Forums » General Roleplay » Summer Soiree: Saltin' Slugs (Closed)

((OOC: Please refer to this thread for further context. This is intended to be a little over the top and silly. Feel free to incorporate slug or pufferfish shenanigans.))






A group of slugs huddled together in the center of a circle made of salt. To cross that threshold meant death. Though the old woman's fire did not bode well for the gastropods either.

"Our guests should arrive soon, my lovelies!" she coo'd to them as she ensured the inside of her cozy and (not-very-)welcoming cave was swept clean of sand.

Lured by the smell and the promise of nourishment, a tall and lean Hobgoblin woman with a thick mane of black hair silently approached the witch’s den.

Arms hanging limply by the front and her upper body slightly bent, more prowling than walking up straight, she looked on to the hag with deep yellow cat like eyes.

“Hmm... witch. I heard you got food.”

"Pardon the interruption," began Queen Adele, sizing up the jailor.













"I caught these slugs trying to filet my puffer fish. More slugs for your prison," continued Queen Adele. She took one look at the hobgoblin and decided it would not be pleasant to stay and watch what became of them. After all, it was almost dinnertime. She made off down the trail towards her castle.

Snaul sat in the middle of the salt circle, his long eye stocks staring distantly into the fire. He sighed, despondent. Snaul wasn't quite sure what he had done to get here. He crawled out of the way as more slugs were tossed into the circle. His eye stocks turned to look at Adelle an thought about he said. Snual didn't live under a shell, he wasn't a snail! But, he wouldn't deny living under the a rock, er, mystical crystal. Maybe things were more dire than he had thought! Snual's slime went... colder... at the thought of being accused of harming a pufferfish. He looked back into the fire, wondering where his dear Quillton was at now.

Quillton, however, was closer than Snaul thought. He sneakily snuck in behind Adelle's feet and rolled behind a rock as she talked to the jailor. He sucked in and made himself small as she left. Quillton scooted to the other side of the rock and stared back around to the salt circle. He spotted his beloved Snaul immediately and gasped quietly. He quickly hid back beyond the rock and began to make up a plan. He needed to save his sweet Snaul!

The witch's mismatched eyes scanned the hungry hobgoblin before her thin, dry lips curled into a smile. Her mouth seemed to be missing several teeth; those that remained were thin and badly yellowed.

"Of course, dearie," she said, and strode to the circle of slugs, her movements limber and lithe as if much younger than her appearance. She plucked one unfortunate slug from the circle with her long, boney fingers, squishing it gently as it squirmed, trapped between her digits. For the moment, the two slugs hidden near the rock were "safe".

The pan was hot, the oil beginning to sizzle. Plop! She dropped the little slug into the pan, salting it heavily as Queen Adelle arrived bearing gifts. "An appreciated offering. I shall not forget," Jadis promised. Having the Queen for an ally could prove useful.

She let the slug pop and sizzle for only a few moments as it shriveled quickly, before plucking it again from the pan and offering it to the hobgoblin. "Best eaten hot..." she advised.


((Glad you liked it! Hopefully Snaul & Quillton get some backup, huh?))

A caravan of hill goblins had arrived in a covered wagon. They made the long trip down winding trails to get here from a far. Gmokz’s in-laws made the journey along with his wife. She was off with her parents exploring the local area. They were here to browse whatever wares the locals had for sale.

Gnokz had just finished tying the two horses that pulled the wagon onto hitching poles. He decided he might as well have a bite to eat. The last thing he did before walking off toward’s the witches home was to grab a small sack of freshly picked glowing mushrooms.

He figured the witch could use them to cook with. They could even be useful in certain potions of rejuvenation and protection. Hill goblins like Gnokz often used them as a luminous garnish for goblin pasta dishes.

“Ay, oh? How ya’ doing ladies and gents?” The rusted copper green goblin wore loose clothing of embroidered silk. “I come bearing spices”, he said as he carefully offered the small wrapped pouch of glowing purple and green mushrooms.

“Slugs? I was wondering what smelled so good”. Gnokz’s small face carried an excited expression. “I hope I can taste one. We don’t have many slugs in the high country.”

Xochi shot Queen Adelle some dirty looks as she passed by. Adelle might be a noble but all the Hobgoblin saw was a human and she was no friend of those.

Her attention was caught as Jadis offered her a delicious looking slug, the Hobgoblin not even bothering to grab it with her hand first- she just reached down and plucked it with her mouth from the witch’s bony fingers.

“Hmrr good!” She approved as she chewed.

Though luck would have it that a few of her ‘cousins’ would show up to this party. Normally she’d just swat them away but this was the witch’s house and she would have to share if Jadis wished to be generous.

“Hmmrrr...” She did growl a little at her ‘lesser’ kin. The Hobgoblin trying to establish some hierarchy so she didn’t get cheated out of too many slugs.

((me too, me too lol))

Queen Adelle hesitated briefly before she approached the repulsive-looking witch with the slugs.

Surely, to be that ugly, she must be under a curse, the Queen thought silently. I wonder who or what she angered...

But Queen Adelle reasoned that it was none of her business. These slugs were part of a rebellion. The microchips in their backs proved it. And then there was the secret letters from The Professor... disparaging magic, and claiming these slugs were their soldiers!

So it was settled, then. The slugs were obviously plotting to kill the sacred puffer fish through the land.

One can't tolerate treason, she reminded herself, or was it rather that she was trying to convince herself? She was still walking towards the witch, but her pace had slowed as she felt inexplicable hesitation. No. Weakness will only invite more treachery. The slugs must die.

Her formidable demeanor was regal and unchanging, despite her inner state. She had learned long ago never to show weakness.

But as the witch picked up a slug for the hobgoblin, the Queen's blue eyes darted from the witch's face to the creature in her hand.

As the witch got closer and closer to the frying pan, Queen Adelle waved her hand in a quick, inconspicuous motion...a small circle, while whispering a few words in latin:

"Senso nullum dolorem, iustus somnum..."

And just like that, with no clue to any of the others, the slug went unconscious and felt no pain or sensation as it hit the pan.

After hearing the witches promise to remember her gift, Adelle nodded and flashed a half smile at the poor creature.

"Indeed. You're doing me a service by punishing these traitors," was all Adelle said, still maintaining her steely Poker Face.

Then she turned and left quickly, before her heart interfered any further with her reputation for ruthlessness.

As she went, she glared back at the hobgoblin who gave her a dirty look for a long, tense second. She thought of making an issue of it, but the bottom line was, these were supporters of magic--they needed all the bodies they could get against The Professor and his technology-powered army.

Silently, a tall reaper would slip into the cave, staying in the shadows. Casually leaning against the walls, she would change her form. She was black and the size of a horse, but looked like a whippet, lean, with the long, skinny ears of a jakal. Her narrow pupiless eyes glowed as she stepped towards the other, making a sound similar to that of a hyena. Her nose worked as she smelled the slugs.

In all honesty, while she knew of the situation, she wasn't particularly emotional about it. Everyone had their time, even those little pufferfish these beings seemed to love so much. Her narrow tail swayed lazily as she observed everyone.

Gnokz didn’t seem to react much physically to the hissing of the hobgoblin. Instead he continued to saunter closer, body facing the counter and cooking station. “Say, what’s the big idea pal?” The sour green goblin flicked his tiny hands out and to his sides. “I’m walkin’ here.” His head turned to direct the words towards the hobgoblin.

He opened the pouch of mushrooms he had placed on a nearby counter. “Makes a great sauce”, he told the witch while studying the purple and green glows within the small sack.

Gnokz moved closer to the hobgoblin. He glanced over to see if she had any extra slugs he could poach.

Snaul watched Gnokz enter. Then, his eye stocks drifted to the Hobgoblin. Then, to the Queen, and then to the curséd witch. Snaul sent both stocks in different directions so he could watch the whole room. There seemed to be a problem between the two goblinoids. Snual decided he had bigger fish to fry-- Oh, poor phrasing. Bad phrasing. Snual looked around and if slugs could jump, he would've. His stocks went straight back together. He could have sworn he saw Quillton peaking around a rock. Which, no! Of course not! Obviously not! Quillton would never!

But he did! Quillton watched the conversations, listening closely. He gasped quietly when he notice someone approached behind him and scooched back into the shadows. He watched the massive hound pass on into the shadows as well and felt nervousness rise in him. What did this new stranger want? Would they help him bust out his sweet Snaul? Quillton knew better than to depend on it, and tried to sneak around to a new rock.

“Hmmmr!!” Xochi continued growling, trying to display her dominance over the smaller goblinoid.

“I got here first, I get more slugs!” Warned the Hobgoblin as Gnokz approached, perfectly aware of what the red headed goblin was trying to do. She had lead far too many squads of regular goblins in her time in the army to not be aware of their tricks.

“You’re smaller, you get less, hmmmr. It’s the law.” She flicked a clawed hand at him dismissively, full on citing goblinoid hierarchy at Gnokz.

Adelia shook her head, amused. She strode over to Gnokz, selecting an already dead slug and offering it to the much smaller creature. She would be well aware of one slug actually moving away, but did nothing about it. These small creatures were not a meal to her. No, she would rather hunt something bigger or eat a cursed soul.

She simply stood, letting everyone decide how they would react. She would note the fear from some, amused. At least they knew to fear the reaper.

Gnokz chirped and adjusted himself suddenly at the hobgoblin’s growl. He stared back at Xochi with a look of disappointment in his eye. This was mainly because she didn’t seem to have extra slugs in front of her that he could snatch.

Just as the woman’s lecture on size and law started to set in, a different lady with dark wings handed him a slug. Gnokz beamed as he crunched on it once before swallowing it. “Thank you kindly”, the small being told Adelia.

“Being small has its benefits”, he told Xochi while still beaming over his snack. It was likely the reason the dark angel chose him to hand food to. Gnokz moved close to Adelia and looked up at her. “Here to unwind, are you?” He stared curiously at her, unaware of the lore of reapers.

“Bah..” Xochi said in annoyance when Gnokz was fed over her. She who was bigger and fiercer and also a Hobgoblin and not a lowly goblin.

But she ignored it for now. Instead, she focused on the witch to see if she had more slugs to give, not caring about the presence of the creepy reaper girl.

Fear? Xochi was a Lion. Fear was for sheep.

Hobgoblins and goblins! Perfect! These dastardly technology-loving Super Slugs would be gobbled up soon enough! The Right-Side-Up Professor may claim to have an infinite supply of the slug army at his disposal, but that, even for technology, seemed impossible. Only magic could wield that kind of power!!!!

"Eat up, eat up!" Encouraged the witch, tossing a couple more of the squishy morsels onto her skillet with a satisfying sizzle. "There are plenty for all!"

The small, old woman looked to the reaper. "Did you come to collect the souls of the Super Slugs?" Jadis asked. Surely, a being such as Adelia would side with magic over technology, right?

"Yes, soul collecting is what I'm meant for, is it not?" The Reaper purred, casually watching the blue ghosts of the slugs struggle before she lowered her tail, touching them. the ghosts vanished, going to wherever they were meant to go.