The gholem nods, distraught over whatever he just caught a glimpse of. "Something not of this world is hunting the old town. Yes, the whole thing." The gholem says before Safrac can even ask for clarification. "It came out over there." He points in the direction of where he saw it and then starts moving towards the inn.

---

Walking isn't a lost art - one must, by some means, get to the garage. ~Evan Esar

The gholem totally fails to notice the sign it leaves (too disgusted by it to look closely), but Safrac does; there's a molten footprint in the middle of the street, where the stone of the cobbles has been melted. Once attention has ben drawn to it, it looks quite worrying. One, isolated foot, closer to claw, print, where it landed heavily and sprang off again- the print is perhaps two feet long, but most of that is talon, four leading and one heel, the leading claws cutting down at least six inches.

Looking around for other sign- there are a few faint traces, and some stronger and much more obvious, claw-scars in the stone cornerwork of buildings. from which one thing is obvious to the gholem; it can move very deftly, when it chooses to. It has deliberately left a few giveaway sign, glaringly obvious things like flaming footprints- and screams, three, maybe four streets away,a long gurgling howl that ends in a crackle of flame. It wants to be tracked.

The plan?


Oh, and- does anyone else out there want to join in? Stephen, Alistair, if you're reading this, this is your cue. Vehrec, where are you? The more you do, the more your part of the plot grows.

With a distinctly orcish scowl Safrac finds signs of the creature's trespass in places designed to catch the eye of anybody looking. The screams and the trail make him think trap, and the location and the events going on make him think that he was the intended prey. Stroking his chin he motions for his guard to come to him and he ensures that they all get a good look at the markings.

Once they can all see what he's going to ask of them he says, "That think is trying to bait me into attacking it and for that reason I can't deal with it myself. I don't want you to fight it, but going and confirming what it is would be worth it and a group is better than a single man." It's not his place to give them orders, at least he assumes himself to be of a low rank within the church, but the paladin hopes they'll see his reason and listen.

---

School requires more work than I remember it taking...

The gholem shakes it's head. It needs to rest, soon before it lacks the energy to even move. He decides to take up the chase but will try to stay above it if at all possible. He starts by scaling the inn and looking for his best route to that area of town.

He'll wait to see which direction Safrac and his men take before moving to compliment them from above, he's hoping to avoid being seen if at all possible by this creature.

Is this the thing that scared me out of the woods in the first place?

---

Walking isn't a lost art - one must, by some means, get to the garage. ~Evan Esar

Norade, by "guards" I presume you mean the men of Safrac's lance? Or- actually, the group of krylanyan foot with him.

Parrol points out 'Well, probably not flesh and blood...demon, elemental or gholem.' Although he does save that until just after they're out of earshot.

They spread out, weapons ready, moving slowly and cautiously- one of them stops, looking down into a recess by the side of the road, a set of steps down to a basement door. It's dark. The thing's probably in there.

He's not going in to find out; picks up a bit of rubble from nearby- throws it in the cellar door. There's a 'thok' noise, not an impact, more of a catch. The temple soldier starts to back away, but too late- there's a red-yellow blur as the rock is thrown back at him, molten hot. He tries to block it with his shield, but it splashes and engulfs him in magical fire.

Unnaturally bright, unaturally loud, he drops and rolls and writhes screaming, someone finds a bucket of water to empty over him but it has no effect- if anything it makes the scene more nightmarish as it flashes to steam, only half- hiding anything and being lit from within by the glow.

There's a crunching sound, as the thing- and it is a thing, it lets itself be seen for a brief second- tears it's way out of the roof of the building it was hiding in and vaults away.

Long, thin limbs, dark metal, and it hurts to look at- not because of any particular eldritch influence, although there may well be one too, but from the way it's moving, from the blur and way it seems to overlap itself; it's impossible to tell exactly how many limbs. It's not in more than one place at once, it's the exact opposite-it's in the same place several times over.

It's also getting away. What's the plan?

(forgot to add- Kheitain; no, but it does seem to be something of the sort, same bitter taste in the imagination but more complex, less straighforwardly gargantuan and ferocious.)

I've been trying to figure out how to handle such a creature

The gholem has no idea what to do, if it can melt a rock, being a large animated rock is probably a bad idea. He decides to try and match it's movement, moving above and parallel to the creature if at all possible.

(Someone with Simplify would be really handy right now)
Sorry guys, I really don't know what to do about this one

---

Walking isn't a lost art - one must, by some means, get to the garage. ~Evan Esar

A shambling, scruffy figure meanders along the road- although considering the condition of him it's obvious he was running for his life recently, and only just slowed down to look less panicked. It's the druid. 'They have no appreciation of the finer points of exotic fungi.' He says shaking his head (the hawk familiar mimicking him), not bothering to specify who or what he's talking about, but it's fairly obvious it's the Valdemironians.

'Ah. Hara, what do you reckon, that look familiar to you?' he says, waving his staff in the direction of the gholem.

The orc isn't far behind, says 'Yes, unfortunately it does. This is not g-hold on a minute, it could be much much worse if He was trying.' Yes, that is definitely a capital letter in there.

'So what does that make this, then, He's just trailing his coat?'

'Probing attack? maybe.'

'Right,' the druid says turning to Safrac and the gholem, 'I think you're on to something, it is bait; hero bait. Look at the way it's behaving- it's like a thing from a bad fairytale. Here I am, I'm nasty and snarly and bad and evil, a big shiny hero had better- it's so corny it just might work. There are three ways you can play this, I reckon- bearing in mind that a lot of this stage stuff, flash and flare without any real might behind it. Which do you want to go for?'

Notice, he doesn't say what the options he has in mind actually are.

"If we kill it then we played into somebody's hand, if we run from it we may have done the same. I'd rather end this game another way. We catch it and stick it somewhere that shows whom ever is using it what what we want them to see. I propose that we lure it into chasing us. I'm going to fire some arrows at it harass it and see where that leads," With that the orc reaches for his bow, nocks an arrow, and fires at the creature before turning his back to it and making to walk away.

---

School requires more work than I remember it taking...

'Well, I was reckoning on either nobbling it and herding it towards somebody it would be good to see getting the glory for killing it, or herding it towards someone I'd like to see it eat and then nobbling them, but that works too.' The druid says, and draws his bow. (GM note for non- British slang speakers; "nobbling" translates more or less as placing it under a handicap.)

The orcish medic follows suit; the thing is standing posing, wreathed with fire and smoke, on a chimney top- actually making quite an easy target of itself. All three arrows hit; two embedding, but the druid's shot has a more spectacular effect. There's a splash, the arrow enchanted with water, and a cloud of steam; when it dissipates, the thing is gone.

From the rooftops, anyway. Thjere are a couple fo seconds' pause, then it bursts out of the building at ground level, damp and smouldering- and a bizarre thing it is too,combination of parts of smooth metal and parts of what look to be congealed rock, rough blackened iron and magma- shrieks at you, rekindles it's flame and charges.

Book-keeping post; basically, the plan is now to play through to the assassination attempt and call it there- several threads and pieces have fallen out of the plot, Vehrec (Randolf Altman) has dropped out, but basically I want to see how this ends. The thing is heading in your direction at high speed; what do you do?

Safrac is going to fire one last arrow at the charging creature before drawing his hammer and holding it two handed and ready to strike. He's wary of being hit by a monster who is wreathed in fire, so he's more concerned with getting in a strike and backing away quickly. The orc is also thinking and wants to lure the beast to a source of water hoping that something like a horses trough will have enough to hamper the creature.

---

School requires more work than I remember it taking...

Right, you're in a minor road running parallel to Ridge Street, that winds past the backs of the properties built on the main road- not all to the same plan, so there are kinks and wriggles in the street you're on, and behind the hostile a pile of rubble where a building was brought down entire, large houses with outbuildings on your left, mostly stone built communal middle and worker class houses- tenements really- on your right. Some of them have parts of walls caved in, frontage ripped off, people are still living in them anyway.

The shot misses, as the thing vaults on to a tenement roof and runs along it, intending to leap down from there on top of you; 'I'm surprised he's going through with this...' the druid mutters, slinging his bow and doing something with water magic. 'You're obviously Designated Hero, I'll explain later, try to make this look as flashy as possible.'

A blue glow forms around the head of Safrac's hammer, that contracts and congeals into a thick layer of glacial ice. it leaves a glowing pale blue tail in the air behind it, and as Safrac's looking at it and trying to figure it out, the orcish medic and the druid step back and leave him to it.

The first move has it vaulting off the roof, attempting to land on Safrac- at least, so it looks. Safrac swings at it as it dives- and it was deliberately intending to land short, get under the swing of the hammer, and then launch itself off the ground at him. The swing connects, with a spectacular flash of blue and red as ice collides with fire, and there's a sound like rock sliding against metal- it's version of a scream; but by the time the blow connects, the thing's already touched and started to spring off.

It flails, it's claws fail to connect, but it headbutts Safrac in the stomach, sending him tumbling, and vaults on to the corner of one of the back yards of the houses along Ridge Street. As he pulls himself together Safrac realises he isn't that badly hurt; winded, bruised, scorch marks, hell of a blunt impact, but nothing leaking out.

There's a crater in the side of it's head that seems to melt and reform as Safrac looks at it- but it's not true self repair, the thing is smaller and cooler now. Actions?

Seeing that the beast doesn't seem to be very powerful compared to its fierce looks the Orc rises to his feet after the headbutt cracks his neck and starts to walk over to the smaller cooler seeming monster. As he advances he puts on a mean looking face and starts letting out uncharacteristic, but very orcish snarls. If this is to be a show of sorts he intends to make it a good one.

As he nears he locks eyes with the beast, allows his hammer to hang down near his side, held firmly in both hands, and charges. His aim is to strike with an upwards blow to the creature's midsection. Even though he had thought to not show himself to the monsters controller the orc now realizes that he might be better to show off a more steroe typical orc warrior. Something powerful, but seemingly lacking in cunning and sophistication.

---

School requires more work than I remember it taking...

It poses and postures, and throws it's arms up- not in surrender, but in sorcery, casting a wave of fire upwards, then squares off ready to face Safrac, who swings for it- and connects, hitting one of the stone pieces in the things' chest (as near as it has one), sending fragments of near- molten bsalt everywhere, some fo them sticking in Safrac's armour.

The thing is shoved back, tumbling off the wall, heading for Ridge Street, and Safrac follows (improbable dice occur...) Missing something. Oh yes, the anvil. Or at least the wave of fire now descending on him. Too late to dodge; the orcish knght raises his hammer and defies it to do it's worst- and the wave of flame splits on the ice- enchanted hammer. When the flare dies down, the grass and things that were growing between the cobbles around him is on fire, there's a ring of charred ground around him and he's standing unaffected in the centre of it.

Actions?

Advancing unafraid, now surer than ever that the Goddess is watching over him, Safrac raises his hammer high above his head and swings down at the retreating beast with all of his might. The blow is intended to crush the beast into the cobbles of the street. Coming from the blow is a great resounding smack and between the sorcery and his own might he's sure that thunderous blow has surely dealt grievous harm to the creature.

---

School requires more work than I remember it taking...

It tries to roll inside Safrac's guard, and claw at him, ripping at his calves and thighs, trying to hamstring the orc; Safrac has to move to defend himself, batting it's claws away with the head and shaft of the hammer, using it like a quarterstaff to block and deflect.

It's getting frantic, swinging wildly and spitting pea- size gobbets of molten rock, and it overswings, misses, and the orc has his chance. Up and round in one long swipe, it tries to dodge and puts itself in exactly the wrong place- the hammer crashes down on it's head, and that explodes in a cloud of volcanic ash and a burst of flame.

When the dust settles, it's crumpled into a mound of parts, bits of worked metal and rock. There is some cheering.


The druid reappears. 'I thought so, svartalfven construction, a skirmisher war- gholem with some added special effects. Looked nasty though, didn't it? Now you look like a proper hero. du Lauloy's going to have difficulty getting to you, and I think you can now get, and I'd strongly advise, a decent night's kip. (Brit slang; sleep.)

Oh, one thing. If you her a rumbling in the night, sort of like a small volcano directly under your bed...do remember to run.'

"I feel as if I could sleep for a fortnight, but as sure as the sun rises I'll wake before I'd like to," says Safrac as he rejoins the group and returns to the temple.

(Might as well skip to the next day now, unless there were more events planned for the night.)

---

School requires more work than I remember it taking...

Planned? Optimist.

Amazingly, that is more or less what happens. There is some to-ing and fro-ing, some feet scampering about, but largely Safrac gets left in peace.

It's about two red moons past midwinter, the days are starting to get longer again, but actual sunrise is still pretty late by the water-clock and he's allowed to sleep in to it.

As he makes his way to the refectory for breakfast, he bumps into Louisa, one of the paladins and one of Mathilde's friends. 'Hope you had a good rest, it's going to be another stormy day.

Banners seen on the northern horizon at first light, the boss has gone to take a closer look; they might be baronial, they have protection against scrying, which they would anyway.

A small explosion in the night, somebody tried to break in to an antique dealer and got very explosively zapped. A few lootings, a few lynchings. Nothing really spectacular but...can't you feel it in the air?' she shivers. 'Something ugly's about to happen.'

Kheitain, what's the gholem up to? And the plan, in general?

In view of the lack/absence of players, I'm going to formally stick a fork in this one and call it done.

The rules changes that were tried out were basically successful and I have a few ideas for further development, and of what else needs to be added and subtracted. I'd like to have got further with more plot, but but basically let's call it a successful test run.

Thank you to everyone who participated or tried to participate- Norade, Kheitain, Vehrec, Lord Relvenous, Master Baerne; Lusankya, Zwinmar, HarrionGreyjoy.

Maybe we can try it again at a more auspicious time of the year, when there are fewer exams.

---

"I beseech thee, In the bowels of God, think it possible that you might be wrong."
-Oliver Cromwell to Parliament, 1647
"It is good to keep an open mind; but not so open that your brains fall out." Attributed to James Oberg

(Sorry that this died, but with only myself and you posting it was hard to keep going. I like your style of GM'ing and would gladly join another game.)

---

School requires more work than I remember it taking...

I too enjoyed the DMing style but with the start and stop of the story, and my character choice, I was distracted by other things. I thought that this thread had died ages ago, I didn't realise you and Norade had continued playing the past couple weeks.

Given the chance I'll be making a much more social character. I really enjoyed the character concept I had made but I was really hamstrung by it given the political nature of the campaign. Depending on available races I'd be inclined to play a swashbuckling gnome spellsword, illusionist, or maybe some kind of magic using Halfling cat burglar.

If you'd have me in the next run let me know, I'd be more than happy to play. As an alternative, if you're still interested, we don't have to scrap this storyline. I could stat out one of my spar character concept/backstories and jump in again.

Of course, that's if we (I) haven't pissed you off too much

---

Walking isn't a lost art - one must, by some means, get to the garage. ~Evan Esar