This is the turning point!! Well, almost. It's just a turn.
You better watch the forecast for strong winds. At least there's no air traffic to crash into you here.
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Turn 56 ------------
Well, somebody needs to talk to the dwarf. I don't know dwarf and I think I'm about to be fairly occupied with a fire demon. Speaking of which, I guess there's nothing for it but to attack the fire demon... this is probably the safest world in which to deal with fire anyways. (translate:"I attack the fire demon")
| Disregarding the rest of the monsters, you charge at the flaming demon! Swinging the Ashcraver hard, you aim for the demon's torso to slice it in half!
| Denying the danger, the demon continues to advance, and your blade slashes it clean across the body!
| Spatters of flame fly as the demon's flesh is sliced apart, but the wound seals up within a second. You step back as the demon continues to advance. It seems to have a certain specific goal and does not look at you.
I'll try to get JKL to give my ring to me , put it on and face down the Army of Darkness, with my intimidation ability and whatever powers the ring gives me.
| "You run up to JK and motion him to throw you the ring. He understands you and finally the ring is in your grasp. You look at the ring carefully.
| As if feeling its creator's presence, the ring glows slightly with a reddish-yellow light. Somehow you instantly understand what the ring is made of and what powers it contains.
The ring consists of a toroidal adamantine core surrounded by a shell of tempered steel with thin bands of gold along the rims of the ring. Set into an adamantine frame on its top is a Star Sapphire imbued with the dark soul of a Greater Demon, under absolute control of the wearer. The steel surface of the ring is covered by three hundred tiny tiles of granite, engraved with images of various creatures, all being dead.
On the upper surface of the star sapphire, there are runes faintly engraved. They make up the name of this ring - ""The Smoldering Night of Peeling"".
The wearer of the ring may call onto the soul of the demon, which can manipulate darkness and fire - anything from direct projection to creating sentient forms to giving protection against.
The wearer can also give an order to summon a creature mad with rage (any creature from the DF world you have yet seen), which will use up one or several of the stone tiles, depending on the power of the creature. The tiles may be restored, but only through personally killing sentient creatures with bare hands and absorbing their essence with the ring, which also adds that creature to the ""summonable creatures"" list.
The price to pay for all this power is a constant aura of darkness that any living being will feel (and will react accordingly), and the wearer may, under critical stress, give in and become controlled by the trapped demon soul.
(No passive bonuses. In a single turn, you can either perform an act of darkness/fire manipulation (including creating a prolonged effect), or summon a creature/creatures, but not both. The magnitude and potential of both depend on your skill - the ring grants ""basic level"" only. You can only absorb the essence of a creature you killed with your own bare hands, and only if it died last turn, at most.)
You put the ring on and turn to face the demonic army."
I go for the artifact container, not fighting anything on my way this time. If I manage to achieve it, I'll try to destroy it and take anything inside.
| Running up to the embedded container, you swing hard at it, trying to break it with your axe!
| KER-WHACK!!! The hit doesn't make any new dints in the container, but manages to break it loose a bit and it falls out of the rock.
i would change my action to "preparing for the battle".
| You try to prepare for the oncoming assault, but can't come up with any way to do so. That with the lightning shield and the speed your lightning gives to you, you hardly can be more prepared.
I'll paralyze (and move) the two biggest, meanest and most dangerous looking creatures in the army of darkness, preferably in a way that they block the way to the tavern from the other creatures.
| You spot two large hairy ratmen, probably tribe chiefs, and make them stop and raise their hands. The ratmen groups that were following them stop, not sure how to act in the situation (ratmen will not attack this turn)
I smash open the artifact box, grab the artifact and then go to the panel, if possible I mash the button as well.
| You turn your attention to the artifact. Running at breakneck speed, you leap into the air, and land just near Gantolandon, pummeling the container on the ground with both your fists!
| Dirt flies up as if from an artillery shell, but the container resists your attack easily, and the force of the hit drives it a full meter into the ground.
I get my body to claim the dwarf and treat him as an item, If possible I pull my head back on aswell.
| You try to get your body to stand up, but all it manages to do is flounder a little on the ground, getting nowhere.
I surround the tavern with a giant TK field, which I can control to selectively let people through.
| Focusing every ounce of the TK force at your disposal, you project a field of TK force that covers the entire area around the tavern! The field is so powerful it becomes faintly visible, as it distorts the light coming through it. Korora is left outside of the field, however. You keep focusing to hold the field up, but suddenly realise something is wrong! The ground outside of the field suddenly starts to go down, and the ground under your feet tilts slightly. Before you are able to do anything about it, a gentle breeze pushes on your enormous spherical bubble, and the entire tavern encased in it rises upwards, slightly spinning as you struggle to keep the bubble from dispersing, and to control its movement. You finally consider letting it go, but a quick glance outside makes you rethink it - the tavern has floated up 40 meters!!! (you have -2 to concentration checks, and you will roll a concentration check every turn to see how you fare with controlling the bubble. A 1 will pop it.)
I instead prepare myself for the inevitable onslaught, by assuming a martial arts stance.
| You focus your thoughts on remembering martial arts moves from the life in your world, and manage to remember some Capoeira. Lacking a proper rhythm to move, you hum a tune to yourself and assume a typical Capoeira fighting stance. (+1 to any dodge, swarm rules ineffective for next turn)
I back up the other players with my metal
| You brandish your guitar-axe, and strike up some passable music. It's nothing special, but chaoticag makes use of it and conforms his fighting style to your rhythmics (+1 concentration and mental rolls to chaoticag for the next turn, as long as he keeps to the capoeira.)
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NPC Actions:
Allied: Elica is a swordself. Recently hired by Frelock. He's armed with a wooden longsword, and dressed in (somewhat pierced and rather torn) green-grey close-fitting clothing with scarce leaf-shaped decoration. He has some large scars and several bleeding, but bandaged wounds.
Elica tries to comprehend the new situation.
| He manages to figure out it's all some kind of magic. He's not really afraid of heights, but assumes a braced pose near some lone surviving tree, just in case.
Enemy: First Keeper is dead. His key is taken. Second Keeper is dead. His key is taken. Third Keeper:{4} Having conversed with the god of the earth, the dwarf receives his aid. His wounds are healed.
Fourth Keeper is dead. His armor is taken with the key. Final Keeper is dead. His helmet's taken. Marksdwarf guard: status unknown Golem 1:{4} The golem continues his attack on JK, following him as he runs away, and bashing him in the back with his fist!
| The hit penetrates the armor, inflicting a nasty bleeding bruise to JK's back, but the armor suddenly shoots out thin metallic strands that capture the golem! Within a few seconds, the golem is torn into copper shreds that are embedded into the outer layer of the armor. (+1 dodge and damage against electricity)
Golem 2:{4} Having thawed slightly, the now armless golem tries to kick chaoticag!
| The kick connects squarely with chaoticag's head,
| but the aluminium cap managed to preserve the head under it, though itself it crumpled from the impact. Chaoticag's only slightly dazed.
Tavern ratmen:{2} Even with everyone away from the cellar, the ratmen don't feel like doing anything.
Tavern batmen:{1} One of the batmen was lucky enough to be outside of the TK field when it came up, but the second batman was beheaded by it as he tried to make a sweep at chaoticag.
Army of darkness:{2} The entire army is so flabbergasted by the sudden departure of the tavern that they just stay there, forgetting korora is still on the ground.
Winged demon#1: Died of critical bodypart loss. Winged demon#2:{5} Caught inside the field, the demon has no other option but to attack! He screams in rage, and dives at Boksi!
| He underestimated Boksi's speed a little, and barely missed him, only scoring a glancing hit with one claw.
| Nevertheless, the hit was a lucky one, as it hit a large artery on Boksi's leg, causing him to lose blood quickly.
Winged demon#3:{6} Entering a genuine fit of rage from all the dust around, the demon flaps his wings wildly! The clouds of dust disperse, and he's finally out in the open. He seems a bit happy, but now he's too tired to fly.
Fire demon:{2} Walking past korora, the fiery figure stops and looks up as the tavern starts floating away. It seems to be lost in thought.
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Status after turn:
Boksi: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern.
Wearing a burnt reddish-black jacket of Karl Moebius leather, underwear, and slightly torn and singed jean shorts. Wearing a -Steel Full Helm- shaped like an anvil, with an intricate detail attached, and the
The Smoldering Night of Peeling.
Arms and most of the torso charcoal black, upper skin layer has burned off in these areas. Large torn slice along the right leg. Serious bleeding.
Abilities:
Basic TK Manipulation.
Basic TK Healing.
Big Bully. Special status:
Dense Carbon Flesh Interweave.
Can only speak goblin.
Activated Visual Omnisensor.
"The ring consists of a toroidal adamantine core surrounded by a shell of tempered steel with thin bands of gold along the rims of the ring. Set into an adamantine frame on its top is a Star Sapphire imbued with the dark soul of a Greater Demon, under absolute control of the wearer. The steel surface of the ring is covered by three hundred tiny tiles of granite, engraved with images of various creatures, all being dead.
The wearer of the ring may call onto the soul of the demon, which can manipulate darkness and fire - anything from direct projection to creating sentient forms to giving protection against.
The wearer can also give an order to summon a creature mad with rage (any creature from the DF world you have seen), which will use up one or several of the stone tiles, depending on the power of the creature. The tiles may be restored, but only through personally killing sentient creatures with bare hands and absorbing their essence with the ring, which also adds that creature to the ""summonable creatures"" list.
The price to pay for all this power is a constant aura of darkness that any living being will feel (and will react accordingly), and the wearer may, under critical stress, give in and become controlled by the trapped demon soul.
(No passive bonuses. In a single turn, you can either perform an act of darkness/fire manipulation (including creating a prolonged effect), or summon a creature/creatures, but not both. The magnitude and potential of both depend on your skill - the ring grants ""basic level"" only. You can only absorb the essence of a creature you killed with your own bare hands, and only if it died last turn, at most.)"
andrea: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern.
Wearing underwear and
fairly comfortable greyish trousers. Also wearing a
armor set: -Iron splint-mail-, a shirt of leather, Bronze plated greaves,
<<Iron high boots>>. Wields a +Steel maul+.
Unharmed.
Abilities:
Shrapnel Self.
Basic TK Healing(!).
Empowered by Lightning (currently Fully Charged). Special status:
Activated Selective Translator.
korora: Standing upright somewhere in the ravaged keep.
Wearing underwear, and makeshift bra-scarf clothing. Also wearing the
armor set:
<<+Iron breastplate+>>, a soft leather shirt, an Iron helmet, some hard leather greaves and -Aluminum high boots-. Owns an Iron handaxe and a -Black bronze warhammer-, both (probably) on the third floor of the keep for now. Wields
The Ashcraver. Holding two large nuggets of gold (2kg), and one particularly large sapphire (0.5kg).
Several nasty scratches along the left upper arm. Lower body bruised.
Abilities:
Mighty.
Extremely Agile.
Extended TK Healing.
"A massive, massive, MASSIVE sword. It is three meters long, 1'3'' (~40cm) wide, and dazzingly bright. Its fine steel has been polished to reflect light like a mirror. Its one edge is curved, jagged at the hilt, the other is straight and so sharp it could probably slice adamantine blocks like salami. Down the center of the sword, which is at least 2'' thick, runs a hollow slit 3'' wide, in which yeat another, smaller and straighter sword is concealed. The entire surface of both swords, except of course the sharp cutting edges, is finely engraved with uncountable images, among which the launching of the Challenger, world war II, a nuclear explosion, a trainwreck, and a rotary excavator. The hilt itself (being at the same time the hilt of the smaller sword) is decorated with gold and emeralds you can only assume you've taken from someone, arranged in beautiful patterns, and the handle is woven with three lines - one is a scaly snake with two small rubies in the eyes, and two seem awfully like DNA strands. You get a feeling you could decipher the human genome if you looked closely enough. The guard of the hilt is exquisitely detailed as well, but right down the senter of it, spanning the breadth of the sword, is a solid rectangular golden plate, with the single word: ""ASHCRAVER"" deeply embossed onto it. The entire thing is so immeasurably brilliant, you almost don't want to touch it fearing it'll stick to your hand and corrupt you like some magic ring. Overcoming this fear, you pick it up. Despite its size, it is relatively lightweight, relatively, of course, to anything else so large and made of steel.
The second form is a smaller (comparatively) blade, that together with the folding hilt guard looks like an overgrown sai. It's also exquisitely detailed, but lighter. (+1 to damage, -1 to agility).
The Ashcraver seems to accumulate the energy released by the deaths it causes. The process is admittedly rather slow, but has good uses."
chaoticag: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern. In a Capoeira fighting stance, using Rooster's music as rhythm (+1 dodge, concentration, and mental rolls for next turn, swarm rules also ineffective)
Wearing the
armor set: slightly dented +Steel Chestplate+, -Copper chainmail-, hard leather leggings and
<<Copper plated boots>>. Wielding a wooden broadsword with sharp edges of a shimmering material.
Unharmed.
Abilities:
Basic TK Healing.
Extended TK Bolt.
TK Ripper Slash.
Gantolandon: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern.
Wearing underwear, a thin silky sweater, and
a set of armor: A <<*Bone full plate armor*>>, +Bone gauntlets+, +Bone high boots+, and +Bone full helm+. Holding a paperclip. Wielding a +Bone Axe+.
Unharmed.
Abilities:
Basic TK Healing(!). Special status:
Activated Selective Translator.
Frelock: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern. Controlling a goddam large TK bubble around the whole tavern (-2 conc).
Wearing underwear, a
somewhat dirty and badly slashed up <<*Giant cave spider silk robe*>>, and +hippo leather sandals+. Wearing an amulet of a nature's power. Wielding a Steel Quarterstaff and a -Small Iron throwing knife- as a backup weapon. Holding a wad of shredded shimmering cloth, 12 arrows, pieces of wood plate armor with shimmering runes, and a shimmering shortbow.
Unharmed.
Abilities:
Slightly improved strength.
Meagerly improved agility.
Can be cautious while calm.
Improved TK Healing III.
Stone Frank's Revivification.
Basic TK Field. Special status:
Activated Selective Translator.
Kashyyk: Down on the ground near the ravaged tavern.
Body: Naked. Wielding an Iron Battleaxe.
Flesh turned into iron, broken arrows in abdomen, right leg, and left shoulder. Upper body Damaged. Head Damaged, and is separated from body. (cannot control body)
Abilities:
Enrage Other. Enrage Self.
Basic TK Healing(!).
Remote Body Control Special status:
Activated Selective Translator (2).
Steel scales.
Activated Wideband Omnisensor (normal)Extra:
Rollerblades in the forearms. Rooster: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern. Playing some inspirational metal music.
Wearing underwear (probably), a
set of armor consisting of (severely torn up) hard black studded leather armor and greaves, broken iron plated high boots, and (somewhat burned) fur-quilted iron shoulderpads with horns. Wields a +Steel Guitar-Battleaxe+.
Unharmed, more or less. Two extra ears.
Four extra arms. Knees facing backwards. Four fingers on each arm.
Seven clawed toes on each foot.
Two noses.
Three horns on head. Head hair transformed into flexible spikes.
Body covered by patches of very hard tissue.
Ribcage fused into a solid shell. Body covered with short thick black hairs. General -2 penalty to charisma when communicating with humanoid creatures, and another -1 if the creature's not hairy.
Abilities: Can perform heavy metal. Odd regeneration power.
Better aural perception.
LASD: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern.
Wearing underwear, and a
white/pink/yellow suit and top hat made of underwear. Also wearing the
armor set:
<<+Iron chain Cuirass+>>, -Iron chain gloves-, Iron chain greaves, and Iron low boots. Wielding a
*Evil Aluminum tower shield*. Holding a piece of dwarven armor with a small key embedded.
Several scars along the torso. Lightly bleeding hole in the left upper arm. Lightly bruised.
Abilities:
Power of Peace.
Power of Persuasion (suit bonus does not apply).Special status:
Peacekeeper.
Jay Kayell: Standing upright near the destroyed tavern. Coated with fire-resistant blood. (+2 dodge and +1 damage against fire)
Wearing purple stretchy shorts. Useless shreds of underwear on right arm. Holding a ring. Owns an
Iron Great Eclipse Axe, now lying in the keep ruins somewhere. The armor is armed with a collection of axes and swords (including one shimmering elven blade), and its steel clawed fists as well. The armor has 1 unspent bolt.
Upper body and face burned.
Abilities:
Novice Wrestler.
Basic TK Healing.
Blood of the Blood God.
Blood Rage. Special status: Wearing
Composite Reinforced Corpse-steel power armor.
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Environment:
Human/Dwarven Capital: Large city on the outskirts of hell knows where. Holds a modest amount of homes, from hovels to two-floor apartment buildings, a set of shops, a (destroyed)temple, and a (demolished)keep. Now overrun by an army of darkness.
Tavern: Was a two-floor building. Now it's a mangled ruin, thoroughly blasted apart. The building used to contain your enter/exit point, but how to use it is completely up to you now. Currently floating in a humongous force bubble.
Food store: Square one-floor building with long tables laden with salted and fried meats of all kinds. There's a single wide table at the far end, with a chest on top of it. There's a mighty fine hole broken through the ceiling.
Cloth store: Rolls of cloth and various cloth, silk, and leather articles of clothing are on the many shelves inside this building. There's a single wide table at the far end, with a chest on top of it. The entire building is barely standing, most of its roof is collapsed. There's a pile of elf-paste near the building, and some elven corpses.
Armor store: Everywhere in the shop various pieces of armor are thrown about, shields of different sizes litter the floor, and arrayed under the now-broken shelves and tables are enough various boots to outfit a battalion. A large hole is broken through a side wall. The door is toen down. The building took several ballista bolts during the battle. At the far end of the building, there is a single wide table. The heavy chest is on the floor, broken, a large supplement of coins from it now covers the floor.
The Keep: Was once a tall, proud building. Now a mighty large pile of rubble. There is one (covered) pit in the center of the first floor, with something glowing below.
The Temple: Tall and proud, beautiful building of white marble, a solid first floor surrounded by columns is supporting several ring-shaped floors held up by beautiful marble supports. A deep pool of shiny, clear water can be seen inside the building. Well, it probably was like that. The entire thing has recently tried to rise up in mighty wrath as a gigantic statue of a carp, but failed miserably and broke to pieces. Afterwards, the overpowered Rooster single-handedly sent the whole place into oblivion along with the elves, who now cannot be seen, heard, or even smelled by anyone other than themselves.
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Background: [1] Nothing new.