In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 433):

I knew it wouldn't be this easy they wouldn't buy it. 

He continues

Around the town the circle lay broken
The townsfolk stared agape no words were spoken

The towns elder came out huffing a spluttering
and fixed the circle all the time muttering

The window was open the crack was small.
Mother appears to have dropped the ball.

This message was last edited by the player at 16:02, Tue 19 July 2016.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 434):

Titus goes over to Brennan and whispers


Assuming that Brennan complies then Titus goes back to the witches

If mother will look into my hand
Then she will see the grains of sand

That were taken from the town
last night before the sun went down

He moves close to the witches holding his hand with a small pinch of sand out for their examination.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:06, Tue 19 July 2016.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 435):

The witch's voice drops lower,

"They lie to us, one false tale,
then have the gall to claim WE fail?
Lazy, stupid, or self-impressed,
Either way, by death caressed!"

The coals on the fire crackle and roar, casting red and yellow light upon the creatures' forms and long twisted shadows upon the irregular walls.

At once they are on their feet, wrinkled leathery bodies visible for the first time.  You can see what may once have been the shapes of women, but are now twisted and bent, riddled with scars and pocks between folds of rough brown skin.  Even the strands of their hair are wide and more like strips of ragged cloth.  Their limbs are long and thin, sticking oddly out of bulbous bodies and tipped with bony clawed fingers.

Each wears a metal circlet upon her brow above beady eyes and a long hooked nose.  One wields a sword, the other appears unarmed.

From some crevice, the great black snake hisses and spits, and shows its head.

Behind in the tunnel, you can hear the scrabbling of someone or something approaching.

COMBAT ROUNDS

Disposition:  Enrei and Titus are roughly in the front of the group, while Brennan is still at the mouth of the tunnel.

Something is approaching from behind you.

The room is not large, and you can get anywhere/engage anyone in it with a single move.  However, due to the irregular shape, floor and the stalagmites/stalagtites, you will need to make a Run or Coordination or Athletics check to move without hitting something (this check is not an action).

There is cover, if you go prone, provided by the stalagmites.  Nobody is engaged in melee.

Looking at the forms of the two witches Enrei's expressions suddenly turns grim, "You are monsters..." he mutters as he rolls his shoulders and falls into a rough fighting stance.  As when he first fought the snake, moisture begins to bead all over his body, growing and collecting into huge globules that defy physics and reflect the glowing coals before with a sudden creak they all turn opaque, and mostly matte.  The flickering shadows at first make him look cloaked in darkness himself, but the firelight reveals the dark browns of sodden wood in his sudden suit of armor.

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 437):

"A snake, two chimera-like monsters, and two Voiceless?" Brennan says aloud. "Child's play."

We must maintain a front of strength.

Brennan's sharp eyes dark hither and fro, seeking the stone.

If we can find that bloody stone, I will be able to command at least a portion of the strength levied against us.

His bow and an arrow, drawn when entering the cave, are in hand, but his attention at the moment is absorbed in soaking up every detail of the scene before him: the appearance of the witches, the sound of the unknown things behind him, and most importantly, the possible location of the stone.

(Do I have to make a roll? Does this take up my entire turn? Is there a bonus to the search if it does? If not I'll shoot something with an arrow before I'm engaged in melee and unable to fight at all :P)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:06, Wed 20 July 2016.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 438):

OOC: there isn't really much of a roll neccesary in this case since you can't move around/search in the conventional sense.  You're just being observant.  If things were HIDDEN I might ask for a Sense roll of some kind, but that's not really the case here.

Being of keen eye and sharp focus, Brennan notes that the unarmed witch is holding something in a clenched fist, which could very well be the stone in question.

In reply to GM (msg # 439):

In the time between seconds:

Titus blows the pinch of sand into the nearest witches face

Normal human time:

Titus taunts as he moves backwards

Mother speaks like she's demented.
I swear to God her Brain's fermented.

By song and sword I swear its true
But mother won't listen
What can I do?
look she approaches with her sword a glisten

Titus smiles faintly

Shall we fight?
Or shall we flee?
I think I'll make it so you can't see!

He takes a step back and draws his own sword, his muscles vibrate with potential kinetic energy, ready to dodge.

[Perform + Coord to dodge both witches: 2x5, 2x3, 2x1]
This message was last edited by the player at 12:58, Thu 21 July 2016.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 440):

He growls to Enrei.

Maybe next time you will listen when I tell you something is a monster.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 441):

"The unarmed witch likely carries the stone in her fist." Brennan hisses urgently. "First priority."

He nocks an arrow and, time permitting, fires it.

[Archery + Coord: 1, 3x9, 2x10]

OOC: It's been a while. I rolled three 9s and two 10s at location 1. I hope I didn't reverse that notation.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:50, Thu 21 July 2016.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 442):

Titus nods

I'll do my best to keep them off of you.  Rain death upon them.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 443):

The shadows shift and dance and the great snake seems to almost merge with them at times.

With frightening speed, it is upon Enrei.  It hisses and bits into his leg, but succeeds only in getting a mouth full of sodden wood.

The Witch with the sword howls and spits, swinging wildly where Titus WAS

The other foul hag does not advance, but instead cackles and runs her fingers through her ropy hair.

Titus feels a swirling... something, beginning to crawl up his legs.  It feels like pins and needles pricking up the feet, up the knees...  whatever she's doing, it doesn't harm Titus yet...

In the distorted light, Brennan has trouble finding his mark, but his skill is such that with careful calculation, he is able to account and find his aim.

An arrow sails true into the unarmed witch's leg.  The sound is the same as if it had been shot into a solid tree trunk and it sits vibrating without passing anywhere near as deeply as BrRennan had hoped.  It clearly hurt her, though.  Her eyes go from beady black to glowing red.

Combat Round

Enrei is in melee with the "sea snake"

Titus was attacked but isn't really engaged.  He has some sort of ongoing effect spreading up his body.

The unarmed witch has an arrow in the knee (damage unknown).

Something is coming up the tunnel behind you.

In reply to GM (msg # 444):

Titus, characteristically, refuses to break character

You have tried your magic
my foot fell asleep
feel my sword
and begin to weep

Titus swings his sword and buries it into the same leg as Brennan's arrow.  All the while dancing away from the one with the sword.

[Body+Melee attack unarmed and dodge armed: 21; 2x4, 2x2, 2x1.]

Remembering his fighting lessons with Enrei he shouts

She's got a knife!!!

and points at the sword wielding witch.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Thu 21 July 2016.

Enrei reels his arm up and then slams his fist down straight at the giant serpent's head while it tries to extricate its fangs from his armor.  The shot is much easier when he doesn't have to extrapolate where the thing's face is.

((called martial aimed shot: 9,5,7,8,4,4,1,8,7 2x 8 with backup 2x7 to location 9 10))

At Titus's shout he looks up and follows to where he is pointing.  However, his reaction is perhaps not what Titus expected, "Do monsters follow same rules?" he shouts back.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:08, Thu 21 July 2016.

In reply to GM (msg # 444):

Brennan, assuming the incoming shuffling to belong to the sentries, looses another shot at the unarmed witch.

[Archery + Coord: 7, 2x7, 2x6]
This message was last updated by the player at 18:48, Thu 21 July 2016.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 447):

You know what... they don't!  But I would really appreciate it if you remove it from her.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 448):

The great dark snake throws a loop of its body around Enrei, seeking to crush him armor or no.

The Chal'i responds by running his fist into the thing's head and it immediately falls limp.

The witch with the sword wipes the dust from her eyes and sets her teeth hard enough to draw her own black blood.

"Silver though your tongue may be,
your arrogance will have its fee.
You had your chance, you squandered it,
Now your throats we will see slit."

The sword dances and flashes through the air, catching Titus before he can react.  The blade sinks into his lower shoulder.  Fortunately the maille keeps it from hacking his arm clan off(3 Killing, 4 Shock).  This throws him off sufficiently to prevent him from hitting his target.

The unarmed witch has shifted her attention from Titus, and the tingling sensation fades (and is also outshone by the blinding pain of the sword he just took).  She turns now to Brennan, and her eyes glow maliciously.

Brennan feels his skin tingle briefly, then the feeling gets significantly worse...  it feels almost as if his skin is being ripped apart slowly from the inside (1 shock to all locations).

The pain isn't quite enough to stop Brennan from shooting back, however (Backup set).

His arrow strikes dead center in her chest.  Again, it sounds more like wood than a human, but this one sinks far deeper and the witch's eyes go wide.  That one clearly hurt quite a bit.

COMBAT ROUND

Unarmed witch has an arrow to her leg and another in her chest.

The snake is not moving at the moment.

Whatever is coming from down the tunnel will enter combat this round.

In reply to GM (msg # 449):

Titus attempts to press his attack on the unarmed witch while fending off the witch with a sword.  He manages to dance around prettily but his injured arm will not allow him to press the attack.

[Attack unarmed, Defend Sword: 2x8 Defense]

Enrei pauses stupidly for a moment when he notices that the snake has not retaliated to his blow, then he throws his arms into the air triumphantly, "I slay monster!  I am hero! Titus," he turns to his companion to draw his attention to the achievement and stops short upon noticing the state of the nearby melee.  Without another word he vaults the thickest portion of the fallen serpent and rushes the sword-wielding witch.  He grabs her forearm with one hand, the back of the blade with his other hand and then pulls them in opposite directions.  He hurls the blade toward the limp coils of the serpent and notices the other witch doung...something?  Not sure what's going on, Enrei decides he'd just as soon not have her draw her own weapon, so he grabs her shoulder in one hand and summarily dashes her to the ground.

((3,7,8,8,5,5,5,4: 3x5 called shot to disarm sword witch.  2x8 to trip previously unarmed witch))
This message was last edited by the player at 15:19, Fri 22 July 2016.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 450):

Titus smiles and begins to laugh with the madness of combat.

For your fee you should get in line...
These rhyming couplets are asinine.

Oh and look my friend is free
and in charges the cavalry.

Titus Cheers Enrei going beast mode on the witches with a huge smile on his face

Keep slaying!  I will write a song about it!

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 452):

Brennan, wincing in pain,  abandons his action when he sees Enrei hurtling toward the unarmed witch.

If she drops the stone, he will pounce on it. Otherwise he will charge into melee to grapple with the tripped / unsteady witch in an attempt to gain control of the clenched fist.

(Not sure what rolls are needed)

Brennan fires off another arrow in the unarmed witch's direction, hoping to take her down before his internal organs are shredded by her foul magic.

[Archery + Coord: 5, 4x5]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:56, Sat 23 July 2016.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 453):

Titus dances away from the armed witch.  Her blade seems to be a blur in the shifting light, and would have separated Titus' foot from his ankle if not for the incredibly quick Enrei, who catches it by the hilt just in time to save Titus.

It's hard to read the Chal'i's face in the dark, but one might expect he shows some surprise when he is unable to wrench the weapon from the hag's grip.  Nevertheless, he shifts his weight and tosses the unarmed witch over his leg.  At the same time, Brennan's arrow thunks into her other arm.  She falls backward behind a stalagmite and vanishes from sight.

As Brennan reaches for his next arrow, the glowing coals reflect off of something in the dark and he gasps in shock despite himself.

Two pairs of rotted hands reach and grasp from the tunnel, forcing him to step into the chamber proper to avoid them.  It is the voiceless guards from the front entrance, now given a different purpose.

COMBAT ROUND

The snake is disabled and on the ground.

The unarmed witch (arrow to leg, chest and arm) is out of sight and somewhere in the shadows (presumably on the ground unless she moves).

Enrei and the armed witch are essentially wrestling over the sword (to pull it from her grasp is a Body check).  In order to do anything than direct attacks against the other, one would have to win the tug-of-war or let go.

Titus is bleeding (the herbs are applied to the wound, they're a coagulant) but unengaged.

Brennan is now back-to-back with Titus, facing off against a pair of voiceless.

In reply to GM (msg # 454):

Stone still priority number one?  I'll get it.

He asks out of the side of his mouth.  As Brennan nods he realizes Titus is already gone, melted into the shadows.

13:24, Today: Titus Blackwell rolled 51 using 8d10 ((4,5,3,8,8,10,10,3)).

[Coord+Stealth: 2x10, 2x8, 2x3]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Mon 25 July 2016.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 455):

Brennan directs his attention to the location the witch fell, but decides that Enrei has the more pressing needs at the moment.

He snaps another shot at the visible witch, trusting in Titus to handle the recovery of the precious gewgaw.

[Archery + Coord: 8, 2x5, 2x7, 2x3]
This message was last edited by the player at 02:03, Wed 27 July 2016.

Enrei pauses as the sword remains firmly in the witch's grasp, "You are strong monster," he states simply, but then his eyes light up, "Or maybe just lucky!" He wrenches on the sword again, as hard as he can, but in the same motion his other hand swings up at the witch's face.  She's spared a blow, however, as the open palm instead snatches the crown off her head, "I will take your luck," he says, turning the crown over in his hand until he can show her the bone in its setting.

((6,3,7,2,7,3,5,4: 2x7 and 2x3.  if i still need to beat her body to nab the crown I'll try for sevens, and if a set breaks I'll still try for the crown, otherwise 7s on the sword and 3s on the amateur pickpocketting ))

In reply to Enrei Omal'i (msg # 457):

Enrei struggles visibly, and for the first time in a fight he breaks a sweat.  He does, however, manage to wrench the sword painfully from the witch's grasp, though not without taking a toll on his hand for grabbing it (2 killing arm).

Once the weapon clatters to the ground, Enrei reaches quickly for the Witch's head.  There is a flash of light from the crown and Enrei pulls his hand back, stinging.

The witch claws at his face, but Enrei is able to turn his head deftly so she doesn't accomplish much.

Titus slinks out of view, moving somewhere around the edge of the room counterclockwise to the right.



The lumbering Voiceless swing at Brennan, striking him with rotting fists that manage to do a little damage through his armor  (2 Shock to torso, 2 Shock to arm).

This throws the archer off, but not enough to make him miss entirely.  He manages to just barely catch the Strong witch in the left breast.  Again, the thunking sound is not promising.

COMBAT ROUND

Enrei is in roughly the middle of the chamber by the fire pit and is wrestling with a now unarmed very strong Witch.  He can move away if he wishes, but until he does so, he is blocking most of Brennan's shots (only hit locations 8-10 available).

Brennan, at the entrance, is under attack by two voiceless.

Titus is off to the side of the chamber at the right.