Happs, the foul-mouthed bandit, snarls and stabs his dagger towards Girard. Swallow's Blade flashes out and takes Happ's head from his shoulders before the dagger even reaches the seasoned gladiator. Whitish foam bubbles from the decapitated head's mouth, slowly mixing with dark blood on the muddy ground.

With their leader dead, the closest bandit tries to tumble away and draw his bow - only to feel Desra's blade draw a crimson smile under his chin. He falls to the ground, bleeding to death.

Francine's bullet only grazes one of the bandit's cheeks, but the loud noise coupled with the unexpected death of their leader and another of their number is enough to panic the remaining bandits. Shouting in terror, they quickly mount their horses (Desra: AOO), and ride out of the gate, racing towards the south as fast as possible.

"And STAY out!" roars Oleg, pumping his pudgy fist into the air in delight.

OOC: Victory! Ranged attacks are possible on the three retreating bandits at a range of 200ft and then 600 feet the following round. The bandits have left behind three horses that are already saddled if you want to pursue them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:39, Sun 04 Dec 2011.

Things were working out for better than Desra could've hoped.  The bandits were taken completely by surprise, and the smell of fear brought a wide, almost evil looking grin to her face.  The bandits chose to flee, and this was fine with her, but she didn't want it to be said she didn't try her very best.

The elf moved to the grazed bandit, moving up behind him as he mounted his horse, and she whipped her elven blade around over her head before bringing it down across the man's back.

Attacking the Bandit grazed for 2 points already.
10:43, Today: Desra rolled 15 using 1d20+6. Attack (Elven Sword). Hit.
10:43, Today: Desra rolled 6 using 1d10+1. Damage (Elven Sword). 6 Damage.

The bandit was badly injured by Desra's sword blow, his leather armor split nearly in half and blood welling from a long laceration down his back.

OOC: Bandit is bloodied but still up

Francine Curses.
The plan was to make sure no one is able to warn the other bandits. Now there are three running away and plan is falling apart.

She shouts to the others,"They mustn't get away!"


She races to one of the horses and attempts an acrobatic flip.

14:04, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 13 using 1d20+5. quick mount. fail

She miss-guesses the flip and awkwardly ends up on just the stirrup on the side. She decides to do a regular mount on the horse, and then mushes her horse to chase after the bandits.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:18, Sun 04 Dec 2011.

"Amon's breath! Don't let them escape! They'll bring the rest of the bandits on our heads."

Girard runs to one of the horses and mounts up. Kicking the animal into motion. He yells out after the retreating bandits.

"Stop, and you will not have to die! You cannot run. Surrender now while the option is still available!"

With a sigh Desra watched as her two companions rushed for the mounts, and she gave an easy twirl of her sword, letting the bandit blood it was soaked in run down along the etched elven grooves and lettering along the blunt end of the blade.  She mounted up and rode after her companions, sword in hand, the other on the reigns.  This was definitely not in the plan.

Will pursue, if possible and if not noticed, will attempt to ghost the bandits once they stop running.

And the chase is on! Girard and Francine charge after the bandits, Desra reluctantly following. The bandits ride with reckless abandon, certain that stopping would mean their death, either at the hands of the formidable trio, the hangman's noose, or their merciless bandit king.

The trio chases far after the bandits, swiftly leaving Oleg's trading post behind. The bandits enter a heavily wooded part of the forest that they are familiar with, and charge forward into it.

"Now!" Yells one of the bandits, and he slashes into the air with his short sword, sending a massive cedar tree crashing to the ground. The second bandit narrowly passes under the crashing tree and continues to race forward, while the third is forced to stop his horse and tumble underneath it, then sprint into the forest on foot.

Francine is in the front, with Desra and Girard only moments behind. She hears the noise and sees the fallen tree only moments before she reaches it!

OOC: Chase scene, round 1!

The rules: See the rules section so I don't explode this post with text.
TLDR rules: Choose 1 of the 2 challenges below and try to pass it to move forward 1, or try to defeat both to move forward three spaces at the risk of becoming mired and spending another round breaking free.

Challenge:
Jump a Fallen tree: DC 15 Ride/Jump
Tumble under a Fallen tree: DC 15 Ride/Acrobatics

Girard, Desra, you both have to make the same choice.

Locations:
0 Desra, Girard, Francine [Fallen Log]
1 Bandit 1 [Bee's nest]
2 Bandit 2 [Poison Ivy]
3 Bandit 3 [?]
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 Finish

Francine Points at the bandit on foot and signals one of other two to go after that one. She takes a paper cartridge and use her mouth to rip open the pouch  and pour the bullet and powder into her gun. She then suddenly see a fallen tree she quickly go into ride stance and signals the horse for the jump.

Move action load gun
standard jump log
02:20, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 6 using 1d20+5. Ride check

The horse rears up and stop just short of the log and turns around. Francine is just barely is able to hold on the reins.

"Bad boy, whoever your owner is he did not teach you well enough."

Desra spurs her horse onward, and she leads her horse to jump the fallen log.

13:38, Today: Desra rolled 21 using 1d20+6. Jump the Fallen Log. Success.

Her horse cleared the log easily, and she grinned, spurring the horse onward.  She put on speed, coming up on some low hanging branches..

13:40, Today: Desra rolled 26 using 1d20+6. Acrobatics to dodge branches.  Amazing success.

..which she gracefully dipped her head under, zipping past the two bandits in the rear to overtake the leader. ("I'm on the leader.")

She gained quickly on him, her elven sword still clutched tightly in her grip as her eyes narrowed and that willful grin stretched over her lips.  Her green eyes narrowed, the rush of the chase making her blood run hot.

Girard rides hard, and leaps his mount over the log without slowing a step, but then Girard's foot slips from the stirrup and he accidentally pulls his mount to the side as he tries to reorient himself.

"Gah! Damnit. I should've taken those riding classes when I had the chance."



15:37, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 22 using 1d20+2. ride vs log.
15:39, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 14 using 1d20+2. ride.

While Francine narrowly avoids crashing into the log, Girard leaps his mount over the log, but then has to slow his mount dramatically to re-orient himself, and Desra sails past both of them effortlessly, her eyes narrowed on the fastest of the bandits.

Head bent low over her mount, Desra races past the second bandit, noting for a moment that he is running in circles, chased by a swarm of bees.

While Francine was stuck at the log, the wounded bandit was moving very slowly in his attempt to escape, and as Girard catches up on his mount, he realizes why: only twenty feet away, a bear cub is standing up and looking at them curiously, making queer growling noises. The bandit is trying to cautiously back away from the group, moving around the bear cub and keeping an eye on the nearby cave, making his way towards a series of rocky outcroppings.

Head bent low over her mount, Desra races past the second bandit, noting for a moment that his horse's saddle and pack are stuck in a patch of poison ivy, and the bandit has jumped clear of the patch and is sprinting away, leaving his horse. She catches up to the third bandit briefly, only to watch in frustration as he spurs his mount on even faster, riding straight ahead towards a part of the woods that smells delicious and strangely familiar. As he rides, the bandit hacks at some strange growths with his shortsword, and a moment later Desra realizes why: he is stirring up a massive swarm of bees!

The cloud of insects momentarily blinds Desra, and when she has a moment to breathe outside of the swarm, she sees a man in brown robes with a bee-keeping hat and gloves, looking at her in bewilderment.

OOC: The Race, Round 2

Francine Challenge:
Jump a Fallen tree: DC 15 Ride/Jump
Tumble under a Fallen tree: DC 15 Ride/Acrobatics

Girard Challenge:
Sneak past the Bear's Den: Stealth DC 10
High rock route: Climb DC 15 (lower with rope and grapple or similar)

Desra Challenge:
Bee nest: DC 10 Will to ignore
Bewildered-looking bystander watching the chase: DC 15 Bluff or Diplomacy to ask for assistance

Locations:
0 Desra, Girard, Francine [Fallen Log]
1 Bandit 1 (Wounded), Girard [Bear's den/High rocks]
2 Bandit 2 [Poison Ivy]
3 Desra [Bee's nest/innocent bystander]
4
5
6 Bandit 3 [?]
7
8
9
10 Finish

Francine whips the reins and attempts again to jump the log.

01:06, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 15 using 1d20+5. Ride check.
01:09, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 20 using 1d20+8. Acrobatics.
But instead The horse goes under while Francine does a flip through the air. She lands back on her mount and mushes the horse on.

"I have alot of distance to make up".
This message was last edited by the player at 06:50, Wed 07 Dec 2011.

Desra called out to the bystander on the trail, "Clear out!"

23:30, Today: Desra rolled 22 using 1d20+6. Diplomacy. Success.

Without losing the slightest bit of speed, she rode forward, the words finally clicking in the man's mind, and he dove clear of her as she rode past him and into.. a swarm of bees!

23:31, Today: Desra rolled 5 using 1d20. Save vs Bees.  Failure.

The insects clouded her vision, some even tangling in her hair.. she tossed a bit, blowing the insects from her face and eyes, her distracted motions causing the horse to slow a bit.  She managed finally to get clear of the angry insects, and she frowned, looking up ahead as the bandit gained in lead.

Girard rides by the bear cub, and when it was about to cry out, he holds up a finger to his mouth and shushes it quiet, with the bear cub clamping its mouth shut and fallin on its ass. He then rides past, pointing at his eyes, then the bandit in the 'I'm watching you' motion.
As he rides by a rocky outcropping which would be a great short cut, he tries to jump up and climb over, but this time, instead of his feet slipping out of the stirrups, they keep him sitting in the saddle, and all Girard has to show for it was slapping his palms against the rocks.

00:00, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 17 using 1d20-2. stealth.
00:01, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 9 using 1d20+2. climb.

The mad pursuit continues! Francine flips over the log while guiding her horse under it, then spurs her horse past Girard and the wounded bandit, catching up with the second bandit, who just waded through a patch of poison ivy, only to find himself confronting a hive of angry bees. Needless to say, this is just not his day. Francine soon loses sight of the bandit within the furious yellow and black swarm, as the beekeeper looks on in horror.

Girard meanwhile charms the bear cub with his raw animal machismo, but is stymied by the rock wall and his well-made stirrups. Hearing a noise behind him, he turns to see the second bandit sneak past the bear cub in the opposite direction, before the bandit starts to sprint again. Girard spurs his horse to pursue the bandit, and quickly catches up, before a sudden clap makes his horse jump in fright! On the ground is a spent bear trap, its wicked jaws half-rusted. Ahead of him is the bandit, picking his way gingerly through the forest, trying to avoid both bear traps and poison ivy.

"Maniac!" shouts the bystander, wiping mud from his shoulders and face as Desra races past him. The bees scatter before her, and she launches after the bandit, following him into denser woods. The woods that the bandit has escaped into are dark, with massive trees blocking most of the sun, and are filled with sharp, thorny vines that claw at Desra's cloak and hair. She can hear the bandit close by, but there are two sets of horse tracks visible in the wet leaves and mud ahead of her, and she pauses for a frantic moment to guess which one to pursue.


OOC: The Race, Round 3!

Francine Challenge:
Bee nest: DC 10 Will to ignore
Bewildered-looking bystander watching the chase: DC 15 Bluff or Diplomacy to ask for assistance

Girard Challenge:
Bear trap: DC 15 Reflex to dodge or trigger harmlessly
Poison ivy: DC 10 Fortitude to ignore

Desra Challenge:
Grasping vines: Escape Artist DC 20 to ride straight through and escape without getting entangled
Momentarily Disoriented: Survival DC 10 to find the right direction

Locations:
0 [Fallen Log]
1 [Bear's den/High rocks]
2 Bandit 1 (wounded), Girard [Poison Ivy]
3 Bandit 2, Francine [Bee's nest/innocent bystander]
4 Desra [Vines, tracks]
5
6
7 Bandit 3 [?]
8
9
10 Finish

Girard leads his horse around the bear traps, but he was so focused on the traps that he didn't notice the ivy hanging from a branch.  Brushing against his bare shoulder, he winces in pain and steers his the mount off the road to see how bad he was hit, not too bad.  As he sighs in relief, he remembers that he should still be on the chase.

"By Buer's hooves! Surrender already, I promise you leniency if you'll just end this farce of a hunt!  Tenebrous take you if you try my patience any longer!"

12:16, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 7 using 1d20+4. fort.
12:15, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 20 using 1d20+4. reflex. actually 18, only +2 but still pass.

Desra finally managed to get hold of her horse, and her eyes searched the trail ahead of her, she'd lost site of the bandit and had to reaffirm which trail to follow.

17:52, Today: Desra rolled 8 using 1d20. Survival. Failure.
17:54, Today: Desra rolled 18 using 1d20+4. Escape Artist. Failure.

Picking the wrong path, Desra rides on, only to ride into low hanging branches and vines.  She tried to spur her horse onward and duck low to avoid them, but the foliage was simply too dense, and her horse slowed considerably as she tried to work her way out of the thick brush.


Desra is mired down in the chase and spends her next full-round to free herself up.  Don't wait for me to post doing nothing, keep it rolling.

Francine rides into the bees.

22:55, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 18 using 1d20+3. BEEEEESSSSSS.

She swats around her face hoping not to get stung, but she continues at speed

Once her view is clear again she sees the beekeeper standing in the way.

"Dodge to the left!"
She screams.
23:03, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 18 using 1d20.

Francine steers her horse to the right slightly as the beekeeper jumps to left and she continues at max speed trying to catch the lead bandit.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:50, Fri 09 Dec 2011.

While Desra finds herself entangled and lost in the woods, Francine makes up for lost time, shooting past Desra and nearly catching up with the last bandit. Along the way she nearly runs down an increasingly bewildered beekeeper, who is beginning to wonder just how far into the hydra-infested swamps he needs to move before he won't be in danger of dying to a horse race.

Girard meanwhile makes his way steadily forward, yelling at the increasingly terrified bandits.

This is an unpleasant time to be a bandit on the run, as the bandits spend the entire round trapped in poison ivy, bees, and a cesspool respectively.

Girard comes upon the hapless beekeeper and his furious BEEEES, which are swarming around one of the bandits and are ready for more!

"I surrender!" sobs the bandit. "Just get these bees off of me!"

Francine meanwhile spots a small gap over a ravine that would bring her nearly within sixty feet of the lead bandit. As she nears the gap, however, her horse spots something out of the corner of its eye, and rears in fright!


OOC: The Race, Round 4!

Francine Challenge:
Small gap: Jump DC 10 to jump and pass ahead of the bandits!
Spooked horses: Ride DC 15 to get the horse under control and continue onwards!

Girard Challenge:
Bee nest: DC 10 Will to ignore
Bewildered-looking bystander watching the chase: DC 15 Bluff or Diplomacy to ask for assistance

Desra Challenge: (Stuck)
Grasping vines: Escape Artist DC 20 to ride straight through and escape without getting entangled
Momentarily Disoriented: Survival DC 10 to find the right direction

Locations:
0 [Fallen Log]
1 [Bear's den/High rocks]
2 Bandit 1 (wounded) [Poison Ivy]
3 Bandit 2, Girard [Bee's nest/innocent bystander]
4 Desra [Vines, tracks]
5
6 Francine
7 Bandit 3 [?]
8
9
10 Finish

Francine sees the small gap and again positions herself and steers her horse to do a jump.
"alright boy it is time to redeem yourself"
00:25, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 9 using 1d20+8. jump. WORST FAILURE EVER

The horse again rears up its legs and fails to respond to Francine's commands.

Just as it unresponsive it gets spook by something.
 Francine attempts to control her horse.
00:27, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 10 using 1d20+5. Ride.


The horse is bucking hard and Francine try her best to stay on. She spends the next turn calming the horse.

Girard Rides up the the bandit, lighting a flask of lamp oil and shattering the container of flaming liquid near the bees. The sudden flash of heat and smoke scares the swarm off the poor thug.

Turning the the bee keeper, he tries to get him to tend to the bandit and keep him there, but it seemed that there was just too much going on and the poor man wanted nothing to do with the whole insane set of affairs anymore

Turning back to the now swelling bandit, Girard calls out as he spurs his horse onward again.

"If you value your life, and perhaps some ointment later on, stay here.  Try to flee, and by Paimon's bloody dance, I'll cut your legs off.


22:05, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 5 using 1d20+2. Diplomacy on Beekeeper.
22:03, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 13 using 1d20+1. will.

The wounded bandit finally extricates himself from the patch of poison ivy, and staggers over to see his companion lying on the ground, dozens of bee stings covering him. While the beekeeper watches him curiously, the wounded bandit staggers on, determined to reach his lady's camp or die trying. Taking pity on him, the beekeeper points out a mountainous shortcut that should buy him some time in catching up with the others.

Girard meanwhile catches up with Desra, and the two begin hacking through the thick underbrush together, both of them searching for tracks on the ground.

Francine's horse, meanwhile, is spooked by a strange noise. Despite seemingly failing, it does barely manage to make its way over the tiny gap. From the gap she spots the lead bandit, making his way through the woods at good speed. Riding hard, she comes upon a series of fallen trees and swampy marsh.

The only area dry enough to cross is dominated by a large midden, long-abandoned, and now half-sunken into a swamp. The stink from the rotting trash is enough to nearly knock her off her feet. To the side of the midden on the remaining stretch of dry land, she sees a pair of skunks, delightedly feasting on the garbage. At the sight of her, both animals look up in alarm.


OOC: The Race, Round 5!

Francine Challenge: A horse has a +11 bonus to acrobatics for jumping from its 50ft speed and its strength, so let's assume it made that jump.
Pool of filth: Fortitude DC 15 to get you and your horse straight through it
Skunks: Handle Animal DC 10 to pass without getting sprayed

Girard Challenge:
Grasping vines: Escape Artist DC 20 to ride straight through and escape without getting entangled
Momentarily Disoriented: Survival DC 10 to find the right direction
Note: If you'd prefer, you can spend your round to give a +2 to both checks to Desra instead.

Desra Challenge:
Grasping vines: Escape Artist DC 20 to ride straight through and escape without getting entangled
Momentarily Disoriented: Survival DC 10 to find the right direction
Note: If you'd prefer, you can spend your round to give a +2 to both checks to Girard instead.

Locations:
0 [Fallen Log]
1 [Bear's den/High rocks]
2 [Poison Ivy]
3 Bandits 1 and 2 [Bee's nest/innocent bystander]
4 Girard, Desra [Vines, tracks]
5
6 Francine [Garbage/skunks]
7
8 Bandit 3 [?]
9
10 Finish

Francine sees a pool of what she consider some the worst smelling things she ever had to pleasure of smell even worse than her town's outhouse. She take in a deep breath pinches her nose and attempt to go straight through it.
13:20, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 8 using 1d20+4. Pool of filth.

she doesn't make it through the smell becomes to overpowering and she vomits over the side of her horse and turns back.

She then spots a skunk.
"oh no, now be a nice skunk and don't do it. I ain't here to hurt you"

13:28, Today: Francine Marlin rolled 10 using 1d20. handle animal.

The skunk ignores Francine and her horse.
She takes the long way around the pool of filth still attempting to reach the lead bandit.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:32, Sat 10 Dec 2011.

Escaping the mire of tangles, Desra tries to maneuver out of the brush.

12:11, Today: Desra rolled 9 using 1d20. Survival. Failure.
12:12, Today: Desra rolled 8 using 1d20+4. Escape Artist. Failure.

Mired for another full-round after this one.  Just skip me.

She fails, and gets mired in more tangles.

Girard sees Desra going down a path and follows her, but soon realized that this isn't the right one. Catching up to her, he calls out.

"Hoy! M'lady Desra, I think this is the wrong trail, we should head back."

13:17, Today: Girard Viticus Manes rolled 8 using 1d20+4. survival. seems NO ONE CAN MAKE THIS!  Not going for the double success gamble as I can't actually make a DC20 escape artist check due to armor check.  So no miring, I just don't move this round.

Side note, I was going to aid Desra to get through, but Alex posted before me.  Could I have done that instead this round and thus get Desra back in the chase already?