[Game Thread] IV. The Ruins of Archeebald Mountain

[mountainbound]

The two colossal creatures roll in the snow, both caked in snow and blood from the many gashes they've given each other. The sloth pierces one of its giant tusks into the bear's side, but the shaman in bear form manages to get the upper hand... or paw. In a moment, the beast rolls over onto the sloth, and is bearing down on its neck with red teeth. Its claws red the sloth's flesh below its arms, causing it to cry out in pain.

As they thrash, Rip fires another arrow -- this one hits the sloth in the throat, very close to where Olaf's jaws are clamped. He glances over at Silas, "Boy, I've seen you use a bow. Better to fight than sit cursing your luck." The elder ranger draws and fires again, but the shaft embeds itself in a tree, sailing an inch or so over Olaf's grizzled shoulder.

Combat Notes Enemy Status Bull Sloth: AC 17, Seriously wounded for 61hp. Fighting Olaf. Olaf: AC 16, Seriously wounded for 71hp. In grizzly form. Party Status No damage this round. Please list your current AC and HP in your post.

[HenryLockwood]

AC 17, HP 16/35Status

Karla stares hard at Olaf, glad to have a target. "You deserve this!" she shouts, drawing and

Dice Longbow:

1d20+8	(3)+8			Total = 11
1d8	2

loosing in one smooth movement. Unfortunately, her aim is awry, and her arrow follows Rip's quite closely. If only she'd emulated some of his previous shots.

"Shoot, Silas! Shoot!" she screams.

[Krimchee]

Silas spat. The smell of sloth still filled his mouth. It seemed to increase after seeing the beasts roll over Fahd. Silas winced in sympathy. Fahd's words made him grin. "Maybe the combined smell will keep the flaming sheriff away when we get back to town."

Silas looked Rip in the eyes at his words, a bit of fire kindling in Silas' tired eyes. "Boy?" He didn't like that at all. He was about to retort with something less-than-polite, when Karla's screams pulled him up short. Gritting his teeth against the pain he knew would come, Silas took Karla's advice, drew and fired at Olaf.

Status Status: AC 15, HP 5

attack rolls Attack: Olaf Dice Roll: 1d20+6 (16)+6 Total = 22 Damage Dice Roll: 1d8+1 (2)+1 Total = 3

[LupusRegalis]

A half-remembered memory asserts itself, and Fahd runs through a conversation his mentor Aisha had told him one night. Suddenly it was very relevant and he struggled to remember more. Beast Shamans Fahd thought She called them Beast Shamans, and one ravaged her village. I remember, she spoke of this, killing the animal spirit. Had to be...

"Listen," he calls out loudly, so Rip and Karla can both hear him as well as Dan and Silas nearby. "Whatever happens here today, Olaf must not be allowed to kill the Sloth. If he kills it, the Spirit is his, and its power. He Must Not Kill The Sloth. Better ... better one of us, than him..." he finishes sadly, head hanging.

His eyes fall to rest on the pouch at his waist, and a large protrusion in the leather. His eyes widen and he suddenly remembers something else that might be of use to them. With a short burst of wild laughter, he quickly opens the flap and retrieves something from among the contents. It is a vial, a gift of powerful healing, and he'd forgotten all about it. He was amazed it had even survived this long, all things considered. He popped the stopper and with only a slight hesitation, swallowed the contents whole.

 

Actions Move: Retrieve Healing Potion Standard: Drink Healing Potion Not sure how much it cures for, but it's one of Jamie's gifts.

Combat Stats Fahd: HP 2+6/20 Spirit Healing 6/6, Cloak 4/5, +10 Fire Resist AC17 (12FF, 16 Tc) Fort +6/Ref +5/Will +5 Lynx: HP 6/16 AC 21 (13FF, 18 Tc, 25 vs OA), Fort +4/Ref +9/Will +2

[mountainbound]

The three ton Bear Shaman, all fur and claws, begins crushing the sloth's neck in its teeth. You can hear the megalodon's windpipe begin to snap and give way to red jaws. Pinned in a death lock, the huge beast scrabbles like a kitten beneath the knee of a cruel boy.

'"He Must Not Kill the Sloth!"' Fahd shouts, and Rip turns at the sound. His quiet words directed at Karla, the old ranger says, "Finally someone is speaking some sense." After all, it was the barbarianess who ordered he shoot Olaf on pain of death...

He pulls, fires, draws, fires in deadly smooth motion, his shafts planting themselves in the vital sections of the sloth. The creature moans, its claws unable to reach Olaf atop it, rending the snow around it.

"Sh!t really?" Dan's recovered from murdering Tasha and suddenly interested in what might actually be happening in the battle. "Kill the sloth? That's insane, kill the fecking bear!" With that the wizard's finger pulses and a small ember streaks forth, disappearing in the bear's black coat.

Combat Notes Because there is a dependance on timing this round, please include an Initiative roll with your next action. No need to wait to do anything, I'll resolve the order of events in my next post. Enemy Status Bull Sloth: AC 17, Seriously wounded at 94hp. Pinned by Olaf. Olaf: AC 16, Seriously wounded for 77hp. In grizzly form. Party Status No damage this round. Please list your current AC and HP in your post.

[HenryLockwood]

AC 17, HP 16/35Status

Karla pauses, stunned by Fahd's words. It is not so much that she objects to killing the sloth - after all, it's a wild animal, dangerous and powerful, and could easily kill her if Olaf doesn't - but that she might, even briefly, help her former lover.

If he takes more power... is that what he was trying with me?

Karla's thoughts race, almost startling her out of her battle-fury, but though she staggers she still manages to

Dice Longbow:

1d20+8	(7)+8			Total = 15
1d8	8

shoot another arrow. This one, much as she would like to shoot Olaf, she lets fly directly into the melee. Either way, she will be happy with the result.

OOC Shooting into the melee; here's a coin-flip for which combatant. High=sloth. Dice Roll: 1d2 2 Dice Initiative: 1d20+4 (3)+4 Total = 7

[LupusRegalis]

"Kill the sloth? That's insane, kill the fecking bear!" With that the wizard's finger pulses and a small ember streaks forth, disappearing in the bear's black coat.

Dan's reaction, and proximity, spin Fahd's head towards his companion with the intent of arguing his point. He stops, mouth ajar but without speaking, and watches Dan's pointing finger seem to convulse towards the raging beasts. He watches the ember appear, and narrows his eyes to keep sight as it streaks ahead and disappears into the bears fur coat. His mouth closes, and his jaw tightens but his focus doesn't waver from that ember and its destination.

Calling upon the gifts of the Cloak of the Ichvaali for the second time this day, he uses it to amplify that spark. At just the moment it catches, before it has time to die out, he takes hold of the flame and pumps the cloaks power into the ember. He gives it almost everything the cloak has available, and draws yet more from a more personal font he was only just vaguely aware of. With that flow of power he takes Dan's ember and ignites it into something greater. A flame bursts forth upon the bear's hide, no longer a tiny spark but a small campfire, appearing in a great rush of consumed air and raging heat. Fahd's jaw clenches even tighter as he maintains his focus upon that flame and the bear, Olaf. Beyond that concentration, he can only hope it is enough to delay Olaf, through pain and surprise, long enough for his companions to accomplish their own tasks.

 

Actions Dice Roll: 1d20+4 (17)+4 Total = 21 Initiative Move: None Standard: Control Flames: 1pp to Manifest, Augmented by 4pp (combination cloak & personal) to increase size of fire to Tiny (small campfire, Dice Fire Damage: 1d6 1 1d6 dmg/round)

Combat Stats Fahd: HP 8/20 Spirit Healing 6/6, Cloak 1/5, +10 Fire Resist AC17 (12FF, 16 Tc) Fort +6/Ref +5/Will +5 Lynx: HP 6/16 AC 21 (13FF, 18 Tc, 25 vs OA), Fort +4/Ref +9/Will +2

[Krimchee]

"Ooof"..... Silas grunted in pain as his arrow left the bow and sank into the rolling mass of growling flesh before him. The sharpness of the pain stunned him for a moment. Fahd's shouts brought his attention back to the task at hand however. Fahd's sense of urgency and the idea that Olaf could somehow harness the sloth's power caused a vehement "Feck!" to come from his throat. But whatever other oaths he'd been ready to spew got lost as a sharp stab of pain from his ribs caused him to take in a reflexive breath. It was then that he saw Rip's arrows bury themselves in the sloth.

"Son of a..."he muttered. He knew Rip was good enough with the bow that that couldn't have been an accident. He means to help the son of a bitch," he thought. Without even reaching for an arrow, Silas grit his teeth and launched two of the strange Ichvaali bolts of energy from his bow towards Olaf.

Status Status: AC 15 HP: 5 Broken Ribs, generally effed up

Attack Rolls @Olaf Rolls Attacks- aimed at Olaf Dice Roll: 1d20+6 (2)+6 Total = 8 Dice Roll: 1d20+6 (16)+6 Total = 22 Damage Dice Roll: 1d10+1 (4)+1 Total = 5 Dice Roll: 1d10+1 (2)+1 Total = 3

[mountainbound]

A moment after Dan's tiny magical ember sinks into Olaf's hide, a gout of flame makes the bear's skin singe and burn, but it's not enough to rouse him from his perch atop the dying sloth. As Olaf's great bulk crushes the sloth, Rip fires yet another arrow into the megalodon, and at that instant it cries out, surrendering its life.

The bear atop it inhales deeply, uttering great belching growl, even as Silas and Karla's arrows fly all around him. Olaf's eyes glow like Dan's ember, and he throws his head back. But you can't tell if it's in victory or in defeat that the Olaf-bear roars, because a great gust of wind obscures the scene, like a fast-moving wall of white. Behind the wind you see the shape of the bear shrink and collapse in on itself. And as the snow whips away, a great bird-thing is launching into the air and off of the dead-sloth, black wings pushing higher and higher with their beating. What kind of bird it was, you can't be sure, but it was truly an abomination of feather and fur, talons and teeth.

The bird's call is hoarse and hideous, and Dan clutches at his ears at the sound of it, losing the spell that was on his lips. Silas, undaunted by the screech, fires a second arrow, this one plunking solidly into the thing's breast. Despite the fresh wound, the bird continues to rise.

Combat Notes Enemy Status Bull Sloth: AC 17, Dead at 102hp. Olaf: AC 19, Seriously wounded for 81hp. In giant bird-thing form, flying away from the battle -- he's about 18' above the ground at the moment and does not appear to be in attack mode. Spot check: DC 14 Please list your current AC and HP in your post.

[HenryLockwood]

AC 16, HP 10/35Status

Karla watches Olaf fly off, in yet another shape. Is there no end to the man's power? she thinks. Is there no way we can stop him? Her eyes track his flight, and she's

Dice Spot:

1d20+9sch14

(17)+9

✔

Total = 26

observant enough to spot the details that matter.

She draws her bow, one last time, and this time the arrow flies

Dice Longbow:

1d20+8	(15)+8			Total = 23
1d8	6

straight and true. It leaves Olaf with, perhaps, one more scar. One more memory of Karla. One more, to make up for those he left behind.

-=-

He always did like to leave a mark. Karla remembers pushing him away, roughly, teeth bared in an unconscious fairground-mirror of his own, after he bit her neck hard enough to draw blood. She stood, half-crouching, tensed and wary; the fingertips of her left hand bloodied where she'd tested the surface of her skin. Ready to fight, to lash out in whatever way she could, aware that Olaf was twice her weight - or more - and more vicious, more dangerous, but above all else, aware that he stood between her and the door. His teeth, unlike hers, were bared in a grin; unlike her, he stood tall and flat-footed, proud in his own strength, proud in his power.

She hadn't got away that time, but this time it's different. This time, Olaf is leaving - bloodied and battered, though in truth Karla is little better off - and now, this time, Karla is grinning.

The arrow leaves the bowstring, and Karla doesn't need to watch it. She knows it's flying straight and true, knows it carries her hate with it, and suddenly the rage leaves her. She shudders, suddenly cold, and stumbles to her knees in the red morass that used to be snow.

OOC One last attack, then ending rage. It might be tactically too early, but it's what Karla would do.

[LupusRegalis]

Fahd's face blanches as he watches Olaf transform once again in order to effect an escape. He is stunned by the man's potency as a Shaman, worried that he may never be a match for the man. Not without making the same choices, which his conscience will not allow him to do. He would have to find another way. Olaf's new form was truly a horror to see as well, and Fahd felt his hands clenching tighter as instinct urged him to flee, or be ready to fight. His right hand, gripping the aklys, strained and he could feel his blood pumping hurriedly and felt the pain as he gripped too tight.

Yet he maintained his focus on Olaf even amidst his fear and shock. Not only because to look away would mean missing such a stunning sight, but also because he was not ready to give up yet. His mind held onto the flame burning upon Olaf's back even as he changed forms, not allowing it to burn out. Fahd meant to cleanse Olaf the old way, by flame and fire, if he could. It was a deliberate choice on his part, a change from his usual nature, and represented a small part of a larger shift in his way of thinking. For so many reasons, he could not just give up and let Olaf escape without at least trying to stop him; The threat the man posed to himself and his allies, the threat he posed to any spirit he encountered, and should he blow the horn...

"The Horn, Karla!" He shouts out suddenly, remembering why they came with the Olaf in the first place. "To the crate, keep it safe!"

With his next breath he begins a deep nasal humming. He stamps his feet in the snow rhythmically and slaps his aklys against his thigh as a guiding beat. In his minds eye he reaches out with his ability to speak with the spirits, any spirits, in the area. His voice becomes louder and his stomping more active, following a pattern only he knows, as he Shouts out his warning to the spirit world. His voice speaks the words, and his mind translates that into the spirit-world, as he pours all his ability into his voice and power:

"Mark Him, Spirits, as I name him. Olaf skin-changer; Betrayer, Enslaver, Slayer. Take word to all, in warning. Take heed, lest he comes for you. Tell Aisha, if you can. Warn the Great Beast Spirits, he seeks their power."

 

Actions Move: Dice Perform Ritual: 1d20+10 (16)+10 Total = 26 Speak with Spirits; Mark Olaf, Warn Spirits Standard: Maintain Dice Damage: 1d6 4 'Control Flames'; Range of 150', after which link is broken & DC 25 reflex save will put out the flames.

Combat Stats Fahd: HP 8/20 Spirit Healing 6/6, Cloak 1/5, +10 Fire Resist AC17 (12FF, 16 Tc) Fort +6/Ref +5/Will +5 Lynx: HP 6/16 AC 21 (13FF, 18 Tc, 25 vs OA), Fort +4/Ref +9/Will +2

[Krimchee]

Silas was stunned to see Olaf change yet again. He was even more stunned by the foul form that Olaf took. A more true form, to show his true nature? He saw Karla take aim and fire. Fueled by his revulsion for the sight, Silas quickly knocked and arrow and drew, but he couldn't seem to get a solid bead on the beast. He was starting to strain from the draw when Fahd's words hit him like a blast of cold water. The Horn!

Grunting with the effort of easing off his draw, Silas said. "Fahd's bloody well right, let's go get the blasted horn before that foul son of a crawler remembers it himself." Already moving towards the horn, Silas said to Fahd, "I've seen some shite in the last few weeks but what Olaf just did....You ever seen something like that before?"

Silas definitely didn't want to tangle with Olaf again anytime soon. He hoped Karla's shot wounded him enough that he'd bleed out in cold snowy ditch somewhere. Olaf didn't have worry about any of the local beasts eating him. In Olaf's current form, Silas doubted that even one of the crawlers would want to eat his foul carcass.

status AC 15 Hp 5

[mountainbound]

Her arrow whistling through the frosty afternoon air, Karla intuits the direction of Olaf's flight even before Fahd shouts: "The Horn!" Sure enough, as the bird-thing gains height, it veers and begins its lumbering flight: a bee-line in the exact direction from where you left the equipment sledge.

Nearby, the spiritchaser sings words with a curious tone, hard-edged and seeming to sink into the heart rather than the mind. Winter jays and cardinals take flight from the trees, alarmed at the message, and the wind whips the branches with a jagged gust in response to the dire warning.

Cursing (when was he not cursing?), Silas takes in the scene plainly. With several broken ribs, and the fatigue of battle ebbing the young ranger's strength, still he knows that it's not over yet. Beside him, Dan simply groans, too tired to curse. Dan's magic was spent, and without a bow or sword, he knew he was next to useless. And yet, he turns and follows his friends.

Fahd looks down at the slain megalodon as his companions break for the sled. From the far trees, the female sloth is just nosing forward, not daring to come close enough to inspect the body of her dead mate just yet. "Spiritchaser, we need you to be with us, NOW," Rip says, sensing the connection between the two shamans. The elder ranger looks up as Olaf flies over the trees, but there was no way he could get a shot through the limbs overhead. Then he follows Karla, Dan and Silas as they stumble to retrace their prints. It isn't long before Olaf is out of sight, unhindered by tangling branch and clumsy snowshoe.

"We'll never get there in time," Dan frets, echoing the thoughts of everyone else. You had traveled at least a half of a mile from the sledge to the sloth, and not even Karla, long-legged and faster than most, could make the trip that quickly.

But from over the trees comes an unexpected sound: a menacing howl. Did Olaf change shape again? you wonder. The howl is repeated a few times as you hasten on. It takes three or four more long minutes before you make it back, only to see a white wolf -- the same that had pulled Silas from the animated sycamore -- standing between the sledge and the hideous bird creature. Olaf lunges his toothy beak at the wolf, knocking the animal violently against the piled crates on the sled. But hearing the loud approach of the group crunching through the snow, the Beast Shaman turns and leaps into the air, flapping away before you can get near. With so many trees in the area, a clear shot was impossible, and in seconds the abomination is gone.

Its white fur now bloody and hanging from its body in place, the wolf is a site for sore eyes. There could be no mistake, the animal had held off Olaf for all this time, but had suffered terribly for it. Behind it the donkey attached to the sledge was dead, its back sliced to pieces by Olaf's huge talons. But the crates atop the sled were still secure -- nothing had been taken.

Without a sound, the wolf limps toward the group, directly to Silas, and collapses into the snow at the ranger's feet.

DM's Note Krimchee: You had chosen Animal Companion for your Hunter's Bond ability. Now is your chance to cement the bond, which will fully take effect when you reach 4th level. White Wolf: Seriously Wounded, currently at 1hp. The time of day is late afternoon.

[LupusRegalis]

The scene was almost surreal, the wolf and the beast together, fighting over the abandoned sled. He keeps moving closer though, keeping pace with the others. The beast strikes, the wolf falls, and Fahd loses hope that they will arrive in time. The Wolf Spirit had done so much already, rescuing Silas, it didn't deserve to die for some ancient relic. Today had been a rolling sea of emotions, highs and lows rapidly following upon each other. Yet again the situation changes, and Olaf senses their approach. He flees, rising rapidly into the cold winter air, but his talons are empty!

Yet another high, swiftly replaced by sadness and pity. The great white wolf rises, and slowly limps its way closer to their group. It seems to use all its energy making the crossing of that ground, and drops as if dead to the ground before Silas. To say Fahd is surprised, is an understatement. He looks from beast to man, and senses some connection there between the two. Hazy, not yet secured and easily broken. He took a step to help the creature, but the sense of tentativeness between the two caused him to hesitate. Instead, he looks from Silas to the Wolf and back again. Quietly, respectively he asks his companion "I might try to heal ... "

[HenryLockwood]

Karla grimaces as Olaf retreats. "Bloody coward", she mutters, though even now she knows it's not true. Olaf is many things, but a coward is not one of them.

"Rip, where will he go? And where do we go now? There's no reason I can see to press on up this bloody mountain."

Karla wipes the blood off her swords, now she has a moment of relative peace, and sheathes them again. There's a cold wind blowing, and Fahd is staring at a half-dead wolf that clearly means the group no harm. Silas is watching it too, hand half-outstretched, and Dan seems to have given up on life entirely for this afternoon.