Hails of arrows, the abyssal terror summoned by Canith, and the continued cannon fire of the ship smashes into the rotting kraken. Chunks of it split off the main body, falling beneath the waves while on the platforms Plaguebearers get festooned with arrows. Several of them turn their attention towards the ship, pulling swords as Annikah and Ellania take flight. Several of them remain chanting, pustules of rot forming on the kraken's main body.

Maeleris pulls her bow and a handful of arrows. She nocks all of them at once, gives a wink to a confused looking human on the crew, aims for the sky, and fires the entire cluster at once. Muscle memory kicks in, and she quickly follows the first volley with a second. Actions Maeleris uses Hail of Doom with her Bow. This requires a 4:1 Body (Ballistics) Test for me, and every enemy in the target Zone (so the Plaguebearers and the tentacles if they are close enough together, however many I can tag at once) to make a 4:1 Body (Reflexes) Test. If they fail, they take Damage equal to the difference in successes. If they win this opposed test, they take no damage. I will then use my Mettle to take an extra action, and do it again! First Hail: Use my Focus on the 3 to make it a 4, so 3 Successes. Second Hail: Again use the Focus on the 3 to make it a 4, so that's another 3 Successes.

Anikah bows her head at the sight of the squirming monster. This is a creature that truly would welcome Nagash's mercy. Slaying such a being is certianly not what she envisioned when she left Shyish, but this feels right. She looks to her side, whistling as Ellania calls up wings of light - ready to go and try to slay the beast before the infection spreads. Magic and bladecraft - a combination worthy of the Gravelords. Anikah shares a smile with her aelven fellow blade. "Well then. Should we call this a race?" With a wink, the Vampire vaults over the deck's railing. Before she touches the water, a gigantic bat-creture the size of a man flies up, screeching in glee as it starts to cut through the air, making for the beast on muscle-bound wings. OOC So Anikah just turned into a Fell Bat thanks to her Bestial Form talent. She's now using its stats until she turns back, including its Fly (Fast). Aiming to change back atop the beast and start stabbing it! I'm hoping the beast's big enough she can do this without entering the Abyssal Nightmare AoE, but if not... well, it'll probably take her a sec to get there - we'll cross that when we get to it. Plus, she's got some toughness and is immune to Frightened - she can fight in the hazard if she has to.

Caith Mor'Phann - Isharran Soulscryer [Body: 1 | Mind 3 | Soul 3] Melee [1] | Accuracy [3] | Defense [1] | Armour [1] | Toughness [08/8] | Init [3] | Wounds [04/4] | Awareness [2] | Mettle [00/2] Devotion [5d6 +1] | Determination [4d6] | Intimidation [3d6 +1] | Intuition [5d6 +1] | Survival [4d6] | Theology [4d6 +1] | Finger ClawsDamage: S (1 per success) Piercing, Slashing Subtle, Dowerchime StaffDamage: 1 + S (1 per success) Crushing Two handed, Ethersea CloakA Ethersea cloak appears as roiling waves falling from the wearer's shoulder and causes the air to fill with the smell of seawater. Created by Isharran Tidecasters, an ethersea cloak surrounds the wearer in the aura of the ethers, allowing land dwelling creatures to breathe and move underwater as if they were on land, and sea creatures to 'swim' through the air as if underwater. | MiraclesUniversal; • Healing Spirit (Zone/Self/Instant) DN5:1 Soul(Devotion) test, [S] Toughness recovered (+ Soul for 1 Mettle) Ethersea; • Favourable Tides (You/Long/Instant) • Diviner of Truth (1/Short/Instant) Opposed Soul(Devotion) vs Soul(Determination) • Seeker of Souls (1/Long/[S] Hours) DN4:1 Soul(Devotion) test • Abyssal Nightmare (Zone/Medium/Sustained, 2 Mettle) 1 Mettle to Sustain Disquieting PresenceYou are a terrifying vision death: pale-skinned with glowing white eyes, circled by freezing ethersea mists that chill the hearts of your enemies. Creatures than move to Close Range with you or start their turn there must make a DN4:3 Soul(Determination) test. On a failure, they are Frightened until the start of their next turn. If a creature passes the Test, they are immune to this effect for 1 day. Other members of your Binding are permanently immune to this effect. | Blessed (The Ethersea)Where others may worship a god, you are one of the truly devoted. For your devotion and piety, you have been blessed with a fraction of your god's power. The Idoneth have no need of Gods, having forsaken their creator Telcos centuries ago. Instead, they put their faith in the unknowable eldritch power of the Ethersea, trusting in it to guide and protect them. Cath found a quiet part of the deck to loom as he watched the play of the soul-light around them, the ebb and flow of the crew. At least, until the captain's shout came. At the same time as the disgusting beast came into view, Caith was granted a vision of its twisted soul, a weak a fluttering thing twisting under the taint of chaos. Making sure to intone loudly this time, to remind the crew of what lurks beneath, he once again calls upon the ethersea to bring forth the horror of the abyss, and around the creature manifest great pale tentacles, filled with razor-sharp suckers that rip and tear at cultists and creature alike. OOC Action: Abyssal Nightmare Miracle (2 Mettle cost) cast over monster and rafts - You call forth a grotesque nightmare from the depths of the abyss, filling your enemies with terror as they are lashed by whipping tentacles. Choose a Zone within Medium Range. This Zone immediately becomes a Major Hazardas it fills with twisting alien tentacles. A creature that enters the Zone or starts its turn there gets a terrifying insight into the nightmares that lurk in the deep and is Frightened until the end of their next turn. Can I also intimidate the crew as part of this, in order to fulfil my short term goal of "Remind a seafaring mortal why the deeps should be feared"

Ellania Luthirian - Scinari Lorekeeper [Body: 3 | Mind 3 | Soul 2] Melee [5] | Accuracy [3] | Defense [4+3] | Armour [2] | Toughness [8/8] | Init [8] | Wounds [4/4] | Awareness [2] | Mettle [1] Channeling [5d6 +2] | Weapon [5d6 +1] | Reflexes [4d6] | Awareness [4d6] | Eclipsian StaffDamage: 1 + 1 per success Crushing - Bludgeoning Damage Two handed, Loreseeker BladeDamage: 1 + 1 per success Crushing - Slashing Two handed | SpellsCommon Spells; • Arcane Bolt • Arcane Blast • Mystic Shield • Flight Bright Spells; • Clensing Fire • Fireball SpellcastingBright Spells | UnbindRoll a Channeling rest. Difficulty equal to the Difficulty of the Spell and Complexity is equal to total successes of the caster. If successful the spell is unbound and has no effect | Unbreakable SpellComplexity of tests to Unbind your spells is increased by 1 per level of focus you have in Channelings | Scinari BalanceCan wield Eclipsian Staff and Loreseeker Blade at the same time, one in each hand. Additionally you double your Focus on Dexterity and Reflex tests to maintain your balance, keep your footing and resist any effects which would cause you to fall prone | Scinari ContemplationDuring combat, when you cast a spell, you can double your focus in Channeling if you didn't cast a spell on your previous turn and vice versa Ellania chooses to plan ahead. Standing on the deck she can spot the enemies creeping closer, the pestilence obvious even at a distance, to the point it makes her skin crawl. She brings her staff to bear and as she lifts it the swirl of air around her first ignites into sparks, then flames that swirl to appear like wings that lift her front the deck in a burst of burning air. Mechanics Casting Flight. DN: 4:1 I got a 4, a 4 and a 3(+1) so three success. So i get three minutes of flight out of this, nice.

"Well, they are mostly pests," the captain says. "Still got a ways to sail before we reach where that wrecked ship might be. Settle in, and let's hope nothing else decides to interrupt our day on the sea." Those words end up being eerily prophetic as afternoon comes, a mostly peaceful day about to be interrupted by something much worse than Nightrats. Kaltis is scanning the horizon with his spyglass when he calls out to you and then barks out a series of orders to the crew. The ship begins to turn, heading towards the direction that the Captain pointed. As you look out over the ocean, the scene begins to come into view: another giant mass of tentacles and flesh hanging onto driftwood while Plaguebearers swarm around it, carried by a crude set of rafts. "They're trying to infest the beast with Nurgle's foul touch! We've got to stop it before they fully control that beast and it comes after us!" Nearing the scene, you can see the discoloration of flesh and pus leaking from the diseased creature as Nurgle's Rot warps flesh and skin. The ship halts, the crew rushing to the cannons in an attempt to kill the creature before it becomes fully mutated. OOC Yes you will get your full toughness back and yes the short term goal suggestion of a worthy fight is a good one to aim for. For this scene, anyone with long range spells can attack the creature to help destroy it, or you can make a DN 5:2 Mind (Ballistic Skill) Test to aid the cannoneers.

Caith Mor'Phann - Isharran Soulscryer [Body: 1 | Mind 3 | Soul 3] Melee [1] | Accuracy [3] | Defense [1] | Armour [1] | Toughness [08/8] | Init [3] | Wounds [04/4] | Awareness [2] | Mettle [02/2] Devotion [5d6 +1] | Determination [4d6] | Intimidation [3d6 +1] | Intuition [5d6 +1] | Survival [4d6] | Theology [4d6 +1] | Finger ClawsDamage: S (1 per success) Piercing, Slashing Subtle, Dowerchime StaffDamage: 1 + S (1 per success) Crushing Two handed, Ethersea CloakA Ethersea cloak appears as roiling waves falling from the wearer's shoulder and causes the air to fill with the smell of seawater. Created by Isharran Tidecasters, an ethersea cloak surrounds the wearer in the aura of the ethers, allowing land dwelling creatures to breathe and move underwater as if they were on land, and sea creatures to 'swim' through the air as if underwater. | MiraclesUniversal; • Healing Spirit (Zone/Self/Instant) DN5:1 Soul(Devotion) test, [S] Toughness recovered (+ Soul for 1 Mettle) Ethersea; • Favourable Tides (You/Long/Instant) • Diviner of Truth (1/Short/Instant) Opposed Soul(Devotion) vs Soul(Determination) • Seeker of Souls (1/Long/[S] Hours) DN4:1 Soul(Devotion) test • Abyssal Nightmare (Zone/Medium/Sustained, 2 Mettle) 1 Mettle to Sustain Disquieting PresenceYou are a terrifying vision death: pale-skinned with glowing white eyes, circled by freezing ethersea mists that chill the hearts of your enemies. Creatures than move to Close Range with you or start their turn there must make a DN4:3 Soul(Determination) test. On a failure, they are Frightened until the start of their next turn. If a creature passes the Test, they are immune to this effect for 1 day. Other members of your Binding are permanently immune to this effect. | Blessed (The Ethersea)Where others may worship a god, you are one of the truly devoted. For your devotion and piety, you have been blessed with a fraction of your god's power. The Idoneth have no need of Gods, having forsaken their creator Telcos centuries ago. Instead, they put their faith in the unknowable eldritch power of the Ethersea, trusting in it to guide and protect them. Between the knight and the aelf, the remainder of the rats are quickly dealt with in darkness, any retreat cut off. The aelf, he notes somewhat bitterly, is just as deadly as he would expect one of his cousins to be when gifted with Teclis' fickle blessings. Though perhaps that huge sword was just more suited to a larger opponent. He relaxes his grip on the tides, breathing heavily as the summoned abyss fades away into ethereal mists. When the Captain opens the door Caith offers him a scowl from beneath his bone white octopus mask - not believing the mans word for one minute. Whilst it would be laughable for such a thing to be considered an assassination attempt, the Captain clearly did not hold their health in high regard - Caith would be sure to extend him exactly the same courtesy. "Indeed, now that the first of your little pest problems is taken care of, perhaps we can more onto more fitting tasks." OOC We automatically get all our toughness back at the end of the fight right? So no need to case Healing Spirit? Otherwise I'll go for that miracle to regain Caith's toughness.

Anikah nods to the aelf, her face uncharacteristically dour. "I have to admit. I hoped for more. Dark One's Eyes, a little challenge would be nice. I didn't train for this kind of work." The blade is supposed to be an answer to something greater, a truth of the soul. It's not to be drawn until needed, and to be wielded with intent. She'd dreamed of worthy duels against mighty warriors when the old man first put it into her hand. Using her sword for something as simple as killing rats is... not immoral, it breaks no code, but it rankles at Anikah's heart just the same. She can't help but feel unclean after that. OOC Does 'Win a challenging duel' work as Anikah's first Short Term Goal? Feels like it makes sense and something she could feasibly get.

The squeaks of panicked rats die off as multiple sword blows rain down upon them, slicing the furry little rodents apart. Pretty soon none of you can hear either the sounds of paws on wood or their squeaks. It's a quick walk back to the hatch Theriel locked you in from. After a few minutes of pounding on it, it'll open to reveal the still-grinning captain. "Sorry about that, had to deal with an issue with the masts. Our little rodent problem is taken care of then?"

Ellania Luthirian - Scinari Lorekeeper [Body: 3 | Mind 3 | Soul 2] Melee [5] | Accuracy [3] | Defense [4+3] | Armour [2] | Toughness [8/8] | Init [8] | Wounds [4/4] | Awareness [2] | Mettle [1] Channeling [5d6 +2] | Weapon [5d6 +1] | Reflexes [4d6] | Awareness [4d6] | Eclipsian StaffDamage: 1 + 1 per success Crushing - Bludgeoning Damage Two handed, Loreseeker BladeDamage: 1 + 1 per success Crushing - Slashing Two handed | SpellsCommon Spells; • Arcane Bolt • Arcane Blast • Mystic Shield • Flight Bright Spells; • Clensing Fire • Fireball SpellcastingBright Spells | UnbindRoll a Channeling rest. Difficulty equal to the Difficulty of the Spell and Complexity is equal to total successes of the caster. If successful the spell is unbound and has no effect | Unbreakable SpellComplexity of tests to Unbind your spells is increased by 1 per level of focus you have in Channelings | Scinari BalanceCan wield Eclipsian Staff and Loreseeker Blade at the same time, one in each hand. Additionally you double your Focus on Dexterity and Reflex tests to maintain your balance, keep your footing and resist any effects which would cause you to fall prone | Scinari ContemplationDuring combat, when you cast a spell, you can double your focus in Channeling if you didn't cast a spell on your previous turn and vice versa She feels more than anything, the way these little rat monsters slink around, she hears their attacks and their cries and lashes out, the greatsword swinging one-handed like it weighed nothing at all, whipping past her companions in the dark, close enough they can feel the air move. Mechanics We cast a spell last time so lets try some swording Okay so i got 2, 3, 5, 6, 6 Scinari Contemplation says i can double my focus if i don't do the same attack twice. My focus for weapon skill is 1. So i get 2. Then i use mettle to double it again, which means i get.. 4? It looks so. Which means i can take those 4 points and add 1 to the 5 and three to the 3 and get; 2, 6, 6, 6, 6. for four successes for 6 damage. (Greatsword being 2+successes)

Anikah doesn't utter a word as the rats close in. This isn't her first time fighting in the dark, and the rats aren't that quick - she steps from side to side, swinging her blade down around her in wide arcs. This isn't the type of fight she likes. Brutal. Artless. But it's not a challenge. OOC Okay, Anikah's defence is Good, so that attack's going nowhere. Even if they do, she's got Armor 3. The invisibility is a problem but as things stand, landing a hit should be doable, and hitting should be enough. So she's going for Nightrat Swam 1 again, 3+S damage. Yeah, Focus only gets me one success, so less damage. But still hits. Four damage to Swarm 1, punching through that 2 toughness

Gotcha. I can post tonight!

I'd say go with Example 1

So the Scinari Loreseeker has the ability Scinari Contemplation. Basically this means that so long as i don't do the same action twice in a row, i get a bonus. Does that include using mettle to get an extra action on the same turn, or does it depend on what you did on that turn. Example 1; Using Mettle to not attack twice but instead do something else (double training/focus, dodge, etc) Turn 1: Cast spell + Dodge Turn 2: Attack + Double training Turn 3: Cast Spell (Double focus on channeling) + Dodge Example 2; Using mettle to attack twice Turn 1: Cast Spell + Attack (Double focus on Weapon Skill) Turn 2: Cast Spell + Attack (Double focus on Weapon Skill) They both make sense to me, i'm just not 100% sure on whether 'on your previous turn' means your entire turn (everything you do that turn) or if it means the last thing you did. I think it probably means example 1 (because if you do both casting and attacking in a single turn its still 'on your turn') but i'm not sure because it feels like using mettle to make take an extra action is a special condition.

don't forget everyone automatically regains 1 mettle each round, so any round you don't spend at least 1 mettle when you're already at max mettle is effectively a wasted resource. You can use it to take a second action (eg attack again, attack and dodge, attack and defend), or double either training or focus for a single dice pool.

Maeleris continues swinging at the rats, hoping to keep them off her teammates and focused on her. Actions Making another Melee Attack against the nearest audible Nightrat with a Good quality Melee and Accuracy using a Sword (Damage 1+S). I do have Focus +1 to Weapon Skill, add as needed to adjust Successes against Nightrat's Defense. Spending Mettle to swing again at the same swarm!

Caith Mor'Phann - Isharran Soulscryer [Body: 1 | Mind 3 | Soul 3] Melee [1] | Accuracy [3] | Defense [1] | Armour [1] | Toughness [7/8] | Init [3] | Wounds [4/4] | Awareness [2] | Mettle [0/2] Devotion [5d6 +1] | Determination [4d6] | Intimidation [3d6 +1] | Intuition [5d6 +1] | Survival [4d6] | Theology [4d6 +1] | Finger ClawsDamage: S (1 per success) Piercing, Slashing Subtle, Dowerchime StaffDamage: 1 + S (1 per success) Crushing Two handed, Ethersea CloakA Ethersea cloak appears as roiling waves falling from the wearer's shoulder and causes the air to fill with the smell of seawater. Created by Isharran Tidecasters, an ethersea cloak surrounds the wearer in the aura of the ethers, allowing land dwelling creatures to breathe and move underwater as if they were on land, and sea creatures to 'swim' through the air as if underwater. | MiraclesUniversal; • Healing Spirit (Zone/Self/Instant) DN5:1 Soul(Devotion) test, [S] Toughness recovered (+ Soul for 1 Mettle) Ethersea; • Favourable Tides (You/Long/Instant) • Diviner of Truth (1/Short/Instant) Opposed Soul(Devotion) vs Soul(Determination) • Seeker of Souls (1/Long/[S] Hours) DN4:1 Soul(Devotion) test • Abyssal Nightmare (Zone/Medium/Sustained, 2 Mettle) 1 Mettle to Sustain Disquieting PresenceYou are a terrifying vision death: pale-skinned with glowing white eyes, circled by freezing ethersea mists that chill the hearts of your enemies. Creatures than move to Close Range with you or start their turn there must make a DN4:3 Soul(Determination) test. On a failure, they are Frightened until the start of their next turn. If a creature passes the Test, they are immune to this effect for 1 day. Other members of your Binding are permanently immune to this effect. | Blessed (The Ethersea)Where others may worship a god, you are one of the truly devoted. For your devotion and piety, you have been blessed with a fraction of your god's power. The Idoneth have no need of Gods, having forsaken their creator Telcos centuries ago. Instead, they put their faith in the unknowable eldritch power of the Ethersea, trusting in it to guide and protect them. The swarm comes tumbling out of the zone of nightmare, barrelling straight for Caith. Taken by surprise at their ferocity he fails to ward them all off, catching a nasty bite in the process. He kicks the offending monster free and steps back behind his allies as he continues to channel the fury of the deep at the far end of the cabin. He then relies his staff with two hands, ready to head off any more vermin that seek him. OOC Regain 1 Mettle at start of turn Sustain Abyssal Nightmare (1 Mettle cost) Action: Dodge (raise Defense one step from Poor > Average) Move: Not sure how many zones there are here, but he's just trying to move behind his allies so the (hopefully mindless) rats simply go for the closest enemy.

Sorry, that should be +S not +2

All seems to make sense to me. The rat swarm 2 needs to make a soul(determination ) test DN4:3 or be frightened of Caith as well thanks to his Disquieting Presence. Whilst I assume frightened doesn't stack, I also assume creatures can be frightened of multiple things in terms of movement. Does Rat swam 2 deal a flat 2 damage or 2 + S for a total of 3?

Can join in as well now, your initiative is up. If you posted before the rats in round 1, feel free to post your round 2 actions

The rats squal and squeak as you strike among them. Maelris and Ellania can both feel their blades cutting through the rats, sending small furry bodies flying. Towards the back of the cabin, a new chorus of squeaks erupt as the Abyssal Nigthmare engulfs the cabin. Both Caith and Anika can feel rat claws lathing onto them, the rodents trying to bite either of them as they flee the conjured nightmares in the back. OOC Due to the Night-rats being invisible, they are only hit on 6, unless you have Witch Sight which only Mythical's character does. But resolving this in order Maelris focus can get her a 6 on one dice, so one degree of success vs the Nightrat swarm. Nightrat Swarm 1 has 0 armor and 9 Toughness, so drops to 7 Toughness. Caith's ability goes off, and Nightrat Swarm 2 starting it's turn there will take 3 damage and be Frightened, dropping to 6 Tougness Ellania's Mystical Shield spell goes off. Anikah hits with the greatsword, and can use her Focus to raise her number of successes to 2. This will deal 5 damage to Nightrat Swarm 1, dropping it to 2 Toughness. Nightrat Swarm 1 will start it's turn and close in, attacking Anikah. It has a poor rating attack with 2d6 and +S damage. It is at 2 Toughness Nightrat Swarm 2 will start it's turn frightened, rush forward, and attack Caith. It has a poor rating attack with 1d6 and +2 Damage. It is at 6 Toughness

"Well. Let's see this done" Anikah seems sombre as the fight begins, bowing her head for a moment of quiet contemplation. But it's just a moment. Once the door slams shut, the Vampire is right at the front of the fight, sword raised high. There's bloody business to be done. OOC Anikah is a simple soul. Go in, stab stab stab. If one of the rats is alone, she'll prioritize them to activate Duellist - otherwise she'll just take whoever. I have two ranks of Focus in WS, and am using a Greatsword. Immense Strikes brings this damage up to 3 + successes. Melee is good - if she can isolate a rat for a 1 vs 1, that rises to Great

I'm going to give the people who need to go but haven't ( and ) one more day to make their posts and then I'll have the rats take their actions

Mettle; Your maximum Mettle is equal to your Soul divided by two, rounded up. You recover one Mettle at the start of your turn, up to your maximum. Certain factors, like spells and Talents, can increase or decrease your maximum Mettle. • Take extra Actioon • Use talent or Miracle • Double Training • Double Focus

I took a look for Mettle and you're right, so i might do that to bump up my defense so i can go all out next round.