In reply to Zu (msg # 953):

Ok.
to fight the closest serpentmen, the diff lvl will be 2 (6+)
To help beat back the others boiling out of the chambers will be a diff lvl of 5 (15+)
he could call on up to two of his companions to augment the test(s) by up to 2 steps. If so which two will he call on?

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Okay, so Modelli is probably still carrying the girl, so if he's in range it'd be nice to have his support ability, but other than that he should stay out of it. Zu can handle the up-close fighting, so we definitely want Isaiab helping out at range. If Zafriti isn't hurt, she should be able to catch any of the critters that gets past Zu. Otherwise, any heretofore-unnamed grunt with a spear can handle that task--Zu's gonna try to make that job easy on whoever winds up at it.
Zu's definitely going to try to keep the others from getting out of the chamber, but he's out of tricks for now so he'll probably just have to do the best he can by hand.
So. How does this roll out?
(adding narrative)

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While he waits for the lizards to make their move, Zu catches Isaiab's eye. He raises his chin in a silent request. Then, between watching his foes, he risks a glance over at Zafriti. She'd been through a lot. Her speed and skill would be a great asset in holding off the enemy hordes, but was she still in a condition to help? If not, Zu would settle for another hand with a spear.
They could hold the lizards back with three. Zu was confident they could do it with three.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:38, Sat 13 Apr 2019.

In reply to Zu (msg # 955):

Isaiab can def help, as can Modellii cover their rear.
Zafriti is still shaken so no help there. You also hear Asrafel and Ostgar shouting and wailing war cries somewhere behind you as the sound of steel clashes.

( You can call on any of these per their conditions of current situations, except Zafriti as she is still mentally stunned by her experience)

You see Isaiab jerk his head up quickly .

( I am taking a GM intrusion, will you take it or pass?)

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Let's do it!

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Zu drops to the ground in a quick roll as two lizard men try to catch him between them. When he comes to his feet, he catches Isaiab's look.
"What now?" he groans as he parries one enemy's spear thrust and ducks under another.

In reply to Zu (msg # 957):

If the wave of serpentmen warriors could be said to be like that of a wave ,then that said wave increases in size.
Far behind the slithering coiling mass ,even further then the treasure room itself, a seemingly pale green light momentarily flickers , like a dense fog in darker environs. Catching a glimpse you see what can only be said to be an even more massive wave of cold blooded aggressors. The green light and fog lighting cold pale and dark scales that come tumbling from the yawning carrion pit like some dread wind or fleshy tumor heralding destruction.
You are not the only one to see this as Otsgar lets out a war cry and charges out to the front of the melee striking out with his large dual war picks, separating scaly arms and heads from writhing thrashing bodies. In a flash you see Otsgar take a wound to his side between two rib bones. He roars in anger and dispatches the offending serpentman with a powerful swing sending the scaly being trailing foul blood into his boiling and rushing comrades. Otsgar then begins striking the ceiling of the passage with forceful blows knocking chunks of stone and masonry. Seeing Otsgars plan the conjuror Isaiab begins speaking under his breath and you see purple light begin dancing around the old sorcerers hands.
Seeing Otsgar wounded Asrafel and Modellii rush forward grabbing the fallen man. Modellii grabbing Otsgar around his tunic collar with one hand the winter haired girl still over his shoulder, he yells for Asrafel. The younger man lifts Otsgar and supporting him on his side.begins moving hurriedly back.
You see Isaiab's invocation let loose . Thin spider silk strands of purple lighting shoot from his hands and strike the pile of stone now blocking the passage for the most part. The stones begin to glow orange then red and the pained and angry roars and hissing of your pursuers mingled with the smell of rank burnt flesh informs you of the spells effect. Looking at Isaiab you see for a moment some other outline of azure and green over and around the conjurer. The shape of this being some other unnameable horror from beyond. Too impossible and ghost like  to describe ,yet too real to deny.
A few of the braver and more blood hungry of the serpentmen ignoring the pain and their own burnt flesh climb over the fallen stones. Their advance is stopped cold as when half their bodies are squeezing through the narrow opening at the peak of the rubble, their bodies burst to flame and after the dying thrashing has ceased the flame, not born of the natural world continues to consume them even as their mortal remains should have since ben spent and burnt out.
You are taken from the sight as you hear Asrafel's voice yelling strained from the weight of carrying Otsgar," We have but mayhap mere moments! Make haste for death and worst await those that do anything but flee!"

[This part is the reward for the intrusion, You see something small and round something that looks like a ring or marble with golden dancing light on the dim floor]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:37, Wed 24 Apr 2019.

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Nice imagery! I like it!

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Zu scoops up the glimmering object, then shuffles after Otsgar, watching over his shoulder to see if any of the lizard men make it through the fracas. He deposits the thing safely in one pocket.
There'll be time to check it out later, he tells himself.

In reply to Zu (msg # 959):

[ Thanks! Just letting my minds eye "see" the scene.]

Your companions and the few remaining raiders make all due haste putting some distance between yourselves and the snapping blood blooded creatures. The only sounds are the moans of the wounded, Zafriti's soft sobs, labored breathe, and the footfalls of the fleeing. These are become even more desperate as the sound of tons of falling rock echos behind you. "Damn them to Gehenna! They have breached the collapse! Your spell must have worn off old man!," says Asrafel running besides you.
"I see light!" says Modellii slick with sweat pointing to a small square opening in the distance. "The entrance we came in! If we make it to sunlight these creatures may not follow and if they do the open space of the land will be better to fight in then these narrow halls!" The journey is quicker then expected yet not quick enough as while the entrance is visible and now larger, you now certainly hear the sound of rasping scales on stone and the swish of wicked steel in the air somewhere in the darkness behind you.

The retreating monk scowls and lags behind the others. Their enemies were too close, and some of his allies were on their last legs.
"I'll find a way to slow them down!" he shouts. "Go!"
He spins and leans back into a fighting stance, one hand raised above his head to strike while he scans his surroundings frantically for some possible advantage he might gain against his foes.

In reply to Zu (msg # 961):

You see the party come to a halt at the edge of the opening. Their freedom a mere step away,yet they hesitate??
You hear Zafriti scream. You see Modellii grab the end of the girl's breaches and tug forcefully back. Causing Zafriti,the white haired girl and himself to fall in a heap."Zu!" you hear Zafriti scream."Blast!", exclaims Asrafel. Asrafel,Isaiab and the rest of the survivors also come to a skidding halt."The wind has unearthed the ruins. We entered not at ground level but into a tower! What unearthly wind produced this? Were we really in there for days?!"
(The entrance once at ground level is now many meters up above the desert floor.)
By natural or unnatural means a much larger portion of the ruins are now exposed. The gleaming black stone of the tower and the surrounding city reflecting in the sunlight.


I will set the intellect check at diff 4/12+ on a roll to find something/plan that could help
This message was last updated by the player at 17:43, Mon 06 May 2019.

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So... are we continuing like this, or are we going to change tack to accommodate the RL game?

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In reply to Zu (msg # 963):

We are changing to expand on the RL game a bit, but with a more,"deleted scenes kind of deal", eventually I am sure this game will diverge like before. For the time being I will say Zu is heading back to town,(city of Abaddrah),  before the symbiote event and the appearance of Demona.

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Excellent! Sounds good.

---

Zu slumped a bit as he trudged along behind his friends through the desert. He was so tired. A bed would be almost as welcome as a hot bath.
He wondered if Zafriti gave massages? Or knew anyone that gave a good massage?
His feet hurt. His back hurt. He'd gotten a nasty-looking cut down his leg from somewhere, and one of the lizard men had sliced a neat gash along the back of his arm all the way from his wrist to his armpit. That one looked serious enough that it might need stitches or numenera. It didn't want to stop bleeding.

But for now, he just put one foot in front of the other and tried not to think about all the aches...

In reply to Zu (msg # 965):

"But you said that the builders of the ruins were humans who only worshiped lizards! and you said that they were long dead" bemoans Zafriti. Plucking a silver banded ring from her pouch, placing it one her finger you see a huge Carmellion stone , a pale pink stone set in silver. "Had I known beforehand I could hardly place this on my finger!" She says shooting daggers from her eyes in Otsgar's direction. The Raider Leader was sullen and riding a little further ahead, slightly slumped in the saddle of his Crodlu, yet somewhat sitting tall. He casts a brief look at her then without saying a word turns around.
Isaiab rides up to Zafriti, a wine skin in one hand,"If it offends, I will gladly relive you of it."
"Nay," says the lithe Stygian dancer stuffing it into the pouch again. "The profit of our expedition is slim enough as it is already."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Fri 17 May 2019.

Zu perked up a little bit when the others mentioned profit. He may have lost his backpack and a fair amount of skin, but he had found a much more interesting specimen. What skills would the strange, pale girl have? What stories could she tell?
Would she even speak the Truth? That made Zu falter a step. He was no master of languages--he barely got by with other people as it was. Sometimes it felt like other people were talking in gibberish, and they spoke the same language.
Hm. Perhaps Modelli would be able to interpret, if it came to it.
The monk found new spring in his step as he searched around for Modelli. Where had that slippery glint gotten himself off to?

In reply to Zu (msg # 967):

You notice that Modellii is off to the right of the group,astride a large Inix. You see that he has the white haired girl draped over the back of the mount. Her body from head to toe being covered in the light yellow of a Stygian,"moister clothe". This fabric when moistened could stay so for days,allowing the wearer to survive direct sun and heat of the desert. While keeping the body at a cool 72 degrees.
His mount is moving at an idle pace. You could catch up to him.

Zu jogs over to Modelli, leaving his aches in the dust at the prospect of a new curiosity.
"Modelli!" he calls eagerly. "The girl! Has she stirred yet?"

In reply to Zu (msg # 969):

Modellii halts his stead and turns towards you. You see that there is a half empty wine skin in his hand the other on the reigns of the Inix. He smiles broadly as you approach. "She has not and although faint efforts have been made. No sound escapes her lips" He draws on the wine skin. "The portable <b>MEDDOC</b> has not shown signs of her having damage of any kind or that she is slipping into the realm of shadow. She had been asleep for untold ages perhaps? Mayhap she will sleep for aeons more?" he says scratching his beard. "It seems our companions are less then happy with the pickings of that accursed tomb. However they talk of our numbers being less then when we began, making the pickings going to less hands. Perhaps you should stay close to the girl  before someone begins thinking of her as a commodity and a trinket as well?"

"Tis wise council you speak Modellii. I would expect nothing less from one such as you."
Modellii turns to see Isaiab coming up to them on his own pack animal. "Is that the rogue or the noble in you speaking?" asks the old man
"Both!" Modellii replies with a hearty laugh

Zu nods his head soberly. "I'll stay close to her." he vows.
Then he turns to Isaiab. "Did we really do so badly? I thought the men were looting the chamber before the creatures attacked us. It was full of a great wealth of Numenera!"

In reply to Zu (msg # 971):

The old conjurer nods. "Tis true that the ancient tomb was rife for plunder. Yet many of the wealth and wonders were either dropped as to not weigh down a combatant during that battle or was lost,...with the carrier who carried it." Isaiab glances towards Otsgar. "However the most glum is our sponsor. An expedition such as this is costly and with so few a trinket to bring back, he is already figuring the loss in that massive skull of his,no doubt."

It is at this time that you notice something about Isaiab. On the wizards hands and forearms, as on his neck and sides of his face near his temples, there are thin Purple and Black marks . Looking like varicose veins they now mark the old mans smiling face.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:57, Tue 28 May 2019.

Inside the city, Dacc-Dacc snarled a bit as they slid their bookmark in and pocketed the tome in their robes.  There was still no sign of the mansion's owner.

The gossip in the taverns had mentioned this Otsgar too many times to be a coincidence.  He was likely someone who needed hired people for expeditions or knew people who did, and Dacc-Dacc needed a job.  They were down to their last few shins and work that offered meaningful opportunities was scarce.

Dacc-Dacc sighed and decided to walk another circuit through the city streets.  Perhaps they'd sight Otsgar returning from ... where ever he'd gone.  Dacc-Dacc had managed to get a good description.  Failing that, they'd keep an eye out for scrap heaps to check through, garbage piles to pilfer, or even odd jobs to work for another bite to eat.

In reply to Dacc-Dacc (msg # 973):

You make your circuit and on your way around again, it is well past midday. You notice a few figures out by the front of the Mansion/tavern/inn of Otsgars. There are four all together and while they do not look like the commoners or the beggars of the streets,they have a "freshness", about them that does not speak of days out in the desert trekking the wastes.
Three are women by the looks of them and the other is a hulking brute that appears to be male,although an abhuman of some sorts with height and size beyond even the largest man. They are standing in front of the mansions doors in a small lazy huddle speaking to one another. You can not hear their words but you hear the sounds of their voices. After a short time, two of the women depart in separately. One a flame haired woman with a fanciful plume in her hat turns towards the dock quarter, the other a woman in red heads down to the seedier side of town. The other woman, a girl looking like she is make of liquid mercury turns to the rough skinned hulking abhuman and they head to the outlander section of town.

Dacc-Dacc surveys the three departures and weighs the likelihood of who might best know of Otsgar's whereabouts and possible time of return.

Their stomach growls.  Having found no useful items on their recent walk about the city, Dacc-Dacc decides to follow the woman headed for the seedier part of town.  At minimum, it should increase the chances of finding a cheap meal.

They take no more than their normal precautions to avoid notice.  Should the woman seem to realize she is being followed, Dacc-Dacc will approach her openly and politely.

In reply to Isaiab (msg # 972):

Zu scratches his head and nods, frustrated. Then he stops and gawks, though, and he doesn't try to hide his concern as he notices the strange marks on his friend. "Isaiab, what happened to you?" He gulps and whispers, "It was the magic, wasn't it? Did the spells cause that?"

In reply to Dacc-Dacc (msg # 975):

ok.Will you try and go unnoticed or not so much?

Either way you notice the woman walking at a leisurely pace ahead of you. While this is a rougher side of town. Her steps and swagger speak volumes of her comfort here.
Looking around you see vendors of the worst stripe. Selling recreational and well as leathal vices to the various species in ramshackled stalls. Further up are a couple of ready looking toughs both male and female, human and not eyeing newcomers that enter this district. Android prostitutes lean casually along buildings as the sounds of laughter and screams mingle with the sounds of heavy music and neon signs of the gaudies sorts.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:07, Sun 02 June 2019.

In reply to Zu (msg # 976):

The old conjurer nods. "My magiks call upon very alien powers. Some of which are from beings beyond the pale of this world and the pale of others." He shifts in his seat. "With the use of this power it can often leave a taint. Ones that I have contended with in the past. And while I have suffered no long term ill effects before. Each time ones touches the reality of those minds from beyond. One puts oneself at risk. with luck and a few powerful Numenera, I will heal my flesh."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:08, Sun 02 June 2019.