Book 1, Part 3: Threat of the Red Jills

[pi4t]

Star - Character Sheet

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AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6
HP: 18/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

---

Star gives out a cry of pain and tries to pull her sword arm out of the maddened dog's grip, but that only makes the thing bite down harder. She circles around it, trying to get at an angle she can get her sword out. Then Deadman makes his attempt to save her. While ineffective in itself, the attack distracts the dog and its grip slackens, just for a moment - enough time for Star to wriggle her arm out and drive Thorn down into the beast. It lets out a yelp, then collapses to the floor.

Bleeding heavily from her arm but not pausing for a moment, Star spins around. The one remaining human enemy is nearby. Star stabs out, and surprises even herself with her effectiveness. She was vaguely aiming for a disabling but nonlethal blow, but the CCG member staggers back from Temperance's shot and collapses backward right as Star is sliding Thorn forward.

Star slides Thorn out of the impaled corpse and looks around to see what enemies remain.

Show Mechanics

Action 1: Stride to flank the injured dog with Deadman
Action 2: Strike the dog - 19+8=27 to hit; crit! The dog is dead without even having to roll damage.
Action 3: Strike the remaining CCG goon. 20+4=24 to hit; crit again! The CCG is dead.

 

[ccanary]

Maria Callus

Maria Callus — Human Monk (medic)

Zea rescue

Seeing Star, then Kjersti and Deado get hit, Maria moved to engage.

"Hold on, I'll get to you all but ... triage. Worst hurt first."

She moved beside Star, hit the dog next to her to get some room then applied some combat healing to her.

 

 

Mechanics

 

Action 1: Stride as on roll 20
Action 2: Flurry on dog hit AC 16 for 6
Action 3: Combat medic with assurance on star healing 2d8=2 yay

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by ccanary (see edit history)

[Fletcher]

Kjersti Volden

AC: 19 | Fort: +8 | Ref: +4 | Will: +7
HP: 19/24 | Focus: 0/1 | Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +5
Conditions: None

---

Gunpowder and steel and fists finish off the last of the Citizens and their vicious canine pets. Some are merely unconscious while others bleed out on the pond-ringed stage. Slapping at her knee, pants now starting to stain crimson from the teeth that broke skin, Kjersti steps over the creature and over to the horrible torture device. Carefully taking a knee (the good one), she extends a hand. "Let's getcha outta there, Miss Zea," she says, providing the support for her to carefully scoot out from the threat of the nails inside. "I reckon we're in a bit of a pinch, so we oughta get a move-on."

The tiefling had the adequate amount of chain to reach the food and water the Citizens had placed around the stage for her, which means adequate room for her to get away from the doghouse itself. With a silent gesture to hold a moment, then to scoot out a bit, Kjersti raises the hammer high overhead and brings it down in a single blow that not only shatters the chain but puts a small crater in the surface of the stage. Thus freed, the farmgirl helps Zea to her feet and hands her off to the others before turning back.

In three meteoric strokes from Kjersti's hammer, each crack and shatter ringing all across Aria Park, the doghouse is utterly destroyed. The shambles earns itself an unnecessary kick from her boot and with a thick snort, she spits on the unusable device with disdain before turning back. "Let's get her - an' all'a us - outta here. Moonfeather?" The silvery raven comes to her from where it had perched to watch the fight, landing on the head of the almost-staff-sized hammer. It croaks a sort of 'yes?'

"Guide us back, safe-like? All y'all?"

 

[Mister Doctor]

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

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KAC: 19/18 Fort: +10 Ref: +5 Will: +6
HP: 32/40 THP: 0/6 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +6

---

The dead thing was distracted, crouched next to one of the slain dogs, face twisted in a look of ruined consternation. Listlessly, it prodded at one of the dog's shoulders as if trying to rouse the beast but the dog was as limp and lifeless as the corpse should have been. It had not raised a hand against the dogs that had been guarding the old livery and then there were the canine remains in the front hall of the ruined Lavigne home, head carefully set on a bundle of old rags in some helpless attempt at providing comfort.

There may well have been some guttering spark of the man the corpse had once been here. Memories of fondness for a loyal hound trying to reach through time and partially rotted grey matter. When the others came to the decision to move on, the corpse looked up, face hollow and lost, robbed of the capacity to articulate the twisting feelings inside its still and withered heart by death. "Ghk-d-dog?"

There was an awful parallel as the abomination crouched next to the dead dog. What was this shambling horror but the Silver Ravens' own attack dog, barely leashed and to be set upon their enemies? There were certainly flickers of humanity in that single grey-blue orb but those were wan and brief things.

[Toraka_Stormheart]

Temperance - Character Sheet

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AC: 19 Fort: +6 Ref: +10 Will: +4

HP: 24/24 Rebel Points: 4/3 | Perception: +6

Ammunition: 15/20 (40 Reserve) | Alchemy PreparedAlchemical Cartridges: 20 | ConditionsNone

---

The battle finished for the time being, Temperance strode casually onto the main area, boots clicking on stone as her hands reloaded the spent barrels on her new pepperbox. She paid no mind to the fallen, instead watching as Kjersti manages to dismantle the torture display. As Maria tended to Star, the shorter tiefling turned to the taller Zea, offering a hand to help her up and get her moving.

"No time to waste" was all that the blonde muttered as she started back the way they came. She only paused to see Deadman mourning one of the dogs, her brow slightly raised. Behind her expression, deep waters rolled, but her usual coldness showed as she pushed for their exeunt.

Show Mechanics

Action 1: N/A

Action 2: N/A

Action 3: N/A

 

Edited April 12 by Toraka_Stormheart (see edit history)

[Fletcher]

Kjersti Volden

AC: 19 | Fort: +8 | Ref: +4 | Will: +7
HP: 19/24 | Focus: 0/1 | Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +5
Conditions: None

---

With a silent nod from Kjersti, Zea is handed off to Temperance and hurried off with the rest, but the tall redhead turns to see Deadman struggling with.... well, she can only really imagine what's going on inside. Emotions, she supposes. In some moments, he's pure fury, rage-incarnate, and then others... "He mighta made a good boy once," she quietly speaks, standing close by. The man somewhere inside the animated hulk had enough sense... enough thought... enough love still in him to lay his own good boy (or girl) to rest in the ruins of his sacked home.

"But Thrune made'm bad ones. He's destroyin' all the good things he touches. That's why he's gotta pay, innit Guy?" She has seen the volatility of Master Lavigne's form plenty of times, his eagerness to find and tear down anything he could that bore the tyrant's name. It had been a valuable tool to them, demonstrating brutal efficiency time and time again... but at some point, this tool of terror would be just as poorly received as the Citizens and their starved, rabid dogs. Even if they deserved it. There were diminishing returns on their own rabid dog. She could see it in the Jills' eyes. In Ada's eyes.

"Give 'em rights, if y'wish, Master Lavigne... but do it quick-like. We'll see you back at the Nest." Kjersti waited long enough that some glimmer of recognition might find his face, then turned on a heel to bring up the rear.

[ripleycat]

Zea is black and blue from the Citizens' attention, and bleeding from a dozen little pokes from the doghouse's nails, and a nastier bite wound on her arm that puts her in pretty good company among the Ravens, but she's able to get herself upright and hobble, leaning on Temperance's sturdy shoulder. She spares a wan but deeply grateful smile for the rebels, and especially for Star, as the group begins their retreat. "Little lesson in pride and knowin' your limits, there. Saved my life, kid. All of you, really. Not quite sure how you repay that, but I'm gonna try. You need anything the Cloven Hoof can offer, it's yours, as long as I'm pretending to be in charge. Now, let's-"

A hollow, profane noise in the distance stops Zea mid-sentence, and sends chills down the spines of the Silver Ravens who had been present at the very beginning, the protests here in Aria Park. The unearthly, not-quite-a-dog howl of Mephiry, Nox's pet hellhound. "-Get the fuck out of here."

---

It's a little less direct than as Moonfeather flies, but the earthbound Ravens are able to safely make their way into Redroof's twisting alleys and away from the eyes of patrolling dottari, eventually trailing back to the somewhat shaken security of the Devil's Nursery. "Look, I meant what I said. We don't have much, but as far as my word carries, it's yours to share. You're heroes down here, you know that, right? All of you." Zea doesn't hesitate to include the remains of Guy Lavigne in that honor. "I need to sleep for a week, but once we're patched back together, maybe we'll throw you a feast or something."

OOC

With the wrapup of the last of the mini-adventures, we take a deep breath and hit a milestone.

First, this is capital-D Downtime, so if you have actions you want to take for that, take 'em. 😛

Second, there's a big plot development that I'm gonna stick in it's own post for convenience.

Third, um... third. Level, that is. Congratulations! ✨You've leveled up!✨ Update your sheets and note your changes and choices accordingly, please.

 

[theredshirtwholive]

 Kyla

AC: 19 | Fort: +7 | Ref: +7 | Will: +8
HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 3/3 | Perception: +10 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

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Kyla lays a hand on Zea's shoulder and lets a surge of cooling energy rush over the other tiefling, closing her wounds. "You could probably use a bath, too," she replies. "Simply to make sure your wounds don't get infected." She looks over at Star. "You too. You're too awesome to die of something silly like an infected dog bite."

OOC

 

 

[pi4t]

Star - Character Sheet

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AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6
HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7
ConditionsNone

---

Star looks surprised at the compliment from Kyla. She tries to hide it, and mutters a dismissive "I've survived worse", but she's obviously pleased by it and by Zea's words, and walks back to the Devil's Nursery with her head held high.

A bath would be nice. She hasn't allowed herself a luxury like that for a long while. Since...actually, the last time was just after Camilla found her injured on that rooftop after...after Ellie, Kas and Namoh were killed. Star quickly stops thinking along those lines; the memories still too painful. Instead she focusses on the upcoming bath, and the events of the day. She smiles. For this evening, at least, she's at peace with the world.

Show Mechanics

For those who weren't present from the beginning of the campaign, Camilla was one of the original PCs. She was a relatively wealthy young woman who moonlighted as a masked vigilante called the Veiled May. She was also friends with Deadman and Star.

 

Edited April 13 by pi4t (see edit history)