WILLPOWER: REPUTATION:__ PRIDE: Nothing scares you, as you have seen the world behind the veil. DARK SECRET: Your yearning for more magical power is stronger than anything else. CONDITIONS - Sleepless:__ | Thirsty:__ | Hungry:__ | Cold:__
TALENTS After rolling for STEALTH, you can spend Willpower Points which are turned into extra 6'sSneaky (1) The hairs on the back of your neck stand up when enemies lurk in the bushes.
RANK 1: Your SCOUT roll is modified by +1 when an enemy tries to ambush you or performs a sneak attack.
RANK 2: When you spot an ambush or a sneak attack, you also see how many the attackers are, what kin they belong to, and what weapons they use.
RANK 3: You can add a D8 Artifact Die to your SCOUT roll when you try to spot an ambush or a sneak attack. Sixth Sense (1) Path of Signs (1)
WEAPONS Staff - Bonus: 1 | Damage: 1 | Range: Near ARMOR Leather Vest - Rating: 2
Egen had paused his frantic searching, and turned to his fellow "investigators" after the wall's unusual clunkings. People were retreating, and with a quick bite to his own lip, the man must have been considering the option too. Interior's didn't, shouldn't, make those kinds of noises, unless a scavenging animal had got inside, or the wind was catching on a distant window's shutters. Or something like that.
"Hey..." He considered saying more, but then just murmured something along the lines of, "sure... whatever..."
In these few short moments, his expression had swapped from one of anxiety, back to its default. Passionate. Determined. Crazed. When Stahl approached with a move to forcefully pull Egen away from the wall, he met first hand this elderly stranger's persistence and stubbornness. It wasn't just on his face or in his head. It was fueling his every move!
"What ya? NO! Back off kiddo! NYA!"
With the swing of an arm, Egen had deflected Stahl's approaching grip, and was already moving back to the wall. As he stepped, a tiny drop of something red hit the floor near his feet. It wasn't going to be the last.
Clunk... clunkclunk.... SMASH!
There was a hole in the wall right before Egen now, and as he gasped in surprise, a fist-curled and strong looking hand punched through the last of the interior surface. Pale and calloused fingers unfurling, it reached around Egen's neck and began to choke him. Then, a deep voice rang out.
"Where is my wife… where is Abonia?"
An impatient scream, "WHERE IS SHE?!"
Timber flew inwards and a great section of the wall exploded out into the room, as the form of a man stepped through. Skin ever so white, a leather apron, a belt holding a number of small chisels and tools. The new arrival's grip faltered for but a moment, and Egen managed to break free, only to fall prone on the ground. Egen's eyes were red, red with blood, blood that was now streaming down his face...
Well, things sure never go as expected around here. The party just survived 5 dice worth of fear attack, and Egen "survived" 8 dice of strength going for him too XD.
The Goblins eyes go wide at the sight of the thing bursting through the wall and he would have dropped his staff if his other hand hadn't grabbed it tightly in fear. Not the wild uncontrollable fear you see in a rat's face when its tail is tied to a burning ember but fear nonetheless. "YIKES!" squeals out his mouth and Hemdan makes to grab Oniver and hustle him out of the cellar as fast as possible.
"Run - everyone RUN! Only sorcery will defeat this dead thing and its beyond me. RUN!" Not one to waste an opportunity, even a deadly one like this, Hemdan throws a little jab at Egen "Damn it Egen what did you do, that Carver now wants to work on you"
Grab Oniver and get upstairs and out as fast as possible
WILLPOWER: REPUTATION:__ PRIDE: Nothing scares you, as you have seen the world behind the veil. DARK SECRET: Your yearning for more magical power is stronger than anything else. CONDITIONS - Sleepless:__ | Thirsty:__ | Hungry:__ | Cold:__
TALENTS After rolling for STEALTH, you can spend Willpower Points which are turned into extra 6'sSneaky (1) The hairs on the back of your neck stand up when enemies lurk in the bushes.
RANK 1: Your SCOUT roll is modified by +1 when an enemy tries to ambush you or performs a sneak attack.
RANK 2: When you spot an ambush or a sneak attack, you also see how many the attackers are, what kin they belong to, and what weapons they use.
RANK 3: You can add a D8 Artifact Die to your SCOUT roll when you try to spot an ambush or a sneak attack. Sixth Sense (1) Path of Signs (1)
WEAPONS Staff - Bonus: 1 | Damage: 1 | Range: Near ARMOR Leather Vest - Rating: 2
"Here now, Egen," Phol called, "if you've any idea what he's talking about then tell him. Tell him or you'll not make it up these stairs without a shaft through your chest!" And for emphasis the Half-Elf drew his bow and aimed down at the scoundrel.
Now whether the...thing...liked the information Egen might provide was another story. But Phol could only assume that Egen knew quite a bit more about the happenings of this village and her people than his own group, newly come as they were. So then, Egen had the best chance of providing the information which might placate the creature, while they, assuredly, could not.
Running, while tempting, seemed to only mean being followed. If Hemdan were correct and it was indeed undead, then it could hound them without need for sleep forever. No, best to see if they could give it what it wanted and let it find its rest here and now. And should it crush Egen with strength that shattered walls, then Phol was determined to run hot on the heels of his companions. There might even be screaming such as a young lass might make in her own panicked flight.
Stahl's sudden outburst and aggressive grab at Egen took Oniver by surprise, but not nearly as much as the pale arm bursting through the wall did. As the white, clammy fingers tightened around Egen's neck, green clammy fingers tugged at the peddlers cloak as Hemdan urged him to retreat. "G-g-good idea!" the peddler stammered and managed to climb three steps walking backward before turning around to give a shout. "Ye, gads!" Phol had his bow draw and was aiming straight down the stairwell. "Wait for us to get up first before you try sticking anyone full of holes!"
A violent splintering sound drew Oniver's attention, and he hesitated his ascent as he turned to witness what had just burst from the wall. The goblin's words registered at that moment: only magic can hurt it. "What about fire?!" The whole basement was full of wood. Just a little catalyst and the entire place will go up in flames, possibly taking that creature with it. Retrieving a flask of lamp oil from his pack, Oniver dribbled out a thin trail as he hurried up the steps. Once at top, he hurled the ceramic flask at the bottom of the stairs, splattering the remaining oil. He past a questioning look over his companions, silently asking whether he should light the oil or not.
Spent one Willpower Point (4 --> 3) to produce a flask of oil, then dribbled it on the stairs and splattered the rest at the bottom. Waiting to give others a chance to move to safety before lighting it.
Who would've thought an old man would fight back with such vigour? In reality, anyone could have guessed that fervour would give Egen an edge in a shuffle, but Stahl was blinded by thinking he was the savviest brain in the room for a fleeting moment. Egen's flailing arms and kicking legs wrenched Stahl forward, and he felt his wrist sprain as the infuriating waste of breath twisted around to escape his grip, Stahl finally conceded and let him go, which was about when all hell broke loose.
It grabbed Egan and looked for a moment to have him in its grip. But slippery Egen slips away from that too. Hemdan screams at them to run, and the others surely are saying their own nonsense too, but running sounds like too good an idea to consider many alternatives. Leaving Egan, he sprints and launches himself up the stairs, slipping on oil and crashing into the conjoined pair of Hemdan and Oniver. "What in the brown-arsed gods are you doing?" He bellows as he sees Oniver holding the overturned flask. He gets up and muscles past them, realising that the fall has given him a sprained ankle now too. Better than having his limbs torn off by an undead wraith, right?
Stahl is taking inspiration from ancient lore to inspire his flight from the scene.
Pride: I can find anything in the wilderness, whether it be place or person or beast. Dark Secret: I killed my half-brother over a trivial disagreement, and am convinced his spirit haunts me.
Humans are new to the Forbidden Lands and are seen as intruders by the other kin. But no other kin can adapt to new situations and living conditions the way the humans can. If you spend a Willpower Point when you are about to roll for a skill, you can roll for any skill of your choice to achieve the same result. You must be able to motivate how you use the chosen skill. The GM has final say, but should give you some leeway.Adaptive Your horse (or another riding animal) is your closest friend and companion, and will help you if you are in trouble.Path of the Companion: If you spend a Willpower Point when you are Broken (see page 107), your horse will stay by your side and defend you. The horse will attack any opponents that attempt to attack or move you.Rank 1 You are trained in the art of fighting from the back of a mount. All of the effects below require you to be in an OPEN zone.Horseback Fighter: You can fire a short bow or sling from a mount.Rank 1 You are a master at finding the right path through woods and over mountains in the wilderness.Pathfinder: Your SURVIVAL roll is modified by +1 when you LEAD THE WAY.Rank 1
The apparition continued to yell, directly at Egen through darkened and narrow eyes. Whilst the man's "companions" drew bows, made for the stairs at the goblin's warning and gave the place a good oiling, the grabbing and fighting on the workshop cellar's floor continued.
"I dunno anything about his wife!"
The desperation to find something that he was owed, had quickly shifted to desperately trying to survive. The elderly fellow managed to stand upright though, and even made such a daring move as to lob a punch in the carver's direction. The move was too hasty though. It missed by a substantial margin.
"FOOL!"
The ghost of Ephes clenched a fist, and smashed it straight into Egen's face. A tooth or two clattered to the floor and a great deal of blood began to drop from his eyes, mouth and nose. You didn't need to be a gambler to know that this altercation, as far as odds were concerned, wasn't looking too hot for the slippery fellow! So too was Ephes not some simple "ghost". Whatever the man had become behind the walls, he had the strength and will to interact with the mortal realm, be it through wall-smashing or potential thief bashing...
Range to the ghost of Ephes:
Egen: Arm's Length
Phol: Near
Everyone else: Short
You're up team!
You get a FAST and a SLOW action each round (or two FAST actions). If you take the RUN (fast action), that will get most of you from Short to Long range... which is essentially out of the workshop entirely if you want.
SHOOT (Phol's bow) is a SLOW action if that's his plan.
Lighting the oil, we'll call a FAST action... just let me know what you're lighting the place up with
The Halfelf's eyes narrowed, if Egen knew anything he seemed willing to deny it to his grave. Hemdan claimed only magic could harm the risen woodcarver and, while he might be right, Phol determined a test was in order.
His shaft flew true (of course it did!) but would it harm the creature?
It was as near enough to point blank range as it could be really. There were still risks involved of course, but perhaps missing and hitting Egen by accident wasn't such a big concern. Anyway, Phol's arrow flew straight and true, and he found the apparition to be a pretty easy target. It landed square in the thing's chest, and seemed to have buried itself nice and deep.
"Nyarrr!"
For a brief moment of pause in its assault of Egen, the woodcarver looked to Phol with an angry glare. The foe's eyes seemed to redden with hatred, and Phol might realize that it was a blessing that he was stood a little way away from the thing. Terror seemed to ooze from the ghost, ghoul, whatever it was...
It was hard to tell if the arrow had really hurt Ephes, but combined with Egen's efforts the creature did seem to be losing a bit of its vitality.
The arrow did STR damage to Ephes, but it is hard to say for how long and how effectual it was.
Well Phol's aim was true but in this confined space Hemdan reckons anyone could hit that block of undead anger. Its also shown him that this thing seems to have a huge capacity for shrugging of pain and damage and having dealt with a few bullies in his time he doesn't think a bloody nose is going to cut it this time.
The Goblin wasn't scared of the undead but he was fairly certain that he couldn't fight it and this was no time for even a slightly unfair fight in his mind "Its not enough Phol, I think we should leave and let Oni burn the place to the ground"
Noting that Stahl has suffered some from his stumbling around with Egen he goes over and tries to help him up the stairs. The sooner they get moving the better as this old wood looks like it would catch fire fast!
Help Stahl up the stairs and out if he his willing. If the rest decide to stay and fight he will come back
WILLPOWER: REPUTATION:__ PRIDE: Nothing scares you, as you have seen the world behind the veil. DARK SECRET: Your yearning for more magical power is stronger than anything else. CONDITIONS - Sleepless:__ | Thirsty:__ | Hungry:__ | Cold:__
TALENTS After rolling for STEALTH, you can spend Willpower Points which are turned into extra 6'sSneaky (1) The hairs on the back of your neck stand up when enemies lurk in the bushes.
RANK 1: Your SCOUT roll is modified by +1 when an enemy tries to ambush you or performs a sneak attack.
RANK 2: When you spot an ambush or a sneak attack, you also see how many the attackers are, what kin they belong to, and what weapons they use.
RANK 3: You can add a D8 Artifact Die to your SCOUT roll when you try to spot an ambush or a sneak attack. Sixth Sense (1) Path of Signs (1)
WEAPONS Staff - Bonus: 1 | Damage: 1 | Range: Near ARMOR Leather Vest - Rating: 2
In a dusty old wood-carver's shop, it wasn't hard for Oniver to find a chip of wood. Opening the lantern, the peddler held the chip in the flame while Hemdan helped Stahl up the steps. Waiting for the chip to catch, Oniver shouted down to Egen: "Unless you're secretly fireproof, I really think you should come now." Once Hemdan and Stahl were safely away, and regardless of what Egen was doing, Oni dropped the burning chip onto the thin stream of oil.
Based on my description, it sounds like lighting the oil would be a Slow action, but I'll leave that to your discretion.
For the briefest of moments, Egen turned to glance up the stairwell, his greedy and horrified eyes meeting with Oniver's. A slither of wood was lit. There was oil and timber to boot down there. This was the stranger's chance to get away.
"Not yet! I still haven't found them! You can't burn them too!"
He turned all attention back the ghost of the wood carver, and with the last of his strength tried sending a fist towards the apparition's chest. His blow never landed, going far wide by the time the living memory had stepped aside. Then, Ephes grabbed Egen's head in two hands, and pushed against the poor fellow's stubborn ears. Just as the pilot light fell to touch the ground and send flames a-spreading, Egen's head burst apart in an cloud of red...
The ghost of Ephes looked at the fleeing too then, and smiled, as Egen crumpled in a heap before him.
"I have died more than once, and in ways worse than flame. The new flames are not so tormenting as the old."
He then stepped backwards, through the hole in wall, the fire reaching ever higher and higher...
Thank you everyone! That was great :-) You can return outside safely. Maybe just a little smoke starting to come out, but nothing noticeable yet. What would you like to do next?