Gania looked around the chamber they found themselves in as she moved her feet around to stop them from sinking too deep. And it proved a good idea considering the unwelcomed welcome they were getting. The focus on the dwarf's suggestion was almost completely pushed away by the monster's appearance. She did have enough presence of mind to suggest to other "See the rune!"

She had other things to deal with. She moved after Istvan and Twessa, readying her sword as she watched the monstrosity. "Chimera!" she replied to the gnome, unsure if the name she heard would mean anything "From a failed ritual." There were many rituals that mages of all kinds practiced, and a lot of them required sacrifices. But when the rites were not performed right, the would me sacrifices were turned, or merged, into chimeras like this.

And then the time for talking was gone and they found themselves toe to claw with the creature. Seeing that the gnome, as unlikely as she found it, stood over her clansman, Gania went on the offense. With a heedless strike, she sought to force the chimera back.


19:39, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Hack the chimera.
19:40, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 3 using 1d10+1.  Damage.
Forceful blow - knock it back. Also messy, but probably too early for that.

"...Yeah, that's not natural at all." Atalanta commented after they've reemerged from the tapestry. The thing was obviously made, not born, but by whom or for what purpose, she couldn't tell. "Be careful of the mushrooms." she told her companions when she saw the mushroom in the muck and recognized it immediately. "If you like to keep your mind intact, that is." commonly known as the corpse-puppeteer, the fungi can evade the body of a creature, dead or alive, and slowly turn it into a moving corpse. It's a favorite for necromancer-overlord-wannabes who have neither the intellect for arcane study nor the devotion to serve a deity of death.

It also ranks as their most common cause of death.

"Well, it looks like a mantis...crab...thingy to me." Atalanta said, unnecessarily, in answer to Twessa's question. "So much packaging, so little meat..." she sighed while calmly examining the creature, seemingly unperturbed by Istvan's impeding peril; after all, the spirits warmed her of a great danger that would befall him, so there's no way he'd die from anything less, right? Calling upon the spirits of her home to lend her the strength to defeat her enemies, she transformed herself into a muscular bull, ready to charge at the monstrosity.

...Unless, of course, this is the great danger that would befall him...

OOC: Shapeshift: Atalanta rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((3,5)). Hold 3.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:48, Fri 11 Jan 2019.

A bog, that was clear enough. A mantis-crab thing, that was clear enough. But that smell?

Disregarding it for the moment, Harlin saw Istvan go down and need help. In an eyeblink, Harlin loosed an arrow at the thing--which bounced harmlessly off its chitin. Worse, Harlin couldn't focus on the danger while trying to identify the smell. Then he had it: It was fresh-cut hay. Wonderingly, he looked around for the source of this mystery.

Fail. Suggestion: -1 forward from distraction. Marked XP.

16:21, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 5 using 2d6+2.  Volley vs chimera.

The moment Istvan slipped, the crab-mantis was already reaching for him with one of its crab claws around its abdomen. It would have gotten a good squeeze on him too if Twessa hadn't shown up just in time to deflect the blow. As the pincer pinched, it only got ahold of cloth instead of flesh, but it did still leave a deep gash on the duelist's hip as it ripped into the fabric.

Then, against the same crab claw that Twessa deflected, Gania stepped in with a powerful strike of her own even as the beast reached down with its mantis arms. The woman's sword bit deep into the flesh of the beast's armored claw arm, and the crab-mantis staggered back as the appendage went flying away from its body. It seemed surprised that it had experienced pain, but still managed to give Gania a good gash with a mantis claw as a defensive reaction. The beast paused as if considering if it actually wanted to eat the gnome and two Emberstorm tribe members or not, then turned toward the bovine with lion ears that had appeared instead. It began moving in Atalanta's direction, but kept a defensive eye on the other three.

Meanwhile, the claw that Gania had severed and sent flying landed in the mud near Harlin. Right in a patch of corpse-puppeteer mushrooms. As the elf searched for the source of the hay smell, the claw twitched as the spores of the magical mushrooms did what they did best. Just as Harlin spotted a small patch of fresh hay that looked as if it had fallen from up above the rocky outcropping, he heard the wet squelching of the big crab arm twitching toward him through the mud, like an inchworm from hell.

What do you do?

---

Istvan
Take d10+2 damage, 1 piercing. Then divide it by two thanks to Twessa's Defending. You got a little hurt, but managed to avoid being caught in its grasp. You will need to Defy danger if you wish to make a melee attack this time around.

Twessa
I used your 1 Hold to halve the attack on Istvan, as you suggested. You will need to Defy danger if you wish to make a melee attack this time around.

Gania
You severed a claw and drove it back, but took damage in return. Take d10+2 damage, 1 piercing. You will need to Defy danger if you wish to make a melee attack this time around.

Atalanta
The crab-mantis has turned its attention on you and looks like it will soon come your way. What does it look like when you shapeshift?

Your moves for your bull form are:
Gore with horns
Buck and Thrash
Charge!

Harlin
I went for a different response to your roll, so no penalty. However, there is a huge reanimated crab arm coming after you now...

20:34, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 11 using 1d10+2 ((9)).

(DM, I'm guessing round down? So 4?)

Istvan decided that if he moved fast enough, he might be able to flank the monster, get around behind it and do a freezing attack that would damage its armor so others could fight it better... But first he had to get there...

Defy Danger: 20:36, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 7 using 2d6 ((5,2)).

(I'm awaiting the worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice...)

All right, so from what Twessa could gather from what her companions said, this `chimera' didn't present some telltale concern like an exploding head, noxious farts, or turning people to stone. "Thank you!", she called as the chimera swung.

Twessa felt her feet slide backwards as the beast's crab claw caught the tip of her spear and deflected, but fortunately she managed to keep her balance. Phew.

With the immediate threat to a vulnerable Istvan cleared, thanks in part to Atalanta's transformation into another of her menagerie of strange southern creatures, Twessa backed away and looked for someone else to help. The ripples of a snapping claw, scissoring through the ooze, drew Twessa's attention to her good friend, Harlin - an elf she weighed as being more useful attacking the chimera itself rather than dealing with a distraction.

While she tried to intercept the detached claw, waving her spear at it, Twessa reassured the archer. "Please keep shooting, Harlin. I've got this...thing..."

---

Do I still need a Defy Danger roll if Twessa's detaching from the chimera to deal with Harlin's claw buddy?

16:01, Today: Twessa Dumdellin rolled 7 using 2d6+1.  Defend Harlin from the twitching claw.

If the detached claw tries to attack Harlin, Twessa will use her 1 hold to take its attack instead of Harlin taking it. If it chose to attack Twessa instead, she'll use the 1 hold to halve the damage.

"My thanks!" Trusting his friend Twessa to protect him from the immediate danger of the separated claw, Harlin redoubles his attack on the chimera, lofting a quick series of arrows. One of them finds a soft joint between the thing's carapace and (still-attached) claw.

Volley hit for 6.

11:19, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 6 using 1d8.  Damage.
11:19, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Volley.

Looking at it through the eyes of the spirits, the chimera's essence made no sense at all. Not only did the essence not fit its form (which happens with shapeshifters, like Atalanta herself), it was a complete mess of conflicting instincts and behaviors. It's like someone decided to crush up some fried bugs and add them into a bowl of chicken soup: they're both fine dishes on their own, but the flavors just don't work together.

Thinking I'm the easy prey now, don't you? Atalanta hissed as she stamped her hooves deep into the mud to steady her heavy frame, before she charged at the creature with her full speed as a horned beats of the great plains. We'll see who eats who now.

OOC: Charge! Atalanta rolled 6 using 2d6. Not sure what stat I should roll, so I just made an unmodified 2d6 roll to save time. Depends on what stat I should add, this can be interesting...or very interesting.

The gash that the claw made was a deep one. The creature wasn't just large, but quite tough. Gania actually smiled as blood started to trickle down her arm. Adjusting the grip on the sword, she moved in towards the monster, ready to deflect attacks before she came close enough to strike again.

21:56, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 10 using 1d10+2.  Damage.
Ouch...

21:59, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Defy danger (Str) - get close.
Hit me with options before I see if I get to hit it
Will Emberstorms run into one another? Stay tuned!

As Atalanta charged into the crab-mantis, it staggered backward, causing Gania and Istvan to have to change direction quickly. Which was nigh impossible in the thick mud. The two ended up falling to their knees, needing to steady each other for balance as the crab-mantis backed into them and over top of them. The beast was well distracted by the bull charging into it, but its rear crab claws still clacked threateningly, and it could step on either one of them at any moment. It let out a chittering hiss as it engaged Atalanta in combat.

Over by Harlin, Twessa was quick to prod the animated claw with her spear, keeping it from heading further toward the elf. It turned on the gnome instead, however, thrashing through the water and mud to try and grab at the tiny cleric. As she defended herself with her spear, it grasped onto the shaft of her weapon and refused to let go.

---

Istvan
Yeah, you round down, so only 4 damage from that first attack. You got close enough to the crab-mantis to make an attack, but not where you wanted to be. You are directly under it as it fights a bull.

Twessa
The claw turned its attentions on you when you and your weapon got close. With your weapon's reach, you were far enough away that it didn't get ahold of you, but it did grab onto your weapon. Your weapon gains the Clumsy tag until you can get it off (-1 ongoing while using it). I counted this as halving the claw's attack's effect or damage.

Gania
You managed to get close, but are now underneath it instead of where you would have liked to have been.

Atalanta
Charge! let you get in close enough to hit without having to defy danger. Now that you are there, and it sounds like you were intending on attacking, you can either use Hack and Slash (using your roll, which means you got a 7), or expend another Hold to use one of your other bull moves to deal damage without a roll. Either way roll your damage. If you used Hack and slash, take 1d10+2 damage, 1 piercing. If you use a Hold, roll a Defy Danger (or Defend/other move) to avoid a counterattack.

Harlin
Nice shot! You are currently not being targeted by anything, as far as you can tell.

Harlin was torn between the two sites of the melee. And that damned fresh-hay smell was confusing him further. But seeing the claw working its way up his diminutive friend's spear decided him. Drawing his shortsword he moved to Twessa's aid, attempting to pry the claw loose and free her weapon.

Aid Twessa. 8. Twessa gets a +1 on freeing her spear (or using it?). I get danger, retribution, or cost.

21:10, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Aid Twessa.

Once she charged close enough to almost taste the creature's twisted essence, Atalanta raised her head and gored the chimera with her horns, the sharp tips penetrating the chitinous exoskeleton. The monster tried to retaliate, but the thick skin and powerful muscles of the bovine easily toughened through the blow, leaving her nearly unharmed.

OOC:
Spend 1 Hold to Gore With Horns.
Damage: Atalanta rolled 5 using 1d6+1.
Defy Danger by enduring: Atalanta rolled 10 using 2d6+1
This message was last edited by the player at 08:38, Mon 14 Jan 2019.

Gania saw only one way out of the situation. With a heave, she swung upward, hoping to shove the mantis away. But between the thick mud and having to watch for Istvan, it was easier imagined than executed.

10:10, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 1,5 using 1d6,1d8+2.  Conquest slash.
Well, shucks. On the bright side, XP. And no wildfire

Istvan was just about to try to muster his strength to help Gania out of the mud as well as himself, but then she attacked the thing from below. Alllllll right, if she was willing to risk killing the thing and having it fall on her, Istvan was not going to interfere with that. He'd try to get out from under while she was still swinging and missing.

(07:31, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 9 using 2d6 ((4,5)).)

Huh. Twessa lifted her spear and looked at the claw dangling from it. If it'd been seaweed making it feel so heavy or slow, she might've stopped a moment and tried to pull it off, but it was more dangerous than that, and the main issue with seaweed was its tendency to tangle - the crab claw's grip was cleaner, but how tight could it be? Could it be broken?

Twessa's thinking was maybe a bit misfounded, given just how important a crab's grip was to the creature's survival, but she'd learned not to overthink things and she'd had an alluring idea. Leverage!

The way she imagined it was that she'd heft her spear as hard as she could from one side of her to the other, carrying the grappling claw overhead at high speed, ending with a slam against one of the rocky outcroppings around them. The claw might be damaged, or disoriented, or maybe it'd lose track of people due to being so far away, or...something. More than that though, it'd look great!

Gleefully Twessa flexed her arms and exerted every ounce of her gnomish strength to do something amazing, recognising too late how Harlin's attempt to help had impacted on her plan...

THRASH

---

I wasn't sure if it was a Defy Danger or Hack and Slash, given Twessa was less concerned about doing damage than get the claw away from her buddies, so I went with a STR resolution.  Not that it matters now!

01:03, Today: Twessa Dumdellin rolled 3 using 2d6.  STR to Defy Danger(Hack and Slash?) +1 aid, -1 clumsy.

Oh Harlin, I sure blew that help :/

This message was last edited by the player at 14:29, Mon 14 Jan 2019.

Between Atalant's thick hide, her relentless onslaught, and her ferocious horns, the crab-mantis was unable to give the druid anything more than superficial scratches as it attempted to take her bull form down. What's more, one of her hons managed to puncture its thick carapace, causing a rush of blue-grey blood to ooze out. It shrieked in pain as it stumbled, dropping its weight into the mud as it scrambled backward, trying to retreat from this ill-advised confrontation. Landing right on top of Istvan and Gania.

Istvan managed to dive out of the way, trailing some of his rations behind him. Apparently the claw attack from earlier had torn open one of his sacks. At least he was unharmed though. Gania, being in the middle of a sword-swing, was not as fortunate. She took the full weight of the crab-mantis as it pressed her into the mud. If the ground had been solid, she surely would have been a goner.

Meanwhile, Twessa and Harlin struggled to get Twessa's spear free from the reanimated crab claw. Harlin managed to pry it loose a little bit just as Twessa tried swinging it free. The weight or the claw, however, put too much strain on the weapon. As it swung over Twessa's head, the end of her spear snapped off and the claw fell to the ground next to Harlin. Immediately it started snapping toward the elf, trying to clasp onto a new victim.

What do you do?

---

Everyone
The crab-mantis has had enough. It is attempting to retreat to safety.

Istvan
You got free, but lost 1d3 Dungeon Rations through a hole that got sliced in your pack earlier. They are thoroughly soaked in mud and squashed by the crab-mantis now.

Gania
You got smooshed into the mud. Take d8 damage. No piercing.

Atalanta
You successfully fended off the monster. Nice!

Twessa
Leverage worked! Unfortunately it worked against you. You and Harlin got the claw off, but broke the end off of your spear in the process. It is more like a walking stick now.

Harlin
You helped get the claw dislodged, but now it is coming after you again. Need a Defy Danger (or some other move) to avoid getting pinched.

All right, maybe this time Istvan would be able to help. He attacked the claw, using his Soul-Siphoning technique to try to heal himself...

(11:02, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 9 using 2d6+2 ((6,1)).

Damage (against the claw): 3 (11:05, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 3 using 1d8 ((3)).)

Holding off on rolling to see how much I heal in case you rule that this thing has no soul to siphon... (--Soul-Siphoning: Your attack heals you for 1d4. Heal 1d8 instead if this attack kills your target.))
This message was last edited by the player at 19:18, Tue 15 Jan 2019.

Harlin tried to dance out of the claw's way, but the boggy ground hampered the normally sure-footed elf. This made his counter-attack also less dextrous, leaving the claw an opening while striking a powerful blow with his sword.

Defy Danger (Dex): 8
Hack and Slash: 7 for 7 damage and a counterattack.

12:39, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 7 using 1d8.  Damage.
12:38, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 7 using 2d6+1.  Hack and Slash.
12:37, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger (Dex).

Seeing that the chimera had landed on Gania in its attempt to retreat, she decided to help it along and get it off her fiery companion: she kicked the son of an arthropod with her hoofs.

OOC: Spend 1 last Hold to Buck and Thrash; tell me if I need to roll anything.

Twessa stared at her shattered spear, agape. They'd barely set foot into the Tapestry and she'd already lost her only weapon. It was hard for the intuitive cleric not to see this as a poor omen.

She'd carried that fishing spear with her for five years - maybe not all that long for a gnome's lifespan, but she'd brought it with her all the way from the Crevasse and almost back again. It'd been a useful tool for catching fish, and had helped her see off a number of other dangers. All she had on her side now was divine providence...and her friends.

The chimera's retreat was pretty easy to read, even if it caused more pain for the Emberstorms in its hustle to escape. It'd been hard for Twessa to keep up with all the details of the fight while dealing with the distraction of the detached claw, but...

The claw! Where did the claw go?

Twessa span around, saw it engaging Harlin again, and kicked it as hard as she could with her muddy boot. By hook or by crook, she was going to make that claw fly!

---

Not so much worried about doing damage as in getting the claw a long way away thanks to a well timed kick.

02:34, Today: Twessa Dumdellin rolled 11 using 2d6.  Hack & Slash - kick the claw away as far as possible.

Woop!


This message was last edited by the player at 15:41, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

Gania landed into the mud and then turned into a cushion for the chimera with an "Oooofh" that did not sound good. As she laid there, she tried to make sense of the situation, but winded, bruised, and half-submerged was not the best state to be in for such observations.

20:57, Yesterday: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 5 using 1d8.  Damage.
18:03, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Discern realities.

The crab claw got a few good nips in on Harlin before Istavan managed to get a solid stab in with his dagger, pinning it to the ground. As the duelist's magic sapped its strength sent black veins of magic across its shell, Harlin's followup swing sent shards of chitin flying out and into the two warriors in a small magical explosion. Then, to finish it off once and for all, the little gnome Twessa approached and kicked what remained into a puddle several feet away. It twitched twice, then lay motionless.

At this same time, Atalanta was busy single-handedly driving off the rest of the crab-mantis. With a few well-placed kicks and thrashes, the huge beast felt its best option was to retreat. These tasty morsels were much more trouble than they were worth. As the crab-mantis retreated back into the glowing mists, Atalanta melted back into her base form.

Gania, laying in the mud, contemplating, was in for one last foul surprise. The claw that Twessa kicked landed in a puddle near her, splashing a wave of smelly swamp water right onto her face. The warrior was blinded for a moment and had swallowed far too much muck, but would probably be alright. Her train of thought had certainly been disrupted though.

With the crab-mantis gone and its reanimated claw defeated, the party finally had a moment to take in their situation in a more relaxed atmosphere. The blue fog still swirls quietly, the pools of water are quickly returning to their natural stillness, and the smelly mud slowly plops off of everyone's clothing.

What do you do?

---

Harlin
You got nipped by the claw and then got hit by exploding shards of crab skin. Take 1d6 damage from the pincer, and 1d4 damage from the shards. Armor counts for both.

Istvan
Take 1d4 damage (apply armor) and heal 1d4 damage. It doesn't have a soul, but still had enough life force left in it for your ability to work.

Gania
You got muddy water to the face. You are blinded for a moment and coughing on nasty swamp water, but you should be fine in a minute or so. Made it impossible to Discern anything though.

Atalanta
You are in your human form again.

Twessa
That seems more like a Defy Danger, but the roll is still the same. Success!

(16:46, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 1 using 1d4 with rolls of 1.  Ow, a claw snapped me.
16:46, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 3 using 1d4 with rolls of 3.  Yay, healing for Istvan.)

The claw snapped at Istvan, but he parried it with his parrying dagger, so he took no damage. A bare instant later, he could feel healing energy running up his arm from his other dagger...




Istvan committed to memory, before it slipped his mind, what the glowing arcane rune had looked like.

That done, he looked around, and commented: "We seem to be in some sort of canyon... Shall we try to climb out of the mud and see what's up-top...? ...Or just trudge in one of the two muddy directions we have available?"

Istvan wanted out of the mud, but he didn't much want to climb. A thought occurred to him: "...Atalanta, want to become something that flies and carry a rope up top and then tie it...?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:34, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

"Okay." Atalanta nodded as she called upon the spirits of the great plains once again and transformed herself into a goshawk, before she grabbed the rope in her beaks and flew upward, through the hazy blue fog. If nothing else, she should probably at least check out what's above them, to make sure there wouldn't be any surprise from above.

OOC: Atalanta rolled 12 using 2d6+3. Hold 3.

It was impossible to get up from mud, while also cleaning out from your eyes and spitting out some more with dignity, but Gania did her best. Once stable and able to see and taste anything beyond the mixture of earth and decay, she checked her bruised back and gashed arm. "Not the best start." she said as she checked her companions. From her recollection of the short fight, it was her that suffered the most, but it was likely she missed something "How is everyone?"