Duck seems to almost skate across the pavement, a singular bead of sweat forming on his brow from all the contained heat. Instead of closing on his target, he stops short, about 15 meters away, and flits out a playing card, the dual hearts on the card beating actively during Duck's brief glance at it.

20:05, Today: White Duck rolled 2 successes using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,3,5,4.  Athletics.

20:08, Today: White Duck failed (no successes) using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 6 with rolls of 4,1,2,1,3.  Throwing Weapons.

20:08, Today: White Duck rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 6 with rolls of 4,(6+3)9,4,(6+2)8,1.  karma reroll.

PM

Hairy did his best to set the timer on the grenade and dropped it as he ran.  But math is hard and he wasn't exactly feeling his best...  Then his calculations got thrown off further when his pursuer paused briefly to throw something at him.

The well-smoked orc's lightning reflexes kicked in and he dodged out of the way.  Almost.  Because what was flying towards him was ... a playing card??  His instincts faltered briefly as his muddied head tried to understand what was going on.  And that fuzzy-headed pause was enough keep his super-agile body from getting completely out of the way.  A jack of diamonds embedded itself deeply in his arm, sending a wave of agony through the poor orc's body on top of the pounding head, minor burns and just general confusion.

Hairy turned to look at his arm while his feet kept moving - right into crate, sending him sprawling.  A lesser man in his state would have just stayed down, but not Hairy.   He pulled himself to his feet and started running again, dodging debris and dwellings.  He just needed to get out of range of whatever was fragging with his head.

===============

White Duck had taken advantage of Hairy's stumble to close the distance.  He was only about 6 meters away and had just come around the corner when there was a deafening noise behind him.  The albino instinctively moved behind a dwelling to protect himself from the worst of the concussive blast, but the tunnel made it difficult to avoid the wave and it sent him stumbling.  He resumed his chase, trying to ignore the nasty ringing in his ears.

Anyone who was sleeping was now definitely awake and a variety of shouts and curses fill the air.  It won't be long before the locals are up and out.


Hairy, you're at serious stun and 4 points of physical, so +9 with your confusion
White Duck, you're at medium stun, 1 point of physical, so + 5 and now 10 meters behind Hairy.

Wincing in pain, Duck comes to enough to see his singular target, the orc, still trying to flee.

"Not after pulling that trick, pal." grumbled Duck, flitting out a couple more cards.

"Stop, asshole, don't make me go for a flush!"

19:16, Today: White Duck rolled 1 success using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 6 with rolls of 2,3,(6+1)7,2,2.  Throwing Weapons.

19:16, Today: White Duck failed (no successes) using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 6 with rolls of 4,2,1,5,1.  Throwing Weapons.

Hairy seems to be away at the moment, so I'm going to keep things going.  Those back at the store are welcome to post about what they're up to too if they like.

White Duck pauses and lets a few cards fly, but in his current state it's hard to get a firm beed on the rapidly moving orc and the cards go wide - one embedding itself in the concrete tunnel and the second taking out a light.

Hairy keeps running, dodging around people as they come out from the tents and other shelters along the pathway.  At least until he comes to the troll.  The woman is muscular and looks like she's not terribly happy about being woken from her bed.

Hairy pauses briefly, but his instincts continue to bypass the confusion thumping through his head.  He dives between the woman's legs.  Unfortunately, the pause cost him some momentum and he doesn't quite make it all the way through.  He feels the troll's hand grasp his boot and start to pull him back through between her legs.

Hairy is now about 25 meters ahead and has been apprehended, at least temporarily.  The pathway is starting to get crowded with rather ornary locals which will slow movement.

(Sorry, didn't realize I was expected to post more--just going for 'more running!!' which you captured pretty on the nose.)

Hairy's movement is momentarily arrested, but fortunately, talking is his strength.

"Hey good-lookin'. Anyone tell you you look fine with your hair in that all-sticking-one-way-first-thing-in-the-morning-look? Well I'm telling you that now. You single? I'd love to get to know you better. Oh hey, it's probably nothing, just one of those things some people have, ya know. But there's an ugly ork-hating elf coming to kill me, and he's right there!"

Trying to fast talk the lady into a date, and maybe also taking a swing at the fellow threatening her new date.

(6+4)10,3)

While White Duck was out playing a game of cards with the arsonist, Caduceus was busy helping to put out the fire with an extinguisher.  Once all the flames were out though, the snake shaman slumped against a wall and stared at the cinders.  He watched the little steaming snakes sizzle toward the sky with his tea-vision.  He felt simultaneously less connected and more connected to the fabric of reality, both astral and non.  He had yet to decide if he actually liked this sensation, but opted to enjoy it for what it was.

"Hey! that guy just tried to start a fire down here! Stop him!" shouted Duck, continuing his pursuit of Hairy, pointing him out to the emerging crowd as he rushes forward after him. Shouldn't be too hard to sort out which one is him, the guy with the card sticking out of him, covered in burnt napalm. That one.  Down here, he was the one with the good reputation, but Hairy didn't know that. Duck ordered free pizza for any kids that wanted to come in and read comics most Fridays. His and Julia's shop was that local store on the corner. That, and, well, Duck was clearly a human. This dude must have been whacked out of his mind. What was with that stone orbiting around his head and the peasant village he was running through in place of that neighborhood. "Oh yeah, I'm all hopped up on goofballs myself." Duck thought.

20:14, Today: White Duck rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+2)8,5,3,4,1,1.  Street Etiquette.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:18, Sat 01 Sept 2018.

The troll continued to pull on Hairy's boot, then grabbed the other and soon he found himself in the air upside down, still doing his best to flirt - though he wasn't totally clear on what direction he was facing or who he was flirting with.  The world spun briefly.  And kept spinning for a while longer than his body was moving as the troll gripped him by the back of his neck, holding him with his feet still off the ground.  In the center of his vision he could make out a figure approaching him.  A figure with an unusually white bald head...

"Next time, mebbe stop 'im 'fore 'e wakes up 'alf da neighborhood."  Elsie thrust the scorched, bleeding and somewhat smelly orc out toward White Duck.  The troll was a sourpuss at the best of times - and apparently being woken up at 2 in the morning wasn't the best of times.

The words seemed unusual coming from the giant mongol warrior White Duck saw standing before him.  He felt somewhat ashamed that he hadn't been able to aprehend the fugitive for his abbess single-handedly, but at least the miscreant would be causing no more harm tonight - or perhaps ever...

Hairy continued to blather and had gotten to the point of proposing marriage when the troll delivered a serious swat to his head to shut him up.  The message sank in and Hairy shut up, proceeding to instead puke on White Duck's shoes.  The world had resumed spinning and was stubbornly refusing to stop.

----------------------

The flames extinguished rather easily.  Much of the gas had already burned itself up and with the asphault terrain causing it to move away from the building, it had nothing else to ignite.  The flames, glorious and colorful dimmed.  As they faded, the ground straightened again and Caduceus could see the magic of the spirit removing the protection it had put in place.  Apparently he hadn't been the only one with a spirit on hand.  Looking at the store, there were some scorch marks and some warped plastic on the sign outside, but no other obvious damage.

The talismonger nodded at him when he brought the fire extinguisher.  She put it away, then summoned a hearth spirit who set to work airing out the smoke.  "Gonna have to light a bunch more incense.  That fragging stuff was expensive..."

She moved out the doors and stood facing the tunnel the pair had run down, her hands on her hips, apparently awaiting White Duck's return.

As Hairy is handed over, still upside down, he manages a weak wave.

"Hey, good ta finally meet ya"

Duck smirks, for half a second looking like he might greet this troublesome stranger kindly. He takes a step back, lights a cigarette, then swiftly kicks the suspended ork in the temple, not using deadly force, but soundly enough to knock Hairy unconscious. If one kick doesn't do the trick, he tees off on the ork like he's kicking a tetherball until he's out. When he is, Duck hefts the weight of the man over his shoulder.

"Much obliged. Next time my mother makes her famous Spring rolls and sends them up, I'll spare a dozen just for you." he smiles to the troll.

"Sorry for the disturbance folks." he says, spigging his cigarette as he retrieves his cards, then heading back into Julia's end of the shop, unceremoniously dumping the orc onto the tile floor.

"Same guy that was out back. Fuckin' mook. Anybody got some restraints? I got a few questions when he comes to." he looks around at the shop, wincing slightly when he tallies up the inventory wasted by the probably-still-puking adept.

"You okay there, omae?" he asks, the intensity of his trip starting to take over as his adrenaline dies. He flops back onto his stool with a sigh.

White Duck carries Hairy over his shoulder for a few meters - enough time for the battered orc's nose to bleed profusely on the adept's outfit before Duck changes his mind and drops him unceremoneously to the ground, opting instead to drag him along by his feet instead.  Even still, it's tiring work.  Hairy is not exactly a "light" individual.  On the plus side, the lack of reaction as the arsonist's head bumps along the ground confirms that he's definitely still out.

Julia raises an eyebrow as she sees the pair approaching and does a quick assence to confirm that the attacker is still, in fact, alive.  She eyes White Duck critically.  "Looks like the dreckhead gave you a run for your money.  Thanks for showing 'restraint'..."

She helps lug the man into the back room and finds some binder twine to use on the man's wrists, ankles and, for good measure gags him too, once certain he wasn't likely to choke to death.

Kate seems to have come back to awareness enough to notice the additional individual in the room.  "Who's the smelly one?"  Chuck fills her in as much as her interest level warrants.  Noda too has pulled himself together again, though his eyes are still red and swollen.  While there's still a faint glimmer of the astral in each of your vision, it's faded considerably.

This fact doesn't seem to please Julia much.  The talismonger keeps up a quiet litany of profanity in Spanish and a few other languages as she re-locks the front door, digs into a box for more incense and lights it, then brews another pot of tea.

"Thanks to our 'interruption', I'm afraid you're all going to have to drink another cup.  If you need a quick bio-break, now's the time.  The next dose is likely to be a bit harder on our systems."

Hairy, you're at deadly stun and 5 points of physical.  The good news is that once you wake up, the only confusion will be from your injuries.
White Duck, you're at 7 stun, 1 point of physical

Willpower 7 checks from everyone as they drink the tea - WD, adjust for your current condition monitor.

EDIT: fixed formatting
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:44, Mon 10 Sept 2018.

Caduceus's vision returning to some semblance of normalcy was a bit bittersweet, but definitely a plus for what he wanted to do at the moment.  "Here, White Duck, before we start again, let me take a look at those injuries.  I've been told from time to time that I have miracle fingers.  Let's see if they'll even work on you!"  So long as the adept didn't resist, Caduceus would go about applying some healing magic to the man's wounds.

The snake shaman placed a hand on either side of White Duck's injury and began concentrating.  His mind focused on the skin and imagined it peeling away to reveal fresh flesh underneath.  To heal by removing the damaged tissue completely.  As Caduceus did this, his outward appearance took on a scaly appearance and fangs almost seemed to grow from his mouth.  Caduceus let out an audible hiss as White Duck's injury sizzled away, then opened his eyes, complete.  The shaman didn't say a word, but smiled a sly grin and went over to grab a new cup of tea.  He downed it in one big confident swig.

OOC: Casting Heal 6 on White Duck to heal his 1 Physical Damage. Target number is 4 (10-Essence).  Rolling 6 Sorcery and 3 Spell Pool Dice.  Saving 3 Spell pool Dice for Drain Test.

10:30, Today: Caduceus rolled 8 successes using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+6+5)17,4,4,4,(6+3)9,5,3,(6+2)8,(6+6+3)15.  Force 6 Heal Spell.
White Duck's scratch has healed to the point of growing him a brand new arm.

Need 2 Drain successes to turn light stun into no stun.

10:32, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,1,(6+3)9,2,2,5,2,1,(6+2)8.  Drain.
No Stun.

Tea Test:
10:39, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,(6+3)9,3,1,3,(6+6+4)16.  Willpower 7 Test.

Hairy snores.

(First box of stun will heal in an hour.)

Julie lit a new set of incense and made the rounds again with the teapot, continuing to mutter the occasional curse under her breath.  She dragged Hairy's unconscious form closeer to her cushion where she could keep an eye on him - and give him the occasional kick.  Some of his blood left a smear on the carpet and the mutters became louder and one of the kicks was a bit more forceful.

Eventually everyone was back on their cushions breathing in the heavily-scented air, their vision opened fully to the astral plane.  The tea didn't taste any more horrible than the first dose, but the impact seemed harsher.  The colors were more garish.  The visions were more intense.  Julia and Caduceus seemed to handle it relatively well, but everyone else struggled.  Even the Martha, the grandmother-like rat shaman let out the odd scream.  The room vibrated occasionally as Chuck tried to squash invisible spiders.

Noruas's stomach was largely empty by this point, but there was a fair bit of gulping for air as he felt his body slowly descending into the floor which had apparently turned to quicksand.    White Duck found himself reduced to a scullary boy, scrubbing floors and washing pots under the watchful eye of the abbess, wielding a whip she wasn't at all hesitant to use.  (A few of those images would return in future nightmares of a different variety...)

Eventually everyone settled.  The room itself started to fade.  Julia levered herself up from the floor and removed a ceremonial dagger from a drawer.  She walked around the room and taking each participant's hand in turn, she made a slice across each of the palm.  Oddly, it didn't really hurt - or even make a mess.  The blood seemed to be absorbed by the dagger  She finished with her own hand, then thrust the dagger, point down into the center of the room before returning to her seat.

The walls continued to fade from view, then even the floor.  All that remained were the 9 figures in the room all glowing on the astral, with a bright center-poing of the dagger.  The participants felt a slight tug from their wounds towards the dagger and faint shimmering lines formed, like spokes on a wheel, as the world began to rotate.  The world spun faster and faster until the shapes across from you were nothing but a blur and the dagger had become a brilliant column of light.

Suddenly, the rotation stopped and the light faded, though it left an imprint on  everyone's 'retinas'."


Ok, moment of truth time.  WD, Caduceus, Noruas - each of you needs to roll one die and must pay 3 karma.  If you wish, any of you can buy additional dice for 3 karma each.  You can go together on a die too.  I'll roll for Julia and the others when you're done.

Caduceus's mind swirled as he felt the power flowing between them.  It was both intoxicating and a bit unsettling.  He was having difficulty opening up, but knew he would have to if he wanted this to succeed.

23:42, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 1d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5.  Initiate!

Initiation is 12 karma total, before paying for extra rolls, correct? So if I wanted a second dice roll the total would be 15? Do we know the target number?

You're not initiating yet.  You're just forming the group.  With the group, initiation will cost either 12 (no ordeal) or 9 (with ordeal).  You're already doing an oath, which can count as your first ordeal, so you're presumably looking at a 9.

Your TN is: 12 + 4 (because your group includes 3 magical traditions) -2 (because Julia's done this before - which is one of the reasons you're getting to do it so early in the timeline :>), -4 for secrecy, fraternity, exclusivity and material link strictures.  So grand total of 10.

Hairy mumbles into his gag and lets his head roll back. This is how he dies. Stupid magic.

Just when he thought he was done with the worst of it, he had to drink that vile stuff again....

Koby didn't want to think of it anymore, this was not a good day.  He downs the cup of tea as quickly as he could and resumed his cross-legged meditating position.

So I'm paying another 3 karma?  Where should I mark this?  Is our TN still 10?  One die?  So we'd pretty much automatically fail this if we only use one die?  Guess I'm paying for another 18 dice then (for 6 die)?

Right now, Koby only has 3 good karma - so you've got enough to pay for your 1 die - that's it.  Caduceus has 15 - but he probably wants to save 9 of those to initiate, so he could throw in an extra die if he wishes.  White Duck is rolling in the Good Karma right now, so he could theoretically donate more, but he may have other things he wants to do with some of that.  If you guys donate some extra dice, the other participants will probably match you.

If the roll fails, then you get to try again in a month.  If everyone devotes full time to prep, you can drop your TN to make it easier.  (Though that might get Koby fired...)  You could also choose to take more restrictions.  Forming a magical group isn't supposed to be a walk in the park.  Though I will admit that having to deal with an arsonist while feeling trippy is a bit stranger than typical... :>

So does someone roll all of our dice together?  Or do we roll our individual dice?  I don't get it.

You can roll one die in the roller.  If you'd rather I do it for you, that's fine too.
 In theory, you rolling now gives your group a slight advantage as they'll know if you made it for the group or not...

Then please roll for me.

08:41, Today: DeusEx, on behalf of Noruas, failed (no successes) using 1d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 10 with rolls of 2.  Noruas' roll for forming the group.

quote:

10:17, Today: DeusEx, on behalf of Caduceus, failed (no successes) using 2d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 10 with rolls of 3,5.

Don't you just love suspense? :>