"Dammit!" Evans shouts as the birds whirl around Adrian. he looks around the field, but since the birds just seem to be landing on Adrian and not actively pecking at him, he turns toward the flock still snapping at Alouette. He aims his flamethrower.

"I'd better get this right..." He mutters as he calculates angles. His instinct was to just douse the demon crows in flaming goo and trust Alouette would be alright, but his own faith in the alimighty wasn't as high as the clanks.

((OOC: Smarts roll to catch the swarm in a burst but aiming it high enough to avoid hitting Alouette in the process.

19:14, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 6,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,3. Smarts!))

He thumbs the trigger, and sends an impressive jet of flame arcing just over the fallen clank. He measures the fuel carefully - he was aiming to disrupt the flock more than actually hurt them, though he certainly wouldn't have minded if any of the foul things caught fire. The burst would be easy to avoid, but attention-catching to say the least.

((OOC: Burst!

19:26, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 4,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2. Weird Science.

The birds get an Agility roll against his burst to avoid damage. If he catches the porch with the blaze, the house has a 1-in-6 chance of catching fire.

19:27, Today: The Amazing Evans drew the single card: 6S using the Deadlands system.))

Most of the birds disperse somewhat, low to the ground, hopping and cawwing, though none seem singed. Several knots of them look at Evans like they're considering flying at him, but they seem loath to get far from the porch, like they're guarding something.


[[08:25, The birdies rolled 9 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 9. Agility.

Did he catch the porch?
08:26, Today: Alouette, for the NPC Ward's house, got the result "It is decidedly so" on the magic 8-ball.

Ward's house rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3. on fire? It is not on fire. Also, you want a proper fight? Let me think on't, 'cause some of the things out here, you'd have to run away...clank rolls later.]]

Vinny looks furious.


[[Yep, he's still there. As a note, y'all can hear Abbie's yelling from your side, too.]]

Jake laughed, it wasn't an especially sane sounding laugh however. He laughed so hard he cried. It within moments of him hearing the crows. Part of the huckster longed to draw power as he'd learned to a life time ago, but that sliver of still sane Jake told him that would be foolish with the snake and crows so close.

Fortunately for that sane part still held sway over Jake, who released the Winchester rifle he had on his back.

OOC: Drawing weapon and initiative :)
10:39, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: AS using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative .

[[18:50, Today: Alouette rolled 4,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2. unshake clank. Clank is unshaken, thanks to nerves o'steel and the storm.]]

The clank picks itself off the ground and shakes itself, hindered a bit by the way the birdies have pulled its casing out of shape. The mass of currently-grounded little birds hop into formation around it, ready to push it over and start mobbing again at the least move. The  clank crosses its arms like an annoyed Roland.

"Hmm."


[[all right then, combat it is. Consider the crows and JohnJohn On Hold on account of being semi-about and waiting to see what y'all will do, respectively. Hope you've got running shoes...

Jake AS
Adrian: 10H
Evans 6S
O'Rourke 6S
Alouette 3D ]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:56, Wed 12 Mar 2014.

"Demon crows and evil giant spirit snakes ... should've stayed in New Orleans ... zombies are much easier." Jake muttered as he turned to find cover.

OOC: Ducking for cover, there a water trough or something nearby?

[[you could duck around the back of the bunkhouse to use the eaves/corner as cover (or even go in there and try to shoot at things outside from a window, if you like), that's not super-far, or even scurry back a bit into the tack shed, which is nearer than the troughs in the corral. Remember it'd mean leaving the light, though, unless you nab it from JohnJohn and leave the others in the dark.]]

In reply to Vampires! (msg # 232):

William snarls, half from frustrated desire to go after that precious, delicious virgin, half to draw attention to himself and away from the girls.
A few more steps bring him closer to the smaller vampire, and he pulls another stake, but this time his opponent twists and the stake pierces merely the lungs instead of the thing's heart.



20:50, Today: William Pierce rolled 4,3 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5. Last chip..
20:50, Today: William Pierce rolled 0,2 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4. Wild fighting, attack to heart.

20:52, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: RJ! using the Deadlands system. Initiative, gain, due to Quick edge.

YES! That's why I loooove the Quick Edge.

20:52, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 5S using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

The stake is turned aside on something under the Dust Adder's shirt. William is aware, in a very peripheral way, that something small and fluffy just took a bite out of his trouser-cuff.

[[Oop, target-rich environment...is Ed nearest?
20:08, Today: Alouette, for the NPC Tao Tao, got the result "My reply is no" on the magic 8-ball.

Tao Tao, rolled 5 using 1d4+4. Peke attack! (Bite, wild) Nope. Tao Tao is -2 to hit for his size, but otherwise has no parry next round.
init. KD]]

Abbie backs away from the sudden scuffle, not wanting to stick around to meet the winner if she can help it. Keeping the heavy cast iron pan high she sidles back hastily to her sister's side. Ginny automatically puts an arm around Abbie's neck, shivering and trying but unable to speak.

Abbie leans in a little to take her weight, watching the night as best she can. "Come on, Ginny, I'm here, try'n move. Mama'll meet us. I'll cover you, I'm here. Try'n move, okay? Come on, Cauliflower."
Ginny swallows with a little catch of pain, but complies. "He...he...he bit me...Max, he was dead...he, he..."

[[Abbie does all the moving she can and goes On Hold to lam any vampire that approaches with her skillet. Also switches to Periwinkle, as it suits her better and doesn't make for so much confusion when she whispers...]]


Meanwhile, Pierce lets go as the other vampire comes back at him like an angry rattlesnake and bites him in the face, fangs skidding along the bone of his jaw with the force of impact to sink deeply into the top of his throat.



[[Vampires! rolled 4 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2. fightin'. Hit on lowered parry!

Vampires!, rolled 19,1 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (10+9)19,1. *chomp* -> 20 damage. Good grief. I make that 3 Wounds Shaken for William.

Top o' the round again, Mister Pierce:
William RJ!
Tao Tao KD
Ed the Vamp 8H
Bruebaker Girls: Defending/On Hold]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Tue 11 Mar 2014.

Adrian didn't know quite what to make of the situation at present, with those birds flocking to him like they had, so he just stood stock still. They didn't seem to be hurting him, they were just yappin' at him, and so he figured he'd try and do what he could to keep 'em there.




OOC:
17:57, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: 10H using the Deadlands system.

The strange little corbies seem quite content where they are, occasionally fluttering a bit to cling on. Some tiny move of Adrian's sets them all cawing noisily again, though.


[[Jake! Thou art first.]]

In reply to Vampires! (msg # 241):

Ouch...
Ok... implacable cancels two wound modifiers... And I got a shiny new red chip on my next action with the Joker.
Recovering from Shaken: -1 wounds, +2 Joker:
11:20, Today: William Pierce rolled 2,0 using d10-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. Recover from Shaken.

Nope. Spending my red chip to cancel shaken and to be able to act.

Fighting attack: +2 Joker, +2 Wild attack, -1 wounds, -4 aiming to the heart. Total of -1.

11:22, Today: William Pierce rolled 1,1 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Heart Attack! :-).
Well, fuck you too, dice roller.

11:22, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 10H using the Deadlands system. Initiative.



William feels the flesh from his cheek torn down, and he screams, blackish blood pouring from his wound down his shirt and coat.

He staggers under the attack, feebly trying to push the small vampire off of him.

Jake felt dizzy from all the voices he was hearing. He steadied himself and began to sing Amazing Grace, it was in a low hushed tone much as a child who was frightened might sing it. "Amazing grace, How sweet the sound, That sav'd a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see."

Slowly he lined his rifle up with whatever thing he could see worth shooting and squeezed the trigger.

OOC:  Head shot to the nearest unfriendly vamp type around :)
09:38, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled -1,-2 using 1d8-4,1d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. Shooting (-4 Headshot).
09:38, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 3,3 using 1d8-4,1d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+1)7. White Chip.

09:41, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: 3H using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative .

Jake takes a potshot at the dark figure over on the edge of the barn roof, not caring if it might be a survivor. The man(?) startles as the bullet flies past him.

"Hey!"

Jake gets a shot in return, cutting a painful graze across his upper arm. It strikes him that his unknown foe might be somewhat more accurate due to Jake being a perfect target from up there where he's standing, outlined against the light.


[[Gonna throw in a bit (lot) of fudgery here...there actually is a vampire on this side of the house to aim at (other than Vinny. I mean, he's still there, looking somewhat pissed off, but he's not presently being unfriendly) but you'd be doing so at -4 (darkness, camo) and head shots wouldn't do anything to these bitey buggers anyway.

Regardless, all you'll do with a 3 is bring him into the fight. With live ammo.

Vampires! rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5. shootin'.
Vampires! rolled 5 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. damage.

Adrian, go!]]

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of Ward's impressive homestead, the smaller vampire staggers back from William's desperate jab, fangs bared and growling at the back of his throat.

Unlike Vinny, simply being stabbed with the stake actually seems to hurt him - the wound closes slower. Pain seems to have the opposite effect on this one than it did on Darla, however - he's stopped talking, and when Pierce comes under the brutal glare of that gaze there is not the least flicker of humanity there. The once-man staggers in the rain, ignoring the dog's attempt to latch onto his heel, then launches himself at William again, hard enough to send them crashing to the mud as William feels the man bite down at the base of his throat. It would kill him, if he still breathed. Fortunately, the gunslinger manages to get an arm between himself and the snarling, blood-spattered Dust Adder on top of him before the thing can bite down again.


[[More fudgery - the rules wording is pretty damn murky, but I reckon the vampire mooks aren't really worth completely destroying with Called Shots, and I'd give you a heart hit for extra damage with them, just not with Greaters like Marina or her new gentleman admirer, who aren't as allergic to hickory sticks. So I went ahead and rolled damage for ya as if that was a normal Wild+Joker attack, which'd hit.

Alouette, on behalf of William Pierce, rolled 9 using 1d10+8, rerolling max with rolls of 1. damage Ed. Ed is Shaken.

...and now closer to Tao Tao, who takes a nip before running off to Abbie:
Tao Tao rolled 4 using 1d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2. attack! attack! Nope.

Ed's go (the girls are just limping their way as fast as possible down the wall):
Vampires! rolled 6 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4. unshaken Ed.

Vampires! rolled 9 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7. going for the throat. That's actually a 6, because he was Shaken (-2), wood-hit (-1), and I'm a dope. Still hits due to William's last Wild Attack, though.
Vampires! rolled 4,3 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3. 7 damage. Shaken for William.
init. JS Whal, that puts him at the top of the next round, so he'll carry on using William as a chewtoy, I suppose.

Vampires! rolled 3 using 1d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2. monster munch! Whoo! Or not, go William! You have some cavalry coming, though she might not... *thought* Oh, hey, wouldn't now maybe be a good time for your 10C Adventure Card?

William's turn!]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:23, Thu 13 Mar 2014.

((Adventure cards! I knew I forgot about something... Playing Second Wind...
Also re-rolling that damage against Ed the vamp:

22:03, Today: William Pierce rolled 6,13 (19) using d10,d4+4, rerolling max with rolls of 6,(4+4+1)9. Stake damage.

That's better... Let me write this up a little so we don't have to retcon the whole scene... Fixed for ya!
))

The vampire's eyes grow wide as he lies atop of William. The dead gunslinger draws back his lips, revealing his fangs.
He twists his right hand, once, and the stake sticking in the thing's chest snaps clean off.

He shoves the body off of him.
Something rams itself into his calf; in a blur, he pulls the Ghost Gun, the faces in the metal contorted with hate and fury, and fires twice, in quick succession.

*BLAM* *BLAM*

Wet spatter clings heavily to his trouserleg and William smirks at having utterly destroyed a...watermelon?

22:10, Today: William Pierce rolled 9,6 using d10+1,d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 8,5. Shooting, double-tap.
Yay, raise!

22:11, Today: William Pierce rolled 21 using 4d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10,5,1,3. Ghost Gun damage...


22:13, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 7S using the Deadlands system. Initiative, sgain, due to Quick edge.
22:13, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 2H using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

The gunslinger watches as three more round shapes roll out of the rain. They're moving fast, like someone rolled them down a hill, and as they come William can hear a faint *zrrl!* *zrrl!*
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:34, Sun 16 Mar 2014.

[[Alas, her player has not been sighted for yonks - I will RMail her in case, but for now I'm NPCing her...

Vampire watermelons, rolled using 3d10 with rolls of 5, 1, 1. Agility vs. Abbie, Tao Tao, William. I don't think William or Tao Tao have anything to worry about.]]

The disturbingly mobile fruits seem attracted to motion - one lightly bonks against William's shoe as he steps back, another rolling in an improbable arc after the Peke, who rounds on it and attempts, with little sucess, to maul the round thing.

[[Tao Tao, rolled 4 using 1d4+2. These things have Parry 7, so no dice. He should've been getting his Small bonus to hit man-sized things all this time, I now realise, but ah well.

musics!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ4mL8yeKh0 ]]

The third melon rolls straight for the girls; Abbie takes a swing at it with her pan, but the thing's too low to be easily hit and rolls under her feet, causing her to sit heavily in the mud, almost pulling her sister down with her.

Another figure appears around the corner with a lantern in one hand, what looks like a wooden katana in the other, and rain pouring off her conical hat. She sees the watermelon now rolling itself repeatedly if ineffectually at Abbie's back, presumably with evil intent. "Wat der..."

Scowling bemusedly, the small Asiatic woman takes a cut at the melon, but the thing evades the strike, apparently as swift to roll backwards as forwards.

[[Abbie Bruebaker rolled 4 using 1d6. Agility. She goes before her melon.
Abbie Bruebaker rolled 1 using 1d4-2. (size Small, close enough to negate darkness) She does not hit her melon.

vampire watermelons rolled 9 using 1d10. Agility Trick (deck Abbie).
Abbie Bruebaker rolled 6 using 1d6. Agility. Watermelon raise: Abbie goes down, Shaken.

Gangatsu rolled 2,2 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4. fightin' New Round!]]

Abbie kicks the melon away and takes another swing at it with the pan.
"Forget dat..." Pointy Hat Woman growls, before she's interrupted by the younger Bruebaker girl gripping her sleeve.

"The...the other vampire! Gun!"

Pointy Hat Woman swears like a miner, thrusts her light into Abbie's free hand and hauls the wounded child over her shoulder (cynically on the side nearest William) before jogging back around the corner of the building. Slightly thrown and in the process of being surrounded by unholy rolling melons, Abbie backs against the wall, light held somewhat away from her.

[[Abbie Bruebaker rolled 8 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8. unshake Abbie. Abbie unshakes, and Wild Attacks her melon.
Abbie Bruebaker rolled 1 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 1. attack! attack! She does not hit it. She has a Parry of 2 until her next go.

17:24, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Gangatsu, rolled 4 using 1d8, rerolling max with rolls of 4. strength! Gangatsu is strong. She hauls Ginny away, giving Abbie the opportunity to move her proper Pace. Abbie, however, thinks she'd better distract the surviving scary thing a few seconds so they have a better chance of getting away.

Abbie KH
Gangatsu QC
William 7S
vampire watermelons 4C
Tao Tao 3H]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:50, Mon 17 Mar 2014.

"This... is getting ridiculous", William growls and draws his other gun, firing both at the water melons surrounding Abby, but the bullets just spray up dirt from the ground next to the demon fruits.

Okay.. I figure -2 for small, -2 multi-action and -2 for the left hand.
14:31, Today: William Pierce rolled 2,0 using d10-6,d6-6, rerolling max with rolls of 8,4. Left hand shooting.
14:31, Today: William Pierce rolled 1,1 using d10-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2. Shooting the melon!, right hand, double-tap.

Well, that sucks.

14:34, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: AH using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

"Who's the Cake Lady? Is the Fat Controller here too? Will you show me where they are?" he asked of the birds. He didn't trust them, but they seemed to recognize the darkness within him as like to themselves. Well, he didn't have to give into that darkness, but maybe he could use it if it was an advantage here. Maybe the Fat Controller is a good man that he was supposed to free. Maybe the Cake Lady was a bad woman that needed killed. Either way, he might be able to do something about it.

[[Roll me some Persuadin' there, Adrian.]]

The clank looks over at the barn and mutters in Chumash, the sudden bright flare in its lenses seemingly keeping the crowlets at bay.

[[Looks right to me, though you nearly hit Abbie that time and shooting these things isn't super-efficient. Indeed, if you can grapple one, they can be effectively disabled simply by picking them up...]]

Abbie instinctively crouches, covering her head with the pan as the bullets fly. The melon that was nearest her seems more interested in its inscrutable fruity way in the rapid movement that's just vanished around the corner. It rolls at a dreadful speed after the fleeing women and is lost to view.

The one furthest from her is drawn back to William as he shifts and aims, rolling and bouncing along like someone's hurled it at his knees.

*zrrrl!*

Meanwhile, the by now rather bedraggled Peke is locked in fierce combat with the remaining melon, buffeted by the thing as he attempts to bite at its ovoid exterior.


[[vampire watermelons rolled rolls of 5,7. Agility vs. Tao Tao, William.
Tao Tao rolled 3 using 1d8, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Agility. Fail but no raise. The melon gets +2 on its next action against the Peke, and that is a sentence I never thought I'd type...

William! 7 to beat - be Agile, or be Annoyed!

Tao Tao rolled 5 using 1d4+2. bite! Nope.

Initiative!

William Pierce AH
Diremelons QS
Abbie Bruebaker 4S
Tao Tao 3S]]

OOC:

Persuade: 13

Spent 2R to boost it

18:42, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 8 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8. 1R.
18:42, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.
18:41, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3,1 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. Persuasion.

[[They are super-persuaded! Did you remember to draw your Joker chip?]]

The little corvids' cawwing suddenly gets even more intense.

As though on a signal, the birds all stretch their wings at once, a few stragglers joining the mass. Then, with a furious fanning of feathers, Adrian suddenly shoots off into the sky like a rocket.

[[the birdies rolled 11 using 1d8, rerolling max (((8+3)11)) ]]

---

Should Adrian have his eyes open, he might dimly see a couple of figures down below as they blur around the back of the house in one great multi-winged swing. A man and a well-built maiden made obvious by her pale dress, and...was that a Peke?


 The mass of birds jacknifes in the air like a flock of starlings, hauling Adrian horizontal before aiming him at a jagged gap in the window, rushing at it to funnel through at maybe thirty miles an hour.

---

There's a sensation like diving through a holly bush, then Adrian finds himself unceremoniously rolling to a halt on a rather nice rug (it skids a little with impact). He seems to be in someone's upper hallway.

Little red eyes peer at him from the darkened room with the broken window.

With a much-multiplied whirr of wings, Adrian finds himself alone.


[[Consider yourself out of the fight. Adrian, move thyself to the Big House thread, for thou art now Inside.]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:17, Wed 19 Mar 2014.

In reply to vampire watermelons (msg # 252):

20:18, Today: William Pierce rolled 8,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 8,5. Agility.
20:19, Today: William Pierce rolled 2,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Fighting!


20:20, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: AC using the Deadlands system. Initiative, again, due to Quick edge.
20:20, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 2H using the Deadlands system. Initiative.



William steps to the side, kicking at the thing, but misses.

Unfazed by his attempts to stomp it, the demon melon rolls rapidly round William's feet. *zzrl!* *zzzrl!*

It's ridiculously agile, reacting to the least shift of movement to get underfoot, bump and trip...

[[vampire watermelons rolled 14 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of (10+4)14. *zzrl!*
Agility please, William - beat 14, or be terrorised by dessert!]]

Meanwhile, Tao Tao darts away from the watermelon attacking him, only to be sent stumbling as it careers into his hind legs.

[[vampire watermelons rolled 3 using 1d10+2, rerolling max with rolls of 1. melon vs Peke.

Tao Tao rolled 10 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10. Agility.
Tao tao does not care! He's had enough by now, though, and tries to run away, provoking a free attack from the melon.

vampire watermelons rolled 3 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 3. free attack. (Agility Trick, as usual)
Tao Tao rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2. Agility. Fail. +2 to the melon again.]]


Abbie, dimly seeing the gunman occupied, tucks her pan under one arm then tries to grab the dog and make a run for it. Unfortunately for her, the militant melon is faster, at once zagging across her path and bringing her down on her face.

"Con-sarned things!" Abbie yells in frustration.


[[Abbie 'enters' Tao Tao's mêlée to haul him out and at once leaves it to run away like a sane person, provoking another free attack from the watermelon.

vampire watermelons rolled 7 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 7. free attack. Oh dear...
Abbie Bruebaker rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Agility. Raise on Abbie. Abbie is downed and Shaken.

Next round:
William pierce/vampire watermelons AC - I think we'll have to see whether William is Shaken or not to determine who goes first there.
Abbie Bruebaker AD
Tao tao 5H ]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:42, Thu 20 Mar 2014.

22:17, Today: William Pierce rolled 7,1 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,1. Agility.