Gone Wild

1629, Earth Season, Harmony Week, Clayday

Context

Takes place between The Spirits are Angry and The Flesh is Weak (Sessions 6.03-2 & 3). A catch-up session for Xenofos’ player.

Events

From Xenofos’ point of view, there is a black wall of shifting darkness where Varanis and Berra were, but Berra is taking a moment to catch her breath a little towards Maalira.  Kolyey is mounted and looking fierce.

The sword is over there, where it fell, with the man it has presumably killed.

No pressing emergency is happening. Xenofos strides to recover his sword and rearm just in case and then prepares to start healing his zebra.

As he walks over towards his sword he hears an odd snorting sound.  His zebra seems to be getting up. At about the same time the loose impala in the area gives a scream of rage and begins charging.  It has two possible targets.  Either it will go for Xenofos, or for his zebra…¹GM: Roll POWx3 please. X: 78 – a fail)

Within a moment it is clear the impala is headed his way and he has not even reached his weapon yet.²V: Don’t die! Don’t die!

Xenofos braces for impact with his shield and draws his dagger.³GM: Roll me a parry and an attack if you wish, and a Scan. X: parry 05 on skill of 80 special , crouching low to get a low thrust to belly from below the shield – targeted attack, half skill roll 61 and fail, pass scan. GM: Impalas are tiny and fragile.  Roll special parry damage against failed attack please. Crushing, I think. X: That would be a d4 – 1 point of damage

The critter slides of the rounded surface of the Esrolian’s shield. As it does, Xenofos sees the zebra getting up and shaking its head. Blood spills off the mane. The animal looks around for a target, and like the impala before it has a choice of two…⁴GM: POWx3 again please. X: Pass

It goes for the impala, which goes for the only target it can see, a wounded rider struggling up the hill on foot. The impala is faster than the stripe-horse, but neither of them look like they intend to stop.

Xenofos decides to retrieve the sword and try to pursue for a round.⁵X: battle failed. GM: Roll Rapier at 50% to get it out.

The obstinate nomad really does not want to relinquish the blade. It takes Xenofos seven attempts to finally dislodge the rapier from his foe’s solar plexus and spine.⁶GM: Seven attempts is a good number, as it gave everyone a lot of time to do things.  Thank you, Xenofos. By that point the impala has savaged the warrior and run off into the distance.  The zebra is steaming and panting, looking for a new foe.⁷GM: This is about the point things were over in the other game, incidentally.  But one more Scan roll… X: Pass architecture – that mountain looks a bit like the palatine hill back in Nochet. The way that ledge is formed, not the whole thing of course.

Xenofos wonders… what is happening to others – is that black wall still there?

Well, now that he mentions it… The black wall is still there.  Nobody is moving fast save Lofty, vanishing into the distance.  There are not even any other animals around.

Berra is still on the ground, not far from where she was, with Kolyey collapsed beside her.  Maalira, soaked in blood, is where she has been all along.  Varanis is still not visible.

Xenofos looks at the wall and calls for Varanis but starts running towards Maalira. Honour dictates that a healer should not be left unaided even if that means leaving others to their own fate for now.⁸GM: Do me a First Aid, then. X: 33 fail.  That is a lot of blood, but is it even hers, where is the wound?

Next to Maalira is a man who has been tied up, but is still asleep – perhaps a prisoner who was knocked out?  Maalira herself is unconscious, but her breathing seems fine.  Nobody here seems to be bleeding much, certainly not enough to justify the red that has soaked her clothes.

Kolyey is down, Berra is down… Where is the enemy that dropped Kolyey and where is Varanis?

Nobody is there.  Nobody moves except a single scribe.

From this angle, Xenofos can see Varanis, and can see the patch of darkness dissolve into nothing.  It looks like it was just a spell, and she was behind it – yet she is unconscious too.

Shades? Trolls? If there is no imminent threat, try to revive Maalira with some healing.⁹GM: Roll POWx5 as normal, and track your magic points just in case.  She’s not coming round, though. Normally if you can’t find a wound you’d apply healing to the head, I’m going to note, as it needs a location.

Xenofos lays his rapier by the healer and lays his hand on her head muttering the sacred words of  Firespeech marking the healing.¹⁰X: Heal 2

Warmth passes from his hand to her forehead, but there is no change in how she seems. To his left there is the sound of someone moving, not far away. He glances to the left, grabbing the sword. One of the young impala riders is just coming round, rolling over and taking in the carnage.

“If you come for Rushes from battle you seem to be late!” Too bad Xenofos mixes Praxian and Esrolian about half and half in his greeting.¹¹X: No fumble but over double my Speak Praxian.

The man stares, throws himself back down on the ground with his face to the earth, and freezes. He is almost close enough to touch if Xenofos wished to.  A couple of meters away, no more.

“Stand up warrior, Xefos of Straw Weavers will not hurt you unless you try to hurt me or mine.” Mostly Xenofos speaks Tradetalk now, but he can say his name and clan in vaguely Praxian way.

There is some Praxian babbling, and a couple of words that might be ‘friend’ and ‘good’ in Tradetalk.  Possibly they are ‘trading partner’ and ‘value’.  Tradetalk sometimes lacks subtlety.¹²X: 10 on skill of 17 for understanding the babbling, Xenofos is better listener than speaker… GM: You are not the one who is bad at Tradetalk in this conversation… but if you failed Praxian your second attempt has a -20. You and this guy have mutually exclusive accents, or something. This man is no threat.  He is terrified and hoping not to die today.¹³X rolled a critical on Insight.

Xenofos rises three fingers on his right hand and moves his sword to his left hand to show the death rune. Then he pointedly looks at both at turn and waits for the guy to point at either one. As he looks at the man, he sheaths his sword and raises the harmony sign again.

The man is barely even looking at Xenofos. The scribe could do what he wanted here, but it will be without help from diminutive Praxians.

Xenofos makes shooing signs to the guy and looks around again to see if the enemy that attacked Kolyey and possibly Varanis shows itself.

The man wriggles away until he is far enough to run, and then sets off for Prax, on foot, at speed.

No enemy shows itself.  Nothing stirs but the wind, which is still stiff and blowy in the area.

Followed? Varanis’ steed? Gone.  Vanished.  Possibly like Lofty and the Zebra, they ran for the hills.  As the animals were in several cases still hobbled for the night, this is impressive.

Xenofos walks over to check Varanis. She is in a tangle of limbs and iron – she fell with the sword still in her hand. Her breathing is even, perhaps a little fast. There are some faint marks on her,  as he looks – fading welts of some sort?  Perhaps a whip?  They are hard to make out.

 Xenofos tries to see if she is bleeding somewhere or there is other major wound that needs addressing?¹⁴X: failed first aid A quick glance and check shows no blood.  No major wounds.  No minor ones either.¹⁵GM: As a note, Varanis is face down, because people who fall, fall like that. He turns her carefully to her side to see if her face is hurt.

Berra is much the same, only the marks on her were there already – scars from the wolf.  Maalira put some of the mess right, but not all of it.  Next to her,  Kolyey lies as if she fell while reaching for Berra.  So, Varanis then… There is a sword to be taken into account, which may need even more care than usual.  Varanis might cut herself on it if he rolls her wrong.

No touching her sword, with her using Fireblade it may be way too hot to touch. So working really slowly, not touching the blade and making sure to move Varanis so that nothing of her that is not covered with bronze plate moves over even the flat of that blade.¹⁶GM: If she were using Fireblade and were on it, she’d be cooked.  When she stops the spell, it’s cold again.  But do me a DEXx3. She’s currently lying over it, and likely a shield, and the sword is probably pressed against her arm. X: Fail 57 on 51

Whatever he tries, there is going to have to be some reaching and checking, and it’s not the blade that he touches, but the hilt, as the sword moves when the shield does…¹⁷GM: Over to Varanis, for a bit.

There’s a growl that rumbles somewhere in the base of his skull. Before he can truly register it, he is attacked by something furious and sharp. Teeth and claws seek to rend his soul.¹⁸V: Spirit combat time.

The bastard did this to Varanis!?¹⁹X: Pass inspire with loyalty Varanis. Grab the spirit and throw to void it belongs into with my mind.²⁰X: a successful inspire, and a statement of intent. Fail spirit combat V: What’s your MP at currently? X: 14

Whatever has attacked you has managed to get its teeth and claws into you, as if grabbing for the throat. There is a raking sensation, as the spirit’s back claws go for disembowelment.²¹The spirit’s attack was a special and the damage was 12. B: sobs in Humakti.

Next round means he really needs to grab it and hurt it for what it has done to Varanis.²²X: Passing spirit combat would help though. Maybe I am grgling too much spiritual blood. In the back of the scribe’s head, he hears a yowl and the feeling of teeth at his throat is gone.²³V: Spirit failed attack too.

He makes really grasping motion with his hands and cast them violently out to focus that mental energy.²⁴X: Roll spirit combat and this time pass, normal pass, roll 51. The last thing he hears before his spirit is shredded, is the triumphant roar of an alynx.²⁵V: For the record, Dezar got another critical on that last attack.

When he wakes, the sun has moved and so has he.  He must have, for he lies on his back in the shade.

• 1
  GM: Roll POWx3 please. X: 78 – a fail)
• 2
  V: Don’t die! Don’t die!
• 3
  GM: Roll me a parry and an attack if you wish, and a Scan. X: parry 05 on skill of 80 special , crouching low to get a low thrust to belly from below the shield – targeted attack, half skill roll 61 and fail, pass scan. GM: Impalas are tiny and fragile.  Roll special parry damage against failed attack please. Crushing, I think. X: That would be a d4 – 1 point of damage
• 4
  GM: POWx3 again please. X: Pass
• 5
  X: battle failed. GM: Roll Rapier at 50% to get it out.
• 6
  GM: Seven attempts is a good number, as it gave everyone a lot of time to do things.  Thank you, Xenofos.
• 7
  GM: This is about the point things were over in the other game, incidentally.  But one more Scan roll… X: Pass architecture – that mountain looks a bit like the palatine hill back in Nochet. The way that ledge is formed, not the whole thing of course.
• 8
  GM: Do me a First Aid, then. X: 33 fail.
• 9
  GM: Roll POWx5 as normal, and track your magic points just in case.  She’s not coming round, though. Normally if you can’t find a wound you’d apply healing to the head, I’m going to note, as it needs a location.
• 10
  X: Heal 2
• 11
  X: No fumble but over double my Speak Praxian.
• 12
  X: 10 on skill of 17 for understanding the babbling, Xenofos is better listener than speaker… GM: You are not the one who is bad at Tradetalk in this conversation… but if you failed Praxian your second attempt has a -20. You and this guy have mutually exclusive accents, or something.
• 13
  X rolled a critical on Insight.
• 14
  X: failed first aid
• 15
  GM: As a note, Varanis is face down, because people who fall, fall like that.
• 16
  GM: If she were using Fireblade and were on it, she’d be cooked.  When she stops the spell, it’s cold again.  But do me a DEXx3. She’s currently lying over it, and likely a shield, and the sword is probably pressed against her arm. X: Fail 57 on 51
• 17
  GM: Over to Varanis, for a bit.
• 18
  V: Spirit combat time.
• 19
  X: Pass inspire with loyalty Varanis.
• 20
  X: a successful inspire, and a statement of intent. Fail spirit combat V: What’s your MP at currently? X: 14
• 21
  The spirit’s attack was a special and the damage was 12. B: sobs in Humakti.
• 22
  X: Passing spirit combat would help though. Maybe I am grgling too much spiritual blood.
• 23
  V: Spirit failed attack too.
• 24
  X: Roll spirit combat and this time pass, normal pass, roll 51.
• 25
  V: For the record, Dezar got another critical on that last attack.