Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Inter- character bit noted for future reference; good. What's going on elsewhere, in other words; not good.

There has been fighting, one of the men who ran away is now dissolving, Ymbert is vertical, but wearing a sheet wrapped round him and not in a very coherent state; Hywel is shouting 'rally on the tower.' Most of them are. There's a small patch of glowing mist.

Panic and confusion, and the only reason anybody's obeying anybody is said panic and confusion- nobody's got a much better alternative. The elf picked a fine time to show up again.

Hywel manages to disentangle himself- he had drawn his sword and put it down, was definding himself with his shield and the scabbard of the sword; picks up his bits and heads for Bryan and Alfred. We're out of combat now, (Unresolved issue; backtracking slightly to make sure William and Eliska can actually keep Radulf under control. Creative moves may be required there)- this is after a couple of minutes of barely suppressed anarchy. I've actually forgotten how I sounded when I was thirteen; you'll have to make the appropriate mental deductions.

'I, ah, there is such a thing as being a prudent knight, isn't there? Only...I'm not sure we can do anything useful here any more. We're supposed to hold this place as a place of strength ready to help others, and we're not far away from tearing ourselves apart. Would it be terribly wrong if I thought maybe we all ought to leave in the morning?'

[Panzersharkcat]

"Larric, tell me... what you did with Sir Radulf's armor, making them stick together... can you do the opposite?"

[Simon_Jester]

"What do you mean, make an armored man do the splits? Maybe, but it would actually be harder."

Larric's starting to come back into focus- he sees a professional challenge, as it were. He starts probing into that cloud of mist, Insight, to see if he can scry out a bit of what's going on.

[Panzersharkcat]

"Can you make the metal bits repel each other so it hits people? Keep one bit fixed to a wall and stick another piece in front of it to fling it away."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Panzersharkcat- this is about that long term plan, isn't it? Is this really an appropriate moment? (the answer is theoretically Yes, by the way.)

The smallish patch of glowing mist is what used to be one of the spearmen. One of the ones that ran away- Rohal shot him, and then a remarkably elvish looking arrow arced in over the walls and hit him. There's probably most of a body left in there, slowly subliming away to mist.

I do not suggest that Larric gets that close; Insight alone will convey that much. Clear around, though, no sign of him, her or it.

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: Yes, it is. It's likely not going to work due to lack of appropriate materials but he wants to experiment with trying to hit that elf with something from afar. He doesn't really feel like going out there and morale would probably collapse if he tried the red shirt plan.)

[Simon_Jester]

"That sounds... complicated. Perhaps another time? This doesn't look good."

OOC:

Panzer, the problem is not hitting the elf from afar. We have archers for that. Good ones. The problem is finding the bastard in the first place. Try to focus, man.

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: Alright. The idea was to hit him with something he doesn't expect with much more force than expected. But yeah, not the time.)

"Very well. It doesn't look like we have the things needed anyway." He pauses for a moment. "Can you or Rohal sense the general area that he is in?"

[Simon_Jester]

OOC: You can't hit what you can't see. If we could see him, we'd swarm all over him and he'd be dead meat; that's the point.

IC: "He can speak for himself... I don't know, though. Maybe I should go up and have a look around."

[Larric moves cautiously to some place that offers a vantage point with some cover- on top of the wall?- and tries to probe for magic out in the land around the fort]

[Agent Sorchus]

IF mister prisoner is not under control quickly I think I'll have to either use my shield to batter him back, or stab him a couple times with a scalpel.
{Not to much time tonight. more tomorrow probably}

[S.L.Acker]

Bryan looks at Hywel and says, "I doubt many rational people would blame you for leaving this post, but those are rarely the types you need to worry about. Instead, why not give me another crack at the men. If it doesn't work I support your leaving, and if trouble comes of that, I'll do what I can to ensure slip the noose. I could use a bright young man like yourself."

Assuming Hywel says yes, Bryan clears his throat and says, "Is this really what you think will keep that damned elf away? Fighting among each other just because you can't get a clear shot at him. Look at Hywel, a squire not even fully grown, if any of you had half the courage and valor he does that elf would have pranced back into the woods of his own accord. Now do yourselves proud and man this fort like you know it should be done."

[Panzersharkcat]

Alfred makes a note to keep Bryan around as a morale bringer upper person while being very frustrated by the lack of resources at his disposal.

[Feralgnoll]

I'm a little unclear on where Larric is in the decision loop- the garritroopers have gotten two rounds of actions in, so have most of the party with the possible exception of Rohal...

...On which note, I submit that it's fair to assume Rohal takes another shot with his bow. That was the last stated action Feralgnoll gave us, we know he's not going to be available 100% of the time, and there's no obvious reason why he should switch policies in the second round of combat...
.

OOC: you nailed it. I'm pretty heavily involved on Wednesdays but other days should be pretty good for me. I should be able to at least read. I keep in contact with Panzer over text messaging so I know whats happening. I am very interested in the story and my character. My modus operandi (SP?) will be to serve as a party tracker and archer, as well as OH SHIT card.

Case in point...

IC: "I think i see another elf, he is quite a good marksman."

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: Your spelling was correct.)

"Damn it," he mutters under his breath.

[Kaelan]

Once william has the prisoner under control he'll head over to Larric.

"so, you're not so good with blood and I'm adverse to magic. Looks like a match made in heaven."

Looking at the rapid disappearing elvin arrow.

"Any chance you can repel arrows as well as armour and fire?"

[Simon_Jester]

"I don't know. People don't shoot arrows at me very often, and when they do, I usually duck. That-" he gestures at the cloud of organic fog that was recently a hostile spearman- "worries me."

Larric tries to assess roughly what scale of magic has to have gone into the disintegrator-arrow. Is that an easily repeatable trick for some reasonably talented mage with the wrong talents, or is it something that would have to be painstakingly crafted?

The use of it, as part of some horrible gambit, suggests that it wasn't exactly a priceless heirloom... he's getting worried.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Radulf manages to brawl his way as far as the door, punching William in the gut and standing on Eliska as he struggles past them; gets to that, looks out, catches sight of the patch of mist and freezes- just in time for William to clout him on the back of the head with his axe and Eliska to hit him across the back of his knees and bring him down. He is suppressed with vengeful enthusiasm and more force than strictly necessary, and tied back up again.


It's a lot easier, I expect, for Larric to think of the patch of mist as a phenomenon, a peculiar thing happening, than, well, a slowly evaporating body.

From the sheer slickness of the magic, the smoothness of the transition, it's actually a bit beyond 'reasonably talented'- if he knew the elvish community well, or if someone who did were able to take a good look at this, there's an outside chance they'd be able to identify the perpetrator, or more likely narrow it down to a relatively small group.

There's good news, and there's bad news. The good news is that the vast majority of the elves you meet will be less capable than this, and much easier to get the better of.
The bad news is that one of their- well, call him, her or it (Ymbert did think there was more than one) a paladin, one of their warrior elite is taking a personal hand in the harrying and harrowing of Caer Edric.

In fact, alchemical curiosity will be warring with churning stomach here, because it looks as if the mist is a convenient side effect, the body is actually dissolving down to it's component substances. Alfred manages to place that from a lucky fragment of general knowledge- it's a Happenist thing, a talent or combination of talents from the more conservative end of Elvish culture. Not normally the sort of people to do something disruptive like this, actually.

Bryan and Hywel, the squire shuffles a bit and looks embarrassed when Bryan says that, but thanks him for his good opinion; the men seem to listen- Oratory is a lucky thing for Bryan, it seems- they go to their stations, leaving more wounded, a couple of discipline cases, much worry.


It's actually another hour before anyone remembers about the barge, by which time it's crew have long since fled. A detail led by one of the yeomen goes out to help refloat it, but finds nobody to help; it'll still be there in the morning.

Anyone attempting anything in the course of what's left of the night?

[Simon_Jester]

It's a lot easier, I expect, for Larric to think of the patch of mist as a phenomenon, a peculiar thing happening, than, well, a slowly evaporating body.

It is, oh, it is; he's using the analytical engine (so to speak) of his mind as a substitute for visceral-level thought, because he's trying to stay functional and that's the part of his brain capable of detachment at the moment. You'll note my description of the mist is OOC.

Anyone attempting anything in the course of what's left of the night?

Hunker down and try to recharge the batteries, I guess. Sleep may be restless.

[Feralgnoll]

"If possible I would like to gather some herbs and take supplies from the bodies" Rohal says non nonchalantly.

[Panzersharkcat]

Alfred says, "It's dangerous to go alone. Take William."

[S.L.Acker]

Bryan is simply going to head back to bed, it's been a long day and the next will be even longer at this rate.

[Kaelan]

Alfred says, "It's dangerous to go alone. Take William."

With a mad elf killer out their Alfred's racking up the bill. You are aware that william is not under an oath of fealty to Alfred, or under any contract for this 'mission' other than the cost of travel paid for by the knight to our destination.

Of course should you wish to negotiate a weekly retainer fee.....

Rohal, gathering herbs is probably best left until the elf is no longer melting bodies for fun. William will give you a hand stripping and stacking the bodies within the fort.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

As GM I have to ask- there was an "and" in there that I don't like the look of. Gather some herbs and take supplies...riiight.

Robbing the dead- would those supplies be any movable items of value? Rohal may or may not be aware that the traditional thing to do in many warbands is to either divvy up the gear of the dead, or if they're being particularly civilised hold an auction of their kit, much of the proceeds going to their family?

There's a detail already doing that, anyway, or will be soon after the fuss dies down. The two the group dropped earlier- the one who got hit with the electric sledgehamer, he's alive and under guard, but the other one died. The one Rohal shot is presumably one of the other three or four actual dead.

Frankly, morale around here is fragile enough without corpse robbers, and nerves taut enough that Rohal may get the opportunity to improve his dodge skill the hard way if he starts lurking about- to say nothing of William's stealth abilities being roughly equal to those of a drunken pachyderm. Besides which, they're footsoldiers. The odds of their having anything useful concealed about their person are not high- a few days' travelling cash and the odd keepsake maybe.

You can go if you want, of course, but the characters involved are not daft enough to charge straight out there without a moment of 'Hmm. Is this worth it?'

[Kaelan]

to say nothing of William's stealth abilities being roughly equal to those of a drunken pachyderm

That's why he robs from the dead and not the living

[Feralgnoll]

"On second thought, Ill just gather herbs"