Session Start: Tue Nov 16 18:49:45 2004 Session Ident: #ethresh * Logging #ethresh to 'C:\Documents and Settings\Dave\My Documents\Exalted\Abyssal\Logs\AB-11-16-2004' hmm this dude on the compendium just challenged me to list 50 of John Kerrys policies i agree with but he has good intentions, so i'll appease his appetite for trollery hrm, 50. I don't think either kerry or bush had 50 not that it matters, kerry is yesterday's news. the dems can't stand a loser. just ask al Gore well i dunno in 2008 he'll still be a strong possibility gore? no, kerry eh, I would be surprised honestly * Echo shrugs. it's him or Hilary ready to get started? i choose competence ick sure Hilary probably can't win. too many people just won't vote for her yeah ok, I have a long winded catchup section. bear with me, thing have been a little confused lately. It has been a full month since the Underworld (and a good portion of Creation) collapsed into chaos. The First and Forsaken Lion launched his legions of undead in an invasion not of conquest, but of recovery. Specifically recovering the mysterious Mirror Abyss that is somewhere in the south / southwest of Creation. Pouring through Shadowlands throughout the south of Creation, the Lion’s armies had spread out in waves of destruction. While the undead in Creation scour the landscape, those left in the Underworld had been given the task of putting down any potential counterattacks from the Deathlords. Fell Harbor was seen as both a rallying point for those against the Lion and a link to the Mirror Abyss. Because of its unique geography, whoever holds Fell Harbor in the Underworld will have a significant hold over the nearby seas in Creation. It is in near these seas that the Lion feels the Mirror Abyss could currently be and no expense shall be spared in claiming it. At Fell Harbor, the Sanguine Army led by the Abyssal Walking on Laughter had descended like a plague. Roughly one hundred thousand war ghosts strong, the single strongest component of the Lion’s armies, surrounded the large harbor city. But then disaster struck. Tricked into putting twenty-thousand of his men under the command of Echoing Words of the Darkness, Laughter watched as his soldiers drown and burned upon the open waters. Laughter’s vengeance would come swiftly however. He turned his attention to The Shadow’s Clever Feint and sought to burn her essence from the inside out. It was only the selflessness and quick thinking of Echo and The Soul’s Twisted Design that saved Shadow’s life. Critically injured in the process, Shadow and Design where sent to recover under the watchful eye of the Bodhissatva’s healers. Meanwhile, Echo was granted an audience with his Liege who had grave news for the Deathknight: The Bodhissatva’s territories where in shambles. Not only has the Lion dared to strike down Fell Harbor but the ancient Hekatonkires have risen and wrought terrible destruction to his vast fleets to the west. The Bodhissatva is on the precipice of defeat and is unwilling to flee his last great city, Fell Harbor. The Bodhissatva informed Echo of the existence of the Eventide Document. Written when the primordial war raged, the document offered immunity to the Fae from the primoridals and their minions if the Faeries would fight the gods and their children. Currently, this protection falls to the Fae in the form of immunity to the current state of the primordials, the Malfeans, the Yozis, and their servants the Deathlords. Whoever wields the document will be given an incalculable advantage in the war burning through both Creation and the Underworld. The Bodhissatva has asked you to personally go claim the Eventide Document and cement your Liege’s power against the other Deathlords. Despite the obvious trouble in trying to negotiate the trade of arguably the most valuable treaty in existence, you have accepted. The Bodhissatva has high expectations of you. Do not disappoint him. This is the basic summation of the events of the last month. However, at this moment these things are likely in the back of your mind, if at all. You have just had a conversation with your Liege disrupted by the Abyssal Silhouette of Flames and more than a dozen of the dangerous Shackled Husks. In a startling move your Liege proved his agility by grabbing you by the collar and hoisting you out the window. Slung over his shoulder he ran down the side of the tower and into the open square below. Following in insect like crawling, the Husks on all fours scrambled down the wall after you. Flames meanwhile simply jumped. As the dust and chunks of stone settle from Flames' landing, the Bodhissatva smiles. "This," He turns to you and smiles, "I have not done in quite awhile. Join me my Deathknight. Let us defeat these fools."* * Echo pushes his glasses onto the bridge of his nose and flicks a hair away from his face. He cannot help but grin. This is the usual Echoing Words From the Darkness, smug and confident. And why shouldn't he be? His liege is indominable in martial combat, truly Echo need only participate in this battle with verbal slings and perhaps the occasional essence arrow to secure victory. These Shackled Husks seemed trusted by Walking in Laughter and Echo knew they were not easily bested in battle, but compared to a Deathlord they could only be described as gnats waging war against a god. And yet, the fact that Laughter had even sent them was unsettling. Laughter was not stupid- he knew full well the capacities of the Bodhissatva, or he could at very least surmise the Deathlords virtual invulnerability. Perhaps the Husks were greater than he had first ascertained. Still, the battle was joined. "Of course my Liege." Are the only words Echos grinning lips can spare as he draws back on his Powerbow with a target arrow.* (brb, lemonade) Silhouette of Flames rises from the impact crater and gives a sharp toothed grin. “My pretties, time to face the end.” He casually lays his two Soulsteel Diaklaves across his shoulders as the Shackled Husks assemble around him. There at least a dozen wielding various weapons including spears, javelins, and sledge hammers. Flames licks his lips. "Armored fellows, bring down the Deathlord. I shall test the mettle of the Chosen." With a smooth motion he spins his two Diaklaves about his head and joins the pommels together. The Soulsteel in the pommels shimmers and joins as the two blades arc back and a black string appears at either tip. He has formed his swords into a long bow. (Ok, combat starts now in turns. You and the Bohissatva are 100 yards away from the husks and flames. The square you are in is rather large but not deserted. At least two dozen citizens and soldier were running through when you arrived) (They have since stopped to stare in awe, but that will not last long. There will undoutably be more soldiers running to your assitance as the fight continues and word spreads. At very least people will flock to see the Bodhissatva fight.) (There are exactly 12 husks and I will roll them together unless you break up the group. Any questions?) (A deathlord fighting) (Christ almighty) (yes, but fear his overconfidence) (I'm good to go) (ok, turn 1, lemme get my roll sheet lined up) (init: Bodhissatva, Echo, Husks, Flames) The Bodhissatva, clad in Soulsteel and black silk armor stands nearly seven feet tall. His weapon is none less than Howling in Darkness. It's mere mention is cause for much resonable fear. It is the size of a grand Diaklave and your Liege wields it like a rapier. Those that somehow survive its bite are enslaved to the Bodhissatva's will for 1 year and a day. Perhaps the lack of a real battle in the last three hundred years emboldens the Deathlord. He plans to savor this battle, this victory. He shall show off the full breath of his power to awe and terrify his enemies. With a flick of his wrist the Bodhissatva takes a step forward and readies his blade, but does not attack. Yet. (Terrible Raging Arc of the Wailing Death Technique) * (*eyes the TRAotWDT power, as it would be known as on EC) (hah. yeah well, remember exalted isn't about having 30+ dice. Believe it or not his dodge is 10 dice and his parry is 16. But watch him use them) * Echo breaks his grin, opening his mouth and drawing in air as if to hold his breath while diving. For a second he holds it there in his lungs, letting the magics and dead essence therein saturate his very breath. In a moment he exhales casually, the air black and dark from its exposure to essence darker than its own. The tainted air swirls about his body, creating a sheath of magical defense enhancing his abilities. (Oh wait, I still -have- Incomparable Phantom form up, don't I?) (Unless this is a new scene) (eh, no. break in the scene) (Very well then) (but you are down the essence and willpower form the last battle, so watch out.) (Incomparable Phantom Form, 5 motes 1 wp) (This being the best charm i -have- for combat, I'd say it warrants the motes) (you now have 4 willpower and 28 peripheral essence) The Shackled Husks shuffle about casually throwing glances and chuckles back and forth between them. No less than a year ago these 12 ghosts would have given into Lethe rather than stand in the prescence of a Deathlord wielding such a weapon, but now, now they have the power. Don't they? Setesh has promised them much... The mass of black armor initially moves togther but rapidly splits up, their movements are hard to follow. Several leap into the air taking almost 50 yards in a single bound. Other scuttle around the sides but also rapidly reach the halfway point to your Liege. The rest simply charge headlong, but none can reach either you or the Bodhissatva in one turn. Flames, however, has little interest in the Bodhissatva. His prize is standing next to him. "Echo," He says in a raspy voice, "I've been instructed to remove your head and present it to Walking on Laughter." His form shimmers slightly and you instantly recognize Incomparable Phantom Form. He smiles. (next turn, Bodhissatva, Husks, Echo, Flames) The Bodhissatva has apparently had enough waiting. He gives a flashy swing of his sword and puts it behind his back as his chest heaves outward and he inhales. It kind of looks like he's going to scream at the Husks... With a lurch your Liege releases the air in his undead lungs toward the charging Husks. And nothing seems to happen. No sound can be heard. For a moment you almost think your Liege has become quite the fool before you notice the blue lines on the closest Husks. (BRB, bathroom) In the split second between the Bodhissatva's exhalation you see the blue glowing lines arc across the armor of the Husks. Suddenly, as though hit by a tsunami five shackled husks hurtle backwards. Several fly to pieces, cut along the blue glowing lines. Those caught in the blast are pushed all the way back against the base of the tower. They do not move. In the briefest second before the blast struck you caught a glimpse of the blue lines, they clearly spelled out "Bodhissatva". You Liege turns to you with a wicked grin. (The Name of Thy Master Artform) (rolling....) (five husks soak 6 lethal damage...) (they are dealth 1, 2, 2, 3, and 5 lethal damage and are thrown 75 yards) (1 is destroyed. the others are largely unharmed) The crumpled piles of armor at the base of the tower slowly begin to move... all save one. Blue mist rises from the broken bits of metal of one of the armors, its Soulseal has been destroyed and with it the soul of the ghost in the shell. As if nothing happened the remaining four husks beging charging again. The others unaffected by the blast continue forward, their movement powered by essence. (7 husks are now at melee with you and the bodhissatva. 4 are 75 yards away and closing.)* * Echo takes aim on Silhouette in Flames immediatly. He will be receiving little aid from his Liege, or so it would appear. Relying heavily on his skills as a quick witted archer, Echo attempts to put a target arrow into Silhouette. It is really just an attempt to gauge the monsters abilities but hopefully it will prove a fruitful endevour...hopefully it will result in drawn blood.* Your arrow flies straight and true towards Flames' chest. With a chuckle he flick the edge of his long bow out towards the incoming arrow. You notice that one edge of his sword is still on each side of his long bow and it seems to be able to still parry attacks and possible inflict damage. He attempts to bat away the attack but doesn't manage to. His dodge charm, however, gets him safely out of the way. (Abort to parry for the turn) (6 success on your attack btw) (Next round, Bodhissatva, Echo, Husks, Flames) The Bohissatva seems quite pleased with himself as the Shackled Husks fall to his overwhelming power. He is not pleased, however, when four of the five rise and continue fighting like nothing happened. He growls and takes a step forward to face the approaching Husks in hand to hand combat. (Full dodge)* * Echo ignores the armored warriors. It's obvious they've got their hands full dealing with the Bodhissatva, who will undoubtedly be steadfast against them. "So, Silhouette. Is your master really that peeved with my little treachery? I must say that surprises me. Here I had assumed your circlemate was brighter than that..." Echo smirks, taking aim on Flames yet again. * Echo quietly curses his inability to magically empower his bolts, but there isn't much he can do about that now. He lets fly, confident in his ability to keep Flames away from his, at least.* (4 suc on the attack, 5 on the auto dodge, miss) (The battle goes well) The Shackled Husks surround the Bodhissatva in an instant. From the air, the left, the right, and the center they charge, weapons raised to strike the Deathlord down. Your Liege still has a cruel smile on his face as the rain of blows comes down upon him. Suddenly the latent essence around him jumps to life and you realize the full extent of the charm he used earlier. (rolls...) As each attack falls towards him, the Bodhissatva dodges with casual grace while essence fuels a masterful parry. As though one solid motion his sword dances in the air both repelling the attacks and replying with counterattacks of his own. Even those that attack at range with javelins or hatchets are assaulted by a wave of deadly essence from the Bodhissatva. (They all do one action, attack. they are all either dodged or auto-parried and are counterattacked...) (I know what i've been missing. Fight music. Kung Fu Fighting, bitchez.) (the bodhissatva gets an alarming 10 successes on his attack - out of 16 dice - and the husks have to soak 8 lethal) (Wait a second, my powerbow is rate 2. Son of a bitch! I could have been doing two attacks!) (yeah, but remember you'd be at -2 and -3, while flames is still getting full dice on his dodges. but the chance is always there that he'll slip up) (imagine someone with an auto dodge and auto parry with even 10 dice each. He'd be almost impossible to hit) (All i can do is hope he fucks up at this point, i can't over dice him) (well, neither can he) (whew, lotsa rolls. after that attack the bodhissatva racks up another kill) Flames smirks again and his essence easily gets him out of the way of your assault. "Is that all you've got? Once my armored companions remove your Liege from the equation, we'll get down to killing you. Until then I'm happy with stalling you." With that he launches into the air almost 30 yards in an arc towards you. At the peak of the jump he fires his bow twice in your direction. (Combo: Iron sleet attack and pouncing spider - he travels about 50 yards towards you. rolling...) (Oh god, Iron sleet. Most horrific abyssal charm out there) (hah, its the basic attack too) (he hits once but does no damage and misses the second time) (no effect from the iron sleet btw, only if it damages you) (next round) (holy cow, init: Husks, Bodhissatva, Flames, Echo. husks rolled a 10 and you and the bod crapped out) (Oh well, we've had a good run) The Shackled Husks are not gloating their superiority now. In less than 10 seconds two of them have been destroyed, their souls snuffed from existence. Those that remain are in battered armor that may suffer the same fate. This time the Husks do not lash out, they form a circle around the Deathlord. From each of their helmets, a thin line of gossimer silk extends towards the Bodhissatva. (Ether Spider Web Technique) (The bodhissatva relies on his autoparry... rolling) (4 of the six husks hit. the parry doesn't stop the attack....) The sticky web of essence shoots out towards the Bodhissatva. The Deathlord allows his essence to guide his sword in his defense, but everytime the sword successfully stops the webs, it becomes in entagled. Howler in Darkness is now pinned by 4 webs. The Bodhissatva roars in rage and pulls at his sword, but the combined wieght of the four hulks of metal is too much for even him to move easily. Unwilling to let go of his famous blade and unable to use it properly he extends his off hand towards a nearby husks, making a grasping motion. (Adamant Grip of the Soul) (3 successes, this attack bypasses armor and the husk dealth 6 damage) The Shackled Husk grasps at his throat and convulses. His armor is rend and torn in every direction and his limp body is thrown to the ground. The Bodhissatva begins a smart comment but much to his surprise, the Husks stands back up, unfazed. (At this point you've seen enough of the Shackled Husks that I shall tell you their mechanics) (They are all armor, ie all soak. usually around 15L or so. Any attack that bypasses soak makes them completely helpless. Each husk has 9 health -0 levels. However, just destroying these health levels doesn't kill them) (each time a point of lethal damage is dealt, I roll a die. if the die lands a 1, the husk is destroy because the hit destroys his soulseal) (This means you can get a lucky hit with a dagger and kill one, or slaughter one nonstop for days with a grand diaklave and never land that lucky strike. they are potentially invulnerable) Flames lands to the ground and nods in the direction of the Bodhissatva. "Fool." He turns his attention to you with irritation. He apparently thought he gave it a good shot at killing you last time. This time he will actually deal some damage. He draws his bow leveling and launches another essence powered salvo. (Withering Feathered Malstrom) (he attacks a number of time equal to his archery, provided he hits his target each time... rolling...) (first, 3 suc vs your 2 suc, he hits but does no damage... next attack....) (4 suc vs your astonishing 7 (out of eight dice!) and misses, the charm ends) * (HAHAHAHAHA) * Echo never wanted to rely on his master for anything. He always just assumed the Bodhissatva would be there for him, a quiet benefactor aiding his rise to power. At the moment Echo has but restless thoughts regarding usurping his Liege, but now the feeling of utter weakness is consuming those thoughts. He cannot compete with Silhouette of Flames here. He cannot compete with the Husks either. If the Bodhissatva is defeated by these things, Echo will die easily. Never the foolhardy one, Echo takes aim on a different adversary this time around. He looses a pair of target arrows towards one of the husks entangling his masters blade. More precisely, he targets its knees, both of them.* (Hold on, want to make a quick addendum) * Echo ignores the magically enhanced arrows of Silhouette of Flames, which proves dangerous for a moment. An arrow grazes his side, his charm attempting to push him out of the way, but failing. The next bolt, however, Echo sees coming, and quickly sidesteps. The same instant the arrow smashes into the stone at Echos feet, he looses his assault against the Husk.* (jesus, you deal 4 damage on the first strike and 3 damage on the second) (W00t) The Shackled Husk is utterly ignoring you, much to his current dismay. You target arrows rend the armor at his knees as though he was made of paper. The first strike cleaves his leg clean off and the second strikes his falling torso, piecing it as well. With a shriek the husk falls to pieces, a fine mist of blue rising above him. (You killed him you lucky bastard) (next round, Bodhissatva, Echo, Flames, Husks) The Bodhissatva is seems suddenly smaller to you. His seething rage and power has given way to near desperation. His every amazing attack has largely yielded little results. He has killed but two of his attackers when he assumed he would have them groveling at his feet by this point. His legendary sword is bound in etherial webbing and is rather useless at the moment. The one thing he has yet to use, his greatest gift, his voice. He turns his head to the assembled Husks and speaks in a honeyed tone. "Join me armored ones. Glory lies in the path of the Bodhissatva." His eyes glow an otherworldly green. (Juggernaut of the Thousand Voices) (and it is utter useless. the husks have no feelings to sway. their souls are bound in soulsteel and are uncorruptable.) (Only five left. Fuck em up B!) (I like the names I came up with for the Bod's charms) (acutally, there are 9. Heh. The others are still charging after being blasted backwards and will be in the next turn) (They are very cool. I assume he will teach me them when the time comes) * (Perhaps, they are ghost charms of course, but they are close to abyssal charms. he definitely has much to teach. provided he's still around when that time comes) * Echo grimaces. The Bodhissatva is wasting his time trying to negotiate with these fiends. They are without souls to sway, but what they lack in charm they make up for in weaknesses. They may be armored, but target arrows have proven effective against them. Echo runs to take cover from the ever looming threat of Silhouette of Flames, firing as many arrows at his Lieges assailants as he can afford.* (2 at the same one again?) (2 attacks, one of them directed towards a husk webbing up the Howler, another going towards the one that got smacked around by the Bodhissatva earlier with the Iron grip thing) (k) (a pathetic 2 suc on the first, no damage on the roll. the second hits, barely as well with 3 suc and lands a single lethal damage. it does not destroy the husk) (the webbing remain btw) Silhouette of Flames growls at your change in focus. This will not do. The entire point of this raid was to capture the Bohissatva. An impossible task, of course, but one that the Husks are uniquely suited to. They can potentially withstand massive amounts of damage. With their webbing charm they can gang up on even the most powerful foe and pull him to the ground - just long enough for Flames to pull his final trick. Discretely in his waist sits an unused Soulseal. A name is printed on the side; 'The Bodhissatva Anointed by Dark Waters'. Flames leaps between you and the group of Husks assailing the Deathlord. "Lets end his dance!" He draws his bow, essence arcing across the arrows. (Bloodthirsty arrow, 1 attack with 10 motes for +10 dice. rolling....) (What an asshole) (10 motes...jesus. I thought you could only bolster than +3) (sigh.. never mind I got it mixed up) (you're right, i was thinking of the melee 1m/+1die attack (*whew*) (he spends 5 motes to drop your dodge to only 3 dice and attacks once) (What a dick nugget) (7 success to your 0, he hits for 1 successful lethal damage) (*cues oddly heroic music) (armor is a beautiful thing) The remaining four Shackled Husks that were blasted by the Bodhissatva's original attack have now caught up and join in with their bretheren in facing down the Deathlord. All of the Husks that do not currently have the Bodhissatva entangled attack with the Ether Spider Web charm, attempting to bind him. (rolling...) (The bodhissatva can offer no resistance, his sword will not parry while it is entangled and he has used his action for the turn. 3 of the 5 succeed their rolls and he is personally bound this time) (next round, init: Husks, Echo, Flames, Bod) Once again, the Husks utterly ignore you and the ones that have not succeeded in webbing either the Bodhissatva or his weapon try again. (both succeed again the bodhissatva. Now all 9 are around the deathlord, his sword bound by 4, himself bound by another 5. it is unknown how well he will be able to move around or if he will be able to free himself, but thus far this init has dropped significantly) * * Echo takes the arrow to his left leg, it catches him just above the achilles tendon where his armor offers little protection. Although not terribly hindered by the strike, it still draws blood and sends the Echoing Words From the Darkness tumbling to the ground. In a bout of oft unseen rage Echo stands and throws his arms skyward. The darklight of the Underworld shines down upon him. His mouth opens with a great warcry, one you'd expect from a heroic warlord, not this meek Exalt. "TO ME MY BROTHERS!" He bellows, summoning the aid of any who can offer it. "Feel the courage of the Bodhissatva flowing through you and butcher these children of the false god!" Echo cries out, throwing a finger towards Silhouette and the Husks. Yet that is not all he throws. The arrow in his grip lays claim to Silhouettes heart even now. (you know you can add your virtue in dice to a roll if it has to do with the virtue, such as valor for this, or perhaps conviction) (Doesn't that cost willpower?) (hrm... I don't know. I gues that makes me a crappy ST. no, not for now. I'll look it up later. Virtues are so underused I'll allow it for free) With an utterance, Echo lays down a curse, a vain one perhaps, but a curse nonetheless. "Oh dark ones below the Labyrinth, hear me now as I am your ambassador. The one I seek to kill is the cherished pet of the one who broke the pact he made with me. The pact you sanctified. I beg of you now, punish his insolence, guide this bolt to his favored servants heart and show him his doom!" Echo mutters, his conviction burning inside him. With that, Echo fires, his prayers hopefully answered by the very Black Ones he has sworn himself too.* (+3 stunt too) (2 shots, both at Silhouette. Add conviction too, if you please) (aye, I'll add stunt bonus to the first and conviction to the second, if that's ok.) (Rock on) (Actually, you know what, I take that back) (Sorry) (?) (I'd prefer one shot, it would look cooler) (k) (rolling...) (7 successes on 20 dice) (Sons of bitches) (Dumb Malfeans. Must have forgotten the whole breaking pact penalties.) (but you get lucky -very- lucky on the damage roll and almost all of the damage succeeds) (ah yes, but you made the pact with Laughter, not Flames young one.) (Or maybe not. Eeeeheehee!) (Eh, Flames, Laughter...What do the Malfeans care, just so long as somebody dies) (Laughter will utterly botch 3 very important rolls eventually. since he leads a massive army, this could be horrendous.) (but for now...) (All part of my master plan) The arrow strikes out with a vengence and dispite Flames' attempt to twist away slams sqaurely into his chest, knocking him backwards. (4 damage by the way) Flames staggers back, shocked at the sight of his own blood. The arrow is lodged in his chest armor and just barely missed some major organs. Dispite his monsterous appearance, he is as much human as you and knows the limits of his own mortality. He takes a step backwards and mouths a curse but cannot produce a voice for it. He glances over his shoulder out to the rest of the courtyard. At first the few soldiers that were in the square stood in shock at the sight of the supernatural battle. Once they saw the power being displayed they once again stayed back for fear of their own lives and their trust in their Liege's power. But now, their master is bound by essence and his Deathknight screams for valor in the face of the Bodhissatva's enemies. The soldiers of the Dark Water rise to the challenge. Now more than a hundred have poured into the courtyard and even now move in. Flames spins on his heels and looks about in horror. His Husks are no match for this many blades all at once, especially being occupied with binding the Deathlord. He makes a hasty decision he hopes he will not regret later in the presence of Walking on Laughter and decides to call it a day. But first he has a present for the mighty Deathlord. He takes from his belt the Soulseal bearing your Liege's name and whispers into it. Flicking it onto the immobile Bodhissatva Flames grins, blood dribbling down his chin. "That won't hold you retched ghost, but it'll sure slow you down." He turns tail and bolts, using his athletics charm to propel him almost 80 yards away and almost out of the courtyard. The Shackled Husks turn, amazed at their leader's exit. The Bodhissatva has fallen to a knee under the bindings of the ether webs and the Soulseal upon his chest seems to draw something from his body. As though drained of all power, the Bodhissatva seems to give up and slumps to a pile on the ground, letting his prized Howler in Darkness clatter to the ground. * (next round; Echo, Flames, Husks, Bod) (Where are the Husks now) (Gotcha) (still around the bodhissatva, though they've stopped their web attack now that bodhisstava has collapsed * Echo lets out another battlecry to incite further rage amongst his allies. "Massacre them!" Echo yells, taking aim upon one of the Husks closest to his Liege. For now Flames could run back in terror to his circlemate. For now. These Husks had to be destroyed. Echo looses a pair of target arrows towards the intended target, hoping that perhaps one will find the cretins soulshard.* (you deal 3L total, but do not destroy him) The Shackled Husk barely notices the arrow pierce his thigh and tear a chunk from his armor. He turns to you perplexed. This was not how it was to happen, this was not the plan. Abandoned by their leader the Husks see the writing on the wall. In the form of several hundred angry war ghosts coming their way. Each of the Husks, with the exception of two that are too damaged to move quickly, bound away and clamber back up the tower, their movement fueled by essence. In second those that can run, as well as Flames are out of sight. The two that remained turned their weapons on the wave of soldiers but are quickly overrun and torn to pieces. In less than a minute the last Shackled Husk in the courtyard is dismebered and a mist of blue smoke marks his end. The crowd begins to cheer, but not all is well. Forming a circle around you and the fallen Bodhissatva the crowd looks upon you. Here lays the Bodhissatva, the Silver Prince, Scourge of the Western Isles, like some sick child. He is shuttering and quivering, his body curled into a ball as the Soulseal upon his chest glows blue faintly. His eyes look to you pleadingly but he cannot seem to speak. At your feet is the legendary Howler in Darkness. In unison, the entire crowd of soldier turn their attention from the striken Deathlord to you. They wait for your words.* (*?) (*yeah. didn't it show up?) (Negatory good buddy) (sorry. They wait for your words.*) (if you'd like to think about it and call it a night, you can if you want) * Echo eyes the crowd with a smile untarnished by his Lieges lackluster appearence. Echo swiftly grabs hold of the creature that is the Bodhissatva and hoists him up next to him, allowing his Liege to balance himself upon Echo like a wounded soldier. "AHAHAHAHHAAHA! Spectacular work warriors of the Bodhissatva!! Truly you are the finest our Liege has to offer. Now then." "Perhaps you all wonder how it is that the enemy was able to infiltrate us, attack and nearly defeat our lord..and almost slay his Deathknight as well? Surely you all wonder." * Echo snickers and shakes his head. "The enemy thinks himself brilliant, but I'm afraid our Liege is ever smarter! The -real- Bodhissatva remains in the city, a contented smile across his lips no doubt, pleased with the valiance of his soldiers." "This, this poor creature who was struck down during the battle...little more than an illusion used to bait the enemy! And hasn't it worked? The Lions best warriors are shattered underfoot by our mighty hands, and what have we lost? Nothing." "Bring me an officer with a list of names! I want the names of every ghost who aided us in this ambush by tonight, and we shall have an award ceremony tomorrow in celebration!" Echo raises a fist skyward, his magik laden words reaching out to the crowd.* (using any charms?) (Haunting Inflection trick, 4 motes bringing her up to +8) (Nobody disses the B) (you get an unastonishing 4 successes despite that massive amount of dice (19) (ROFL) The crowd half heartedly cheers but you notice more than a couple sets of eyes darting back and forth. They won't complain, but not many here are buying the whole story. Something is going on, they can tell. Luckily, there is no time for second guessing, there is an attack on, remember? The outer walls are under seige by Laughter and many of the soldier leave the courtyard to return to their posts at the walls. A large number, including some you recognize at the Bodhissatva's personal guard offer to help you get the 'fake' Liege to safety. Meanwhile, nobody has anywhere close to the guts to pick up Howler in Darkness from its place before you. In fact, you aren't certain if anybody besides the Bodhissatva has ever even touched it.* * Echo eyes the weapon. He uses whatever limited knowledge of artifice to -try- to guess if the weapon will simply obliterate his soul if he touches it, or if it will just burn his arm off.* (rolling lore + intelligence) (1 success, you haven't a clue. it's so far beyond you its hilarious. its a lvl 5 btw) As you stare at the awe inspiring sword of horror, you notice footsteps in front of you. And once again, there stands Haumphantine. He has a grim look on his face, more so than normal. He fixes you with his sharp black eyes and states in a dry manner. "The Bodhissatva is incapacitated. Horror Awed Three Times is dead. I am assuming command of the Bodhissatva's territories until such time that I deam neccessary. "Do you have a problem with that Echo? I am third in line of command." He waits for your response. It seems that somebody hasn't skipped a chance to claim an empire, even if you have. (we'll end there for tonight) mkay wow, 10pm Session Close: Tue Nov 16 21:56:06 2004