The folks of Pang’s Wish wave as you depart. The young sing and dance with the island’s monks, who have come down from the temple to rejoice with them. You pass a handful of border patrolmen from Aurlancea aboard a skiff, who nod to you with swelling pride. Not ones to be left out, soon after a pack of Maykupuni warriors circle you in a winged chariot pulled by a pair of krakes; they hammer their chests with one hand then raise them in salute before descending back to the Steading.
The journey outbound is clear and easy, an updraft swells, making it light work for your faithful mounts. Nerves crackle like lightning as your new home grows smaller, but there’s a thrill to being in the untamed—in a way you are wild here, too, far from preconceived notions and written law. Each of you is a force foreign to this world, and it to you in return.
The purple island draws ever nearer, and as you come close to landing your mounts kick up dust and send tiny critters (so close yet so far from the ones you recognise) running for cover. This place is teeming with life! You can already hear the calls of crickets and the warble of what might be a pheasant. The air is thick with both bloom and decay, warm, damp.
It hits you: You will each be the first creature from beyond the Tempest Wall to set foot upon this island!
There is no map of this place, no name, no knowledge of it, save one thing...
The huge structures sighted from the Steading aren’t building at all.
You have arrived at a new island. The statue is strapped to one of your mounts, and there is room to land, and for now at least they can walk by your side. What do you do?
Endless_Serpents on
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited May 2019
Doruthan dismounts from Squall and drops the last few feet to the ground, his mount reticent to land on the island. The man-mountain jerks the mount's tethers hard in a downward motion, and Squall coils itself onto a spot on the ground.
"Stay."
The firebrand smells the air, and swipes a hand along the ground beneath him. This place is very foreign.
Scrutinising the dust on your fingertips you see that most of it is comprised of minuscule moss balls. When you blow on your hand the dust is gone, but the moss must be rubbed off on your clothing. It isn’t sinister in nature, just a touch sticky.
Not an inch is going to waste here. You idly kick a stone and beneath it insects scurry in circles across the rich dark earth.
Next you look up at the towering mushroom canopies. They are abuzz with life of all kinds, and particularly birds, who nest in the cavities and over the thick leathery tops.
The wild is only rarely kind, usually it is about survival. So these giants must be making use of the birds as much as they’re providing them with nesting space. Carnivorous perhaps? Or using them as carriers to spawn? Both?
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joshgotroDeviled EggThe Land of REAL CHILIRegistered Userregular
edited May 2019
"Let me at it please!"
Imani motions to the statue.
"Pride for the Steading! Mtunza! Have fun."
The words spoken, the fur ball moves away from Imani and towards the other adventurers mounts, nose leading the way.
Mtunza’s nose drags him off to a watering hole nearby. His presence sends thirty odd wading birds off into the air with resounding waves of shrill calls.
The water is surrounded by deep black mud mixed with veins of creeping fungus. Tiny fragments of silver speckles the mud and oh that’s right precious metals are found the closest to the surface of any ore. Back beyond the Tempest Wall platinum, gold and silver are expensive and rare, but only because it’s usually already in the hands of noble houses. In a place none have claimed, such things may be picked from the ground.
As you casually trail your companion you see a clump of mushrooms growing beneath an outcrop of earth which glow faintly. Crushed and smeared over something would allow it to glow for a time.
Glowshrooms
3 uses, 0 weight
Make a small area or object glow for a time.
OOC: As you rolled 6- on your first roll, I decided to give you a good answer, though that’s usually cause for me to ‘make a hard move against you’.
For this case, you don’t get +1 forward when you act on these answers.
Exilis is the last one to land, circling some hundred feet in the air above the tall mushroom caps, his scout's eyes searching for game trails, likely vantage points ... areas where any inhabitants of the isle may travel or set an ambush. Peregrinus swoops and darts, performing loops around Iugo and generally annoying the far larger bird.
[OOC: Discerning reality, so 2d6+1 for Wis, +2 for Peregrinus's Cunning]
Geth, roll 2d6+3
EDIT: I ask thee questions three ...
What happened here recently?
What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
[OOC2: Also, as far as Pere's training goes, I'm not sure which of the following covers this sort of thing - keeping an eye out, etc. Hunt, search, scout?]
What happened here recently?
Mating season. The majority of the wildlife here is paired off and building up territory to feed on. They’ll defend it as best they’re able.
You notice large dents in the rock, some are outright cracked, and repeated markings of claws.
Upon the lower ridges (well above your head height) of some giant mushrooms you see they’ve been smoothed by the rubbing of something. When you get closer the birds start shrieking and spitting. Parenthood provides courage, you think.
So that’s two separate overlapping territories...
What is about to happen?
You are in the territory of something tall right now, and you will be under investigation as soon as it catches your scent.
What should I be on the lookout for?
Under the shade of these mushrooms is no place to plunk down your statue. You need raised flat land, stone preferably, so that foundations can be laid later. Start thinking of this place as the Steading’s neutral ground.
Oh, also, a couple of the rocks have just stood up.
Imani! You feel a sudden sense you need to head back from the watering hole.
Exilis! You and your avian allies have such keen vision, and were so attentive, you can easily manoeuvre around these creatures before they have time to react to you.
For the rest of you, I ask:
What do you do?
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joshgotroDeviled EggThe Land of REAL CHILIRegistered Userregular
Hawthorne's been stepping gingerly on the rich, squishy, fungal, insect-teeming ground, so when the ROCKS stand UP and he stumbles backward, his footing isn't as sure as usual.
Once he recovers, he stands very, very still. Maybe they won't attack.
[OOC: Spout Lore]
Do these rock-looking big guys remind me of anything that lives in the wastes on Sisa?
Geth, roll 2d6+0
The smaller of the two beasts turns to face you Hawthorn, while the larger lets out a warbling cry as it shakes its armoured hide side to side.
If they were significantly smaller and a little more fuzzy you’d say they were platebacks. Platebacks are herbivores only seen in the short spring and summer months of your home, otherwise they hibernate due to a shortage of the stems and roots they require to survive. Their armour provides them enough defence that they tend to roll up and endure attacks rather than waste energy retaliating.
They seem to be distant cousins, but with so much food they’ve tripled in size. These two seem fine walking around during the day, but the platebacks back home only ever come out at night.
Hawthorne smiles at the little big guy. Everyone loves platebacks! "Lazy as a plateback" describes someone taking a well-deserved break from work.
[OOC: Do my rations have anything vegetable, or is there a juicy leaf in easy reach? If so I'd like to very slowly, without approaching, extend a snack to the little one, and see how that goes]
[OOC: We’re pretty making your characters as we go, but I’ll be sure to remember the choices you make.
So I’ll throw back at you, what do your rations consist of, and are they what you usually bring?]
This young creature has no fear of people, you are the first it has ever encountered.
It’s parent takes a few paces forward, then turns to look at Imani and Mtunza jogging back. It’s plates raise and rattle a warning. Fast things tend to be predators.
[OOC: The bulk of my rations would be cheap hardtack and jerky, but maybe I pocketed a tasty-looking fruit from the gardens at Pang's Wish? The gardens there would seem absurdly lush and opulent to me, and I missed breakfast....]
Though this island is coated in fungal and floral life, large leaved plants are hard to come by. You’ll have to get very close to feed it the fruit you... acquired, let’s say.
I’d like you to roll on a custom move. We will be using these often, just off the cuff moves I make as we need them.
Roll +Wis to befriend the creature.
On a 10+, it eats what you offer and pays you little mind.
On a 7-9, choose one:
- It doesn’t make a lot of noise as you approach.
- It doesn’t curl up defensively, choosing not to eat your fruit.
On a 6-, both happen.
+2
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joshgotroDeviled EggThe Land of REAL CHILIRegistered Userregular
edited May 2019
"Big fella!”
Imani notices the change in the armorer creature, slows his pacing, and lays the statue on the ground.
"Mtunza. Sit.”
As Mtunza moves to sit Imani slowly raises his hand and gives the hounds some of his rations as well, motioning towards the armored beasties.
"Come big fella. Let me scratch your scales.”
[OOC: I think in this situation Imani is trying to AID Hawthorne by example with Mtunza. @Endless_Serpents do you want a bond roll?]
[OOC: You have yet to write bonds with each other, however, I’m a pirate of a GM, so let’s think of the rules more like guidelines.
This is the Aid or Interfere basic move:
When you help or hinder someone you have a bond with, roll+Bond with them. On a 10+, they take +1 or -2, your choice. On a 7–9, you also expose yourself to danger, retribution, or cost.
So, if you want to help, just roll 2d6, no modifier!
—
At the end of this first expedition you will all write bonds with each other, using your experience here as a base for what your bonds mean.]
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joshgotroDeviled EggThe Land of REAL CHILIRegistered Userregular
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Doruthan, seeing the others trying to interact with the creatures simply kneels and observes the environment, readying himself for anything unexpected outside this activity.
The sight of Mtunza chomping away in big slobbering bites does little to appease the elder of the two, but it doesn’t move towards you both. It turns slowly around in a series of heavy steps to face you Hawthorn, then turns full circle back to you Imani.
Hawthorn, you have been filed under ‘things with food on the end’, along with mushrooms, shrub and algae.
The smaller plateback (you really must give them their own, more elaborate name) grinds your offering to shreds and nudges your outstretched hand with childhood curiosity.
Collectively you’ll have no trouble with these creatures, so the Steading is relatively safe to settle here. Good job Hawthorn!
Say now what the Steading will use these creatures for, and it’ll come to pass.
- A resource. Cattle to farm for meat and milk.
- A trade. They’ll be hunted for heavy armour and elixirs of defence.
- A beauty. They’re just something to watch. There will be those that see this as a waste, and you’ll gain a rival in the Steading.
But there is one other large animal inhabiting this island... and it is approaching from the opposite side to the watering hole, having just caught wind of you from its nest up on a high ridge.
You see it Doruthan, then it sprints behind a giant mushroom.
Only you see this Doruthan:
All you have time to process before it conceals itself is: 8 feet tall. Flightless bird. Fast. Alone.
You’ll have to relay what you’ve seen to the others. The rest of you only know it’s big, because you felt the ground quake.
+3
Options
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Doruthan shouts, "Hail companions! A large beast of claw and feather approaches! Stand ready!"
The man-mountain rises to his feet, and takes an impossibly deep breath. His muscles tense, and the hue of his skin visibly reddens.
Cautious again, Hawthorne turns his back to the gentle giants (maybe someone can ranch them? a lucky meeting, if so) and walks over to stand by Doruthan. He takes a deliberately relaxed stance, staff at the ready.
Hawthorne! Look out! Then Defy Danger! Describe how you do it and roll with the appropriate stat! Exclamation!
A huge flightless avian beastie is sprinting towards you from around the side of a giant mushroom. It’s head is low, wings fan-like to appear larger, as if you needed scaring—the damn thing is over seven feet tall!
The big plateback is only mid-turn by the time it’s a few feet from you. It’s child instinctively rolls up between its parent’s legs.
Doruthan, you’ve just enough space to react as you wish. Leap away freely (no roll), aid Hawthorne in avoiding harm, or attack!
You’ve been on guard this whole time Exilis. You can easily take flight on Iugo and bridge the gap! You carry +1 forward to deal with the towering bird.
[OOC: Quick reminder, you mark 1 experience whenever you roll 6 or less! Pretty neat I think!]
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited May 2019
Doruthan begins to exhale, the sound akin to the low crackle of a campfire. His reddish-grey skin radiates waves of heat; it seems he could burst into literal flames at any moment.
Suddenly he dashes to Hawthorne's side and crescendos his breath to the roar of an all-consuming blaze! The man-mountain puts himself in the path of the avian foe, attempting to give it reason to change its path and allow Hawthorne a gap to escape into.
Seeing the large terrifying bird (are birds supposed to be that large? and terrifying? Hawthorne always thought of birds as more "cheep cheep" friendly little luxury decorations?) nimbly sidestep Doruthan and keep coming, Hawthorne tries to make some nimble sidesteps of his own.
The bird slams its beak into the soft earth, missing you by inches Hawthorne! You skid through some damp muck but keep your footing.
It spins without pause and hauls Doruthan into the air with a flick of its head. When the big fellow is about four feet off the ground it slams him down with a well placed wing slap. It has Doruthan pinned! It’s crest feathers smoulder, and it hollers out a great honk of rage!
You dodged it Hawthorne, but you must make a choice:
- Draw the bird’s attention to provide Doruthan an escape route.
- Fall back to a good position, and carry +1 armour forward.
Doruthan, you’re being slapped around, but you can still fight back. However, if a move would deal damage to you, expect the worst.
[OOC: For all of you, you don’t have to just Hack and Slash (but likewise you always just can). Say what you’re doing and I’ll either make you roll something or give you a bargain or ugly choice if I think it’d be tough to pull off.]
The bird swings around widely, using its whole body for momentum! It clocks your staff with its head, tearing it from your grip. It lands with a quiet shunk upright in the soil.
Doruthan is freed! You have risked your safety, if not your very life, to save him!
All around you the (normal sized, thankfully) birds nesting in the cavities of the giant mushrooms go wild with loud chattering birdsong. It’s as if they’re an audience cheering the fan favourite.
+2
Options
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited May 2019
The Immolator rises to a knee, freed by his companion's intervention.
And then, his arms are on fire!
Doruthan screams, a roar amplified by the blaze consuming his form.
"BEAST! MEET THE LIVING EMBODIMENT OF FLAME, AND REPENT!"
(Choose two: +1 piercing, remove dangerous tag)
Geth, roll 2d6+2 for Burning Brand
Burning Brand:
2d6+214 [2d6=6, 6]
Nips on
+1
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited May 2019
In a blink, Doruthan is inside the gargantuan bird's reach, pummelling its torso with flaming hand strikes.
Geth, roll 2d6+2 for Hack & Slash (Burning Brand)
Hack & Slash (Burning Brand):
2d6+210 [2d6=2, 6]
Nips on
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
You meet the bird’s beak with a flaming upper cut as it attempts to hammer its head down on you! It is thrown back a step, spreading its short wings. You pummel at its torso, each punch and kick spreading a blaze across its feathered form.
Afraid for perhaps the first time in its life (if not for generations of its kind), it still cannot imagine the idea of running away. The bird begins to pound the earth with its huge talons, flapping its wings, fanning the flames of its own demise! It has no plan, it is simply flailing at whatever is closest!
Doruthan, you take 2 damage.
The bird will perish soon, it is close to death.
Geth roll 1d6 for Chicken Drumsticks
Chicken Drumsticks:
1d62 [1d6=2]
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited May 2019
(Fighting Fire With Fire, Hold 1 Revenge from the 2 damage. 18/20 HP
Feel free to score us some chicken dinner, guys! )
You’ve been on guard this whole time Exilis. You can easily take flight on Iugo and bridge the gap! You carry +1 forward to deal with the towering bird.
From on high, Exilis watches as the large bird strikes at Doruthan - only to be partially immolated when the ashen one strikes back! It reels in pain that is apparent even from a distance, and it leaves itself open. Pulling hard on Iugo's reins, Exilis drops into a dive - but Peregrinus is already moving, racing ahead, working to beat the larger eagle to the target. Iugo screeches a challenge, as Exilis prepares his spear ...
Hack and Slash with my spear, which is a Reach weapon; Peregrinus is trained to fight monsters, and contributes his tiny ferocity to my attack. Rolling +Str
Geth, roll 2d6+1
EDIT: Should have been 2d6+2, but it didn't matter.
Peregrinus hits the monstrous bird first, its comparatively tiny claws scrabbling at the beasts eyes. It thrashes in pain, and Exilis's spear strike - aimed previously directly for where its heart should be - hits somewhat off-center. He pulls back on the reins, and Iugo climbs quickly into the sky, out of the creature's reach, wheeling around and preparing for another charging strike - if it proves to be necessary.
The flightless bird is toppled and honks three times, three times more, and then is silent forever more.
Above you the mushroom nesting birds take flight, circling and circling, high above. Several get close to Peregrinus, but quickly change course. There is a noticeably track of distance about Iugo, but otherwise they fill the sky, a living noise, rushing as one.
The island challenges you. Its destiny is in your hands.
Two great taloned claws wade towards you through the muddy ground. A deer-like beast is dropped dead from a bloody beak. A shadow reaches out across to the crispy remains of its mate. This one is a couple feet taller.
It sprints, head low, eyes focused, beak wide in a deep vibrating hiss! Doruthan! Defy Danger!
Hawthorn, your staff is a few feet from you, do you go for it?
Exilis, Pereginus is being harassed, show these little birds a display of force. No roll required.
Posts
The folks of Pang’s Wish wave as you depart. The young sing and dance with the island’s monks, who have come down from the temple to rejoice with them. You pass a handful of border patrolmen from Aurlancea aboard a skiff, who nod to you with swelling pride. Not ones to be left out, soon after a pack of Maykupuni warriors circle you in a winged chariot pulled by a pair of krakes; they hammer their chests with one hand then raise them in salute before descending back to the Steading.
The journey outbound is clear and easy, an updraft swells, making it light work for your faithful mounts. Nerves crackle like lightning as your new home grows smaller, but there’s a thrill to being in the untamed—in a way you are wild here, too, far from preconceived notions and written law. Each of you is a force foreign to this world, and it to you in return.
The purple island draws ever nearer, and as you come close to landing your mounts kick up dust and send tiny critters (so close yet so far from the ones you recognise) running for cover. This place is teeming with life! You can already hear the calls of crickets and the warble of what might be a pheasant. The air is thick with both bloom and decay, warm, damp.
It hits you: You will each be the first creature from beyond the Tempest Wall to set foot upon this island!
There is no map of this place, no name, no knowledge of it, save one thing...
The huge structures sighted from the Steading aren’t building at all.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt4clSHR9o8&list=PLTSIqhWP1gKWbtSaAFCz5erPddH--7D6L&index=20
You have arrived at a new island. The statue is strapped to one of your mounts, and there is room to land, and for now at least they can walk by your side. What do you do?
"Stay."
The firebrand smells the air, and swipes a hand along the ground beneath him. This place is very foreign.
[OOC: What here is not what it appears to be?]
Geth, roll 2d6+1 for Discern Realities (WIS)
Scrutinising the dust on your fingertips you see that most of it is comprised of minuscule moss balls. When you blow on your hand the dust is gone, but the moss must be rubbed off on your clothing. It isn’t sinister in nature, just a touch sticky.
Not an inch is going to waste here. You idly kick a stone and beneath it insects scurry in circles across the rich dark earth.
Next you look up at the towering mushroom canopies. They are abuzz with life of all kinds, and particularly birds, who nest in the cavities and over the thick leathery tops.
The wild is only rarely kind, usually it is about survival. So these giants must be making use of the birds as much as they’re providing them with nesting space. Carnivorous perhaps? Or using them as carriers to spawn? Both?
Imani motions to the statue.
"Pride for the Steading! Mtunza! Have fun."
The words spoken, the fur ball moves away from Imani and towards the other adventurers mounts, nose leading the way.
[OOC: What here is useful or valuable to me?]
Geth roll 2d6 for Discern Realities.
The water is surrounded by deep black mud mixed with veins of creeping fungus. Tiny fragments of silver speckles the mud and oh that’s right precious metals are found the closest to the surface of any ore. Back beyond the Tempest Wall platinum, gold and silver are expensive and rare, but only because it’s usually already in the hands of noble houses. In a place none have claimed, such things may be picked from the ground.
As you casually trail your companion you see a clump of mushrooms growing beneath an outcrop of earth which glow faintly. Crushed and smeared over something would allow it to glow for a time.
Glowshrooms
3 uses, 0 weight
Make a small area or object glow for a time.
OOC: As you rolled 6- on your first roll, I decided to give you a good answer, though that’s usually cause for me to ‘make a hard move against you’.
For this case, you don’t get +1 forward when you act on these answers.
[OOC: Discerning reality, so 2d6+1 for Wis, +2 for Peregrinus's Cunning]
Geth, roll 2d6+3
EDIT: I ask thee questions three ...
What happened here recently?
What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
[OOC2: Also, as far as Pere's training goes, I'm not sure which of the following covers this sort of thing - keeping an eye out, etc. Hunt, search, scout?]
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
What happened here recently?
Mating season. The majority of the wildlife here is paired off and building up territory to feed on. They’ll defend it as best they’re able.
You notice large dents in the rock, some are outright cracked, and repeated markings of claws.
Upon the lower ridges (well above your head height) of some giant mushrooms you see they’ve been smoothed by the rubbing of something. When you get closer the birds start shrieking and spitting. Parenthood provides courage, you think.
So that’s two separate overlapping territories...
What is about to happen?
You are in the territory of something tall right now, and you will be under investigation as soon as it catches your scent.
What should I be on the lookout for?
Under the shade of these mushrooms is no place to plunk down your statue. You need raised flat land, stone preferably, so that foundations can be laid later. Start thinking of this place as the Steading’s neutral ground.
Oh, also, a couple of the rocks have just stood up.
Imani! You feel a sudden sense you need to head back from the watering hole.
Exilis! You and your avian allies have such keen vision, and were so attentive, you can easily manoeuvre around these creatures before they have time to react to you.
For the rest of you, I ask:
What do you do?
Imani swiftly backpedals with the statue.
Once he recovers, he stands very, very still. Maybe they won't attack.
[OOC: Spout Lore]
Do these rock-looking big guys remind me of anything that lives in the wastes on Sisa?
Geth, roll 2d6+0
If they were significantly smaller and a little more fuzzy you’d say they were platebacks. Platebacks are herbivores only seen in the short spring and summer months of your home, otherwise they hibernate due to a shortage of the stems and roots they require to survive. Their armour provides them enough defence that they tend to roll up and endure attacks rather than waste energy retaliating.
They seem to be distant cousins, but with so much food they’ve tripled in size. These two seem fine walking around during the day, but the platebacks back home only ever come out at night.
[OOC: Do my rations have anything vegetable, or is there a juicy leaf in easy reach? If so I'd like to very slowly, without approaching, extend a snack to the little one, and see how that goes]
So I’ll throw back at you, what do your rations consist of, and are they what you usually bring?]
This young creature has no fear of people, you are the first it has ever encountered.
It’s parent takes a few paces forward, then turns to look at Imani and Mtunza jogging back. It’s plates raise and rattle a warning. Fast things tend to be predators.
Though this island is coated in fungal and floral life, large leaved plants are hard to come by. You’ll have to get very close to feed it the fruit you... acquired, let’s say.
I’d like you to roll on a custom move. We will be using these often, just off the cuff moves I make as we need them.
Roll +Wis to befriend the creature.
On a 10+, it eats what you offer and pays you little mind.
On a 7-9, choose one:
- It doesn’t make a lot of noise as you approach.
- It doesn’t curl up defensively, choosing not to eat your fruit.
On a 6-, both happen.
Imani notices the change in the armorer creature, slows his pacing, and lays the statue on the ground.
"Mtunza. Sit.”
As Mtunza moves to sit Imani slowly raises his hand and gives the hounds some of his rations as well, motioning towards the armored beasties.
"Come big fella. Let me scratch your scales.”
[OOC: I think in this situation Imani is trying to AID Hawthorne by example with Mtunza. @Endless_Serpents do you want a bond roll?]
This is the Aid or Interfere basic move:
When you help or hinder someone you have a bond with, roll+Bond with them. On a 10+, they take +1 or -2, your choice. On a 7–9, you also expose yourself to danger, retribution, or cost.
So, if you want to help, just roll 2d6, no modifier!
—
At the end of this first expedition you will all write bonds with each other, using your experience here as a base for what your bonds mean.]
[OOC: Befriend the creature]
Geth, roll 2d6+2
Hawthorn, you have been filed under ‘things with food on the end’, along with mushrooms, shrub and algae.
The smaller plateback (you really must give them their own, more elaborate name) grinds your offering to shreds and nudges your outstretched hand with childhood curiosity.
Collectively you’ll have no trouble with these creatures, so the Steading is relatively safe to settle here. Good job Hawthorn!
Say now what the Steading will use these creatures for, and it’ll come to pass.
- A resource. Cattle to farm for meat and milk.
- A trade. They’ll be hunted for heavy armour and elixirs of defence.
- A beauty. They’re just something to watch. There will be those that see this as a waste, and you’ll gain a rival in the Steading.
But there is one other large animal inhabiting this island... and it is approaching from the opposite side to the watering hole, having just caught wind of you from its nest up on a high ridge.
You see it Doruthan, then it sprints behind a giant mushroom.
Only you see this Doruthan:
All you have time to process before it conceals itself is: 8 feet tall. Flightless bird. Fast. Alone.
The man-mountain rises to his feet, and takes an impossibly deep breath. His muscles tense, and the hue of his skin visibly reddens.
And then he holds as still as boulder.
A huge flightless avian beastie is sprinting towards you from around the side of a giant mushroom. It’s head is low, wings fan-like to appear larger, as if you needed scaring—the damn thing is over seven feet tall!
The big plateback is only mid-turn by the time it’s a few feet from you. It’s child instinctively rolls up between its parent’s legs.
Doruthan, you’ve just enough space to react as you wish. Leap away freely (no roll), aid Hawthorne in avoiding harm, or attack!
You’ve been on guard this whole time Exilis. You can easily take flight on Iugo and bridge the gap! You carry +1 forward to deal with the towering bird.
[OOC: Quick reminder, you mark 1 experience whenever you roll 6 or less! Pretty neat I think!]
Suddenly he dashes to Hawthorne's side and crescendos his breath to the roar of an all-consuming blaze! The man-mountain puts himself in the path of the avian foe, attempting to give it reason to change its path and allow Hawthorne a gap to escape into.
Geth, roll 2d6 for Aid
(Marked XP x_x)
[OOC: Defy Danger + DEX]
Geth, roll 2d6+1
It spins without pause and hauls Doruthan into the air with a flick of its head. When the big fellow is about four feet off the ground it slams him down with a well placed wing slap. It has Doruthan pinned! It’s crest feathers smoulder, and it hollers out a great honk of rage!
You dodged it Hawthorne, but you must make a choice:
- Draw the bird’s attention to provide Doruthan an escape route.
- Fall back to a good position, and carry +1 armour forward.
Doruthan, you’re being slapped around, but you can still fight back. However, if a move would deal damage to you, expect the worst.
Hint:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TRV48bV6T-Y
Doruthan is freed! You have risked your safety, if not your very life, to save him!
All around you the (normal sized, thankfully) birds nesting in the cavities of the giant mushrooms go wild with loud chattering birdsong. It’s as if they’re an audience cheering the fan favourite.
And then, his arms are on fire!
Doruthan screams, a roar amplified by the blaze consuming his form.
"BEAST! MEET THE LIVING EMBODIMENT OF FLAME, AND REPENT!"
(Choose two: +1 piercing, remove dangerous tag)
Geth, roll 2d6+2 for Burning Brand
Geth, roll 2d6+2 for Hack & Slash (Burning Brand)
(Exposing myself for more damage)
Geth, roll 1d8+1d6 for Damage (+1 Piercing )
You meet the bird’s beak with a flaming upper cut as it attempts to hammer its head down on you! It is thrown back a step, spreading its short wings. You pummel at its torso, each punch and kick spreading a blaze across its feathered form.
Afraid for perhaps the first time in its life (if not for generations of its kind), it still cannot imagine the idea of running away. The bird begins to pound the earth with its huge talons, flapping its wings, fanning the flames of its own demise! It has no plan, it is simply flailing at whatever is closest!
Doruthan, you take 2 damage.
The bird will perish soon, it is close to death.
Geth roll 1d6 for Chicken Drumsticks
Feel free to score us some chicken dinner, guys! )
From on high, Exilis watches as the large bird strikes at Doruthan - only to be partially immolated when the ashen one strikes back! It reels in pain that is apparent even from a distance, and it leaves itself open. Pulling hard on Iugo's reins, Exilis drops into a dive - but Peregrinus is already moving, racing ahead, working to beat the larger eagle to the target. Iugo screeches a challenge, as Exilis prepares his spear ...
Hack and Slash with my spear, which is a Reach weapon; Peregrinus is trained to fight monsters, and contributes his tiny ferocity to my attack. Rolling +Str
Geth, roll 2d6+1
EDIT: Should have been 2d6+2, but it didn't matter.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Above you the mushroom nesting birds take flight, circling and circling, high above. Several get close to Peregrinus, but quickly change course. There is a noticeably track of distance about Iugo, but otherwise they fill the sky, a living noise, rushing as one.
The island challenges you. Its destiny is in your hands.
Two great taloned claws wade towards you through the muddy ground. A deer-like beast is dropped dead from a bloody beak. A shadow reaches out across to the crispy remains of its mate. This one is a couple feet taller.
It sprints, head low, eyes focused, beak wide in a deep vibrating hiss! Doruthan! Defy Danger!
Hawthorn, your staff is a few feet from you, do you go for it?
Exilis, Pereginus is being harassed, show these little birds a display of force. No roll required.
"I AM THE SCORCHING TIDE, THE OFFERING VOLCANIC! COME AND MEET YOUR FIERY END!"
The immolator braces himself and takes the hit, shoulder-checking the bird on its charge.
Geth, roll 2d6+2 for Defy Danger (CON)