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23:01, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

14a: Against the Insects.

Posted by RaddekFor group 0
Raddek
GM, 812 posts
Sat 1 Dec 2018
at 00:40
  • msg #1

14a: Against the Insects

The group debates the pros and cons of burning down the wood and though the potential gains make the prospect alluring, Finn eventually decides to go against the plan, with Judoc voicing an especially strong opinion of the risks involved with an uncontrolled burn.  Not the least of their considerations is the heavy cloud layer that hovers just above them on the mountain, threatening rain and heavy winds which as of yet remain calm in the isolated draw.

Instead, Finn opts to avoid the mound as much as possible, with a diversion planned if the hive of ants were to go on high alert.  After spending the better portion of an hour to regain his strength lost from spell casting, Finn leads the group as far west as it can go before it reaches the cliff before turning back south towards the wood.  It is only minutes before Finn stops, unloading his weapons back into his bags and handing the lead rope of his horse, Boots, to Bjorn, the only member of the small party not already handling some variant of equine.

The plan was simple, Finn would head directly to the mound, assessing the threat of the giant insects and if they attacked, he would lead them elsewhere.  The distraction would hopefully be enough to let the larger party skirt the edge of the forest unimpeded...  Hopefully...

And so Finn walks on, weaponless and alone to where he knows the mound to be, just beyond sight into the forest of cactus-like trees.  Sure enough it is a mere few steps into the wood before Finn sees the mound rising up into the distance.  It is perhaps only another few steps before Finn recognizes the same sound of grinding wood that he heard all of last night....

OOC:  It is 0835 on the 12th of May.  The skies are now entirely overcast with a cloud layer that seems to cut the mountain in half.  Make a few rolls for me Finn.  The first label Perception, the second label Reaction, and the last label Stealth, although if you are trying to be obvious you may forego the last one.
This message was last updated by the GM at 04:05, Wed 20 Nov 2019.
Raddek
GM, 814 posts
Sat 1 Dec 2018
at 04:51
  • msg #2

14a Against the Insects

Finn looks up at the noise, somewhere off on his left side and several yards off, though he can't place the noise to its source.  He glances back to the mound, perhaps twelve feet high and two dozen yards off or more, though for now he can see none of the insects that he knows make a home of the large underground lair.

Abruptly, the sound stops and again Finn looks to his left, this time finding one of the black insects seven or eight paces off to the left, just edging its way around one of the the larger of the cactus plants.  The thing stares down Finn with menacing eyes, its mandibles clicking fiercely as the it emits a whizzing chirrup that begins to echo from all around...

OOC:  I decided to just answer all your questions IC instead of in private.  You split up from the group only a couple of minutes ago, but due to your divergent paths you would imagine them to be at least a quarter mile away or so - they are definitely not in sight.  The ant is about a foot or so long, and about half as high, standing just to the side of one of the cactus trees about seven yards away.  It's obvious the thing sees you but it doesn't seem to be making any moves toward you just yet...
Finn Razzel
player, 324 posts
Sat 1 Dec 2018
at 18:37
  • msg #3

14a Against the Insects

The size of the mound does not shake the usually chipper and optimistic mercenary but its sudden appearance startles the young man slightly.  It is a massive thing and a bit intimidating.  Despite seeing it from above while in the form of a small bird and hearing stories, being this close to the thing sends light chills down his spine.  And then Finn realizes why.  It has been the unconscious fear of being swarmed.  The awareness of the idea of being rushed and grabbed by hundreds of pincers the size and power of blacksmith tools.  Being dragged off to the mound and down into the vast cave network of these horrible things.  Or worse, if he is too big to fit, being hacked and sawed into pieces first.

But Razzel has no such plans to die today.  Instantly his fingers begin twitching and wiggling...


OOC:
Being casting.

Raddek
GM, 817 posts
Sun 2 Dec 2018
at 04:37
  • msg #4

14a Against the Insects

Chitter CheEeEeE!

The vibrating sound of the clicking mandibles screeches about the air around him, and even as he concentrates on his spell, Finn sees more of the black giants popping into existence all around him - four, five, seven! his fingers fly with haste as he murmurs words of power, his lips and tongue caking with dryness borne from the fear of the outcome of even the slightest slip of his spell work.

But the horror is for naught, it is a moment longer and Finn is rising up into the air, out of the reach of the small animals, though it not with a renewed relief of the danger he has just escaped.  From the mound, several more of the things have swarmed, and now a small swarm of a dozen or more are swarming the spot he had just left, the late comers climbing over the backs of the others, reaching desperate legs skyward to take Finn from his floating roost.

Finn breathes a nervous sigh of relief, taking a moment to reorient himself after having risen several yards into the air, looking for a larger of the cactus trees where it might be possible to land himself for a moment on a branch to watch the insects cluster below for long enough for the others to make their clean escape.


Quick enough he finds a target that meets his needs - a large tree a stones throw into the wood whose bark is mostly clear of the prickly spikes that cluster all about the smaller trees.  As he moves, Finn watches the small crowd of ants pile below him, reaching, clawing skyward.  Smiling despite himself, Finn hovers easily forward, thinking himself out of reach of the impish attacks that scuttle along below him.  Finn is about to alight on his target when he realizes that he is not entirely correct...

Out from behind the trunk, one of the insects pops up on a limb nearly level with Finn, and a swift look towards the roots show that several more are following in trail.  Finn concentrates hard in reversing his course, but not before the thing flings itself from the branch straight towards Finn's face!

Chitter CheEeEeE!

Horrified, Finn spasms away from the attack, barely evading as the cat-sized monster flies past, hitting the ground some feet farther on before turning and glaring back up towards the floating mage...

Well, in any case, it seemed climbing was out...

OOC:  You are floating about six feet over the ground, which is high enough to stay out of their grasp even when they climb three high upon each others backs.  However, it seems that the ants have no problems climbing the odd trees.  You have clearly gotten the attention of the colony and most of the ants around you (totaling about twenty) are swarming underneath you or on nearby trees waiting to pounce.  Don't worry about taking too long, no one is waiting on you yet.
Finn Razzel
player, 325 posts
Sun 2 Dec 2018
at 20:04
  • msg #5

14a Against the Insects

Time has a way of slowing down in certain moments.  When a man kisses a woman for the first time.   The first time a lethal weapons is pulled on him in anger.  And the first time an ant hundreds of times its normal size with a murderous intent leaps at a man tiger style attempting to chop him into little bits and drag him underground with the help of hundreds of relatives.

Finn is near these creatures home.  They have gone into attack mode, going so far as to climb the trees and leap at Finn.  It is clear now that they will do anything and everything to invite him to dinner, as the main course, and they will not stop shy at self harm in their quest to defend their territory and feed their young.  To some this situation might seem nightmarish.  Horrific.  Traumatizing.  But not Razzel.  This is exactly where he wants to be and expected to be.  To have the ant colony focused on his destruction while he lures them away, this is yet another in a long line of genius plans realized.

Floating towards another tree Finn continues with his plan.


OOC:
Continue to attempt to go somewhat near trees.  But given that they are fine climbing and jumping and seemingly guessing my next move, do not get too close to any tree.  The last thing I want is to be hovering in the air with 5 giant ants clinging to me.

Raddek
GM, 819 posts
Sun 2 Dec 2018
at 23:50
  • msg #6

14a Against the Insects

Floating to and fro, stopping just short enough of each tree to prevent from being jumped on by one of the black brutes, Finn can't help but laugh as the insects scuttle in a fury down below him.  Still, Finn only has limited time with the spell, and he can't afford to bounce around like a pinball all morning long.  Instead, as his spell is ending, Finn casts again, this time the familiar spell he has used already this morning, shifting himself from human into the shape of a falcon, keeping just enough time on his levitation spell that he can transition from floating to winged flight.

The spell is instantly exhausting, and though it works, Finn feels his energy siphoned from his being in great gasps - though the whole time it had been slim, he knows he has no margin for error now...

Finn drops a few feet as he regains speed, his breath coming in great gasps though he flaps his wings skillfully, climbing up above the tops of the cactus tree branches, ensuring he has a safe distance before looking back down at the ground again.

The new view does not give him any relief...

Where a floating man had seemed to keep their attention, it seems that now in the form of a falcon he has lost the interest of the insects, or perhaps they realize they have no chance to catch him now.  Instead, the ants have now all turned their bodies southward in unison.

Then Finn hears it, off in the distance, the far off scream of another of their kind.

Chitter CheEeE!

OOC:  While the levitate seemed to work to hold their attention, it seems to be much harder as a falcon.  While you are welcome to try any idea you have, continuing with your plan is essentially going to boil down to this:  How much risk are you willing to take on to hold their attention?  Pick your own modifier and think of it as a risk/reward.  +1 will incur more risk on to you, but will have less chance of regaining the attention of the ants.  -1 will likely keep you safer, though will have a more difficult time keeping the ants occupied.  You can pick any modifier between +10 and -10.  Again, if you roleplay your own idea, I'll take it into account, but if you are drawing a blank, I'll just use the modifier and go from there.
Finn Razzel
player, 326 posts
Mon 3 Dec 2018
at 18:24
  • msg #7

14a Against the Insects

Finn has been around long enough, twenty five years and working more than half of that, to understand that the best laid plans sometimes do not come to fruition.  In Razzel's case it is not due to lack of ability or drive but instead caused by some unforeseen circumstance.  For instance once when Finn was running a con on a simple street merchant about guards requiring a special permit to open a booth and that the going price was 200 but Finn just happened to have a valid one which he would part with for 100, how was he to know that one of the nearby customers was an off duty guard who promptly spoiled the whole affair.

And such it is now.  Finn has flawlessly and brilliantly pulled off his part of the plan.  He has roused the ire of the hive and for a minute held their attention fast.  He can now as a bird less efficiently but still hold their attention.  That is, until an ant-like screech weak from distance breaks the din of these creatures furious chittering.  As one they turn southward and march off.  Surely, it is his friends who have drawn blood.  They had one fucking job.  One.  Sneak by.  Sneak!  Not kill., he thinks irritatedly to himself while in bird form.

Turning on the wind Finn flies off in search of his comrades.


OOC:
Fly to my friends best possible route.  Do not exert myself, I don't want to loose any fatigue.

Raddek
GM, 822 posts
Wed 5 Dec 2018
at 05:04
  • msg #8

14a Against the Insects

Finn does not attempt to keep the attention of the insects, but instead wings on towards the south, climbing higher and higher to get the best perspective he can without even a second glance back towards the ant hill.  What in the hell were they thinking?  Hadn't it been simple enough instructions to just evade the ants while Finn kept their attention?

His thoughts buzzing around him, it was still absurdly easy to find his compatriots.  Thick tufts of black smoke puff southward near the base of the mountains and sure enough, there at the base of the smoke are all his compatriots, and nearly all their animals.  Finn finds the last of the beasts charging back northward by itself, Rondald's mule which is laden down with the twin barrels of water, perhaps a dozen yards away from the group, and on a path to head straight back to the lake.  It takes several more moments before Finn recognizes the two ants also in the picture, one between Magnus and Judoc, the other climbing up the heel of Rondald's boot...

OOC:  So the timelines are aligned as of now.  Obviously as a single things are going to go more quickly for you, so I stopped in case you want to change your plan at all.  It will probably take you another several seconds to get back to the group, which will likely be long enough for them to take care of their two foes.  Just let me know if your plan is still the same or if you want to shift things up.  It may be a bit of timeline alignment either way.
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