OOC: All of you who have your character at least mostly ready have received an intro blurb. You are all free to share any or all of that information, but it is your characters' choice, not mine. Obviously, those of you who traveled together share that information amongst yourselves.

You have been drawn to this land once called "Ohio", each for your own reasons. The group has been functioning quite well, transporting needed goods to resistance communities inside the invasion zone. You have noticed that some of those places have lost what little connection they were holding on to the USA and this Earth, though others have held strong. You are hopeful that this will build and allow a swift victory against the invaders.

OOC: if you have received a message explaining your arrival, you are now free to Role-play.  The adventure should start over the weekend.

Sapphire decided that she she didn't like trucks. Jason's Deuce and a half was shaking her around. Her stomach was permanently lurching, her skin felt cold and clammy, and she just wanted to be sick. Sure it traveled perhaps half again as fast as a Pegasus, but why would anyone voluntarily choose to move around in one of these?

As they stopped for the evening, without any of her usual grace she almost hobbled out of the car, stood against a wall on the side of the road and took lots of deep breaths. At least she had managed to hold it together and not throw up. She hadn't thrown up in public in two hundred years, and she wasn't going to start now!

"It all seems very alien" she said between the deep breaths she was taking to help her settle her stomach "I've never seen such a green desert before. Each place .. you said they were called 'fields' right? ...  seems to just have 'one thing' growing in it" she tapped the tarmac with her foot"This seems endless. Like the path of ... " she was struggling to find a description, it was so strange "like ... a giant snail that has hardened. It's like a scar that prevents all life growing where it has passed. How was it laid?" she had learnt enough about core earth to realise it wasn't some demon whose passage corrupted the land, but she couldn't imagine how so many hundreds of miles of 'just the same' could be made
This message was last edited by the player at 07:10, Sat 20 June 2020.

Pierre gave the elf a reassuring smile to assure her that yes, car-sickness did pass. Pausing to incant a quick spell when she started talking, he shrugged in reply. "Machines madame." he said in poor but recognizable Elven. "Machines to dig gravel, more to crush it, yet more to mix it with pitch made by yet more machines, yet others to lay, flatten and smooth it. Many machines."

Sapphire gave a 'thank you' smile at Pierre. She obviously appreciated the effort to have a learnt such a useful cantrip, and the kind gesture. She continued in English though because if other people didn't understand, she didn't want to be rude to them.

"Machines you say" she commented "The last time I saw such a thing it was a giant slug thing, that crawled through the forest. Perhaps thirty feet long. Nothing grew where it had been. Weapons dissolved when they hit it's body. It reacted badly to fire though: exploding when fireballed. The Loremasters struggled to categorise it. While clearly an Entity because it was inimical to life,  it didn't require stolen life force to live, so probably not some sort of higher undead. It didn't seem to hate life, and seek to corrupt people, so probably not a demon. In the end it was deemed to be 'just been a chaotic anomaly'"

"Nothing grew in the path where it had been. In the end my Mother covered it: causing the local plant life to shred the path, and pull the remnants deep in the earth. It was a great effort taking her days."

"So where are you from ... Pierre is it ... I was given to understand that people in this land don't cast magic, but instead" she waved her hand at the scene "use 'machines' to create vistas like this"

Ben enjoyed the ride, moving form a place to place on an army truck was one of the more mundane experiences he had. He still couldn't believe that less then a year ago he was a regular soldier in mandatory service and now he was ... living in a novel?

It wasn't just him everything went crazy, Ben served time in Cairo and Paris, they were altered but still looked like urban centers, Cairo had a feel of Mystery Men novel while Paris looked like someone copied whole chapters from a Gibson book. The US was different, Ben heard rumors it was hit hard but the he didn't imagined the level of destruction until he got here. Whole teeming urban centered devastated turned into wild land... millions missing or dead... it was a global scale disaster.

Of course it wasn't just the world, Ben was also altered, he could do thinks with his mind. Once he manifested his power they stuck him into a sensaory deprivation tank for a whole week. Other people might have been broken but it opened in Ben unknown abilities, his third eye as Matthew called it.

Now he was here, in what was once Ohio, sharing a truck with an elf taken straight from a Tolkien book and with other not less strange companions.

"We use this to grow food, plow fields as large as nations..." he added with a thick accented English. "There are... were billions of people on Earth and you need to feed them somehow." he explained.

The trepidations and tremors of the truck had insteadd Jalia felt comfortably into a nap, her glorious feminine and voluptuous body on display. Head on Sapphire's lap, she had passed out, half an hour earlier, after having devoured two big McDonald's Hamburgers, french fries, a milkshake and a soda.

Been originally from canadian ascend, it was like a return to a well known world, but plunged in a mist of magic and fantasy belief and vision now. She had been a charm model, and more, but now, the sculptural blonde with blue eyes, scandalously barely covered with a bikini made of steel scales and mail, fur boots, and reinforced brass forearms, was like a sleeping beauty.

As Sapphire, Pierre and Ben discussed, she woke up, rubbing her eyes, and yawned largely, stretching her back felinely. The heavy makeup she usually wore to enhance her genuine beauty smeared a bit, but she didn't seem to care.
Sitting up, she smiled around, and looked at the road behind us.

"It's like been in the belly of a metal golem, Saph'. Without the bile and crushing aspects, ha ! I hope we will cross one of those Edeinos people ! I was told they look like humanoids dragon without wings !"

Matthew listens to the conversation intently.  He still was not quite used to people of this sort.  He still was not used to being a person of this sort.  But he was glad he was.  Now that he has seen the errors of his ways and that of the Empire he knows he has a much greater purpose.  A destiny perhaps.  These people were a part of it, and he of theirs.

"It reminds me of home," Matthew adds, late in the conversation, as he looks across the vista.  "But only a reminder.  More... mundane."

"Oh!  No offense," he says with an embarrassed look as he rests his hand on Ben's shoulder.

Seeing Jalia awaken reminded Sita of their earlier lunch stop. She had not liked that "McDonald's" establishment. While the various fried meats had smelled quite delicious, even to a vegetarian like her, she had vague pre-Transformation memories about the food, from when she'd been a Core Earth medical researcher. Something about its chemical content, perhaps?

Ever wary of the Power of Corruption, she'd gone with the salad instead.

Seeing Sapphire's current discomfort, she mentally reviewed the belongings that she carried with her, to remember if she had any pills or tonics that would help. No, she thought to herself. Not in her medical bag . . . or her *other* bag . . .

No. But she suspected the symptoms would subside rapidly on their own, now that the vehicle had stopped. She sent Sapphire sympathetic thoughts, until then.

In reply to Sapphire (msg # 4):

Pierre switched to English, although it was obviously as foreign to him as Elven was. "Your slug thing sounds like a nanomachine assemblage of some kind. Industrial nano is usually weak to thermal pulse, often deliberately so. Nobody wants a 'grey goop' incident on their name after all. Military nano would usually be more robust."

"For myself, I am from Paris. It is part of Earth, but we have recently had the True Faith brought to us from another world, and one of the things that it brought was magic. The other, of course, was cyber." He brought up one arm, cycling it into weapons mode and back to manipulation mode to demonstrate.

Sita sits up abruptly, her eyes widening at Pierre's display. Not because of any fascination with the limb itself, though it was surely a wondrous thing, but at the thought of the medical skill that would have been necessary to attach it. Controlling sepsis, integrating existing nerve fibers and muscle tissue. Amazing.

"Pardon me", she says quickly, her English coming out with a clearly Indian accent. "I must ask, is the medical skill required to attach such a device a common thing where you are from? Is it also used to treat, ah, illnesses? Severe illness?"

Please say yes, she thinks. Please say yes.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Sat 20 June 2020.

Sapphire was starting to feel better. The world was no longer spinning, although her stomach still felt as though ... her mind veered away from the possible consequences of continuing that thought.

She nodded to Jalia's comments. "Mind you if these humanoid wingless dragons are as bad tempered and arrogant as your average dragon, we might have problems. Still we must not judge by appearances. Perhaps under their scaly exterior they are Folk who care and love and cherish. Just because they oppose us at this moment, doesn't mean they are Corrupt. I still have hope we can talk with them, and resolve matters peacefully"

Sapphire knew Sita was some sort of 'doctor' which she understood was often a healer. She recognised the look she was given as the 'do I need to do something' assessment, and gave a 'thank you' gesture to the doctor. She concurred with the unsaid assessment.

Sapphire had heard the words 'True Faith' before. Many times. Usually in children or younglings that had had their first religious experience. She too had felt the same way once: 'there was only one way', but then she had grown up. A slightly fond smile made it to her lips: such naivety was harmless, and she hoped he enjoyed it while it lasted. She wouldn't be the one to prick his bubble

Instead she focused on his interesting observation about the creature. She hadn't thought about it for a long time, a century perhaps. She had to use the sort of mental tricks the elves had developed over the years to handle long ago memories. An onlooker would see her deep in thought as she relived the moment in her mind before she replied to Pierre's comment "I know little of these 'nano' things. Would it sense as being alive?" she asked. "In the same way that I can feel the life in you and the others, I could sense the life coursing through it. It burned so very bright in my mind, and did not have that sense of hatred you would feel in a demon, or the void of unfulfillable hunger of a ghoul."

Then Sapphire saw the weapon mode.

Everything changed. It was as if the world had tilted. As though the background music in a traveling play had come to screeching halt. Her rate rate doubled. Tunnel vision came slamming in as adrenaline shot through her almost hurting her with its intensity

If it hadn't been a traveling companion who obviously demonstrating something she have unleashed her most potent magical death in his direction. That weapon violated the most fundamental principles of honor. She'd seen how effective these gun's could be: almost as potent as a powerful wizard throwing lightning. Having one built into one's body was as concealed as she could imagine a weapon being. Surely only the most henious Corrupt person could do that, and even if they weren't when the choice had been made: constantly carrying it would taint Pierre's soul in a way that took the vilest magic's to hide.

As she moved backwards a step trying to ramp back her instant 'fight or flight' response, Sita's words were almost lost to her. She was too busy trying to stop her hands moving through the patterns of destruction.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 15:31, Sat 20 June 2020.

Ben gave Matthew a shrug and smiled "Nothing wrong with being mundane."

He glance at the elf who seemed to be about to freak about something "These lizard dragon people are the enemy. It doesn't matter if they have feeling, family or kids... they are an aggressor invaders that launch the most devastating attack without provocation or a proper declaration of war. Millions are dead, million more are refugees, how many would survive winter without shelter and food?"

Those were dramatic words, proper government propaganda, no matter that it was true but Ben knew it was never that simple and with his ability to feel other people emotions... could he really go and kill someone when he could feel their fear? when he could feel how they cherished their young, loved their spouses and friends... Ben gift or curse gave him an edge on other people but it also came with a cost. He could never look at an enemy like it was a monster, not when he could tell what the other person felt.


He was not sure why she responded in such dramatic way, she was an elf so perhaps she had a pet dragon back home or something of the sort. He wasn't even trying to read her she was emanating such a strong vibe it took all his mental control not to flee the truck.

"Hey..." he said softly reaching his hand toward her "...it is going to be alight... I am sure we could find a middle way..." he tried a soothing voice, like his Grandmother sang to him when he was little and had nightmares.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:01, Sun 21 June 2020.

Jason hadn't immediately exited the truck once they stopped. He had made sure the emergency brake was in place, the truck was turned off, that everything was it should be so the truck wouldn't roll off on its own or anything - or be easy pickings to steal.

He climbed down from the cab and heard some of the passengers talking. He gave a long and mighty stretch, raising arms over his head, hands linked, then bent over for a moment as well, twisting this way and that, before straightening once more.

"What's going on, folks?" While they mostly all had strange accents to his ear, he was sure he sounded strange to them right back. His eyes, as usual, were first involuntarily drawn to the gorgeous and barely-clothed supermodel-turned-barbarian, but then his eyes moved to Ben and Sapphire. "Everyone alright? Sorry for the bumpy ride, but between the truck and the roads not being kept up..." He gave a shrug. "I find a little walk usually helps if anyone's interested."

He hesitated to make sure things were alright before wandering around though.

Koharu opens the passenger side door and slides out on the other side.  She has no strong feelings about the truck either way; it's a bit clunky, but it does its job.  But she's not one to ride in the back of a truck.  Taking in the tension, she just tilts her head slightly and watches quietly.

"Ben," Matthew replied with some concern, "they, as a whole, are the enemy, but as individuals it could be anyone's guess.  Don't forget that I too was on the wrong side in earlier wars."

"Ah yes, a walk would do these bones some good," he says as he exists the truck.

"Well yes, of course." He brought up a picture of a man in a wheelchair, all withered limbs and pallid flesh with most of the chest and face missing. "Me, at my last birthday, few months ago now. Very little that a nano-tank can't handle and that which it can't do a download and clone. It is expensive though."

When Sapphire went into fight-or-flight he whirled round, stepping forward to place himself between the non-combats and the potential threat, eyes searching for the enemy. "Where is it?" he asked, frustrated.

Ben's words were exactly what Sapphire needed.

In her head she knew this wasn't Aylse. It had been explained to her that she could not rely on the evidence of her senses anymore. That explaination might have hit her brain, but reactions didn't go through the brain. Natural Selection was alive and well in Aylse and people who didn't react fast, usually ended up dead.

Ben's words gave her brain the time to catch up with her bodies response. And the chance to feel embarressed. It wasn't Pierre's fault that he didn't know doing such a thing in Alyse was in practice an automatic death sentence. Especially since they weren't there now

"Thank you" she said to Ben. Then tried to explain to Pierre. "Automatic reaction. Concealed weapons carried by a person who looks as nice as you do, back at home are a sign of such vile and evil magics that I do not want to even describe them. I ... well ... if you go there you will be tainted and corrupted by carrying it."

"But we aren't there. And I did not mean to startle like that."

She made a serious attempt to brush it under the carpet, and just move on. Obviously she was embarressed about the whole thing

"That was you, you say. Impressive stuff. I can restore the body of a person to their natural state by amplifying their life force, but I couldn't fix this. Changing a person's natural state from that to your current form would take an Archmage. I only know of two that could do it" It was hard to keep her attention away from the no longer concealed weapon, hard for her not to scream 'assassin' but she was trying.

Sita speaks, her voice more somber and serious than anyone's ever heard her, these past two weeks. She faces toward Sapphire, but her eyes avoid meeting anyone else's gaze.

"Some weapons cannot be displayed before they are revealed. Please try to remember that, when . . . when the time comes."

Sita looks downward then, contemplating this incident. If Sapphire reacted like this to Pierre's firearm, how would she react to Sita, when--

Stop, she thinks. It doesn't matter. Her hand drifted down to the heavy bulge in her "other" bag. Sita had a solution already prepared, if it ever came to that . . .

Pierre blinked, then shrugged. "Aliens are alien" he said, mostly to himself. "Um, okay, but do remember that there are laws against carrying a weapon openly in most places. 'Brandishing' it is called."

He turned back to Sita. "From your reaction there is someone that you would very much like cured of something, yes?"

Sita blinks, coming out of her reverie. "Oh. Yes. My sister. She is very ill."

Sita swallows, and continues. "Her prognosis is not good. She probably only has a few more months left. I-- I do not believe Core Earth has developed a cure, so I have been searching for an answer from the invading realms."

She removes an old-fashioned journal and writing instrument from her pack. "The medical technology you described sounds most promising." She makes a note in the journal about the Cyberpapacy. She also notes that "Archmages" in Aysle may also be able to help, and that Sapphire is acquainted with two of them.

"Of course, there are many logistical issues, even should I find a workable treatment. Transporting my sister to the site of a cure, safely navigating any storm boundaries, arranging to receive the process in a way that does not put her or I in the debt of a disreputable benefactor."

Or in a way that causes her to lose her soul, she adds to herself. She sighs, and gives a tired smile. "It all sounds like a Herculean task, but I am not without hope. Never that."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:16, Mon 22 June 2020.

"So called 'cybertourism' is big business for France, you can probably just put her on a plane. What is the actual issue?"

"Endstage pancreatic cancer. Metastatic."

She purses her lips. "I am not sure it is as simple as putting someone on a plane. Forgive me, I am not an expert on reality mechanics, but it is my understanding that since she has already been converted once, to Orrorshan reality, then behavior that puts her at further risk of transformation might make her vanish entirely, into 'what if's'.

"It seems risky to put her on a conveyance beyond her axioms, then transport her across two reality storm boundaries, and then finally deliver her into the tender mercies of this 'CyberChurch'. The danger of having an actual device beyond her axioms installed inside her, such as an artifical pancreas, seems extreme. The cure ideally would be a . . . what is the Core Earth term? A 'one and done' endeavor.

"And there is always navigating 'the catch', whatever it may turn out to be. I do not know how things work in other realms, but in Orrorsh there is always 'a catch'. I would not want to see her converted into the service of an invader, for example; or face some form of indentured servitude for the rest of her life, to whoever aided her. There are many different factors to consider."

"Yes, Doctor, that certainly is a risk.  A very real and permanent one," Matthew says as he stretches his legs.  "But if you can't bring her to the cure, perhaps you can bring the cure to her."

He knows that priests and priestesses in the Empire have been graced with the gifts to perhaps help her sister.  However, he has seen these "representatives" of the gods turn down aid to their own allies.  So finding one that was not dedicated to the Pharaoh, and was not too afraid to turn their back on the Empire, and willing to make the dangerous journey...  The "ands" were seemingly endless.  But he also knew that if it was possible, it could be figured out with enough planning, thought, and aid.

Matthew gives Sita a sympathetic look and says, "Not an easy task dear Doctor, but one we should keep at the front of our minds."

Ben blinked as the conversation turned metaphysical, he heard the terms axiom before. It was no secret that tech and magic didn't work properly at all places. He even heard that in the US people got affected psychologically and stop acting like a group... it seemed odd but what wasn't odd these days.

"I am sorry about your sister..." he said after a moment because in the end, this was all about that. The doctor was trying to save her sister and all the mambo jumbo scientific bits were just the cover.

“When death smiles to us, the only thing that we can do is to smile back at it” Jalia comments as she gets out of the truck, grabbing her satchel and broadsword that she placed on her shoulder. She eyed Jason with a direct smile of her pearly white teeth, and brushed her blonde mane a bit wild. She obviously loved to be admired for her formidable physique.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:18, Fri 26 June 2020.

Koharu looks thoughtful, clearly doing a bit of math in her own head, if hers is quite different from Matthew's practice.

"So you are here seeking miracles?" she asks, suddenly.  "I have heard this wilderness is the place for them.  If you find one, I can, as you say, put it on a plane, though Indonesia is.. an unpopular destination now.  I'm sure we could work out the details."

"Or we could go to any city in Aylse, that follows Queen Ardinay. Which is about a hundred times safer than France or Indonesia." Sapphire said lightly. She was pleased the conversation had moved on and was allowing her to relax a bit. She was a little more serious when she explained why "The Cyberpope's inquistions will torment you as soon as look at you. They will burn me at the stake twice over: once for being a 'witch' and once for worshipping 'false gods'. The lands of Indonesia are ... not pleasant. But I think you know that better than I... I've just heard the BBC World Service" Sapphire observed "I myself can channel divine power and pray for the healing of little wounds, but I have no skill with diseases. With magic I can heal things that the body could naturally heal: wounds, broken limbs, even damaged organs.. although not severed limbs or failed organs. This though is different: the body cannot naturally heal it.  We call your cancer 'The Crab' because it feels like a crab's claws constantly nipping. Sometimes it is called 'Do not cut'for the obvious reason. Treating it is normally simple when detected early, but if you leave it a long time you might need to go to a cathedral and focus the prayers of a thousand people or more. That focused spiritual might is what I think you need here. I don't know the words you used other than cancer. They sounded serious, but" her voice became a little wistful as she remembered the euphoric feelings when she last led such a prayer service "the prayers of thousand people in a place of holy virtue can move a mountain"

She paused wondering how much to explain at once. Things that were normal and simple to her were complicated to these people from other Cosms, and vice versa.

"Perhaps this is a place for a miracle" this was in reply to Koharu's comment. Her tone implied she was thinking about it seriously, rather than dismissing it "It has the advantage that we are here now. My feeling though is that the main people worshipping here are the lizardman, and how you would get a thousand of them together for this I do not know. How you would persuade one of their priests... again I don't know

"I do know there is a simple way to do it, with a good chance of success. Short form: get her and us alive to London and keep her alive until the next Sunday .. the holy day of Dunad ... and she will be cured. There are complications... nothing is without complications... but those can all be overcome or accepted." She was obviously willing to be asked for details, or let the conversation drop, depending on what the others wanted to do

Ben eyes shifted from Pierre to Matthew "All the portents we followed led us to Ohio. " he turned his gaze to the Indian doctor "Look, doc I am all in favor of finding a cure for your sister, I feel for you but there is a bigger picture. There is a global war..." he spread his arms wide "bigger than that and my colleges and I got here cause all the signs directed us here to help stop this invasion. "

He paused, he was being a jerk and he knew it but he also had family and friends and they were all under the Pharaoh knife "I am saying I'll be glad to help if it would come to that but I am on a mission and the safety of the world come first."

"I do not think I will find the miracle I was looking for here", Sita says with a shrug. "The Living Land inhabitants that I made contact with were, ah, not inclined to help.

"But perhaps elsewhere. Sapphire, I would be happy to speak with you in more detail later, in private, about possible avenues of assistance from within Aysle."

Sita looks around at everyone, smiling. "I thank you all for your kind words, and for your generous offers of assistance. It means a lot to me.

"However, as Mr. Altman has pointed out, we have a job to do in the here and now." With a last cautious glance at Ben, being wary of his seemingly hard-line stances on various issues, she then occupies herself by recording these latest findings in her journal.

You have been working on the truck and supplies for a few days. Getting to know each other has been tricky considering your disparate backgrounds, but you seem to have made a team.

A military jeep pulls into camp with a passanger. The Airman driving calls out to Jason, "Hey, how soon are you making that next run?  This is Gavin Little and he needs a ride through, as close to Maine as you can get him."
OOC you all figure its a little over a week of prep before you go

Sapphire had made a little house a small distance from where they were staying. In the evening there had been a tree on the edge of a field. In the morning when the sun rose there was a truely breathtakingly beautiful garden that blended into the field so that it was hard to see the boundary between the garden and the field and the hedge. In the tree itself was a tree house constructed with living plants as the walls. There was a grace to the windows and doors of the house, in the way the flowering climbing plants had symetrically formed around them, with just enough wildness in them that it looked almost natural

There was no obvious way to the tree house: the climbing roses and brambles while they looked beautiful also had remarkably sharp looking thorns. Sapphire would form a ladder out of grass which would then collapse back to being normal grass when she had ascended or descended.

During the waiting time she spent quite a long time staring into the distance. She explained to any that asked that she was researching a new spell, one that might be use in the Living Land that they were heading towards

---

When the time to leave arrived, she was ready. While her weapons were on display: she wasn't going to violate that principle, she was wearing a hoodie. She knew that many locals weren't used to seeing Elves and didn't want to cause any problems for the others

"Mr Little" she greeted the new person "Call me Sapphire. I'm not from round here, so my Geography isn't as good as it should be. Is Maine in the Lizard Men region?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:43, Wed 24 June 2020.

Pierre spent time videoconferencing, with a pretty woman he claims is his headshrink, with a masked and hooded 'asset' in the hope of gaining local intel before the run, and with a variety of seedy looking characters.

At the end of this he approached Sita, telling her that he had 'sourced' an artificial pancreas and some 'silver bullet' serum for when she had a plan to move her sister to it or visa versa. He offers to teleport her, but warns that doing so is dangerous.

He also spends time talking with Ben, Sita and Sapphire regarding their various magics.

Not going to clutter up this thread with sub-plots, anyone interested in exploring these please pm me.
Also, Primal Instincts is pooled.
Primal Instincts → The Storm Knights embrace the primal allure of the Living Land. Clothing rips in the most flattering way and passions are greatly amplified during the next lull in the action. Storm Knights who have an amorous encounter gain two Possibilities.

Sita spends the bulk of her time over the course of the week discussing magical theory and practice with Sapphire, Matthew, and Pierre. With various teammates, she also spends time discussing possible options to help her sister.

Leaving others to greet Gavin Little, she instead chats with Pierre. When he mentions a "silver bullet serum" she blanches, her mouth falling open. Then she quickly realizes that this is probably some sort of euphemism, and that he wasn't proposing an 'extreme solution' of some kind.

She laughs nervously. "Ah, forgive me. When you mentioned 'bullet' and 'serum', I thought that this Cyberpapacy must have very unusual methods of administering medicines." She laughs again. But then also watches him cautiously, trying to verify that he doesn't actually want to shoot anyone . . .

Matthew thoroughly enjoys the academic conversations on magic over the week.  He is very open about the power of Mathematics and the gods, with their planets, that power it and answers any questions openly and eagerly.  He focuses on what planets are in alignment on each particular day the discussion is had.

And while he does consider himself lacking in any expertise on the Arcane Knowledges, he is most intrigued by the conversations on Occult Magic.  He is fascinated by its workings and its potential effects on the caster.

When Gavin arrives he acts as he did when he first met the others... he is distant and quiet, but not rude, until he can gain a better understanding of the person.

In reply to Dr. Sita Chandrasakar (msg # 33):

Pierre laughed. "No, not that kind of bullet. A silver bullet serum is one that kills only one thing. Genetic and behavioral targeted. So if your problem is say flu, it kills only flu, not people or anything else. Very useful in medicine. In this case you would set it for 'Sita's sisters cancer cells'."

Jason frowned lightly and nodded at Sita, echoing previous sentiments. "I'm sorry to hear about your sister, Dr. Chandrasakar. I hope you can get a cure to her or vice versa. I'll be happy to help if I can."

He looked over at the airman, and that at the "Gavin Little" talked about. "I mean...it's not that out of our way to go to Maine. Or closer to Maine after we complete our mission. Sure." He smiled at the newcomer. "Welcome to the Menagerie, Mr. Little."

As the prep time stretched longer and longer Ben grew more and more impatient. He was a soldier and he knew the wait was part of the game, a long part of the game. Most people who watched movie thought that war was all about bullets flying over your head and heroic acts in the face of certain death. In reality war was stretched of long wait punctured by brief bloody violence.

While the whole idea of magic was intriguing he did not joined the tree house club to discuss magic, he was no wizard or warlock or whatever people in Tolkien-land called magic users and beside he already freaked out the elf-maiden one to many times.

So instead he practiced, went to regular jogs and made sure his weapons were maintained and ready for use.

In reply to Matthew Matherson (msg # 34):

Apologies in advance for taking liberties: This line of discussion has brought up something that I wanted introduced by the newest member who is permisably unable to suply it at the moment. This post may need to be retconned, however I need you all to start taking notice in character, so...

Gavin appears to be confused as he exit's the jeep. It's almost as if he's stepping back into a friends house, but all the furniture is different. Then he overhears Matthew say something like, "The last time Horus and Nut were alligned..." the rest lost in the movement of people preparing.

Gavin approaches Matthew, cautiously, and asks, "Excuse me? Can you explain why the days are getting lomger?"

Jalia was getting sightly upset at the discussions going on around her. Not  that she was especially dumb ~she was not brilliant either ~but most concepts she might have understood before, such as cancers, genomes, medicine, technology as a matter of fact, was at best a blur of memories, and confusion.

To get rid of this frown on her mind and face, she turned to the new arrival Gavin, and rolled her eyes as he was asking about mathemathics.

"Am I the only one to be curious about where we are going exactly, and for what purpose ?" she asked around with her low feminine and raspy voice. She was quite impressive now standing at her blonde beauty of more than six feet tall. Muscles well sculpted without been a bodybuilder.

"No" Sapphire said in response to Jalia's question "I asked. But he looks a little .. well .. how can I put it... It looks like he might have been smoking some weed. Certainly he ignored all the questions put to him." her words were light, but she was worried "Mind you if I thought the day was getting longer I might start smoking weed. If the sun stops oscillating through the middle of the earth, then who can predict what will happen: perhaps it will stop in the Land Between." she paused suddenly not sure of her geography "Earth does have a Land Between right? And the sun goes up and down?"

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 38):

"Seasons, my friend," Matthew replies instinctively.  "You see, the Earth faces the sun at an angle and-" Matthew stops mid sentence when he notices the placement of the sun in the sky.  "Hmm..."

Matthew has been so focused on tracking the stars back on Terra via his charts and equations that he hasn't payed much attention to the the skies on Core Earth.  He pulls out a compass and his pocket watch.  He immediately sits on the ground and pulls out a small notebook and begins writing numbers and symbols, some of which seem a little alien to anybody who takes a look.  He seems to come to a conclusion but checks his work again.

"By the gods... he's right." Matthew says as he stands.  "I apologize for being so dismissive Mr. Little.  I do hope that you forgive me.  Everyone, please listen.  The days are somehow getting longer.  Or better said, the spinning of the very Earth has slowed!"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Sat 27 June 2020.

Ben was happy to see another soldier, even if he was just an airman.

He glance over at the elf maid, nothing she said could surprise him anymore, her world was so alien that the only thing that got his attention was that even in a magical flat earth realm they had weed.

"The Earth is a sphere, it rotate on its axis and around the sun... which is one star of millions in our galaxy." he explained looking perplex at Matthew "You think there is something abnormal with the days?" he asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:56, Fri 26 June 2020.

Koharu glances up from the table where she's been working on her laptop.  "Is it?" she says to Matthew's announcement, sounding relieved.  "That would explain why the sunrise and sunset have been late.  I thought my tables were off."  She smiles a little, clearly finding comfort in the confirmation that it is just all of reality that has gone wrong and not a typo she needs to debug.

She looks back down at her spreadsheet thoughtfully.  "If it's going to continue, I suppose I'll need to model the impact on our crop cycles."  Then she blinks, frowning.  "No, if it's going to continue it's going to devastate our crop cycles, eventually, and that should probably be prevented, not modeled." 

She slides her chair out with quiet delicacy and stands, steps to the side, and puts it back where it belongs before turning to face Gavin.  "Mr. Little, what does this have to do with Maine?"

"Yes, Ben, I am afraid so," Matthew replies then takes a moment to review his calculations.

"With so much discussion about magic lately, I first thought that maybe we were under a spell that slowed down our time.  But I sense nothing of the sort."

OOC - I have detect magic but I am assuming that, since we are in a pre-game scene, we are not making rolls like that yet.  Correct me if I'm wrong Aperios.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Sat 27 June 2020.

The idea of the Earth spinning was so new to Sapphire that she wasn't really able to work out what the consequence would be. It didn't sound good though: she could by analogy imagine what would happen if the sun was stuck shining on Upper Alyse: there would be heat... and Lower Alyse would get cold. And it would be deadly...

"Is it just a local thing?" she wondered out loud. "Is there a local phenomena that makes us think the days are getting longer. Or can this be seen everywhere. If the latter, I don't think we will need to worry: everyone that 'can do something' 'will do something'. There are arch-mages in Aylse that could easily divine if it had a magic cause, no matter how well hidden. There would be Cathedrals full of worshippers praying to the Gods for guidance... I assume your 'Earth tech' has similar 'emergency options' and that the resources of all the world, even those fighting the invader, will be drawn to solve the problem"

"If it is the Invaders causing it... is it something they want, or a sideeffect of the invasion? Does this start a 'clock ticking' for them, meaning that somehow they have to 'finish' their invasion? Or was it deliberate... an act of one or more of the invaders?" she shrugged "I guess that will be unknowable to us for some time. Perhaps Dunad will smile on us, and place some invader with such knowledge in our path, or some other clue. I will pray for that. Other than that, we should probably try and complete our mission..."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:21, Sat 27 June 2020.

"It wouldn't be a local thing", Dr. Chandrasakar replies, to the comments of the others. "And if it continues to progress, it will do far more than merely devastate crops. It will devastate everything."

She runs through a quick checklist of cause-and-effect in her head. The loss of global centrifugal force, the heat-trapping nature of atmospheric gas on the day side, the complete lack of photosynthesis on the other. The worldwide weather effects of such extreme temperature variations. Perhaps survivable, for a time, at the boundary zone? No . . . no existing ecosystem could possibly withstand it, in even the most favorable of locations.

"Mr. Matheson, in the days ahead, please see if you can calculate the rate of slowing, if you would." She looks up at the sky as she speaks. "If it progresses enough for the world to stop entirely, it will be a global extinction event." She looks around at the others, making sure they understand the stakes. "Nothing but microbes would be left, after that. Nothing. No form of life still big enough to even see with the naked eye would survive."

She gives a resigned, humorless smile. "Until such time, I suggest we continue with our good works toward others. Such as the upcoming mission for the refugees."

She returns her gaze to the sky. She was remarkably calm about this turn of events. Living under the impending threat of a horrifying death for her and everyone around her? Frankly, that was just another day in Orrorsh. Was this any different, really? No. And so it certainly wouldn't change her behavior, in whatever time they had left. She would still help people, whenever she could. Still work to save her sister. And still continue to endure the encroaching horror, if only for one more day.

Ah, her poor friends, though. They weren't used to living this way. And now they too, perhaps, were about to truly find out just what that wretched existence was like . . .

Having nothing better to do, and still having a planned job, you continued preparing as the rate of slowing accelerated.

By Matthews calculations it has been almost 7 days scince you realized the slowing was occurring, and yet the sun has only risen 2 times, and it doen't appear to be setting. The local military assistance has kept you informed; Mobius has built an Artificial Sun, so the Nile region is operating as if everything wasn't ending. But, this must have taken him weeks...he had to have known this was going to happen long before anything was measurable.

Everyone is hoping, each in their own way, that whoever is responsible for stopping this disaster gets on with it, but for now the mission is ready.

OOC, the Player behind Gavin has agreed to let me play him as an NPC until he can be a PC again.  I beg your indulgence with any issues that may arrise

You made your deliveries. You helped the locals and you loaded up to take Gavin as close to home as you can. You are heading down a dirt road toward New York. The road has degraded significantly, and, hitting a sharp rock, your front left tire blows out.
Jason, make a Land Vehicles check DC 5 to avoid a crash.

Jason wasn't really that smart or well-versed in the sciences. He also didn't magic from a hole in the ground - hell, he didn't think magic even EXISTED last year! So he looked up at the sun for a moment, shading his eyes with his hand...but then he shook his head and looked away. He wouldn't be any help in figuring that out.

So he went back to what he DID know - work. He helped with the gathering of supplies, the packing of supplies, and more - but even HE began to notice the sun wasn't acting as it should as time went on. He muttered about it but didn't have a good idea how to fix it or anything.

So he drove them to their deliveries. Then they packed up again to take their 'guest' Gavin as close to Maine as they could - or what used to be Maine anyway. Then the tire blew out. "Damnit!" He shook his head, slowed the truck and pulled over quickly.


OOC: So I rolled a d20 and got a 16, which I think is a +3 added to my Land Vehicles total of 14, right? So a 17?

21:14, Today: Jason Keller rolled 16 using 1d20.  Land Vehicles (I think).

"Have faith, friend Doctor" Sapphire had said kindly, seeing the depression... or perhaps resignation ... in Sita. She clearly didn't share it "The Gods of Honour oppose this action. Through Their Agents, this wicked plan will be averted, and the World will be saved. This is the way of the world: when a necromancer summons forth an endless army of the dead to conquor or destroy a country, then a Hero or Hero's will be chosen by the Gods to oppose them. When a plague is called forth by the Servants of Corruption, then the prayers of the faithful will call forth a champion to smite the creator of the plague"

"I have personally seen this happen perhaps three times. All hope seens lost, but at the last moment the Heros will step forwards and save the day. A good example is the great paladin Tollwyn Tancred."

"I will pray for their success. If we are fortunate perhaps we will find ourselves in a position to help them."

---

Sapphire was not enjoying this journey. The truck had been bad enough when the roads were endless and smooth. But this constant jolting on the terrible from side to side was not doing her any good at all. Her face had gone white and she was sweating with the effort of not just throwing up. The Deep Mist was not helping: the advice she'd been given of 'watch the horizon' didn't really work when the horizen was only thirty feet away or so. Her face was going white, and her sweating wasn't just from the heat when the car blew a tire.

Fortunately they weren't going fast, and Jason had handled the car superbly. Her first through then was just 'thank god this has stopped. Rather shakily she got out of the car as fast as she could standing against a tree, almost wanting to hug it. This mist was actually quite disturbing, and she couldn't help but worry about dinosaurs or lizard men creeping up on them through the mist, using the copious undergrowth to cover the last distance before a pounce: that's what she would do if she was on a raiding mission. In fact she had done on more than a few occasions

She could do nothing about the mist visibility problems, but she certainly could do something about clearing the sight lines, and making it hard for the dangers around her to flank them.

With a some what more shaky gesture than usual, and taking a little longer than perhaps would be normal, glowing lights of sunlight left her fingers and gently flowed all over the visible area. The plants there grew quickly: the undergrowth near them growing out to form a wall at the edge of vision. The area between them and the edge of the mist now just a rather pretty grass with some small and low to the ground wildflowers blossoming.

OOC Enchanted growth spell
Effect is to clear the area within the area of visibility of undergrowth. The dense green is (very - toughness 20) - dense undergrowth. The light green is a beautiful grass + wild flower lawn
This message was last edited by the player at 08:36, Mon 29 June 2020.

That is great. Displaying the roll, the resulting Bonus, Skill Value(Adds+Attribute), Skill Total(Value+Bonus) Result Points(Total-Difficulty)[if important]
This test was what we US Army Vets refer to as a G/NG, and you got a Go!

Changing the tire is not difficult DC 8 Land Vehicles, but it will take time base 40 minutes. Anyone who can think of a way to help can try Narate what you are doing to help, name the skill you are using, and make your roll...DC 5. Higher success levels on the main task will reduce the time.

"I'll keep an eye out for any dinosaurs or Lizard Men" Sapphire said leaning against a tree, just glad they had stopped moving. She couldn't think of any way that she could help fix the wheel, and actually if she tried she suspected she would have been so tempted to sabotage it that she might not have been able to resist the temptation.

They didn't say 'as keen eyed as an elf for nothing': she was quite good as a lookout, although at the moment she was mainly relying on what she could hear.

OOC Find total of 20 (the die roller is my friend today)

Pierre swung down from the truck, impressed but the instant clearing. That wall looked tough, and there was range and area involved too. He would not have liked to chew the reality lash from that one! Looked like the PEW was more than a pretty face.

Cause of the stop was easy to see, a burst tire. Easy to fix too, this primitive stuff practically fixed itself.

15:36, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 20 using 1d20.  Change tire.
15:36, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 13 using 1d20.  Reroll.
That's a Spectacular, I believe.

Leaving the horseless carriage to those more informed about its maintenance, Sita keeps watch as they work.

It is well know that too many cooks can spoil the dish. With Pierre and Jason on the tire Ben took into security. How many people do you need to change a tire, he mushed as he checked his SMG and heavy pistol. "Nice weather..." he muttered holding his Galil MAR in a relaxed grip, barrel pointing down but ready for action if any enemy appeared by.

Jason looked surprised that someone was bothering to help him with changing the tire. He looked at Pierre, hesitated for only a second and then shrugged and smiled. "Thanks! Good help is hard to find these days. Can't really call Triple A."

Of course, he didn't call Triple A back before the world went to hell. He used to be a mechanic.

However, the world being as it was these days, he examined the tired to see if there was anything suspicious about the blowout.

Pierre is making short work of a long task. Ten minutes in and he's got the old tire off, rolling the spare up to the front, when all at once Everyone hears a russeling; something is running down the road, coming straight for you!
Visibility in the mist is 10 meters
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:26, Tue 30 June 2020.

Sapphire made a noise that roughly translated to 'good heavens' in Elven "A Folk being chased" she called out as she pulled out her sword and started to spell cast. She should have done this sooner, she knew, but she really didn't like spell casting in the Living Land.



OOC
Casting sense life: Takes about 11 seconds casting time
(1 round to manipulate the spell and a second casting time)
Effect: Anything within 40m that has a mind total of 16 or less I can sense, and discern the type and number of creatures present.

Koharu sits quietly in the passenger seat, eyes closed, waiting.  When she hears the sound, her eyes flick open.  Looking out the windows to see Sapphire drawing her sword, she opens the door and slides gracefully out, dropping to the ground and closing the door behind her.  Her head tilts as she listens.

OOC: How big does it sound?  Any sense of whether it's like, one thing, or several, or a stampede, or a good time to stop giving the GM ideas?

Jalia narrowed her eyes as she stepped forward the jungle, trying to get a better idea of who or what was coming to them. She stood here, legs apart, planting feet into the ground for stability, and her long sword clearly ready for use in her right hand, her formidable figure enticingly glistened with persiration.

"Saph' ? let me attract it and cast something nasty if need be." as she was ready to intercept whatever it would be.

This was as good a time as any to see just how difficult operating here was going to be, and Pierre chanted the mantra for his signature buff, the Squad Tactical Boost. "Tactical Diamond Formation, 2 meter spread, execute!"
Spellfire lashed out from him to all the others, AR windows opening on their left eyes as spellcode executed, changing to the welcome screen.

All PC's: *Ping* Welcome [new user] to tactical enhancement v1.14. Your speed, strength, toughness and morale have been improved, duration 250s (this counts down). Now go forth and smite those heathen!
1)Blinklik here to suppress morale boost
2)Blinklik here to suppress strength boost
3)Blinklik here to suppress all boosts.

Spell went easily enough, but as he had feared the reality of the Living Land was much more reluctant to change, and he had to put real effort into it.

Okay, this buff increases Str, Dex, Tou and Spi.
Exactly what it does depends on your base stats.
The Simple Method: Have a +3 to all 4. (this averages out)
The complicated method: Compare the spells effect total (16) to your base stat on the power push table (not the speed push), increasing the stat by the result.

09:35, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 12 using 1d20.  Spellcast.
09:35, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 6 using 1d20.  Ranged Contradiction.
09:36, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 14 using 1d20.  Possibility.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:40, Tue 30 June 2020.

An attractive young woman rushes out of the mist, her clothes torn, her face a mask of fear. She stumbles directly into the arms of Pierre, sags into his chest, gazes soulfully into his eyes, and shouts, "Hilfe! Hilfe! Die Eidechsen sind hinter mir her! Und mein Vater ist..." as she points back the way she came. She stops mid sputter as the strong embrace from Pierre (possibly influenced by the flow of LIFE all around him) calms the young woman down, she says in accented Englih, "Please help me! I am being chased by those terrible, how you say? I forget the words. Oh, yes, I remember now! Lizards!"

At that moment, the plants in the area start moving to attack.

43 They Hesitate!
S: H Flurry V -
Act: Attack/Taunt
This message was last updated by the GM at 21:32, Fri 03 July 2020.

This message was deleted by the player at 13:06, Tue 30 June 2020.

Pierre's spell casting surprised her a little, but she was pleased to see it's effectiveness. It was very different to the type of magic she would do, but that only added to their power as a group.

When the woman arrived, she couldn't make sense of a single word that the woman said at first, but wasn't actually that worried about her at the moment. That was Jalia's and the other's problem to deal with. Her's was the threat that she suspected only she could sense

"Some people.. Lizard men perhaps. I sense maybe 6... no make that 8 of them. They are ... umm ... 100, maybe 150 feet out. Well past the mist" Sapphire called out "I feel that they can see us, and are trying to circle round. Hopefully the walls will keep them out. I'm trying to count how many there are now..."

And then the animating plant life put a lie to her hope. It was obvious that the walls wouldn't 'keep them out' or at least not all of them. That made everything much more dangerous. Moving with the dexterity and speed that elves were famous for, she moved so that Jalia was between her and the nearest Animated Plant.

"I need to lock them down. I will try and stop them circling and keep them busy" she said "Jalia can you help keep the plants off me..." with that walked forwards in the direction the woman had come from. The same small glowing balls of sunlight that she had summoned when she had enchanted the plant life formed again and raced away from her into the Deep Mist and whatever they were doing was not visible

As she walked she prayed to Dunad "Lord of Honour who risked all to save others I call on you. We know little about these lizard men. We know the woman flees them, but know nothing about the circumstances. I beseech thee from this strange land to grant me the strength that will let me call forth a means to determine friend from foe. In this difficult matter I will stand by thy judgement of who is friend and who is foe"


OOC
Flurry round 1:
Simple action. Walk 15m (Run limit is 10, walking as a simple action is 4 less so 15m)
Simple action. Use the existing Enchanted growth: tell it to grow to maximum effectiveness in the area marked on the map in red. I am assuming the woman 'came from that direction'
Can you let me know if any of the 8 are caught in the zone? I put an S to indicate roughly where Sapphire is
Complex action. Invoke miracle bless.

Flurry round 2:
Complex action: Active defence.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:42, Wed 01 July 2020.

In reply to Sapphire (msg # 63):

in this case, Sapphire's second action can be assumed to happen after everyone's 1st action, so I have no problem applying it that way.
I would point out, the Player cards are Eternity cards, where possible, so the wording may be slightly different than the Images Sapphire is using, but it's like using a Proxy card in a friendly game of MTG, as long as everyone knows what it does, what the picture is doesn't matter.

Koharu stays quietly where she stands, by the front of the truck, listening.  As the strange window opens in her field of vision, she tenses, startled a bit until she realizes what it must - at least more or less - be.  After a moment she realizes that she has allowed herself to become quite distracted by it, and tries to refocus her attention past the display and back on the mist.

Attacking plants ?This world was definately different from what she imagined. With large sweeps, Jalia stepped in towards the plants, and slashed them to keep Sapphire safe. SHe could feel the joy of exercizing, each muscle of her body working like a perfectly healthy machine.

OOC : what is the difficulty to hit the plants with a melee roll ?

Sita's brilliant mind immediately takes stock of the situation. An ambush. She and her companions, all sitting out in the open, all inside a prearranged kill zone. The attackers, hidden by obscuring mist, protected by animating plant life. The circumstances were not in their favor, and there were only bare moments left to tilt the scales.

She takes a deep breath and looks around at them all, realizing it was perhaps the last time that she would call some of them her friend. In the end, she hoped that they would understand. For it was time, now. Time for all the masks to fall away . . .

She reaches into her other bag, the one filled with corruption and death, and removes a heavy Victorian-era pistol. Rather than preparing to fire it herself, however, she instead drops it at Ben Altman's feet. She knew he was a professional soldier. From his previous comments, probably the most . . . pragmatic of the group. He would do what needed to be done, if it should ever come to that.

Looking him in the eye, in the gravest of tones, she says, "If I lose control, you need to kill me with this when I come back. I'm trusting you to do it. Kill me dead."

And with that, she then breaks into a full-speed run, disappearing into the mist.

OOC:
Taking a full Run movement, 100m movement rate. My roll to disappear into the mist:
00:30, Today: Dr. Sita Chandrasakar rolled 9 using 1d20.
Action value 13 - 1 from roll + 3 from Pierre's buff = 15 vs DN 10, Good success.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:16, Wed 01 July 2020.

Jason frowned, looking up from the tire situation as a woman came running out of the mist at them, first speaking in another language which he thought sounded like German but wasn't sure. Then she switched to English and mentioned lizards!

He sighed, but didn't see anything yet. His eyes shifted sideways to her to make sure she wasn't trying to dupe them and do something to Pierre. In the meantime, he reached back in to the golf bag on his back and pulling out a baseball bat.

He saw the doctor go running in to the mist and he yelled out involuntarily, "Wait! Stop! Don't!" He hesitated and then took off running after.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:47, Wed 01 July 2020.

Pierre was not at all displeased to find himself with an armful of pneumatic young woman, in fact very pleased. So pleased in fact that when she pressed close he bent his head to steal a kiss. "Pardon Mademoiselle, but you have quite overcome me, the lizards can wait." There he stood, ignoring them in favor of a liplock. Or so it seemed...

1st action: Taunt. Look how vulnerable and easy to hit he is here, lost in mating rituals.
Taunt value: 13. Players call: the Ed are so enraged that he is taking them lightly that they rush forward to attack him, giving up their mist edge.

In reply to Jason Keller (msg # 68):
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:00, Thu 02 July 2020.

Three months ago if someone looking like Sita would have told him something like this, Ben would have scoff at them for being over dramatic. Three months after the invasion and a tour inside Mobius empire thought Ben better. He picked the gun, made sure it was loaded and the safety was on and tuck it into his belt "I will." he said to the disappearing doctor who had a very good sprinting speed.

That was the only bright spot, the rest was chaos, the Tolkin-fans were rushing like a two-girl army, very girl power but leaving their flanks open.

Pierre found this the moment to make out with the woman that ran toward them, Ben heard tales about the French passion for romance but this was ridiculous. Ben didn't need Spider sense to know they were in trouble but he knew he would need every edge he had so he focused his mind increasing his perception and awareness to the surrounding.

Lifting his Galil MAR he was ready, if anything lizardly pocked its head out it would get the finessed lead Israeli military tech produced.

"Gunner, formed a circle around the truck, keep it in short burst only if you have a clear line of sight. Melee fighters, keep next to the gunners, intercept any melee charge. Civilians, under the truck for max protection... if we get overrun, run back toward the civilization, we will give you as much cover as we can." he didn't expect anyone to listen but he had to say it anyway.

OOC:
14:33, Today: Ben Altman rolled 17 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Final result is 14+4 vs. Target of 14. Success
Resist is 13+4 vs. 14 success as well, no mental damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:36, Wed 01 July 2020.

Matthew hated days like this.  "Of course all of this is happening while all the gods sleep," he thinks to himself.  He has been in many battles before, but he has always felt out of place.  This place has him more "out of place" than any other.

He moves to heeding Ben's orders he quickly moves to Koharu's side at the front of the truck.  "Quickly, we must get under the truck," he says.  But then he notices Pierre and the woman out in the open.  The lizards were after her already, they'll surely be heading for those two.  He tries to see through the mist to find a target as he runs the numbers through his head and releases the energy they posses.

Pooling Willpower

OCC: successfully cast Detect Magic (Mathematics) I am able to detect all magical eminations within 50 feet (magic items, the products of magical engineering, the effects of magic spells, and the effects of miracles).  I'm hoping this can help me target... if not, that's fine.

1st Flurry action: Calculate the influence of Isis and cast Detect Magic
  08:20, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 11 using 1d20.  Mathematics - Isis.
    Mathematics 16 + 0 (roll) vs DN 10 => Success
  08:22, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 9 using 1d20.  Divination - Detect Magic.
    Divination 15 - 1 (roll) +3 (influence) = 17 vs DN 12 => Success

This message was last edited by the player at 12:31, Wed 01 July 2020.

In reply to Jalia (msg # 66):

The plants won't actually attack until the Villains go. They will be functioning as a swarm, so attacking them will not be effective--though it could get you a card this round for Approved Action. You Could declare 1st action as hacking at the plants (DC 7,9,11...One on Many, very small, easy) and second as Active Defense and narrate them both as swinging your sword defensively,

In reply to Pierre de Gaulle (msg # 69):

I read your post as attempting to Taunt all of them, The original OoM rules allow partial success, though they still make all the actions/targets more difficult. You are due a Card, so you know you succeeded, but there's no perceived evidence to say how well or how many.

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 71):

. This is enough to target with a -4 penalty if that is your choice. Awareness rmains active, but will soon be redundant]]

OOC : Well it is exactly what I was aiming to do so yes :)
1. Hacking plants
2. Defensive stance to intercept the edeinos


04:04, Today: Jalia rolled 19 using 1d20.  Melee Weapons total 13+5 = 18

Jalia sweeps her sword around near ground level, making an effective, if unusual lawn mower; but many plants are left Jalia is owed a card...make your Active Defense roll. She continues to point her blade at the plants as they get more aggressive.

Action Count:Ben 1, Sita Separated, Gavin 0(covered soon), Jalia 2(after Defense roll) Jason Separated, Saito 1(?), Matthew 2, Pierre 1, Sapphire 2...does anyone disagree with my count?

OOC ;
08:12, Today: Jalia rolled 12 using 1d20.  Active Melee Weapon Defense Roll.
Which makes Defense Melee up to 14 with the +1 bonus.

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 75):

OOC: I disagree with my count of 2 actions but I will move this to the OOC channel since my point could get verbose.  And the counter-points could be verbose.

It was a system message that brought Pierre back to his senses.
*Cling* Penis Magnafique requests power divert from Trigon LeGentle for reconfiguration. Permit Y/N?
Why was his... oh right. Damn, but these invaders could be sneaky bastards! Reaching into his personal storm, he brought out a small amount, spinning a Cyberpapacy bubble around himself.
That worked, muting the demands of the local cosm even if it didn't totally stop them. It was worth noting that his storm had gained energy by it though, something definitely worth exploring when he had some leisure.

Breaking the liplock _{(mate, sire children)} he smiled at Didi (Damsel In DIstress). "Ah, very fine. But perhaps not the best time, no?" Turning to place his armored bulk between her and any threats out in the mist _{(protect female)} he ushered her gently towards the truck. Where was he? Oh yes. "Ooda loop execute!" _{(protect tribe)}

All PC's:
*Ping* Ooda loop plug-in active, duration 400s. Your combat response times have been improved. Kill! Kill! Kill!

10:14, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 17 using 1d20.  Spellcast.
Everybody have one extra action per turn. This is both the simple and the complicated method. When casting for multiple characters, fixed effect spells are your friend.
Arcane knowledge is Sapients, Folk Synonymous.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:39, Sat 04 July 2020.

Ben felt more than saw where the enemy was, he aimed... no aiming is when you see something with your eyes. In this case he guided his rifle toward where the enemy was and released a short burst toward the spot.

OOC:
12:56, Today: Ben Altman rolled 15 using 1d20.  Attack -4.
11:15, Today: Ben Altman rolled 13 using 1d20.  Possibility.
Total toll=29 -> +9

Ben's total= 13 (base skill) +3 (Pierre boost) + 9(roll) -4 (penalty) = 21
Assuming Ben's target is 15 meter away, if it is more than the value drops to 18.
Since Ben attacked, does that mean he can move a card from his pool to his hand?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:17, Mon 06 July 2020.

Gavin reacts to the upcoming attack in a strange way; he appears to be having an alergic reaction. His whole body starts swelling, and Swelling... until he's grown to a massive size.

As if he just realized what a huge target he makes, Gavin starts bobbing and weaving, attempting to make himself a worse of one.

Koharu continues waiting calmly.  She blinks again with the new strange mental ping.  Her hand extends slowly, carefully controlled, and then turns over, palm up, and draws back, in a fluid motion as she feels out the changes.

Matthew's calculations reveal many sources of power among his friends and also many in the mist.  He scribbles another equation in notebook as he consults his charts and mumbles in an ancient language.  As he chants, the equations lift from the pages of his notebook and transfer to his neck.  The numbers and symbols begin to glow as Matthew's hair flies violently as if in a turbulent wind.  He takes a deep breath.

Matthew unleashes a scream that emits a focused bright white light and a powerful wind, targeting what he believes to be the source of the powers in the mist.

The equations fade and his hair settles when the Death Shout is complete.



OOC: After Apeiros's ruling on Mathematics, I'm taking my Flurry round

23:59, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 10 using 1d20.  Mathematics - Ra & Nut.
23:59, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 16 using 1d20.  exploding 10.

Mathematics 16 + 9 (roll) = 25 vs DN 16 ( Nut DN 12 + 4 OoM ) => Ra +3, Nut +5
Conjuration 12 + 8 (Ra & Nut) = 20 vs Death Shout DN 20 => Success
Death Shout total 20 vs Defense of target + Darkness Penalty

If successfully hit, Damage 25

Pooling Hero
This message was last edited by the player at 04:26, Tue 07 July 2020.

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 79):

For each Turn a hero has in which they attempt some action that actually moves the story, they get to put a card from their hand into their Pool.

In reply to Koharu Saito (msg # 81)

Are you executing a "Wait" Option?

To clarify in light of my Reply to Ben above, With a "Wait" or a "Do nothing" move, there is no Hand to Pool movement. However, if the Hero does act later in the round from this Wait, they can Pool a card at that time

In reply to Matthew Matherson (msg # 82)

You feel the power and the numbers add up. The casting is true. Your Detection spell registers the shout as it goes out.

unless I have misread something, we are ready for the villains' turns. Everyone except Saito(?) should have 2 cards pooled in their pool. If you were due a card for Approved Actions, it should be in your hand now. Let me know if you are missing one or need more information on any of your cards

I will allow people to update their pools through tonight. Tomorrow we start rd 2. For right now,

20:17, Today: Optant rolled 16 using 1d20 ((16)). Unarmed =15

Ben    12(15)
Gavin  18(19) (attack gets +5)
Jalia  14(17)
Saito  16(19)
Matthew 10(13)
Pierre  12(15)
Sapphire 19


Ben, Gavin, Matthew and Pierre are grabbed by the surronding plants. Jalia fends them off with her sword, Saito neetly sidsteps and dodges them, and Sapphire strugles to maintain her control while blocking incoming plants.

Those caught suffer a -4 to all Dexterity-based skills or any skills which require movement. The character may attempt to break free by making a Strength roll of difficulty 13; other free characters can help, coordination difficulty 5.

21:29, Today: Apeiros, for the NPC Edeinos, rolled d20 ((18,4,19,19,15)).
OoM: Running up to/through defensive barrier, throw spears STR 9 MW 12
C @Ben (11)      MW 12 +5Rl -4OoM -3Rng =10 miss
D @Gavin (15)    MW 12 +5Sz -8Rl -4OoM -3Rng =2 miss
E @Gavin (15)    MW 12 +5Sz +6Rl -4OoM -3Rng =16 Hit 1RP
                 D12 +1RP=13 -T20 +2OoM <0 Gavin takes 1 Shock
F @Jalia (15)    MW 12 +6Rl -4OoM -3Rng =11 miss
G @Sapphire (18) MW 12 +2Rl -4OoM -3Rng =7 miss


Five Edeinos rush up to the edge of your vision, obvioulsy intending to push through the undergrowth, but failing. They throw weirdly solid and single piece spears, all of which go wide except one that hits Gavin's huge body, apparently he is the only one who didn't notice it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bteioimdewzbdrs/Init92.png
I've decided to stop trying the Images, follow the link to see the Init Card
"You give up ground!"
S: H -  V -
Act: Defend/Taunt

Heroes' turn


Clarification: after re-reading and influence from Eternity...I am going to require an Active Defense action to get the card, but I will not require actuall targeting...if you Defend and don't get hit, you get a card; even if no one attacks you.  This is MY^current interpretation of Old TORG rules for Defend approved action.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:03, Thu 09 July 2020.

Sapphire was sweating with the exertion needed to avoid the plants. She felt a little pang of worry: that had been horribly effective. They were in a life an death struggle and she suspected only she could sense the targets. Her head told her to attack the Eidenos, but her heart wouldn't let her leave the others trapped. After fractions of a second she went with her heart.

Quickly she called to the others "I will pray for you. If in your heart you call on Dunad he will help you" and then she did just that.

"Dunad I thy Champion in this place and time call on thee to assist us in our hour of need" Sapphire invoked. Dunad had already shown his willingness to help in a very real and demonstratable way: his remarkably efficacious blessing allowed her to try things she wouldn't normally even countenance. "Help these my companions. We are attacked by foes from stealth, who seek to bind us then slay us while unable to defend. God of Honour grant these Folk the ability to fight back against these foes using such dishonourable means"

OOC
If you don't have the faith skill, and accept the blessing: +4 to all strength bonus numbers
If you have the faith skill: The DN is 11, the bonus number is +2. You add 'level of successes' to your strength. This works out as

• Faith attr+skill  9 => total 11 => +1 to strength bonus numbers
• Faith attr+skill 10 => total 12 => +2 to strength bonus numbers
• Faith attr+skill 12 => total 14 => +3 to strength bonus numbers
• Faith attr+skill 16 => total 18 => +4 to strength bonus numbers

If you do have faith you might have to roll a spiritual conflict (ask the GM). I'd just casually mention that Sapphire rolled spectacularly well on the 'bless my spirit' miracle, so that might hurt more than being trapped

Note that this doesn't improve the attribute strength, it improves all bonus numbers associated for the attribute strength and strength skills. (So for example it doesn't buff damage)

It was like a scene from the Evil Dead, only he had no chain saw.

He heard Sapphire calling her god/s??? but perhaps in her Tolkien world getting faith was as easy as deciding you believe in something. Ben knew he would need a little more than just telling him to have faith.

He focused on his current predicament, he tried to reach for his combat knife and use it to cut the vines or whatever was the botanic definition of the plants that grabbed him. Ben used the knife to cut the vines, although if he had to admit their grip seemed feeble in the first place and he would probably could have snapped them in his hands.

"Is that all you got?" he shouted to the lizard primitive waving his sap covered knife "your pathetic godless primitive magic is no match to 20 century steel... " he shouted.

10:52, Today: Ben Altman rolled 13 using 1d20.  Break free.
Action total = 8 (Str) + 1(roll) +3 (boost to strength) +4 (miracle) -2 (multi action) +3 (spells cancel multi action penalty) = 16

Taunt score = 8 (Cha) +1 roll -4 (multi action) +3 (Spell)=8
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Fri 10 July 2020.

Matthew writhed in the grasp of the plants trying to break free.  He heard Sapphire's call to her god and he prepared.  He has had experience with conflicting beliefs in other invasions and he knew the potential consequences.  However, as he felt the power of the miracle wash over him he accepted it because of the singular thought, "I don't want to be eaten by plants."

OOC: I'll accept Sapphire's miracle even though she warned her Spirit was pretty high right now.  Maybe only so I can shake the cobwebs out of my memories of Miracles in Torg... which is one of my two favorite things in Torg.  Also, it will be fun to RP.  Anyway...

Thanks to Pierre's spell boost my Faith value is 13, thus +3 to strength bonuses.

Spiritual Conflict:

  08:42, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 9 using 1d20.  Spiritual Conflict.

  Faith 13 - 1 (roll) = 12 vs Sapphire's Faith

I will await Sapphire's Faith roll to see if I take Spiritual Damage before I take my action

This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Fri 10 July 2020.

Matthew has never felt this strong before.  Pierre's still unfamiliar magic courses through Matthew's body and Sapphire's god provides even more power.  Matthew easily breaks free from the vines.  He surveys the battlefield to see if anyone does not escape the plants.

OOC:
21:53, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 17 using 1d20.  Strength test.

Strength 11 (thanks Pierre) + 3 (thanks Sapphire) + 4 (thanks dice gods) = 18 vs DN 13 => Good Success

Pooling Willpower

This message was last edited by the player at 02:37, Sun 26 July 2020.

Pierre rejected the heathen witches false blessing, struggling futilely against the grasping greenery.

01:22, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 6 using 1d20.  Round 2 roll.
Fails to break free.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:04, Sat 11 July 2020.

This message was deleted by the player at 16:45, Sat 11 July 2020.

Holding on MSG 92 & 93

Pierre only has the struggle if he accepts the blessing, which may be a valid choice as it gets him +3 to STR based bonus numbers, which stacks with his spell, which means he had to roll poorly indeed to fail, which wouldn't help him break free with a 6 rolled. Therefore I am going forward with the assumption that Pierre refused the blessing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:39, Sat 11 July 2020.

OOC:
17:26, Today: Sita-ish rolled 13 using 1d20 ((13)).
unarmed combat 15 + 2 from Pierre + 3 Blindsided target + 1 from roll = 21 vs DN 12.
damage: 15 +2 from Pierre + 9 result points = 26 vs DN 12 = 3 Wnds/KO 10 = 4 wds KO 15 result.{edited by Apeiros}

Still going for a jump-scare, horror-movie feel here.

The edeinos standing at the far-northwest edge of the clearing pauses after throwing his spear, to see if he managed to hit his target. Before he can advance any farther towards the clearing, however, he suddenly disappears into the foliage behind him. Not as if moving under his own power, but instead as if yanked off his feet by something from behind. Something strong.

There is a loud, wet, crunching sound from within the underbrush. Then barely a second later, the edeinos' bloody, ravaged body is hurled back out, thrown like a ragdoll. The mangled form flops to the ground a dozen feet away, sprawled grotesquely, and lies still.

No indication of what savaged the edeinos betrays itself. No sound. No glimpse. No indication of where . . . or whom . . . it would strike next.

OOC: Unless someone wants to make a difficulty 20 find test. :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:14, Sun 12 July 2020.

As the Edeinos arriven Jalia swings her broadsword, hoping to stop some of them with the threat she presents. her strike is mightier than some might guess, increased by Sapphire's spellcrating, the metal slicing the scales and body soundly.

OOC :
06:44, Today: Jalia rolled 13 using 1d20.  Melee Weapons Total 14. Damage 17
This message was last edited by the player at 06:53, Sun 12 July 2020.

Gavin appears to ignore the plants wrapped around his legs as he rips both himself and Pierre free, but something about the plants has deffinately disturbed him.
STR 20, +0 roll, -0 OoM (spell), vs 13

Koharu looks out into the mist, seeing the vague shapes moving at the edges of it, at least a few of which she's reasonably sure aren't just from the way the mist swirls.

When the mangled lizard's body flies out into the clearing, she turns around and moves back to the truck, reaching out gently for the woman's shoulder.  "Come," she suggests, trying to guide her back towards the truck.  "They can keep us safe," she says reassuringly.

Either way, she goes back to where she was, in the front cab.  If the woman does come with her, she'll climb in first and slide across to the driver's seat, letting her sit in the passenger's.

23:04, Today: Apeiros, for the NPC Edeinos, rolled 4d20 ((15,20,17,10)).
23:06, Today: Apeiros, for the NPC Edeinos, rolled 4 using 1d20 ((4))
Note: The 4 is the Roll again for the 10. The 20 didn't get one because I decided that was the Edeinos Ben Taunted into Unskilled

Jalia's attack was strong enough to knock her target down, and he is not as healthy looking as he was when he showed up Knockdown K/O 5...it took 5 shock a K (if it already had a K, it would have taken the O) and was knocked prone Still he is going to win!
Unarmed 12 +2r -4 OoM =10 vs 13 → miss but with the additional effort of regaining his footing, he is unable to connect.

The three other attempt to come through the barrier, but even weekend by their movement, the barrier is still to strong.

A new figure comes up the road and throws a spear at Matthew, 01:59, Today: Apeiros, on behalf of Optant, rolled 9 using 1d20 ((9)).  Missile Weapons 12 -1r =11 vs 13(buffed) miss

One lizard was pulled away and thrown back, definately dead. Another was knocked down by Jalia but got back on its feet.

A new lizard entered your vision range and flung a spear wildly. But all the plants have stopped moving, all your teammates are free from their grasp, Koharu has guided your visitor into the cab of the truck, Only Sita is missing from the group now that Jason has returned, and there are 5 scaley targets to choose from as we enter RD 3

Please check the Game Maps, the Main Map is a set of charts, hopefully soon to be a larger set of charts, and the Group 0 map should show everyone's location except the two in the truck, the one roaming the jungle/mist, and Jason who will get the letter K now that Koharu is in the truck

RD 3
100
Youʼre driven back!
S: H Fatigue V —
Act: DEFEND/TEST

I don't think anyone has a Fatigue Penalty, so everyone takes 2 Shock damage from the Fatigue And it if the Heroes' turn again

Koharu looks at the woman apologetically.  "I'm sorry that I can't be a better hostess.  The radio really doesn't work here, I'm afraid."  She seems absolutely calm, barely even looking out the windows to see how the battle is going.

"If I may ask, what brings you out here?  You said something about a... father, I believe?"

Combat was always tiring. Sapphire's heart rate had doubled, and it was hard not to fall into the trap of tunnel vision: just focusing on the immediate threat. Sapphire had to take a moment to force herself to breath, and her kidneys were aching with adrenaline.

Now that the immediate threat of the plants was over, Sapphire knew it was time to move from defender to attacker. One of the foes looked to her to be more the leader than the others. 'Battles are fought in the Will' she reminded herself walking towards the Optant. Raising her hands as she walked the tiny balls of glowing sunlight flowed out of her again into the undergrowth. Around the Optant and the Eidenos to the north the undergrowth began to grow, showing him that she was in charge of the battlefield.. that the forces of nature were hers to command and not his. He'd entered the area of her spell, and she was going to show him why that had been a very bad idea. The Eidenos that was closest to Sita, who she could sense with her magics, she didn't encase.



Simple action: telling the plants to grow, and walking towards the optant (15m)
Complex action: A 13 on Test of Wills (prefered action). As I don't think his mind is less than -5, I'll not worry with a players call.

A reminder: the 'undergrowth' is a 'bit hard' to get through. It's effectively impassible in combat. Movement of 1m requires the destruction of a toughness 20 barrier. The plant regrows after 5 rounds.

There are now areas several meters thick around each Eidenos to the North and the Optant that are 'thickening' up.

I don't know how this interacts with the 'animate plants' miracle

In reply to Sapphire (msg # 102):

Animate Plants was a 1 and done. no duration

Pierre nodded to Ben. "Merci. Those plants went a bit far for a first date, non?" Shaking off the fatigue from his failed breakout attempt, he looked around. Time for him to do his bit in this battle. Two visible on the left, but with what was presumably a friendly, if one addicted to psychological warfare. The Jammer was a little indiscriminate for that situation. Three on the right, they would do. He triggered his boosters and his arm came up, the Jammer purring like a contented kitten as it tossed its whirling clouds of death downrange.

Firing on the three Edienos at the 'top' of the map with the FN Jammer, full auto.
I make it Dex 10 (boosted) + FC 2 (chipped) + Auto 3 + Jammer 3 (weapon bonus) + Eyekill 3 + rolled 4 for a To-hit of 25. No Dn or T penalty due to the ooda spell.
Damage 23 + auto 3  + rolled 4 = 30. Vs Tou 10 = 6 wnd KO 15. Pointy stick armor? Cover?
Will wait for your reply before posting their shredding.

01:13, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 17 using 1d20.  Round 3 roll.

Only issues, 2) because we are using the Result Points to Damage Option/House rule, the +3 to hit only has to be subtracted from the damage (see Auto next) and the +3 to Damage from Auto fire isn't added...in both cases the "To Hit bonus" directly translates into Result points which makes them Bonses to Damage as well, but you also added the Bonus number (4) to damage instead of the Result points (13), so New Math: your 30 -3 (Jammer bonus to hit only) -3(Auto bonus already counted) -4+13 (ResPnts Replace Bonus #) gives you a 33 instead of 30 -10 Tou is 23 ...or 8 wds KO 15...enough to render the body unusable even for reanimation.

1) I just recalled your Ammo explodes "a few meters outside the barrell". This is where that extra +3 to hit comes from, and it does require a Ranged Contradiction, or the Flechetes will not explode. 2 Options, and I will post the math elsewhere, A) you don't push the envelope, losing the +3 maning your original 6W KO 15 is correct and these bodies could be used far zombies, or B) you go to 4 actions OoM, Reality 1st 19 vs 23 you take 2 shock, 2 Lizardds take 8wKO15 and the last one is a little less dead.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:45, Fri 17 July 2020.

Jason came out of the jungle and was noticed mostly by the loud gunshot noise that erupted from the shotgun in his hands. He had stepped out and lined up on one of the bad lizard people, pulling the trigger and holding with two hands against the recoil. "Have you guys seen...." He stopped, made a face as he thought about it and then shook his head as he reconsidered, not continuing his question.

OOC: So Fire Combat of a 15 total (Dex 10, +3 spell, +2 from roll).
00:41, Today: Jason Keller rolled 15 using 1d20.  Shotgun V Lizard (Fire Combat).

A) you don't push the envelope, losing the +3 maning your original 6W KO 15 is correct and these bodies could be used far zombies,

They were surrounded by enemies and he has been fighting to get loss from those grabby plants. Thing were from bad to worse when another lizard came out, their lizard head wizard the guy that commanded the plants. It didn't matter Ben felt his muscles ache, he wanted to rest his head and just let this nightmare pass... only this was no nightmare, this was reality. Alien creature invaded his world, demolition large part of his country biggest ally.

It was time to shows those freaks, he aimed his weapon and fire a series of control burst, two at the head lizard and two at the lizard that tossed that wooden pick at him.

OOC
Use Flurry for two actions.
First action :
Two burst at head lizard

14:46, Today: Ben Altman rolled 4 using 1d20.  Extra possibility.
14:46, Today: Ben Altman rolled 5 using 1d20.  Double strike vs. lizard and leader. Turn to 10 as the minim for possibility.

Score:
1st Attack 13 (Skill) + 3 (Boost Dex) + 2 (Roll) 0 (two actions -2+3) Total=18 Base dmg=19 (17+2 roll)
2nd attack: 13 (Skill) + 3 Boost Dex) +2 (roll) -1 (second action -4+4)=17 dmg=19 (17+2 roll)

Second action
Attack lizard man in front of Ben
14:57, Today: Ben Altman rolled 14 using 1d20.  2nd attack.

1st Attack 13 (Skill) + 3 (Boost Dex) + 1 (Roll) 0 (two actions -2+3) Total=17 Base dmg=18 (17+2 roll)
2nd attack: 13 (Skill) + 3 Boost Dex) +1 (roll) -1 (second action -4+4)=16 dmg=18 (17+2 roll)

OOC:
22:54, Today: Sita-ish rolled 5 using 1d20.  attack.
unarmed combat 15 + 2 from Pierre + 3 Blindsided target - 5 from roll = 15 vs DN 12.
damage: 15 +2 from Pierre + 3 result points = 20 vs DN 10 = 1 Wnd K/O 10

I think that's still enough to drop one, just from shock. Will edit post afterwards if not.

(Post edited because the original description was inconsistent with what turns out to be the actual character placements on the map.)

The thing that Sita had become moved slowly and quietly at first, after her latest kill. Until the gunfire started. That provided her all the background noise that she needed, to rush unheard to her next quarry. A large, humanoid, wolven creature exploded out of the underbrush from behind the edeinos that was fighting Jalia. A . . . werewolf!?!

With a snarl, the creature launched a quick, raking strike at the edeinos as she passed by. The edeinos shrieked in pain, desperately trying to stagger away from this new attacker.

The werewolf didn't even bother to look back as she raced onward, knowing she'd struck deep. Knowing the prey would collapse into a pool of its own blood soon, if it hadn't already. Let it. There was no shortage of other targets, all around. She made a beeline for the last edeinos standing. Lizards first, she thought. And then?

Then, we'd see. We'd see, wouldn't we . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 14:28, Sat 18 July 2020.

Jalia stands in shock as something her childhood neighbors would have called a wendigo comes out of the mist and sucker claws the lizard she was fighting, then fades back moving toward the far side of the clearing.

Jason's shotgun blast hits solidly into the Optant, or did it just graze the thing? Your memory is a little foggy of those few split seconds before Ben opens up on it. It seams to be strugling, perhaps preparing to invoke his strange goddess for healing, when Gavin calmly steps on him, reminding Jason of a short animated flick he saw once and forcing a stress induced giggle.  Taking quick stock, the one still breathing should wake up in a few minutes, if nothing prevents that. The rest will not awake in this world again.

The lass who was chased into your midst has just calmed down enough to talk to Koharu when the fighting is over. "Please, my father...they have him. Please help him!"

With a soudnly gulp, the blonde barbarian glared at the wendigo, and lifted her broadsword with defiance. If that thing was up for a fight, it would find out that as gorgeous as she was, Jalia was also tremendously courageous.

She took a pose, a foot pressing onto her defeated opponent, in case of, and asked over her shoulder.

"Hey Sapph'... what do we do with this one ? I don't speak lizard..."

"I wondered what was eating those others. Useful transform." Pierre leveled a steady gaze at Sita-ish. "Fight is over for now. Come back to us."

Persuade maybe?

Sapphire had to lean against a tree when the fight was over. It had been scary, fast and brutal. Her body was aching from the reaction to the adrenaline, and the sheer terror of actual 'kill or be killed'. It wasn't her first, and it wouldn't be her last, but it wasn't something that she could easily get used to.

It took her a moment to work out what Jalia had asked "Let's bind him. Perhaps he will answer Pierre's questioning" she suggested, knowing that Pierre had a language spell. "And maybe he speaks English anyway."

"Hmm..." she was listening to what the woman was saying "it sounds like this ladies father is captured." she still didn't know all the 'rights and wrongs' of what was happening, but in her view the lizard folk had lost any moral highground when they attacked from stealth. "Shall  we go see?"

Koharu smiles gently back at the woman.  "Your father, yes," she replies.  "May I ask who he is, and what happened?  Then I will discuss the matter with my team," she promises.

The others were busy with the German woman, Ben scanned the surrounding fog. For starters unlike wooden javelins firearms made an awful amount of noise that could attract who knew what sort of monster.

More important he was looking for Sita, he knew she underwent some terrible transformation. She was afraid of what she will become and gave him a way to end her. He was now holding said way in his hand, he figured he'd be more effective with it than with a regular weapon.

He was walking in a slow circle trying to send his thoughts and emotions to Sita.

Come easy, rest it is time to return to your friends. We are here for you, it is safe to return we accept you as you are.

OOC
Using Thought Send to try reaching Sita.
00:07, Today: Ben Altman rolled 14 using 1d20.  Thought send.
Total: 14 +1=15 vs. 8 = success
Resist strain 13+1=14 vs. 8 = no strain

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 115):

Noted

OOC:
22:26, Today: Sita-ish rolled 12 using 1d20.  shapeshifting.
Transform to normal form: shapeshifting 13 + 3 from Pierre + 1 from Ben + 0 from roll = 17 vs DN (4-ish?), a very good success.

The werewolf sensed the hostility in Jalia's expression, and in her bearing. Was this meat challenging her, for dominance!?! The creature gave a low, rumbling growl, her claws curling to the ready. Her funeral, then.

No! NO! screamed what remained of Sita, deep inside the beast. She heard Ben's voice in her head as well, and added her own to it. Rest now. This is your pack, you're safe here. Please. Just rest.

The werewolf backed away from Jalia warily, not taking her eyes off anyone. She edged closer to the edge of the clearing, where she could keep them all in her field of vision. But soon, her breathing slowed. She finally looked down, to glance at her blood-soaked claws. As she watched, they shifted into Sita's smaller, hairless hands, changing back to human along with the rest of her.

Sita sank to her knees. With shaking hands, she unscrewed the cap from her canteen. She took swigs from it repeatedly, spitting out the fouled water each time. "Please, uh, p-please pardon muh--my poor manners, friends", she said, spitting again. "You see, I am, ah, I am. . . a vegetarian." The remark sounded woefully inadequate to the situation, even to her own ears. But they didn't understand. Couldn't understand. Because they weren't the ones with a mouth full of gore. She was.

She took another swig and waited for their hate to rain down, like the red spray all around her.

OOC: I played the Suspicion subplot card for this adventure, if that affects anyone's reactions.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:31, Thu 23 July 2020.

Just a reminder, Subplots affect NPC reactions...Yon Frauline will not trust this Dr. ...PCs MAY react, but are not compelled to do so; Having your characters actions determined for you by cards others play would not be fun. Or so I grok.

Jason watched as the battle wound down. Gavin....was...REALLY large! He gave an amused snort as the giant stepped on one of the lizardfolk. He shook his head. Definitely not the time.

The creature-formerly-known-as-Sita was in full carnage mode. She seemed to be...hesitating? Or something? Then she transformed back in to Dr. Chandrasakar once more and...well, that was gross.

He rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh. And, of course, someone was being held hostage or prisoner. Not that they knew this woman from Adam, but it didn't matter.

He put the shotgun back in the golf bag on his back. "I assume the majority wish to help free her father?" It didn't really sound like a question, more a confirmation.

Werewolves were not exactly unknown in Aylse. Sapphire had seen more than one village plagued by them. She'd also seen people turn themselves into such creatures by magics... The evidence of her senses was clear: Sita was still a folk when she transformed, whereas Werewolves were enchanted creatures. Even so she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. Still that was a matter to discuss with the doctor later.

She kept her eyes on the Lizard man that Jalia was guarding while responding to Jason's question

"I suspect that the majority... if they are like me ... would like to know more" Sapphire  could be blunt sometimes: especially when in the middle of hostile territory after being attacked by a horde of enemies chasing a helpless damsel racing through the wilderness crying for help. It was such a common occurance that occasionally the Corrupt would use it as a ploy, and she didn't want to fall into such a trap: unlikely though it might be. Questions could often help determine the correct path

"Like... who is this lady, why is this lady here. Who is her father, who else is captured, what are the motives of the captors.. the basics."

"Without those it's hard to know whether helping would be committing a Corrupt act of freeing a prisoner rightly convicted under laws we respect, or foiling a dastardly plan of the High Lords, or something in the middle"

Combat is over. For my Eternity Players, Cards do not get pulled back into the hand until end of scene. One consequence of this is Anyone with a Subplot card may still put it into their Subplot area where it will not count towards their hand size when we do reach end of scene...very shortly. It also means that if a new combat did break out before that point everyone who has no played a card would have 3 in their pool at the start of the new one.

Koharu has managed to get the girl calm enough to get her name, Hildy, by the time the fighting is over. As soon as it is safe, Hildy runs back to her Hero. Between her getting distracted by tears left in Pierre's clothing where the plants had him, Gavin shrinking back to normal size, her blatant distrust of "that woman" who "obviously wants her man, and her occasional slipping into German, it takes a few minutes to get her story:

the last plea is delivered directly to pierre accompanied by puppy-eyes.

Pierre dragged his gaze reluctantly up to Hildy's eyes. "But of course my dear, we will be happy to help out." He looked around. "Right?"

Those equipped for email (Saito for sure, maybe others) get an email from Pierre. 'A Nile Weird Scientist with a machine that can by-pass storms. You bet your ass we want him! Plus of course intel on this Still World (sounds like the longer day/night neh?) also useful.'

While the others were busy with the woman Ben went over to Sita offering her he pistol she gave him before.

He had a tiny glimpse of her predator minds, a rush of its emotions it wasn't pretty and it wasn't elegant but so was being a soldier... or at least he kept saying this to himself.

"I am going to circle around, make sure there are no stragglers and that there are no other nasty surprises."

Ben eyed the fog and the jungle scenery, it felt all to much like being in Jules Verne novel. Although to be fair, those novels never had Tolkien elves, cyborg and cute doctors who can turn into murderous beasts.

OOC
My initial response was yeah sure Ben has email but than I remembered this is the mid 90s, so even if Ben has an email he needs to find a computer that is wired to a phone line to be able to check for mails :)

"Ah" Sapphire said looking more delighted than surprised. After all they had had the damsel running through the wilderness chased by enemies... a classical signal that the Gods were calling them to action "Clearly the Gods have selected us as their pieces to use for the Great Game. I have prayed long and hard for this, and I am delighted that Dunad has seen fit to respond. He has indeed placed someone with knowledge of how to address the problem of the Still Earth on our path"

"So in answer to your question Jason. Yes. Yes I want to free her father. I have no desire to die from the effects of the Still Earth, and if the Gods are kind enough to answer our prayers and give us a chance to fight for our lives instead of just hoping someone else can fix it... then I will take that chance with both hands and sing their praises for it"

She thought for a few moments "The Eidenos will be as upset about the matter of the Still Earth as we are. Perhaps we can approach them peacefully. Perhaps we will have to fight them. There is every chance this gentleman here" she gestured at where Jalia was holding a lizard man "will be able to introduce us and explain what is happening. If not I suppose we will have to deal with them"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Fri 24 July 2020.

Sita finished cleaning her face and hands, wondering why no one had approached her out of general fear, hostility, or loathing yet. Then it occurred to her: These people were professionals. They wouldn't endanger the success of their mission with violence or condemnation toward her. At least, not until it was safer to do so. When this was all over, perhaps, and the world had been saved. Then they would intervene to banish, or . . . otherwise deal with her. Of course. Of course.

She took a deep breath, and sighed. So be it. I can be a professional too, until they decide to confront me. She headed over to the fallen edeinos, to do her duty as a physician.

She stopped halfway, due to making eye contact with Gavin's knees. She slowly craned her head up, up, up, mouth agape, finally noticing his immense new appearance. She briefly considered asking him about it, but then decided that she was probably the very last person present who should be questioning anyone about an exotic alternate appearance. She continued onward instead, kneeling to examine the edeinos, make sure it was in stable condition, and dress its wounds.

When Ben came over and tried to return her revolver, she was polite as she replied, without looking him in the eye, "Please hold onto it for me, Mr. Altman, if you would. I think it would be better for everyone if it were . . . ah, readily available, so to speak, at a moment's notice. Whe--If needed." She coughed. "If needed."

A strange, whispery, whistly voice comes down from the top of a nearby tree, "I don't think that one speaks a language you know. Perhaps I can help you?"

The nearby leaves shimmer, and a large starfish-like creature becomes visible. Though its skin coloration matched the treetop perfectly before, now its appearance is strikingly apparent by its flat, silvery color. The two front arms on both sides of the central arm curl downwards, and an array of long, spindly tentacles curl up inside its body, leaving only the tips to poke out.

The air forcing through each of its five arms as it speaks sounds strained, but it bobs up and down in the air mostly in place. "You fight against the false prophet of Lanala? Need help?"

Ben training kicked in as the monster appeared, his rifle was back up and the weird creature was within its sights "Don't make any sudden motions..." Ben cautioned the thing.

"Why would you want to help us..." Ben asked, he was not sure how to make sure the thing was not going to attack. It was so alien that it could probably shoot poisoned darts from those blow holes of it and Ben wouldn't know it until it was too late. He had his finger on the trigger and if the thing would do anything too fast, or too hostile Ben would spray it with hot lead.

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 128):

The floating starfish's exhalation forms the word "No, not sudden. No hurt you." It hovers still, seemingly studying Ben's rifle.

"I help because," the arms in back also droop down, and its skin changes color to a deep maroon hue. "Too much death here. Help live. Help others."

Sapphire had been watching the starfish approach since before it announced it presence. She'd half expected the flying arrival to be messenger saying 'prepare to die' or 'release your prisoners', but instead this sounded like a schism. Or a double agent: she didn't know what the signs of corruption looked like in this world. Still it was clear the Gods were moving and were selecting their agents to deal with the great threat of what she now knew of as 'The Still Earth', and this sounded to her suspiciously like the Gods opposing the Still Earth putting all their pieces onto the same chessboard

"Do you know anything about the place that this lady is talking about" Sapphire gestured to the damsel in distress "Is that at all related to 'the false prophet of Lanala'?"

Koharu approaches the floating-starfish-thing curiously, staring at it with unmasked curiosity.  She walks all the way around it in a slow circle while the others talk to it.  "May I ask, how do you speak this language?" she asks, curiously, trying to work out how it speaks at all.

In reply to Koharu Saito (msg # 131):

In the Stalenger Description, their communication is chameleonesque and by tentacle tapping, requiring Language in some other character and proximity to make comunication possible. No one likes a skill tax on Languages; look at the results of every Eternity forum topic on the subject. For anyone who missed or forgot (because it is normally not important), in this game, Language skill is used to attempt communication when there should be none...providing an alternate path when the Story is driving you a specific way.

In this case, the captured Edeinos can't communicate with the party _{(because he has nothing worthewhile to communicate)} so the party will eventually get past it somehow and move on; but this new arrival [Heavy Handed GM Hint] for whom you don't have a name [/HHGH] can communicat with both groups, through reshaping and restricting the air flow ports it uses for locomotion and vibrating the passageways, it is able to approximate the sounds well enough that you can understand exactly what it is saying.

In reply to Koharu Saito (msg # 131):

The stalenger doesn't turn to face Saito. Instead, it shifts its five arms so that the arm pointing at the Storm Knights droops as well while the arm facing Saito extends itself. The air wheezing out of its arms sounds out, "With great effort. Some invaders learned this language to aid in invasion. I heard humans' love of life and knew they not enemy."

The arm facing Saito rises up, as does the two arms to her right. The dangling tentacles unfurl and twitch excitedly as its skin coloration shifts to pink. "Help?"

After treating the last surviving edeinos, a curious Dr. Chandrasakar approached the strange-looking new arrival. As she passed Ben, she casually crossed in front of his pointed firearm, blocking the line of fire to the creature.

It hadn't been an accident, on her part. Best case? It would help reassure a potential new ally that they meant it no harm. Failing that, at least she'd be in the way of the being's first attack, which would both protect Ben, and also give him a healthy, uninjured chance to react. And worst case? Well, then she might end up with a lethal gunshot wound to the back, is all. And was that really such a bad outcome, all things considered?

No, probably not.

Matthew notes to himself how things have gotten so strange so quick that it's starting to feel like home.  With Pierre's strange magic, Sapphire's god's blessing, and Matthew's own spells things felt like they were falling into place.  But this floating starfish... this was something new to Matthew.

He eyes it curiously and suspiciously.  He didn't think he noticed any magic coming from it earlier.  Is it flying by some sort of weird science?  Does it have lighter-than-air bladders that it fills and expels from?

"Have any of you seen one of these things before?" Matthew inquires to the others.

In reply to Matthew Matherson (msg # 136):

"Many here. Not fight like edeinos. Hide lots." Its skin changes back to maroon, and the four arms not facing Matthew all droop. "Many still serve Kaah. Much sad."

Jason paused and slowly turned to look at what was talking. His eye went wider and wider. His mouth opened and then opened more without closing. He leaned back a bit but had to stop when his back and head reached the truck right behind him.

After a long few moment, he found his voice once more. "what the f..." There was more talking. "you guys see that too, right? a...f...flying starfiiiish???"

"Our new acquaintance is a folk. A sapiant person with the same ability to choose right and wrong, Honor or Corruption as the rest of us" Sapphire said, her voice an 'explaining this' rather than accusative in any way.  Perhaps in Aylse sapient creatures took more forms than on core Earth. Even to her though, this was quite an unusual form. Still the evidence of her senses was clear, and Unpronouncable was a person

Sapphire addressed the unprouncable one more directly "Those that serve Kaah... is there any way that we can approach them peacefully and reason with them? Is there anything we can do that would enable us to talk to them without having to kill them all?"

Ben has still has his gun set on the thing and had it in his sights. One wrong move and he would shoot the thing.

"Yes I see it and hear it too..." Ben said "You want to help?" he asked the starfish thing "Tell us on the enemy troop position, their fortification and their supply lines. Lets talk about their goals here and how do keep expanding their ahm weird lands into civilized lands... answer truthfully and you'll get the respect of a prisoner of war, otherwise..."

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 140):

nothing to see here

The stalenger's maroon skin deepens in color as it addresses Sapphire, "Many serve false prophet. Some change minds." It ponders a brief moment and then turns pink, its center and right arms lifting into the air. "I change mind. No serve Kaah."

It does not shy from Ben's gun, though its only physical response to Ben's question is its skin shimmering to resemble the surrounding trees. It levels the arm facing Ben as well as the two rear arms, but the two front arms droop. The tentacles hang loosely. It says, "Two tribes march. Two Bor Aka. More? Short flight away that way."

It regards the captive edeinos. "Tribes not own him."

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 140):

Pierre goggled at Ben. "Seriously? They are primitives. They don't have troops, positions, fortifications, logistics or indeed anything even vaguely resembling planning or organisation."

"What he said" Sapphire said agreeing with Pierre "In your history you could ask the crusaders those questions and they would just look at you without comprehension. Their method was simple: a religiously driven mass migration. There was almost no coordination, and there didn't need to be. That's probably what we have here. Their 'Kaah' wants the tribes to move, so they will do that. This place is heaving with life: there is no shortage of food, and while a tribe is moving it isn't going to deplete it. They have no ammunition needs, they just pick up another flower if they want to make a spear" she kicked one of the spears that the Eidenos had been wielding to demonstrate

"We've been briefed on why they win. They win because in this place people forget how to even say the words you just used. They win because only people like us can keep spells and weapons working. Without the spells and weapons you are down to trying to fight these people with flowers, sticks and stones... good luck with that"

"But what we haven't been briefed on is 'who is Kaah'" she turned to Unpronouncable "Could you tell us who he is, what he wants, and why you no longer follow him?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:24, Tue 28 July 2020.

Sita listened to Ben and Sapphire, interrogating the floating creature at gunpoint with scarcely any introduction or preamble, and she grew disturbed. Was this why the group hadn't confronted her yet, about being a werewolf? Because they'd all made some kind of cold mental calculus, about how she was "useful" to them for now, despite being a "potential hostile"? A furry weapon that they could take advantage of, until they decided to discard it later?

I am more than that, she thought, examining the starfish. And maybe you are, too.

She stepped in front of Ben's pointed weapon again, and this time didn't let him readjust his aim to keep her out of the way. "Pardon me for interrupting, but there is something much more urgent than answering these questions. This young woman", she gestured toward Fraulein Marlen, "needs us to rescue her father. Right away. Which might also, in the end, lead us to . . . well, savIng the entire world."

She looked at the floating creature. "Would you like to join us? It would give you the chance to answer their questions in greater depth, as we traveled, and also give you a chance to help us save many lives, if that's of interest to you."

Say yes, she thought hopefully. Show them you're more than just a tool or a weapon.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:39, Tue 28 July 2020.

Ben was surprised and annoyed by Pierre response. From Sapphire he didn't expected much but to be berated by both of them in front of an unknown entity especially when said entity replied. This bode no good for group cohesion. When Sita moved to block his sight he mentally sighed.

Was she reckless because she knew she could turn into a large monster that could tear steel doors? or maybe she was immune to damage and forgotten the others were mere mortals. Or maybe she was one of those conflicted persons that was ashamed at her violence and compensate by over pacifism.

Instead of going into a silly argument about blocking line of sight or safety, he did something else. He took two steps back and to the right, getting a clear sight once more.

"My name is Sargent Altman." he said, weapon still hovering at the potential hostile. "Would you please allow me to search your mind to validate you are speaking the truth and are not an enemy in disguised?"

"Once we establish you are indeed a friend we could discuss, enemy leadership, troop position and location of missing family members." he stated this his gaze moving from Sapphire to Pierre and back to Sita.

He tried to get the feeling of the thing but with all the negative emotions around him it was hard to focus and all he got was a splitting headache.

OOC
Ben would use Empathy to assess the starfish emotions at this time.
19:01, Today: Ben Altman rolled 5 using 1d20.  Empathy.
Result: 14 (Skill) -5 (roll) = 9 vs. 12 fail
Resist damage: 13 (Skill) -5 (roll) = 8 fail by 4 = +2 Shock

Koharu continues to watch things unfold quietly, and then suddenly takes a few steps forward to stand next to Sita, blocking Ben's new line of sight.  "You are outvoted on this matter," she says simply.  "Lower your gun."

The stalenger levels out and turns toward Ben. Its tentacles relax, and its skin changes to white. <White>"Search mind? No understand."</White> Even amid the chaos, Ben doesn't feel any active resistance by the stalenger. Its skin coloration reverts back to match the surrounding trees as the two front arms on the sides drop down. "Name is--" Its tentacles flail about seemingly at random.

"But you no understand. I think name in your tongue is--" An undulating series of whistles spanning across two octaves emit from all five arms at different intervals. "Yes?"

"Kaah say he follow Lanala. He lead tribes here. Kill many. I follow Lanala. Kaah lies. Others no see he lies. Others leave Kaah. Not many." The skin shimmers briefly to a maroon color.

At Sita's question, the stalenger's skin flushes pink, its front and right arms rising. "Join. Yes. Help fight invaders. Drive off Kaah."

"Ben," Matthew says gently as he approaches from Ben's line of site and puts a hand on his shoulder, "It's ok.  This... entity... does not seem intent on harming us.  I may not look it, but I am as alien to this world as he is, yet we are friends.  You are the Third Eye my friend.  Trust in that more than your sight."

Matthew's voice and demeanor are calm but he, in fact, is not.  He has seen the look in Ben's eyes in many others before.  Some were friends and some were enemies, but for all of them he ached.

Ben was annoyed at the whole reaction but he had to admit that the thing was more cooperative than his so called companion.

He lowered the barrel of the gun so it wouldn't be aimed at the thing but would be ready to return. "Really? and why are you so trusting? because it speak English? or maybe because it said it was a friend? neither of those should be enough to trust someone. Honestly I have no idea how you are all so damn trusting a minute after we got into an ambush? had it occurred to you that it is playing us because it want to survive?"

"As for what I sense? I sense hostility, mistrust and frustration... I can't tell it is from us or the thing because it is very strong."

"Perhaps, look within," Koharu suggests, smiling as the barrel is at least lowered.  "Wanting to survive seems a fair motivation, doesn't it?"

She shakes her head a little, and turns around to face the.. person.  "But if survival were your main goal, I think you'd have stayed quiet and waited for us to leave.  And if you wished to attack us, you'd have done so with the others.  You could be a spy, I suppose, but that seems rather advanced for this region.  On balance, your stated motive seems most likely, though I think it's fair to say we may remain wary for a time - some more than others."

She considers.  "And if you actually want to join, I must offer two caveats.  One, resisting Kaah is not our primary goal at the moment, and two, I think we're going to need to agree on a nickname.  Whistler, maybe?  How do you feel about Whistler?"

"The Gods are using us as their pieces" Sapphire added to the discussion "We are indeed fortunate because the Still Earth will kill us all if we don't do something. I feel their hand in the arrival of our new acquaintenance with the unpronouncable name."

"Since we are their Chosen Champions, it's probably wise to go with the path they have chosen for us, rather than fight it. Suspicion is a powerful tool, and it is good that you are using it Ben. I am from a different world from you, and it's clear that in your world betrayal and deceit and corruption are more common. I do observe though that we are not in the Earth in which you learnt your suspicions. We are in a simpler, more primitive world. Me: I detect no corruption or deceit in this being."

"Let us remember that we are not fighting an invading army with generals and complicated plans.  And right now our enemy, as Koharu says, isn't Kaah and the lizard men... it's the Still Earth. "

She wondered who was doing the hostility, mistrust and frustration because it certainly wasn't her. She had noticed from Ben's body language that he was frustrated with her for reasons that she didn't understand unless it was just his bigotry about people with pointed ears, but she didn't return those emotions.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:24, Wed 29 July 2020.

The stalenger's tentacles twitch, and its rear two arms rise up. A cavalcade of hues ripple across its skin like the Las Vegas Strip, not that it would know what that would look like. "Whistler. One that whistles? Good."

It then relaxes and floats closer to the captured edeinos. "Questions?"

Ben shook his head as he lowered his gun another notch, if Whistler was about to betray them it would not be now. No, it would be somewhere else, where there would be an advantage to said betray. For now, all he could do was watch the thing and hope he was wrong and the other right, civilians... he shook his head.

He shook his head again as he turned to Sapphire "I don't know much about your world or others but I know that if you underestimate your opponent you'd suffer for it. I have a feeling this is true in every world." he pointed at the ambush sight "Just from the lay of this ambush you can see they have a good grasp of tactics. The fact they were able to mass large forces, move them rapidly and feed them show they have more strategic thinking and understanding than you give them credit for."

He pointed at the star fish thingy "Even our new friend was able to provide us with tactile information about the current enemy forces in this region."

"and..." he said with a slight feeling of dread "... we need to decide what we will do with the captive once we are done interrogating it." Ben heard WWII stories of what happened to Axis POW, especially in the first days after D-day. He had little love for Nazis and didn't shed any tears about more of them getting killed half a century ago but the moral dilemma was terrifying. Up until recently he was sure he would never have to face such a choice...

"I didn't call them stupid, or lacking in personal tactics" Sapphire said puzzled. She didn't understand Ben's antagonism, and it saddened her, but there wasn't much she could do about it

"Please don't dismiss my words out of hand because they are spoke by 'a pointy eared Elf from an other world who knows nothing about the real world'. Consider before you dismiss them that perhaps there is something in them"

"I assume you have a similar quote in your world 'If you understand yourself and your enemy though you fight a thousand years you cannot loose. If you understand neither, though you fight a thousand years you cannot win'. Consider what the questions you just asked, and the way you are thinking about the lizards mean in the context of that quote."

"As for underestimating... I said it was a mass migration not an army. The difference is important. Each unit.. let's call them tribes... uses  'right now' tactics, but there is no control of the whole. There is only 'let us go this way'. They don't 'mass large forces' they start a pilgrimage. I didn't say a mass migration was weak...quite the opposite. But mass migrations are defeated in different ways to armies. Our history has such examples and so does yours I assume"

"Have you every been on a pilgrimage? I have. It is a glorious thing. Ecstatic. Your God is walking with you, every step you take is in the footsteps of your best friend who loves you, and every moment is full of significance and joy. If you want to understand the enemy you need to understand a pilgrimage. Perhaps you even need to do one... it only takes a week and we will be opposing these for perhaps years to come. I will help you if you wish. And you need to understand the God they worship, and what are his or her aspects and dominions. Perhaps you even need to experience one of their worship ceremonies. Without that understanding of their motives, of what is important to them... 'though you fight a thousand years you cannot win'"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:10, Sat 01 Aug 2020.

Jason frowned at Ben, who was being not unreasonable, but was being kind of a dick about it. And lumping people together. Some of the others made good points as well, though Sapphire went on about 'the gods' a bit much, but trusting too quick was a road to disaster in the 'new world'.

He let out a sigh. "I've an idea about the prisoner, but that's not important right now." He glanced at Sapphire. "You're right and you're wrong. We're not all of us what you think. And we, this planet, are fending off MULTIPLE invading armies. Hell, I'm pretty sure the lizards took my aunt and uncle."

He waved a hand. "Anyway. For now, we watch this...'Whistler'..." He gave Saito an amused look, "and treat with care and at least some suspicion until they've proven themselves. Talk is cheap."

He looked at everyone. "Agreed? Yes? No? We do have more pressing matters."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Sun 02 Aug 2020.

Ben listened to Sapphire, he already got the impression she was the kind of woman that would not drop a point until you agreed with her. Although he was impressed by, he had to admit that being in the wrong side of Sapphire on debate was proving very annoying, he wasn't even sure how to refer to the flat accusation of being a racist.

"Anyway..." he said trying a peace gesture "Let's agree to disagree, in the end it doesn't matter if we call it mass migration or troop motion in a scissor lock. The end result is the same."

He smiled at Jason and nodded "Yeah, totally agreed."

Ben would keep his eyes on Whistler, as Jason said it talk was cheap and being trusting in today's world meant you ended up as someone slave or meal.

If he's being honest with himself, Matthew puts a lot of mental effort into trusting all of his new friends.  He has been aware for a long time that other worlds are less "black and white" than his own.  No matter how often he witnesses it from good people, he is always thrown off when one of his friends does something that he would consider impossible for to do without falling into evil and villainy.  So, in this case, he considers Unpronounceable just slightly less trusting than the rest.  But he still continues to try to be more understanding.

Matthew clears his throat and turns away from Unpronounceable and towards Hildy.  "I know it is difficult in this land my dear, but would you be able to guide us back to this digging device?"

Matthew turns to the group and continues, "So we can, *ahem*, save this poor woman's father."

The stalenger sets aside its pride at being named Whistler and focuses on the task at hand. The skin ripples, and a bright orange hue washes over it menacingly, displaying the deadly color as many venomous animals do. All five arms lift upward as it floats above the captured edeinos, demonstrating through altitude and size who is in charge here. Most of its tentacles retract into its body, but three of them snake down and wrap around the edeinos' arm, rapidly tapping and stroking its scales. Though not all edeinos have learned the tactile language of stalengers, Whistler hopes this one knows, as mimicking their speech is harder than this language called English.

The message is simple: "Question. Know girl source direction? Your party numbers?"

((Assuming this edeinos knows stalenger. If not, could ask it in its language. Proceeding based on the GM's hint that the edeinos has nothing else to offer.))

Whistler's mood shifts, its skin blending in with the rest of the forest as it descends to eye level. Its arms lower, with its two side arms in front drooping more than the rest. It repeats the edeinos' answer to the Storm Knights. "Helpful? Need more questions?"

In reply to Whistler (msg # 159):


GM for:Gavin speaks up, "So, are we taking the truck or leaving it here?"

"Edeinos tribe in that direction," Whistler says, motioning in the direction opposite of where the girl entered the clearing. "They hunt girl for Experience. Value Experience over Life. He knows he is dead. Tribe will come here and--" Whistler pauses in thought. "--mourn?"

"If we leave it here," Koharu replies to Gavin, "We won't have a truck to come back to, if we can even find our way back.  I'm afraid it's best to keep things close here, even when it's inconvenient."

Hildy explains that the road you are on intersects a walking path about 100m away from the machine. With what you have experienced of the Deep Mist, you know that will be far enough away to still allow a stealthy approach if you leave the truck there.

Sita waits by the downed edeinos until she's sure Ben won't try to summarily execute him (ready to jump in the way of the bullet if he does), and only when she's sure that won't happen does she enter the vehicle to depart.

Sapphire couldn't help but notice that Sita was being really skittish. Then again she wasn't exactly feeling normal. She hated it when a Damsel In Distress appeared in the middle of nowhere chased by screaming savages. A little warning would be nice she murmurred in prayer to Dunad. Still in a way it was a warning. The Eidenos had not been a serious threat, she just felt bad at having had to kill them

"I'll lock up this guy" she said pointing to their captive. "It will take him hours to get free, and by then we'll be gone. Unless anyway wants to just slit his throat that is. If I do: Whistler I'd like you to reassure him we aren't going to kill him." she could imagine what it would be like to be trapped by captors you didn't understand, constantly afraid they were just going to kill you. She wouldn't wish that on anyone

Assuming no objects as the car drove away the whole area they had been in grew into a nearly impentrable mass of solid vegetation with the Eidenos in the middle of it


OOC Scene changes are hard! No one wants to 'move' anyone. If someone objects or wants to interject, I'll just happily edit.

The vegetation probably lasts at toughness 20 (I was very lucky casting the spell) for the next 20 mins or so. He's not going anywhere in that time. After that it's still crazy thick, and will take significant effort to get through. Given we are driving... I don't think he's a threat to us. If other's do... it's all good

It didn't escaped Ben how Sita was watching him as if he was some sort of monster.

He was happy when Sapphire suggested trapping the lizard person for a few hours, it solved their problem without killing someone in cold blood.

"Great idea..." he told the elven priestess "...but first I want to talk with him."

"Can you please translate for me?" he asked Whisper.

Turning to the captured Lizard man he spoke in a clear menacing tone "Your tribe attacked us unprovoked but we are the stronger, by right we hold your life in our hand. We give it for you so that you will carry a message, tells all the tribes we are coming for them, any who will oppose us will meet the same fate as your braves and priest... this is not your land and we are coming for you. Leave now and you all be spared, stay and fight us and none will remain to remember your tribes and people."

When he is done he take few steps backwards asking in a soft voice "How was it? did I over did it?"

Scene Change in [countdown not implemented]
well, by 11AUG20 23:59:59 MST
Gather Cards from Pools back to hands

Whistler listened to Ben's statements. It followed everything perfectly, which surprised it given that these sentences would've been far too complex to follow prior to coming over with the invaders. It shimmers purple as it thinks of how to translate all of it in a way the edeinos could understand. Not all edeinos are able to follow along with complex human language. What a shame that these ords--not that it knows what an ord is--are missing out on the greatest of Experience. Even if this edeinos could understand Ben's complex sentence, stalengers had not developed anything that complicated with its tentacle taps.

Whistler's skin changes back to orange with all it arms lifted again. "We strong! Own you. Not like slave. Like prisoner. Stay here. Tell tribe we kill them." a tentacle unravels to gesture toward all the dead bodies. "Go home. No more new Experience."

Whistler scintillates between green and yellow and drops the front arm and rear arms. The tentacles unfurl and hang limp underneath as it turns back to the Storm Knights. "He not angry. Hunts go bad. Hunters sometime die. He expects it. Not mad."

Sita let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, relieved there wouldn't be a confrontation over the edeinos. Relieved she wouldn't get shot and killed trying to prevent Ben from doing something monstrous. Oh, sweet mercy! She really didn't want to die . . . even if it would be better for the world, in the end.

She glanced at herself as the group got ready to leave, and noticed her fingers were spread apart, curled, almost as if-- No! She placed her hands behind her back, wringing the tension from them. She hadn't meant any harm to anyone just now! Including Ben, she was sure of it! She hadn't been thinking about doing anything, to anyone! But . . . what if, maybe . . . maybe . . . the wolf had?

She swallowed. That-- that scared her. That it might be brewing somewhere just under the surface, without her knowledge or consent, eager and ready to burst up and . . .

No! That's not going to happen! She glanced at where Ben had stowed her revolver. It's not going to happen because he guarded the monster inside her now, with deadly silver backing him up.

Then she eyed the prisoner that he'd just brutally threatened. The one who still lived, perhaps, in no small part due to her intervention. She wondered if she may be performing the same function for Ben now, that he was for her. Doing whatever it took to keep his monster in check. Why, he'd even kill her, if necessary! It felt right to help him out, the way he was helping her.

And without noticing it, her fingers curled at that thought . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 05:39, Tue 11 Aug 2020.

It takes about 40 minutes to load up and get to the junction of the walking path. Hildy has explained the basic layout, there are "lots of shocktroopss", and they are armed with some kind of heavy pistol.

The mist seems to lose some effect in the area, the closer one gets to the machine the clearer the vision, or so it was when she ran away.

From her descriptions you are confident you are looking at:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ad3l...updhm/AotDD.png?dl=0
Scale: the device is ≈30m wide

Gavin appears to be experiencing some kind of reaction to what happened in the battle against the Edeinos, and will be staying with the truck to keep it "safe". Hildy will be staying with the truck to keep Hildy safe.

The rest of the group has reached a point where you are fairly certain you can comunicate safely, if quietly, but a few more steps will bring you into contact with the troops on the trail.

Pierre tapped on his computer, the by now familiar messages appearing in each person's point of view. "Try for a silent takedown?" he suggested quietly. "Sapphire, how many of them are there here?"

Not sure what Ap has done with the boosts, so I will leave that to him.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:43, Wed 12 Aug 2020.

Ben nodded silently "Those guard were lightly armed... but we need more reconnaissance, when is the guard shift, how many people in camp... do they have patrols... ideally, we would have spend a couple of days just watching and learning their routing before we would devise an attack strategy."

Ben scanned the ground, if there was good mud he could use to rub across his face and arms so he would be better camouflaged.

I don't think I mentioned it yet;This is a Dramatic Scene.

Ben can smell a swamp to the west (you are facing north); not the dirty, putrid kind but the biodiverse kind where you would expect a crock or gator, or who knows what in this place. The trees are fairly dense, one could easily fire from cover within the wooded area.

All told, it has been over an hour since Hildy first stumbled into Pierre's arms. For the sake of clarity and sanity, all Combat Spells have expired.

Sapphire tried to cast the spell that Pierre had requested, but there was a spark and the 'colgate' glow of her clothes faded. That sense of being in the presence of a person who was Honourable and always tried to do the 'right thing' was suddenly not so obvious. There was a little muttered word in Elvish which was perhaps a mild swear word, before that 'ting' of 'hero present' returned.

Sapphire gave a little shudder "Not fun" she said quietly, then answered Pierre's question

"You are right of course Ben" she said agreeing "But the world is getting hotter and we don't know how long they are going to be here. We don't know how many more million people will die if we wait a couple of days because the temperature gets hotter. And as well ... at the moment we have the initiative. We are in a position to make a move that they have to react to. If we wait we give them the initiative"

"Note that the mist is not here" Sapphire continued "We have excellent visility. This spell is a simple one: perhaps the simplest I know and yet I had problems casting it. I am not certain which realm this is: from the Giant machine half out of the ground half in, it looks to be what you might call 'High Technology'"

"If we want to talk capabilities... if the need is great, and this is such a great need, I can bring the Wrath Of Many Gods upon this place. For many hundred paces in every direction the area can be cleansed of people that do not support the things my God treasures and holds dear. This is not a subtle calling. The clouds will swirl, lightning and thunder will warn them. It takes perhaps 60 heartbeats to cast and at the end the lightning will shatter this place, striking all here and the winds will be swept this place clean of those that oppose us."

"Hildy's father would not be a target, because we need him alive, to fulfill the God's mission. None of us here would be targets as we are all the Chosen of the Gods at this time. " she gave a little laugh "Or perhaps 'Pawns' of the Gods is a better choice of words This is a war miracle only to be used in times of the greatest need. The stopping of the Earth is such a need."

Sita quickly runs through the options in her mind. To Sapphire, she says, "If your, um, miracle works as you describe, can you also make the lightning avoid hitting the digging machine? We may need it as transportation after this. Even if not, we might still be able to give it to the authorities of Core Earth, for them to study and learn more about how to resist the invaders."

She eyes Ben and adds, "Also, Fraulein Marlen said that it contains hundreds of rifles, doubtlessly of Nile origin. They may be useful to give to the people of your country, if we can capture them intact. Hundreds of guns that work under Nile reality would probably help their army resist Dr. Mobius' advances.

"I have one final option to suggest, as well. While time is certainly limited due to the Earth slowing down, it may be worthwhile to wait until the edeinos arrive. Fraulein Marlen said that they possessed a 'key' that would 'unlock the power of the Still World!'. I wonder if whatever 'key' they possess could be used to undue the Still World instead, rather than unlocking its power?

"However, we should be aware that this would probably mean doubling the number of opponents we'll have to face, by waiting for more to show up. But . . ." She shrugs. ". . . that's what we have you mighty, miraculous, reality-bending warriors for, yes?

"Oh, and me, too. Me, to patch you all up afterwards, if needed," she adds with a smile. Gallows humor, she thinks. To take my mind off of turning into the wolf again, if needed, and so very soon after last time. She suppressed a shudder, and tried to keep smiling.

Whistler floats level to the Storm Knights' hips, giving them an overhead look at its large maw on the top of its body. The mouth continuously sucks in air that is expelled through its arms to keep it afloat.

The colors shimmer to resemble the grass underneath it, and its front side arms droop as it takes the effort to whistle softly, "Lanala provides. Dark mist?"

Jason hadn't felt he needed to say more during the questioning of the Edeinos. The others...and their new flying starfish ally...had covered things well. He parked the truck after they finished the short drive, relatively. He rolled his head around on his neck and stretched a bit.

He glanced at Ben and nodded at Sapphire. "I don't think we have days. A life is in danger, right?" But she described a spell and he leaned away from her a little. "That wrath...sounds...a bit indiscriminate aside from faith in your gods."

He paused. "But I definitely like the idea of a closer, stealthy, look. And firing from the tree cover when necessary."

Ben listened and nodded "Well, obviously we don't have days and weeks..." he agreed with Sapphire "...but we need to weight caution vs. haste, if we strike and over reach ourselves we'll end up capture or dead which wont help the world either. So we need to strike fast but with more information."

He shook his head "I would save that miracle for when we have clearer understanding of the situation. All we know is that this Nile troops and machine is linked to the Still Earth and unless someone think this digging machine is responsible for the effect destroying it and the people would be a risk for us losing precious intel." he didn't added that he had his doubt Sapphire magic would be so discriminating as to avoid hitting them and anyone of a different faith.

"A bold move we could try, is strike quickly at the site and pretend to be the Nile troops when the lizard folk arrive... this will have the best chance to give us information but has the highest chance of blowing in our face."

He reviewed the facts while drawing a rough map of the camp, trying to recall how many guards he saw and their position. Was it even possible to win a direct assault or would they need to change to guerrilla tactics.

Card Management Moment: I am gathering all cards back into hands. Please look at your hands. If you have more than 4 cards in your hand, discard to 4. Then everyone MAY discard 1 more card after which I will refill all hands to 4. Note: someone might want to trade for a Second Chance card instead of Disconnecting just outside the NE mixed Zone.

"No the machine won't be destroyed." Sapphire replied to Ben, realising she'd not explained it well enough "The machine is not alive, is not capable of making choices and thus the Gods would not try and cleanse it from the Earth for making bad ones. We also know that Hildy's father made it, and Hildy's father is so critical for the task the God's have given us that he is safe. Not to mention that I would of course pray for him"

She shook her head at Jason's comment "I can see why you might think that but it's the opposite. It is totally discriminating. Each separate person is examined by the Gods of Honour. Only those that oppose us will be Judged to be needing to be Cleansed. This is a war miracle, only used on the battlefield when the need is dire. But it's not like one of your bombs or a magical fireball that kills everything: the God of Honour assesses each target personally."

"I'm only talking capabilities at the moment. It will only be if we decide to use it that I will pray for this help."

"If we decide we need to fight, then we will need to kill these people. They have guns. They will shoot us. Even though they are slavers and kidnappers and behave in a fashion I personally hold to be abhorant, I would prefer to find a peaceful solution. But given their strength I doubt an attempt to ask them to surrender would work. So it seems to me that opposing them ... and we have to oppose them ... will be life ending for many of them or for us. I would rather face the few shocked survivors of a Cleansing and give them a chance to surrender than face so many storm troopers in hand to hand combat."

She thought a little about the problem "Hildy you said your father made the machine. Are there other friends of yours here? People that you care about? People that might know something about the problem of the Still Earth?" 

Sapphire's words do not leave Matthew at ease.  Within his own world, he knows how fickle the gods are and who they consider their own enemies.  Having fought on other worlds and their gods he has seem the same thing.  He is not yet familiar enough with Sapphire's world's gods to know how her god would decide  on who exactly would be judged and cleansed.

"I agree with Ben," Matthew chimes in, "As has been said, we don't have time for a full analysis of the situation, we should make the time and take a small amount of effort to gain more information before we make any move.

"Sapphire, the way you describe this miracle, it sounds like we should hold and save it in case things get dire."

"I agree with Matthew, Ben, and Jason's reservations," Sita adds. Sapphire had said the area would be "cleansed of people that do not support the things her God treasures and holds dear." Memories of Sita's earlier actions flashed through her mind: striking from hiding, intentionally inflicting fear, the hot taste of blood as she literally bit an opponent's head off.

She wasn't very eager to get "examined" by these "Gods of Honour", whoever they were . . . she very much doubted she'd like their decision.

As everyone went back and forth debating one plan or another, it started to get hard to keep track of it all. Do this, do that. Oh, or what about all these different things over here instead? Then Ben mentioned "bold move", "strike quickly", and "pretend to be Nile troops". She quickly looked at the two guards in the distance, turned to pertly assess Ben and Jason to see if she thought they could pull off the "shirtless look", and then said to Ben, "Good idea! Wait here. I'll be back in a minute." As she darted into the brush, she added over her shoulder, "Unless you hear gunshots, of course!"

And then she was gone.

(OOC: Ordinarily, I'd let us chew over a plan for awhile, even though that takes even longer in PbP than it does at a table. In this case, though, since we're still under pure Living Land axioms at the moment, I'm just gonna wing it. Gonna try to quietly konk two guards' heads together, and see if I can get us a couple of uniforms to use to infiltrate the machine.)

Whistler floats away from the dig site and back into the mist. It asks Lanala for the grace of the wind so that it may venerate her with these new Experiences.

(OOC: Heightened Dexterity on itself. The idea is to move away so the Shocktroopers can't tell hear it. If that's not possible, then maybe its whistling noises from the mists can spook the Shocktroopers enough that they don't notice Sita. I prefer the former though.

"I've scanned the area" Sapphire offered "I only sense the 'life' in things, and whether they are 'people' or 'animals'  and so on, so I can't tell the difference between these stormtroopers and the Eidenos."

"There's around a dozen Folk at the machine. There's another two near us. And another two over there" she gestured off to our right 'nearer the machine but off at an angle from it' "just slightly further away than then machine. They are at the limit of the range I have at the moment. If I was to get a little closer I could see if I sense a few more."

"How do you want to 'get more information'? It seems we have a couple of non exclusive choices. We can just wait and watch a bit. Or we could capture the two nearest us: they are hundreds of yards from the others... a little distraction should allow us to do that without too much hassle... but they are just guards..."

"I can try and sneak around and have a look if we want" she was an Elf after all, and 'as stealthy as an Elf' was a common expression for a reason

"It sounds to me that your miracle is what we would consider a nuke, a large weapon to be deployed on rare occasions. I'd save it for the moment we will assault the location of what ever slows down the rotation. That way, our enemies won't have a chance to find a way to counter it." Ben adds before Sita went werewolf "...no wait..." he tried to whisper shout before the doctor went out.

Ben lowered his head shaking it "We are trying not to alert the guards here, if two of them are missing... well it would put the others at alert...."

He glanced at Sapphire "We need to know their patrol pattern, their routing to pin point the best time to strike. If they have an outside camp we need to know where it is and strike at it... we also need to figure out whom to take captive. The best option it take a commander... and..." he said this with a dire voice "we better have a plan what to do with said captive, we can't release him and if we just tie him and leave him in the jungle unarmed and without provision... well it is just another sort of death, a crueler one if you ask me but."

Whistler slinks back to the group, the mist and trees seemingly fully visible through its translucent skin. Its arms slide preternaturally around the vegetation, looking more like an idle breeze than a floating starfish. The prayers to Lanala clearly worked, as Whistler moves with an undeterred confidence. If it did not purposefully alert the Storm Knights to its presence, it's possible nobody could have seen its return.

It looks at Sita's departing form and then turns toward Sapphire. It lowers both its front side arms and says to her, "Whistler not human. Whistler watch. Strike if need."

It rises to blend with the treetops, clinging to the trunks as it glides closer to the camp. Its 10-meter long tentacles snake alongside the vines, ready to strike should any of the oblivious guards get wise. Though the blessing of Lanala should ensure it will not be seen, it prepares to draw attention from the bipeds who clearly do not belong in this jungle.

(OOC: With the miracle, base Stealth is 20, but Whistler is just positioning for backup should Sita or Sapphire need it.)

Shortly after Sita leaves, the group saw her, in werewolf form, springing at the guards from cover. She smashed their heads together, then, before they even had a chance to fall, the beast grasped one under each arm, and silently disappeared again.

A few seconds later, a rustling in the brush nearby indicated that Sita had returned. Parting the foliage the group saw her, in human form again, ministering first aid to one of the two unconscious guards.

She looked up at them without stopping her efforts to staunch the bleeding. "I, ah, I did not mean to hit them so hard. It's . . . difficult, sometimes, controlling the strength of the wolf. I think they'll both be alright, though." She sounded relieved.

She indicated the headdress she'd removed from the tended guard, and their other accoutrements. "I have the uniforms that you'll need to sneak in. I think they'll fit the two of you, maybe, Ben, Jason? Maybe you two could then take Jalia, Matthew, Pierre, and Saito 'prisoner', and march them closer to the drill? I could then sneak in behind you." She looks around and doesn't see Sapphire or Whistler anymore. "And apparently, I would not be the only one doing that.

"So, quickly, get dressed! Or, um . . . undressed," she adds, glancing down at the shirtless guards, then blushing a bit.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:25, Fri 14 Aug 2020.

Contradiction check.
I need everyone who was/is trying to plan this attack to roll a d20 and post the roll, please. Sapphire and Whistler can post the roll they used for their Spell or Miracle. If Pierre is going to recast 1 of the squad spells he can use the roll to do so. Sita's Stealth roll covers her check.

"Umm..." Sapphire looked really puzzled at Ben "No. It's not a nuke. It's more like assking an ally to shooting people with a gun. And it can be countered the same way that a bullet can. So do you think we shouldn't use your guns until we get to the last battle in case the enemies learn how to counter them?" she really didn't understand a lot of what Ben was saying, but it sounded a really odd idea to her.

"Nice Sita" she said seemly not particularly worried about the wolf, although she was still worried about Sita's reactions to them "I wonder what they can tell us. But ... I think we'll have to be careful if we want these kilts to help us sneak. You know that there are only a dozen or so of them right? And these goons have been together for a while, so they all know each other. These kilts don't let us hide ... well anything." she blushed a little at the though of wearing one "If we're going to try and use the uniforms we need to have a story. Like 'I'm from a long way away and have a message for the boss'. That would work a lot better if we knew the name of the boss. Maybe these guys know it?"

Ben shook his head as he started to take his shirt off, if you can't beat them join them. He had served some time in the lands of Nile and knew crazy plans like that could work. "It could work..." he told Sapphire "if those are Nile stormtroopers... and they look the part we could pull it off... the whole universe is wired that way... crazy I know."

"Oh, I know it is not a nuke..." he said as he took off one of his boots "but the way you described it, to me it sounds like it is a big major weapon able to take out multiple enemies in a large area with a long prep...  with collateral damage int he form of lightning and winds... I assumed it is not something you toss around causally otherwise you'd already used it... "

He paused his shirt already off blushing slightly "I think I'll finish changing in the truck... " pointing a finger at Sita he add "no peeking, yes?"

OOC
21:19, Today: Ben Altman rolled 17 using 1d20.  planning.

Sita shook her head. "They're not waking up for quite awhile, I think. They were hit very hard."

Sapphire was planning about all sorts of different things again, things that were so far away, and imaginary, and not at all immediate to the real world around them. "No, this will work. The headdresses cover their heads. At least four people will be marching directly in front of them, all with hands raised. It will be hard for anyone to see either of their faces. Then we strike, with surprise. It's a good ambush."

No more talking about things that weren't right in front of them. The costumes were right here, the friends were right here, and the wolf inside strained at its leash to continue the hunt. "Let's go."

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 190):

the truck is a long walk away. There is plenty of foliage to hide behind, plus about 10 seconds walk has you completely obscured by the mist.

Sapphire wasn't less puzzled at the end of Ben's explaination. She'd explained tin too much detail that there was no collateral damage: certainly far less than when in a normal fight, and had also explained in far too much detail why she hadn't used it earlier. Perhaps she should learn how to be clearer. Certainly the current way of communication wasn't working, any better than her trying to help him understand about the Lizard Men

Maybe he was right about the headdresses... She found it hard to understand, but then many things about the other worlds were strange. That was something she was quite keen to see: learning opportunities like that were to be seized. She couldn't, of course, do such a dishonourable thing herself, but she wouldn't try and stop the others.

The earlier discussion of 'we shouldn't attack without information' seemed to have vanished as well. The discussion now seemed to be 'how do we ambush them'. She wasn't quite sure why they needed to get close to ambush them: guns spells and magic seemed to work just fine at range, but perhaps that was a cultural thing. It was certainly one she didn't share.

"I'll give them a distraction then as you walk up" She moved into the mists blessed herself and the moment that the others started walking towards the stormtroopers she began to invoke
This message was last edited by the player at 05:36, Mon 17 Aug 2020.

09:16, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 5 using 1d20.  Prep round.

Ben was finishing changing cloths in the mists and for once was happy this cursed universe had so much fog in it.

"I think we should sneak in with the disguises and try to do achieve two major goals, first identify where they keep any prisoners, second we need to obtain any information about the still Earth project. Secondary goals should be capturing high ranking member officer for interrogation."

"Please wait with the distraction until we obtain this information, we have a narrow window of opportunity until the missing guards will be noticed."

(OOC: I have a Close Call card. With that, short of flubbing multiple rolls, our ruse shouldn't get detected before we reach the drill.)

Jason raised a hand and opened his mouth but Sita was gone. "She's SUPER-impulsive." He shook his head. They waited a bit for her to 'enact her plan' and return.

He let out a small sigh. Being used to changing in front of other people and even in mixed company in a couple of his jobs, Jason had no self-consciousness as he began to strip a bit and then put on the guard's uniform.

11:34, Today: Jason Keller rolled 17 using 1d20.  Contradiction check if needed.

Noting that Jason doesn't seem to mind, Koharu doesn't pretend she's not watching, with a small smile of appreciation.

"I don't quite fit the requirements of a Shocktrooper, so I think I should be one of the 'prisoners,'" Matthew added, "This plan should work nicely."

21:47, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 12 using 1d20

Pierre paused as they headed forward, alerted by a 'beep' from his arm 'puter. "Interesting" he said. "It seems we are entering an area of different reality. No storm, but ahead of us is Nile reality. Four color superhero for those not familiar with it. Always take surrenders, that sort of thing. Oh, and don't be afraid to try the wildest stunts, they usually work."

Cards are now updated. Jalia has been quiet during the planning so we can move on without a contradiction check from her.

Starting rounds:
They Regroup
D:. V- H-
Act: Test/Trick

Note: this doesn't mean Combat, just a more measured time with stress.

OOC: 17:16, Today: Dr. Sita Chandrasakar rolled 18 using 1d20.  Trick on guards.
Trick 14 + 5 from roll = 19

Sita raises her hands in the air, looking quite harmless, and quite scared of the "menacing" guards behind her. She steps forward, glancing "anxiously" behind her from time to time, as the "prisoners" are marched toward the device up ahead.

In reply to Dr. Sita Chandrasakar (msg # 202):
OOC: Anyone who wants to try for a card may roll their own Trick attempt...noting Fails could damage the image you are trying to project. Alternatively, anyone who wants to "Help" Sita may declare that, and Sita will get a bonus for that, potentially making the Trick more effective.

The group makes the costume changes and starts down the trail. A few moments later and you have cleared the mist. The Machine is a marvel to behold, the screw portion sticking sticking up is smaller than you anticipated...until you realize the little figure on top is actually a shock trooper, and the machine is huge in comparison.

Jason didn't consider himself an actor, per se, though he had been in a couple of local plays back in the day. So he tried to get in to the mindset of a guard, a soldier, leading some prisoners. That was seemingly an easy motivation.

"Alright, game faces, people."

If I have misinterpreted anyone's actions, please inform me.
Jason and Ben are masquerading as guards (do you need me to post Stats for the Machine Pistols and Swords?) bringing Sita and Matthew as Prisoners. Passive Assistance from the other 3 Actors gives Sita a +3 on her Trick for 22, This is 15 rp, for an UP/Setback result...Sita's action next round gets an UP Result, and the guard is completely distracted so the others don't have to roll stealth to move in among the trees this round.

Ben was a soldier not an actor, if he had to plan an ambush he could do it but as a goon guard henchman? he tried to recall some of the G.I. Joe Cobra troopers he saw and imitate them as he pushed the "prisoners".

OOC
23:22, Today: Ben Altman rolled 8 using 1d20.  Trick.

Trick 12 -2 (result) =10

Matthew has seen enough prisoners taken by Mobius's shocktroopers to know how to act.

OOC
17:33, Today: Matthew Matherson rolled 18 using 1d20 ((18)).

Trick 13 + 5 (roll) = 18

Whistler can barely contain the excitement of meeting these new hairy friends. It forgets itself sometimes, but Lanala gently reminds it of its duty by pushing leaves in the way.

OOC
Not quite sure how to tie this to my die roll, but I got -8 to my Stealth, which eats up the bonus Lanala gave, resulting in a 12 Stealth.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:32, Sat 05 Sept 2020.

The prisoner group has moved closer to the machine, but you are still a football field away. The guard on top is watching, confused but unconcerned. He hasn't raised the alarm. Yet.

The group sneakin through the trees is moving a little slower and hasn't encountered any interference, from either native life or patroling guards. Yet.

The Aysle contingient, possibly concerned with the idea that advancing through either stealth or dishonasty is touching on the path of Corruption, have not entered the clearing. Yet.

Round 2 : still not combat (yet)
That old chestnut?
D: V Test/Intimidation H-
Act: MANEUVER/TAUNT

see ooc thread

Therre is a guard near the group in the woods. However, he is not taking any effort to be stealthy, nor trying to hard to be perceptive. Or so it appears.

Villains waste their action watching or lazing, Player's turn

Jason wasn't sure exactly how the guard he was pretending to be would sound. How any of the guards from that...reality...would sound. American? African? British? He had no idea and had forgotten to ask beforehand.

So he quietly asked under his breath as they walked but were still not close to the real guards, "i realize this isn't the ideal time to realize and ask this but...what do these Nile guards normally sound like? do they have accents? speak a specific language?

Matthew responds under his breath, "the Pharaoh's Empire is global on Terra.  The guards could be from anywhere.  I surmise they would speak English if they knew they were coming here.  Or... Edeinos...ese?"

Sita also responded under her breath. "Try not to speak. Let's get as close as possible."

Sita kept her hands in the air, still looking fearful. In a very natural-looking way, she made sure that her upraised arms were always positioned so that they blocked the line of sight between Jason's face and the guard positioned on top of the machine. With any luck, it would extend their ruse a little longer, and keep the guard from realizing that he didn't recognize Jason. She hoped they could get right up to the machine, maybe even close enough to get inside, before their trick was discovered.

((OOC:
11:55, Today: Dr. Sita Chandrasakar rolled 11 using 1d20.  manuever trick Up.
11:54, Today: Dr. Sita Chandrasakar rolled 12 using 1d20.  maneuver. trick

Maneuver attempt: maneuvertrick 11 13 + 8 from roll = 19 21))
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Tue 22 Sept 2020.

In reply to Dr. Sita Chandrasakar (msg # 212):

That is still a Trick, not a Maneuver, sorry.

The Prisoner procession continues moving, not yet attracting any unwanted attention.

I need stealth from those sneaking, and any apropriate skill checks from anyone not sneaking or contributimg to the Trick.

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 213):

Heh, np. I edited my post.

Pierre splashed cursing forward through the cover. He was a city boy dammit!

Jason tried to himself in to the acting role of a bored guard that wanted to get the prisoners where they were going so he could relax. He gave Sita a very gentle and exaggerated shove. "Keep moving."

OOC: My sheet has listed Trick 12.
10:13, Today: Jason Keller rolled 10 using 1d20.  Trick help.
10:14, Today: Jason Keller rolled 7 using 1d20.  2nd roll since I rolled a 10?

The group marching up the road get within combat range and the gaurd on top of the machine leans forward and yells, "Yoseff? What are you doing out there? You aren't supposed to be on shift yet!" Ben get's a Possibility as Mistaken Identity kicks in.

Meanwhile, the gaurd in the woods has picked up on Pierre's noise.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:40, Sat 10 Oct 2020.

Whistler watches the events unfolding from the safety of the treetops. It twinges with concern when the guard perks up.

OOC: Can Whistler sneak over to the guard investigating Pierre and smack/strangle him with a tentacle in isolation?

In reply to Whistler (msg # 218):

Whistler can get surprise/flatfooted against said gaurd

Round 3 : combatstarts
You spot a weakness!
D: H — V —
Act: TAUNT/INTIMIDATION

Machine is about 60m ahead of the actors;
Woods gaurd is about 10m away from Piere and closing, those who did better on stealth can position around him between 6m-15m away.

Heroes turn

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 219):

Not wanting the guard to realize that Pierre doesn't belong, Whistler perches itself on a branch between the guard and Pierre. A couple of tentacles dangle down along the bark of the tree, looking nothing more than vines to the untrained eye.

The guard peers ahead to get a better look at the noise and realizes something is wrong. He turns to call the alarm when the "vines" lash out and wrap around his neck.

OOC: Rolled 28 Unarmed Combat (13 base + 7 miracle - 4 called shot + 12 roll) for 28 damage (12 base + 4 called shot + 12 roll)

Pierre splashed forward, oblivious to the threat closing him. Oblivious that was, until he came upon the body, with the flying starfish hanging above it. He gave Whistler a nod of respect. Pierre hadn't been sure what to make of the alien to be honest, it was too far outside of his experience, but it looked like it was both ruthless and effective, a good combination.

Halting he considered the problem. Sound was the problem, not sight. The water would regardless make noise, and unlike the starfish he couldn't fly. Or could he?

11:12, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 20 using 1d20.  Stealth2.
11:12, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 3 using 1d20.  continuation.

Smiling to himself, Pierre reached behind him for his slicboard. Stamping on hit to trigger the friction field he crouched to lower his silhouette and hissed quietly forward.

Jason glanced over at Ben...or "Yoseff" with a raised eyebrow. He kept his head still, just moving his eyes. Out of the corner of his mouth he asked Ben, "You know this guy?"

He didn't think Ben did, but he didn't really know a lot about Ben in all honesty.

OOC: Ready to back up Ben with...a Trick or something depending on how he plays it, but he hasn't logged in for a while now.

OOC: Ben's Player has fallen prey to the dreaded RL and asked to bow out for a while. As a result, Ben has become an NPC for now.
Ben is confused for a moment, but regains his composure and continues "moving the prisoner's along"

End of first season:

NOT Really...but please suspend disbelief over necessary cast changes.

Mathew and the Dr Sita are being lead towards the machine. The gaurd on the machine seems to recognize one of the pretend gaurds.

Jalia, Whistler, and Pierre are sneaking through the jungle, while unbeknownst to them, Jim is in position, drawing a bead on one of the Shock troupers.

If anyone has a problem with this setup, comment in the Revival thread. I will give everyone a couple of days. If I don't need to fix anything further, my next post will have us thoroughly in Combat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:36, Thu 08 July 2021.

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 223):
The woods are lovely dark and deep. Jim hunkers down in his blind, camouflaged by the leaves and branches around him. "Concealment like this is a gift," he thinks to himself, "and should be treasured." He sights down his rifle, drawing a bead on the Shocktrooper officer's head. A long slow breath out, his finger slowly squeezing the trigger...  He suddenly pauses. "Prisoners? I should watch some more to see what's going on" he thinks to himself.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:03, Sat 10 July 2021.

Rd 4
Heroes have the initiative
Approved Actions:Taunt & Intimidate

The guard who called out to Ben has a look of horror on his face,
...and: go!
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:14, Mon 12 July 2021.

Spinning a bubble, -1 poss.

Pierre hopped onto his slicboard, swamp muck streaming off him in the slipstream as he flew forward. His personal priority was Hildy's father, presumably still in the machine, and his Jammer purred as he moved forward, cutting down the guard at the entrance to the machine.


10:46, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 13 using 1d20.  Rnd 4.
It's an unarmored Shocktrooper. Gonna be a kill.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:50, Wed 14 July 2021.

Ben attempted to keep his face towards the 'prisoners' rather than look up directly at the guard yelling at them ... for fear of correcting the man's mistake.  Although he wasn't sure what the sudden 'look of horror' on the man's face represented.

He did give a wave, as though he could't quite hear the words yell, but was acknowledging the call out.
He pointed at the prisoners, and then to the machine ... trying to act as confidently as possible, as though he is under orders, and doesn't have time to talk.


Am still very new to this, so I am going to try for a Trick:  to convince the guard that we are legitimately taking the prisoners into the machine ... because that is where I suspect we'll mostly likely find some good info about what is happening here.

- rolled 3 using 1d20.  Trick.
... onto a Trick stat of 12.

Doesn't look good though, eh!


Adding the Poss awarded in msg#217 to total
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Fri 16 July 2021.

A 3 gives you -8, for a Trick total of 4...not enough to affect the guard. However;
Ben gestures at the guard, who is not convinced to forget he just realized Ben ≠ Friend; when Pierre takes matters in a different direction. Suddenly, the vegetation around Pierre shrinks ever so slightly away from him, and is he walking on concrete? He pointts his Jammer and sends a cloud of flechettes at the guard on the machine. The guard drops his jaw, and his gun, and his left hand, and a large portion of his left shoulder. Then the rest of him falls.

still heroes turn. Two guards are in the trees to the right and quite a bit ahead of most of the group. Two are past the machine a ways guarding the other road entrance to the clearing.

So, please, to clarify:
The 'Pretend Prisoner' group (Ben and Jason as guards, are escorting Matthew and Sita) are walking towards the digging machine.
Pierre, who was out in the trees, suddenly emerges from the jungle (flying on something?) and shoots the guard on top of the digging machine.



When Pierre made his attack, Ben quickly looked around to assess whether any other enemy had noticed that attack.
This sudden change of situation flooded Ben's body with a burst of adrenaline; his combat-veteran instincts kicking into effect as the 'ante' was suddenly up'ed.

Playing 'Adrenaline (+3 to Dex, Str, Tough or related skill)' card into my Pool.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:14, Wed 21 July 2021.

Realizing that these are probably allies of some type, Jim sights in on one of the soldiers and pulls the trigger. The man drops without a sound. He silently prays for the soul of the man he just killed, but has no pity for those who willingly serve the high lords.

[Fire combat of 14 -2 roll= 12.]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:15, Fri 23 July 2021.

A sound reaches the combat muffled by the trees. One of the guards by the road drops, and the other bends over to provide aid.

assuming no one else is attacking this round, I will post Villains turn tonight. Then next round.

The standing guard at the road takes a knee seeking a position where he can get cover and still continue to attempt aid to his fallen partner.

The two in the trees start moving back towards the machine, hollering questions that to you appear redundant; questions like, "Are you ok?" and, "Are we under attack?"

The door of the machine opens and 3 more guards come out, plus one person who does not look like a trooper. This guy is wearing a hat and swinging around a weapon that looks like someone strapped a satellite dish to a megaphone and put the whole thing on an advanced squirtgun.
End of Villains'turn new round shortly

Round 5
D: H Stymied      V Trick/Test
Heroes go first, but each Hero loses their first "Roll Again", so spending a Possibility for a boost will not help this round.

Approved Actions: MANEUVER/TEST

More enemies coming into view, and Pierre maintained his fire pressure, strafing across the 'hat' and two of the shocktroopers. Sliding sideways in the air, he passed over the 'prisoner group', sending his tactical boost down to them on his way to the digging machine entrance.

All PC's: *Ping* Welcome [new user] to tactical enhancement v1.14. Your speed, strength, toughness and morale have been improved, duration 250s (this counts down). Now go forth and smite those heathen!
1)Blinklik here to suppress morale boost
2)Blinklik here to suppress strength boost
3)Blinklik here to suppress all boosts.

14:34, Today: Pierre De Gaulle rolled 18 using 1d20.  Rnd 5
19 effective to hit, 23 effective damage (plus 'overs'). Figure that is a mission kill on the shocktroopers, the 'hat', who knows.

His buff increases Str, Dex, Tou and Spi.
Exactly what it does depends on your base stats.
The Simple Method: Have a +3 to all 4. (this averages out)
The complicated method: Compare the spells effect total (16) to your base stat on the power push table (not the speed push), increasing the stat by the result.
We are currently in Nile reality, so if your personal magic axiom is lower than 10 (Core earth, Living land, Nippon tech) then using the boost may cause a one-case contradiction, otherwise no issues.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:54, Tue 03 Aug 2021.

Keeping his head down, so that the head dressing of this uniform hopefully concealed his face, he began 'hurriedly' pushing the 'prisoners' towards the now open machine door.
All the while, he was keeping his head down, as though attempting to avoid flying bullets.

His main intent, however, was to maneauver himself and his disguised allies closer to the machine, its open door ... and the enemy should they need to act discursively against them.


- rolled 15 using 1d20 Manoeuvre attempt
added to my Maneuver: 12
= Manoeuvre total 14

Move the card '~ Action:  +3 bonus to any action' from my hand, into my pool.
            Do I get/draw another, for having participated in the approved action?

I hope I've done that right.  If not, please educate me.


                                               Edited: as requested below
This message was last edited by the player at 01:41, Mon 02 Aug 2021.

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 236):
Jim levels his rifle again, putting the Shocktrooper with the strange gear in his sights.

09:30, Today: Jim rolled 33 using 1d20+14.(Not sure why I added the 14. That should be a 19 for a +6 to his 14, so 20 to hit.)

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 236):

What you have see described is a Trick, an attempt to distract or disable through deceit.

A Maneuver is an attempt to confuse, tire out your opponent, or get better position using movement.

A Test (Test of Wills), by the way, is the classic staredown, an attempt to break your enemy's resolve...the Stinkeye at the end of Blended.

If you edit the post to describe moving in ordered get better position or draw out one of the Villains, your Total is a success and I will add it card to your hand.

In reply to Jim (msg # 237):

Hit by 7 Damage total 28, 8 result on Stormer = Knockdown K 2, Professor Shariff spends a Possibility soaking all 3 "Packets" of damage (Knockdown 1, K[or O] 2, 2 shock [up to 5] 3.)<

Jim notices some blurring of his target, like a heat shimmer around him. It doesn't impact his aim, so the shot goes off. There's an electric flare as the bullet encounters a field surrounding the bad guy, but for a moment it looks like the man is knocked down....then you realize the Force Field gave him just enough warning to not get hit.

Sorry, It seems that one spoken line changed the context of my post.  I've removed it, and hopefully drawn attention to Ben's 'main intent' ... being the Maneauvering.

Post #235 edited.

I am playing fast and loose here. When this combat is over, there's one more critical scene, then the Adventure can really start...so in upcoming combats I will be more concerned with One-on-Many issues or, you know, math in general. This one I no longer have the emotional energy to keep it going properly
The troopers around the man who must be Shariff take multiple flechettes and collapse. The rounds are deflected quite effectively by his Force Field.

The professor orients his device towards Pierre and says, "Mobius will enjoy interrogating you!" He triggers it, and a wave of sound hits the Cybervet the other heroes only catch the sound as it bounces off of Pierre...loud, cacophonous, and somehow directed, like a LASER of sound instead of light.Professor Shariff rolled a 13, then because he's not Stymied he spent a possibility, rolled a 10 followed by a 5, for28 roll, or +9 to his 14 Energy Weapons, plus a +3 to hit mod on this setting giving a 26 to hit.  Pierre takes 3 Shock, a K result (an O following a K renders the target unconscious) and is Knocked down. Pierre may spend a Possibility to soak, as there is no Roll, the Stymied won't matter. As this result has only 3 Packets, soaking will get rid of it all, if he does.
[Edit: Pierre has another armor I didn't see on his Sheet so his Toughness is 21, not 18 making the damage Knockdown O 2 instead of Wnd K 3.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:33, Mon 09 Aug 2021.

Rd 6
You take it to them!
V Up H Flurry
MANEUVER/INTIMID.
Shariff is aiming at Pierre again, The 2 in the trees are heading to the machine. The ones on the trail are taking cover.
Any Active Defense?

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 242):
19:18, Today: Jim rolled 6 using 1d20.

Jim takes aim at the one of the shocktroopers heading away from the jungle and pulls the trigger. He rushes the shot, though he knows better.
[Fire combat 14-5=9.]

Jim wings the Trooper he shot at, if the man had been aware of a shooter it might have missed. The target goes down, whether dead, unconcsious or feigning is unclear.

Ben tries to guide the others in his party, but ony manages to maneuver himself into better position.

Pierre takes out the Gizmo using his higher tech equipment, and

---

Flury Action  and Pierre whipped his hand back into the 'ready position. "Surrender or die!" he demanded. Shariff is visibly affected, and obviously whatever Mobius would do to him is significantly worse than death...you can see it in his eyes.

Ben and Jim Flury Actions

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 244):
Jim's hands move fast, but with a precision born from many hours of practice and a deep familiarity with his rifle. He works the bolt to chamber another round, takes aim, and pulls the trigger, dropping the second trooper heading back from the trees.

[Fire combat 14+3=17.]

Note: this has already been covered by Ap in #244 above.

The blast smashed into Pierre but he knew exactly how to deal with sonics, hell he had one himself. It was the sustained resonance that was dangerous, and weaving from side to side dopplered it enough that his armor was able to stop it.

The two men faced each other, both immune to each others fire, Pierre by virtue of cyber and metamaterials, and 'The Hat' by virtue of (quite cheaty) weirdtech. However, he felt that he held the advantage. Hat was from the Nile, and was probably used to facing only primitives, whereas Pierre came from a milieu where cyber infantry was routinely a match for armored vehicles and knew how to deal with it. Pick at the edges, that was the key.

Viffing forward, he dismounted in front of him, left hand flicking forward, sending the tip of his index finger forward trailing a faint rainbow shimmer to wind around the ray-gun. Hat's raygun fell to the ground in several neat pieces, and Pierre whipped his hand back into the 'ready position. "So much for your weapon. Surrender or die!" he demanded. Hat's shoulders slumped, but


Pierre stepped forward, speaking quietly. "Relax, I am DGSE and quite prepared to support or at least not oppose whatever legend you need to come out of this smelling like roses. Or, if you are worried about mindreading and the like, we will find you a nice lab in France. Good food, pretty girls, what more could you want? And let me tell you, you haven't lived until you have attached boosters to Devastator armor. Stuff is fine!"

"For now, have your remaining men stand down. Oh, and have them bring the casualties here, no need to have them die after all."

Do you want a persuade?

Cards drawn are in hands

Ben is attempting to get himself and his two 'prisoners' into the digging machine.  I am unsure how to 'maneauver' the other two to keep up with Ben ... nor would I have him move ahead of them: which both separates them, and breaks the illusion of 'guard/captors' that we are working on.

Also, not entirely sure I understand where we all are:  can't get a mud map in my head.

Please, what action can Ben take to get the three of us into that machine?

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 248):

Pierre has effectively ended combat, so the machine is now open.

I have added a group 0 map so you can get an idea. Next scene is at the same site.

With the Prophesor defeated, Jim can come down and introduce himself

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 249):

Jim gives it a few minutes, but it's obvious that the fight is over. He picks up his rifle, doublechecks that it's on safe, then comes down to the group out of the forest. Pointedly ignoring the shocktroopers, he comes over to the Pierre and the rest of the Storm Knights. "Y'all okay? It looked like it was getting a little frisky there."

Hildy has a tearful reunion with her father. Surviving gaurds are tied up, As is Shariff. "I will tell you everything I know, as long as you leave me here when you go back!" He hasn't asked to be untied, nor for you to leave him a weapon.

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 251):
Jim looks over at Shariff. "What were you doing here? You're a little out of your normal operating area here."

Rose for Recap: it has been over 30 hours since the sun moved last. The land you are standing on is hotter right now than it is supposed to ever get.

Hildy told you her father's machine was commandeered for something to do with this phenomenon.

In reply to Jim (msg # 250):

"We managed, but thanks for the assist." Pierre looked him up and down, finally consulting something deep within himself. "Stormer are you? Law of weird coincidence raises its unlikely head once more."

In reply to Pierre De Gaulle (msg # 254):
Thanks. The coincidences are always interesting in this line of work. I had a... call it a report, that some folks from the Nile Empire were running guns to the lizards, and they asked me to check it out. Since the first part is accurate, other bits might be to. If it is true, I have some ideas.

Ben had been interested most in securing the Digging Machine, and rescuing any hostages.
Along the way, he use his Thought Scan and Psychic Awareness to sense the environments around him for any sentient threats that lay in wait for them (such as an enemy hiding somewhere, or a sniper preparing for attack).

- rolled 7 using 1d20.  Base 14.   = Effect total 12

"Well, we are working on that" Pierre pointed at the motionless sun. "Show you the math if you like but take my word for it it is bad. As in nine or ten billion dead bad. This lot have info that may lead to stopping it. You are welcome to join us if you wish."

As he talked to Jim he broke off from time to time to heal wounded, his touches proving fairly successful, with even 'Mr Try-a-spatula' (the shocktrooper who had received the undivided attention of his Jammer) coming out alive (if still lightly wounded). Finished, he made a little speech to them. "All right, listen up! This is not true healing, it is more like super first aid. Wounds are only temporarily closed. This time tomorrow, anything that natural process has not healed comes back messily. Rest. Bed rest in fact, or suffer the consequences."

He displayed a hitherto unseen talent for organisation, locating a compartment in the machine suitable for a prison and setting the unwounded shocktroopers to moving pallets for the 'wounded', food and water into it before cutting them loose "Gangrene you know"; setting the disguised party members as sentries (this was still the LL after all); and interrogating 'Hat' (whose name he could now actually learn).

Done, he spoke privately to 'Hat' for a moment, then called everyone together. "Okay, the situation is thus:" GM expound forth here

In reply to Pierre De Gaulle (msg # 257):
Old habits die hard. Jim quickly works his way through the digging machine and, after finding the the Dr's diary, does a quick skim of the contents. When he joins the others for the discussion, he has a slight, but positively vicious smile on his face.

Things you already knew:

• The sun has stopped moving
• If this is not fixed, life will be extremely difficult
• The invasion is not helping
• Mobius sent the digger here.

Things you have just found out

• The Pharaoh sent automatic weapons to trade for an Egg
• The Egg is somehow a Key to starting the sun again
• The tradeoff is soon

Things you suspect

• The weapons are meant for something other than the edeinos, something that can actually use them

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 259):

Jim looks around at the group."Okay. Here's what I'm thinking. The Pharoah sent his forces here to trade guns for "an egg." The guns, according to reports I got, are intended to be used by the edeinos against the US troops in Philadelphia. Well, not by the edeinos, but by others. However, I really don't like the idea of handing working guns to the lizards and I suspect they don't know enough about the weapons to know how they operate. I'm inclined to go through with the trade, but pull all the firing pins out so the guns won't fire. What do you all think?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:16, Thu 23 Sept 2021.

OOC GM posting as abandoned character to move story.

"It is safe to say they will not."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 12:26, Fri 24 Sept 2021.

"I suspect that whatever is intended with the guns, the locals won't like it. However, I suspect that they will like dying with the rest of the world even less. Edeinos must have several million captured M-16's by now, couple of hundred primitive bolt-action are not going to make much of a difference."

"I say we make the trade."

In reply to Pierre De Gaulle (msg # 262):

Basic Knowledge: Edeinos do NOT loot. Kah could not get them to "capture" again even under direct orders; the Social Axiom wouldn't let the orders stick.
Also, the weapons in the crates are M-16s, AK 47s, and Uzis.

You do have time to disable the weapons as Jim suggested before the trade delegation arrives

Ben nodded, “Sounds good.    Let’s make the mods to disable … stand in and do the trade, then hightail it out of here with the egg”.

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 264):

Jim nod, grabs an M-16, and demonstrates how to pull the bolt out. He then demonstrates on the other two weapons, and gets to work, leading the group in disabling the guns before putting them back in their crates, ready to hand over to the edeinos. "Come on, let's bury the bolts out of the way, then dress up to do the handover."

With all non prisoners helping, it's a matter of 40 minutes to disable all of the weapons.

During that time, it is pointed out, Edeinos don't recognize "Soft folk" nor clothing. So no need to change.

You are all feeling proud of yourselves, Until you feel the vibration, no time for burying, you stash the pins in the machine...

...-Scene-

Roughly an hour after you have finished modifying the weapons and cleaning up, A dozen or so Edeinos come riding in on a Bor-Aka, a Dinosaur looking thing roughly the size of a bad tempered football field. One of the Edeinos approaches you, doing its best to not look disgusted. It says,

*trade?*
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:51, Wed 29 Sept 2021.

Prior to the Edeinos' arrival, Ben had opened discussions with Jim and Pierre* regarding who would take point on the social tasks ahead ... and what responsibilities the others would take.

* I am guessing that we are the active PCs

In reply to Ben Altman (msg # 268):

For the next 1 to 3 Game Hours, yes. And normally I wouldn't push this, but this and the next scene are both built without any rolls needed, so Take away.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:51, Thu 30 Sept 2021.

Go for it Ben.

In reply to Pierre De Gaulle (msg # 270):

Go ahead and take point.

When the lizardmen arrive, Ben and the others were ready for them.
The crates were stacked outside, easily accessible, but guarded.   Ben had slipped into various bits of ‘Nile’ clothing, and held his gun ready for ‘business’ (if it were needed).

When the Edeinos made his statement, Ben nodded with a “Trade”.
He pointed to that Edeinos, then to the crates.
Then, he held out his hand … to accept what they had brought.

Meanwhile, he was issuing his psychic abilities to scan their (rather alien) thoughts for any sign of impending attack or treachery.

Normally I'd limit Psychic results to private, these are mirrored obviously on the Edeinos face.

The only emotions Ben picks up are various levels of Disgust. Disgust for you soft things, Disgust for the egg he hands over as he siglas Edeinos to load the Disgusting dead things he as been ordered to retrieve. Disgust at the requirement to verify...the Edeinos shake each crate before loading them on the bir aka. This entire mission is WRONG. How can Lanala have ordered this, WHAT is the Saar thinking?

Trade done. They load up and leave, and you are looking at a piece of pure beauty. A Fabrige Egg.

Mobius was prepared, as he apparently is for all things. He had a case ready for the egg.

Sharrif gave you everything he knew, his job was to take the egg back on the machine and be done. You strip him of all high tech communication gear and let him run. The other guards are content to be prisoners.

Hildy's father pilots the device and you head back through the tunnels. ...Scene... ...Act...

So to clarify, please ... we are all going, in the Digging Device, back to wherever it came from (presumably, the Nile Empire)?   It would seem more advantageous to take it with us out of the Living Lands:  then, out in the real world, take a better look at it.
If we need to head for the Nile Empire, it would make for sense (to me) to fly there in the real world, then enter the Nile Empire at a place and time of our choosing.

But I am open, and get the impression that this is a very linear storyline?

Yes going back to where the egg was going. Earth is dying and there's precious little time to save it.

Also
Act awards: 5 XP. With the 5 you started with, that's a TOTAL of 10 to spend.

Discard down to 4 if needed discard any others, discard any unused Cosm cards.

Still World and the Nile
Remember how it was very hot in the Kentucky scenes, and the sun was high in the sky — even at 3:00 a.m.? Well, the Nile is just the opposite — or it would be if not for Mobius' science. The Nile Empire is on the dark side of the Still World, and it is very cold. But Mobius has placed an artificial sun in the sky, and this provides light and heat to his realm.

Sharrif had a map; the Group 1 map currently. The Device comes out under his quarters.

This scene is severely free form... Play On!
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:33, Mon 04 Oct 2021.

The three in the cell sit up suddenly as the ground shakes, about a 0.2 on the Richter. They have no idea it was caused my heroes riding a mechanical steed underneath them.

Meanwhile, Jim and Pierre pull up to the machine's dock unaware there is anyone else that could help them SAVE THE WORLD. Nor are they aware that troopers all over the base are heading towards the dock to welcome home a triumphant Shariff... leaving a certain cell unguarded. Hamalek sees this as a sign and casts a spell he doesn't appear to quite feel confident in, but it works and the lock "pops".

The cell was inside the warehouse, as is a small arsenal. And two workers.
Jim and Pierre climb up to Shariff's quarters. To find Shock troops moving towards them, non-threateningly. For now.

Cards are being difficult for me at this time. If Jim and Pierre haven't bespoke the cards they're keeping by Saturday I will assume they are not Saving any and issue fresh hands
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:50, Fri 08 Oct 2021.

The machine halted a few miles away from the 'trade' site to dump the captive shocktroopers (with food, water and gear, ammo separate) off where they will not be an issue to Hildy and her father, then went on its way. It having been decided that while flying would indeed be much faster there was a strong likelihood that the 'still world' had seriously disrupted normal world travel it was best to stick to the digging machine it made its way to the Nile base.

I'm assuming here, but the scenario is very linear.

Once at the base they sent the machine off to Tel Aviv, paused a moment to  pray (at least Pierre did) "Lord of hosts, bless our efforts as we face the heathen hordes of the false gods" Pierre didn't fancy his chances of bluffing his way through the entire base, but he was confident of his ability to shoot his way through it, so as soon as the majority of the shocktroopers were in the open, he opened fire.

Jim, if you join in the prayer you get a +2 to Dex-based actions for the next hour. Note, not Dex, just Dex-based actions.

Now would be ba good time for anyone but Pierre Actually, Pierre too to review this games rules on Religious similarities/Contradictions

link to a message in this game
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:25, Fri 08 Oct 2021.

In reply to Apeiros (msg # 280):
[I'm good with the cards.]

Jim looks over at Pierre and smiles slightly. "Amen. Let's go." Then, almost inaudibly, he mutters to himself something that sounds like, "Those who kneel beside us, at altars not our own..."

He pauses for a second and says, "Hold on, I want to take a quick look around." [Searching Sharriff's quarters.]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:33, Fri 08 Oct 2021.

In reply to Jim (msg # 281):


Also gear and former cell of the former prisoners.

Hamalek sees the hordes of people in the same uniforms as those who had captured and guarded him rushing toward another building where someone not-too-pleased to see them had appeared. He knew he had to meet this other person and needed a way to get there and find out why he was in this remote base.

Almost instinctively, he slipped his hand into the spell component pouch for the flint and one of the balls of pitch he carried. The dagger struck the flint to light the ball of pitch, and with a practiced move, he pinched off a small bit of the pitch. A perfect toss sent the rest of the ball toward the horde.

As the flaming ball streaked toward the unsuspecting crowd, a twinge of guilt overcame Hamalek. While they may have been cruel in nature, they hadn't harmed him, nor did they look like they were about to. One of the tricks built into the pattern of Altered Fireball was that the piece of pitch one keeps can be used to guide the ball before explosion. This didn't need to be an execution—at least not yet. An empty metal chariot was in range, but not close enough to fry the people. So he moved the sphere into a window at the front of the chariot and then clapped his hands around the pitch he was holding, expanding the small sphere into a 4-meter radius conflagration.

Please, on the map, this 'other building' upon which the guards are converging, and we see someone whom seems in the same situation us as ... is that the Barracks or the Quarters?



Gen said to Hamalek and Nora, "I am going to try and get over there unnoticed, and find out who those other folk are.  Maybe we can join up with them".


And while in those moments that Hamalek prepared his surprise, Gen slipped out of the warehouse ... and, using what cover she could within the compound, used the confusion and the guard's concentration on other locations, attempted to make her way to those other folk.
- rolled 8 using 1d20.  Dex/Stealth (14).
for a Total of 12

The exploding Jeep distracts the Troops, they run to put out the fire.

"Now is our chance to find out what's going on," Hamalek said to his companions. He then moved to the other building where the "not guard" was, watching out for people who were guards.

In reply to Hamalek (msg # 286):

Jim follows Pierre's lead, heading out the door with his rifle at the ready, but not pointed at anyone.

In reply to Pierre (msg #279) and Jim (msg # 287):

Troops were heading to the south door (N is up). Are you going to the N or S door for your exit?

---

You take it to them!
S: H Flurry V —
Act: MANEUVER/INTIMID.

"Right!"  Nora sticks with Hamalek, hurrying over towards the action.

HEROES 1st of Flurry:
The 3 axCaptives make it to the SW corner of the interesting house. waiting for Pierre's action to attach Jim's and then it'll be Heroes 2nd of Flurry.

'Surprise' Pierre murmured, heading out of the south door. He had no idea who had provided that useful distraction but he took full advantage of it, MM4 (this was the Nile after all) making its incongruously cheerful chirps to send broad fans of stunner energy into the troops, sending them twitching to the ground.

As Hamalek was opening the south door, Ikada spies a man with extremely tight Armor on his limbs and an American soldier start moving to the west on the North side of the house. A few troops go down in gunfire.
Second Flurry Action; no mobile Troopers have noticed any of you, yet, but there are a lot of troopers.

Gen continued moving in an attempt to meet up with the two soldiers.

GM Edit: Nora and Hamalek will notice Ikeda moving between the buildings; Jim and Pierre will recognize the fashion Ikeda is wearing from Koharu...this person is from Her locality./Edit
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:48, Tue 12 Oct 2021.

Pierre kept moving and firing. His first objective was the radio shack, which should be obvious from the huge aerials required by primitives, but he was quite content to mow down primitives along the way. Contrary to 'common sense', he kept himself in the open, his tactical doctrine here was light panzer, and like panzer he enjoyed good lines of fire and open ground.

Didn't know you were in a Rambo movie, did you?

please look at the Game Map for Group 1. I spouted off from memory incorrectly.  There is maybe an inch between the buildings, so Ikeda could not be following that way. A a copy of this map was found in each starting location. Therefore, you all know the purpose of each building. The Shicktroooers have moved, however.

Hamalek saw the "not guard" aim his rod at the guards and disable some of them without killing them. Sadly, the combat spells taught at the Academy of the Six Towers weren't so compassionate. But Hamalek still didn't feel right about initiating hostilities.

A burst of energy within Hamalek enabled him to run to the "not guard's" side. Once there, he took some of the nearby ground and fashioned it quickly into an approximation of a miniature shield. He set it on the ground in front of him and the earth rose up into an immobile tower shield, two meters high and one meter wide, enough to cover him from any "bullet spell launchers" the guards might choose to fire this way.

With his hide suitably protected, he turned to the "not guard". "No time for proper introductions, as it looks like we need  to hurry if we're going to stop whatever it is that has inspired Pharaoh Mobius to make his way here personally. He's expected within the hour. Do you happen to know what he's up to?"


OOC: Hero moves to pool. If we are allowed to put a card in for both parts of the Flurry, I'll also add Action.

Still hidden, to the best of her knowledge, Gen took  note of the airstrip.   Knowing that the Pharaoh was due soon, it was likely that he intended to fly in.

But, she reasoned and planned, that was much less likely to happen if there were vehicles strewn on the runway.
Using stealth, she headed for one of the nearby trucks that seemed unattended.

She was, it was true, counting on the fact that vehicles in this sort of era, and in their 'secure' compound, were likely to either have their keys left in them ... or their ignition was a push button.

In reply to Hamalek (msg # 296):

Jim looks over at Hamalek as he follows Pierre around. "We're not sure. We just know he traded a sh... a bunch of rifles to the lizards for a Faberge Egg. I have no clue what he wants with that relic, pretty as it is, but I doubt it's good." He goes back to scanning for lethal threats, as he doesn't want to start the killing if he doesn't have to.

In reply to Ikada Gen (msg # 297):

In reply to Jim (msg # 298):

In reply to Hamalek (msg # 296):

"Bonjour. Pierre De Gaulle, DGSE. We are working a plan to deal with this 'still world' issue. There is supposedly intel as to the location of the machine that caused it in this base." Pierre couldn't see a radio shack, but his Godlight barked, reducing the generator across from him to scrap. "Just have to deal with the troops here first." Glancing at Jim and Hamalek, he warned "Booster spell incoming."
Running spell code through his DNI, he focused it on them.

*Ping* Welcome [new user] to tactical enhancement v1.14. Your speed, strength, toughness and morale have been improved, duration 250s (this counts down). Now go forth and smite those heathen!
1)Blinklik here to suppress morale boost
2)Blinklik here to suppress strength boost
3)Blinklik here to suppress all boosts.

His buff increases Str, Dex, Tou and Spi.
Exactly what it does depends on your base stats.
The Simple Method: Have a +3 to all 4. (this averages out)
The complicated method: Compare the spells effect total (16) to your base stat on the power push table (not the speed push), increasing the stat by the result.