DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy RRL: Rise of the Rune Lords - Burnt Offerings RRL: The Bone Yard

The scrappy little orphan girl wrapped in dark magics claws at the boney foes and fails to do any lasting damage.

The paladin continues to be a stalwart companion and steps further into the fray. His blade flashes, but in one strike, it sticks into the ribs of one of the two skeletons. The monster turns and traps his weapon, ripping it from his grasp.

The sheriff continues to watch, powerless to assist in such a tight space as the crypt.

Father Z shouts encouragement but doesn't renew his spell.

The two foes strike and claw at the two front warriors, Coral and Aendell. Neither skeleton is able to find any chinks in their armor, magical or otherwise.


[OOC: Their Toughness is 7.

Aendell can save his benny. However because his strike didn't hit, the boost spell from Father Z is still active for the next round.

CRITICAL FAILURES
A Critical Failure occurs when a Wild Card rolls a 1 on both the skill die and Wild Die of a Trait roll. The attempt automatically fails, and something bad happens—a weapon is dropped or gets stuck, the attack hits a friend, the vehicle crashes, and spells misfire (see Backlash, page 169), and so on. Critical Failures cannot be rerolled by any means, even with Bennies (see the next page).

REROLL
Some Edges or abilities allow a character to reroll Traits (as long as they’re not a Critical Failure). To do so, roll all the dice again and get a new total. You may keep any set you like unless you roll a Critical Failure. This ends all rerolls immediately and becomes the result of the attempt—that’s the risk one takes in pushing the limits! Multiple rerolls may be granted from different Edges, Bennies, or other abilities.

Skeletons: One on Aendell, one on Coral
Pandemonium rolled 1d6,1d6,1d6,1d6 and got 3, 6, 5, 5

Init
Skeletons AH
Catalena QD - Up
Seliam JS
Zak 10S
Coral 9D
Aendell 9C
Sheriff 4S
Father Z 3C]

((OOC If Aendell moved forward, is there space for Cat to step in and melee attack the one on Coral? Also, since she Held last round, could she go at the end of this round and then go first in the new round?))

[OOC: Sure she can move forward. Yes she can put herself on hold to act at the end of the round, but she will return to her spot in the order during the next round. Unless she uses her initiative this around to adjust to the beginning of the round, essentially giving it up (though I will allow the movement).]

((OOC Right, I think we're saying the same thing. I did put her on Hold last round when it was her turn on Dec 19, so I'll take that now. That round ended with Aendell's turn and the NPCs. Then I'll go again in the first spot for this new round.))

[Ah, forgetful DM, forgot again. Go ahead and write it up!]

[Ooc: Phew, Selaim escaped an attack... She still has Skeletons in front of her right?]

Catalena

Like dancing in a tavern, Cat could slide and slip through a moving crowd as the opportunities presented themselves. As Aendell moved forward, she twirled from his right shoulder to pass behind him to his other flank and bring her new Nodachi down upon the skeleton in the front rank menacing Coral. She struck incautiously, leaving herself exposed, seeing as the skeletons seemed resistant to normal strikes.


Catalena
Nodachi attack - Fighting with Wild Attack +2 and Gang Up +1
Vryx rolled d8+3,d6+3 and got 4, 4
That's a CRITICAL FAILURE
So, no opportunity to Benny it either.


((OOC: So this is her action at the *end* of the last round. Pande will adjudicate the bumble but also she is Vulnerable because of the Wild Attack. She also went before the skeletons at the top of the new round, so theoretically, this one might have attacked her instead of Coral. If so, both those 5 rolls would have hit her with the +2. Depending on those two things, she'll then go at her regular spot in this new round. So hold your horses, excitable folks. ))

[OOC: There are three skeletons left, two behind, one in front, none are Shaken.]


The Nodachi is a new weapon, and smooth in her hands. Though its weight is different than she is used to. Like Aendell the Skeletons are more capable foes than they first appeared. One grabs the blade and strips it from her grasp, turning it back around. It clearly intends to use her own weapon against her when it gets the opportunity.

[OOC: Man the dice roller is swingy sometimes! Cat does get to act at the top of the round, and she doesn't get attacked. I should be that cruel, but I am not. Maybe later. Maybe I am warming up to it. ]

(OOC - Vryx - Not to worry. Just waiting for Aendell's turn and then he has your back.)

(OOC: Not exactly sure where we are. If the bumble attack was last round then it is Cat's turn for this round. If it was this round then it is Selaim's. So which round did it occur?)

(OOC - Yes, as I read the initiative order it looked like Selaim, Zak, Coral, then Aendell, all before the top of the round when Cat would go again?)

Catalena

Cat saw the sword slide from her grasp, now held by the skeleton. "Rude!" she exclaimed, a bit embarrassed at her disaster of a first attempt with the big blade. Only thing to do was to win it back. Perhaps she hadn't earned it yet. She'd have to check the Harrow later.

Drawing her katana, she struck with her more familiar blade, continuing to act incautiously, this time out of flustered outrage.

Catlana Katana attack - Fighting with Gang Up +1 and Wild Attack +2
Vryx rolled d8+3,d6+3 and got 9, 7
Katana attack: 9 Is that a raise vs a target Parry of 5?
Catlana Katana damage - with Wild Attack +2
Vryx rolled d8+2,d6+1 and got 3, 4
Katana damage: 7
Catalena Katana damage raise
Vryx rolled d6 and got 4
Katana total damage, if hit was a raise: 11

((OOC Appreciate everyone's patience. Selaim would be up now. Pande, Cat is again Vulnerable to attacks if there are any before the end of her next turn.))

OOC: With or without the raise the skeleton is destroyed.

But yes +4 is a raise, as their parry is 5.

Init
Skeletons AH
Catalena QD
Seliam JS - Up
Zak 10S
Coral 9D
Aendell 9C
Sheriff 4S
Father Z 3C]

((OOC Just because I'm learning the game... if the skelly has a Toughness of 7 and wasn't already Shaken, and it just attacked so it couldn't when Shaken, right?, wouldn't 7 damage just make it be Shaken? But the raised damage of 11 would be Shaken + a Wound and that would destroy it?))

Selaim

Selaim, still out in front of the rest of the party, moves to attack one of the two remaining skeletons. Raising the falcata with her main hand she strikes down as her offhand blade comes sweeping across the skeleton.

Selaim Two Weapon Fighting Attack (main)
Miales rolled 1d10,1d6 and got 8, 2

Selaim Main Damage
Miales rolled 1d6,1d6 and got 4, 3
4

Selaim Two Weapon Fighting Attack (offhand)
Miales rolled 1d10,1d6 and got 8, 4

Selaim Offhand damage
Miales rolled 1d6,1d6 and got 1, 6

Selaim Offhand damage (ace)
Miales rolled 1d6 and got 6

Selaim Offhand damage (ace)
Miales rolled 1d6 and got 5

Mainhand Damage: 7

Offhand Damage: 18

[OOC: You are correct, but since +4 above the parry is a raise, my brain went to done. If it hadn't been a raise, the skeleton would still be around. ]

The dual-wielding paladin's ward offers a flurry of steel to the animated boney monstrosity. It goes down under the onslaught shattering in to small bone shard.


[OOC: And there was but one undead minion.
Init
Skeletons AH
Catalena QD
Seliam JS
Zak 10S - Up
Coral 9D
Aendell 9C
Sheriff 4S
Father Z 3C]

((OOC Pande, you'd said at the top of this round there were just two left. Then Cat got one and Selaim got one. So, I'm confused that one is left.))

I thought there were 3, did I oops? If they are all down, then yes, combat is over!

Selaim

As the last skeleton falls to dust Selaim looks around for any other threats.If she see none then she'll start looking around the crypt.

Selaim Notice crypt
Miales rolled d6,d6 and got 1, 5

A search of the vault’s interior turns up two things of interest. First, the discarded robe of bones lies in of bones lies in a corner (no patches remain)—a corner (no patches remain).

Second, and more disturbing, is the fact that the sarcophagus that contained Ezakien’s body has been opened, and his remains have been stolen.

Ezakien Tobyn was the founding Patriarch of the Tobyn family. They are one of the four prominent mercantile families that give this little town its success.

Now that their foes have fallen, they can carefully examine the inside and outside of the crypt.

[OOC: Tracking Test. I have answered what a 5 would discover in the crypt, and others are also welcome to search.]

Catalena

Catalena took a deep breath and then sheathed her katana. She knelt down and retrieved her nodachi from the now unlifeless finger bones. "Give me that," she muttered, in ironic outrage.

She then extricated herself from the crypt to rejoin Sheriff Hemlock and Father Zantus.

"Anyone hurt?" she called over to the foursome among the bones as she wiped the handle of her blade free of the dust of the dead.

Coral

She put away her weapons and looked around the crypt, seeing nothing of note.

"So how did these things become animated?" she ondered aloud.


Coral Notice in the crypt
Angrboða rolled d4,d6 and got 1, 3

Father Zantus offered, "Foul necromantic magics must be employed to make skeletons rise. Those seemed tougher than some I have run across in my years. There are also more skeletons than there are actual crypts in there, so they had to be specifically put there as a trap."

He glanced at the Sheriff. "I, for one, am glad you were here to be heroes of Sandpoint again. I know you saved lives. That would have been extremely bad if they had been let loose on the town on the tail of the goblin attack."

The Sheriff took the hint and nodded in agreement. "Yes, we are appreciative. I am sure that if you were to stop by the common room at one of the inns, probably the one you are staying in, you will be treated to food and drinks like the heroes you are." He even smiled at Cat, which might make her think his face would crack, but it didn't.

[OOC: Anyone else want to look around, or where will the group go next? Don't forget you can ask questions of the two NPCs who have lived in this town for several years.]

Coral

"I don't suppose there are any ideas about who might have done such a thing and whY?" she asked further, as she nosed around the crypt.

Catalena

"So," Catalena asked, not particularly willing to enter the crypt. "None of these were the animated remains of Ezakien? I suppose I don't feel as guilty about striking... skeletal squatters. Did the Tobyn family have any enemies?"

She was starting to feel exhausted by the exertions of the day after a long shift and a shorter sleep. She blinked and looked at Hemlock smiling at her.

"I must be absolutely knackered," she said, wanly returning the smile. "I've started hallucinating. Food and drink will get my mind healthy enough to function long enough to reach my bed."