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[ziizo]

Well yes is stick to the wall opposite of the etherstone and advance if the lantern sparks just go back.

[Sir Knight]

I'm back.  Now I wait on Dustan (Dustan Hache) and Dwain (Starver).

[Dustan Hache]

check that the others are alright. Be ready to fight or get them to safety quickly.

[Starver]

(Sorry, out in the wilds yesterday. Flopped out asleep once I got back home.)

It seems I don't react well to things around here. Let's see what I can stand with the NE vein's vertigo-inducing voided/voiding minerals.

Much as per the tentative lantern vs etherstone fumes caution of ziizo, try to comprehend and quantify/qualify that mined-out area.  Between that and the mentally busy chamber, perhaps I can find a sweet-spot by rushing between the two!

[Sir Knight]

Between that and the mentally busy chamber, perhaps I can find a sweet-spot by rushing between the two!

This sounds like a wholesome idea!  I'm sure it will work out well for you.

And I'll update when ready!

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

This has the potential to go well.  Or badly.  Either/or.

After brushing off imaginary dust and attempting to regain (at least a visible level of) composure, Dwain nods to Dustan and heads right back to the brain-warp.  Whew, would you look at that?  It's a vein of some unidentified mineral, all carved out of the shale now, such that looking at the flecks of dust lost down in cracks makes your vision wobble.  Stand here long enough and you're sure to get a tunnel effect.  Maybe even pass out?  Terrific!

John, meanwhile, tries to ease past the flammable gasses, but it seems like there's just enough of this stuff to keep the space near the ex-etherstone cluster unsafe.  Forget it, you'll go around.

You turn just in time to see Overseer, a sudden intensity on his face, go striding right on by Dustan, heading east.  Dustan had been trying to regroup; now that the "abbot" has marched on without you, the two of you shrug and take up the rear.

In the east, Alyssa Alpine has made contact.  This being is surely one of the "hoarding wastrels"; are there more?  Can they be located?  Can they be "dealt with"?  Alyssa tries diplomacy.

Spoiler: Cross-cultural diplomacy is a delicate art (click to show/hide)

. . . Hampered when you do not speak a common language

Result: 5, Succeed greatly!

Wow, I guess you communicate that you are trying to find other hoarding wastrels.  Lucky you.

Spoiler: Hoarding wastrel ascetic vs. Alyssa Alpine (Rautherdir) (click to show/hide)

Hoarding wastrel ascetic's combat table, darkness spells:

1: Fail terribly
2: Succeed weakly
3: Succeed
4: Succeed greatly
5: Fail by succeeding

Attack roll: 2, Succeed weakly!
Damage roll (1d4-1): 4-1 = 3!
Alyssa Alpine, HP: 9/12

Overseer turns through the twisting passages, hearing words spoken somewhere ahead, words both human and not human.  You catch sight of Alyssa as events come to a head.  Specifically, Alyssa's.

Alyssa, facing down the hoarding wastrel, had gotten the impression that he understood you to at least a minimum.  He raised his hand and spoke.  The result is a magical force that blots out the light from your lantern and flies into your face!  You barely manage to take the hit on your helmet, but still you are propelled away by the force of the blow!  Magic is not good.

I'm going to judge that Overseer (FallacyofUrist) can engage this turn if desired, and anyone further away will need to rush into the scene first.  Which conceivably could mean that you in the back may do a ranged attack, but the enemy would have to be drawn out of the chamber by your allies at this time.

Alyssa Alpine (Rautherdir): the magical attack dissipates after hitting you, so you can do whatever you want as normal.  I just drew it like an object on the map for fun.

[FallacyofUrist]

"Filth!" Take a holy symbol in hand, focus my mind using it, and attempt to apply that focus to an empowered punch(using the other hand) against the FILTH.

[ziizo]

Follow overseer scream. Aid in wastrel murdering

[Starver]

Fuss and commotion, and tangible rather than mental, this time...

Okay, so I obviously must see what is being reacted to, and follow in on Overseer's tail, past kindly Dustan and away from the places of wonder towards this figure (also of wonder?).

Do I see the dissipating darkness? In the midst of light? I am going to assume I catch the tail-end. Set down my lantern and go forward to inspect what I can of this effect, and also the figure creating it without blazing it with carried light that it obviously normally does without. "Brother Overseer, have you truly learnt so much so quickly? Hold yourself back a moment, let me first test the waters properly."

(Pre-post ETA: I may have to try to outpace and out-action Ziizo, it seems, if not everyone else, to try this approach... I humbly submit to the GMish dice rolling, in this regard, if nobody else takes heed of my already-written note below.)
 
I'm not charging the figure, merely approaching (and obviously so, not sneaking in from the side or behind) to see what I can see. Or not. And there's still scope for ranged attack, whether thrown, slinged, loosed or projected with some recently-aquired mentalism, if I provoke a similarly harsh response and need more help.

(There's light enough to be seen by, by those nearby. Let's see if we can compromise. If this is indeed one of the multiple Wastrels of whom we seek, it might be wiser to work out what one can do, before we ever meet an almost full encampment of them. And I know of an ascetic life, so maybe I can finally get some useful insight from the nature of this before things go south in all-out battle. We don't yet know if it has any friends nearby, even!)

[Sir Knight]

Do I see the dissipating darkness? In the midst of light? I am going to assume I catch the tail-end.

It's kinda blurry in this turn-based thing, but if the hoarding wastrel can/does pull the same effect next turn, you'll definitely see it.  Given that the rest of your action appears to focus on information-gathering, I think it's safe to say that you will witness the whole show.

[Dustan Hache]

charge and slam Into the wastrel shield first, then proceed to stab repeatedly.

[Rautherdir]

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance to be nice."

Throw the Phasestrike Javelin at the hoarding wastrel. Then slide my sword out and attempt to parry any other blasts of magic.

[Sir Knight]

Nice, that's everyone.  Like I said, the people in back will take longer to arrive, so the actual bit about

then proceed to stab repeatedly.

will be for next turn.  But this tells Dwain (Starver) everyone's intent, so, well, ya know what ya got coming.

Back tomorrow!

[Sir Knight]

I've got the update largely organized, but today has come to an end.  Alas.

Back again!

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

Not everyone is in range, but I'll give you all a spot in the combat order in case it matters.  You can continue with your murder-commands next turn as you wish.

Spoiler: Combat round order (click to show/hide)

2, 6, 3, 5, 4, 1

. . . John, hoarding wastrel ascetic, Overseer, Dwain, Alyssa Alpine, Dustan.

Spoiler: Hoarding wastrel ascetic vs. Alyssa Alpine (Rautherdir) (click to show/hide)

Hoarding wastrel ascetic's combat table as before

Hoarding wastrel ascetic's attack roll: 3, Succeed!
Damage roll (1d6+1): 2+1 = 3!
Alyssa Alpine, HP: 6/12

There is an unusually-fanatical warcry from Overseer, and it brings the rest of the exiles running, John in the lead.  They are still some paces behind as the action takes off.

With a bang!  The hoarding wastrel continues speaking strange words--more like controlled screeches around a strangled tongue--and a shock of light-sapping energy explodes over Alyssa Alpine!  You feel yourself fading, your strength half-stolen from your limbs.

Overseer has seen enough, and charges headlong at the ascetic, clutching a holy symbol (not that most of you have seen these things even to recognize them as holy symbols) and swinging the other hand in a fist to smash the filth with the power of holy strength!!

Spoiler: Is holy strength a thing? (click to show/hide)

Result: 2, Fail!

. . . Nope

Spoiler: Overseer (FallacyofUrist) and Alyssa Alpine (Rautherdir) vs. hoarding wastrel ascetic (click to show/hide)

Overseer's combat table, unarmed, target is wearing an amnesiac robe:

1: Fail terribly
2: Fail
3: Succeed weakly
4: Succeed weakly
5: Succeed
6: Fail by succeeding
7: Fail by succeeding (with paralysis)
8: Fail by succeeding (with paralysis)

Alyssa Alpine's combat table, phasestrike javelin:

1: Fail terribly
2: Fail
3: Succeed weakly
4: Succeed
5: Succeed
6: Succeed greatly

Overseer's attack roll: 7, Fail by succeeding (with paralysis)!
Damage to hoarding wastrel ascetic (1d4-1): 3-1 = 2!
Hoarding wastrel ascetic, HP: 18/20
Paralysis roll (1d6+3)/2: (3+3)/2 = 3!

Overseer now has -3 to his next damage roll in combat!

Alyssa Alpine's attack roll: 4, Succeed!
Damage roll (1d6+1): 6+1 = 7!
Hoarding wastrel ascetic, HP: 11/20

Spoiler: Also an unlabeled observation roll for fun (click to show/hide)

Result: 6, Fail by succeeding!

Overseer strikes a body blow against the wastrel, but the instant you touch that dirty purple robe you feel a force wipe at your mind.  You freeze.  You nearly . . . forget what you're doing here!  Your muscles relax involuntarily, your pounding heart slows, and you must struggle against lethargy to get yourself geared-up again to fight!

Ranged combat may be the answer, and Alyssa Alpine is armed and ready.  You pitch the phasestrike javelin like you are hunting large game.  You are rewarded to see that it passes straight through Overseer's airspace without interacting with him at all and lodges itself in the ascetic's shoulder!

Dwain, meanwhile, is approaching without a lantern.  Perhaps this will lead to less antagonization . . . ?  Yet you are passed by a multitude of hostile individuals.

Dustan is the last to come running, leading with your shield.  You see Dwain's inaction.  What, is he seriously trying to watch and learn from this thing?!



GM note: I'm doing the same thing I did with the ugly mugs, namely, referring to the enemy by title ("ascetic") even though you'd have no way in-game to know that.  Eh, it keeps things simple.

Also: I do have systems for religion and magic in the underground.  (They turned out a bit more complicated than I planned at start . . . )  You already have some hints; waving around a holy symbol might prompt me to do some rolls for fun, but you'll figure out more of how it really works as we continue play.

Also also: Finally, one of my magic items dealt damage to the enemy instead of a fellow player.  I only had to remove "Fail by succeeding," i.e., the result where you can hit a fellow player . . .