Homebrew system thread II, section 3

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Fiji? Kaelan? Hm...

Larric's air and substance reacts briefly with the magic she's using, and it has a strange taste to it that is something like licking the back of a well used and infrequently cleaned spoon; a composite, and one containing some of the magics of the goddess, as well as life, light, fire- Larric's magic can counter only one of the four components of that, and she is moving quickly towards them.

Bertram's actions are going to help calm the crowd and the situation, and from that aspect they are good, but they are not going to get you there in time to secure a living prisoner.

[Kaelan]

Dirt's solution to the problem would be to place a bolt into the chain mail bikini, but given the current atmosphere that would most likely inflame the situation even more. Therefore the plan remains unchanged, Dirt will continue to make his way forward to where he can interact at arms (axe?) reach.

When that happens Dirt will play it by ear, either against her or the priests depending upon the situation.

[Jub]

Bertram is the sort of guy who would leave that up to the rest of the team. He figures that capturing the prisoner is well and good, it will likely save lives to figure out what they know, but this is his home. Saving people now and calming things down is more important to him so he'll stay and work the mob until things are calm enough that he can put others in charge.

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale worries at what he is seeing, but does not panic. The Valdemironi have wronged Dale and his order... it may be petty but he's not entirely dissatisfied with seeing them burned for their arrogance and meddling. Besides, the Ikrahni have a couple of templars (and priest?) prisoner back from our earlier clash which may provide meaningful testimony. In the meantime, he'll look for a way to use Dirt's trail-blazing to grab a Valdemironi acolyte or priest. He scans the crowd looking for them. While the main group is no doubt clumped together, they seem the types with their micro-managing habits to spread agents and priests throughout the crowd so that they can keep the strings being pulled in concert.

Once he sees any of them, he'll hurry to that location and pull them back to the Ogre as a prisoner. A hasty explanation of needing prisoners alive to sort out exactly what happened will be on his lips. If resistance is offered, he'll subdue using non-lethal force.

[Simon_Jester]

Larric decides to try and focus on one man in particular. With the low-oxygen cloud still up, Larric decides to hasten the process on one of the Valdemironi. He shouts "Prisoners! We need prisoners!" again, then wraps one of those collapsing pressure-wave earboxes around a Valdemironi head and squeezes.

Assuming that works and gets him a stunned and reeling man, he then gets ready to try and defend that Valdemironi against magical attacks with whatever magical forces prove available, including the sheer Determination-fueled defiance of Resist Magic*, that may prove necessary, with a thought of: "Stop that you bloodthirsty maniac!"

[Fat lot of good this does against stab wounds, but it may at least buy us a few seconds to stop her from murderizing the whole bunch. Or not; best plan I can come up with]

*Assuming that's practical/possible/necesary...

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Sorry about that; spent the weekend in a swamp that ate the post I had meant to make, and bloody BT's false promises did for the rest.

Dirt's first solution to the problem would in isolation maybe be a good idea, but from the way she's getting people to follow her, she probably made quite a show- as always- of helping defend the castle; you would indeed need a very good explanation afterwards. Pushing through does work very well- the crowd is getting out of Dirt's way rapidly and you almost have an open path to the fighting.

Bertram is spreading calm and reason, and also incidentally notices someone, tall thin man, doing what looks like tucking a holy symbol- didn't quite catch what- under his shirt, and sidling away into the body of the crowd.

Dale who is looking for it does not spot this, but does notice that one of the Valdemironi around the banner is making some sort of cast- knowing what he does of their powers, doesn't quite grasp what but definitely focused on an individual, one of their supporters in the crowd- a yeoman type, heavyset and in forest clothes, who promptly turns and starts weaving through to the edge of the crowd. A command, a message of some sort to be passed on?

Larric's attempt to protect one man and save him for later interrogation appears to succeed all too easily. The magic flows into place almost without effort- surely it should have been better resisted than that? By the direct target, if not by d'Avariel? The target is indeed stunned and reeling; keels over, in fact, and is slightly squashed (but mainly covered and protected) by a dead body landing on top of him. That couldn't have gone better; but she looks far too happy about it. Hm.


Actions?

[Jub]

Bertram, if he can see any such faces in the crowd, will wave over a small group of people he can trust to carry out a task. Then he'll try to point out the tall thin man to them and ask if they can figure out where he's heading to and report back once the crowd has been sorted out. He makes it clear that he wants information about the man more than his head on a platter and that they shouldn't try to engage him unless the thin man initiates things.

If he can't find any such people, or after the brief side conversation if he does, he turns his attention back to the crowd and starts looking for leaders to take over for him.

[Simon_Jester]

Assuming all the information in the last DM post is available to Larric:

Obviously the man he is hoping to protect is not a man d'Avariel wants dead, in which case Larric isn't accomplishing his own end.

Larric, a rather suspicious fellow but still manipulable in principle, chooses another man, as distinguished-looking a priest as can be identified, and tries it again. Prepared to actually have to sweat to make the warding happen.

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale, seeing the yeoman making for the edge of the crowd after being... "charmed"... hurries toward the yeoman, intending to to delay the messenger and perhaps find out more from him. Non-lethal force will be on stand-by, lethal force backing that, but he'll attempt to persuade/bluff the yeoman into yielding some information.

"Friend, where are you going? Might I help you?"

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Let's see if posting from the tablet works this time-

Dale and Bertram are both moving to deal with emerging problems, leaving Dirt and Larric to sort out/ retrieve something from the main issue.

Bertram does manage to find a group he recognizes, but they take more than a couple of sentences worth of persuasion- full of questions as to what's going on, trying to get them to move now just confuses them more and makes them more insistent on an explanation; by the time he does manage to convince them he might be as well going to do it with them, perhaps.

Dale manages to push through to follow, to the edge of the crowd and space enough to fight, if it comes to that; it might, the fellow does not look particularly well balanced. 'So who do you stand for?' He asks, hand on axe and long- knife ready to draw.

Larric's magic is met with stronger resistance this time, but then it seems to break through the stubborn defiance of the priest- and then there is a strange citrus scent in his nose and a moment of double vision, when he can see two of the priest, and a moonlight nimbus around one of them.

A moment's wondering what the hell happened, then it becomes clear; she just tried to bewitch him, fool him into thinking his ward- attack had worked, when it had not; but he resisted the illusion. Hm.

Next?

[Simon_Jester]

The alchemist growls and shakes his head as the mind-fog rolls off. He's still engaged in second order thinking: My opponent does not want this to work, therefore I want it to work.

Larric shifts tactics slightly- he concentrates only on the warding part, not even trying to directly confront the priest's will, just reinforcing him if he's attacked by the paladin. He shouts as Dirt as the two close on the knot of surviving Valdemironi, pointing with his left hand at the priest while his right hand holds his crossbow:

"That one! We need that one alive! Knock him out!"

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale takes half a moment to evaluate the yeoman... who is looking decidedly dangerous and somewhat unbalanced. Honesty then, and let the chips fall where they may.

"I stand for order. I see the Valdemironi have been double-crossed. Let us end this madness and bring peace and rebuilding to the county. How can I help you?"

My stance is relaxed, hoping to prevent antagonizing the man and provoking an armed confrontation. It may be at a slight disadvantage to not have weapons ready, but Dale is quick enough to pull them for defensive purposes if he's jumped at.

[Kaelan]

"That one! We need that one alive! Knock him out!"

Dirt looms over the priest with an evil grin.
Raising his shield up he looks at the priest and issues his command "Fifi - bite." With luck this will cause less damage than an ogre size fist to the head....

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Right, then-

Larric's attempt to ward one to prevent her killing him, which is the point when all's said and done, actually works very well this time. The other half of the puzzle snaps into place; she isn't trying to kill them all, probably can't anyway. Too many chivalrous types about who won't let mob law take its' course.

What she is trying to do, if she has the wit that the weave at the temple says she does, is tailor things so that she comes out ahead at the shouting match that will inevitably follow all of this. To that extent- following from what he thought the first time- there will be some that are actually convenient for her to have around, that can be used and played for gain. Which? Hm.

Dirt has to fend off two of the valdemironi loyalists before he can get close enough to do anything of the sort- he'll be in melee, after this; the target tries to fend Fifi off, and fails- looks worryingly wild- eyed as he crumples to the ground.


Dale will have to do exactly chat; the yeoman has been charmed (well, being the valdemironi, bullied) by leadership magic into acting for them. He has a pair of axes. Draws them both. Wonder what message he was given to carry?

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

Sorry for the delay, it's been a rough week. Next rougher, the one after that will be so smooth I'll probably feel instinctively suspicious.

As noted, if d'Avariel's that, good for certain values of "that," we might as well just take for granted that she can gambit her way out of any action we may take, regardless of its form. Therefore, all we can do is act properly ourselves and hope for the best, because she's at best a neutral with respect to us and definitely not a friend- a friend is someone who tells you what they're doing.

Chessmasters are not the friends of the pieces on the board.

IC:

Larric has now gotten close enough to the Valdemironi that he is probably more in danger from them than from any outside party. His attention shifts to watching the Valdemironi for threats to his person; more offensively, he glances at one of the two Valdemironi loyalists Dirt pushed past.

The alchemist forms up a concave wall of air pressure, and thumps one of the loyalists across the head and shoulders, trying to knock him down/out. He's calling out "It's over! Give it up!" at the top of his lungs while doing so.

[Jub]

Bertram looks exasperatedly at the men he's trying to explain thing to before shaking his head, making a sweeping gesture with his arm and saying, "Follow me."

With that he pushes through the crowd after his target.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Well, I was getting slightly worried...

I really should post her character sheet at some point, but without peeking behind the curtain, what would somebody like Larric, someone with that kind of personality, make of someone like her?

She's a paladin, officially anyway, which amongst other things means driven, dedicated, fanatical- certainly not something you can find yourself doing by accident; it also means she has an agenda, and a cause.

On the other hand there's a fairly major disconnect between what her co- religionists must expect of her and how she dresses and carries herself; she doesn't care for the mould, probably more than a little bit of a rogue and a chancer. Almost certainly didn't grow up in the faith of the goddess, probably an adult convert.

She is an illusionist, and probably has quite a lot of the mental furniture of one; more than that, enjoys it- it's not a tool of the trade, to her it's fun. [Con is actually her highest non- weapon skill.] She may not be as good as she's managed to bluff you into thinking she is. Of course, she probably is that good at bluff.

Don't necessarily think in terms of defeating her skills (possible but might require coordination and a plan from the entire party), think in terms of exploiting her character flaws. Believe me, they're there.


The actual action- the wall of air pressure does not form smoothly, too many bodies breathing hard; it's not a very elegant move, partially parried- dazes but does not drop the target, and Larric has to use the fading backwash of it as a defence half a second later to knock an axe- blade aside, apparently from someone trying to push past him to get to the valdemironi.

Bertram is in pursuit of the tall, thin man, with a half dozen militia around him- none of whom are particularly stealthy. The thin man looks as if he is heading for the edge of the crowd, taking advantage of the outer edges wandering away to get lost in the confusion. He is looking around, like many others, and you are moderately sure you've been spotted. He's trying to move away and evade. Plan?

[Simon_Jester]

OOC MK I:

Sorry, been preoccupied.

IC:

"WhoooAA!"

Larric quick-steps out of the way of the axe, losing balance for a moment. His head whips around looking for other attackers coming for him directly. Did the axeman charge past him or is he still being attacked?

If he's directly threatened he tries to backpedal away from the attacker's weapon (Dodge) while whipping his right hand around in a runic symbol for electricity- low-current, high-tension electricity. The arc crackles out at his attacker like the jolt from a tazer; he's really not trying to kill anyone here.

[Larric might, as a desperation move, try to block a weapon with the unloaded crossbow in his left hand; and I'd think it'd have to be unloaded because he's been moving around with it so much. But it's not designed for that and his first instinct is nearly always to dive out of the way of a threat anyhow]

OOC:

Well, right now no means of taking advantage of d'Avariel's character flaws come to mind; over the longer haul a few strategies come to mind.

One is convincing her own co-religionists that she's gone nuts, which they probably already half-believe. Especially since from what I recall the Krylanyans are rather schismy, how did the phrase go, "the temptation to lock the two factions together in a room and let them have it out has, occasionally, been given into?"

Trapping her into a confession would be a favorite but it probably won't work. Anything that reveals her as a liar undermines her greatest strength, because half the secret of conning people is that they don't suspect you're doing it.

Creating a situation where her instinct to act flamboyantly makes her vulnerable, predictable, or unpopular would help.

Another is, well, more of a long shot. If she's seriously driven in the cause of her own faith, she's got to feel some degree of sisterly attachment to female warriors as a whole, and the scheme she just went through came depressingly close to killing, um... two of the four practicing female warriors we've met.* The collateral damage issue is nasty, and paladins care about that when it's damaging the collateral they care about.

Hm. Well, we can think about how to set up opportunities to do that. Larric is probably the person in the party best qualified to express this to the others, because he's had more interactions with d'Avariel and has a negative enough opinion of her as "that sort of Krylanyan" that he'd think about how she's likely to overextend herself, he already thinks she's gone mad and is predisposed to find ways to trap liars in their lies.

I'll bear that in mind the next time we get to have a strategy session.
_____________________

*And the other two were crazy homicidal elves.

[Fiji_Fury]

With weariness making heavy his limbs and resignation in his voice, Dale draws his sword and side-steps.

"I would rather aid you than fight you, but strike at me and you will fail in your task."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

I really should switch to using a modem/hub less than, oh, five years old. Maybe that might be an idea.

The yeoman looks at Dale and says 'If you're standing for deVerett you're supporting a coward, a traitor and a trimmer- he should have been burnt.' He does swing then, trying to catch and hook Dale's sword aside, but Dale rolls with it and the disarm fails.

Actions?

[Simon_Jester]

What happens to Larric?

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Ah. The axeman is suffering from mental whiplash, essentially- being charmed and then having the charm broken. He's not thinking and seeing too clearly. He does blunder on, brushing past, and swings for someone else- one of the crowd. Zapping him stops him- they tumble into each other, collapse in a twitching pile of limbs but no blood.

The fighting turns on the actions of the relief group, especially Selene d'Avariel, and Larric does manage to notice a couple of interesting things. She uses illusory misdirection to conceal her blade; tricks her opponent completely out of position and stabs him almost lazily, he's frantically parrying high when she slices in low. She also stabs someone twenty feet away- in the back- with a psychic blade; there's a glitter of diamond light, and then something that looks very like her sword is sticking out of him- impaled from behind. Hm. She catches Larric's eye and winks at him, just after doing this.

The Valdemironi are losing; starting to crumble and fall apart. Actions?

[Simon_Jester]

Larric reverts to his earlier strategy- he starts bellowing surrender demands, buffeting any Valdemironi who looks to still have a fight in him with a pressure-wall to the ears, and trying to guard both himself and any prisoners he may capture against magical attacks, including sudden psychic blades from behind.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

There was an incident only a few days ago in game time- about a young woman and her child, one of the Baron's mistresses, torn to bits by an unknown and apparently impossible attacker. She's a talented illusionist who can cast with one hand and wield a sword with the other, and she can do things with phantom blades...

so why does she want Larric to know that it could easily have been her that set most of the court at each other's throats? Playing cat and mouse? Still determined to recruit him, for some improbable reason that makes sense only to her? Hm.

Waiting for the rest of the group.

[Fiji_Fury]

OOC: Okay... I'm pretty sure Dale can slay this Yeoman, but that's not really going to accomplish much except preventing his mission. While that is almost certainly a good thing, we're getting pulled around by other people's strings and it would be pretty handy to know more about what was going on instead of just reacting. That priestess taunting Larric is just getting on my nerves. Nothing to directly do about it... yet. I'm going to try something where I am but admit to some anxiety because it could further isolate my character from the rest of the group. We'll just have to see if this works or not.

IC: Dale parries and moves to withdraw. He really doesn't see any advantage to killing the man, especially when he wants information. The goal is to withdraw and then use stealth to follow and find out more about what the man is doing, and who he is doing it with. If they Yeoman presses the attack, Dale will drop him like a sack of hammers, then return to others to try and sort out this mess.