No go ahead and join the fight. By the time you get there several rounds will have taken place for Greeshar and Kaonu, i will work it all in so it fits.

Done deal. I will try and sneak in at least protection for you before you hit folk.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:28, Sun 10 Nov 2013.

Melock will head towards the group that's going towards the river and cast 2 lots of speed dart on stones, after that as soon as he gets a chance he will cast protect 1 then bladesharp 1 on his lance, but if it slows him getting to the fight he will just put up protect 1. when he is out of the strong wind and in range he will fire off 2 sling stones 1 at 2 different targets to try and get them to come towards us,
if they don't change course he will let them go and turn towards where Greeshar and Kaonu are and charge the nearest enemy unless one of them is in need of help then he will charge at their opponent.
if they do start coming towards us then he will charge the nearest one
either way once he has closed with the enemy he will use his lance for as long as he can then if they get too close drop it and use his sword and he will try and encourage Stinky to head butt or trample any that get close to him. he will stay mounted for as long as possible
as he has no heal spells he will continue until either they are all dead or he is

Hello, good evening and welcome. And now for something completely different. ;)

Glad to be joining you all, been a LONG time since I played RQ but I remember at least some of it!


Salen will charge in with his lance and use it as much as he can.
Then he'll throw it (javelin).
Then he'll use sword and shield.

Welcome, Salen!

Hi Salen, and welcome to the fight :)

Welcome Salen!

Fireborn will charge lance and shield. As always he will rely on his lance over any other weapon even if that means giving up his shield. He cast bladesharp and protection 2 when he rode north to meet the wind. Hopefully they are still in effect. If not he will recast.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:26, Mon 11 Nov 2013.

Amara will pick out someone in trouble on her own side, throw a javelin at the person causing the problems, charge in and lance someone, possibly multiple times depending on outcome. Her goal is to relieve others under attack first before looking for someone for herself. I'll cast bladesharp 1 on the lance and sword. If I lose the lance I will switch to sword.

If the opportunity to pick up a javelin and reuse it presents itself Amara will do that. If we have the increase in our spells I'll heal when I or anyone around me is hurt.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:37, Mon 11 Nov 2013.

Hi Salen, glad you could join us.
Been a long time since I played RQ too  :)
Like your posts to date, and character description.



Kobal

On Black Hoof, riding back south west towards the combat.

Large shield on left arm, lance in right hand if the winds are not too strong, otherwise sword in right hand.

Casts Protection 2 and Bladesharp 1 (on his sword) as he closes the distance.  (I'm assuming Kobal hasn't had time to learn the Healing 2 spell yet, since returning to the clans.  Otherwise, he'll cast Healing 2 on his abdomen first, then Protection 2, and if there's time, Bladesharp 1 on his sword.)

Kobal will head for the closest enemy, but if any one of his brothers/sister looks to be getting there first so there are 2 of our side against 1 enemy, he will head for the next closest enemy and so on.    If he can use his lance, he'll charge.  Once lance is no longer suitable, he'll switch to sword and use sword for the rest of the battle.  If it doesn't slow down his approach, he will try to attack each enemy from the rear or side.
If at any time he's not engaged and he's near to Amara or Greeshar and they're not engaged, he'll ask them for healing since he's taken heavy damage to his abdomen.  For the same reason, if it any time he's outnumbered, he'll try to withdraw and call for help.
Otherwise, once any enemy he's fighting is down, he'll move on, gradually making his way across to Kaonu and Greeshar.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:02, Mon 11 Nov 2013.

Thanks folks lots to go on there. I'll do an IC post my lunch time.

The new spell will be taught to you during the upcoming Feathered Rival initiation.

Just a heads up that I edited Kobal's actions to make it clear that he'll move on to the next enemy only where 2 bison/rhino braves are already fighting 1 enemy.  Where it's 1 on 1, he'll join that combat.

Gotcha.

A nasty blow to Greeshar's head there, leaving him at -1 hp in the location. He dropped and is healed by his slave…

Several nice kills with lances and javelins, loads of misses and a great fumble (100%) on Salen's first blow of the game. Whoops, luckily it came up that he dropped his weapon, so easily solved and his next blow felled Greeshar's attacker. Sweet.

The hardest thing in big fights like this is casting magic so i kept it simple with a few disruptions. It will get more intense in our smaller fights with just the party involved, as there will possibly be befuddles, bindings etc etc.

I've not bothered amending sheets with damage or pow loss as it's over and you will all be healed up. Fireborn was down to I think 5 POW when he got hit by the disrupt spell.

The guy dropping out of the sky was most certainly a Shaman and a Bison Rider….I will leave that with you to mull over. He swooped down and pulled up Long Grass into the sky.

You got hit by a mini tsunami when the Wicked Writher was dispelled. The fight between it and your Khan was decided by some straight up POW vs POW rolls helped by the Clan as a whole.

A Storm was called successfully by the Rhino clan, though weak it was enough to see of Gagarth, who saw no point sticking around once the Writher was vanquished.

Apart from a few dead outlaws there are no living ones about. They were all picked up by the storm. Convenient I know, but this was a pretty major community heroquest and this stuff happens :)

No chaos encountered…But there may have been other fights on the other side of the river.

Those who headed off towards the storm had both listen checks and Pow rolls to see if they worked out that it was a sham.

I loved the fact you all went charging off, quite in keeping with who you all are.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:23, Mon 11 Nov 2013.

I haven't bothered giving anyone skills ticks as you already have them for your weapons etc.

Quite intense there!

In reply to Amara Brightsky (msg # 952):

The Gm being rather relieved no one died. First blow of the fight knocked out Greeshar….

Salen is known to be one of the fastest runners in the Clan.

He may need someone to bring him up to speed (unless he's read the previous 1000 posts) re what you mob have been up too.

I'll let you lot chat amongst yourselves and will then move us on to and wrap the day up.

On the morrow a war party is off North to attack the Impala war band. You guys will have your Three Feathered Rival (4) Initiation rites. There will be much rejoicing and Melock will probably loose his viginity if he hasn't already done so….He will Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk.

(I'll have the Impala slave answer when Greeshar chimes in)


Everyone happy with where we are?

Eventually got a post in - bugger of a day!

I've read through some of the previous posts but stretching to all of them would take more time than I have. So a quick summary would be nice.

Sorry, I'm kinda taken aback that the slave saved Greeshar's life. I'm not sure how I should react in character.

Easiest way I can think of things at the moment (I'm at work) is to read the relatively short Bison Khan and Rain Main Grasslands thread:
link to a message in this game
Particularly message #36 which summarises the mighty deeds of Kobal  :P

BTW, GM, there's a warning that this OOC thread is approaching the 1,000 limit...
This message was last edited by the player at 02:09, Tue 12 Nov 2013.

Okay, have a bit of time now to type up a quick summary.

Cast are:
Rhino riders
  Amara - marked by Thunderbird
  Greeshar - marked by Thunderbird
Bison riders
  Fireborn - marked by Sun Hawk
  Hacha Lor - marked by Raven
  Kaonu - marked by Thunderbird, possible shaman material
  Kobal - marked by Thunderbird
  Melock - marked by Raven, possible shaman material

Story started with the braves in the bachelor's tent, having just been initiated as adults.  They have each been marked by the Three Feathered Rivals - a rare and momentous event - but find out little about what it means.  Kobal attempts to break the ice with Greeshar, since the two clans have kept somewhat separate, but Greeshar responds with an insult.  Before Kobal can respond, hyenas attack and the braves set off.

In the morning, the two clans are moving to the next grazelands 3 days away, and the braves have been tasked as scouts (and to catch any strays from the bison herd).

They find offerings to ward off leaping bears, but someone has mixed in impala dung to desecrate the offerings.  They discover some water melons and the spirit of the plant, Water Melon Boy.  Next they come across a bison killed, but not eaten, and nearby is a cave of a leaping bear.  Kobal suggests smoking out the animal but rushes in anyway.  He's lucky not to be killed in there, and to get a few hits on the leaping bear.  Then most of the bison riders join him fighting the leaping bear.  It flees but Amara and Greeshar are waiting at one of the exits and skewer the leaping bear.  They notice that it has been marked with a disorder rune.

Kobal's leg has been mangled by the leaping bear.  With the help of the Tamarisk Man spirit, the party is able to heal his leg (but leaving him with a slight limp).  In return, the party promises not to harm tamarisk trees.

In the cave of the leaping bear is the body of Tarkalor, an Orlanthi who died a long time ago.  His spirit possesses Melock, but he's not hostile.  The party gives his body a fitting funeral (burning his body) and he gifts each of the party with items found near his body in the cave, as well as advice to beware the bloody thorn.  Kobal received an Issaries staff which seems to aid his already high charisma.

Other items Tarkalor had with him include:
A roll of blank leather sheets, tied with rawhide and an odd hollow sounding tube. it's wood like but of a type never seen by either men.
A wad of parchment covered in writing.

The Tamarisk Man suggests the party head for the Safe Singing Place.  There they meet the Walkabout Troop of baboons who have camped there before the party.  Among the rocks are large murals, including of Tada defeating leaping bear and a rhino rider hero defeating the giant Red Sky.  The party is a bit wary of the baboons (but nothing is stolen) and they pledge friendship to the baboons, who suggest that the party quest as Tada to the birthplace of leaping bear and defeat it to stop the curse that has set leaping bear against the clans.

The next day, wearing no armour, but covered in runes, the party ride first to Red Sky.  There, the rhino riders cover their lances with white clay, to copy the white lance of the rhino rider hero in the Safe Singing Place mural.  This white clay is the blood or bone of Red Sky (who fell in the old times, and is now a body of rocks).  Red Sky is angry but ultimately placated with offerings and actions.

At the site, they also come across the saxaul plant spirit, who offers aid and teachings to the party if they promise not to harm saxaul plants and to rid the plants at Red Sky of Lavala, the rock lizard that is eating the plants' roots.  The party is able to defeat the lizard, and although Fireborn is injured by the lizard, he ultimately has his revenge.  In the tunnels bored by the lizard, they find lizard eggs, which are destroyed and a cache of fused coins.  The party hasn't yet had time to train with the Saxaul spirit and learn any skills/spells.  They did, however, have time to extract the goyo root which is a parasite to the saxaul plant, and make a toxic paste that can be applied to their bladed weapons.

A herd of zebra approach, and they manage to catch a number of them, with Fireborn again taking the lead.

Then they move on to the birthplace of leaping bear, another site among rocks.  When they arrive, it's getting dark.  Among tracks of impala riders, they find the tracks of a bison as well.  In the darkness, they find two young and one female leaping bear.  Another creature lurks at the edges of the darkness.  The party dispatch the leaping bears, but not without taking some damage, with Hacha Lor in particular taking a head wound - none of the party are wearing armour as each is questing as Tada.  The party have forgotten to use the goyo root paste they cooked up.  Finally, Tripanandar (leaping bear) attacks.  All 7 of the party fight it, but it kills Hacha Lor before it is defeated, nearly ripping him in two at the torso.

Defeated, Amara demands that Tripanandar not bother the clans for at least a year.  The spirit acknowledges that it had accepted a bargain from a shaman to kill, and then is dismissed.

Searching the caves nearby, the party find the living place of the shaman, and some of his utensils.  Marks on the wall of the cave suggest the Red Thorn bison clan, a rival of the Prairie Thunder.

The next day, the party head back to meet up with their clans.  They come across a group of ostrich riders, eating a bison, who tried to flee what they think is a bison rider war party.  Kobal wields his Issaries staff and the ostrich riders are calmed.  The party talks with their khan who explains that they did not kill the bison (it was killed by a leaping bear) but gifts a hawk to Fireborn (since the bison had belonged to Fireborn's family).  The Big Pecker clan has fallen on hard times, particularly after the battle with the Lunars at Moonbroth, just as the Sky Watcher rhino clan has.  The party smoke tobakeh together with the ostrich riders.

The party then meet up with the clans again, and report to their elders on all they have seen and done.  The elders examine and explain some of the items gifted by Tarkalor.  The elders say they will send a war party against the impala riders (who seem to be colluding with the Red Thorn bison shaman), but the young braves are not to join the war party.

That night, Kobal calls out Greeshar on the insult to his mother.  Kaonu has previously suggested the two undertake a Three Feathered Rivals challenge to settle their differences.  Amara sets a challenge (or three) to represent Thunderbird, Fireborn sets a challenge for Sun Hawk and Melock for Raven.  Both Greeshar and Kobal, being young braves, fail many of the challenges but eventually Greeshar just beats Kobal, and wins a set of cuirboilli armour found with Tarkalor (only Greeshar and Kobal were the right size to wear it).

The next morning, the clans gather for the funeral of Hacha Lor, and the Wicked Writher rite.  Which is when Salen returns and his mentor is snatched away...

(Hope I got that all right...)
This message was last edited by the player at 08:48, Tue 12 Nov 2013.

Perfectly put, thank you Kobal

My only amendment would be that all of you are shaman material, with Kaonu and Melock both showing interest during chargen about eventually following that path.

Sort of what I hoped to be honest.

My thinking is that he could let you die and suffer the consequences from possibly annoyed friends/family or be then killed by victorious outlaws.

Or help you, ensuring good treatment. Or he just helped because it was the right thing to do, especially when faced with Gagarthi. Enemies of all.

I'm thinking that for the most part Praxians are a down to earth bunch who accept what life throws at them. He is now a slave and his continual survival rests with you lot.

That said he might be just waiting for his chance to slit all your throats and steal your mounts….

Do we need to start a new one before that happens?

Just in case I have started a new one.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:10, Tue 12 Nov 2013.