Autumn Hunt
| Autumn Hunt | |
|---|---|
| Players |
The Autumn Hunt pits the three Lost against a group of bully hobs. The risk is big. |
The attacks that have drawn the Autumn Courts attention (and ire) have been happening off the trod, in an area of the Hedge known for occasionally sprouting goblin fruits that help ones sneaking abilities - with the Freehold in the shape it is, its no surprise that a number of Lost have braved the area to search for the (appropriately) well-hidden fruits. Like many places in the Hedge, its a beautiful and fantastic sight in what passes for the Hedges version of the wealthy Gold Coast: a maze of shining high-rises towering over trees with bark and leaves of gold, nestled against a shore of crushed diamond that recedes into a deep blue lake. The buildings are wreathed with crystalline vines - instead of thorns, these vines sprout huge, serrated leaves with an oily iridescence to them. Appropriately, the leaves are every bit as sharp as any Thorn, and in the maze of buildings, they grow thick, dazzling the eye with reflections and making every passage look the same. There are other Lost here, Autumn mostly, but a scattering of others. Its a huge area to search, and Autumn does not intend to have to come back. As such, theyve divided people up into powerhouse groups, those they trust to be able to fight and survive against hobs. Arnaud and Loreley are one such team, assigned to track down any of the Black Brethren they might find, and destroy them. Autumn has made it clear that they have no interest in negotiation - this is about bringing fear to those who would threaten Lost. Its a harsh lesson, perhaps. But as the voices of the other groups are quickly muffled by the Hedge, Arnaud and Loreley are left in quiet, sparkling stillness, to hunt as they will. +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 7 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Presence +Survival +Wyrd Result: Success (3) -- (8 10 9 1 6 2 6 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+
<spend> Arnaud spends 2 (-2 points) of his Glamour pool, for Flames of Summer. +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 5 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Survival Result: Success (2) -- (8 9 1 6 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 9 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Stamina +Survival +Mantle Result: Exceptional Success! (5) -- (6 9 10 5 8 1 6 1 10 2 8) +------------------------------------------- exceptional success! (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 4 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Survival Result: Failure -- (3 3 1 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- failure (public) ----+ Loreley breathes out slowly, the vapour of her breath twisting as she uses her command over the air to send it writhing into the shape of a hunting horn, a horse, a spear, finally a bow which draws in air from the surroundings and grows to a size appropriate for her slender form. Silver and blue tracery run down it and the foxfire seems to crawl up her arms as well, giving off a breeze rather than heat but setting her pale eyes glowing and her dandelion fluff hair dancing in tendrils around her head. Delicate she might be but with the effects of the contract leaching from her weapon to her body, that delicacy is of blue obsidian and a raging gale, sharp and deadly. "Let's do this." She returns with a firm nod. While fear is not her Court's emotion, the excitement and lust for the hunt still echoes the reckless joy of Spring. A plain woman walks down the path through the Hedge, carefully avoiding the razor-sharp leaves as she moves. Her movements are quick, precise, and somewhat unnatural. She has no weapon, and she looks around with curiosity and the tell-tale hints of supressed fear. Here in the Hedge, there's a hint of artifice to her skin; it seems harder, smoother, less organic. A cool wind kicks up leaves around her as she comes to a halt and bows politely to Arnaud and Loreley, a clear indicator of Autumn's mantle. A-hunting they will go, wreathed in magic. Elodie slips in beside the other two - it seems Autumn will not go entirely unrepresented in this group after all. The Hedge around them warps and changes, their Mantles mingling with the hunting air to turn the crystaline leaves into bloody reds, brilliant golds, and joyful greens. The Hedge knows they're looking for a fight, and Arnaud's senses ring with the knowledge of hostile creatures. Some stay far away, hiding in the shadow of vine-wrapped skyscrapers as they pass into the hunting maze. But Loreley's sharp eyes pick out the signs of the bandits they're looking for - misshapen feet with tiny pools of blood in the bottom of each, indicating their bloody-minded natures. The tracks lead deeper into the Hedge, to a small clearing made from a parking lot - except that the parking spaces are bizarre, whimsical shapes that were certainly never meant for a mortal car. The center has become a camp for a group of hobgoblins dressed in black rags. They're mostly human shaped - the two largest have two pairs of arms, not one, with bright red noses and eyes that are the size of dinner plates in their overlarge heads. Around them are some of their ill-gotten gains: a rotting pile of fruit, trinkets and trophies taken from the Lost they've beaten and robbed. The hunters creep closer and look like they might get the jump on the hobs...until Arnaud's flak jacket starts to writhe. There's the tearing of fabric, and crystaline vines rip from the fabric and _bloom_ into fiery, crystal flowers that whack into the Summer dragon's face then explode into fireworks. It's not stealthy. The hobs shoot to their feet and stare at the little corona of explosives around the Lost. Then one opens dragonfly-like wings and shouts, "RUN, you idiots!" The hobs abandon everything but their weapons and flee into a skyscraper. The chase is on! <init> Solomon rolled 9, putting 'Hedge' on the initiative roster at 12 <init> Solomon rolled 5, putting 'Windycross' on the initiative roster at 10 <init> Elodie rolled 10, putting herself on the initiative roster at 15 <init> Solomon rolled 7, putting 'Goldymoustache' on the initiative roster at 10 <init> Solomon rolled 7, putting 'Blockhead' on the initiative roster at 10 <init> Arnaud rolled 9, putting himself on the initiative roster at 15 <init> Loreley rolled 7, putting herself on the initiative roster at 15 <init> Arnaud directly set himself on the initiative roster at 17 <init> Solomon rolled 5, putting 'Touchdown' on the initiative roster at 10 <spend> Arnaud spends 1 point of his Willpower pool, for extra dice. +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 6 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Intelligence +Occult +3 Result: Success (3) -- (10 5 7 3 8 2 8) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 3 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Intelligence +Occult Result: Success (3) -- (9 9 9) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 6 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Intelligence +Occult Result: Success (2) -- (5 6 5 7 8 9) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 5 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 7 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (2) -- (2 8 10 4 7 4) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 8 -2 (wounds) Result: Failure -- (1 1 7 6 4 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- failure (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 8 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 10 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (1) -- (7 8 5 5 4 6 1 7) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 8 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (3) -- (4 9 9 1 10 5 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 8 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (2) -- (4 10 1 2 9 5 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ "Fuck fuck fuck," Arnaud says and is swatting at the strange flowers that sprout from his flak jacket, dancing around almost comically. Any attempts at stealth, ruined - but Arnaud is also not one very concerned about being stealthy, so he won't lose sleep over it. If something fails, do something else. He rushes forward to chase, his whole body suddenly encased in a bluish flame as he invokes the power of Summer and the season deciding to give him a bit of an extra boost. The goblins disappear behind a door and he jumps at it. Something about the shape of the door or a memory of something similar, makes him instinctively shout a strange garbled word and the door opens. Bow held at her side, Lore puts her head down and runs. The rules of chasing in the Hedge mean she cannot simply rely on her physical speed but she's not one to let a little thing like that stand in her way, not any more. Stealth would have been good, a chance to get off a few shots before the prey started to scatter but hey, at least the exploding fireflower jacket was pretty. That blue fire in her eyes brightens as she heads for the doors and her singer's ear catches the inflection and tone of the word Arnaud shouts even as the door is closing again. She repeats it in a voice that rings with all the clarity of birdsong on a bright spring morning and the door swings open before her. Leaping through she twists her head, a bird like motion, scanning for which door the Hobs might have fled through next. Elodie looks as though she wants to say something, but she remains quiet as she breaks into a quiet run. Her eyes remain dark, her expression severe. As Loreley moves through the first door, it slams in her face. Elodie tilts her head, considering it, before speaking a sentence that carries a chill command. The door swings open, and she moves through it with dignity, before turning to investigate her new surroundings. A cool wind blows through the Hedge, and sharp leaves clash and clatter against each other like applause as the Lost chase the hobs into the building. It looks like a parody of an office building, with whiteboards everywhere, showing impossible graphs and nonsensical charts. Cubicals form a maze, and each 'bullpen' is isolated from every other one by doors that are marked with bright red glyphs. The hobgoblins scatter through each door and it slams shut behind them - but the Lost are canny and quick, and the doors slow them down not at all. The distance between them and their prey is closing fast, and the three hunters feel the Hedge itself invigorating them, reacting to their determination to _catch_. As new speed carries their feet, the Brethren start swarming up a vine-covered wall towards a hole in the floor above. One turns around and gives the Lost the finger, just for fun. <spend> Arnaud spends 1 (-1 points) of his Glamour pool, for Seven-League Leap. +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 9 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Strength +Athletics +2 Result: Success (2) -- (9 3 2 1 2 2 6 9 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 8 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Athletics +2 Result: Success (4) -- (4 5 10 10 2 7 7 9 9 6) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 7 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Athletics Result: Success (4) -- (10 9 5 9 1 9 6 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ <spend> Elodie spends 1 point of her Willpower pool, for extra dice. +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 6 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Athletics +3 Result: Success (3) -- (5 9 9 2 2 10 3) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 8 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 10 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (1) -- (4 3 2 2 5 5 3 9) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 8 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 10 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (2) -- (1 10 3 2 3 7 1 9 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 8 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (2) -- (5 9 5 9 7 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 8 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (1) -- (4 7 5 8 6 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Beasts might not be the most clever, but they can be very fast. Glamour infuses Arnaud's muscles with the help of the Wyrd, he checks on his two hunting mates and grins ferally at them, then shoots upwards in leaps and bounds; the hobs are coming closer and closer. He is on their heels now, like a predator hunting prey - is he slavering at the mouth a little? Claws dig into any available surfaces to propell him onwards and up. Disinclined to follow the cubical maze, the Nightsinger leaps onto one of the 'walls' and races along it in the direction she last saw the Hobs fleeing. Her wings flutter behind her for balance - while they are not large or corporeal enough to allow her to fly, they are not entirely useless for her in a mostly human shape. Although Arnaud is ahead of her, the Summer dragon built for this kind of thing rather than having come to it somewhat later as she had. An ululating warcry breaks from her lips as she gains on their targets, forgetting that she is far better off fighting at range and filled with the thrill of the chase. Loreley returns the savage grin that Arnaud shoots her way and calls yet more wind to wrap around her - there is something exhillerating about running through the Hedge like this, something it is too easy to forget when walking through the mundane world. Elodie picks up her skirt and begins to run in earnest, feet tapping rhythmically against the floor as she follows her two companions. She's at a distinct disadvantage, given her resolutely humanoid form, but she is persistent, untiring. Every time she is left behind, she inevitably reappears close at heel, doggedly pursuing the hobs. The hobs break into the second story - it's a massive conference room, with a ridiculously long table down the center of the room, packed with chairs; whoever was sitting at one end would be hard-pressed to hear anything from a shout from the other end. Worse, the table and chairs are all on the ceiling, not the floor. The floor has flourescent lights in all the colors of the rainbow, with sharp-edged vines tearing holes in the floor and forming stained-glass patterns over many of them. The hobs are panicked now, and they try to hide in the vines and lights, hoping one last, desperate move might give them a chance to sneak away. <spend> Arnaud spends 1 point of his Willpower pool, for extra dice. +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 10 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Stealth +2 +3 Result: Success (3) -- (5 8 7 4 3 7 8 1 9 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 7 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Stealth Result: Success (2) -- (9 5 3 1 3 7 8) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 4 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Stealth Result: Success (1) -- (8 7 1 4) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+
The room and its table are almost comically oversized but the vines and the lighting are perhaps less than convenient despite Lore's brief temptation to coax them into even more rapid growth in hopes it will stymie the Hobs more than it would her fellow hunters. Breathing hard for a moment she drops into an easy stance and raises that bow. The Hobs are hiding rather than trying to run further, cornered, dangerous...She smiles, teeth glinting in the strange multicoloured light. She could sing, could freeze them in place for the others, she could call on the sights of the depths of Arcadia and drive their minds to distraction, she wants to feel the smooth hum of the arrow leaving the bow though, watch the impact...perhaps the Season is having an effect on the usually friendly and cheerful Spring courtier. Quiet steps. Quiet, steady, even steps, growing louder, and louder, and louder. The door opens, and Elodie walks in, her face expressionless. She has a shard of Hedgeglass in her hand, sharp as a knife. There's a slight gleam in her eyes, and Autumn is all about her in its chill and terror. She says nothing. She simply looks at the hobs, and continues to advance as she collects detritus from the floor. Quiet, steady, even steps. The hobs are brought to bay, and they know it. The Hedge knows it too; as one of the hobs makes a desperate lunge for the nearest window, the window...disappears, leaving only a wall behind. Not a blank wall; there's a poster! It says 'Hang In There' and has a sad-faced kitten dangling from the end of a rope. The hobs turn and bare their teeth. "You should have lets us run, Lost things! Now we break your skull and take your trinkets for our own!" And the battle is joined. <spend> Arnaud spends 1 point of his Willpower pool, for attack dice. +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 9 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Strength +Brawl.Claws +2 +2 +3 -8 Result: Success (3) -- (9 6 8 10 1 7 6 6 6 7) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+
<spend> Elodie spends 2 (-2 points) of her Glamour pool, for Tasting the Harvest. +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 7 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Presence +Subterfuge +Mantle Result: Success (1) -- (8 7 6 3 3 5 7) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +--------------------------+ Loreley rolls 10 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Athletics +3 Result: Failure -- (5 6 2 6 4 6 3 6 3 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- failure (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 1 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 1 Result: Failure -- (6) +-------------------------------------------------------- failure (public) ----+ Elodie opens her mouth. Wider. Wider. It feels as though the world is being drained into that gaping maw, and fear itself tears loose from both Loreley and Arnaud. Then the pit of her mouth snicks shut with a flash of too-white teeth, and she wordlessly raises a hand to point imperiously at the massive hob with a sword. Perhaps it's the fact that she automatically adjusts for a wind that isn't there, perhaps it is the flickering light through the leaves reminding Loreley of her own Durance in her Keeper's forests, perhaps it's the minute shift so she doesn't hit Arnaud as he ploughs into her target. Whatever the cause, she hesitates for a heartbeat and it is enough for the Hob with the shotgun to dive for cover. Lore swears but the swell of courage that flows through her from Elodie's manipulation of glamour leaves her simply redrawing her bow, determined rather than afraid. +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 14 -6 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (4) -- (10 1 7 10 4 10 9 5 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 8 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 10 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (2) -- (1 8 4 9 7 2 7 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +--------------------------+ Solomon rolls 10 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 12 -2 (wounds) Result: Exceptional Success! (5) -- (6 5 10 10 3 2 10 5 4 7 8 9 1) +------------------------------------------- exceptional success! (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 8 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 10 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (3) -- (6 10 2 4 1 1 8 10 1 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Arnaud takes some lethal and is now lightly bleeding. +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 4 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Athletics Result: Success (2) -- (7 10 2 5 9) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Athletics Result: Success (1) -- (2 4 8 2 4 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 5 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Athletics Result: Success (1) -- (4 2 9 1 3) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Arnaud leves bleeding gouges down Windycross' front, but the goblin still has enough energy to pull the trigger on its gun. The sound fills the room, and a heavy black slug that has definitely never seen iron tears into Loreley's body. Right about now, Touchdown - a hob with a giant, oversized football helmet - shouts, "NO HIT WINDY!" and barrels into Arnaud with all his strength, grappling with the draconic. The hob with the sword and the other four-armed hob waste no time taking advantage of this, stabbing and pummeling with all their might. But it might be the smallest hob who is the most dangerous. It launches itself into the air and raises its bauble over its head. "FLASHBAUBLE 5000! I choose you!" The hobs all close their eyes with practiced speed - it's this that gives the Lost enough warning to do likewise. So they don't see exactly what happens, but a flash of searing light is almost enough to blind them even through their eyelids. When it dies down, there are sparkles in their vision but no lingering damage. +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 14 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Strength +Brawl.Grappling +2 +2 Result: Success (1) -- (1 1 1 1 3 7 9 2 2 5 2 1 2 6) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +--------------------------+ Solomon rolls 10 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 10 Result: Success (4) -- (3 8 2 7 9 3 1 8 9 3) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ <spend> Arnaud spends 1 (-1 points) of his Glamour pool, for might of the terrible brute. <spend> Arnaud spends 1 (-1 points) of his Glamour pool, for Portaling out of a grapple. <spend> Elodie spends 2 (-2 points) of her Glamour pool, for Changing Fortunes. +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 8 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Occult +Wyrd Result: Success (2) -- (6 7 10 5 8 5 7 1 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Arnaud is happily trying to take down mr Shooty guy but then he's suddenly tackled and goes flying through the air with someone attached to his hip, literally. It doesn't make things better that he's also being stabbed by another hob, some of it finding a part of his body without armour. "Augh!" he complains and instinctively reacts like his training in Arcadia, twisting to try to grapple right back and take a bite. It does him no good to do it the good ole fashioned way, so he does the cunning trick of all Fae: the ability to escape any restraints. Somehow he's just slipping out of the grasp of the one holding him down, like he's oil, breaking free. +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 8 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Dexterity +Athletics.Archery Result: Success (2) -- (1 2 10 1 2 7 5 8 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 3 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 3 Result: Success (1) -- (2 8 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Before Loreley can loose her arrow, Elodie is suddenly at the changeling's side. Her hand, cold and hard, moves up to trace a line down Loreley's cheek, and as she does so the sound of rustling leaves fills the room--first as a whisper, then as a roar. The wind is speaking words, tales of a durance of darkness and cold and fear. And then the wind is gone, and the room is utterly silent. Elodie steps back from Loreley. +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 12 -6 Result: Success (2) -- (5 9 5 5 3 10 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 7 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 12 -5 Result: Success (3) -- (9 7 8 1 6 4 10 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+
Arnaud takes some lethal and is now noticeably bleeding. +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 12 -6 Result: Success (3) -- (10 9 1 2 2 9 3) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Loreley takes significant bashing and is now badly bruised and bleeding. Touchdown makes a howl of protest when Arnaud just slips right out of his grip. "Slippery snack! I make butt grease out of you!" Don't think about it too hard. He flails at Arnaud, the draconic is able to easily block the blows. Not so easy for the sword, as the other hob flanks him and drives it into his thigh. This one doesn't speak or taunt; his eyes are flinty and serious. Meanwhile, a hob charges at Loreley, all four arms pinwheeling, raining blows at the archer's head. Above them, the small hob shouts, "FLASHBAUBLE 5000! I choose--auughkkk!" The orb _drips_ something onto the hob's head, and now it's screaming and flying around, trying to take its hands off of the orb, but they seem to be stuck. Actually, they seem to be melting inside of it. Bad luck is SUCH a shame. <spend> Arnaud spends 1 (-1 points) of his Glamour pool, for Helios' light. "Snack? I will eat you all later!" Arnaud replies - he could work on his witty retorts, but least it's delivered with a cruel and toothy dragon grin, his jaw already having expanded some because of his penchant for wanting to EAT his enemies. "Flashbauble? Have some SUMMER SUN INSTEAD!" He's jumping backwards, throwing his arms out - and everything turns a blinding white, radiating from himself. Do not look directly into the.. eh. Light. <spend> Elodie spends 2 (-2 points) of her Glamour pool, for Changing Fortunes. +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 8 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Occult +Wyrd Result: Success (1) -- (9 1 2 4 6 2 1 1) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Loreley draws in a breath, holds it...Almost longer than anyone should be able to until it seems to seep out of her very pores and whip into a personalised whirlwind around her. The blue tint to it matches that of her eyes, of the light limning her wings, and seems to coalesce around her joints. She takes a step away from the others, making sure there is at least a metre distance between her and them (and ensuring she doesn't glance in Arnaud's direction) and stepping towards the Hob who hit her. Soon she'll shoot him again, making adjustments for the close quarters, but for now she lets the winds buffet him for her. The room erupts in unfathomable brilliance, forcing Elodie to walk backwards, following the direction of her shadow to find Arnaud. Like a faithful servant, she stands attentive at the Draconic's side, her hand reaching up to clasp his face. Another cold trace, another wind. But this does not carry the sound of leaves--it carries the stench of rotten fabrics, of stinking meat, of corpses and iron and mud. The air reeks, and in that miasma another story is told, one of a market that does not cease, an endless abattoir where roads are pounded into filth. The wind dies, the smell recedes, and Elodie steps away. <spend> Loreley spends 1 (-1 points) of her Glamour pool, for activating Primal Glory with loophole. +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 1 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 12 -11 Result: Failure -- (2) +-------------------------------------------------------- failure (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 2 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 12 -10 Result: Success (1) -- (10 7 2) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 6 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 12 -6 Result: Success (1) -- (8 5 7 6 4 4) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 4 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 8 -4 Result: Success (1) -- (5 5 7 10 6) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ The hot stinking winds, and the excitement of battle are changing the Hedge around them. The lights are no longer a rainbow - they are bloody reds and bruised purples, making the conference room look like a disco abattoir. The vines are growing over every window and whole, cutting off escape for the combatants. And the hobs are getting desperate as the changelings call upon magic and might; two are blinded, flailing wildly, while one can no longer seem to get through the cocoon of wind surrounding Lore with his fists. And Shinycrescent rips it hands from the orb as True Sunlight fills the room. Without looking, it tosses the glass bauble towards the draconic. "NO FAIR! That's MY MAGIC!" It actually stamps its foot in midair. <spend> Arnaud spends 1 point of his Willpower pool, for MOAR HURT. +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 17 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Strength +Brawl.Bite +3 +2 +2 Result: Success (4) -- (7 5 3 1 2 7 5 9 3 1 8 4 8 10 1 4 2 6) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 17 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Strength +Brawl.Bite +3 +2 +2 Result: Exceptional Success! (7) -- (6 10 7 5 7 8 8 8 2 2 5 8 3 8 4 10 3 3 7) +------------------------------------------- exceptional success! (public) ----+
Content for the moment that her elemental shield is holding the Hob at bay, she hears the tinkle of something hitting the floor and risks a glance in its direction, eyes narrowed to minimise the light from Arnaud's glowing form. A wicked little smile crosses her face and she gestures with two fingers of her free hand towards the bauble. A tendril of wind snakes out and wraps around the item, snatching it up from the ground and drawing it towards her. Seems like the kind of thing that is far better in their hands than those of the little Hob and if she can prevent their warrior from getting blinded again then so much the better! What are friends for? <spend> Elodie spends 2 (-2 points) of her Glamour pool, for Tatterdemalion's Workshop. +----------------------+ Solomon rolls 0 Dice - Chance +-----------------------+ Roll: 12 -11 -2 (wounds) Result: Failure -- (3) +-------------------------------------------------------- failure (public) ----+ <spend> Elodie spends 1 point of her Willpower pool, for additional dice. +---------------------------+ Elodie rolls 7 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Crafts +3 (willpower) Result: Success (2) -- (5 2 10 1 4 8 1 5) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Solomon rolls 5 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: 10 -5 Result: Failure -- (5 7 5 2 7) +-------------------------------------------------------- failure (public) ----+ Elodie watches the hob approach without any expression on her face. As it prepares to attack, she raises the single Hedge-leaf she's been holding in her left hand throughout the battle. There is a soft rattling, like porcelain on steel, and then suddenly there are two leaves in her hand. Three. Four. There is a flurry of motion as the fallen leaves of the Hedge fly through the air in a burst of glamour and anneal themselves into a solid, glistening shield. The hobpocalypse has arrived, and his name is Arnaud. The draconic grinds through gristle, sure enough, but also flesh and bone, and quite a lot of blood is now _everywhere_. Where it splashes near Loreley, it blooms into tiny blood red flowers. Near Elodie, it soakes into the floor as larger, more spongy stains than seem possible, and they give up the scent of rot and decay. The remaining hobs are fighting more desperately now, but they're shaken down to their bones, and the Lost avoid their attacks with ease - even the blows on Elodie's hasty shield are brief and glancing. Shinycrescent looks over the carnage, careful to avert its eyes directly from the blinding bright Draconic. "You bad Lost! You will rue day! You will beg forgiveness and I will laugh in your faces like HA HA HA!" Then it closes its eyes and raises its arms and starts to chant. Its voice, up to this point a squeaky sort of cute, drops down to something that rattles the very bones. Underneath it, the red and purple lights spark and go dead and the room fills with an oppressive pressure, as if their ears should be popping. +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 8 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Strength +Brawl.Grappling +2 +2 -6 Result: Exceptional Success! (5) -- (8 10 8 9 6 1 1 7 9) +------------------------------------------- exceptional success! (public) ----+ +---------------------------+ Arnaud rolls 9 Dice +----------------------------+ Roll: Stamina +Survival +2 Result: Exceptional Success! (5) -- (3 4 2 9 4 9 2 8 10 8) +------------------------------------------- exceptional success! (public) ----+ The 'dragon' is getting hungry. Though he didn't eat that head, that was mostly cause it'd take effort to swallow and distract him from he ongoing fight. But when Shinycrescent begins chanting he jumps the smaller hobgoblin, trying to tackle him and keep a hold, his teeth gnawing ferociously already in his eagerness to just swallow this whole little hob /whole/. "You're the snack," Arnaud says into the little hob's ear, and then his jaws extend impossibly as he feeds the smaller goblin into his mouth, like a boa constrictor swallowing down its prey. The Summer Dragon has blood all over himself, shining like the sun, and he roars victoriously at the ceiling. Down the gullet Shinycrescent goes, screaming all the way. Arnaud can feel its fists beating against the inside of its throat, down into the stomach, kicking and squriming. It has no real power physically, though, and the Draconic's stomach acid goes to work with a magical efficiency. Both of the remaining hobs go stiff, their eyes turning blank--then falling out, leaving smoking holes. Black ooze eats from the sockets, devouring them until they fall into...heaps of discarded children's clothing, stained with black and red. Inside Arnaud, he can _feel_ the hob dissolving. And as it does, his mind is briefly overwhelmed with memories not his own: a hundred, maybe a thousand, brief flashes of playground bullying, mean little jabs, the theft of lunches and toys. Now coming apart at the seams, soaking into his flesh and bone as wisps and ghosts. Arnaud might be able to swallow a hob, but that doesn't mean he thinks it TASTES good. The Summer warrior is reeling about after the victory because he's bleeding himself, he smells disgusting, and he just ate something that brings both bad memories and a foul taste. He turns off the Sun, so everyone can see better - and bends over to retch, hands on his knees. He pukes up something that looks like a strap from a backpack, half-dissolved, and next comes some pieces of what might've been a notebook, now a slimy, acid-dissolving pile of paper gunk. Immediately, Elodie is at Arnaud's side. She looks down at the vomited contents for a long time, before tearing her eyes away with effort and looking at the draconic changeling. She pats him on the back gently, then wordlessly offers him the shield. Loreley eventually lets her elemental trappings go, the swirling air dissipating into a spring breeze that carries away at least a LITTLE of the stench of the dead hobs. She walks slowly across to the other two and checks Elodie for injuries, Arnaud's are obvious and she herself is bruised and bleeding after the scrap. "Let me see what I can do about those scrapes Arnaud - you did amazing work there. And Elodie...just thanks." A smile, slightly shakey now as the adrenaline wears off. <spend> Loreley spends 1 (-1 points) of her Glamour pool. <spend> Loreley spends 1 point of her Willpower pool. +---------------------------+ Loreley rolls 3 Dice +---------------------------+ Roll: Wits +Medicine +1 -2 (wounds) Result: Success (1) -- (5 8 7) +-------------------------------------------------------- success (public) ----+ Elodie speaks for the first time. "You're very welcome," she says, quietly. "I am unharmed." Arnaud straightens up and glances at the offered shield, wiping his mouth. His face is normal again - apart from possibly a little green from having eaten something bad - and he looks confused at the offer. "I'm good, but thank you," he tells Elodie, even managing a thin smile. "You saved my ass," he tells the Wizened. Then he upnods at Loreley. "You too. We worked well together, it's been an honor." He unstraps the flak jacket to give better access to his wounds, which are serious but not enough to kill anyone. Arnaud receives some healing for lethal and is now lightly bleeding. Arnaud takes some bashing and is now noticeably bruised and bleeding.
It only takes a touch, warm hands and a salve spun out of spring dreams and comfort. Lore nods her understanding of Elodie's unhurt status. "Beers? I feel like a beer. And sleeping for a week maybe." "You keep it yourself. It's hard using a shield when fighting like I do. But... who knows, one day I might need one. If so, I know who to ask," Arnaud tells Elodie. He stands still at Loreley's touch, and looks relieved and not green-faced any longer when she's done. One of the wounds knits itself together and just leaves a bruise. "Beers. Let's get the hell out of here before something else happens." He starts rummaging around quickly to see if anything useful is found, bits and bobs pocketed - cause who knows. Then he makes for the closest exit, using his Pathfinder abilities to lead the way. | |