Heart sinking with her sister's flight, Lisa thinks, "At least one of us lives." She keeps pulling Terri's deadweight for all she's worth.

Though Sajaa has done everything she can think of, she simply cannot see any clear way clear of the caves apart from fleeing.  Injured and incapable of putting up a real fight, she grits her teeth as she drops to her hip and elbow.  Tears rush to her eyes as she pushes herself down the steep slope at a gentle skid, taking care to keep her sword clear of her body as much as the arrow that still spouts from her tricep on both sides.

Determined not to give Terri over to the slavers, Lisa locks her hands together and heaves!  Pulling Terri's torso up off the ground as her heels drag, Lisa steps backwards with a massive effort, the afternoon sunlight breaking over her as she steps over the threshold of the cave.

But up ahead, Gustav and Rolf stay determined to give Lisa time to take Terri out.  Stepping slowly out Gustav trades blows with the throaty woman, lunging forwards with his blade in what he thinks is a modest attempt at a feint.  However, the woman only so much as dips her head to the side, seeing the ploy for what it is instantly.

They trade blows probing blows back and forth, the woman swatting away Gustav's saber with her own blade, and Gustav swatting one of her blows away with his main-gauche before stepping to the side to avoid a jabbing thrust of her knife.  What he doesn't realize however, is that another quick thrust of her sword is quickly following, and Gustav's defenses are not fast enough.  The sword thrusts in and up cutting straight into the scales at Gustav's shoulder.  It is only his armor, buffered by the magic of his bracers that keeps Gustav from falling, though the blow still bites brutally into the muscle!

Rolf too shifts backwards, gripping towards his sword that hangs by the lanyard attached to his hip.  But the thing swings as he moves, making it impossible to grab.  He holds up his shield, warding off blow after blow, first the woman with the hatchet, and then of another man who rushes forward with a staff.

But as he reaches down again, thinking to grab his falchion, Rolf misses the archer dashing forward again and swinging her axe!  Far too slow, Rolf tries to readjust his shield, though the blade cuts deep into his leathers just above his knee.  Blood spurts in a large arc across the entryway and elicits a scream from Rolf's lips as he struggles to hold on to his one defensive asset.

OOC:  Sajaa is sliding down the side of the slope and is essentially out of the combat.  Feel free to continue posting, though it will take you several seconds to slide down the 60 foot face.

Lisa is dragging Terri as quickly as she can.  For the moment it is slow going, and the men ahead are catching up to her slowly despite their deliberate slow pace.

As for the fighters at the fore, the hallway is about 10' wide, which for the moment is limiting the front to about 3 enemies wide.  Gustav fell victim to a painful, but otherwise minor injury to the shoulder (thought it would likely have been quite bad if not for your magic bracers).  Your immediate impression is that this woman is a very good sword fighter, and quite possibly better than you.  Despite the minor injury, it has caused a significant shock penalty which will affect you on your next turn.  The blow also puts you into 1/2 move and dodge due to loss of HP, almost all of which was accrued prior to this fight.

Rolf has fallen victim to the most disastrous slew of rolling I think I've ever had for a player.  I failed to grab his weapon on three separate occasions by way of a DX roll.  Thinking it might be worth it to try a hero point and see if that changed anything, I failed another two times (and decided not to spend his hero point on something he never had a choice on).  He subsequently suffered a crippling blow to the leg (by way of an enemy crit success).  I decided to cut my losses there.

I need you to roll vs. HT for knockdown/stun.  If you fail, you do not fall (as you are still under the effects of the flight spell) but you do lose your shield in addition to normal stun penalties.  Feel free to use your hero point if necessary.

Let's do another 2 seconds.

Heaving mightily Lisa tries to tumble or slide herself and Terri down the slope. She tries to recall if there were bushes there in which that she might hide Terri.

Even through his pain, Gustav remembers his training and delivers a quick riposte to the woman, then executes aretreating dodge.

Rolf,  Back Out!



Gustav tries to stay even with Rolf as they move back. If he has time, he will go up the slope to the top, using flight or his hands and feet.

Rolf fumbles for his sword, but just can't seem to get hold of it.  Desperately he uses his shield to fend off multiple attacks and at last one slips through piercing his leg badly!

"Son of a bitch!" he shouts as blood instantly flows from the cut.  Jittery from the pain he nearly drops his shield, but somehow holds on.

He reaches again for his blasted sword and seeks to keep the enemy at bay while Lisa drags Terri to safety.

OOC:  Rolf made the HT knockdown/stun roll and kept his shield, but had to use his remaining hero point.  He will try to recover his sword and defend retreating block while he tries to ready it.  Once ready he will all out retreating defend, parry and block.

He will do his best to keep pace with Gustav and give Lisa cover as we retreat.


This message was last edited by the player at 18:51, Wed 07 Dec 2022.

Lisa heaves with all her might, dragging Terri across the rock until she finds her own heels squared up against the edge of the cliff.  But as Lisa sighs in relief that she has finally gotten to the brink, she finds that she now faces another terrible choice.  How does she get down?!  For that matter, how can she possibly ensure that Terri gets down safely?

At her feet, the rope hangs over the edge, uncoiled from where she kicked it over earlier.  Perhaps she could swing Terri over, holding on to the woman with one hand and rappelling down with the other?  It would be much faster to simple roll Terri off, but unconscious as she is, and already injured, could she even survive it?

Up ahead, the battle rages on, a five on two where our heroes are quickly ceding both ground and advantage.  Gustav lashes out with his blade, surprising the woman for once, whose own sword is just a hair too slow to defend.  His saber gashes a mean stripe across her ribcage, spattering blood everywhere and leaking bright crimson in rivulets down her armor.

But though the injury is terrible, the woman gives not much more than a wince, striking back again with her knife, a blow which is far too high!  Though Gustav raises his main-gauche on the off-chance that it is a ruse, the blow streaks harmlessly past his ear...

Gustav has no time to revel in his small victory however, for charging in from the back is the man with the axe and shield, plowing his way between his own comrades to try and bowl Gustav over!  Gustav dances back wildly on his feet, the rim of the shield narrowly missing him as he turns himself towards the wall, but now he and Rolf are separated by foes!

Rolf however, does not seem to fare as well.  His sword dangling at his knees by a cord, he does not even get a moment to grasp at it as his breaths come in heaving gasps.  The archer's hatchet slashes forward at him, and only barely does Rolf bring his shield to bare in time!

When the staff flies forward however, Rolf cannot move himself in time, the wood cracks against the leathers at his good leg, sending shockwaves of pain up his spine!  Rolf does not know how much longer he can hold!

OOC:  If the map seems goofy, it's because I have been messing with (and bungling) timelines.  I shorted Lisa one hex of movement last turn and I have remedied that on top of giving her an extra second on this post... all to bring to the fore her next decision, how do you get down?

The fastest option is simply to lower and roll Terri off.  If you use extra effort (1 FP which puts you at half move/dodge/ST), you can do it in one turn, otherwise it's going to take a few seconds.  The downside of this approach is that Terri is very likely to sustain further injury.

The slow and safe (safer?) method would be to wrap an arm around Terri and then use the rope to climb down with the both of you.  There are all sorts of ways that this could go badly.  First and foremost that it is going to take time to get set into position, and then you have to take all the time to actually climb down... likely suffering further fatigue in the process which would jeopardize your hold on Terri.

If you chose option number one, you can try and get down the hill yourself by skidding/sliding as Sajaa has done with a climbing roll.

I halted Gustav and Rolf because you two are at a moment of crisis.  I'm not going to say that you will make it out alive now if you go, but it is becoming rapidly clear that this may be your last chance to use a move maneuver to get out.

Rolf probably should be unconscious right now, but I'm a huge sucker.  I forgot to mention last post that he was under a shock penalty regardless of his HT roll, and thusly at -4 to grab his weapon.  I think if that had been expressly stated, Rolf's actions likely would have been different.  Therefore, I retroactively opted to do an all out defense +2 shield block, which retroactively succeeded and reversed the hatchet blow that could have potentially crippled another limb.  His next dodge however failed against the staff, though this blow did significantly less damage.  You are at a -2 shock for next turn, and are still at 1/2 move/dodge/ST (half move does not affect flight speed).

Gustav managed a little luck in this post, with a successful slash to the torso that scored a major wound.  The woman is still up and fighting however.  Additionally, Gustav is now faced with another fighter with shield and axe on his left side (still a front hex).

Let's do 2 seconds of action please.  Best of luck to you all.

I forgot the numbers on the Jaime Lannisters this time around, but Gustav is facing axe and shield (between him and Rolf, but facing Gustav), Rolf is facing the Staff guy, and the sword and shield fighter is in the back.

Sweat forms on Rolf's brow as he does his best to hold off the horde of bad guys looking to do him harm.  His injured leg goes numb as he does his best to block the blows coming his way.  He knows his leg is bad, but doesn't have the time to think it about it.

Another attack slips through his defenses, but fortunately it's a staff and his leather leggings help soften the blow.  But still, it's on his other good leg and he could find himself really struggling to move under his own power once his fly spell wears off.

"Flee!" he implores Gustav as the mage seeks to fly straight out the cave and out of harms way.

OOC:  Rolf's intent is to move straight back out of the cave at full speed of 6 while keeping his facing towards the bad guys.  Which I think you can do with flight.  Once he's cleared the rim of the cave landing, he'll move down past the lip a few feet.  Enough to give him some cover.

He'll toss his shield down the embankment and with his two free arms help drag Terri down.  He's at half strength, but combined with flight maybe that'll be enough to do a controlled descent to minimize damage to Terri.

While he has his shield, defense retreating block.  Otherwise retreating dodge.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Thu 08 Dec 2022.

Gustav also sees no chancwe to delay, he flies back and grabs Terri  in his arms from Lisa, then flies down attempting to slow a lot near the bottom.

Lisa jams an arm through Terri's belt, grabs the rope and lowers the pair of them over the edge then letting gravity do the work. She hope using her boots as brakees on the rope will do good. Desperate times.

Gustav and Rolf have suffered blow after blow as they hold a steady retreat.  But it has become clear to both of them that if they wish to retreat from the caves the time is now!

Gustav pushes off of his front foot first, noting in a moment of confusion that his main-gauche is high and out of place.  It's only when Gustav sees the woman swordsman lunging forward with an expression of glee on her face that he realizes what has happened, her last blow was not a real attack at all, but a feint that has left him so out of position that he has no hope of getting his blade in place in time to defend!

But not for the first time, the fates smile on Gustav.  He watches as the woman's face shifts from smugness to agony, her quick movement sending forth a fresh spurt of blood from the fresh cut across her side.  Unbidden, the blade slips from her grasp, tumbling end over and and nearly hitting Gustav as he slips just barely out of its way.

But the distraction has shifted his attention away from the man with the axe, who swings his blade in a low arc, catching Gustav just under the bottom of his light scale.  Blood spills forth, and though the wound is not bad, Gustav's head reels with the accumulation of his injuries.  But he is still alert!  And he flies away from them with all haste!

Rolf too, seeks to push off and away.  His shield held before him, his last and only line of defense, he watches as the archer slashes forward with her hatchet again.  Just barely does he get his shield in place in time, the hatchet slamming off the rim and vibrating the aegis against his hand.  But Rolf is clear!  Too slow is the man with the staff who strikes once again again, each time the blow falling short as Rolf retreats away!

Only a short ways away, Lisa struggles to bring Terri to bear and bring her down the rope.  With a tremendous heave, she sets Terri's feet at the side of the cliff and she gasps for breath while she kneels down to grasp the rope.

But all of a sudden, Gustav is there!  He drops his main-gauche to the ground and scoops his arms underneath Terri's and around her back and is suddenly flying away!

Lisa sighs with relief as she vaults herself over the side, but her hand slips on the rope sending her sliding down several feet!  She squeezes the thing with her feet and hands, her palms burning painfully with the effort!

Meanwhile, Sajaa skids to the bottom, her whole body now covered with the grey and chalky lime dust from the side of the cliff.  But she does not even pause to look as she hits the bottom, but throws herself headlong into the brush, desperate to be out of sight of these villains.

Though Gustav had thought to be away and out of sight quickly, he finds that holding Terri has slowed him down more than he realized.  Every effort of his is focused on keeping hold of the unconscious woman in his arms, and keeping them from falling out of the sky together

"Look out!"  Rolf's voice calls from slightly below, but Gustav has no mobility nor mental bandwidth to do anything more than he is already doing.

Twang!  The bowshot rings out, and Gustav feels a crunch at the scale of his back before feeling just the point of an arrow niggling at his shoulder blade.  Miraculously, his armors had stalled the missile from inflicting even the slightest of injury...

Gustav turns midair, gasping with effort as he watches the archer reload her bow, aiming again at him.

Just a little lower.  He thinks.  Let my luck hold just a little longer.

Twang!

The arrow screams towards him, and though he lurches his best to avoid it, by this point his body is barely responding to any of his intentions.

The arrow rips into the back of his left bicep and Gustav is gripped in pain!  He feels his fingers soften with the pain, and though for the moment he keeps his hold on to Terri, but he is not sure for how long his grip can last!

Thunk!

Lisa watches above her as a man with a sword stands at the edge and swings his weapon, not at her, but at the rope to which she clings!  The lifeline suddenly slackens in her hands, now a useless dead weight that begins to fall along with her!  Unknowing of what to do, Lisa simply sprawls her hands and feet wide, making herself as big as she can as her tight fitting chain links rattle against the steep side!

Crack!

Lisa's head spins after her cheek hits a small jut in the rock face, but she is staying upright, she may make her way down to the bottom yet!

OOC:  Wow!  After rolling better for the bad guys for almost this whole fight, they had a disastrous round this time around, which has at least allowed everyone to get out of the cave.

Gustav managed the best bit of luck, for the the feint the swordswoman executed on the last turn (which rolled a natural 3, meaning Gustav had no defense against her next attack) was followed up by a critical failure on an attack, saving him from almost certain doom.  He wasn't quite as lucky against the man with the axe, though that blow did only minor damage.  You succeeded in backing out of the cave and grabbing Terri before the bad guys caught up, though carrying Terri slowed down your flying speed significantly.  You've made it about 2/3 of the way down the cliff and have suffered a superficial wound to the back, and a moderate arrow wound to the left arm.  This puts you below 0 HP and requires HT rolls to stay conscious.  Please make a roll vs. HT (including fit bonuses) and continue rolling until you fail.  You may use your hero point to reroll if you wish (I have at multiple other times thought about whether or not to spend your point, though it never made sense, either because it was impossible - foe rolling a crit success attack - or because the damage taken was insubstantial - or because your chance of defense was miniscule).  For each HT roll you make, you stay conscious for 1 second.

Rolf blocked the archer's hatchet and was gifted with the staff fighter missing twice on an all out attack.  You have just made it to the bottom of the cliff.

Lisa failed her climbing roll to go down (even after you spent your hero point and I rerolled another two times for you, though you were at least saved from your original roll which would have caused you to tumble down to the bottom).  The rope you were holding onto was cut, and amazingly, you beasted the default roll to recover from the situation.  You've sustained a moderate injury to the head in the slide, but are otherwise unscathed.  You are about 2/3 of the way down the cliff.

Here's the general status:  Rolf is half move/dodge/ST with flight quickly expiring.  Lisa is half move/dodge/ST.  Gustav is half move/dodge and is rolling for unconsciousness every turn he takes an action.  Sajaa is at full move and is assumed to be continuing to flee.

Here's what I need:  Everyone's general intent.  Assume that we are out of combat for the moment, though not that your life is no longer in danger.  Please tell me where you are going and how you are getting there.  Also, if you are heading back to the horses (Sajaa) tell me what you do with your prisoner assuming that he is still there and tied up?

With the rope cut it's less likely they will follow us immediately, but before that's even vaguely relevant Lisa wants to get the the bottom alive and mobile and thence into the bushes and out of sight. If that much is acheieved then cast a healing spell on whoever of us is desperate for it and hope to make it to the horses and away.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Fri 09 Dec 2022.

Gustav struggles to keep a grip on Terri as he descends as fast as he safely dares. The arrow in the back is a concern and he tries to urn to avoid any more arrows, but it is not to be and he feels the stab of pain in his left upper arm. He strives to hold Terri tight with his right and use his left arm as bet he can as he flies down.


11:32, Today: Gustav Du Meseries rolled 13 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,2,6.  HT 3.
11:31, Today: Gustav Du Meseries rolled 6 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,1,1.  HT 2.
11:31, Today: Gustav Du Meseries rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,4,5.  HT 1

Rolf desperately pulls away from the murderous mass of men looking to do him harm.  He flicks his shield out just in time to deflect another axe swing as he floats quickly away, just out of reach of the staff wielder that misses him by inches!

His notion of trying to help Lisa lower Terri down is averted as he notes Gustav has her in his arms and is flying her to safety.

"Look out!" he shouts to Gustav as his careful eye spots an archer take dead aim in his direction.  Too late does his warning arrive to stop him eating a couple of arrows, yet the man flies on!

Rolf is torn, the urge to fly away as far as he can is strong.  But he knows Gustav and Terri aren't yet to safety.

He moves to assist Gustav carry Terri as far as they can take her.  Though his leg is crippled and he is utterly exhausted, Rolf tries to fly Terri as far as he can while his flying spell lasts, for he knows it will be some time until he can cast spells again.

He has to tend to his leg.  He knows he has a first aid kit in his backpack but he'll need time to dig it out and use it.  He keeps his fingers crossed they can find somewhere safe to rest.

OOC: Rolf will assist in carrying Terri and head to the horses.  He will fly as long as his and Gustav's flight spell holds.  If they wind up short of the horses, he'll try to find somewhere they can land and hide so he can try first aid on his leg.  And Gustav too.  Not sure if first aid can help Terri as I recall she took a crushing hit to her knee.

Skidding down the last of the cliffside, every inch of her body plastered to the rock face, Lisa does not so much as hesitate as her feet touch the bottom.  Instead, she turns, running at the fastest speed she can make straight into the brush ahead which scratches and snags at her body as she struggles to keep herself moving!

Sploosh!

Lisa's feet hit the water of the stream, the canopy of scrub overhead mostly keeping her from view as she churns her legs underneath her, running at top speed towards the far bank!

She breaks out of the scrub for a moment and turns her head to the side.  There, flying low at the a few dozen yards at her side is the combined forms of Gustav, Terri, and Rolf...  Though it seems Gustav is faltering back from the other two...

Lisa nearly stumbles on a high root and her attention shoots back to her own footsteps as she crashes along, making with all haste to the large section of brush ahead where they have hidden the horses.

Her breath heaving in her chest, Lisa barrels into the shrub, taking by surprise Sajaa who is readying herself to flee.

In the moment, it is hard to match The Wazifi woman with the friend she has come to know.  Sajaa's face is slicked with madness, her blade streaked with gore.  At her feet is the unmoving form of Elkins who still now bleeds buckets of gore that puddle down towards the stream before disappearing in pink eddies of the sluggish water.

At her side Sajaa's horse, Sayidat Sawda is saddled and ready to move, along with Rolf's horse Lilly, and Gustav's mule that are still tied to the vegetation.

But the others have not yet seemed to make it here, back to the horses...

Gustav and Rolf leave the thread

OOC:  I think I have met the player's intent here.  Lisa has run, taking cover as best she can down the river and to the horses.  There are a total of 3 animals, as Lisa and Terri did not bring one.  Again, looking for general intent here.

Please note though that the timelines are not congruent.  I think I know how things are going to play out, but my next post here may need to wait on making sure I have everything right.  Lisa is generally aware that Gustav did not look good, though he was falling somewhere around 30 yards from this section of brush (towards the archer who was still shooting), though Rolf was still flying (slowly) towards this area last you saw.

Feel free to take any action that makes sense, either running, rushing back, or simply looking out to see what is happening.

Edit:  Please note Lisa, that I rolled self control for your sense of duty and you passed by quite a large margin, so running away at full speed is an option for you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:38, Mon 12 Dec 2022.

Sajaa is sobbing for breath as she steps into a stirrup and heaves herself up and into Sawda's saddle, the reins extending to Gustav's mule, clenched in her teeth. She moans as the arrow, jutting through her swordarm, is jarred by the movement, releasing another explosion of pain and spurt of blood.

Beyond the noise of the stream she hears the clatter of loose scree as someone -- friend or foe -- descends the cliffside in hot pursuit.

Quickly she takes the mule's reins and loops them around the pommel of her saddle...

Her first inclination is to fly off in the opposite direction of those approaching, but then, with a strangled cry, she gives a fierce jerk on Sawda's reins and turns the black mare in the direction of the others, the mule lurching to jockey into position.

"Come, girls!" She cries in Arabic.

But before she boots the animals onward, a flush-faced Lisa appears emerging from the thickets.

"LISA! TAKE LILY!" Sajaa cries, nodding her head toward Rolf's mare.  "Where are the others?! I shall bring our steeds to them!"


OOC: Edited to reflect GM's edit. Not sure how many horses there are. Mount Sawda, take Lily in tanden. Instruct Lisa to mount up on another horse and if there are any more there, to take another one with her. Confirm from Lisa that the others are coming, then ride Sawda and Lily to pick them up, if possible. Saber is sheathed. She won't wait for Lisa to mount up and will take off immediately to pick up the others if they are there. If you need this: 11:02, Today: Sajaa al-Kassem rolled 8 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,3,2.  Sajaa Riding Skill 13.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:30, Thu 15 Dec 2022.

Surprised and relieved to see Sajja, not to mention the horses, Lisa takes the reins of offered horse and points with her other hand in the appropriate direction, "That way. Several dozen yards." She puts one foot in the stirrup and boosts herslf up, heaving but careful to not overshoot. She can cmlimb on, just not as quickly as those with actual training. Once on board, she makes clicking noises and waggles the reins like she's seen others do an points the horse loosely in the direction Sajaa took.

If all goes badly and push does come to shove she will dig her heels in and hang on for dear life! Where the horse would take her is anyone's guess but as long as neither of them spout a crossbow bolt then it's an improvement on doing nothing.

Without wasting a moment, Sajaa mounts up on on Sayidat Sawda, and is about to tie Lilly alongside, though instead she decides it far better for Lisa to take the steed and to take Gustav's mule behind her.

As for her part, Lisa mounts up on Lilly unsurely, hopping unsteadily on the stirrup before finally managing to swing her leg over.

Ready for their last efforts before fleeing the canyon, the two ride clear of the brush and take in the scene ahead.

The bodies of Rolf, Terri, and Gustav lay flat on the canyon floor, fallen there from mid-flight in their attempts to flee.  High up on the canyon wall, at the edge of the cave, several of the enemy fighters group.

Prominent among them is the archer... The same woman who had put an arrow shaft deep through Sajaa's arm.  The woman holds her bow again, a massive thing that nearly matches her own size.  On seeing the two exit from cover, the archer holds up her bow, pulling her knocked arrow back in anticipation for a shot.

But there too is Norla...  pale white staff held at length from her body as she surveys the scene down below.  And at her side...  There is Runt.

OOC:  I changed Sajaa's actions slightly, as there were only a total of 3 animals, only two of which are horses.  It makes much more sense to lead Gustav's mule than for Lisa to ride it, as the mule isn't even saddled.

Map provided for scale.  Each grid square is 10 feet.  There are a total of 7 bad guys at the cave mouth, including Norla but not including Runt.  The archer is the only one you can see with a ranged weapon, and no one seems to have made the descent down into the canyon (yet).

Sajaa heaves a sigh of relief to see Lisa appear and scramble onto Lily.  Now she kicks her heels hard into Sawda’s flanks and urges the horse on…

Kunn fatat, sarieatin!” She cries.

The black mare lets out a whinny and surges forward.  The rein leading to the mule grows taut and jerks the mule to an ungainly start, the beast braying in annoyance…

Now Sajaa gets her animals going as quickly as they can.  As she rounds the bend and the cliffside comes into view, she sees Norla and her warriors poised on the ledge, glaring down at her.  Most mindful is Sajaa of the actions of the womanly archer with her massive bow, the arrow still lodged in her arm as a painful reminder to watch out for her most of all…

As she thunders up to the foot of the cliff, she utters a strangled cry at sight of the bodies… She jerks the reins, braking horse and mule to a clattering, dusty halt, positioning the animals so that their large bodies create some form of cover from above. She slides out of the saddle and hastens to the wounded and scans them quickly to see who is alive, who is conscious, and who appears beyond help…

She lifts her eyes for a quick glance at the clifftop again and sees Runt standing beside Norla.  She is filled with rage and anguish and screams at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking.

”RUNT! WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS! DON’T LET THEM KILL US!”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:40, Wed 14 Dec 2022.

Seeing everyone down, the giant bow above and being on the verge of collapse herself lisa woefully edges the horse away into cover of the bushes..

With a scream in Arabic and a plea to Runt, Sajaa rams her heels into Black Lady's flanks, sending the horse leaping forward with a whinny and jolting the saddle as Gustav's mule is yanked forward by the lead rope.

If Runt answers her call, it is not loud enough for Sajaa to hear...

Lisa, for her part, is awed by Sajaa's skill in the saddle as well as her bravery.  Though Lisa desires nothing more than to copy her example, slamming her heels into Lilly's sides and charging forward to the rescue, she knows in her soul that she could never repeat Sajaa's display, for Lilly would as likely buck her off as follow her direction!  Brimming with shame, Lisa ducks herself behind the brush, attempting to keep herself out of view of the archer while still keeping an eye on her sister.

Going as fast as she dares, Sajaa stares upwards, wary of the bowwoman.  Sajaa watches as the weapon tracks her progress, leading her as her horse springs forward at a lope, Gustav's mule dutifully following behind.  Sajaa only lets her gaze drift downwards as she approaches the three fallen bodies at the bottom of the cliff.

And there she sees it.  Rolf's shield, fallen from his grasp as he flew and lying at the side of the slope just ahead.  Did she dare charge forward to grab it?

Twang!

Sajaa curses her inattentiveness as her eyes scramble skyward, searching in the afternoon skies for the arrow she is sure is already sailing in her direction.  Not finding the missile, Sajaa steps her foot down on the stirrup, making ready to fling herself behind Black Lady, to use the horse as an impromptu shield.

But Sajaa has misjudged the timing.

Thunk!

Sajaa screams unbidden as stars fly in front of her eyes!  The arrow has lanced through her left hamstring, burying itself into the rim of the leather saddle and fixing Sajaa in her seat!

Reacting to the pressures of Sajaa's spasming body, Lady turns to the left, short of Gustav who still lies in the grass ahead.

Can Sajaa still rescue her comrades?  Can she fight through the pain?

A fragile voice in the back of her mind whispers through the throbbing pain that she can't.

OOC:  I read through your post several times Sajaa, and I wasn't 100% sure as to whether you were riding to bodies or walking to the bodies while using the horses as cover.  If I missed read it, I still believe that I have adjudicated your actions in the way that is most beneficial to you.

Unfortunately, my string of F- terrible rolling has continued on this thread, and the archer scored a critical success on her shot, meaning regardless of your tactic, you were going to suffer a hit with no chance of defense.

The good news (if you insist on trying to find a silver lining) is that you didn't get the chance to do the diving dodge, meaning that you are still upright and in your saddle.  The bad news is that the arrow crippled your left leg and put you below 0 HP, so you are making rolls for consciousness every second.

Sajaa, assuming that you now attempt to flee, please make 5 consecutive rolls against HT (fit bonuses count) to attempt to get back to Lisa.  Also please make a riding roll (at -1 for only using 1 hand) Failing any or all of these won't necessarily be a death knell, but it will put the ball back in my court as to where you end up going and if you stay in your saddle

Lisa, if you want to get ahead of the game, you can roll vs. a healing spell of your choice assuming Sajaa makes it back.  Note that you have already cast minor healing on her today, so that spell carries a -3 modifier to cast a repeated attempt.

~Allah hates me.~

This is the first coherent thought that flickers through Sajaa’s mind after this latest explosion of pain racks her body…

Swift was she riding, low was she crouched, but yet another arrow found her.  No way in the Nine Hells could that titless eahira on the clifftop have made such a magnificent shot.  It could only have been Allah.  It was the Hand of God that snatched that fast-streaking arrow out of thin air and stabbed it through her leg.

She does not have to guess why, of course. She knows, full well…

~My sins have caught up to me.~

She has murdered her husband. Stolen his property. Slain his henchmen. Is even now riding upon a stolen horse. Disrespected her Father. Slain Muslims … other men, too.  The last – the prisoner – in an honorless cowardly manner, spearing his heart as he lay trussed up and helpless.  She has forsaken her culture … her religion … her dress …  Baring her skin, her hair, her face like a wanton harlot for all the heathens to lust over…

~I deserve this.~ She thinks bitterly to herself…

And yet, though she knows Allah wants to take her life, Sajaa refuses to give it to Him without a fight. As she sags in the saddle, reeling from the terrible blow, she throws back her helmed head, glaring through the visor at the heavens above and shrieks at the top of her lungs:

”’LID KUNT TURIDUNI YA ALLAH FAEALAYK ‘AN TUMARIS ALJINS MAE ALAKHRN!!!!”

When the arrow slammed through Sajaa’s left hamstring and penetrated the saddle deep enough to prick the mare’s flesh, Sawda squealed, lurched sharply to the left and tried to clumsily leap over Gustav’s lifeless body laying in her path. Now Sajaa lurches hard from the shock and sudden direction change, but somehow manages to keep her seat.  She knows any hope of rescuing Terri, Gustav and Rolf, was lost the instant that second arrow struck, so now she desires only to flee… flee… FLEE!

Hissing in agony, she reaches to the pommel of the saddle to fumble free the line leading to the mule in tandem, setting the beast loose.  She then jerks hard on Sawda’s reins to steer her to the right, heading for the brush and striving to put as much distance and cover between her and Norla’s bandits…

She tries to give the horse another encouraging kick, but the effort causes the muscle of her pinned left leg to jar against the arrow’s shaft, releasing a frightening spurt of blood and another wave of almost incomprehensible pain…

She rides and rides and rides…  feeling darkness descending upon her…
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Thu 15 Dec 2022.

Poorly as she feels Lisa can see that Sajaa is far, far worse and will the skilled horsewoman back to her. She times her last attempt at a spell before they hopefully can get away and have tomorrow as another day.

Releasing the lead line of Gustav's mule with a freeing lurch, Sajaa pulls on the reins with her one good arm, turning Black Lady's head back in the direction of the brush and Lisa.  But her bad leg still spasms!  Fixed to the saddle and bleeding in rivulets down the mare's fine black coat, Sajaa can't but help the leg from pressing against Lady's side, sending her into a momentary, confused sidestep as she gets crossed controls by the reins and by touch.

With a tear burning her cheek with the shame of her sins, Sajaa kicks at Black Lady's flanks, finally sending her into a freed gallop with a whinny!

Twang!

Only vaguely does Sajaa register the bowshot.  Ahead of her, her vision narrows dangerously, leaving her sight of only Lisa, whose concerned face has been bleached to the palest of whites with anxiety.

Ziiip!

Sajaa feels the arrow pass by, falling harmlessly a few feet somewhere to her left side.  Then Lisa is there, calling loudly some magic words, and Sajaa feels her body become warm as the pain eases slightly in her limbs.

Though Sajaa's vision expands again all the way to the periphery, Sajaa knows any hope of rescue is lost.  She steers Lady along the thickest and highest bits of brush, keeping as much cover as she is able while she flees as fast as Lady can take her.

As for Lisa, she has nowhere near the skill on a horse, but lucky for her, Lilly is not one to be left alone without a herd.  As Lady rushes by, Lilly nickers and swishes her tail, pressing forward to a canter that lurches Lisa in her saddle.

Twang!

Once more the bow rings out in the distance, and though Sajaa is certain that at this range the shot must be impossible, she turns, searching the skies for the arrow to watch where it falls.  Only at the last moment does Sajaa see it, falling out of the sun and streaking down, clipping the leather of her boot before it falls amidst Lady's galloping feet!

Sajaa makes one last turn, behind the largest bit of brush as the canyon begins to rise back up.  The far cave, Norla, and Runt all sink out of view.  Sajaa watches as Lisa turns the corner behind the brush, Lilly shaking her head and whinnying loudly as Lisa clings to the horse desperately.

Has Allah saved her?  If so, it is a cruel joke of a salvation.  Riddled with arrows, bereft of most of her companions, and humiliated, Sajaa has only her life, her horse, and one friend remaining as she flees.  Even her purse, stuffed with more silver than she had ever owned in her life was gone, sacrificed to the false god of friendship with the cursed Norla, and the turncoat Runt.

But she was alive...

And the thought of revenge smoldered within her veins.  There was time.  While she still drew breath, there would be time to redeem herself.

OOC:  Congratulations on making it out of the Caves of Chaos alive!  Sajaa's barely missed riding roll ended up costing her a few seconds of extra time before she got her horse turned in the right direction, giving the archer a few more second to aim and shoot before Sajaa got behind cover.

Luckily, the archer missed her second to last shot fairly badly (although who can blame her at 100 yards?)  The last shot was much closer, and despite the fact that she couldn't get a full aim, she nearly hit Sajaa at about 150 yards, then also nearly hit Black Lady on the wild swing roll.

The thread is over for all intents and purposes.  Feel free to write up a closing post.  I will try and wrap up the admin of character points and loot (some of which will likely have been on Gustav's mule, I'll roll to figure out what you still have left) as soon as I can get to it.

Edit:  I do still need two HT rolls from Sajaa to determine how long her crippling injuries last, one for each appendage (left leg and right arm).  Success leads to a "funny bone" injury, failure by less than 5 is a break lasting a a month or so, failure by 5 or more is permanent.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:11, Mon 19 Dec 2022.

The past hour has been a blur … an unpleasant dream… an hallucination…

Though Lisa’s magical healing touch has plucked Sajaa out of the jaws of death, Sajaa is far from recovered.  Even the awesome arcane powers of the Mage cannot so swiftly mend broken bones and torn tendons. Sajaa knows it will be many weeks before she will be able to walk upon her own two feet or swing a sword, once again…

But she will recover.  By the Hand of God, or in spite of It, she survived this ordeal.  Lived to fight another day…

But, Allah, at what cost!

Terri …  Gustav …   Rolf …

Thinking of their names and faces brings a twisting ache to the pit of her stomach.

I am the cause of the Men's deaths.  She thinks.  She, Terri and Lisa were supposed to merely scout the area, not launch an assault!  And, in doing so, she alerted every bandit in the cave to come running.  Gustav and Rolf would still be here if they chose not to risk their own lives to save hers. And why? WHY? Because Sajaa merely wanted to prove that women can be great warriors, too.

Her bone-weary, aching body rocks gently with the movements of the horse beneath her, as it follows the now-familiar trail out of the Caves of Chaos and homeward.

What now?  She wonders.  Without Gustav’s Inn to run, and with the bad memories Three Corners represents, she supposes she should move on once she’s sufficiently recovered.

But whatever her ultimate plans… wherever she chooses to go …  Sajaa al Kassem  knows, without a doubt, she has one last order of business that must be completed before she can be whole again…

Norla…

The Archer …

And that nasty little demon, RUNT!

OOC: Whew! This one was a Nailbiter! Bravo Raddek for running such a thrilling game.  Excellent job fellow Players! You really breathed some great life into your characters.  I’m sorry for Sajaa’s part in your demises. :( .   Rolled poorly on long lasting cripples to both arm and leg.09:18, Today: Sajaa al-Kassem rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,6,4.  health roll cripple recovery leg.
09:18, Today: Sajaa al-Kassem rolled 14 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,6,2.  HT roll cripple recovery Arm.

This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Mon 19 Dec 2022.

Tired to the point of sickness, Lisa is mazed to be a live, butalmost swollowed up by a vast, deep pool of sadness: a holowness at the loss of three companions after having been so alone for so long. She feels guilt atbeing so selfish and anger at Sajaa for running away but grateful too as that's why she, Lisa, is still alive, and she feels guilt too for being angry, for being grateful and for being alive.

Almost falling off the horse when Sajaa calls a halt, she manages to do the thing that lets the animals graze but not run off and then she collapses next to Sajaa, each leaning on the other, both lost in grief and tears..