:50] * Radiant_Fury stops in place. That is much more like it. She cautiously approaches, head on a swivel, eyes peeled for the first sign of anything she'd seen in days.
[20:53] <~Radio_GM> You step off the trail towards the source of that flare of light. The forest around you grows thicker, the ground below your hooves rougher. You cannot see anything that might have been the source - not yet, anyway.
[20:54] * Radiant_Fury takes careful steps through the thickening woods. Onward she presses, determined.
[20:57] <~Radio_GM> You suddenly step into a small clearing in the woods where no trees stand. The forest around you is dark, as very little light filters from the old branches above. This, by all rights, ought to be where the flame had stood...but you don't see anything here. Nothing.
[20:58] * Radiant_Fury has a horn for that. A simple light spell ought to solve that. Shimmering light radiates from her horn.
[21:06] <~Radio_GM> Your light casts a soft light around the area, and you certainly find something. Your eyes are drawn to a smooth, spherical object lying directly in the center of the clearing. In the dark, it could easily have been mistaken for a loose rock, but you can see now that it is, in fact, colored purple. You recognize it as a memory orb; one touch to your horn and its contents will be revealed to you...but time will pass as you lay unconscious, and make you vulnerable if you are alone.
[21:08] * Radiant_Fury hmmms. This entire situation has "trap" written all over it. Then again, none of her enemies would know she was here, or be stupid enough to follow her. Perhaps she should take this with her and find a less... obvious place to observe it. She collects the orb with her hooves and slips it into her bag, then returns to the trail.
[21:11] <~Radio_GM> You find the trail without much difficulty. You are back on the trail where you began.
[21:12] * Radiant_Fury , as she walks down the trail, looks for the road less travelled. Maybe some hidden crevice or low-lying ditch to hide in.
[21:13] <~Radio_GM> There is no other road other than the one you are on. You can do nothing but focus on the road. There is nothing but the road.
[21:14] * Radiant_Fury nods internally. Of course. How could there be anything but the road? The boundless woods are meaningless compared to this road.
[21:18] <~Radio_GM> At last, you find what you were looking for. Right by the side of the road, there is a small pocket underneath the trail where you can safely hide yourself as you watch the contents of the orb. You also become aware of the fact that the trees are rustling a little, even though there isn't any wind...
[21:19] * Radiant_Fury sniffs the air a little before climbing down the earthen bank and into the pocket. "All right, then." She murmurs. "Let's see what's inside."
[21:20] * Radiant_Fury bows her head, floating the orb up to her horn.
[21:35] <~Radio_GM> oooOOOooo
[21:35] <~Radio_GM> The memory begins, as you suddenly find yourself thrust in the body of another. You are suddenly back in that very same clearing that you just left; it’s almost as though you’d never left. You cannot see yourself in the darkness, but you can tell that you are in the body of another unicorn. The sensation of a few “additions” to this new body also tells you that this is a stallion.
[21:35] <~Radio_GM> You feel the stallion’s muzzle open and speak aloud, as if you were doing so yourself. But what’s this? He’s talking aloud, and he’s addressing…you?
[21:35] <~Radio_GM> ”I don’t have much time. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know how you got into these woods or how you got in, but I’m begging you. Please leave, and please leave soon. These woods are not safe. The trees are alive, and they’ll find you. I’ve seen it happen before. This clearing where the orb is lying is probably the only safe place where they can’t get you; don’t ask me how, because I don’t know. I really hope you get this warning in time; I’ll send up a flare so you can find it.”
[21:35] <~Radio_GM> You hear rustling, and you can feel a surge of panic growing in the stallion’s body you are occupying. He speaks hurriedly. “It’s a good thing I know how to create memory orbs quickly. I’ll leave it here for you. Get out now, and whatever you do don’t let the trees get you. Good luck!”
[21:35] <~Radio_GM> oooOOOooo
[21:36] <~Radio_GM> With that, the memory abruptly ends. You find yourself in that same pocket under the road…the forest suddenly seems to have gotten darker. The whole memory couldn’t have lasted longer than a minute, yet it’s as dark as the dead of night. You can hear rustling above you, even in the absence of any sort of breeze…
[21:39] * Radiant_Fury blinks herself back to consciousness with a frown. Trees are alive, huh? She had no reason to trust this stallion, but he had no reason to lie to her, either. Save fucking with her, luring her into a trap to steal her belongings. If he had wanted to send her a warning to leave, he should have picked a vehicle that didn't require the reader to be immobile to use.
[21:39] <Radiant_Fury> She slowly emerges from her hiding space, then keeps a brisk pace as she trots down the trail.
[21:47] <~Radio_GM> You grow more and more aware of the growing darkness around you...as one of the trees suddenly gives a loud, creaking groan as one of its branches swipes downwards with surprising flexibility towards you. The thing rams into your side, scratching you slightly.
[21:50] * Radiant_Fury can't say that she wasn't expecting it... She -had- warning after all. Deciding that fighting something that stood fast in the face of balefire was fruitless, she takes off at a sprint.
[21:55] <~Radio_GM> You run at breakneck speed, as the trees begin to groan and thrash about you. Branches crash and wood creaks, as the whole forest seems to stir itself up in rage against you.
[21:56] * Radiant_Fury didn't do anything to this forest... did she? Hell if she remembers. Keeping her head low and her eyes forward, she searches desperately for the exit.
[21:58] <~Radio_GM> Entire branches slam into the ground in front of you, as if trying to bar your escape. You've managed to avoid them until now, but suddenly one particularly girthy branch slams in front of you, barring your exit. It's obvious that you can't jump over it.
[21:59] <~Radio_GM> A tremendous crashing sound from behind you tells you that another branch has blocked the road behind you. You can't escape by backtracking, and on both sides of you you can see even more of the murderous trees thrashing wildly. You cannot escape.
[21:59] * Radiant_Fury snarls. "Out of my way!" She shouts, conjuring a mighty fireball!
[22:03] <~Radio_GM> You conjure a lrge fireball and hit the branch directly in front of you. There is a loud groaning as the branch lifts itself up into the canopy, the forest seeming to bellow with pain.
[22:04] * Radiant_Fury smirks. Nature bends to my will, not the other way around. She darts through the opening.
[22:08] <~Radio_GM> You try to run through, but alas it is to no avail. The branch slams down upon your back leg as you try to escape. You can hear the sound of the bone cracking beneath the weight of the branch, and you can certainly /feel/ it, as you feel a thin bloody trickle run down from your leg where you lay, trapped.
[22:11] * Radiant_Fury gives a loud grunt in pain as the tree fractures her leg. "Let. Me. Go!" She shouts, summoning another fireball.
[22:11] * Radiant_Fury gives a loud grunt in pain as the tree fractures her leg. "Let. Me. Go!" She shouts, summoning another fireball.
[22:19] * Radiant_Fury struggles to break free, her spell failing her in her duress.
[22:22] <~Radio_GM> That it does. The trees continue to crash and thrash around you, waiting for your doom...
[22:23] <~Radio_GM> Suddenly, you feel a pair of hooves on your shoulders. It is too dark for you to see who or what it is, but you hear a voice rise against the crashing. It's undoubtedly the same voice you heard in the warning orb.
[22:23] <~Radio_GM> "Hold on!"
[22:24] * Radiant_Fury grunts a little. "Watch the leg. It's... broken..." She mutters, trying to help whoever is pulling her however she can.
[22:24] <~Radio_GM> There is a burst of light, and you find yourself on the path. Not fifty yards ahead of you is a large opening in the trees, the light filtering through, to a path that leads to the outside of the forest.
[22:26] * Radiant_Fury mutters something else. "Teleportation..." She wips the corner of her mouth. "You're the stallion from the orb, right?"
[22:30] <~Radio_GM> The voice sounds from behind you. "I was. I'm sorry I couldn't warn you directly. But the fact of the matter is that I can't."
[22:31] * Radiant_Fury seems dubious, but also doesn't seem to care. "You can't warn me... but you can directly interfere? What are you?"
[22:32] <~Radio_GM> "Look behind you."
[22:33] * Radiant_Fury does.
[22:39] <~Radio_GM> There stands before you a ghoul unicorn. He was brown-coated once, but the flesh has long decayed and burned. He wears the tattered remains of what looks like an old khaki uniform, the remains of an symbol embroidered over his front chest pocket of a circle surrounding a tree. An old cowpony hat rests atop his head, and you can see that his horn is badly broken. His eyes, sunken into his skull, watch you with a plaintive expression.
[22:41] * Radiant_Fury looks him over. "...And?"
[22:44] <~Radio_GM> The ghoul sighs. "I was a forest ranger here once, long ago. When the bombs fell. I burned, with everything else here. But I lived, I suppose." He taps his horn. "This sure didn't, though. I can't cast magic on my own anymore, but it acts up on its own. Every several minutes, it'll light up and take me to a random spot in the forest. It just won't let me stay in one spot for long."
[22:45] * Radiant_Fury stands up, taking the weight off of her leg. "..."
[22:45] <~Radio_GM> He shrugs. "The only other thing I /can/ do is make memory orbs. And that's about it."
[22:49] * Radiant_Fury shrugs too. "You saved me,  and you have my thanks. If there was any way I knew of to help you, I would. I'm afraid I don't, though."
[22:54] <~Radio_GM> "You can thank me by never coming here again. I might be doomed to stay in this forest until the end of time, but that doesn't mean I can't help ponies." He gives a bitter chuckle. "It's nice to know that after all these years, I still am a ranger of sorts." He glances at your leg. "You should do something about that. If you walk down that trail a ways, find your way back to the main path, and trot on for about half a mile, I think there's an old clinic there. At least, there was before the bombs dropped. But who knows? You might be lucky. Else, you best try your luck at Trotters Fort several miles down the same path. Sorry I can't tell you more, I-" his talking is suddenly interrupted by a large flash from his horn. There is a large, blinding light, and the ghoul is gone.
[22:55] * Radiant_Fury sighs a little. "Well, thank you." She says to no one. With a limp, she resumes her journey until she happens upon the clinic.
[23:00] <~Radio_GM> The building is old and ruined, but seems more or less intact. As you find your way inside, you find plenty of dust and broken furniture, as well as (disgustingly enough) piles of what seems to be excrement in some of the rooms, but you find no medical supplies whatsoever that can help your broken leg.
[23:01] * Radiant_Fury rolls her eyes. Perfect. Gritting her teeth, she trudges on.
[23:04] <~Radio_GM> You work through the pain. You find nothing, and see nothing, but you trudge on, as the ground beneath your feet becomes softer, your hooves meeting patches of yellow, dead grass. In the distance, not too far away, you see a large, walled structure. Perhaps this is the Trotters Fort the ghoul had mentioned?
[23:05] * Radiant_Fury gives a slight sigh of relief that took... way too long...
[23:07] <~Radio_GM> Relief for you aching leg, hopefully, waits inside...you may be in no condition to appreciate the sense of adventure now, but you shall feel it soon enough, as only the Golden Coast can inspire.
[23:07] <~Radio_GM> ---End Prologue E---
[23:08] <~Radio_GM> ---Radiant_Fury has completed the quest, "Fury in the Forest".---
[23:08] <~Radio_GM> ---Radiant_Fury has reached Level 3!---
[23:13] <~Radio_GM> Radiant_Fury has received the quest trait "Fire at Will". Your penchant for anything to do with fire is one of your greatest boons as well as one of your greatest banes. It is fire that will save you in many situations, but in many others it can also be your undoing. Why else would mothers tell their foals not to play with fire? All combat spells that use fire use 5 fewer action points than they ordinarily would, but with every failed Science roll when casting these spells you must roll LCK. If you fail this LCK roll, you can be assured that your magic is going to burn something you didn't mean to burn. Beware!