Trick or Treat: Pothy makes a Friend
Log Info
- Title: Trick or Treat: Pothy makes a Friend.
- Emitter: Cryosanthia
- Characters: Culix, Katsuro, Ravenstongue, Vaera
- Place: A07: Lower Alexandria Market District
- Time: Saturday, October 16, 2021, 3:16 PM
- Summary: It's raining, a dreary day in the lower market. Commerce continues undaunted, coins will be exchanged for goods. Various shoppers wander, a lumpy looking sith'makar, a more normal one. By one road, a Xian man dances for coin but doesn't earn many. A gobbo is on the prowl and Ravenstongue is taking Pothy shopping. Unexpectedly, something that is not a cat skitters out of the sewers. It is followed by a large, man sized rotting raven which immediately attacks Culix. Guards are called for, but won't arrive in time, leaving it up to the nearby adventurers. Vaera blasts the flapping monstrosity with her Thunderbelcher as people stop and stare. It attacks her. Shoppers continue to gawk until the adventurers tell them to run. It takes some time to get them all moving into cover. Vaera's gun jams, and a slow moving fool is clawed nearly to death. Finally Katsuro and Culix injure the bird enough... that it explodes into more, smaller, undead birds. The corpses of birds which have been littering the square come to life as well. The swarm starts to overwhelm the adventurers, who keep pumping shots into it, finally chasing it back into the sewers. A very large squirrel pops out and runs off.
-=--=--=--=--=--=<* A07: Lower Alexandria Market District *>-=--=--=--=--=--=-
Just west of the Northern Highbridge and east of the arena, commerce blooms. Noisy and bustling, most anything may be purchased here for a price. Vendors from all cultures sell their wares from exotically colored carts, and the smells of different nations and far-off city-states mix with local ones from Alexandria and its riverbanks.
For all its commerce, visitors are advised to keep hold of their purses. Even the merchants possess a certain, cunning look. Most are positioned at carts or stalls as opposed to a formal storefront, with trade here being mobile, and visiting from all parts of the world.
Though the quality of goods suffers here compared to Upper Alexandria, the options are more diverse. Too, the oversight of the Watch is slightly less, and during times events are held at the Arena, chaos abounds. After dark, the square becomes a hangout for bards and other entrepreneurs whose business is best conducted by night; the shadows at the edges of the square often contain furtive figures engaging in their own brand of business.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing, in Order =-=-=-= Culix 3'2" 36 Lb Goblin Female Beady-eyed goblin female in leathers and hood. Katsuro 5'4" 160 Lb Human Male A small but sturdy Xian man, young and keen-looking. Ravenstongue 5'0" 99 Lb Half-Elf Female Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair. Vaera 7'0" 262 Lb Sith-Makar Female A tall, dark red Makari with a wooden leg. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Cryosanthia 6'9" 291 Lb Sith-Makar Female A dashingly tall, elegant white-scaled lizard woman. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
It's a chilly, grey day. Bleak and rainy, a biting wind blows in from the east, bringing with it the lofty airs of the upper Alexandria, the Castellum and her noble inhabitants.
Which is to say, the wind stinks.
It breaks and founders against the many smells of the market. Fish, fowl, poultry, meat, spices, mead and many bodies, some in need of a wash, is the bulkwark of the great masses. This is their market space.
Vendors tout, the rain comes down, individual and families are doing their shopping. It's crowded and also disperse. At the centre of the square, a lumpy looking Sith'Makar in a trenchcoat has stopped. A sewer access cover has tripped them up, catching a toe-claw. Commerce continues un-abated.
"Granny Gurglegut's Fish on a Stick! Guaranteed fresh today. It's not left over from last night."
"Free masks! Discover your inner witch and stick her on your face."
The lower markets are where Culix spends much of her time, and today is no exception. They bleak grey light doesn't bother her- it's easier on the eyes than proper sunlight, but the chill does. As such, her hooded cloak is drawn up tightly under her chin, and she keeps her hands inside the protective layer of cloth and away from the frigid air.
That is, of course, until she reaches a vendor selling fish-kabobs. She hands over a few coppers and takes the proffered fish-onna-stick.
The fish-onna-stick is freshly fried, dripping hot grease down the stick. It's well done, it even has baked eyes!
Katsuro is here on the street, a small hat before him, with a couple coppers in it. He's doing some sort of Xian dance that is ... well, it's a dance. It's a bit too exotic to be familiar to most Alaxandrians, so most of them ignore him. Every once in a great while, someone tosses a copper into his hat, either out of some sort of exotic interest, or sheer pity.
GAME: Katsuro rolls perform/dance: (5)+6: 11
Well it's exotic, but not in that way. It's an entirely lackluster performance.
A certain pale raven catches a very important word on the wind. "Fish." Fish is a /food/ word, and is therefore of utmost importance. The sorceress Ravenstongue snaps her head up when Pothy flies off the bench to pursue this fish. She sighs deeply and closes her book, walking briskly behind Pothy. "Your breath is going to smell like fish, Pothy. Are you sure?" she asks, fishing in her bag for some coins.
Pothy looks up at the fishy sticks with bright and shiny blue eyes, pleading for them. Every morsel of food is the most important thing Pothy's ever seen before, and this is certainly no exception. "Snacks!" he says, puffing out his feathers to put emphasis on his desire for the fish on a stick. At this point, Ravenstongue has the coins out ready to pay for the fishy treat, palm held out.
Vaera was in the market that day after having stopped by the trade district for several commissions she needed to pick up, and this lead easily to stopping by the lower markets for more mundane things. She was mostly checking the various grocers, butchers and fishmongers. She had her coat pulled tightly around her, and she pauses to look at the similarly clothed sith-makar tripped up, and a singular brow raises.
The goblin vendors, Granny Gurgleguts and grandson apparently, are more than happy to offer fried Fish-on-a-Stick up to Pothy. The grandson holds up five, saying eagerly, "Here! Try! You bite you buy!"
"We have other things on sticks. Rats. Lizard. Mystery meat. Stick bugs! All double fried in healthy pigfat with a sugar-crumb coating."
The lumpy 'sith'makar' in a trenchcoat has caught their balance. "Excuse me fellow human," they say to Vaera without looking in her direction.
There's a scraping noise, the sewer cover pops up. The sewers are backing up! A stinking pile of solid waste knocks the lid aside. It clatters on the cobbles.
What appears to be an immense fat-berg turns out to be actually very small. It's a cat-sized Otyough, that plops out and skitter-splatters across the square punching above its weight in reek, but other than assailing senses, doesn't appear to be hostile.
The immense, rotting, raven's head that pops out immediately following it. Now, that appears hostile.
'CAAAWWWW!'
<OOC> Culix says, "Can I make a knowledge check to figure out what it is? I have most knowledges..." <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "sure, k/nature or k/religion or k/dungeoneering DC15 k/local DC25 would give you info" GAME: Culix rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Knowledge/Nature: (16)+7: 23 <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "it is raining, so the cobbles are wet. There is a DC5 Acrobatics to run on them." GAME: Katsuro rolls acrobatics: (19)+9: 28 GAME: Katsuro rolls stealth-10: (15)+9+-10: 14 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+10: (4)+10: 14 (Murder Crow perception)
Katsuro will dart closer at the sign of trouble. This is Alexandria, there's always trouble, so he tugs up his scarf to cover his face, and zips through the crowd toward the sign of monsters coming up from the sewers. Must be Tariday. He'll try not to be /too/ obvious, but there's not much cover, so he'll just have to hope the others distract it, if he wants to catch it by surprise.
GAME: Vaera rolls knowledge/nature: (17)+5: 22 <OOC> Vaera says, "And pull out my dragonspitter with move action to shoot it" GAME: Vaera rolls weapon2: (5)+6: 11 (-2 Deadly aim, +1 PBS) GAME: Vaera rolls intimidate: (8)+5: 13
Vaera looks to the sewer cover when is seems to shift, and she duck out of the way when the creature seems to pop it's head out. She reaches into her coat and pulls out the dragonspitter she had just made, flicking a switch on the side and firing at the undead raven with a crack that rings through the market square.
"Get the hell away from that thing! It's not going to stop till you or it is dead, and you don't want to be next to it when it dies. Thing might explode." She shouts, scaring a few nearby people to take off while she focuses on the creature.
<OOC> Culix says, "I'll duck behind the market stall to establish stealth," <OOC> Culix says, "then keep moving towards the murder-raven." <OOC> Culix says, "Draw my dagger as I move, and then attempt a stealth attack." <OOC> Culix has the Fast Stealth talent. GAME: Culix rolls stealth: (17)+15: 32 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+12: (15)+12: 27 (Murder Crow perception) GAME: Culix rolls weapon3: (7)+8: 15 GAME: Culix rolls damage3: aliased to 1d4+0: (1)+0: 1 GAME: Culix rolls 2d6: (6): 6
Culix brings the deliciously greasy fish-onna-stick up to her mouth, opening her maw wide and is about to take a bite when the stench of the sewers floods her senses. She gags and sputters, and then frowns. "Suddenly lost my appetite..." she complains, turning to see what's going on. On spying the... thing... coming out of the sewer she balks, dropping her fish onna stick onto the cobbles.
She ducks through the stall she had just made her purchase from, pulling her hood against her as she creeps out from behind it. She dashes towards the creature, tugging a dagger free from her belt as she swoops towards it, she reaches out, reverses the grip on her dagger, and plunges it into the beast's rotting eye socket.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Murder Raven pecks at Culix then flies up, Culix gets an AOO as it takes off" GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+7: (7)+7: 14 GAME: Culix rolls weapon3: (17)+8: 25 (AOO) GAME: Culix rolls damage3: aliased to 1d4+0: (2)+0: 2
The bird forces itself upwards.
It's massive, the size of a person, with blind eyes. One that matches the grey sky and stares directly at Katsuro as he runs up. It does not see the goblin, charging it from the fish stand. The gobbo's blade opens a gash that leaks sewer water and maggots.
It continues its flight for freedom, pecking at her as it launches into the air. A choking draft washes down from it's wings, greasy feathers falling and sticking to the ground.
Somehow the monstrousity takes to the air, earning a gash on it's talon.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Pothy realizes... it's going for his food!" <OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Nobody gets between Pothy and his food except for Ravenstongue" GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20-2: (4)+-2: 2 (Pothy Intimidate) <OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Ravenstongue, meanwhile, is going to get the heck out and cast Mage Armor on herself. Pothy will follow." GAME: Ravenstongue casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 2 DC: 15
Who the hell is that, Pothy wonders? What kinda moldy looking raven is that? Disgusting! An affront to all of ravenkind! And he's taking the fishie!!! "MERP! MERP! MERP! MERP!" Pothy screams at the top of his avian lungs... but the undead raven is unmoved by anything he has to say.
"Pothy, you birdbrain! Let's get away!" Ravenstongue says with a rebuke, scooping up Pothy and casting a protective spell on herself to (hopefully) make herself harder to hit. She runs off, not the type to be directly in the line of fire.
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+1: (19)+1: 20 (Fleeing shoppers Acro vs DC5) GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+1: (5)+1: 6 (Fleeing shoppers Acro vs DC5) GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+1: (19)+1: 20 (Fleeing shoppers Acro vs DC5)
"Yesss fellow human, we are running away." The lumpy makari in the trenchcoat says, wobbling off with an awkward gait.
Two shoppers and the closest vendor to Vaera also decide that's a great idea. They run, one with great agility, the other slipping, but both getting some distance.
The nearest vendor is Granny Gurgleguts and Grandson, and they decide that the route Ravenstongue takes is the best way to go too. Perhaps Pothy will be happy that the food is coming to him. In any event, the two goblins clatter after the sorceress with their stand in tow.
The other shoppers however, seem to have turned into spectators.
"Should we run? They're adventurers! Aren't they going to kill us all?"
"Nah, that's Noble propaganda. They're fine. Besides, those things always go after the adventurers first. Watch. WOOO HOOO! OVER HERE BIRDY!"
GAME: Katsuro rolls 1d20+5-6: (8)+5+-6: 7
Katsuro continues hustling to get after that thing. Crawling up from the sewers has got to be bad. And if it didn't want to be attacked, it wouldn't run away, right? He palms a small metal device from inside his coat and hucks it into the air, where it sails up and away out of sight. It comes down into someone's washing several streets away and pins it to the shutter.
GAME: Vaera rolls intimidate: (13)+5: 18 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+7: (20)+7: 27 (THREAT) GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+7: (12)+7: 19 (Confirmed) GAME: Vaera rolls 4d12+20: (23)+20: 43
Vaera looks around, and those closest to the creature seem to have fled, which is good. But the rest of the crowd seemed in no particular rush to take off. The red makari growls, dropping the dragonspitter she took out to swap for the small block in her coat, which she flicks open on a hinge and secures with a latch, a whirring of artifice driven gears causing the stock and barrel to extend to a full sized dragonspitter. She ducks closer to the creature and braces the thunderbelcher, taking aim before there is another crack echoing in the markets, and a flash of blue light as the projectile rips through the chest of the undead creature, causing maggots and other unpleasant bits to rain down on the makari.
"Do not just stand there, this thing will explode when it dies most likely! If you stay here, the adventuring guild is not responsible for your deaths, and I am already doing what I can to prevent that." She growls to the bystanders.
Culix staggers back, retching again at the smell of the beast as it takes off. "What in the hells is this thing?" she calls out to Vaera, flailing her dagger back and forth to fend off thee pecks, before slicing at the beast once more. As it takes flight, she drops her dagger- the thoroughly soiled weapon clattering against the cobbles and then sweeps open her cloak, revealing a crossbow within. She pulls it free, and then fishes a quarrel from a quiver likewise at her belt. She slots the quarrel into place and then braces the crossbow against her shoulder as she winds back the string.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Vaera, you got it's attention so it swoops and flyby attacks you, moves on and pulls up a little bit." GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20: (17): 17 (Murder Crow Fly) GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+7: (9)+7: 16 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+7: (19)+7: 26 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d4+1: (4)+1: 5
It's a purple rain.
A grey and green one also. Wiggly bits blown out of the body of the giant raven. There is the solid plop of smaller, undead birds, as if it had eaten a flock of them. Those too are bloated with grey eyes, and burst with unpleasant ichor like awful water balloons.
The beast screeches and wheels over, dropping in a dive that carries it past the redscaled sith'makar. It's rotting talons lash out, raking for her face. One rips across her snout, the other misses. It glides on, climbing at the end of its run.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Diplomacy: (8)+4: 12 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20-2: (15)+-2: 13 (Pothy Intimidate) <OOC> Ravenstongue says, "LMAO POTHY IS MORE PERSUASIVE THAN RAVEN"
Ravenstongue looks conflicted about what to do for a moment, her eyes looking around. "Umm..." She looks at Pothy on her shoulder, who nods at her. Ravenstongue clenches her hand in a fist and nods back. She looks to the crowd of shoppers and yells at a surprising volume for the small half-sil girl to manage: "Please! It's not safe, don't stay here! Go home! We have it taken care of, but we don't want anyone to get hurt!"
Pothy joins in the chorus, repeating her words at shoppers who look hesitant. Whether out of fear of the raven turning undead like the murder-raven over yonder, or his presence summoning the murder-raven over to him, it seems to work.
More shoppers start fleeing. Some quickly, others carefully navigating the wet streets. The centre of the square is clearing out.
But not entirely, "Haa! See, I told you. It went straight for that red belcherman! We're totally safe. BIRDY OVER HERE!"
"No, don't!"
The lumpy Makari is heading straight for an alleyway. The Grans with their fry-stall rush past Ravenstongue. A Fish-onna-Stick is flung towards Pothy, "Thanks for your service!"
GAME: Katsuro rolls 1d20+5-2: (19)+5+-2: 22 GAME: Katsuro rolls 1d2+3: (1)+3: 4
Katsuro continues running, hampered by not being able to fly, himself. He's a melee fighter by preference, but as he palms another metal device, he demonstrates that he's no shrinking violet. The tiny device doesn't hit particularly hard, but he did get his shoulder behind it, and fluid spurts out for a moment.
GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL) <OOC> Vaera says, "Jammed" GAME: Vaera rolls intimidate: (18)+5: 23
Vaera grunts as the undead bird claws at her face, and the red makari takes a moment to wipe the blood and grime out of her eyes, before she is chasing after the flying creature, skidding to a halt on the slick ground to shoulder the thunderbelcher again. The side is opened, and another jagged looking projectile is pulled out of a loop on her belt. But some of the slime and other unpleasant liquids had gotten in with the round, and there is an unpleasant grinding from the weapon.
"Charn piece of garbage..." She growls to herself, taking a look at the weapon, and finding the cajoling bystanders still around.
"See this thunderbelcher? The thing I'm using to keep your head on your shoulders still? It's not working now, so if you still want to keep it that way, you'll need to do that yourself." She shouts back to the person.
<OOC> Culix says, "I'll shoot at it with my light crossbow, then move action to reload." GAME: Culix rolls weapon19: (20)+9: 29 (THREAT) GAME: Culix rolls weapon19: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Culix rolls damage19: aliased to 1d10+0: (4)+0: 4
Culix ducks the rain of maggots and other splatter, her cloak protecting her from the worst of it. She shudders at the squelching noises all around and then turns back towards the remnants of the rotten bird-thing continue to fly away. She lifts up her crossbow, and squeezes off a bolt. The bolt sails through the air, sinking deep into the rotting beast with a satisfying soft thud.
She promptly plucks another bolt from her quiver and slots it into the crossbow, sliding back the string once more until it clicks.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Okay. So, it charges the shopper that was taunting it," <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "clawing as it flies by and pulls up a little, but it's much closer to the ground now." GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+7: (9)+7: 16 <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "actually it's on the ground with that first roll and doesn't get as far." GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d4+1: (2)+1: 3
The rotting raven is hit, and hit again. The shuriken and bolt sinking in. The bolt almost hitting its brain. The angle was wrong, it ends up sticking into the eye socket.
Droplets of sticky fluid spray in all directions as it wheels again and dives. It heads straight for the shopper that was taunting it. Perhaps the bolt confused it, and that became an attacker.
Talons spread, claws ready to rake, it is missing too many feathers, flies too low and swipes the cobblestones. Although its second rake is enough to open a horrible chest wound, causing the hapless spectator to fall and gasp.
The rotting bird is hopping on the ground, each bob shaking more maggots free as it peers about with it's remaining eye.
An eye that fixes on Pothy. The next target is chosen.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Okay. If your move is 30', it is further away than 60', so you can't get within 30'. <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "You could regular move, then ready your standard for 'if it flies at me, Ray of Frost' it," <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "held action kind of thing." <OOC> Ravenstongue nods, makes sense! Pothy will use his darling meat shield, err, master, to take the blow. GAME: Ravenstongue rolls diplomacy: (19)+4: 23 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20-2: (12)+-2: 10 (Pothy Intimidate)
Ravenstongue gasps as she notices the man getting hurt by the murder-raven. She runs forward without even thinking about it, stuffing Pothy in the hood of her capelet for his own safety. She prepares a frosty bit of magic, waiting for the murder-raven to get within range. "*Please!* We don't want anyone else to get hurt! *Leave!* she yells to the crowd. Pothy chimes in with croaks of his own, but it's more of a protest at being stuffed into the deep hood of Raven's capelet than anything.
"Ahhhh!" The mauled shopper screams, falling to the ground and clenching the wounds. Vaera's warning was heard too late, if at all. "Why did no one warn me?"
A lot of the spectators start running. The shouted warnings, the seeming invulnerability of the flying corpse, it's incredible range. The realization that they're all in danger sinks in.
Everyone is fleeing down the closest street or alley, or pushing their way into stores.
"Guards! Guards! Somebody get the guards!"
"They're minutes away fool, guarding the bridges or something. They'll never get here in time!"
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "30 NPCs home-free, 1 injured, 8 remaining leaving at regular move" <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "yes, within charge, DC5 acrobatics to make the charge, but go for it" GAME: Katsuro rolls acrobatics: (9)+9: 18 GAME: Katsuro rolls 1d20+7: (18)+7: 25 GAME: Katsuro rolls 1d6+3: (3)+3: 6 <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "that almost gets it, you slice the belly open and a lot of stuff falls out, but it's still going."
Katsuro takes advantage of the tactical situation, ie, it's on the ground now, and he pulls out a slender little sword as he dashes across the wet ground. His shoes must be made out of something special because he doesn't miss a step on the wet ground, crossing the intervening distance in a heartbeat and thrusting deep. He slices open the belly, and more stuff pours out. Yuck!
<OOC> Vaera says, "Moving to 15, 15, and readying an action to fire if it moves around halfway to ravenstongue" <OOC> Vaera says, "With a composite longbow, dropping the thunderbelcher, no deadly aim"
Vaera chuffs when she sees the creature going for the man who was egging the undead bird on, and they are struck down. Dropping the temporarily jammed thunderbelcher, she runs closer, looking to those who had stopped to fight as well. "That thing will kill him if it explodes next to him, but he still probably needs aid." She shouts to them, pulling off her longbow, and one of the silver arrows she had bought prior. "Get it when it goes for the half-elf. Trust me on this, please."
"You all are dumb as a sack of rocks and half as useful!" Culix shouts out to the gawkers who still remain. "Leave or die. Aint that complicated!" she yells at the crowd, brandishing her loaded crossbow at them for a moment before training it back on the bird-thing. She's pretty sure she heard someone say it's likely to explode when it dies, so she has no intention of getting any closer. She waits, hoping it'll move away from folks, as she lines up her shot.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Okay, it charges" <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "and I think that gives Katsuro an AOO, and everyone else gets their readied actions" GAME: Katsuro rolls 1d20+5: (16)+5: 21 GAME: Katsuro rolls 1d6+3: (3)+3: 6 GAME: Culix rolls weapon3: (11)+9: 20 GAME: Culix rolls damage19: aliased to 1d10+0: (8)+0: 8 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+9: (6)+9: 15 <OOC> Vaera says, "I'd like to use my reroll" GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+9: (5)+9: 14 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged: (10)+3: 13
Vaera takes aim when the creature moves to strike, but she does not quite have a proper grip from the rain and slime, and the arrow goes wide, sailing past the undead bird to thud harmlessly into a sign hanging off a nearby shop.
As the creature starts charging towards Ravenstongue, Culix waits a half second before squeezing the trigger on her crossbow. She leads the target by a couple of feet, which is just enough for the crossbow bolt to sink into its fleshy form as it collapses. She huffs then, and lowers her crossbow- though she doesn't get any closer to the thing in case it does blow up.
Katsuro is pretty quick, but he's run away from his hatfull of coins, which are almost certainly gone by now. But the Guild is said to pay pretty well when citizens gang up and kill strange things, and this seemed to fit the bill. When it tries to charge, Katsuro slashes it once more, and this time it stops moving, though it's hard to say if it was his sword or the crossbow bolt transfixing it. He smiles, regardless, though this is not obvious because he'd pulled his cowl up earlier.
Ravenstongue shuts her eyes tightly as she sees it's coming straight for her and Pothy. She lets loose the ice shard and it goes completely wide, landing harmlessly on the ground and shattering into tiny shards that rapidly melt and disappear. "Work on yer aim, lass!" Pothy says from within Ravenstongue's hood, imitating a thick dwarven accent. Ravenstongue simply blows a raspberry back at him, looking back at the corpse-twice-over now that it's done by the others' actions.
With a horrid screech the giant raven launches itself towards Ravenstongue.
Only to be cut down, shot down. Its body lurches in flight and then lands on the wet street and slides, leaving an ugly black trail. It expires unnaturally.
It is splayed on the ground like a spatch-cocked chicken, wings outstretched. It's remaining eye glows an unnatural green. It's feathers are sheathed in unnatural fire. The dead birds that fell out of its corpse around the square start to twitch.
The corpse of the giant raven explodes into a flurry of wings, a murder of much smaller ravens. Birds that are Pothy sized, and are joined by their scattered bretherin. Nothing remains of the giant raven but stains.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged: (9)+3: 12
Upon seeing the flurry of wings and ravens, Raven curses under her breath. "Why does it have to be ravens? I've been seeing too many recently as it is. Navos save me," she murmurs as she tries, and fails yet again, to throw another ray of frost at the wings.
"YER AIM. LASS. WORK ON IT," Pothy shouts again from Ravenstongue's hood. Ravenstongue just rolls her eyes and groans.
Everyone is leaving. The casual shoppers have already left; the merchants are taking a little longer, packing up their stalls. 'Packing' being primarily grabbing their money-box and the higher value items, or dragging the whole thing.
They are set up near stores, and alleys and streets are abundant. They get to safety, and peer through windows.
The sudden swarm of smaller undead birds isn't something they want to be caught in.
<OOC> Katsuro says, "Can I drag off the NPC withhout it drawing an AoO?"
Katsuro can't fight a swarm with his tiny sword. Anyhow, there's a person in danger! That's another good payday, from the Guild, and so he will scoop up the person and hustle them back and away before the swarm of ravens can decide to do anything about them.
<OOC> Vaera says, "Okay, one more shot at the flock of crows with a silver arrow" GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+9: (7)+9: 16 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d8+2: (2)+2: 4
Vaera wipes off her bow to re grip it, and seeing Katsuro dragging off the injured person, she turns her attention back to the ravens exploding from the larger one. She draws back her bow, and lets loose an arrow, piercing several of the undead creatures and causing them to fall to the ground.
GAME: Culix rolls weapon19: (2)+9: 11
Culix had expected an explosion, maybe a burst of guts and gore. Not an explosion of... more birds. She is so startled by this development, she reaches for her bolts and plucks one out, hurrying to load it into the crossbow. In her haste, she fails to properly set the string of the crossbow in its groove, and as she lifts it to take aim it goes off prematurely- the bolt hits the cobbles less than halfway between her and her target and skitters along the ground, while Culix swears under her breath.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "1 Ravenstongue, 2 Culix, 3 Vaera, 4 Katsuro" GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d4: (3): 3 <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Vaera you get an AOO as the swarm moves into your space, if you have a melee weapon" GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 2d6: (7): 7 <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "okay, DC13 Reflex save" GAME: Vaera rolls reflex: (20)+8: 28 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)
Silver. Shiny!
Pointy! Painfull!
The redscale gets the attention of the murder of crows, and it swarms towards her, surrounding the sith. Tiny claws, flapping wings, the splatter of rotting body juice.
<OOC> Ravenstongue hmms. Just throwing more ray of frost at birbs. (Yes this is the only offensive spell I have) GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged: (14)+3: 17 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d4: (2): 2 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (2)+4: 6
Ravenstongue isn't very good at actually blasting things. But by Navos, does she try. She /finally/ is successful at hitting the birds with her little ice spell, and Pothy cheers for her.
People crowd the windows of the permanent shops. Shopkeepers are locking their doors. Some places are putting shutters down.
Everyone has fled, except for the lone injured shopper, who is with Katsuro. Who complains, "Ow... ow... ow... ow."
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "K/nature DC20, or k/dungeoneering DC15" GAME: Katsuro rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: Trained Use Only: 0 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Knowledge/Nature: (7)+7: 14 GAME: Vaera rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (13)+5: 18 GAME: Culix rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL)
Slashing and Stabbing isn't going to hurt this swarm much. The birds need to be crushed.
The injured man would likely die if the swarm attacked him. It isn't likely to while other things are moving in the square, but the number of targets has decreased dramatically.
Katsuro looks back over his shoulder as he hustles the injured person out of there. He'd like to go back and help, but this person's kind of in danger, and it would go badly if they swarmed him. So, he hustles him up to a door, and pounds on it with a fist. The people watching from the window, one of them, anyhow, slips back to open the door, and Katsuro will pass the fellow through, so he can get back into the fight.
<OOC> Vaera says, "dropping the longbow And swapping to a warhammer" GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+5: (4)+5: 9
Vaera shields her eyes from the flock of undead, and steps back, swiping at the birds with a hand. Then they look to the creatures and wave to the others. "Don't use swords and spears if you have them, bludgeoning works best!" She shouts, pulling out a warhammer from beneath her coat and swinging, but only managing to carve a path of air through the flock.
GAME: Culix rolls weapon19: (14)+9: 23 GAME: Culix rolls damage19: aliased to 1d10+0: (5)+0: 5
Culix huffs after her failed strike, and she fetches a fresh bolt from her quiver. She slots it in, draws it back, and then levels the crossbow on the swarm. She tuts, "Would be nice, if I had something less pointy." she replies to Vaera, and looses the bolt into the swarm.
GAME: Vaera uses an AoO! 0 remaining. GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+5: (18)+5: 23 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d8+1: (3)+1: 4 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 2d6: (9): 9 <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "DC13 Reflex Culix" GAME: Culix rolls reflex: (13)+8: 21
Cawing, squawking, coughing up maggots, the tiny ravens fly in a gory cloud back towards the centre of the square. Several are swatted to the ground, beaten by the redscale's warhammer.
The remainder claw at the gobbo and circle the drain.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Okay, so it is going down the hole on it's next turn." <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Culix you get an AOO if you have a melee weapon out," <OOC> Cryosanthia says, "everyone who wants to attack it can also, so roll. Rolling for Vaera since she asked me to" GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d20+5: (17)+5: 22 (Vaera Attack) GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d8+1: (2)+1: 3 (Vaera Damage) GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged: (4)+3: 7 GAME: Culix rolls melee: (12)+4: 16 GAME: Culix rolls 1d4: (2): 2
Culix's arms come up to try and shield her face from the cawing, clawing undead birds as they swarm over her. She takes a step back, flailing her crossbow back and forth- and swatting some of them clear out of the air as she does so, even if her movements are haphazard and the weapon not designed for bludgeoning.
Ravenstongue tries, and whiffs once again, on another ice spell targeting the flock. She just shakes her head, clearly frustrated with herself.
Slinging her warhammer over her shoulder, the redscale steps in and brings it down. More birds are crushed, popped like wineskins.
There's still so many.
Katsuro has passed the injured fellow to safety in the house, he will now run /back/ to where the group is fighting the swarm. He's got his sword out, for what good that will do. He heard someone call for blunt weapons, but he hasn't got any.
Tiny corpses are everywhere, splattered and shattered. The mess of undead birds swirl around, circling, then each one flies down into the sewer access. It's like a tornado of pus and feathers spinning out of sight.
When the last set of sick wings vanishes something unexpected happens. A truly immense squirrel, easily Culix's size, pops out of the hole. First, it grabs for the cover, then it seems to notice it is surrounded. It chitters in alarm at the gobbo, more at the sith'makar and the approaching human, and turns to flee.
Combatty
Final score 38 NPCs saved, 1 injured and saved
Map
https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=me86bty65lu
===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 =====================
---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
23 Katsuro 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds active)
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22 Vaera 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds active)
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17 Culix 1
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15 Murder-Raven
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9 Ravenstongue 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds active)
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8 Crowds
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| Name | Race | Class | CHP | HP | AC/FF/T |CMD |For |Ref |Wil |
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|Culix |GOBLIN |Rog | 26 | 28 |20/16/16 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
|Katsuro |HUMAN |Rog | -1 | 14 |16/12/14 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
|Ravenstong|HALF-ELF |Sor | 5 | 13 |12/10/12 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
|Vaera |SITH-MAKAR|Rgr | 27 | 37 |19/15/14 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
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