(Attempt to get out of here by wisely heading for the exit before anyone else: 13:33, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 3 using 2d6+1 ((1,1)).)

One might expect that Istvan, by being first to move toward the exit after the town leaders, would be likely to escape all danger in the process of doing so.

One would, in holding such an expectation, be wrong.

(Istvan gets 1 new XP.)

Uri follows the others up the ladder and out the back.

Uri rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  Defy Danger.

Harlin and his cat nimbly crossed the clutter of the room, showing off both their elven and feline grace in the process. He was quickly in a position where he could escape without problem, or provide a bit of cover fire for the others.

Gania's barrier certainly slowed the reapers down, but the strength of four of the undead beasts crashing into the barrier at the same time was more than enough to cause an explosive entrance. The barrier burst and shrapnel flew into the room, peppering Gania, Mozzerat, and Uri as they fled. Istvan was hit by a bigger piece than the other two, causing him to stumble and smack his head against the corner of a shelf.

The reapers let out a howl of terror and swarmed toward the arcane duelist.

What do you do.

---

Harlin
You and Quickclaw made it safely to the exit. You can make it up the ladder and outside without problem. Alternatively, you could use your Called Shot move against the group of reapers. You can treat the four reapers as a single target as they fly into the armory through the doorway.

Uri and Gania
You two can also escape relatively safely (with Mozzerat), but take 1d4 damage in the process from the bursting barricade shrapnel. Armor counts. You can escape up the ladder or try and help Istvan, but you don't get any special advantages like Harlin does.

Istvan
You got knocked around quite a bit from that bursting barricade. You can either take 1d8 damage, armor counts, but you'll take at least 1 damage no matter what. Or, you can take either the Stunned or Confused debility, which will last until you rest or receive healing. The reapers are basically on top of you now and you will need to make another Defy Danger if you want to avoid their deadly attack.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:26, Tue 03 Sept 2019.

Istvan scorns the danger of the reapers. "You fools! You've walked right into our trap!" He points over to his left. "Destroy them all, Fang!"

The idea is that while the reapers are looking over to the side, Istvan will use his boots to leap for the exit and escape!

(14:41, Defy Danger with Charisma (Acting like he has a deadly bodyguard named Fang!) Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 8 using 2d6+1 ((2,5)).)

Somewhat amazingly, this tactic is actually somewhat successful...

Uri hesitates, trying to find a way to help Istvan.  When he sees that the swordsman doesn't seem to need his help after all, he turns and heads up the ladder.

Uri rolled 3 using 1d4.  Damage

Harlin, seeing that the others are also free of immediate mortal danger, slipped up the ladder.

Istvan's tactic seemed to at least partially work on the reapers and their limited intelligence. Two of them turned toward the false threat as the others grasped toward Istvan. But the the enemy's lack of cohesion caused them to get into eachother's way. What would have been the raking of deadly claws across Istvan's hide turned into the mere ripping of Istvan's clothes as the duelist leaped away. Still, Istvan heard the clanking of bone-coins as his newly-ripped coin pouch spilled its contents all over the floor.

The reapers quickly recovered from their bumbling mess, but the adventurers had already retreated and closed the door behind them. The locked door would not hold the reapers for long, but it would last at least long enough for the adventurers to all escape up the ladder.

The ladder emerged onto the flat roof of a building designed for a climate that never saw rain. Uri, Gania, Mozerat, Istvan, Harlin, and Quickclaw all stood under a star-filled sky. There was no moon, but the area still seemed to be flooded with moonlight. From their vantage point atop the mayor's manse at the tarrasque-city's head, the adventurers could see the rest of Trevisi sprawled across the slope of the tarrasque's back. There were small reaper swarms floating above the buildings, occasionally swooping down to bash against a shuttered window or a rickety door. Screams could be heard echoing through the night, punctuated by the occasional reaper wail. More than one house fire had started too.

There were bands of soldiers that could be spotted in the streets as well, fighting against the reaper threat. Big bands of bulking beautiful orcs walked in formation with spears and javalins protecting them like a sea urchin's spines. But the soldier formations were few, and the reapers were many. It seemed unlikely that the war would be won by facing the reapers head-on. "This... is not great," Mozerat commented, stating the obvious.

What do you do?

---

You are all atop the mayor's mansion and are safe for at least a few moments. Feel free to roll a Discern Realities or Spout Lore for more information. Or do whatever else seems to need doing. The mayor's group is not immediately visible, nor are the leaders of the reapers.

Istvan looked around...

(Spout Lore:
When you consult your accumulated knowledge about something, roll+Int. ✴On a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the subject relevant to your situation. The GM might ask you “How do you know this?” Tell them the truth, now.

11:18, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 12 using 2d6+2 ((5,5)).

NAILED IT

(Pause) In fact:

Human: You descend from an ancient martial tradition. Gain +1 to spout lore on anything related to warfare.

So it's really 13)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:21, Tue 10 Sept 2019.

What is it specifically that you are Spouting Lore about?

(Mm. Since Istvan is a military knowledge buff, I guess Istvan is looking at this battleground to figure out where one or more of the enemy leaders are, and the best way to reach them/deal with them without dying...?)

Istvan's knowledge of battlefields made two things apparent in regards to the enemy forces before them. The first was that the chaos was not quite as chaotic as it first seemed. Sure, there was no general leading the reapers in battle, but they would react to the changing positions of the orc battalions. Even when the opposing forces couldn't see eachother. This indicated someone was leading the reapers from a vantage point that had a great view of the city. This suggested one of the three reaper mages was somewhere in the dark sky above the city.

The second thing Istvan noticed was that there was one section of city notably quiet. The area around statue the adventurers rested at when they had first arrived. The reapers seemed to be actively drawing attention away from the square housing the statue of the hero Trevo. This suggested something may be going on there that the enemy did not want to be observed or interrupted. Perhaps one of the leaders could be there.

The whereabouts of the third reaper-leader were not apparent from observing the current battlefield. Maybe they were observing the under-city, or maybe they were somewhere else entirely.

Once Istvan had shared his insight with the party, Uri said Well splitting up probably won't work, these things are too powerful to risk it.  So what do you think, should we all go to the statue, or down to the trap?

"Statue, I say. They want to destroy this tarrasque, Trevo is tied to this tarrasque, or linked or however you want to say it, so I bet they have to mess with Trevo over there in order to mess with the tarrasque. So let's go stop 'em."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Mon 16 Sept 2019.

Gania glanced at the curve of the giant beast and then back at the emptied part of the city. She nodded at her clansmate "Very well." she nodded and led the way, glaive in arm. "And we'll show you how great Emberstorm can be!" she grinned at the dervish, her teeth and eyes reflecting a nearby fire.

"I'm ready," Harlin concurred. "Time to give these new weapons a hard test!"

The half-elf grinned in the darkness.

The party of adventurers made their way off of the mayor's roof easily enough and were soon on the streets below. The howls of frustrated reapers echoed behind them as the reapers from inside the building finally emerged, only to find that their quarry had already fled.

It was not very far to the town square where the statue was, but the adventurers knew it would not be so easy to walk there directly. Not with one of the reaper-mages actively directing people away from the area from the sky above. A couple flocks of reapers could be seen just over the rooftops. Each of which could quickly be sent their way.

What do you do to get in close without drawing attention to yourselves?

"Sierpinski, can you make us all invisible?" Gania asked as she watched  the swooping undead roam the city and the skies "If now, we might need to cut our way through the buildings in order to avoid the streets." she looked at the others "Unless anyone has some other ideas?"

How are the building constructed, are all walls bone, or is hide still used? especially in this part, closest to the statue and probably the oldest.
14:59, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Discern realities - construction of the city.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Sounds reasonable to me, Uri says as he scans the sky around them for incoming attacks.

Invisibility only affects one target, and says you can't cast another spell while that one is ongoing, so that'll be a definite no on mass invisibility.  Unless Sierpinski (or anyone else) has a trick up their sleeve that I don't know about...

Harlin tries to take in the tactical situation, focusing on finding patterns in the movements of the reapers.

Discern Realities 13.

Who's really in control here?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What is about to happen?

17:59, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 13 using 2d6+4 ((6,3)).

Sierpinski failed to respond to Gania's question. And after a moment or two, it became apparent Sierpinski was no longer with the group at all. Invisible or otherwise. Whether it was because he never exited the building or whether he wandered off to do his own thing after exiting was not clear. But he was not with the group right now, and so could not lend the group his power of invisibility.

Which meant Gania's idea to cut through buildings might need to happen after all. The barbarian could see that the structures here were mostly made of leathers stretched over frames of bone. Only a select few rooms in each building were made entirely of hard material. Still, the leathers they were made of were thick and tough, so cutting through them would still take a bit of effort.

Harlin, as he scanned over the battlefield with his elvish eyes, could see more than his fully-human counterparts could. In the sky above, he could see the huge form of a winged beast circling over the tarrasque. It didn't take a genius to figure out that one of the reaper-mages was likely riding atop the great beast, commanding the battlefield below. The figure seemed to rise and dip across the edge of the buildings, bringing it in and out of Harlin's view. It took Harlin a moment for it to register that the rising and dipping was from the tarrasque's footsteps. He had grown so used to them that he never even noticed the city walking anymore. But perhaps they could use that motion to their advantage.

Over the rooftops in the opposite direction, a lone reaper was approaching. Gania and Harlin both spotted it as they peeked out from their safe space. It would fly over their alley in a matter of moments and spot them if the party didn't take action. They could try to cut into a building and take refuge (immediately risky, but safer long-term), or try to sneak around outside and keep out of line of sight (immediately safer, but riskier long-term). Or come up with an alternative tactic.

What do you do?

---

Gania
What should I be on the lookout for?
A lone reaper is about to fly directly over your group's hiding spot.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
She building walls are mostly made of leather hides, but they are extremely thick. Still, it should be possible to cut through them.

What here is not what it appears to be?
You thought Sierpinski was with the group invisibly, but now you are certain he is nowhere nearby. Either he is still inside the mayor's manse, or he wandered off to do his own thing after exiting the building.

Take +1 forward when acting on the results.

Harlin
Who's really in control here?
Right now, the dark figure flying in the sky above seems to be pretty thoroughly in control of this area.

What should I be on the lookout for?
You should look for a way to take advantage of the city's rising and falling every time the tarrasque takes a step. Lines-of-sight from the ground to sky shift with the steps.

What is about to happen?
A stray reaper is about to fly over the rooftops and spot you in the alley.

Take +1 forward when acting on the results.

"Come, let us slice a way!" Gania roused the dervish and set her glaive to work, slashing a gap taller than herself and then followed with another parallel to the floor and few inches above it, making two flaps that she forced open, hurrying others to get out of sight. "We'll take care of the path. Harlin, Istvan, check that we don't rush into a patrol. Uri, how can we stop any magic they will try to employ?"

20:10, Today: Gania Flamekeeper rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Defy Danger - hack the hut.

Uri replies I can help remove an enchantment that's already on you.  As for protecting us from additional magical attacks... The bard racks his brain for anything he may have heard about magic resistant properties of the terrasque.  Legendary monsters were not his strong point, but surely he had come across something over the years.

Uri rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Spout Lore.

"Cover, now!" Harlin urged. "One is coming overhead.

"Try to always go uphill, when the tarrasque takes a step forward. We need the buildings to conceal us from the sky!"

Defy Danger-WIS to monitor patrols. 8. the GM will offer you a worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice.

15:38, Today: Harlin Greenarrow rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger-WIS.

With Gania's strong cuts and Harlin's guidance, the group managed to sneak through the nearby buildings safely, and run between them without being spotted by the reaper patrols. The insides of the buildings were mostly dark. They had to navigate through empty living rooms and dark store rooms. There was one building full of decorative leather carvings that probably ended up with a couple of unintentionally destroyed artworks as Mozerat floated past with his blades.

While the group ran through houses, Uri could recall that tarrasques were resistant to many types of magic and outright immune to others. He could not recall which types though.

As the group rushed between two of the final buildings, Harlin's eye caught sight of a young soldier exiting a house. He looked like he had just worked up the courage to run and join the fully-trained veterans that were already out battling the reapers. Which was all well and good, except Harlin knew the young soldier was about to be spotted by a reaper patrolling overhead. The soldier would definitely be spotted, and surely outmatched. So it was up to Harlin if he wanted to provide aid to the unwary cadet, or if he wanted their group to remain unseen and leave the cadet to his fate.

What do you do?

---

The group is only one building away from the Trevo statue now. When they emerge from the next one, they will be there. So if you were going to make any plans or preparations, now would be the time.

Harlin
You see a lone inexperienced soldier that is going to be spotted. It is up to you if you want to blow your own cover to try and help him.

Uri
Tarrasques are most definitely resistant to some (but not all) magics and immune to others. You cant recall which specific types though. How do you know this?

As they ran, Uri thought back to a story he had heard as a child.  It was one of those fairy tales where all the adults try to do a thing the traditional way, it fails, and then the child everyone ignores comes up with a ridiculous idea that turns out to be correct.  There were lots of stories which followed this formula, but the one Uri was trying to recall right now was about a monster the size of a city (not named in the story, but close enough), and how all of the wizards had failed to get rid of it until the child did... something.  He couldn't remember what, but that probably wasn't the important part right now.  The bit about the wizards failing seemed more relevant.

Now, in the last leather-walled building before reaching the square, Uri told the group We don't know what we're doing out there, but we know they're up to something, right?  Something involving magic?  Well maybe a thick enough layer of the terrasque's own body will block that magic.  So I think we should take as much of this leather as we can, maybe even whole walls if we can manage it, and the first thing we do when we run out there should be that we wrap up the statue and cut it off from feeding whatever they're doing.  What do you guys say?