Session Start: Tue Apr 05 19:15:59 2005 Session Ident: #ethresh * Logging #ethresh to 'C:\Documents and Settings\Dave\My Documents\Exalted\Abyssal\Logs\AB-04-05-2005' (Nope) (That only occurs on Sundays now that I'm done with Training) (We have an IST project due tonight and need to get it done by midnight) The creatures are Dune Striders. Largely unknown to these coastal regions, the beasts are found in the deepest deserts. They are as wide as three men shoulder to shoulder, and sixteen feet long. (Reference: Creatures of the Wyld, page 8. Dune Striders are exactly the same, save their looks and homeland. Stats are exactly the same.) (Great Terrors, in case my PDF version is different than yours) (Looks like fun) (At least I know they can't maipulate me) Tyran smirks, despite the rotting flesh limiting his facial features. "The person who wants you dead is willing to pay a hefty price Requiem. Her only interest was that her identity be kept secret." He takes a step back as the Striders peer down from the rooftops at the circle.* * Echo throws his cloak back, his soulsteel fingers clenching down on a rod of black ichor slowly forming from the very air in the dank room. The rod rapidly takes shape, the etchings alonside it reading in hideously scrawled Old Realm 'Azalgrial'. Echos entire body fades into the shadows of the room, though he somehow remains visible. It is as if Creation has spewed forth the darkest shadow magics to cover Echos presence.* (1 mote to summon Azalgrial, 5 motes 1 wp for Incomparable Phantom Form) (Personal essence pool btw) (I'll post your stats periodically in this format: name, personal motes current/max, peripheral motes/max, willpower/max) (k) (Bah, sorry. I didn't even wait for init.) (Well that's my first turn, regardless) (no problem, they will take 1 full turn to reach you, Requiem you may act as well or attack) (I have ZERO faith in Crimsons ability to fight, but Ruin is a tough cookie. They are here, aren't they..?) (yes, and there are 4 total Striders) (Good use of my combat charms, I shall make) * Requiem moves her hands and gathers the tell-tale black energy of her crypt-bolt. She releases it at one of the charging creatures. (Putting in 6 motes) * Retrieving #ethresh info... (bah, one sec lemme pull up the abyssals book) (i need to make a quick reference page for you guys) (That's a good ass charm) (yes it is, especially when you have permanant essence of 4 so I have essence to spare) The four Dune Striders jump from the rooftops surrounding you and slam into the dirt below. They each bellow roars and charge forward. One doesn't even bother to avoid the Crypt Bolt and is struck by Requiem. (an excellent 6 successes on your 12 dice attack Req, you roll 13 dice in damage and inflict 4L total) (Woohoo!) (ok, got my auto intiative set-up. Second round of combat: Requiem, Striders (they will act as one), Echo, Crimson, Ruin. Go ahead Requiem) (oh, and the striders are now in melee range) (Bloody ell. I need more dex.) hmmm... (Thrown does not leave much tactically available when engaged in CQB) (It's CQC fucknut. Learn your shit Snake) (Right right, I learned CQB first) (And that game is hard) (Agreed.) * Requiem forms another black mass in her hands and fires it, the force sends her cloak billowing backwards. (Another shot, 4 motes this time) (is that your only action for the turn?) (?) (Maybe move out of the way, also it is aimed at the same thing) (its up to you, but by using your charm for the turn and not splitting dice to dodge, any one of the four might attack you) (True... Yeah, I'll split up some action so I can dodge) (ok, 1 attack, 1 dodge.. rolling..) (10 dice attack, 3 suc, target full dodges at 7 dice, 5 suc. You miss) The Strider hisses as it sees another surge of essence rushing from Requiem and does it's best to avoid the pain this time. It is limping slighty, but still looks very deadly. The other Striders are not nearly as cautious. The one facing down Crimson charges forward, but veers away from Crimson at the last second and heads directly towards Requiem! From behind one of the beasts, Tyran cackles loudly and shouts, "Her! Her!" (strider's 8 dice attack gets 4 suc, requiem's 9 dice dodge only get 1 suc) (See, they are cruising for a bruising now) (strider gets 4 successes on his attack) (Hmmm, do I still have the quiver I took from Felharbor? I haven't really...changed clothes since then.) (reqiem is at -1 to all actions and is down 4 health) (I assumed you didn't Echo, posing as a librarian and all...) (K) Crimson snickers under her breath as she avoids danger and sees the Strider slam into Requiem. The other two Striders each attack Ruin and Echo. (... echo beats the attack by 5 successes, ruin by 1. Echo's turn) (I forgot the mention Ruin used Phantom Form as well) * Echo takes in the breadth of his foe(s) and sighs. He had hoped to avoid engaging in combat with anyone that didn't NEED to die until he at least reached Bluehaven. No such luck. These things, whatever they were, were HUGE and fucking...HUGE. It was mind boggiling that he and his circle would have to go toe to toe with them. Yet, Echos arrogance refuses to be denied. The rhino sized beasts would die at his hands, he assured himself. Echo leaps backwards the instant one of the Dune Striders makes landfall in front of him, his bow springs out in front of him, and his hand simmers with essence. His arrow, plucked from the essence of the world, explodes forward, bristeling with black, mishapen barbs. A frogcrotch arrow, dipped in necromantic putrescence, screams towards a Dune Striders maw.* (1 mote for the arrow, 6 for bloodthirsty arrow. 3 to add 3L damage, 3 to reduce its defense pool by 3) (Woops, my bad, I meant broadhead. Just checked the definitions of them.) (I keep thinking that frogcrotch are the normal ones, but they are the uber anti flesh ones.) (6 suc on the attack, base 6L+2broadhead+3, 6L rolled, 4 successes) (yeah, they are pretty lame though. Even someone with 3L soak negates their usefulness) A second Strider staggers as it is struck, it howls in pain and turns to Echo in a rage. Crimson smiles at her luck and simply stands off to the side, watching Requiem battle two of the beasts at once. Ruin on the other hand launches into a full blown offensive. His movements are hard to track as blue-green fire erupts from his Firewand. Three seperate shots arc through the air and in the instand before striking their target, balloon to double their size. (Flame Dancer Strike, artifact ability and Bloom of the Inevitable Demise, 15m, 1W) (The Dune Strider is covered in flames and is nearly incinerated wholly. It's corpse shrugs to the side, still standing slightly. (God damn that attack was the reason I made Ruin :) (Round Three...) (8:30 sounds like a good estimate at this rate, man) Echo, Striders, Requiem, Crimson, Ruin * (Well, hopefully I live) * Echo doesn't really land after his attack. The shadow of his being dances along the surface of the ground, then vanishes forward, trailing black contrails of essence in its wake. His distorted frame lunges forward into the same Strider he assaulted earlier. He lays a foot on the creatures head and runs along its back, then firing off a shot into one of the Striders attacking Requiem as he quietly drops off the firsts back.* (Normal shot) *then he fires off a shot (+3 stunt dice Legolas) (I try) (There's only so much you can do that's original with archery since those movies man. I need more athletics before I can justify some of the shit Legolas does too.) The Dune Strider bucks and rolls from under Echo, trying to escape, and nearly does so. However the Abyssal's arrow plunges deep into it's hide. (you got him by 1 success through his full dodge) (Oh yeah, me=-1 mote for making arrow) (1 damage dealt) (And I regain the mote!) (you regain 6 motes actually, hang on) (Oh shit, that's right. Stunts, bitchez!) (Echo - 7/15 26/26 5/6 ) The Dune Strider rages in pain and ignores Requiem for the moment, but the other does not. Crimson's laughter can be heard in the background as the beast charges headlong towards the Abyssal child. (Full on attack Req, what do you want to do?) (Have thoust forgotten my ability to regain motes whenever dealing damage with Azalgrial? 1 mote per 1 HL. Yeah, it's awesome. AND you approved it!) (bah, yeah yeah. you're up 5 personal from that last post then (splitting my dice pool for dodging) (how many times? You have only 1 attacking you actively at the moment thanks to Echo, and it's only making one attack) (Then I'll do it once, but I have a charm I want to use on my attack turn) (Splitting dice is a pain. Get a persistent defense, makes things awful easy) (k...) (Yeah I wish I had taken one) (damn dude, 8 suc on 12 dice full dodge, his 7 dice attack got 0 successes) (woohoo!) The Dune Strider stumbles past Requiem in a cloud of harmless dust. Apparently his minor wounds are getting to him. (So how many Dune Striders are around me?) (1 actively focusing on you, 2 on Echo now and 1 dead one.) (Okay, so how close is everyone to me?) (Echo is about 5 yards away, Ruin and Crimson are 15 yards away) (Crap) (Just had to get up close didn't you?) (ah, I see, your area attack. You have 1 at 3 yards and the other 2 are at 8 yards) (Oh well, you've got a persistant defence going, right?) (You bitch.) (I can see you know where this is going) (Just use a perfect defense charm and you'll be fine) * Requiem focuses on the pain throughout her body and draws it inward, forming a horrendous ball of spikes inside her gut. She clenches her fists and imagine the pain spreading out, poised to return so much more to her enemies. She lets out a howl of pain as thousands of needles rip out of her flesh and fly at the her two attackers. (Thousand Needle Torrent) (Hm, I could. Haven't used my charm for the turn) (Is this even dodgeable? Shit.) (Yes, with charms or stunts) (I can dig it.) (The closest one is dealt 1L, the other two take 2L each. One is now significantly wounded (the one closest to Requiem), one is moderatly wounded, and other is barely scratched. You dodging Echo?) (Flickering Wisp Technique, 6 motes) (You evade perfectly.) (I try.) Ruin's face remains passive after his victory over one of the Dune Striders. He calmly pulls back the bottom of his single-handed Soulsteel firewand and ejects a faintly glowing blue tube. It rattles on the ground as Ruin reaches for another at his waist. Before he can react, Tyran flies into a rage from the sidelines. His face and body convulse and contort, spikes rip out from his dead flesh and four decayed arms erupt from his torso. He hisses and lunges the 30 yards towards Ruin in a single bound. Ruin barely has time to raise an eyebrow in alarm as the horror pounces on him... (Round Four!) (oh, Crimson didn't do shit again) (The battle now focuses on Echo, Requiem and the three remaining ones...) (I wish I had sorcery...curse of slavish humility) Requiem, Striders, Echo* (Oh god.) (damnit Crimson) * Requiem weakly focues her enery on the most injured beast and fires a 4 mote crypt-bolt at it. (sorry, trying to speed up) (no problem, you'll be out in seconds...) (...That's ominous.) (Indeed) The beast attempts to dodge the attack, but his bloody legs don't allow him to move quickly enough. The blast rips through his torso, leaving him mortally wounded and weezing for air in a hulk on the ground. From behind Requiem, she hears Ruin's muffled screams and Crimson increasingly loud laughter. A flicker of motion appears on her right and before she can turn, and hand grabs her wrist. In the blink of an eye, Requiem is pulled into a nearly invisible alcove by an unknown assailant. A hand wraps around Requiem's mouth and a boy's voice whispers for her to keep quiet. Requiem looks up to see none other than V'Neef Guissan, the young Dragon-Blood from the docks earlier and focus of the Yozi Kimberry's obsession. He's smiling. "You can thank me later for saving you."* (Good thing I am incapable of showing effection) (hmm, how did my campaign end up with all of these adolscents?) (hmm, how did my campaign end up with an ST that can't spell?) (anything to part with Requiem?) (Nope, except have a nice evening) (I gotta run) (Later) (you too sir, see you next tuesday) * Requiem has quit IRC (Rolling your wits+awarness, diff 2) (3 suc, you see Requiem being hauled off into the side of the courtyard, perhaps to an alley. You recognize the young Dragon-Blood from the Imperial delegation...) * * Echo glances over at Requiem, trying to gauge his circlemates wellbeing. His eyes widen as he realizes her well-being consists of exploding thorns from her skin. Echo disappears. Not fades into the shadows. Not becomes really stealthy. Not 90% camoflauge. He vanishes off the face of Creation, only to reappear but a few feet away from Requiem, shaking his head. Of course, she is taken a moment later, and although Echo notices, he cares little. He's a bit busy trying to handle the remaining Dune Striders on his own, thank you very much. Besides, if the Dragon-Blood is a diplomat than he can at least bargain for her safe return...and that's even if he deems it necessary. For now the immediate problem was the Dune Striders. His own survival was simply more important than anyone elses. * since striders get init before me. (Too bad ranged weapons don't have a speed modifier... that always confused me) (I thought they just always went first) (They do and they don't) (Although in a melee situation it'd be good to have a speed rating though) (Because realistically, arming and firing a bow isn't quicker than stabbing someone with a spear) (Since they hit targets 300 yards out. A dude with a spear will run towards you first, but he won't reach you in the same turn. You can have a speed of 1. You still attack him before he can attack you.) (But then again, in power combat speed is the range of the weapon, and a powerbow easily outdistances even spears) The two remaining Dune Striders turn towards you after losing sight of Requiem. They both growl and rush headlong towards you, teeth gnashing. (each get an unimpressive 1 suc, you dodge with such ease as to be laughable) (Your turn) The remaining ones seem more than capable of devouring him, but Echo won't give up just *that* easily. As the beasts charge him he takes a moment to inhale, sucking in the life of the world around him. He exhales, vile essence taking shape in his hands. As the Striders attack him, he merely dissolves into walking liquid, sidestepping their charges as if they were hardly even there. He whispers a solemn, if ineffectual blessing on the pair of arrows he has created, then turns towards his attackers, who have just charged past him. With not another word he takes aim and launches a bolt towards the ones right leg. He fires the other towards the seconds left leg. He hopes that both will strike, causing them to collapse into one another. Or something like that.* (Two attacks, no charms, 2 motes to make the arrows) (1 stunt dice for creativity at least) (you deal 3L to each...) (WOOOO, eight motes! I'm sucking em down man.) The injuried one's left is badly pierced and he collapses inward towards the other. The other attempts to move out of the way, but cannot manage in time. The beasts ram into each other in a dull thud, collapsing on the ground. One is dead, the other struggles to stand.) (Lets take a look at the other side of the courtyard...) Ruin screams at the top of his lungs as the life is squeezed from his battered body. He is on his back on the dusty ground, the six armed corpse horror embracing him with barbed arms. The creature Tyran hisses into Ruin's face, foul breath and poison saliva dripping on the Exalt. Crimson is no longer laughing. What was once an interesting scene has become suddenly very dangerous. Requiem is gone, Ruin may be dead in seconds. She decides to do something uncharacteristic and attempt a rescue. With a shout she charges across the courtyard and heaves a single heavy punch into the immobile Tyran's head. The vile skull deflates like a balloon, leaving a cloud of caustic gases in it's wake. From the Nemessary's back, another, smaller, eviler head grows. It breaks through the fabric to the surface and hisses at Crimson, spitting a green slime into her eyes. Crimson shrieks and falls backwards, clawing at her face in a panic. * * Echo would smirk, but one of the Striders is still alive, and the strange Nemissary appears to be killing Ruin. Although that doesn't sound woefully terrible for Echo, the fact is, Ruin had skills. Skills, charms and perhaps more knowledge than he let on. He wasn't invaluable, nor was he worth wasting on a failed assassination attempt. Echos soulsteel hand grips his bow tightly as a new arrow is formed at his behest. "The Dead should know their place." He utters, the bolt firing from his grasp with a spray of blood red essence in its wake. It darts inexorably towards the Nemissary, guaranteeing injury at least.* (Flawless Archer Discipline, 2 motes 1 wp.) It strikes without error... (AMAZING charm btw. You roll the attack *just to add damage*. I love it) (and deals 1L of damage through his meager armor. Bad roll that.) (Oh what the hell.) Tyran grunts in pain as an arrow jabs into his side. The smaller, evil head turns towards Echo and he relaxes his grip on Ruin slightly. Ruin screams through the haze of pain threatening to overtake him and finally manages to angle his firewand against the nemessary's chest. Ruin spits on the creature and depresses the trigger over and over, bluish green flames slamming into the stationary creature's chest. Five bursts later Tyran releases Ruin and stands in a fog of burst flesh. He staggers slightly and seems disoriented.* (err, *stands in a fog of burnt flesh) * Echo furrows his brow. This cretin Tyran might yield some good information, and he is certainly outnumbered by three powerful Exalts. "Give up fool. I won't tell you again." Echo grins, loosing a pair of arrows towards the fiends core. He quietly hopes it will just kill the Nemissary, but as he said, maybe Tyran would give up valuable information. Or not, who really cared about him after all?* (2 attacks. -2 motes for arrow generation) Tyran makes no move to avoid the arrows and they strike his chest, breaking bone and muscle. He falls to one knee, his current body's limits reached. He breathes out in a ragged voice, "Fools. You'll wish I'd killed you by the time she's done with you." With that Tyran departs his possessed body, which slumps to the ground soundlessly. The entire courtyard is quiet, save Crimson's self-pitying sobbing. Ruin is unconscious and hurt in a bad way. The flames from the close range attack on Tyran scorched his flesh as well, and his clothing is still smoldering. He is bleeding from a dozen places and has enough flesh removed from part of his side to reveal a dull white rib.* * Echo rolls his eyes. "Always the dramatic ones. I really do dislike Nemissaries you know, for just that kind of this. I mean, really, when you 'die' that frequently, why be so melodramatic? I could understand a mortal laying out some manner of vain death throe, but that was just pitiful." * Echo pushes his glasses onto the bridge of his nose, and is about to continue his rant, going into an entire session of why he dislikes zombies too, but he notices the bone jutting from the corpse. More importantly, he notices Ruin all but dead right by the body. "I can't take you people -anywhere-." He snickers as he meanders over to the flayed corpse and his fallen circlemate.* *Ruins *nevermind (riiight) You hear a loud crunching of wood as the passageway to the main road is battered in. You brother runs into the courtyard, a full thirty armed men behind him. He takes a full ten seconds to look around before saying, justly, "Fuck."* (we can end there unless you would like to do something else, angel needs help with the baby) * Echo looks down at his ruined circlemates, which include Ruin himself, who actually is missing part of his...skin...and Crimson, who is rolling around clutching her eyes. He just shakes his head.* (Alrighty) ok, good session, I pulled Requiem's exit out of thin air. haha it's alright You know it's odd, Requiem fit into my story seamlessly amazing what you can whip up when ya need to that was a good combat session relatively quick...only lasted a single session Kimberry knows somebody else knows about Guissan. It'll take Requiem's dreams and intiution to solve the riddle of the mirror, and your negotiations to save the entire circle woot yeah. I hope it wasn't too hecktic it wasn't i was surprised, actually Crimson+Ruin staying out of it was good woulda gotten nuts although Ruin didn't really stay out of it...he just was out of it yeah, I don't like rolling unless it is with a player I like the kind of informal combat, like at the end where the results are more important than the rolls yah can't use it all the time though luckily you aren't stuck up on exact distances and all that junk or i can't anyways no well distance only comes into play occasionally so long as there is a decent image of the area in our heads, it shouldn't be a huge player when you are dealing with multiple people, then need to know what is going on and how to respond. That means they need to know their full dodge will work like a full dodge in the books yeah poor Lance has been away awhile too much other RPG knowledge in his widdle head i noticed. Had she rolled slightly worse in one defense, she would have technically died oh yes, and the Devil's Dues looks about ready to begin Session Close: Tue Apr 05 21:10:06 2005