Session SO5.14
1629, Fire Season, Movement Week, Clayday
Dramatis Personae
PCs
Berra
Irillo
Kolyey
Maalira
Nayale
Oriana
NPCs
Rich Post Scouts
Horrible Chaos Beasts
Horrible Drowning Rules
Horrible Chaos Eggs
Horrible Chaos Portal
Nayale Scenelet
There was some excited volunteering, and three grazelanders are about to go scouting with a mixed group of Sartarite Humakti and… others. Berra walks up to Nayale really rather quietly. She might not be as good as Harmakt, but she’s good.
“Lady Berra,” Nayale says by way of greeting. “How may I serve you?”
“You get to take the message to Rich Post,” Lady Berra tells her1Well Volunteered..
“I do? But I thought…” Nayake shakes her head as if trying to interrupt herself. “Yes, of course, Lady,” she agrees. The young Humakti is like an unrolled scroll to any who know her.2((Unless you fumble insight, you’d see that she is deeply disappointed and worried that she’s somehow being punished or sent away for not being good enough. She fumbled Act. ))
“Yeah, sorry. I gotta keep Kolyey with me, and I want to send someone I know can get through on a horse.” Berra pauses to consider. “It ain’t person’l. You’re just the junior here and you can ride.”
“I understand.” Nayale shifts from foot to foot as she thinks things through. “I can find my way,” she says after a few heartbeats. “What’s the message, who’s it for, and when do I leave?” Having accepted the task, the youngster appears to be ready to leap into action immediately.
“It’s for the military commanders of Rich Post. Savrenz’ patrol has found at least one of the creatures. Send support to the ravine of Maran Gor, to meet by the cairn to its dawn side. They’ll know where that is, or they’ll find out. You leave as soon as you’re ready to ride. Take your horse, not mine.”
“And where do you want me to go after the message is delivered?”
“Come back with them if they’ll let you.” Berra seems slightly surprised to have been asked but bears up well under it. “You’ll be wanted to report if our look-see goes badly, or if I commit to a fight and then we end up outmatched.”
“To the Temple?” Worry leads to more fidgeting. “Lord Eril?”
“Indeed. If we get wiped out, try to let people know. That’s one of the reasons to keep a Humakti back.” Berra grins slightly.
“Don’t die, Lady. Harmakt would be mad at me.” Without waiting for a reply, Nayale gives her commander a quick bow and heads in the direction of her kit and mount.
Berra goes back towards the rest of the group, to get ready for action.
Events
After having told those who had been briefly absent3Sleepy the week before that they were volunteering, the group prepared to go in search of what might be ogres. Nayale was sent off to take the message of what was going on to Rich Post4As she preferred other OOC company to our own. Alas.. The would-be heroes set off, with the cavalry patrol from Rich Post; all of five men. As they went they discussed the footprints, which were not entirely human-looking, but also did not seem undead. Nobody had seen anything like them before.
Pretty soon they reached a culvert where Maran Gor had hit the ground, causing a rift with a sacred hot spring inside it. According to Oriana’s magic and the scouts’ knowledge of the area, this was the place.
Berra made a plan to scout with possible violence, and they put a rope down towards one end of the culvert, sending her down first as a scout. She signalled to the others, who came down, and they went forwards together, with Irillo casting Pathwatch to be sure of whether they were safe. As they crept forward he could feel the path was watched. There were two on the right and one on the left, all the same sort of humanoid creature, naked and with big claws and large mouths.
Berra spotted a path through the rocks and broken ground of the gorge’s base that would lead them past the guards unseen, and they took that. The waterfall was half hidden with steam, but as they got closer Berra used River Eyes to be sure of what she was seeing. They could see two creatures swimming around in the hot water, and a cave behind the waterfall. The group closed in quickly. Berra killed one of the creatures while not getting too deeply in, and Kolyey managed to defeat the other with an assist from Irillo and a Disruption spell. Kolyey was wounded, and Maalira got into the pool to help her.
After that, Irillo could feel attackers from behind, getting closer to the path. He let Berra know and Berra communicated this to everyone else by ordering them to intercept; they set off downstream at their various speeds. Berra was fastest by far, with Kolyey not just falling behind, but falling over, and in fact falling into the river. She began drowning, and Maalira and Oriana dashed over to try to pull her out. Oriana reached her first, but could not pull out all the way out. She managed to use a spear Berra had thrown down as she ran to keep Kolyey just about above water, but the Humakti was still drowning. Meanwhile Berra cut a leg off her opponent and left it to bleed out, dashing back towards Kolyey.
Berra used the Breath Air/Water matrix she had bought against the chance of Varanis going into the water again in a horse-related incident, casting it on Kolyey, who by now was unconscious. This allowed Oriana and Maalira to get her out of the water still alive. Oriana then ran after Berra, who by now was running back up towards the waterfall. Maalira stayed behind to empty Kolyey of water and apply healing magic. Kolyey did her best to find her weapons when she came round.
Meanwhile, Berra had caught up with the warriors who were hanging around the cave, from which a bright light was emanating. She led them in, dashing behind the waterfall with her ability to see through it with Rivereyes. Irillo and Oriana followed, and she took one of the Rich Post scouts with her to deal with a group of sharp-clawed things at the back of the cave, leaving the others to manage the group at the front. That meant that when her friends arrived, everything was facing her, allowing them to get their first blows in. Everything was brightly lit by a patch of wall that reminded Berra awkwardly of the portal she had once seen that led from Whitewall’s desecrated Humakti Temple into the Upland Marsh. Within the water was a woven wicker wall, which was letting water flow but keeping whatever was in it from flowing away.
Within the melee, Berra and her companion were slicing and dicing their foes while Irillo and Oriana did their best, and approximately held their own; one of the scouts alongside them was not so lucky, and had his ribcage opened up through his armour, while Irillo had one of the horrible beasts claw straight through his shield as if it was not there. Berra left some badly injured beasts behind her along with one that was still unhurt, relying on the scout to manage them; she ran back to her friends and eased their problems somewhat. Having run through them and turned them around somewhat, she finally got to see the last two were running for the portal, carrying what looked like eggs from the water. She managed to kill one, but one got away. Everyone who was still standing made sure of the deaths of the others, and checked each other for wounds and still being breathing.
Session Quotes
“Feel free to roll Scan.” – Berra
“That would probably involve dice, wouldn’t it?” – Irillo
“She’s looking really casual”- Berra
( So, shell suit and trainers) O o . – Irillo
“I have the horrible feeling then, that if I’m in my linothorax (which I will be), I am going to look like the warrior in the party!” – Irillo
“Oh good god. At plus 40, that’s a pass!” – Irillo climbs down a rope.
“Do I have to roll?” – Oriana
“Uh… yes?” – GM
“You’re being asked to make a Move Quietly roll.” – Berra
“Oh no! Why would you do that to me?” – Oriana
“Shits and giggles, mostly.” – Berra
“Should we go chasing waterfalls?” – Irillo
“No, we should stick to the rivers and lakes that we’re used to.” – Oriana
“Can anyone spot a path through where we won’t be seen?” – Berra
“I don’t know. Everyone roll Survival.” – GM
“Zero One!” – Berra
“Hard nutters and bastards up front. Soft squishies behind.” – Berra
“Berra makes sure that Maalira’s soft squishies are safe.” – Maalira
“There is a shortage of perfect…. hearts…. in the world. It would be a pity to deprive us of Maalira’s.” – Irillo
“Disruption on the one fighting Kolyey, because the one that’s fighting Berra has it coming.” – Irillo
looks at Rune points – Berra
“Maalira are you doing anything?” – GM
“I’m just watching and waiting to see if anything needs help.” – Maalira
“Well, there’s that creature in the water…” – GM
“Not often I fail First Aid but I’ve failed First Aid.” – Maalira
“You’re pretty sure that the way to help it would have been to not stab it with a sharp spear thingie?” – GM
“So, just for Berra’s benefit, Maalira, in a white robe, just ran into the water?” – GM
“Maybe later I can help to dry her.” – Berra
“NEVER CROSS THE STREAMS!” – Irillo
“The main advantage of having the Kopis out, is that if you are notably NOT holding a hand weapon, whilst also not being visibly a healer, then you are clearly a caster who needs gakking.” – Irillo
“I slipped and fell!” – Kolyey
“Splash!” – GM
“Well, it was nice knowing her.” – Berra
“Maalira! Good news! Someone needs help!” – GM
“It’s not unreasonable for the water to be warm. The Shakers do this sort of thing, and people don’t like to question them. Because they sometimes answer.” – GM
“I’m Esrolian originally, as well!” – Oriana
“Yeah, you keep saying that.” – Berra
“In New Pelorian.” – GM
“Nineteen to the 2… so I’ve cut off its right leg. Let me do the maths for you. It’s not dead, and I’ve cut off its leg.” – Berra
“Now’s the time for that Steal Breath. Oh yeah she drowned, it was tragic.” – GM
“Maalira, did you make that Scan roll?” – GM
“No, I did not.” – Maalira
“Berra’s looking awesome up by that rock.” – Berra
“You could drop the sword for a second attempt? It would give you that +20.” – GM
“Uh-uh.” – Kolyey
“How does this work?” – GM of Drowning rules
“It’s D8 to the chest.” – Berra
“Oof.” – GM
“Who’s rolling it?” – Kolyey
“Oh, you do.” – GM
“My next move will be having a word with Humakt.” – Kolyey
“Congratulations, you’ve caught a Humakti with your fishing rod.” – GM
has a Breath Air/Water Matrix – Berra
“You have not dropped her, you have not fallen in, but you have not in any way made things better yet.” – GM
bleysrex: “This is the judgement of Humakt.” – Kolyey
“Also, you’re unconscious, so you have dropped your sword.” – GM
“May I suggest that Maalira may wish to inspire herself with Fertility.” – Irillo
“Is this really the time and place?” – GM
bleysrex: My DEX*5 is 95, and … wow.
amphelise: BRB sudden bio break need
“Let’s go back outside. Next round!” – GM
“Is it time for us to make Dex rolls again?” – Oriana
“Yes!” – GM
“There is some kind of damp scuffle going on just behind the waterfall.” – GM
“I’ll go carefully. I’ve seen what happens when people fall in the water.” – Oriana
“The deadliest thing in this combat has been the water.” – GM
points to self, offended – Berra
“This combat here.” – GM
“It manages to dodge, just.” – GM
“Nice of you to leave some for us!” – Oriana
“Berra, you hear the familiar sound of someone’s ribcage being opened up.” – GM
“Through armour?” – Berra needs to check
“Does this mean the griblings have their backs to us?” – Irillo
“Yes.” – GM
“Oh good.” – Irillo
“You don’t seem to have either your sword or your shield.” – GM
“Maalira, lend me a… oh.” – Berra as Kolyey
“I’ll thank Maalira and then start looking for my broadsword.” – Kolyey
“Not in evidence.” – GM
“More in river than evidence.” – Maalira
“It’s alright, I can totally trust the professionals behind me.” – Berra
“What would you like me to sell them?” – Irillo
“Medical insurance?” – GM
“So, I’m parrying with the rapier… or, I’m not parrying with the rapier.” – Irillo
“So, it’s hanging onto my shield, then.” – Irillo
“You’d think that, but those claws went through that shield like butter.” – GM
“Right, then.” – Irillo
- 1Well Volunteered.
- 2((Unless you fumble insight, you’d see that she is deeply disappointed and worried that she’s somehow being punished or sent away for not being good enough. She fumbled Act. ))
- 3Sleepy the week before
- 4As she preferred other OOC company to our own. Alas.
