CharmingSatyr

Seven Days to the Grave - Nykla continued ... Carowyn Manor Grounds There is a long, tense pause after Nykla makes her suggestion. The spellcaster cannot help be aware of the cold steel chilling her delicate flesh at the small of her back. After a long few moments, the tension is eased as the stranger breaks the long silence. "Alright. I'm taking a few steps back." Nykla can hear her feet shuffling behind her. "No funny business, or you'll regret it. Now ... turn around slowly." Nykla is now face-to-face with the woman who was holding her captive. A strikingly lovely young lady of Varisian descent. She's dressed in what one might generously call her "Sunday best". The young lady was clearly hoping to blend in with a wealthier crowd -- a crowd that at just a single glance, Nykla can tell the girl simply doesn't belong to. In one hand, Nykla can see the weapon that was at her back is some kind of iron pry-bar. In the girl's other hand, she wields a small wand of made from a pale, well-oiled wood. She keeps both weapons aimed defensively at Nykla. "My brother's inside," she explains. "He was hired to entertain these rich muckity-mucks for this shindig, but hasn't returned home." The girl spills her guts, clearly wanting to trust Nykla and enlist her aid. "I tried getting inside around sunrise, but the Korvosa Guard caught me sneaking onto the property. I tried to get my friend to help but ... he's never around when I need him. I should've known better." "I brought this pry bar this time," she explains, gushing now that she has an ally in the search for her brother. "I thought maybe a door or window or that balcony upstairs might have some way inside and I " she pauses, a quick, hopeful glance dances across her features, " ... we? we could go search?" Responding to .

Seven Days to the Grave - Habus Underground - Wererat Hooligan Lair: Room 1 "No," Girrigz states simply, flatly denying Habus' impassioned plea. "I'm tired, and I'm done." Habus can see the subtle nods of agreement from the other wererats in the vicinity. Though not what the dwarf would call a charismatic leader, the wererat's words clearly resonate with the others down here. For a moment, it seems like Girrigz is repeating the words the guard stated earlier, but Habus quickly realizes that the guard was repeating Girrigz. "I was born in these sewers, not far from here. I was raised in these sewers, splashing about in the muck and the grime, far away from the fresh air and the sunshine and the trade and prosperity and the ... the ... the joy that should be ours by right!" Girrigz pauses for a moment, and murmurs of agreement can be heard from the wererat guards. "Now they want to come down here? Into Our Homes?!" "Hell no!" "So you go, Mr. Dwarf. Go and warn them. Tell them only death and decay await them. Because we're prepared this time. We will be ready. Maybe we can't win. But we can put the fear of the Gods into the hearts of the next generation of murderous lynch mobs. And the generation after that!" "Yeah!" the wererats cheer on Girrigz' stirring speech. "Hell yeah!" "They may not want us. They may not like us. But I swear on my dying breath, They Will Fear Us." "Now get out of here, before I change my mind and make you our first example." "Fear us! Fear us!" One or two wererats begin chanting, and quickly all the wererats Habus can see and other, distant voices that he cannot, pick up the chant, filling the chamber with the sound of slowly-fermenting revolution. "FEAR US! FEAR US!" The words echo down the dark and distant halls. Girrigz leans in close, filling the dwarf's nostrils with the sent of sweat, sewage, and wererat musk. He delivers a menacing whisper into Habus' ear, "I think it's time for you to go, little man." The dwarf gets the impression that he won't get a second warning. The wererat demagogue steps back, arms raised, basking in the chants and adulation of his followers, a glint of madness twinkling in his bloodshot eyes. GM NOTE: Responding to .

I'm not familiar with Sluggy Freelance; can you hum a few bars and maybe I can pick up the tune?

The Search for a Cure - Post 58 Bella, taking in the battlefield, decides to switch from offense to more of a supportive role. Calling forth her ability to bolster her allies, she does so eagerly, sure of their ability to get the job done. No sooner does she begin, than she's rewarded with the sight of Valeria nearly decapitating the ghoul that was coming after Flint. Rawanne makes a cautious attempt at attacking the remaining ghoul but, in her efforts to avoid hitting either Flint or Valeria, she over-corrects, sending her crossbow bolt sailing off into the trees and bushes of the forest. Flint, beloved of his God, summons forth holy energies to banish the undead abomination standing before his beloved. The creature recoils as the burst of positive energy sears its negatively-charged flesh, but not enough to destroy it. Focusing its attention on Valeria, it grabs her by the shoulders and prepares to bite her face. At the last second, she's saved as a crossbow bolt, coming from the direction of the cabin, skewers the creatures skull. Valeria can feel the creature's grip squeeze down, painfully hard, then release as its unlife ebbs and flows back to the nether-reaches from where it sprung. Then, aside of the crackling of the burning cabin and burning ghoul bodies, all is quiet.

Director's Commentary ... will reveal after Chappie's next actions

Seven Days to the Grave - Chappie continued ... Alchemy Lab - Zellara's House As Chappie makes his threats to the young teen, the boy for a moment looks panic-striken, more like he wants to flee or faint than he wants to be be alone in a stranger's room haggling over wages. It takes a moment, but Chappie quickly understands the source of this reaction -- having spent years as one of "Lamm's Lambs", the boy still associates angry adults with beatings, starvation, mutilation and/or becoming crocodile chow. Before he can act on this insight, he watches as the boy steels his resolve, tamping down on his gut reaction and confronting the adult in question. "Um, actually, one silver per day is the going rate for unskilled labor. If anyone offers to do this job for less than three silver, they're either a fraud or a criminal. I'll do it for four per day, the notes, continued access to the library, with a satisfaction guarantee. If I can't finish on time, my labor is free. But if I finish early, I get a four-silver bonus." Once again, Iymibryl thrusts out his hand, either not noticing or not caring that another few sheets of paper come fluttering out of his grasp and onto the floor. Try as he might, he cannot fully still the tremor in his outstretched hand. GM NOTE: Responding to .

It's fine. You kept us informed. That's what's important.

Since IanTS is out of town, I'll bot his character tomorrow. I mean, it's Valeria. How hard can it be? Roll a Nat 20, decapitate a ghoul, make goo-goo eyes at Flint, then think about food. I got this in the bag.

Seven Days to the Grave - Nykla continued ... Carowyn Manor Grounds Nykla turns the knob and attempts to open the door, but finds it locked, barring her from entering through the front like a civilized person. Somewhere, she gets the nagging feeling of some kind of narratively poetic irony of being unable to just walk into the Carowyn House, but she's too worried and too frustrated to ponder the subtle symbology when her man is missing. "Hold!" comes the order from behind her. Nykla feels cold, hard metal pressing into the small of her back as a female voice, intentionally lowered an octave or two orders her to halt. "Who are you? What do you want here?" The questions come fast and nervous. Whoever this person is, they were quick and quiet, and smart enough to stay in Nykla's blind spots, but clearly out of their element. Responding to .

Right?! Fortunately, I have a few other players to get through before I have to finalize a response. He really gave me a lot to digest.

Seven Days to the Grave - Habus Underground - Wererat Hooligan Lair: Room 1 Habus' sagging shoulders and abrupt change in tone leaves the wererats momentarily confused. Brash, angry hotheads, it was easy for them to match Habus' aggressive tone with more aggression but without something fresh to spark their ire, but they falter in the face of genuine uncertainty. They're still on alert, watching the dwarf with wary, cautious eyes. But the sense of immediate danger has been abated. "Come away from the shriekersHabus knows the name. A magic-infused mushroom that makes a shrill whistle when disturbed. Many subterranean creatures use them as a quick-and-dirty alarm system., kid," central wererat orders the female. Returning his attention to Habus, he repleis in a still angry, but much calmer tone of voice. "We're just looking after our own, chum. We don't want trouble, but we'll take what troubles we're given and return it with interest, if you get my drift. Speak your peace, and we'll make sure Girrigz gets the message. They you can get the hells out of here." "No need for alla that," a new voice enters the conversation. "He came all this way. Let 'em say it t' my face, like." Game Mechanical/Mastery Stuff Give me a sense motive check. And whatever other social shenanigans you're going to perform. GM NOTE: Responding to .

() Human () of AC: 15 | HP: 8/11 | Hero: 1 FORT: +4 | REF: +2 | WILL: +5 ResourcesInspired (1/day) - 1 Defiant Luck (1/day) - 1 Judgment (1/day) - 1 Judgment Surge (1/day) - 1 Blessed Surgery (6/day) - 5 | SpellsLEVEL 0 - N/A Create Water Stabilize Acid Splash Disrupt Undead LEVEL 1 - 0 Cure Light Wounds Martyr's Last Stand | SkillsBluff +7 Diplomacy +4 (+7 to gather information) Heal +7 Intimidate +1 Perception +7 Sense Motive +8 Stealth +6 With the immediate threat ended and -- glancing over his shoulder -- the secondary threat all but taken care of, John puts away his weapon and crouches down next to the beaten mastiff. He looks the animal over, trying to determine if it's a crazed feral beast, or a poor, hungry animal defending its home. OOC: - expend one use of Blessed Surgery to roll-2-drop-1 on my heal check against the dog. If I think can be managed, I'll cast the Stabilize cantrip to keep it from dying. - If someone wanted to tame the injured dog via Handle Animal, now would be the best time.

Yes. Triangle. I'm glad someone got it.

That's not it's name, but it's how I'm going to describe the movie from now on.

Seven Days to the Grave - Maria continued ... Father Dhatri Father Dhatri -- Ishani -- holds up his hands in mock surrender. "I promise you, I am not trying to keep you from my sister for nefarious reasons. It's just ... things are messy between us right now. And between you and I ... things are nice. Uncomplicated." "Well, as uncomplicated as you can get considering that between us we're raising a dozen unruly, former-criminal orphans in a city that feels like it's teetering on the edge of twin precipices of Plague and Riots. Other than that, smooth sailing!" "But dinner," he quickly shifts topics. "Day after tomorrow, around sunset? Do you like fish? One of my parishioners owns a wonderful VudraniI don't remember if it's been mentioned explicitly, but Father Dhatri is of Vudrani descent. restaurant. Reminds me of my own mother's cooking when I eat there. I think you'll like it." GM NOTE: Responding to

Hilarious guess, but no.

I completely forgot. Thanks for the reminder. If this affects any of your rolls, let me know and I will amend my previous post.

The Search for a Cure - Post 58 For the second time in as many days, the group finds themselves facing off against a horde of ravaging ghouls deep in the forest, days away from any assistance or shelter. Once again, they are mere yards away from possible death against a powerful, undead foe. There is no promise of reward, of safety, or even of survival. Despite that, they uniformly square off against the undead monstrosities threatening this tiny homestead in the middle of nowhere. Flint and Valeria, side by side, creep forward as close as they dare. Moving past the burning cabin, a they catch a quick glimpse another flaming ghoul clumsily crashes through the broken doorway and stumbles outside. The ghoul's escape is only momentary as, just a few steps away from the cabin, it falls to the ground, its fully dead body sizzling and popping as its consumed by the flames, filling the area with even more acrid, greasy smoke. As the dating duo shake off the surprise of the fiery fiend and get ready to make their next move, Rawanne and Lummobella kick things off, sending crossbow bolts sailing through the air and hitting their respective marks with uncanny precision. Now, aware of their presence, the ghouls turn to get a good look at their next meals. Baring their jagged teeth and growling out a savage warcry, the trio of ghouls race after the two closest -- Val and Flint. Or, at least two of them do. The thirdGhoul #3, is distracted by the cabin door opening and a feminine voice shouting, "Hey! Asshole!!" Neither Valeria nor Flint can see inside the cabin, but they are close enough to see what appears to be the business end of a spear thrust into the creature's neck and violently erupt from the opposite temple. "Eat this!!" Then, just as quickly, the spear is pulled from the ghoul's head, and the cabin's defender retreats back inside, slamming the door shut behind her. Moments later, the ghoul falls flat on its face with a earth-shuddering thump. Before Val and Flint have a chance to figure out what the heck just happened, the two slavering ghouls come crashing through the underbrush, eager to partake in two heaping helpings of Lover Tartare. Game Mechanical/Mastery Stuff Show MAP! ENEMIES: Ghoul 1: 4 = unharmed (previous) + 4 (Rawanne) Ghoul 2: 4 = unharmed (previous) + 4 (Bella) Ghoul 3: 14 = unharmed (previous) + 14 (cabin defender)

Rolls and Whatnot

Tenet

F***ing A! That's great news! Happy to have you back,

GM Interjection Since you guys made your stealth checks and the enemies are still distracted going after their current quarry, I'm going to let you guys stealthily reposition yourselves (those that want to) unopposed. Since you're performing an ambush on an unsuspecting opponent, this is technically a surprise round. Go ahead and take your single standard or move/move-equivalent action to kick things off. Also, let me know where you're moving to, so I can update the map.

What would be an appropriate sample size?

I'm surprised that I didn't recognize them her