[Game Thread] Chapter 1: Blood on the Sand

[orangehatter]

He growled as his blow missed the Bhuka by inches. Fortunately, Taharaqua managed to subdue his prey with flashy tactics. He huffed, his blood still running hot, and turned around at the pleas for help. With his body overheating from intensity, his voice still remained silent as he sped off across town, legs pounding with intention while the storm of death follows in his wake.

OOC Running 200ft. across town (Base Spd. 50ft.)

[Silk]

With a grim smile Emeria knocks aside the Bhuka's weapon as she raises her scimitar to slit the momentary defenseless raiders throat only to have Kethyr ride through on his sand worm and spear the Bhuka with his lance instead. Briefly Emeria scowls at the Elf but battle anger leaves her as the last raider surrenders and with a wry look she shrugs at Kethyr in apology.

From behind, close to the storehouse you hear a shout "HEY HELP, THERE'S MORE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN!" "A SKIMMER JUST TOOK THREE WHOLE FAMILIES!" yells another.

Emeria follows Kethyr and Cheveyo towards the other side of town. But unlike them she stays to the shadows and uses their cover to hide her running form from friend's and enemy's alike.

ooc: Using 'Fast Stealth'(no penalty's for running while using stealth) Of course rolling a natural '1' doesn't help

[Avelestar]

The group splits once more, Kethyr and Ama taking off to chase one after the fleeing sand skimmer. The pair had to ride around town however, Ama's size would have made it nearly impossible to speed directly through town. Circling around town, Kethyr can see a plume of dust and torches in the distance, obviously travelling away from Rosemount. The boat is going as fast as possible, which looks to be just a bit slower than Ama...it's worth a try! Kicking his heels once more, Ashworm and Dragoon give chase, slowly gaining on the boat. (Make 2 spot checks, for you and Ama)

Meanwhile Wind continues his attack on the first sandskimmer, now reduce to little more than burning timbers. Swooping down, his wicked teeth bite nearly clean through the shoulders of a raider, who falls to the floor and starts to rapidly lose blood. Finally spotting their foe, the three remaining fleeing raiders pull out their shortbows, firing up at the huge bat. In the darkness however the arrows flew far from their mark, and Wind was left unhurt. Lynx fared much the same, his claws finishing off the already wounded raider, whilst he slipped under the blade of the second.

Still in a heightened state of awareness, Cheveyo starts sprinting across town as soon as the words leave the youth's mouth. He quickly outdistances Taharqua, Emeria and Purja who also start running to the rest of the raiding party. Coming upon the chaos first, he can't help but be a little sickened. An entire block of houses going up in flames, bodies and blood litter the streets, mainly men and boys who took up weapons to defend their families. Sixty feet away another skimmer is about to set off, it's deck full of scared and huddled townsfolk, whilst raiders hang off the sides. The bhukas yell something at the rest of the crew, who are getting ready to take off. (Cheveyo Spot check please) A pair of raiders appear from around a corner, in their arms small chests or pots, presumably gold, food or water. A voice can be heard from over the fire and screaming, definitely a bhuka voice, and in their tongue he cries. "Stop that one, and get out of the damn way I need to be ready!" The two raiders carrying pots rush towards Cheveyo, blades held high.

Taharqua, Emeria and Purja are still running through the streets, directly towards the screams they can no doubt hear. It will take them a little longer to reach Cheveyo and the sandskimmer, but hopefully in time to make a difference.

OOC: Kethyr you're currently roughly the same distance away from town as Wind, but on the other side. Taharqua and Emeria are one round behind Cheveyo, and will emerge in the same spot as he next turn (sorry for the wait). Wind is still facing 3 raiders with shortbows, and Lynx has one foe left to kill, the Fire Elemental is still destroying the boat as ordered and the spiders have dispersed...or been cooked alive. I'm sick as a dog right now and have been all weekend, sorry for no map.

[Eviltedzies]

The wind whipped at Kethyr's face as the dust plume of the retreating raider loomed in the horizon. Out of the corner of his vision, Kethyr notices the houses going up in flames. Subconsciously his hands tighten their grip on the reigns. "Dam them.... they won't get away with this so easily." Kethyr scans his path for his target, but the sight of the town in flames splits his attentions. "I hope the others can fend off the raiders in the town."Ama let out a low groan and Kethyr felt the familiar feeling of recognition. "I hear you girl..... you known these sands better than I." "Ride the sands girl! Towards the horizon and let us bring the rising sun to bear on our foes!"

Actions 2 Spot Checks. If the second one was for Ama then she did a LOT better than Kethyr did. (Heh natural 20 for the win!) Continuing to chase down the sandskimmer.

[chaosaccountant]

Seeing a better use for the raiders than simply killing them, wind whirled in the air. As he passed over the lynx, he screeched out new suggestions to his hunt mate. "Retreat. Tail. Do not attack."

Entrusting the task to the lynx's care, he barrelled backtowards the town, intent on seeing how the other hyena-slayers had faired.

ooc Flying back to the town (120ft this round, 240ft next). Lynx withdraws to to the sand dunes (full round action), and will keep backing off if the raiders follow. Otherwise, it will attempt to follow whatever direction they go, staying out of sight.

stats Wind 52hp, AC 19, Saves 8/5/11 Lynx 43hp, AC 20, Saves 7/10/3

[orangehatter]

Cheveyo's feet still pounded against the sand as he made haste across the small settlement. Despite the swiftness of his run, time seemed to draw out too long for comfort. His heart beat fast as he forced himself on. This village depended on all of them.

Cheveyo's intense fury was cooled by what he witnessed next. His brown eyes were witness to a devastation caused in so short a time. While it nauseated him, it did clear his head of whatever warrior possessed him earlier. He gathered his bearings and watched keenly as the bhuka rounded the corner. Just out the corner of his peripheral vision, something flashed his attention...and chilled him to his soul. I have to get to that sandskimmer NOW!

Still having some space before the two bhuka, he took a step back before launching himself forward. He tucked his shoulder down as he aimed for one of the two that came upon him. He was bound on a collision course, but that was his intention. Unfortunately, he felt his foot slip as he came in closer towards connecting his tackle...

[Avelestar]

Out in the desert Wind and Lynx broke off their attacks, retreating back towards Rosemount. Shaking in fear, but realising they are safe the remaining raiders flee as fast as they can, not caring to hide their tracks in the sand. Besides, the morning winds will blow them away within a few hours. Whilst he sped back towards town, the druid passed over the burning remains of a sandskimmer, with the slightly comical scene of a fire elemental desperately trying to find some undamaged piece of the ship to destroy.

Meanwhile back in Rosemount, Emeria and Taharqua arrive to see a disastrous scene. Cheveyo screaming in defiance as he barrelled towards the two raiders blocking his way, his eyes locked on something on the sandskimmer. Slipping on a patch of bloody sand, the warrior skids awkwardly, leaving himself open to attack from the two bhuka in his path. They respond instantly, more than used to taking advantage of helpless foes and open up a pair of wounds on Chevyo's chest. (10 damage) But the horrible thing, is when a gust of air bursts forth from the center of the sandskimmer, pushing the boat along at incredible speeds. One moment it's in town, the next it's a blur in the distance. Taharqua curses when he realises what just happened, a spellcaster, talented in wind magic is piloting some of the sandskimmers. There's no way to catch up to them now.

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Ama grunts as the skimmer they are chasing does the same, suddenly gaining a massive boost of speed, far greater than that of the ashworm. She slows, knowing not to waste time on a fruitless chase, and turns back towards town....at which point the pair spot another skimmer speeding their way. A chance to redeem themselves! They're going to have just one chance to stop the skimmer before it speeds past them...hopefully without killing any of the prisoners onboard.

 

The three in town have 2 raiders to fight, both of which are in contact with Cheveyo. Wind is almost back in town, but will take another round or two to reach the other side of Rosemount. Lynx is also running through the desert, following his master. Kethyr and Ama however are facing dead on to the skimmer that just left Rosemount, in a standoff.

Things to note about the boat: It's full of prisoners, with raiders hanging off the side. It has a sail, and due to your connection with Ama you know there's something different about this ship, just like the last. You can just make out a little figure in a green robe, sustaining a spell with his hands. Luckily for you they can't make you out in the darkness just yet, but as they come closer they will...and a few of the raiders are carrying bows.

Hatter, you know I was expecting you to jump over the raiders and then onto the boat! But with a roll like that you're pretty much boned anyway.

[orangehatter]

"Rah!"

The sting of vicious metal clawed at his torso. Through the singeing pain, Cheveyo made out the skimmer explode into speed, heading out into the sand outside of town. With a cry of anguish, the warrior once again overcame him. "How could you?!" He cried in the tongue of the Maox as he let the closest bhuka before him feel the full wrath of his anger. A roundhouse and headbutt burst from his figure, followed by a wild slash of his blade. As his claw sped through the air, another cry rang out from deep within.

I failed them!

[chaosaccountant]

Focusing all his energy on movement, wind barreled through the air. There was something unnatural in these currants, and he had no intention of letting someone willing to disturb the waste so go unpunished.

ooc How localised is the effect that's pushing the skimmer forward? Would it be possible for wind to 'ride' the effect, enough to catch with it? And could I use the same trick (I have gust on wind prepared) should we 'aquire' a sandskimmer of our own? Also, I asked the lynx to tail the bhuku, not follow me...

[tilbert]

Gasping for air Taharqua arrives at the eastern side of Rosemount, as he sees the tall stonemason ferociously fighting the two remaining Bhuku. The silhouette of the sandskimmer quickly becomes smaller.
Then he notices the blood running down Cheveyo's chest. I've got to end that quickly Taharqua thinks and remembering the Bhuku on the other side of the town he raises his voice in a commanding tone. "It's over. Your friends have abandoned you. Surrender and you'll live to see sun rise another day."

ooc intimidate: 19

[Avelestar]

OOC: The force of air is directed straight at the sails, or used to create a sort of slipstream around the boat, as such there is no updraft to ride. You could hop into the slipstream behind them, but you'll get shot at lots . Sorry about Lynx, must have misread your crypticness...I thought you had decided to name it, and it was called Tail

[Silk]

The deserted streets of this part of the town seemed surreal to Emeria as she ran toward the sound of fighting and the flickering light of fires. Chevyo had quickly out ran her and Taharqua and the Asheratis must have taken a different route as Emeria found herself running alone. But not for long. The pad of Puma feet on sand announced the presence of her feline companion. It has been only a few months since Purja started following her on her journeys. But since that day Emeria has come to value and enjoy her friends presence. The loss of her clan however has caused her to protect Purja more than necessary by having him to stay out of her fights. For his part Purja obeys only when he feels like it or partly, like tonight. He stayed out of the first fight as she wanted and now has joined her to fight in a different fight. Giving in, Emeria nods at her companion as they come out from behind a house and enter the seen of carnage.

Pausing only briefly she takes note of tracks the absent sandskimmers left behind before spotting the two raider engaged in combat with Chevyo. Taking a risk to end the fight sooner Emeria transferred the hilt of her scimitar to her left hand and reached up to pull one of the darts free of the small bandoleer tied to her upper arm. With a quick practiced motion she pulled back and threw the weapon at the Bhuka that Chebyo was not savaging. The Puma at her side had not paused to look around and it worked out so the dart and puma teeth struck the raider at the same time. Suddenly realizing what Taharqua was trying to do, Emeria shrugged in apology at the Asheratis.

[Eviltedzies]

The scene playing out before Kethyr, his mind was drawn into focus. A bead of sweat gently dripped from his chin as he ran through the possible methods of attack. "If we charge them head on they will have time to manuever and possible evade us. If Ama and I seperate there is no telling whether they'll even stop for one lone armored figure. If they have a caster onboard I need to take him out, but getting that close will prove difficult." Ama leaned her head back and shook it slowly, a sign Kethyr felt was meant to calm him. "I know girl... I know but we only have one shot at this."

"Dam... it looks like no matter what we do its going to have to be the hard way girl. Alright....you try to slow em down and I'll see about catching a ride on the ship." For a split moment Kethyr paused and give a silent prayer to Ka-Men. "May your sands see my actions through and your wind guide my path." Kicking with both feet, Kethyr urged Ama forward. "Ya girl ya! Lets give em a joust they'll never forget!" As if in agreement Ama let loose a growl and began to slither forward at a great pace, heading dead on for the sandskimmer.

As the distance between them closed, Kethyr eyed the sails eagerly, noting the size and location of the mast. "If I can take out that sail they'll be dead in the sand. Or at least slow them down long enough for Ama and I to intercept them again. I just hope this works for the prisoners sake." Lowering his body to narrow his profile, Kethyr gave Ama a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry girl... even if this doesn't work we'll both just be very soar in the morning." Kethyr maintains a collision course with the skimmer, hoping that they'll think he would never endanger the prisoners and continue forward. As collision seems iminent, Kethyr's heart races and the seconds seem to last for hours. "Ready.... set..... NOW!"

Without warning, Ama gave a heave upwards with her head. Kethyr tensed his muscle and prayed he would have the strength to make the jump. Pushing off with all his might Kethyr used their forward momentum and Ama's jerk to leap off her back, lance in hand, and aiming himself and his weapon for the large sail mere feet before him. "Oh I really hope I don't hit the mast on accident."

In synch with Kethyr, Ama gives out a massive roar as she tenses her body for imapct, attempting to meet sandskimmer head on and hault its progress with her sheer strength.

Actions Ok.. before I say anything else.... this has got to be on of the craziest things I have ever done in an online DnD game. If it actually works... it will also be one of my most entertaining accomplishments. But I digress... Ama is bull rushing the sandskimmer in hopes of slowing it down. Kethyr is using the momentum of Ama's charge to jump off her and try to skewer the sails with his lance. Obviously Kethyr is trying to NOT hit the large mast in the center of the ship as that would hurt..... ALOT! Rolls Here are the link to my rolls Kethyr's Acrobatics check: 7 Kethyr's Attack on the Sails: 28 Damage: 8 Amarah's Bull rush check: 32 Kethyr's Ride Check for Mounted Combat: 26 (In case a raider tries to shoot Ama)

[chaosaccountant]

ooc I'm going to admit to being a little confused as to how many sand-skimmers we're dealing with right now, and where they all are relative to the village. Is it three active, plus one brought down and one destroyed? I'll post as soon as I know what's going on, but for the time being I'm likely to be flying at any skimmer that isn't getting away at ludicrus speed - probably staying too high to be clearly visible.

[Avelestar]

The two raiders in eyesight are torn to pieces. The first by a rather angry Cheveyo, letting loose the pain of failing the townsfolk and of his wounds. The second turns to face the sandshaper, taking head of his words and realising that the sand skimmers have already left. His knees tremble and he turns to run, but not before the hellcats Emeria and Purja can cut him down. Their blood mixes on the sand with that of many others, including Cheveyo. Though breathing heavily, the warrior is not injured seriously enough to slow him down and still seems fine to move on. On foot their was no way to catch the skimmers that have already left, a job that now falls to Kethyr and the beast Ama, which leaves the trio with only one possible course of action. They must search the area for anymore raiders, or try and put out the fires anyway they can.

Though they would notice that the screams slowly died down into sobs and cries, and already men were forming chains to stall the fires. Homes already alight were left to burn, it would take too much water to put them out, instead the volunteers concentrate on ensuring the fires don't spread to other buildings, a pair of elderly clerics sitting nearby desperately praying and conjuring water as fast as they can. But the sight of something far more ominous caught the eye of Cheveyo, Emeria and Taharqua. Painted in blood on the side of a large building, the corpses of a large family lying nearby, was a message in common.

BACK TOMORROW NIGHT! LOVE AND KISSES ULEK!

Meanwhile out in the desert, an extremely reckless, dangerous but alltogether noble and necessary scene was unfolding. Kethyr and Ama charge headlong towards the escaping skimmer, hidden by the darkness until there's only a scant few seconds until all hell breaks loose. Time slows down, Ama rearing up backwards with a mighty roar whilst her master leapt forth from the saddle. Arrows litter the air, but none can hit the dragoon as he soars through the air and then plink harmlessly off the sandworm's thick hide. Too late Kethyr realises his error as the skimmer zips past to his right, and the last thing to go through his mind before he hits the ground is a simple Well I hope it's drum sand. Luckily for the dragoon, it is and he finds himself quickly buried in a large patch of soft sand, though the speed at which he hit still batters him around, very likely causing a number of large bruises under his armour. (5 points of lethal damage, 5 points non-lethal)

The huge ashworm Ama fared better, though ultimately failing in her task. Instead of causing the sandskimmer to come to a stop, it manages to swerve to one side at the last moment. But with a quick lash of a tail, one corner of the skimmer is slammed down heavily into the earth, prisoners and crew alike bouncing off the boat, landing in another patch of soft sand close to Kethyr. A lone torch stays lit, somehow not extinguished when its owner hit the sand, and the area it illuminates shows a single raider with a broken bow and dozens of cuts and scrapes, along with a couple of other shapes unmoving in the sands. Whilst dragoon tried to pull himself free from the sand, Ama wheeled about, meaning to continue her attack on the skimmer...or at least the raider left in its wake.

High in the sky, Wind flies straight towards the strange shapes in the darkness he can see, whilst Lynx sends back a single feeling, one of pride. It seems likely the beast is managing to follow the raiders with ease, or has found an important piece of information.

OOC: Kethyr got 1d6 of the damage as non-lethal due to landing in soft sand! Move action to stand, but Ama can act as normal this round. The raider you collided with is rapidly fleeing, and although not in a very straight line it's now hopeless to chase it. Wind can make it to where Kethyr is with another round of flying, though he won't need much help killing a single raider he could aid any prisoners that might have also been thrown off. (or use his darkvision to look for unmoving shapes, they might be unconscious) Cheveyo, Taharqua and Emeria can do what they wish, be it help townsfolk, search the bodies, talk to the mayor etc. Kethyr, Ama and Wind shouldn't take too much longer now. Oh and a warning, the tracks of the skimmers won't last too long...come the morning winds they will likely be gone.