"Primary command: protect, Bitter Waters!" the clank chirps, Jake's light flashing off brass as it moves about down there. "Beware skitter demon! Aid Deputy Chicken!"


[[not gonna jump on that Shaken hand a bit?]]

In reply to Alouette (msg # 51):

OOC: You're in a hole, I'm in the room above... figured I'd help with the light ;)

21:38, Today: William Pierce rolled 5,2 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 6,3. Fighting attack, WILD.
Not sure if that hits.... if it does:

21:42, Today: William Pierce rolled 8,3 (total 11) using d10,d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 8,1. Fighting damage, just in case.



With large strides, William returns to the scene, brandishing the knife he took off the indian whose throat he tore out and hammers it down on one of the scampering hands.



21:45, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: RJ! using the Deadlands system. Initiative,again. William has Quick.

Ever once in a while, the Quick edge pays off!

21:45, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 5H using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

"Sure ting! Let me stomp this one and I'll get right on it." Danny says, and leaps after the one William stabbed. Between the two of them, they carve the hand into tiny pieces.

((OOC: A wild attack gives +2 to hit, and you're not Shaken any more, so you have a net +1 instead of a net -1 on that attack. That's a 7, so you hit. That's enough damage to make the hand Shaken again.

Since Danny didn't get to go, I'll just have him attack now. He gets +2 Attack and Damage from his Wild Attack: 12:56, Today: Danny Boy rolled 3,6 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4. Wild Attack!

Going to spend a white chip, since I got one from Charging Bear's red a little while ago: 12:57, Today: Danny Boy rolled 7,13 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+5)11. white chip. Hit and Raise. Nice.

Damage: 12:57, Today: Danny Boy rolled 22,12 using 2d6,d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+6+5)17,(4+4+2)10. Damage. 32 damage! WTF. That's the third huge damage roll from an NPC today! Well, that kills the hand.

next round: 2D

I never actually got an Action from Alouette...what's Alouette up to, now that it has light? ))

[[being overexcited by the options and dropping Detect, for now...]]

The clank interposes itself between the remaining animate hand and the imperilled poultry, its limbs lines of brightness in the little pool of light. Its lenses shine strangely as static flares within the brass carapace: flares, dies, then roars, something shorting with the surge.

[[21:17, Today: Alouette rolled 1,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,3. Failed Hunch attempt to see if the aetheric resonances from that damn Harbringer could be identified. Bugger. >_<

Draw my next init. if the clank doesn't 'splode, wouldja?]]

In reply to Alouette (msg # 55):

((OOC: Alouette, draw a card so I can figure out what your malfunction will be.))

[[Six o' Spades]]

In reply to Alouette (msg # 55):

As Alouette attempts to peer into the depths, something flares within its casing. One of the wondrous punched plates that helps with Aloueete's memory functions glitches, and an extra hole is punched. The information error spirals out of control, locking Alouette's logic circuits into a cascading recursive loop of irrelevant data...

While Alouette stands, statue-like, and attempts to reconcile the faulty information, the remaining hand crawls up the automaton's casing and perches on it's head. Then it leaps up out of the stairwell at Jake!

((OOC:

Spades—Glitch: The gizmo activates but does the reverse of its intent. An invisibility belt makes the caster glow brightly, a weapon fires at a random target, and so on. If a reverse effect makes no sense, treat it as a Major Malfunction instead.

I think the reverse of a hunch would be to lose information. Treat this as a feedback loop that will render Alouette Shaken for 1d6 rounds.

Why, yes, I WAS sort of inspired by the construct from Perdido Street Station and or Brazil...

Jake, you're being attacked. Do you want to try to use your held action? If so, it's an opposed Agility check with the hand. You have to beat 1.))

[[Yeah, assume it freezes up and sounds like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSRG0TqxLWc

5H init. when/if needed.]]

In reply to Animate Hand (msg # 58):
OOC: I'll try to swing!
10:33, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 2,3 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Agility.
My 3 beats your 1... so Jake swings the tomb!
10:34, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 0,1 using 1d4-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Fighting (-2 size).
That's a miss... going to burn my blue for a +d6 and hope for the best
10:34, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Blue Chip.
... um... er... yeah... moving on to the strangling of Jake.

---

"How many of these things did they leave laying around here!?" Jake exclaims as he sees the hand flying at him. He then attempt to bat it away with the tomb he's been using as a weapon for probably far too long. His swing is off, probably cause he never really played baseball in his youth, and unfortunately Jake misses the hand all together

OOC: Card for next round
10:37, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: 9D using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative.

"I don't know how many hands could they chop off and store in their bloody cellar!" Danny growls as the hand tries to get a grip. Fortunately for Jake, he's quick enough to keep the thing from getting a grip for more than half a second.

((OOC: The hand makes an attack: 11:05, Today: Animate Hand rolled 4 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 4. Attack! Damage: 2. The hand is only really dangerous when it gets a raise...

Cards: 6C))

---

Turn Order:
William: RJ! (But on hold until he gets back from vacation)
Jake: 9D
Alouette: 6S (but Shaken for 4 rounds)
Hands: 6C
Danny Boy: 2D

11:29, Today: William Pierce rolled 5,10 using d10,d4+4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(4+2)6. damage.
11:28, Today: William Pierce rolled 9,4 using d8+3,d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 6,1. fighting. joker. wild.

William twirls the knife around and attempts a backhanded slice, trying to cut the hand's fingers off!


11:31, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: QD using the Deadlands system. initiative.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:32, Tue 21 Aug 2012.

The last remaining hand falls to pieces at William's assault. Danny holds his knife ready, but it seems that's the last of them. Nothing moves for several minutes. Mr. Lurch stares at them impassively from the doorway.

"I want t' stab the fucker who thought those things up." he says with a shiver. "I really do. What sort o' sick fuck makes that sort o' thing?" he heads over to the hole. "Alouette? Ye alright?"

((OOC: That is more than enough to put the hand down...for now. }:D))

If Alouette replies in any way it's inaudible from above, the automaton standing stock-still with its lenses bright. Deputy Chicken sits on the ladder and stares at it with a rapid "chok-chok-chok" of moderate chicken alarm.

[[so...what happens here, or am I stuck 'til chapter break?]]

((OOC: You can roll to unshake, if you like.))

"I'm guessing not." Jake says flatly. "Shall we help deputy clank'n chicken out of the hole in the floor?"

"Aetheric corruption error..." the clank suddenly states clearly. "...'ware mani-mani-mani- *tssh* -manifestation of demonic entities in local area."

The automaton dips its head with a moment of that weird grace, causing Deputy Chicken to duck down, silent as though trying to avoid the gaze of some passing predator above. Then both nonhumans straighten, the clank shaking itself abruptly.

"Dark..." it restates, then "Howdy Deputy Chicken! Howdy Bitter Waters, Danny Albatross, Pierce William Pierce...why is self located in pit, unknown place?"

Whatever just happened, it seems to have taken the past few minutes of the clank's memory.

[[18:33, Today: Alouette rolled 6,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,4. unshake? ]]

"I thought th' whole point o' this little adventure was to get down in the whole and look around." Danny says. He takes the lantern and looks down at Alouette. "Alouette, we're in the lodge o' the Society o' the Weepin' Moon, lookin' for clues about what they're up to. You ate somethin'...some kind o' papers. Do ye remember what they said?"

"The papers had lots of little marks...should self reproduce these?"

"Yes please do." Jake says as he peers into the hole where the clank has/had been.

"Self requires a thing to make the marks stay," the clank down the hole remarks, not seeing anything condusive to writing in the little patch of light.

[[Notice...2! Hey, if the hands bleed, you could use a finger or two...]]

There still a trail of paper from where Mr Lurch dragged the desk across the floor, but none seem to be fresh sheets. If there were any inkwells, they may have fallen and shattered...none are visible in the range of the lantern.

Alouette does notice something in looking around, however, and patters out of immediate view from the top of the shaft with a fading "Informations!"

[[someone might want to come down before it noms the Necronomincon or something...]]

William sighs and wipes the blade clean.
"I'll go down with the clank."

Then he descends into the darkness, but then notices his eyes catching every little glimpse of light, and he sets his steps as easily as if in broad daylight.
For a second, William can't help but smile.

Being dead has some payoffs....

This thread is closed. Please resume posting on the Chapter 15.3 Thread.