2020-07-28: CaraKin and the Mysterious Metal Monsters
- Log: CaraKin and the Mysterious Metal Monsters
- Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Catenna, Ethius Hesiod, Cyre H. Lorentz
- Where: Claiborne
- Date: July 28, 2020
- Summary: Claiborne is under attack by a mysterious horde of metal monsters... but the Caravan Kinship arrives on the scene to help? Can they avert tragedy? And where, exactly, do they come from...?
===============================<* Claiborne *>================================ Claiborne is another one of the little farming communities on Kasutho Island, and until recently it was protected by Sylvaland, which claims dominion over it and its section of the island. However, with the destruction of its teleporter by Odessa, it has fallen out of immediate contact with Sylvaland, leaving it in an uncertain position with regards to the Veruni presence here. Still, Claiborne remains a quiet farming town, whatever the actions of the outside world. Well-known for the quality of their horses, it's rumored that even the famed steeds of kings can directly or indirectly trace their lineage back to Claiborne stock.
DG: A party led by Jacqueline Barber is now entering Claiborne Under Attack. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>=========================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Up and Over the Wall *>====================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
Again and again, Claiborne finds itself under attack.
The villagers have done their best to shore up the town's defenses, but
there is only so much they have been able to do, and on such short notice.
And against such strange foes. The reports from the beleaguered town have
been garbled -- they talk of machines, but also of beasts. Perhaps, this
might be some sort of incursion of Metal Beasts? But who, if anyone, is
behind such things?
You arrive in the middle of another attack, the villagers having done their
best to keep the creatures out of their town. But alas, the walls have been
breached. The creatures have invaded Claiborne.
You can see the last of them as they slip on up and through the rent they
have made in the fortifications -- they move quickly, and no matter how
impelled or called out to do not cease. Which ultimately leaves just you and
the torn fortifications, with no clear way into the fort the villagers have
made the town. Except up, that is.
=Dungeon Conditions: Cripple==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
A distress signal had been sent out from Claiborne. They've been under attack from strange metallic creatures, and while they've been able to hold them off so far, there's no telling how long they can last. And where there are people in need, the Caravan Kinship answers.
They arrive at Claiborne in enough time to catch one of the beasts clambering up and over the wall with unreal agility. They must already be in town - they need to hurry.
"...Was that really a Metal Beast? Are some of the Hyadean remnants acting up, or did some of them come loss from somewhere...?" Jacqueline questions with an uncertain frown.
"...Well, anyway, we need to get over that wall, quick!" Jacqueline says. She runs up it, and considers the height.
"Earth Pillar Express, going up - if anyone needs a lift, come stand next to me!" Jacqueline offers. Once anyone who doesn't have their own way to ascend gets close, Jacqueline with gesture with her left hand, conjuring an earth pillar beneath her feet that will rise up enough for her to hop over.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, Up and Over the Wall.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Catenna was pretty sure the Metal Demons had been dealt with. Perhaps they're not so fortunate.
"There goes one of them." Moving to the right of Jay, she looks keenly over the creature. "I am not sure what it is. Metal Beasts take many forms. We'll have to get closer."
Getting over the town fortifications won't be easy. When Jay conjures up the pillar, Catenna moves up beside her and waits, drawing the feather fans she tends to carry with her dancing outfit.
The pillar goes up, and the Moon Shaman leaps when it's halfway there. Twirling, she holds her fans out like rudders, twisting in the air, legs arcing upwards as she goes upside down in a high backflip as she vaults herself over the fortifications, trying to stick the landing smoothly on the other side.
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Feather Fans toward her party's challenge, Up and Over the Wall.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius showing up is a given, the very moment the descriptor of 'metallic beasts' is given out. "Metal Beasts left to their own devices, in any context, represent an existential threat to the continued survival of their surrounding environs." He is just shy of interrupting Jay's musing before she completes it when he does speak up - but he didn't get the clearest look on the specific creature that just went up the wall beyond seeing a large silhouette shape come right on in. He's already getting the harness for the Hot Air Sack tied as Jay plans to create a high point for him to drift off of with the pillar. (It is not meant specifically for him, for that reason - but it's parallel enough to Jay's intent that it should work out fine.)
"Malfi, one of the surviving experts on the matter, did previously bequeath unto us commands she would use to compel obedience," Ethius remarks, "but there is no guarantee that the ones present were ones she had a hand in training." He halts from exposition to do spellcasting, since he needs to dedicate some chanting to that as he fills the patchy-lookin' former loot sack full of hot air to help float over the wall.
Could it be as simple as that? Just left-over Metal Beasts, perhaps under sway by a hostile Hyadean handler? Only one way to find out.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, Up and Over the Wall.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Like many of the Carakin, Cyre has nothing but nightmarish memories of that fateful night in Adlehyde. He ran through the burning city that day, desperate to make his way to the castle-- only to meet a foe more powerful than he could have ever imagined. He remembers being nearly disemboweled by the greatest of the demons in the castle keep, unable to even phase the legendary monsters.
Cyre had survived that night where so many others did not. And even now, what is happening to Clairborne feels... far too familiar. If these beasts aren't stopped, how long will it take for Clairborne to become another Adlehyde? Another St. Centour?
They can't let that happen.
"We need to move fast," the shaman says as he unfurls his parachute. He rides Jay's pillar as it rises, leaping just in time to absorb some of its upward momentum, using it to launch himself into the air. A mighty wind picks up, buoying the Carakin's flight over the barricade.
"This is way too close for comfort," he says with unusual graveness, "I'm sure we can stop whatever it is we find, but I'm not so sure about the villagers."
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Reverse Parachute toward his party's challenge, Up and Over the Wall.
=========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>=========================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Up and Over the Wall *>====================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
Again and again, Claiborne finds itself under attack.
The villagers have done their best to shore up the town's defenses, but
there is only so much they have been able to do, and on such short notice.
And against such strange foes. The reports from the beleaguered town have
been garbled -- they talk of machines, but also of beasts. Perhaps, this
might be some sort of incursion of Metal Beasts? But who, if anyone, is
behind such things?
You arrive in the middle of another attack, the villagers having done their
best to keep the creatures out of their town. But alas, the walls have been
breached. The creatures have invaded Claiborne.
You can see the last of them as they slip on up and through the rent they
have made in the fortifications -- they move quickly, and no matter how
impelled or called out to do not cease. Which ultimately leaves just you and
the torn fortifications, with no clear way into the fort the villagers have
made the town. Except up, that is.
=Dungeon Conditions: Cripple==================================================
====================<* Claiborne Under Attack - Round 1 *>==================== ======================< Results - Up and Over the Wall >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Hot Air Sack 2 Agility Effects: Resilient ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyre H. Lorentz 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Reverse Parachute 1 Agility Effects: Rally and Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catenna 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Feather Fans 3 Agility Effects: Fanfare ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Cripple Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Yeah... I guess we'll see." Jacqueline replies to Ethius with a nod. She nods to Catenna, too - they'll have to get closer.
"Right - we should prioritize helping out anyone we find. Cyre, let us know if you spot anyone!" Jacqueline says.
Fortunately, for them, making their way over the barricade is no trouble at all. Jacqueline's pillar launches everyone up and over the barricade... and landing is no trouble, either. Catenna leaps gracefully over, manuvering herself to a safe, easy landing, while Ethius floats safely down. Jacqueline, meanwhile, times a spell just right to erase her momentum once she's on the other side, landing next to the others. And Cyre, of course, gets to just fly right on over.
Once they're on the other side, Jacqueline uses a Mystic touch to spread a restorative potion over the party.
"I don't see anything here... let's get moving, everyone." Jacqueline says.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>==========================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Back Attack *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Maybe it's bad luck. Maybe you were careless, or maybe it was waiting for
someone like you to pass on by. Whatever happened, you've found yourself at
a disadvantage as you enter this particular confrontation in Claiborne's
streets, against a particularly large specimen of the attacking creatures.
But don't despair -- the battle is not yet done, and there is time yet for
you to turn this one around. And perhaps if you manage to down this one, it
might help turn the tide in this battle for the town, if not provide you
with some well-needed hints of how to effectively defeat these things.
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Vault============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
They're inside. The Adlehyde comparisons continue. The only major difference at a glance is that there is less things on fire. There is something distinctly past tense about the destruction - that some of what they're seeing has been like this for at least a few days. A smashed watchtower that has been rained over and otherwise untouched. A brick building whose building blocks scattered about in the wind. Even for something that is happening right now, the span of time in which a tragedy both has occurred - and is occurring - has an aura of being stretched out a longer span of time than it truly has.
It could be the emotional scars they all bear talking. No one ever truly gets desensitized to this.
The worst part of it is the relative silence. It should not be this quiet in a place already under active attack, but this part of it that the lot of them have inserted from is. There are yells and there are the sounds of ARM fire, but they seem more far-off as opposed to hear. As though... this part of Claiborne has been all but surrendered to the beasts.
They did see one go over the wall here. Where is that beast?
"...The active engagements appear further ahead," Ethius remarks. Cyre might see something moving through his peripheral vision, but by the time he's able to speak up...
Ethius extends his left hand in a direction as he faces towards Jay and Catenna. He's about to say something. For that split-second, he sure looks like someone who has a certain urgency in which to say something.
All he can do is draw back his hand as heavy, metallic footfalls violently shake the ground around them. Debris are flung high up into the air. What lighting there is, is voided as what is left is but a silhouette with only a metallic sheen to betray it (kind of greenish-gray), shining purple eyes, and huge fangs that do not look like they would logically exist with what facial shape exists.
There are times to complain about anatomical oddities when it isn't bearing down on them. Each footfall shakes the ground, standing to impair one's ability to maneuver or even just out-and-out run for their lives.
For Ethius' part, it's not certain if he's getting mauled before he can get a smoke bomb off. The smoke bomb at least detonates, but whether it impairs them or not is difficult to discern.
What isn't, is that it is huge and kind of ursine in shape.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Powder Grenade toward his party's challenge, Back Attack.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Who knew? Catenna learned how to jump.
Things are too quiet for what should be a battle zone. "Be alert," the Zortroan murmurs as she draws her bow and readies an arrow. Far overhead, Saarda-Shanta is circling, keeping an eye on things.
With a look towards Ethius, she tilts her head as he seems ready to speak - but the moment is cut off.
Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.
"Uh-oh," Catenna says before the abomination appears. Catenna can barely make it out in the low light. With a gasp, the Moon Shaman leaps backwards as debris hurtles towards them. Chunks of rubble slam into the ground where she was standing, but she's quickly clear, landing delicately on the sharp heels of her shoes.
Her arm blurs as she fires off a pair of arrows, surprise giving way to the clinical calm of battle. A sweep of her then-empty hand follows, an uttered word of power, and a surge of gravity that tries to pull the monstrous thing downwards and weigh it in place.
"Hit it now!" she calls.
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Celesdue Medium toward her party's challenge, Back Attack.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Indeed, Adlehyde is fresh in Jacqueline's mind. It always would be - she lost her home that day. But, she had resolved since then to do what she could to ensure that no one else did.
And yet, as they pass over the wall... everything is still. Quiet. Far too quiet. Ethius speaks, and as Jacqueline opens her mouth to answer...
Something slams down behind them with another force to send Jacqueline reeling forward, even as she turns to face it.
"It's behind us...!" She gasps. She backpedals, then, reaching for the Lifeweaver's Codex and flipping through the pages. ...But, one thing soon becomes clear to her. "...It... it isn't in the Codex! I don't think that's a normal Metal Beast... I can only guess at its capabilities. It's large, and it looks strong... try to avoid getting into melee range! It's size gives it an advantage in reach, so that may be difficult... It might have other surprises in store for us, so don't drop your guard!"
Catenna tries to pin it with gravity, so with the Codex shut Jacqueline moves to take advantage of this, gesturing with her right hand to send lightning crashing down toward the beast before it can free itself.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, Back Attack.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
As much as Cyre wishes he had enough J.Lvls in Thief, he hasn't actually spent enough time in the job to manage learning the anti-back attack abilities. His ear twitches at the sudden noise just in time--
--To realize that something's behind them, but NOT soon enough to warn anybody about it. The creature is a grotesque behemoth of a beast. A mutant monster that could only have been born out of the most twisted of nightmares. "Damnit," Cyre chastizes, "I should have paid more attention--"
The creature's footfalls shake the earth with every step. Cyre is not on the ground. Wind pours down in jets from around his ankles, letting him hover just inches from the ground. He rushes in as the others pin the monster down, gales swirling down his arms. Enormous claws of stone-grinding razor winds wrap about his wrists and fingertips as he leaps up...
...And goes to try and tear the beast's head from its shoulders with his own monstrous arsenal.
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Gale Claw toward his party's challenge, Back Attack.
==========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>==========================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Back Attack *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Maybe it's bad luck. Maybe you were careless, or maybe it was waiting for
someone like you to pass on by. Whatever happened, you've found yourself at
a disadvantage as you enter this particular confrontation in Claiborne's
streets, against a particularly large specimen of the attacking creatures.
But don't despair -- the battle is not yet done, and there is time yet for
you to turn this one around. And perhaps if you manage to down this one, it
might help turn the tide in this battle for the town, if not provide you
with some well-needed hints of how to effectively defeat these things.
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Vault============================================
=====================<* Claiborne Under Attack - Round 2 *>===================== ===========================< Results - Back Attack >============================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 8 --(12)--> 20 Pass The Lifeweaver's Codex 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ethius Hesiod 8 --(12)--> 20 Pass Powder Grenade 3 Combat Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cyre H. Lorentz 8 --(12)--> 20 Pass Gale Claw 3 Combat Effects: Sacrifice and Embolde -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catenna 8 --(12)--> 20 Pass Celesdue Medium 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Jacqueline Barber 20 --(30)--> 50 Pass Conditions: Fright(2)|Vault(1) Effects: Embolden(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 30 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Their demise seems all but certain, the way this abomination bears down upon them... but then, there is divine aid, as Cyre brings the very claws of Fengalon against the beast's head, and it is a wrestling match that even the Nahuals of Xibalba would stand up and go 'damn, Cyre, bring it the hell over to our arena.' Even with the might of a Guardian feeding directly into and through him, Cyre stand-alone can only work up a stalemate.
A stalemate is all he needs to save his friends and have them act in turn, however!
Jay says outright it isn't in the Codex, and that should alarm anyone from taking immediate advantage of the opening (and it does, on Ethius' end, because apparently he's in the mood to give exposition - for once)...
"...It does not resemble any of the anatomical references retrieved from the Cage Tower," Ethius concurs. It looks a lot like a Metal Beast, it's got the weight of one, it's got the sheer ferocity of any of them, but this... whatever it is...
...is something Catenna pins down with gravity, using its immense weight against it. Powers of Fengalon and Celesdue intertwine with one another, and the beast rapidly loses footing. Jay zaps the creature with lightning, and soon...
Cyre shames the beast from the ring forever by taking their mas-- er. That's its entire head. Cyre will not be able to hold onto the head once the power of Fengalon recedes, but for the moment he can totally hold it over his head and proclaim to all in the neighboring animal kingdom of wherever this thing belongs that it is not the apex predator here.
Also, after the fact, it's now on fire. One cursory check amongst them later for any wounds or what have you, it seems prudent to not stay within the quieter (...in comparison) reaches of the village under siege.
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>=========================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Race to the Rescue *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
A scream breaks out down the street along which you now walk -- ahead, you
can see that a pair of the beasts have broken into one of the houses. The
people hiding within are in danger!
With your abilities, it's sure that you could make a difference and save
them, but only if you can reach the house and the creatures within it in
time.
Time is of the essence. You need to get there, now.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Whatever these creatures are, they are something novel, unusual, and very, very dangerous.
Cyre tears the beast's head from its shoulders with a victorious roar. You can almost hear the cheers from the distant ghost bleachers at this gruesome display of la lucha libre. Maybe its damned spirit has been swept away to the distant underworld of Xibalba? Who knows...?
One thing is clear, though, there is a sound like a cheer, except it is not a cheer. It's a scream. This section of town may have been surrendered to the beasts, but that doesn't mean that its residents have been fully evacuated. The conquest is recent, and there are still those who have been holding out in secret storm cellars...
...But they are not, as it seems, very secret anymore.
In the distance, down an abandoned thoroughfare, a group of monstrous things like great apes whose arms are terrifying pistons of steel sinew tear the boards off a once-hidden cellar door. Someone fires up at them with a gunsmoke ARM through the rapidly expanding gaps in the basement's defenses-- but it's no use. A few blunderbuss blasts are nothing to these monsters.
And then one of them is bowled over by a flying head.
"We need to go, now!" Cyre shouts, having already recovered from using his gruesome trophy as a makeshift projectile. His parachute comes unfurled again, sending him racing down the corridor of broken homes. They need to get there in time-- they have to...!
Or someone else might pay the price for their failure.
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Reverse Parachute toward his party's challenge, Race to the Rescue.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"Is everyone alright?" Catenna asks with a flick of her head, moving into a ready position. Another creature could appear at any moment--
And then, there is a scream. Her gaze snaps towards the sound instantly.
"We need to hurry," she insists just as Cyre does - and even as he throws the head, the Moon Shaman has launched herself into motion. Sprinting, she lunges up onto a fallen chunk of rubble and then jumps.
It's a truly impressive jump, one she aids by swinging her fans out like a pair of sails. For a moment, she's silhouetted far overhead. A long shadow is cast as she ascends to the apex of her jump.
One of the slavering ape creatures far below will have about five seconds before Catenna descends out of the sky like a thunderbolt, coming down and leading with both heels in a massive dropkick aimed square at the head.
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Feather Fans toward her party's challenge, Race to the Rescue.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Unfortunately, Jacqueline gets no opportunity to study the beast to figure out what's going on. Nearby, there is a scream. Naturally, her priorities shift.
"I'm okay, but...!" Jacqueline says, shaking her head. She doesn't need to finish that sentence - Catenna's already on it. And so, Jacqueline decides to get on top of things, too.
There is, of course, one good way to get where one needs to be quickly. Jacqueline reaches into her bags, drawing out her Artificial Copy Sea Medium. She focuses on it and invokes the power of Jump, aiming to teleport as close as she can to the beasts.
Once she reappears she gestures quickly with her left hand, conjuring a pillar of earth to push away whichever of the beasts is closest to reaching the townsfolk.
She didn't have a lot of time to calculate her landing - she might land a little too close to comfort, but as long as the people are safe...
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, Race to the Rescue.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius doesn't respond to the question as whether he's fine or not, but it may be because he had to chant whatever spell he used to ensure the bear(?) corpse is on fire. His mind races with the logistics of how to best simply erase this, in this desperate and panicked a situati-- a scream. Ethius is brought out of his current musings as just about everyone rushes off in that direction. He follows after the chunk of rubble Catenna jumps off of. He still has the Hot Air Sack harness on and it wasn't lacerated, so one more spellcast later to drift over... and then tries to use Jay's earth pillar to climb up a little higher. He considers the options for what little time he has to consider, and...
Decides to try and lean down towards the newly found opening, trying to extend a hand for any survivor(s) to try and grab hold onto as others deal with matters of herding and hurting, which... is not typically the way these sorts of duties end up unfolding, among the CaraKin.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, Race to the Rescue.
=========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>=========================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Race to the Rescue *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
A scream breaks out down the street along which you now walk -- ahead, you
can see that a pair of the beasts have broken into one of the houses. The
people hiding within are in danger!
With your abilities, it's sure that you could make a difference and save
them, but only if you can reach the house and the creatures within it in
time.
Time is of the essence. You need to get there, now.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
====================<* Claiborne Under Attack - Round 3 *>==================== =======================< Results - Race to the Rescue >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 20 --(12)--> 32 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 20 --(12)--> 32 Pass Hot Air Sack 2 Agility Effects: Resilient ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyre H. Lorentz 20 --(12)--> 32 Pass Reverse Parachute 1 Agility Effects: Rally and Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catenna 20 --(12)--> 32 Pass Feather Fans 3 Agility Effects: Fanfare ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 50 --(20)--> 70 Pass Conditions: Fright(1)|Slow(2) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Catenna has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>===========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - A Desperate Rescue *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 |
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
The defenders of the villager have fought hard against the creatures, but
they have their back against the wall now -- literally. A pair of the
creatures have pinned the townsfolk in against the very fortifications they
had used to try to keep the marauders out, and though the townsfolk are
clearly not giving up--
One of the creatures snaps at a makeshift pike, snapping it in two. This
won't do.
You'll have to intervene and down the beasts, before this gets any worse.
But it won't be an easy fight against two of them.
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Overzealous=======================================
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
The creatures were expecting to find an easy meal, not an experienced, well-oiled machine of teamwork like the Caravan Kinship. Jacqueline's spell takes hold before anyone can even get close enough to engage the beasts. A pillar of hardened stone erupts out of the ground and crushes an ape-like jaw as it smashes into the creature's face.
The beasts spread out, hooting and hollaring in an instinctual attempt at intimidation, but find that Catenna and Cyre are not amused by their antics. The former comes crashing down right into another of the beast's heads, cratering its skull with a single kick. It still moves and writhes, as if it possessed some kind of rudimentary secondary brain, but a quick follow-up finally vanquishes it.
Cyre, meanwhile, draws his crossbow and unleashes a deadly barrage of bolts in mid-flight. He lands and rolls, winds gathering around the business end of the last bolt...
He fires at the pincushioned beast, launching a shot surrounded by a sheath of ultra-compressed air. The pressure wave erupts from within the resulting wound, tearing the mecha-ape apart from the inside.
Meanwhile, Ethius finds... A pair of terrified eyes staring up at him, and sees a blunderbuss aimed right for his face moments before the people within recognize that he's not there to eat them. "Please, help us," a girl no older than fourteen begs, "Our big sister went out to look for food, and we-- we were trapped here all alone when the monsters came!"
'We' she says, because there's a young boy clinging to her hip. These kids need to be taken to safety. Fortunately, the apes have all been cut down... But who's to say what else might be lurking this part of town?
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
The sound of more cries of alarm quickly cuts through the post-battle calm.
Catenna is in motion in an instant, once more reaching for an arrow. Above, Saarda-Shanta swoops in, tilting towards an alley leading to the inner edge of the fortifications. <This way!>
It's a short trip - and when they emerge, the Kinship arrives just in time to watch a massive reptilian monstrosity biting a makeshift pike in half with about as much effort as someone might snap a twig.
A pair of creatures have backed a group of seven or eight townsfolk up against the fortifications. The defenders are armed mainly with ramshackle weapons - pitchforks and crossbows, mostly, nothing that could match the creatures. One of the abominations strikes out; an older man hits the ground with a cry.
Then there's the snap of a bowstring. One of the beasts suddenly sprouts an arrow from its flank.
Catenna's eyes are flinty as she reaches for another arrow, steady even when the creatures round on the Kinship. "Leave those people alone," she growls as she holds her hand out and drags it backwards.
The force of gravity amplifies dramatically. The inexorable pull of Celesdue's power churns into effect, seeking to pull the monsters back and slam them into a wall far from the villagers.
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Celesdue Medium toward her party's challenge, A Desperate Rescue.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline stands up, surveying the battlefield. A quick and easy win - good. She then looks toward the two children, offering them both a kind, reassuring smile.
"It's alright, we'll find your sister. You did well, keeping both of you safe." Jacqueline says. She then brings out a whistle shaped like a chocobo's head, letting out a distinctly chocobo-sounding whistle.
Immediately, Jacqueline's chocobo, Remedy, comes running up. Jacqueline gives the bird a quick, affectionate pat.
"There are some nice people outside who can look after you until it's safe to come back - my friend here will take you to them." Jacqueline says.
Once the children are situated, Jacqueline rejoins the others - and they arrive in time to find another group of townsfolk fighting a losing battle.
"Stand strong, people of Claiborne! The Caravan Kinship is here to help. We can fight this threat together!" Jacqueline entreats. With a gesture of her left hand, a sorcerous light emanates from her position, settling over everyone's weapons - including those of the townsfolk!
"These beasts might seem invincible, but they're not! Strike for the seams of the metal - if you can wedge them open, you can reveal a weakpoint!" Jacqueline advises. She'd gathered that much from their fights so far. It'll be something to record in the Codex later.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, A Desperate Rescue.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius' gaze kind of is a match for the monsters in terms of scariness - there is, for a moment, a look where he may be looking past the children and not at them, as if contemplating whether there is a specific purpose to the beasts' convergence other than finding humans simply at the ideal place of the food chain. There is a bit of an unnerving delay for when he looks to them.
"For food... I see." Ethius remarks. He looks to the surrounding destroyed environs, still thick with the fog of war. He holds a hand out to them as Jay explains the next movement. He mentally inventories the route they took and the probabilities of there being more creatures in that direction, and does not raise an objection.
Soon enough, there's another thing that needs addressing - as Catenna and Jay both hastily go over to render the initial counterattack (gravity's weight) and morale-increasing enhancement (Jay), Ethius takes a much more quiet tack. A hand goes to his hip for the other satchel... but changes his mind. Instead, drawing his quarterstaff (which now has a fun and cool glow because Jay's buffs are as marketable in appearance as they are useful) and drawing nearer. His preferred method of dealing with most threats is his Symbology, as observed over the years, but something else seems to strike him.
If he can sneak to the right of one of the reptilian monstrosity, he moves to try and lunge his weapon right up against its teeth with intent to break a few fangs off.
As if he might have an idea for them.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Desperate Rescue.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"It just doesn't stop...!" Cyre breathes as yet another voice cries out in distress. His parachute is already at the ready, but there's no time to reload-- so it's going to have to be a melee. Wind howls, hurling the shaman through the alleyway at incredible speeds.
More beasts. More people in danger. Cyre's heart jackhammers against the hollow of his chest as he speeds forth to barrel into the second of the two monsters. He roars as he strikes, raking his razor-tipped fingers across its chest...
...Whereupon the wounds erupt with high-pressure wind, knocking the beast off-balance and turning its torso into a grotesquerie of shredded flesh. "Whatever these creatures are, they can bleed- they can die! Fight with everything you have! And if you've got nothing left, then fall back! We'll cover your retreat too!"
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Gale Claw toward his party's challenge, A Desperate Rescue.
===========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>===========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - A Desperate Rescue *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 |
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
The defenders of the villager have fought hard against the creatures, but
they have their back against the wall now -- literally. A pair of the
creatures have pinned the townsfolk in against the very fortifications they
had used to try to keep the marauders out, and though the townsfolk are
clearly not giving up--
One of the creatures snaps at a makeshift pike, snapping it in two. This
won't do.
You'll have to intervene and down the beasts, before this gets any worse.
But it won't be an easy fight against two of them.
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Overzealous=======================================
======================<* Claiborne Under Attack - Round 4 *>====================== =========================< Results - A Desperate Rescue >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 32 --(8)--> 40 Pass The Lifeweaver's Codex 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ethius Hesiod 32 --(8)--> 40 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cyre H. Lorentz 32 --(8)--> 40 Pass Gale Claw 3 Combat Effects: Sacrifice and Embolde ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catenna 32 --(8)--> 40 Pass Celesdue Medium 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 70 --(20)--> 90 Pass Conditions: Overzealous(2)|Wound(2) Effects: Embolden(1) ================================< Dream Chasers >=================================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
With a hideous, guttering rumble, the pair of reptilians round on the members of the Kinship. They've found juicier targets than the townsfolk, now.
They don't last long before they go hurtling away from the townsfolk and crash into the nearby wall, hurled by Catenna's arcana. The Moon Shaman quickly follows up with a flurry of arrows, supporting Ethius as he goes loping into close range. A swipe of the quarterstaff strikes true, smashing through the jaw of one of the fiends, shattering a couple of fangs from it. The fiend lashes out at him, but goes down with a sickening gurgle as one of the villagers fires a crossbow bolt into its head - a shot powered by Jay's sorcerous light.
The other one simply has no chance against Cyre. The Nahual lashes out with the fury of wind, tearing the reptilian abomination apart in a bloody mess.
Exhorted by Jay and Cyre's cries, the villagers - in the process of withdrawing - let up a cheer. They don't stop to chat, though - they beat a hasty retreat, intent on getting while the getting's good.
They're not fighters. Catenna looks after them with lips pursed.
"I'm not sure these feel like Metal Beasts...."
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>=========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Together As One *>=======================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
There are far too many of the creatures for you to take on safely. That, as
you have crawled your way through Claiborne to at last the town hall, is a
sure thing.
A band of the town leaders -- accompanied by some of the local militia --
are locked in a tense discussion within the barricaded building. They're
attempting to develop a plan of action, but aren't coming to an agreement.
You, of course, have a better idea of what needs to be done. If there aren't
enough of you to handle the creatures, you need to unite and rally the
townsfolk to do just that.
But what are /your/ ideas for getting the creatures out of Claiborne?
And how are you going to convince the townsfolk?
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Suffer==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Together, along with the townsfolk's help, the Caravan Kinship has managed to forge a path to the town hall. They arrive, to find some of the town leaders and the local militia in the middle of a heated planning session.
"We have to cut our losses! There's no telling if there's even anyone else left alive! I'm telling you, it'd be best to just abandon the town!"
"That's ridiculous! I'd throw myself at the beasts before I would even consider abandoning this town!"
"We're holed up pretty safely here... can't we just wait it out?"
These and other such arguments roil throughout the town hall. It's clear that they aren't going to be an agreement anytime soon. Jacqueline glances toward the others and then throws the doors open, marching in.
Immediately, all eyes turn to face them.
"Drifters...! Talk some sense into him! We should be running, right? Isn't that what you lot are good at!?" One of the town elders speaks up.
Jacqueline shakes her head.
"There are still people fighting out there. We've seen it for ourselves. We can't handle them all alone. There are other Drifters out there, too, but we'll need your help if we're going to liberate Claiborne." Jacqueline says.
"But those things are unstoppable! Everything we throw at them just bounces off! How do you expect us to kill something like that!?" A member of the militia complains. Jacqueline shakes her head.
"It might seem that way, but they're very mortal. I've been studying them ever since we arrived here, and I think I've got a good idea on how they tick." Jacqueline said. "These beasts... it's like somehow, aspects of the Metal Beasts have become blended with that of the local wildlife. I'll share everything I've gathered with you so far - it should help when it comes time to fight them. And we will be fighting them."
"But first, we'll need to come up with a battle plan..." Jacqueline says, then looks to the others for their input.
What she doesn't say, but she's sure the others must be thinking now, is...
...Who or what is responsible for this?
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Together As One.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
The effort of fighting all these abominations has been considerable, and Catenna's more than a little tired by the time the group reaches the town hall - and then alleyes are on them.
The Moon Shaman shakes her head slowly. "You're in no position to run away," she says quietly. "This is your home. If you sacrifice it, you may never get it back. We can do our best to help you, but what Jacqueline says is correct. We need your help."
She gestures towards the door, her voice hardening a little. "Their biology should mean nothing to you. If you cannot stand up to defend your home, what will you stand for?"
She moves over to Jay, resting a hand briefly on the alchemist's shoulder. For a moment, though, Catenna's silent. Fighting every creature encounter by encounter, even with the villagers behind them, seems suicidal.
"Jay," she muses, "if we could get groups of them together, it might help. I could probably launch several of them into high orbit if I were to call upon Celesdue."
[OOC] Catenna says, "wait, bluray"
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
The effort of fighting all these abominations has been considerable, and Catenna's more than a little tired by the time the group reaches the town hall - and then alleyes are on them.
The Moon Shaman shakes her head slowly. "You're in no position to run away," she says quietly. "This is your home. If you sacrifice it, you may never get it back. We can do our best to help you, but what Jacqueline says is correct. We need your help."
She gestures towards the door, her voice hardening a little. "Their biology should mean nothing to you. If you cannot stand up to defend your home, what will you stand for?"
She moves over to Jay, resting a hand briefly on the alchemist's shoulder. For a moment, though, Catenna's silent. Fighting every creature encounter by encounter, even with the villagers behind them, seems suicidal.
"Jay," she muses, "if we could get groups of them together, it might help. I could probably launch several of them into the Sea of Stars if I were to call upon Celesdue."
<The larger ones would be most easily hurled. Size works against you with the power of the Moon,> Saarda-Shanta opines from where she's taken up a perch on a lectern, much to a councilman's consternation.
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Saarda-Shanta toward her party's challenge, Together As One.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"I'm pretty sure," Cyre murmurs, his brows furrowing at what used to be a metal monster, "That the Metal Beasts didn't bleed red."
What is happening here? Have the Metal Beasts started cross-breeding with Filgaian wildlife? Is such a thing even possible? Or is there something more sinister afoot...?
Cyre's willing to bet on the latter.
But before they can worry about any of the why, they'll need to deal with the how. How is Clairborne supposed to deal with this situation? How are they supposed to recover, to survive even before that?
"It's true," Cyre says, of the monsters' mortality. "Those things can die. We've killed a few on our way in, but I understand that it's not saying much that a bunch of drifters could beat their way through a swarm of monsters," he admits, rubbing slowly at his chin, "But..."
"I think we might be able to help with that, too. My friends and I are merchants and craftsmen by trade. I think we might be able to provide weaponry and protective gear for an IOU. We can figure something out, I'm sure. This place is your home, but it'll take more than courage and elbow grease to beat these monsters."
"Then there's tactics and training" he says with a shrug. "We might be able to help out a bit with that, too. Just the basics, maybe, but... Together, we can retake this town, but only IF we work together. There's just too much ground to cover."
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Together As One.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius meticulously collects the dislodged, shattered teeth. It is a strange thing to hold as a priority when there's a lot of shouting and directing about what can or should be done, but this man appears to have once again made up his mind that he may as well maintain his somewhat macabre manner in this time of need.
He pockets them away as he runs the risk of falling behind the others getting inside the town hall - probably the last bastion of (sort of) safety within the village, as there is a heated discussion about what can, or should, be done.
Ethius hangs around the perimeter of the chamber, as he tends to when a lot of Serious Discussion(tm) is happening - as if to pretend he isn't there even though he looks a lot like someone who could or would cause trouble (...he sort of is). He lets Jay set the tone about sizing up the threat as they have observed, and for Catenna to talk about how one may never get back their home when lost.
He gets quieter. This is physically possible for him to achieve, somehow.
...
...
5t...
The strange man gets out the oddball monocle-lens-thing, with a discreet tiny spark of lightning to turn it on as he scans the environs. It doesn't seem like it should turn up much of anything in what he looks for with it, but...
Ethius interrupts, abruptly.
"Have you been able to ascertain an objective of these creatures?" He asks among clearly panicked, battered people as he lowers the lens away from his face - the interruption coming specifically after Cyre talks about the idea of tactics and training. "The manner in which the creatures have been approaching and striking appears too organized to be coincidental."
As if he is suspecting there is more to this than first appears.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Spectral Lens toward his party's challenge, Together As One.
=========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>=========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Together As One *>=======================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
There are far too many of the creatures for you to take on safely. That, as
you have crawled your way through Claiborne to at last the town hall, is a
sure thing.
A band of the town leaders -- accompanied by some of the local militia --
are locked in a tense discussion within the barricaded building. They're
attempting to develop a plan of action, but aren't coming to an agreement.
You, of course, have a better idea of what needs to be done. If there aren't
enough of you to handle the creatures, you need to unite and rally the
townsfolk to do just that.
But what are /your/ ideas for getting the creatures out of Claiborne?
And how are you going to convince the townsfolk?
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Suffer==========================================
====================<* Claiborne Under Attack - Round 5 *>==================== ========================< Results - Together As One >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 40 --(12)--> 52 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 40 --(12)--> 52 Pass Spectral Lens 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyre H. Lorentz 40 --(12)--> 52 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catenna 40 --(12)--> 52 Pass Saarda-Shanta 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 90 --(30)--> 120 Pass Conditions: Overzealous(1)|Stupify(2)|Suffer(1)|Wound(1) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has successfully explored Claiborne Under Attack!
=========================<* Claiborne Under Attack *>=========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - A Black Ticket *>=======================
|Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
Your gambit pays off -- you're able to, with the help of the townsfolk,
vacate the creatures from Claiborne proper. They will be back,
unfortunately, but you have for now bought Claiborne a reprieve for them to
regroup, rebuild, and prepare.
If you could only determine where their nest was, perhaps...
Strapped as they are after the repeated attacks, the villagers don't have
much to offer you but their thanks, a good meal and a place to sleep for the
night.
Or at least, that's what it seems at first. Late in the night, one of the
children of Claiborne offers you her 'prize', an ancient faded black train
ticket. According to the faded text, this ticket grants the bearer a free
ride to...
...? 'Hirasaka'? Where is Hirasaka?
Is it possible that if you took this ticket to Claiborne station, something
might happen...?
(OOC: send a +request to staff to alert them if you receive this!)
BGM: https://stuartchatwood.bandcamp.com/track/the-hamlet
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
There's some quiet after everyone speaks. And then... one of the militiamen - an older fellow, who looks like he's seen his fair share of combat, shrugs.
"...They're the first ones in this room to put forth a plan that's worth half a damn. I say we give the kids a shot. Better 'n sittin' on our asses while those things bear down on us." He says.
And so, with that said, the conversation begins again - this time, focused more toward what everyone here can contribute to the plan.
At one point, Ethius asks a question.
"No, they just showed up one day, out of the blue. We've been too busy trying to stay alive to figure out a pattern." One of the townsfolk replies.
After some discussion, the plan gets put into action. The townsfolk splits into several squads. The ultimate goal is not to fight the beasts, but to wound them, and to herd the ones they can't kill or incapacitate in a single ambush to a specific location, grouping them up for Catenna to remove from the surface of the planet completely with Celesdue's battle.
It's a difficult fight, all told, but with their support, they get through without any casualties - there are some injuries, but nothing that can't be healed.
Out of gratitude, they're offered a good meal and a place to sleep. Jacqueline doesn't mind that they can't pay them back. Things like this... they're what the Caravan Kinship was made for.
...But suddenly, in the night, as they sleep, they hear a voice.
"...Hey. You're strong, right...?" It's a young girl's voice. "You're brave, right? You're not afraid of aaanything...? You can have my 'prize'... Take good care of it..."
The moment anyone tries to look, they see nothing... Nothing, except for a faded black ticket on the bedside table.