"I cannot believe it has come to this." Evans mutters as he waits, tracking the thing with his gyromounted pistol. "Our best hope of survival comes from someone who has in all likelihood had plenty of chances already to void their bladder in sheer terror from the goings-on."

OOC: NO clue what's going on right now, lots of reading to do ... but here's my agility
09:00, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 5,3 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3. Agility.

((OOC: Briefly--we got sniped at, ran to the porch, got confronted by an angry chinaman who had ties to John Smith, knocked him out, tried meeting with the rest of the survivors, but then the chinaman died of a disease he was carrying and turned into a jiang shi, and now the rest of us are all clustered up the stairs trying to figure out what to do about it and the other vampire that's apparently here in the house but trapped. I have no idea where Jake would be in all this.))

Four steps up, the jiang shi stiffly raises its head a little, turning it fractionally back and forth. Tao Jing's mouth opens, but no sound follows: instead, a rush, jumping two, three steps at a time, claws flexed back for a slashing blow.


[[2 'running' - not terribly impressive, but it lets y'all know the thing can seriously go for you if it's sure where you are...bet you're glad you made that Agility check, Jake!]]


Jake Lawrence barely scrambles out of the way in time, then has to duck as the little demon birds rush over his head, swirling around the corpse on the stairs and trying to push it over.



[[The birdies rolled 7 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 7. Agility.
Tao Jing, rolled 7,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3. Agility. Tie. They haven't thrown the jiang shi off the stairs yet, but it's not moving forward, either.]]

"No, miner...Comanches took my possessions..." the old man says vaguely, then fully processes what he just heard and looks alarmed. "Chinese vampire? A jiang shi, in the house?" He'd probably sit up, save for being covered in books. "Where-? Don't touch it!"

PM

"I believe it was downstairs but I think it's on its way up," he said.

"We got a mirror and some virgin urine," he added quickly. "But if you got any idea how to deal with this thing, that'd help out a lot too."

The birds caw and swoop, blackening the air over the stairs. The hopping corpse makes odd little head and claw-twitches, trying to pinpoint what's attacking it.

John silently hold his hands and motions for everyone to back up the stairs away from the strange thing Tao Jing had become, or at least his corpse anyway. It was dumb, but dangerous. He tries to urge people to move slowly without speaking. The thing seemed blind, it also seemed to react to sound, so the less they made, the better. From what he could gather, it sounded like there was a might to do about how to destroy this thing further up, and while he could not make out the details, he did hear Zhang speak which filled him with relief.

"You think it can get past the wards, Mrs. Bruebaker?" he asked.

Jake remained silent, his mind trying to sort out the happenings going on around him. Nothing is ever simple in this town, he thought. Perhaps the book might have answers ... No, it isn't exactly a friendly thing.

"Have you tried shooting it, a lot?"

"Maybe that's how it is in the North," Percy growls at Evans, crossing the upper hall to the bathroom. Then he sees the jiang shi mostway up the stairs. "Oh, Jeez!" Suddenly, he really does need to go.

The jiang shi takes a few heavy swipes at the air, claws seeking the flock. The crowlets seem to be getting a little disorientated in the body's vicinity, odd birds falling back to hang in the air as though confused before rejoining the mob.

With a sudden burst of noise, the crowlets mass together to give the thing another sound thump to the chest whilst others pull it off balance: the dead man is flung down the stairs, stiff limbs and shaven skull mercilessly bounced off every angle right down to the hall.

It doesn't seem to mind much, however, simply righting itself with that impossible straight-up movement again and pausing to re-orientate itself.


[[The birdies rolled 9 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 9. Agility.
Tao Jing rolled 3,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. Agility.]]

"Ah...they stop if someone sticks the proper prayer to their forehead, I think," Zhang volunteers, still clearly a little behind.

"I..." Mrs. Bruebaker looks down at Ginny holding for dear life to her side. "No. Nothing can hurt us in here."

Widow Bradshaw's hand raises and curls in the air like she wants to add something but can't quite get there.

"Nothin' we don't bring in, anyhow," Gangatsu growls, giving Adrian a hostile stare. "I heard ya. You're another o' dem witches whut started dis, ainch'a? Magic's always jus' dandy 'til yer luck turns an' you bring up some fucken thing too goddamn evil to put down."

"Mistress Su, I would thank you to watch your language," Mrs. Bruebaker snaps, clearly not needing the extra tension. "There are young ladies present."

[[woo...]]

The jiang shi stands stock-still for a moment, then jumps out of the stair folks' direct line of vision instead of hopping up the stairs again. There are alarmed yelps from the direction of the kitchen.

{{CRACK}}

Down in the hall, part of the wall near the front door blows in, damaging the heavywood and leaving a narrow cap through which can be seen flames. Clearly, the vampires are exploiting that exposed porch.

"Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it fast." Evans says. "We need to get that fire out. Deputy Vega, you have the mirror...try repelling the thing out the door. I'll cover you in case it attacks."

"Alright, then," he said, looking to Ginny and then again to Mrs. Bruebaker. He was taking that for a 'yes.'

Looking at Su, he shrugged. "As for startin' this up, this sh...mess been started before I even got back to Blackthorn. Call me what you will, but so far, my luck runs good. You keep that wooden stick o' yours and I'll keep my tricks. When they help keep us outta trouble, you'll thank me for it later."

At the loud sound from below, he said, "Alright, y'all get that Chinaman to write prayers and explain to y'all how to stick a prayer to its head. Percy...you do your thing too. I'm sure that'll come in handy during the fight. Marshal Evans, I'm ready when you are."

He hefted the mirror carefully and moved his way out of the library room's door, checking to see if Evans was backing him up yet. He felt a little trepidation at any approach that left him unarmed save for a mirror, but it seemed like what the situation called for. If the books were right, this might be better than a gun.

"Fer now," the small hardcase growls, eyes narrowed. Adrian gets the sense that despite being surrounded by Moonies, her hatred of magic goes a lot deeper than simple fear his gambling won't pay off.

"I'm writing one," Abigail reports from behind Desk Guy. Presumably the book open before her has an illustration she's copying.

Percy steps back onto the spiral stair to avoid Adrian coming out with the mirror, sitting a few treads up to be out of the way and setting his less-than-fragrant bucket on the bottom step. "The door's..."

There's a sudden burst of swearing from downstairs in the direction of the kitchen.
"Oh shit! Oh shit! It's gnawing though the wards!" That sounds like the Seven of Spades.
"Just close theeeeEEEee- okaymaybenot. Nononono...streuth!" There's a clattering as someone or something knocks over objects in their haste to get away.


[[Tao Jing, rolled 5,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3. wards nom nom.

Ward's house, rolled 2,2 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. ward check. Fail! The jiang shi can get into the kitchen. Seven and Laz are upset about this, though they both passed their Guts checks with flying colours. Incidentally, that last situational mod on the Guts was a point heavy; I'll try to cut y'all a break some time to compensate.]]

Evans is following behind Adrian, as stated...this is the deputy's show.

"Time's up, let's do this," he said, and making sure to avoid Percy and his bucket of urine, he carefully made his way down the stairs towards the kitchen. The voice of Seven of Spades seemed to cut at him. My murderer. He's here.

The curses shortly turn to screams as the jiang shi wreaks havoc in the kitchen. The voice Adrian doesn't recognise screams for what feels like a very long time as the Deputy struggles downstairs with the mirror, then there's more crashing and the metallic *rowrowrowwwwwwwr-r-r-rop.* of some saucepan lid or colander spinning itself to a halt.

Approaching the room, Adrian and Evans hear a wooden [thud] and a soft whimpering sound, interrupted by what sounds like something moderately heavy rolling across the floor.


[[Couple of power outages earlier, took a while.

*bleepton of rolls to check what's going on* *winces* Looking grim for the poor bastards. Al's actually made it to the dining room and is considering taking his coat to the hole in the house. JohnJohn and Jake, what're y'all up to here?

As it may become necessary, the downstairs layout of the house Ward's is based on:



Here, the downstairs bathroom is just a bunch of understairs cupboards, the stairs aren't quite flush to the living room wall and the hob island in the kitchen is just a rectangular table.

You can either lure the jiang shi out with noise/chi tricks or draw init. to jump in on the kitchen chaos.]]

OOC:

Time's up, let's do this! 6C for Deputy Vega and his Magic Mirror.

13:33, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: 6C using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

Edging into the kitchen, Adrian takes in a whole drift of flour across the floor, scattered brooms, a mop, several cooking implements and a thick trail of blood that leads to the Seven of Spades on the floor by the sink. The man's face is pale and his fingers red where they're pressed to his belly, and he's trying to hold off the jiangshi by keeping his foot braced against the knee-high cupboard door opened between himself and the corpse.

Movement nearer the way into the laundry room proves to be a small, once-dapper looking fellow with an even greyer complexion than Spades', less obviously wounded than the hitman across the way. His shirt is torn and he leans against a makeshift barricade around the laundry room exit, clutching his chest and gasping like he's just been struck by lightning. A watermelon rolls across the floor.

The jiang shi's nails tap-tap against the side of the sink; it very quickly ascertains that the sink is solid and that the barrier does not extend that high. Stiffly, Tao Jing's body straightens: in a few seconds, it'll be around that cupboard door. Something's telling Deputy Vega that it really wouldn't be that great a loss. Why not wait awhile?

Spades whimpers softly.


[[Evans Oh Hold due to lack of internets
Adrian Vega 6C
The Seven of Spades 6D
Harry Lazarus 6H
Various vampires 2D

edit to nudge post.]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:13, Fri 18 Apr 2014.

OOC:
How badly hurt is Seven?

Spades' eyes remain locked on the hopping corpse. The melon hasn't stopped rolling yet.

[[All you can tell from across the room there is that he's injured and bleeding. He looks like he could stand (and probably run) if standing up wouldn't get him nommed on by the jiang shi right now. In terms of nerves, he looks lucid and likely focused enough to shoot accurately, if terrified.]]

"Over here, Jingles!" he calls out to the jiang shi, holding forward the mirror so that he could see over it, but still using it as something of a shield. This better fuckin' work, he thought.

OOC:
Taking the Defend action, for a +2 taking him up to 6