Notice: This thread follows from msg #458 in Chapter 1 - Part 1.

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It continued to snow softly. Unlike the surrounding hills and the lake, it seemed the town was mostly spared from the cruel winds Auril stirred. But it was still dark, and it still snowed. And it was colder than the worst winters Moyrah could ever recall.

Aside from a few fishermen who refused to acknowledge The Frostmaiden had it out for them – or foolishly braved her – there were few who stayed out. Though even if the trouble with The Lake Monster hadn't been, it wasn't uncommon for the docks to empty at this hour. Most would had gone to be with their families or frolic in The Flag, unless they were dissuaded by the Trolls. She passed Joar, a willowy man who had lost his dog some Tendays prior, carrying home a drill. Even without his dog, he was still dogged, Trolls be damned. A man had to fish! Though not everyone who’d been out on the frozen lake would have registered something was wrong. The Trolls had made quite the uproar, but they had been stopped well before they could reach the docks.

Joar sneered at her.*

Rapid footsteps sounded behind her. "Moyrah!" It was Vegord's voice. He was in only his shirt, halfway buttoned, and the door to his tavern swung open in the chilling breeze. The short and rotund man stumbled as he tried to catch up with Moyrah and fell to one knee in the snow. He quickly righted himself, not bothering to brush off his trousers. There wasn't any time. "They've gone to your hut! They've gone to your hut, Moyrah! With torches!"

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*Give me a Perception check, DC 11.

Edit: Inconsequential, but I weaved in the Trolls. They should at least get a mention.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:37, Tue 27 July 2021.

"no. No. NO....." After shocking Vegord's words, Moyrah gasped for air and shrieked so loud that the whole Targos could hear her. Animal instincts which were hibernating deep inside of her, buried beneath all of the focus and control that she has managed to muster, has stirred up once again, and now with her harpoon in her hand, she will refuse to be abused once again. The adrenaline rush caused Moyrah's senses to heighten, and with never sharper awareness she rushed towards her home, to defend whatever ruins are left to defend.

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22:48, Today: Moyrah the Mutt rolled 22 using 1d20+3.  Perception.

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Moyrah's Perception check [22]: There were precisely four sets of fresh footprints, all leading from the Three Flags in the direction of Moyrah's hut.

There was no number of foes that would have stopped Moyrah from defending the only thing she got left. The very thought of the physical fragments of memory of her father going up in flame made the blood rush through her veins at the speed of the light. Confidently and with purpose, she continued her path, ready for any conflict that may ensue.

Gam and his goons stood beside Moyrah's home with torches blazing. Despite her strong legs, they had such a lead on her that it was nigh impossible to arrive before them. "Mutt!" Gam turned around. He looked worse for wear, like he hadn't gotten much sleep, and snot clung to a nose reddened by booze and cold air. "Ya get what's coming to ya!" He stepped up to the foundation and put his torch to the base of the wood wall. Part of the problem with everything being so damn cold all the time was that the air sucked up all the moisture, rendering most things drier than The Great Sand Sea. And while the snowfall helped to serve as a blanket that could hinder the spread when melted, the dryness didn't bode well for a place like Targos, a town consisting of tightly packed wooden buildings and rickety docks. Over the course of history, fire had decimated it several times over, and underneath the current iteration lay the ashes of previous ones. You'd think they'd learn. Fortunately, Moyrah's hut was so removed from the other buildings that there was no concern of it developing into an uncontrolled, cataclysmic inferno. Only Herve's boathouse was in the immediate vicinity.

After holding the torch against the planks for a moment, Gam simply dropped it to the ground. The fire had taken easily, developing into a small flame secluded in the corner that could easily spiral out of control if not quenched in its infancy. "You should'a been more appreciative! I paid up! Let everyone know that I, Gam, paid up!" he spread out his arms. The rest of the complicit arsonists – Birger, Orm and Njal – were content with letting Gam speak for them. They'd never been the brightest of the bunch, and definitely some of the most antagonistic. There had always been a certain correlation there. "Shouldn't 'ave slammed that door in my face, should ya!?"

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Free posting for the time being. If Moyrah opens with an Attack we'll roll initiative.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:58, Fri 09 July 2021.

"You paid up, you paid up. Just...just... STOP this..." The tiredness, the rage, the fear all stirred within Moyrah simultaneously, and once the comprehension of these emotions became too much to bear, Moyrah began wailing, tears streaming down her face. while still going towards her hut. "I beg you, please, please just put an end to this. We have gotten rid of the beast, you can all fish now, you can earn it all back. I promise! There is no need for this" , in moments like these very few people wouldn't be consumed by desperation, her home was all she has, all she is, and without it, what would she be.

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Should I roll persuasion?

Astre was able to get an aerial overview of the situation. Moyrah, alone, stood facing four men with flaming torches. Once he'd gained enough elevation he tucked his wings, caught tailwind, and shot through the air. Behind him, the doors of The Luskan Arms swung open.

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"It's too late, Mutt!" Gam spat. "You can cry all you want. In the end, the world rights itself! The world is just, Mutt! Hah!"

The three men looked uncomfortable to varying degrees. As if they'd regretted coming along. "Gam . . . is this really necessary?" Njal spoke up. "I mean . . . burning her house down? I thought we were just gonna sca-"

"Shut it! It's done!" Gam quickly reached out and stole his torch away, then held it to the hut. The fire was already catching, but he held the second torch there still. Apparently, it wasn't done enough – better to light the kindlewood at several ends. "And now she gets to watch it all burn." The fire continued to take as Gam lit another spot. He twisted his toothless mouth into a sadistic grin.

Orm cleared his throat and went to kick some snow onto the fire. "Maybe we can . . ."

Gam grabbed his collar to yank him back and Orm fell on his arse. "I said shut it! Or The Bitch Mother take ya!"

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Moyrah's Perception check [19]: Birger, Njal, and Orm aren't sure this was all that good an idea after all.

It'll be only Moyrah for a couple more posts.

Moyrah began running towards Gam fixated on the torch in his hand, and the flames enveloping her hut. "Just stop him please, it doesn't have to end like this. This is all I have left." Moyrah's tears froze immediately upon the impact with the snow-covered floor, catching the shine of the moonlight as they escape the hood covering her face. "I will return your money Gam, I promise, just put an end to this!". Moyrah will try running past Gam towards the point he lit and start tossing snows on top of the growing fire, if he tries restraining her or holding her back, Moyrah will shove or push him away.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:22, Sat 10 July 2021.

Gam grew furious as Moyrah moved past him in an attempt to extinguish the budding fire. "Like yer pa, ya just don't know when to stop, do ya?" He attempted to grab her by the wrist.

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Initiative Order:

• Gam [14]
• Moyrah [7]
• Birger, Orm, and Njal [3]

Notes:
Moyrah will be taking a Readied Action (shoving Gam) at the top of Gam's turn, after which he will take the rest of his turn.

Birger, Orm, and Njal appear neutrally disposed to the conflict. They hang back, outside of Moyrah's and Gam's reach (meaning they will not provoke Opportunity Attacks if they forego Disengaging).

We'll do theater of the mind for this battle. It's small in scale, so assume that you're within melee range of enemies unless stated otherwise.

Moyrah continued her trajectory towards the flames, and Gam found himself in her way "Let me go! It's been enough", she didn't intend to do anything to hurt the man, but after he tried grabbing her by the arm, she showed the toothless drunk back in retaliation. But if he continues his hostile behavior, the teeth will not be the only thing that he will be missing. She has been through far too much tonight, and if Gam continues antagonizing her, the weapons can easily get drawn.

Once the burning part of her house was within arm's reach, Moyrah manically began tossing snow onto the open flames. However, no matter how much snow she tried tossing, it either wasn't enough or the process itself wasn't correct.

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Readied action: Shove Gam, in hopes of making him prone
19:51, Today: Moyrah the Mutt rolled 12 using 1d20+5.  Athletics (str) for shoving Gam.
Move: She will continue going towards the flame
Action: Try to extinguish the fire with snow
00:18, Today: Moyrah the Mutt rolled 8 using 1d20+3.  extinguishing the first fire.


This message was last edited by the player at 23:22, Sun 11 July 2021.

Njal, Birger, and Orm stood frozen, aghast at the unfolding of the situation. "I want no part of this." Birger eventually said. He took a few steps backward, after which he turned around and dashed. Njal and Orm concurred and followed.

"Cowards!" Gam bellowed after them, drops of spittle flying from the corner of his mouth and wetting his unkempt stubble. He'd gotten up and brushed off the snow from elbows and knees. He spun his gaze to Moyrah. "Mutt! You, me! Man against boar!" Raising his fists he continued, "Fists! I don't need The Barge!" The man was barely standing, dazed from the shove and the booze coursing through him.

The initial fire, first, a small, black, smoking spot, was now starting to build. No matter how much snow Moyrah shoveled onto it, that smoke was tenacious, insisting on returning through each kick and handful. Orange, flickering flames started forming. The longer it was allowed to live, the harder it would be to kill. And not only that, there was the second plank Gam had lit to contend with.

A fist struck Moyrah's back. Gam didn't wait for Moyrah to accept his challenge. To the half-orc's hardened back muscles it barely registered, and Gam likely hurt his wrist more than he hurt Moyrah.

Astre remained ahead of the others, and was close enough to get an accurate understanding of what was going on.

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Gam Unarmed Attack against Moyrah [16]: HIT. Moyrah takes 1 Bludgeoning Damage.

Initiative Order:

• Gam [14]
• > Moyrah [7]
• Birger, Orm, and Njal [3]
• Astre[—]

Notes:
Birger, Orm, and Njal remove themselves from combat.

The DCs to extinguish the fires increase to 14 and 16.

After Moyrah's turn (who would otherwise now act on the bottom of the initiative order), Astre is close enough to engage. I put his initiative last for the time being. He'll be moved to Mallory's turn once she shows up and initiative is rolled (normally, he'd always roll his own initiative, but he's lumped in with Mallory to smooth out the posting order.)He'll have to expend his 40 feet of movement to Moyrah and Gam. He is close enough to Mallory to telepathically communicate.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:44, Fri 16 July 2021.

"I am warning you Gam, you will only end up hurting yourself! This is a promise, not a warning" Unphased by Gam's attempts at hurting her, Moyrah continued hurriedly shoving snow on the ever-growing flames, trying to focus on the one lighted a bit earlier. But it seems as if she may have arrived too late. Seeing the futility of her actions, she headed inside of her home to salvage what can be salvaged.

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Action: Extinguishing the bigger fire 15:35, Today: Moyrah the Mutt rolled 5 using 1d20+3.  extinguishing first fire.
Move: Moyrah will try moving inside of her home to try to find her scrolls, tell me if there are any obstacles, debris that needs to be cleared.
Free action: Open the door
Bye bye home

If he so wished, Rhydd could easily overtake Mallory. The rest had lagged behind, including Torgrim and Farwalker, and were a couple of paces behind. Though the Goliath, with her long legs, wouldn't have trouble keeping pace.

Three fishermen passed from the direction they were headed in, two bearing torches. "Head to your homes! If Master Naerth gets whiff of this . . ." they spoke amongst themselves in the distance.

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Notes: We're playing somewhat fast and loose. If I had thought to include Gam's goons in my earlier posts, I would have. For now, operate on the assumption that they're more than 30 feet apart from the source of the conflict, but I'll let you choose whether or not you wish to interact with them. If you stop to talk (or whatever) you can't close the distance to Gam or the hut, but anything ranged can still interact with either.

What ensues is Mallory's writing that she sent me.

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DM: Nice try, but I'm going to count that as Survival :)

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Unfortunately, Astre's help did nothing but draw attention to himself. The fires were starting to climb to an intensity where nothing short of a flood could extinguish them. He did manage to scoop some snow onto Gam's scalp, however, much to the man’s annoyance.

Instead of channeling that annoyance at the winged cat which he had no hope of catching, Gam once again lashed out at Moyrah. "Running away from a challenge? I should've expected as much from a filthy, wart-riddled, mud-rolling, unholy swine! You belong in the pigsty! As did your father!" Gam bellowed after Moyrah, animated and furious. He transitioned to laughing maniacally with arms held wide. "The world's gone mad! They've even appointed a cross-breed as Spokesman in Termalaine! Don't you understand? You're the ones who brought Auril's wrath to the Ten-Towns! She's here to right things! Your pig-fucking father got what he deserved for bringing you back to Targos, and so will the rest!" The belligerent little man's voice grew quieter to Moyrah as the flames began to roar. Black smoke was rising and started to build up between the gables.

Everything was where she'd left it. If any more burglars had crept in while she was gone they hadn't taken anything in plain view. Most importantly, her copies of her father's etchings were still there — save for the one that had gone missing.

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Initiative Order:

• > Rhydd [15]
• Gam [14]
• Farwalker [11]
• Torgrim [8]
• Mallory and Astre [7, wins tiebreaker with Moyrah due to having a higher Dex score]
• Moyrah [7]
• Birger, Orm, and Njal [3]

Notes: Gam is just slinging insults as a free action. For what you're aware, he hasn't noticed your characters approach. And as stated previously, I assumed you all tagged along.

This is also a new round, so the DC to extinguish the fire climbs to 16 and 18 respectively. When they both get to 20 I'll merge them into the higher DC, so two rounds from now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:17, Tue 20 July 2021.

Rhydd took the scene in with a glance . . . the flames licking at Moyrah's hut, the Half-Orc doing what she could to put the fire out, and scrawny little Human who was trying to interfere.

Since he was carrying his bow, it took only an instant for him to nock an arrow and put it into the ground close to the townsman's foot.

"Stand down, or I'll hurt you with the next one," he snarled at the Human.

Out of the side of his mouth, he asked Lady Mallory "You got some magicks that'll help with the fire?"

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OOC:

Free Action: Speak.

Action: Rhydd will shoot an arrow into the ground close to Gam's foot.

Notes: I didn't make an Attack roll, since it seemed to me that Rhydd would not have any trouble hitting the ground, and I don't like to offend the Dice Gods by wasting their time with unnecessary rolls. But if you'd like for me to make a roll, just let me know, Bears.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:51, Wed 21 July 2021.