Arcane Steel - Turn 22 - Strike while the Iron... Part Four
And so the squad
initiates their unforgiving attack upon the enemy forces. The deadly hiss of flying arrows and bolts combined with the clash of steel are only interrupted by an unexpected happening...
April starts to reload her pistols and move towards the camp.
-
Candy was shaken around inside April's clothing and is slightly dizzy.
-
Diego decides to take down the runner.
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Adrienne stops sulking and charges.
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Dellus activates his ring and attacks.
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Davie tries to regroup with the rest of the party.
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Thelfin keeps his position and aims for the leaders.
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Falion lets loose a war cry and charges into the fray.
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Ktimbi retreats to join Falion and help him.
-
Airgead is already with the dragoon.
April starts to reload her flintlock pistols, carefully putting the gunpowder and the metal balls inside the rifled barrel and avoiding causing any unwanted explosion, managing to reload [4] of her firearms. [4-1] Before stumbling onto the bandit's camp entrance, that is. Luckily only one longbowman sees the rustling of leaves that indicate her approach [1v1+1] The arrow goes wide and April executes a truly masterful dodge by falling on her butt. Well, she avoided the arrow, didn't she?
Davie ignores the burning heap of flesh and advances towards the enemy camp, hoping to find any of his squadmates. [5] He quietly sneaks his way through the woods and towards the spot where Adrienne is hiding, with Dellus a little farther. He also does not kill anyone on the way.
Davie feels there is enough energy left in his body for two more similar energy expenditures, followed by fainting.Diego notches an arrow in his bow and fires. [1v1] The shot barely misses and the enemy tries to execute dodging maneuvers only to temporarily stumble before diving into the shrubs by the trail and apparently moving towards the camp. At the very least now Diego can clearly see the enemies.
Ktimbi joined Falion and Airgead and focused his shamanic powers in creating a cloud to mask their position. [6] It worked very well. The cloud actually diminishes the impact of a giant demonic wolf appearing out of nowhere, due to the fact the cloud seems just too colorful and concealing. [+1 to unneeded stealth, +1 to enemy rolls in resisting the much needed intimidation]
Adrienne runs out of the thick wall of folliage separating her from the enemy camp while yelling at the top of her lungs. [1] The enemies are not amused by her warcry and fire a quick volley towards her, in which they are accompanied by one of the men in medium armor wielding an arquebus.
Enemy Volley. The acrid smell of black smoke fills the air and a small volley of three arrows are fired towards Adrienne's general direction. The frank knight is unable to dodge the first, and it is pierces the area between her right flank and hip, getting part of the tip inside her flesh and starting a spot of bleeding, while the other arrows miss their mark alongside the arquebus' ball of lead due either to Adrienne missing or standing still at the right moments. She simply ignores the insignificant bleeding and brings out her artifact, wrapping her lips
sensually around the tip of the horn before blowing it.
Adrienne's Rally Call of Roland The thunderous sound of the Oliphaunt crashes upon the enemies and trees, spreading into the woods and affecting even the hidden enemies. The leader of the group leaves the largest tent and presses his hands against his helmet while clenching his teeth. He looks affected by the moral attack, but not so much as some of the enemies, some of whom are exhausted due to prolonged guard duty and mental strain. The defensive formation falls apart as some bandits drop to their knees while others drop their weapons in shock and crumble to the ground. A gust of wind strikes the clearing and some faint on the spot as Roland delivers a phantom strike upon the weak. But the situation would not have been completely lost for the enemy if other things hadn't happened.
Fallion strides out of the trees, accompanied by
Airgead. He lets out a warcry at the top of his lungs, further damaging enemy morale, before giving an ultimatum to the enemies. The giant wolf nimbly moves from his side and uses the opportunity to leap upon anyone who had not given up on fighting.
Falion's Daemonic Visage (Weakened by the cloud) Out of the nine enemies still standing, even if with shaky legs, one more drops to the ground and two start to get shaky while some of the remaining are slightly shocked. The only enemies still in combat shape are the leader, the lieutenant, three longswordsmen and the arquebusier. Airgead roars fiercely and leaps with unmatched grace upon the man wielding the arquebus, [4] before quickly gaining distance with a leap backwards. [6v4-1, 2, 2+1+1-2] One of his claws connects with the side of the enemy's armor, wrenching a section of steel open and cutting his skin with the tip of the metal-enhanced claw. Falion follows suit and thrusts his javelin upwards before aiming and throwing it against the same man Airgead attacked. [4+2v5-1, 3, 4+2-2] The enemy attempts to dodge and almost manages it, but the ornate javelin hisses as it cuts through the air in the short trip, piercing through the man's arm and breaking his bones while pushing shredded pieces of metal against his muscles. [1] The man faints from the sudden spike of pain and drops to the ground.
Dellus's ring shines and he taps upon the power of the infinite serpent.
Dellus' Ouroboros The family heirloom sparks maniacally as the young mage focus his power on the artifact. In a matter of moments, the ring is burning with a white flare; Dellus takes that as a sign and summons three light bolts in quick sucession, bearing them down on the enemies before the fourth spell fails and triggers the ring locking mechanism. The three bolts of light crackle and lash around with pure, white energy tendrils in their almost instantaneous travel towards the enemies still standing.
Light Bolt Volley The second bolt misses one of the enemies, but the first and the third magical projectiles strike true. One of the men screams as his left flank armor is punctured by an energy bolt, which dances in place, whipping the maurauder's muscle with emissions of energy before finally disappearing. [3] The blood flows from the wound, causing the the longswordsman to wince and his stance to falter. The third bolt penetrates into the helmet of another longswordsman and causes both light burns and bleeding.
Thelfin switches his target and aims at the leader of the group. [2v4-2] He aims and fires, but the large bolt still misses by a few inches and gets deeply stuck into the ground with an audible noise.
Visible enemies - Close/Very Close - Even some of the "healthy" are shaky.[Healthy]
Weapon: Longsword (d6) ;
Armor: Reinforced Medium Armor (+2 def);
Shield: Round Shield;
Dodge: d4+?;
Hit: d6;
Skill level: Trained+?.
[Healthy]
Weapon: Longsword (d6) ;
Armor: Medium Armor (+2 def);
Shield: Round Shield;
Dodge: d5;
Hit: d6;
Skill level: Trained+?.
[3xHealthy; 1xTotally Disabled]
Weapon: Longsword (d6) ;
Armor: Medium Armor (+2 def);
Shield: Round Shield;
Dodge: d5;
Hit: d6;
Skill level: Trained+?.
[1xHealthy 3xTotally Disabled]
Weapon: Longbow (d7) ;
Armor: Light Armor (+1 def);
Shield: None;
Dodge: d5;
Hit: d6;
Skill level: Trained+?.
[1xFainted; 1xTotally Disabled]
Weapon: Arquebus (d7-chances of higher damages at close range) ;
Armor: Medium Armor (+2 def);
Shield: None;
Dodge: d5;
Hit: d6;
Skill level: Trained+?.
[2xTotally Disabled]
Weapon: Shortbow (d6) ;
Armor: Leather Armor (+0 def);
Shield: None;
Dodge: d5;
Hit: d6;
Skill level: Trained+?.
The enemies still standing stay back to back and try to look confident, but they fail. Most of the group was exhausted and offered little resistance against a strong moral attack.
[Squad luck roll=1]
Unfortunately for the squad, the sound of a bugle is heard outside the woods, alongside the clatter of metal and voices. The criminals' leader smiles weakly towards the group before a hoarse laughter spreads among the men around him.
>No puns intended.
>By now you should have already realized this is a...BOSS BATTLE. Mostly because you are unlucky.
>Tip for Rally Call of Roland. If the enemy rolls
1: crumbling to the ground or running away, needs to roll high next time to their bearings, still shaky;
2: crumbles, needs to have a successful roll to get back up, shaky;
3: -3 all of their rolls the next turn, has to roll to get rid of shakiness;
4: -2;
5: -1;
6: -0.
The effects also depends on the enemies' natural resistance and such, but against the common bandit, that's how things roll.
The Players:Dwarmin: Knight
Name: Adrienne Alanamont
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Knight: Chevalière
Appearance: Adrienne is a beautiful, intense woman, with long and dark red hair (though, her hair is usually shaved before battle), and dark green eyes. She looks fairly stern, and her build and stance betray no weakness of body or thought-if anything, it bespeaks of passion and arrogance. When not in battle kit, Adrienne tends to dress conservatively, but somewhat casual-favoring open throated shirts and flared trousers, often in earth tones. Her plated armor is light, unecumbering and well made, rounded off at the corners-masking her womanhood in the middle of battle-all except her eyes, being she prefers a slitted helm for full vision.
The Alanamont coat of arms is a circlet of filigreed gold, with a crown at the head, around a pool of red.
Characteristics: Arrogant, Passionate, Uncompromising
Horse: She prefers a Light Warhorse-her favorite, being "Lernea"
Weapons (and shields): Main weapons: Longsword/round shield, otherwise prefers a Bec-De-Corbin when mounted, which she wields with unnatural grace. Others: Dueling Pistol (unfired), Crossbow
Leaving a child behind: No. Adrienne has left that 'business' to her lesser sisters and brothers, having not found anyone worthy of her as of yet.
-Some- abilities to be noted:If you think I'm the weakest link... you will be sorry... weakling!Status:Light Bleeding.Rally Call of RolandTiruin: Knight
Name: Falion Arvîndell
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Knight: Dragoon
Appearance: Falion is a man of five foot four, with light brown skin and short black hair. His body is built just like a worker of the era, though stern and with poise evident in his gait. Out of combat, he dons a brown tunic under his surcoat, favoring the common wear over what the Nobility prefer. His chainmail is left uncolored, remaining the usual silver tone. His plate armor is tinted light grey with a white trim along the edges of the major plates. A gilded wolf crest lies on the top of his helmet and the insignia of the howling wolf in white is marked on his breastplate. His eyes are colored brown.
Characteristics: Unflinchingly Loyal ; Stubborn ; Determined
Horse: A Light Warhorse going by the name of "Ileid".
[Weaponry]
Main weapon/s: Glaive ; Javelin(s)
Others: Flintlock Rifle and a heater shield
Leaving a child behind:
No.-Some- abilities to be noted:He is loyal and determined. He is sharp. He is also nuts.Status:Light> Bleeding.Cuchulainn's Last StandName:
AirgeadAge: ??
Gender: Male
Knight: Wolf
Description: Silver-furred wolf, "owns" a masterwork armor which is better than even the squad armor. He is very loyal and his feral mind can block most mind-based attacks.
Status:Fine.Thunderbolt Steel ArmorSuperior WolfPowder Miner: Knight
Name: April Eplock
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Knight: Gunslinger (or if you prefer (that time's) modernized warrior or something of the sort.)
Appearance: April Eploc is a slim woman of average height, although very, very young for a knight. She is relatively attractive, ((mumble mumble I added that part to stay true to my earliest description of her)) with dark green eyes and braided fiery orange hair which ends in a ponytail. She wears non-restrictive pastel yellow clothing (like skirts, and simple shirts, she prefers comfort over fashion) under her armor, which is (kinda) light chainmail which covers pretty much all of her (all but the head and hands (she prefers these unobstructed, and even the head has a hood.), with a thin leather backing underneath. Her coat of arms is a young, growing leaf.
Characteristics: Very cheerful, Optimistic, Reckless, Silly, Thrill-Seeking.
Horse: Light Horse, her name is Ellene.
Weapons (and shields): Main weapons: Hand firearm (
not sure what it would be in this ageIn this age those would happen to be flintlock pistols), Shortsword.
Leaving a child behind: "No. I'm only 18 god get away from me you creep"
-Some- abilities to be noted:Blackpowder fever! Isn't hell colorful? Adventure!Status:Fine.Emergency Rations(Candy)1 Pouch with 5 gold pieces.
7 Masterwork Eploc Family Flintlock Pistols, Rifled Barrel -
5/7 LoadedPraefectum Screptum: Knight
Name:Thelfin Almondar
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Knight: Byzantine Klibanophoros
Appearance: His hair is black, contrasting with his turquoise eyes. Thelfin is tall and athletically built. He always covers his head with a helmet and dons a dark blue heavy armor (Power Armor) compensating part of the weight from his equipment. His armor covers his whole chest in the likeness of a huge shield and his shoulder plates protude slightly along the sides of his head, the rest of his armor being covered by large plate parts with almost no room between them. Underneath it he is wearing a chain mail and light clothing.
The family's coat of arms is a sapphire-colored shield wrapped in silver chains with two heavy steel axes crossed behind it.
Characteristics: Stubborn, loyal, fast thinker, short-tempered, hard to fall.
Horse: Heavy warhorse, clad in heavy armor from head to toe.
Weapons:Main weapons: Two-handed mace.(A chain links its handle to one of his forearms.) and Heavy Crossbow. Carries a very large shield on his back.
Leaving a child: No.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Moves live a truck... ...Hits like a truck... ...Must be a Klibanophor.Status:Fine.Mal'ak ha-mash?it (The Cleaver of Terra; Bane of All Sin)RosarySmithing KitNUKE9.13: Wizard - Temporarily out
Name: Wilhelmina van Oranje
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Mage, speciality: Weather; Wind/Water.
Appearance: Tall- very tall. Long brown hair (loose); blue eyes; pale skin. Dresses in simple, elegant gowns. For this journey; a plain white dress, and a leather cloak, pale orange in hue. Her family crest is an orange lion upon a white field, ridged by banners of red and blue. The family motto- Oranje zal herrijzen- is emblazoned below the lion.
Characteristics: Very friendly (too friendly?); polite; has little patience for problems- has a short temper; exceptional perseverance- not strong, but will keep fighting no matter what.
Horse: Light warhorse.
Weapons: Main weapons: Staff (gilded hardwood), Magic. Others: Brace of pistols.
Leaving a child behind: No.
-Some- abilities to be noted:She is nice and stubborn the good way but man, she's got issues!Status:Fine.Light padded armor pieces agentorangesoda: Wizard
Name: Ktimbi
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Mage: African Shaman
Appearance: A jet black man of average build with long orange hair that cooperates with his woolly beard to form a mock lion's mane. His irises are a fiery red, a rare genetic mutation specific to his caste of shamans. He wears the traditional shaman garb: pelts of slain animals and various herbal trinkets adorn his person. He wears a crown of human wisdom teeth, one pulled from each eligible member of his tribe, which he claims contains the combined spiritual energy of his people's souls. The crest of his shamanistic family is, curiously, a mongoose encircled by cobras. One is crushed underfoot whilst the other hangs limp in the mongoose's jaw.
Characteristics: Quiet, Unwilling Participant, Incoherent
Horse: Light warhorse, drawing a cart of reagents.
Weapons: Carries a caduceus which has been passed down for generations. His tribe claims an ancient ancestor won the staff from Hermes himself. Upon each shaman's death, his successor fills a container with his own blood and places the severed head inside. The new shaman will now be protected for the rest of his natural life by his spirit so long as the container is kept close. The case that the previous shaman had kept is then dashed upon the ground, allowing his protector to be finally free from his burden.
Leaving a child behind: As is tradition, upon ascension, a shaman will impregnate a host of women until one gives birth to a child containing the rare genetic disease. The shaman is always male, (it is a y-linked gene). Ktimbi knows he has many children waiting for him at home and has met none of them, but he knows one bears the gift. In the event of a shaman dying without any heirs, all of his immediate kin will attempt to replicate the gene in their own future offspring through ritual until another shaman is born.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Don't mind me. ...Are you dead already? What did you just call me, colored gentleman?Status: Fine.Armor of OriginOne-shot reagents Tarran: Wizard
Name: Davie Maximilian
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Mage: Fire
Appearance: A tall brown haired man of mostly Bavarian-English-Frisian origin. He has light blue eyes and is averagely muscled. He wears a blue-purple robe and leather boots. His family coat of arms appears to be an impalement of the Bavarian and Frisian flag.
Characteristics: Cheerful, Does what is right, friendly, honest, insensitive, trusting.
Horse: Light, Marwin
Weapons: Bastard sword (what, just because he's a mage doesn't mean he doesn't like big swords), flintlock pistol.
Leaving a child behind: Nope. No wife.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Barbecue in the making. What are staves for, anyway? Sure...Why not?Status:Fine.CatalystCommon Round Shield
SeriousConcentrate: Wizard
Name: Diego Alvarez
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Mage: Force and Illusion
Appearance: Diego has tanned skin, shiny black hair cut in a shaggy style that obscures his forehead and looks quite boyish indeed, confident blue eyes, and thick eyebrows. He's average height and lightly built at five feet nine inches and one hundred forty seven pounds. He wears brown boots, dark blue pants tucked into them, and a dark blue tunic. Over that is a long white hooded coat (hood is usually down) with red embroidery that ties up the left side to close, and usually is tied from the waist up. As part of the coat's design, a strap runs over the right shoulder down the to the right side of the waist, with pouches attached to the strap for carrying light items. On the back of the strap is a quiver for holding his arrows. On the back of the coat is the family crest: a shield divided into four sections, with the upper right/lower left being silver and the other two sides being bronze. On top of the shield is a gold crown with rubies inset along the band.
Characteristics: Hotblooded, Showoff, Reckless, Quick to React, Fleetfooted, Friendly
Horse: Light Warhorse "Aquila"
Weapons (and shields): Main weapons: Longbow; usually uses broadheads, but will switch to narrower heads to pierce armor if necessary; short sword. Others: A bandoleer of throwing daggers hidden inside his coat.
Leaving a child behind: Not that he's aware of.
-Some- abilities to be noted:Quickie It's show time! I challenge you, Good Sir.Status:Fine.Manto de Alvarez (Protector de Bendito Alvarez)Ganado BravoName:
Ricardo HernándezAge: ??
Gender: Male
Artist
Description: Brown-skinned, mustachioed gentleman in red clothing who follows Diego around. His major talents are playing the guitar and staying alive.
Status:Fine.Guitarra de EspañaY me voy cantandoGrunhill: Wizard
Name: Dellus Hierdach
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Mage: Light Mage
Appearance: A tall brown haired man of south-european origin. He has dark brown eyes and an average body. He wears a black and white robe and leather boots. His family coat of arms is a dark green serpent biting a blood red apple.
Characteristics: Mysterious, do what he has to do, unsociable, insensitive, trusting.
Horse: Black Light Warhorse, pulling a cart.
Weapons: White gold ring and an ancient grimoire.
Leaving a child behind:Yes
-Some- abilities to be noted:No, I am not a monk Why, no! This. is. NOT A D&D rulebook! SORCERER!BURN HIM!Status:Fine.OuroborosMasterwork Dual Short SwordsMasterwork Crossbow