At Vincent's suggestion, Price did as he had originally intended, cutting a path straight back to the car and taking Rosalie's attacker from behind, joining her. He turned just as the next wave of men rushed out of the truck towards them. Contrary to his first impression, Price would see that the faces of the men coming at him were not just Arabs, but numbered Englishmen among them. Splitting up, they rushed towards each of them, joining their still living companions and attacked at will, striking them with clubs, bits of metal glinting at the head of each club.

The driver of the truck leans down and stabs Walter with his dagger, but the men aiming for him with clubs miss. Vincent cannily evades the attacks coming at him, but Leo, Rosalie, and Harry face a tougher onslaught.

---

• Walter takes 6 damage. Harry takes 5 damage. Rosalie takes 4 damage. Leo takes 6 damage.
• NEXT: Leo, Walter, and Harry (in any order)

This message was last edited by the GM at 21:24, Thu 10 May 2018.

Walter reaches up and wrenches open the truck door, hopefully dragging out the driver who is leaning through the window and blocking the attacks of the other two cultists.

[We should have bought Rosalie a police whistle so it sounded like reinforcements were coming.]

Leo slides into the opened door on the passenger side while cracking the shotgun open. He reloads the weapon a moment before situating himself behind the wheel. He resists the urge to honk the horn.

16:46, Today: Harry Price rolled 3 using 1d100 with rolls of 3.  Parry 70%.

Harry gets his trusty hanger up between himself and the incoming club. Then deftly delivers a devastating slash to one of the madmen, striking the one in the middle to prevent the villain from shifting his assault on Rosalie.

16:46, Today: Harry Price rolled 62 using 1d100 with rolls of 62.  attack 70%.
16:47, Today: Harry Price rolled 9 using 1d8+1 with rolls of 8. damage.
16:47, Today: Harry Price rolled 4 using 1d4 with rolls of 4.  damage bonus.
13 points to one of his attackers.

The threat of his weapon keeping the enemy at bay and preventing what might have been a successful strike at him, Harry parried the incoming attack driving the point of his weapon home in a lethal blow, dropping one of their foes. Elsewhere, Walter yanked open the door, tossing forth the leaning driver out of the vehicle and obstructing the attackers for the moment, though they would no doubt rally momentarily.

Vincent bravely fended off three more on his side, as did Dr. Elias, hopping into the car and reloading his shotgun.

OOC:

Hopefully I don't need to tell y'all that things are getting dire for the Elias party.

• Parry Harry avoids damage from the attack directed at him, and kills the attacker.
• Leo gets into the car and reloads his weapon successfully.
• Walter, you successfully yank out the driver with your maneuver, and you could even be in the truck's driver's seat if desired. Let me know.
• NEXT: Vincent and Rosalie can both take another shot. Then the next round starts, again beginning with Vincent and Rosalie (who can't shoot the Colt again without reloading), so feel free to both finish up this round, and start the next.

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:11, Fri 11 May 2018.

Rosalie yelped again as one of the clubs struck her, this time in the ribs.  She scrambled into the car beside her uncle, firing point blank at the nearest attacker.  Her Colt empty, she shoved her hand into her bag and pulled her Luger free.



1st action: 

Handgun: 77
Damage: 1  (wah wah)

20:07, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 77 using 1d100 with rolls of 77.  Handgun (116).
20:09, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 1 using 1d8 with rolls of 1.  Damage.

2nd action:

Drawing her Luger

Turning his wrist feverishly, he felt the cap on the fuel tank pull free. He let it fall to the dirt as he swung the revolver around, bringing it to bear on another of his attackers and squeezing the trigger.

21:32, Today: Vincent Moretti rolled 100 using 1d100 with rolls of 100.  Handgun - Handgun 70%

Nothing happened. Only an empty metallic click.

How appropriate. His luck had finally run dry. Here on this lonely stretch of marsh in a country he barely knew.

Santa Maria, Madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatori, adesso e nell'ora della nostra morte. Amen.

Taking a step back toward the truck, he found the matches in his pocket, his fingers retrieving one. The same fingers that, at sixteen, had learned how to pick locks, to steal in order to grow the empires of men whose hunger knew no bounds. He drew it out, striking it to flame on the hard surface of the lorry.

”Bo!” he called, finding his mouth suddenly parched, ”Bo, run! You’ve got to run now!  Get to the car!”

21:30, Today: Vincent Moretti rolled 58 using 1d100 with rolls of 58.  DEXx5.

As the members of the Brotherhood closed in, he brought the match, already burning strong, over to the open fuel tank.

And, unexpectedly, he felt his chest hitch.

Some part of him wasn’t ready, he realized. Some lingering measure of his heart wanted to try to carry forward. To see if what might lie ahead was different than what he had left behind. To find a life outside of the empty, meaningless wars he’d tied himself to. To grasp happiness. Maybe even to be loved.

No. No. This was duty. The Eliases deserved his service. Leo had brought his family to America, helped his Papa when the rest of the city saw him as just another faceless immigrant, needy and lost. But for the Eliases, his mother would never have had the chance to grow old. His sister would never have become the woman that she was: fierce, independent, and free thinking.

He would never see Mama and Emily again. Never sit beside them at rosary. Never join them in the little flat on Sunday for cena. Never hear his mother chide him for refusing to settle down and listen to Emily talk about the college and all the ideas that the professors shared.

But they would be watched over. Provided for. He’d ensured that with his service.

They didn’t need him. Not anymore. No one did.

The flame had begun to climb the matchstick. He dropped it into the fuel tank and closed his eyes.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:46, Fri 11 May 2018.

OOC:

Walter, I'm going to grant you 5 yards of movement to heed Vincent's warning before I resolve his action, if you choose to take them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:46, Fri 11 May 2018.

In reply to Dr. Leonardo Elias (msg # 209):

Not to be a buttinsky, Leo, but looks like you're in the driver's seat. Brits, you know.

Dropping the shotgun, Bo swings around to spring up into the driver's empty seat. Whether he even heard Vince's shout is doubtful.

He kicks the truck into gear and wrenches the steering wheel hard over to the right. It lurches toward the steep verge along the causeway.



This message was last edited by the player at 15:09, Fri 11 May 2018.

Whether by choice or otherwise, it would forever be unknown, but Bo seemed to ignore Vincent's warning and climb into the vehicle. Putting it in gear, the lorry lurched towards the causeway, but it didn't go very far before an explosion rocked the night. The explosion sent a tower of flame high into the air, and shrapnel from the vehicle flying out from the center point of the explosion as it moved outward.

In desperation, the man nearest Leo bashed in the window with his club. On the other side of the car, Rosalie's move for her other gun saved her from a club to the head, but Harry's attacker came in with his club to take a swing at him that looked to be deadly in aim. If Harry wasn't quick enough, it would take him in the head.

OOC:

Let's see...
- Vincent and Walter both die in the explosion, as well as 13 cultists.
- Harry is struck for 10 damage, taking him to -1.
- Leo's driver's side window is shattered.

Next Six Actions:

• Leonardo and (Harry Roll your Parry, please!)
• Rosalie
• Cultist Group A (1)
• Cultist Group B (3)
• Leonardo and Harry
• If Rosalie shot on her action, she could take a second shot here.

OOC: That was very satisfying.

So long, Bo.

See ya on the other side, Vincenzo.

Will you give me that the blazing truck rolls down that very steep embankment to clear the way for the car to escape?

GM Edit for formatting
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:33, Fri 11 May 2018.

Leo's heart sunk for a few moments at the explosion. He hoped that Bo and Vince had managed to get away, but he wouldn't be able to verify that until after they'd finished off those that currently were assaulting them.

Leo pointed the now-loaded shotgun at the fellow that had insisted on bursting through the window and hit him with a well-placed shot.

OOC: 16 damage with the point-blank shotgun blast.

11:29, Today: Dr. Leonardo Elias rolled 16 using 4d6 with rolls of 3,5,4,4.  Damage.

11:26, Today: Dr. Leonardo Elias rolled 60 using 1d100 with rolls of 60.  Shotgun (30x2=60).
This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Fri 11 May 2018.

Post explosion, there was another smaller explosion, that combined with the previous movement of the truck, sent the flaming wreckage rolling down the steep embankment, clearing the road save for some remnants of the burning wreckage, shrapnel, and the human carnage that was left there.

OOC:

Bo, absolutely.

Next...Harry has a Parry (and action awaiting him)
Then after that, Rosie
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:11, Fri 11 May 2018.

Vai con Dio, fratello.

“Life was not a valuable gift, but death was. Life was a fever-dream made up of joys embittered by sorrows, pleasure poisoned by pain; a dream that was a nightmare-confusion of spasmodic and fleeting delights, ecstasies, exultations, happinesses, interspersed with long-drawn miseries, griefs, perils, horrors, disappointments, defeats, humiliations, and despairs...but death was sweet, death was gentle, death was kind; death healed the bruised spirit and the broken heart, and gave them rest and forgetfulness; death was man's best friend; when man could endure life no longer, death came and set him free.”

- Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth

Don't suppose he also managed to move the log out of the way?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:46, Fri 11 May 2018.

OOC:

In reply to Dr. Leonardo Elias (msg # 222):


The log is unfortunately still in place. That said, you can drive around it.

13:15, Today: Harry Price rolled 51 using 1d100 with rolls of 51.  Parry 70
13:18, Today: Harry Price rolled 19 using 1d100 with rolls of 19.  attack.
13:18, Today: Harry Price rolled 7 using 1d8+1 with rolls of 6.  damage.
13:18, Today: Harry Price rolled 3 using 1d4 with rolls of 3. damage bonus.
10 damage total.


"Good God," Harry muttered to himself.

Even as Price watched the truck veer off the road and explode seemingly consuming both Morreti and Brandon, he was under attack from one of the lunatics.

Harry managed to get his saber up and keep his head from being smashed in by the mad man's wild blow. Price quickly returned the favor of delivering a vicious blow of his own. Moving back toward the rear passenger door, Harry prepared himself to keep fighting or leap in as the things unfolded.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:51, Fri 11 May 2018.

Rosalie screamed at the explosion, tears coming quickly from wide eyes.  Where were Bo and Vinnie?  In the confusion, she'd not seen where they'd gone.  Had they been caught in the explosion?  Were they hiding further down the bank?

Icy fingers squeezed her heart, but the fight wasn't over.  She fired at another of the crazed cultists through the open window.



Handgun: 44
Damage: 4

13:33, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 44 using 1d100 with rolls of 44.  Handgun (116).
13:34, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 4 using 1d10 with rolls of 4.  Damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:15, Tue 15 May 2018.

With only two men left standing continued to attempt to bash at the vehicle with their clubs, failing to get through to strike either Rosalie or Leo with their attacks.



OOC:

The two remaining are Leo and Rosalie with disadvantage, since they're smaller targets and inside the car - both fail, striking the body of the vehicle instead. Racking up the death roll, and the bill at the Savoy.

NEXT:

• In any order, Leo's second shot and Rosalie's second shot.
• Then Leo, Harry, and Rosalie have full actions.

Aiming through her window, Rosalie squeezed off another shot at the attacker on her side of the car.



Handgun: 72
Damage: 9

20:10, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 84 using 1d100 with rolls of 84.  Handgun (116).
20:08, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 9 using 1d10 with rolls of 9.  Damage.

Leo aimed at a bloodied but still standing cultist with his shotgun, but managed to send the shot wide again.

He then dropped the gun and prepared to get the car moving.

OOC: Leo sucks at shooting. Probably because he's used to saving lives rather than taking them. Yeah, that's it. That's why.

07:48, Today: Dr. Leonardo Elias rolled 68 using 1d100 with rolls of 68.  Shotgun (30x2=60).

We left the car running, yes? All that Leo needs to do is get it in gear?

OOC: No driving rolls will be required. When it's your action next, you can just pull on outta there if you'd like.

15:56, Today: Harry Price rolled 13 using 1d100 with rolls of 13.  shotgun (50x2+100).
15:56, Today: Harry Price rolled 16 using 4d6 with rolls of 5,5,5,1.

Setting down his weapons, Harry grabbed his shotgun from the car seat and slid over behind Doctor Elias before firing out the rear window into the madman who was banging away at the car. As Price fired he remembered the American's challenge about killing a man with a shotgun and hoped Bo was proud of him.

Rosalie and Harry respectively gunned down the last of the cultists. The night was oddly and suddenly quiet, save for the sound of crackling flames from the burning truck.

OOC: Combat over. What now?