Journey to Enlightenment II IC

[Ridai]

Lynne

Lynne nods, trusting in Sails-with-the-Wind's decision. "Come back in one piece." After watching the two climb up the mast, she moves to a position a bit more out of sight while she watches over the ship.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Anastazia--

"Cut all but one," the captain replies. "Once you have that done, see about creating a distraction to get the guards moving. I'll rush whoever's left with my men and then we'll make a break for the ship. There should be some flame powder in the hold which would make for a great diversion. Just, please, don't burn my ship down."

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Please give me dex + stealth to board the ship, then tell me what you're doing next.

Sanguine, if you're back, I'll need some roll to get ready to free your men. Dex + Stealth would work, but so would Strength/Dexterity + Athletics to close the distance rapidly once the diversion goes off.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Sails With the Wind and Pius--

The two sailors carefully make their way up the slippery rocks to the forest edge above. They're able to gather water and food fairly easily, but after about twenty minutes there's a sudden interruption.

A loud sound of rocks falling catches their attention, and up above they see an old man in a black cloak hopping birdlike from rock to rock as he descends the cliff. He's being followed by two Realm soldiers, though there's no sign of the rest of their unit.

--Lynne--

Lynne is left alone with her thoughts and the ship. All is peaceful and quiet, and then Lynne notices a large black bird circling lazily over the ship. It spirals down to the ship and then lands on the rail. It's a raiton, small and undernourished. It must have come from the battlefield, but been unable to shoulder in past its fellows to get a decent meal.

[Sanguine]

Sitting, Aran waits till the precise moment the heads of the guards turn towards the distraction. Then when the moment comes he breaks into a dead sprint. A rush of excitement flows through him as he runs, the sea air blowing in his face. Aran wasn't hiding or skulking, if the distraction wasn't brilliant he would be in trouble. But that's what made it fun.

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Dex + Athletics channeling Valor

(8d10)[4][7][1][2][8][2][5][1](30)

Willpower: 8/9

Valor Channels: 2/3

[Ridai]

Lynne

Even though it's just for a short time, Lynne dislikes the notion of being alone. Alone with disjointed shards of memories, doubts and trains of thought. Having little else to do other than waiting for the men's return, she grows more and more nervous. The appearance of the lone bird is strange enough and it usually feeding on carrion doesn't help either. Still it presents a little opportunity to take her mind off her thoughts.

After watching the bird for a small while, Lynne checks the skies if it truly is alone and then heads below deck, only to return with a small bit of food, small enough not to really impact their reserves. Sitting down again, she throws the morsel onto the deck before the raiton and just watches. "Eat quickly."

[bkwormlisa]

Anastazia
Anastazia sneaks on board the ship, hoping that her inexperience with boats won't get her in trouble. Once she's on, she sneaks down to the hold. Cutting the ropes first might be easier, but if the flash power is hard to find, it could make them raise the alarm too early. But if she can find the flash powder, then cut the ropes, this might yet work.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--The Docks--

As Anastazia comes back up the stairs from the hold with the fire dust, a guard notices motion on the deck. He waves for a couple of his fellows to join him, and the three guardsmen start to head towards the deck.

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bkworm, I'll give you a post to decide how to respond before I write a response to Sanguine's rush.

--The Ocean Wind--

The bird hops down, picking at the bits of bread Lynne had scattered for it. As it finishes, it looks toward Lynne, the light gleaming off its black eye like it were some sort of gem. The image stirs a memory in her mind, light gleaming off a black opal swirling through a haze of people...

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Ridai, would you mind writing a short description of one of your memories, perhaps involving your rival?

[Ridai]

Lynne

Her could not be better from the balcony and the sight is glorious. It had started as a verbal confrontation on the plaza between father and son. "This will be the moment of my succession of you, father. You won't hinder me anymore and I will lead our family into a glorious future with Lynne at my side. I won't let you take advantage of her any longer." Those were the last of the son's words before his sword was unsheathed.

"Nonsense! Lynne is a proper lady and your lust shames not only you, but the whole family and her. I would never treat her as a concubine like you do and I will defend her honor if I have to!" The father shouted back and the fight quickly began, putting a blissful smile on Lynne's face, close enough to take in the fruits of her labour, but unseen by the men.

It had been easy to awake long-forgotten desires in the father when she first met him during a function, falling for her mere hours later and often inviting her into his home, ship and bed. The son was less of a challenge, but one sweetened by the fact that he had a proper Western fiancee prior to meeting Lynne. Although he scoffed at her at first, all it took was one bout of sparring to plant the seed of doubt. But where the father was convinced to be the one in charge, the son was consumed completely with desire for the exotic lady, the image (and smell and feel...) of her finding it's way into his every thought. Two very different perspectives, both convinced she truly loved only one of them and was the innocent victim of the other.

Excitement and arousal wash over Lynne. She had achieved new heights, successfully pitting father and son against one another with little effort. "She is mine!" The father raised his sword to finish his prone, bleeding son whimpering Lynne's name, the crowd around them appalled, yet intrigued, whispering and pointing and gossiping. Only then, the shocked wife stopped them. "Hello, Silk," Lynne whispers as she watches with amusement the climax of the scene.

The strong woman stands before her shattered family, his husband having openly fought his own flesh and blood for another woman, especially one so far away from the Western ideal. Her presence awoke intense guilt in both men, but Lynne had already poisoned them, both of them broken husks at this point. Satisfied, Lynne left the balcony, the last thing she clearly saw being Silk's face, that mixture of disbelief and fury and desperation. Another family would profit greatly from this display. It has been a while since the last time she had this much fun.

-----

Lynne finds herself lying on the deck of the Ocean Wind. Curled up in a fetal position, her mind was in chaos as confusion raged within, noticing tears and intense shivers. Frantically trying to regain her composure and sit up, a wave of arousal washes over her body, leading her to let out a small, helpless moan stemming from this, but also sheer terror. What just happened was just like her nightmares, but much more vivid, intense and real. And most unsettling of all, most familiar. What had been indirect discoveries through her journal and vague impressions in her sleep before now returned with a horrifying certainty. That other person, the other Lynne, is still inside her, still alive, indistinguishable from herself.

Unable to stand, Lynne sits with her legs close to her body, leaning against the wall, her eyes closed as she tries to calm down. Sails must not know of this.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Lynne--

"And why not?" Silk asks, her voice coming from the rails behind Lynne. "Do you think you will be able to keep your past from him forever? If he does not learn of it from you he will just hear it from another, perhaps one less sympathetic to your cause. Or is that what you want? Are you seeking to poison your relationship with your rescuer, to manipulate your own destruction as you manipulated that of so many others?"

[Ridai]

Lynne

Hearing the familiar voice, Lynne flinches hard, clutching her legs so hard her knuckles turn white. She doesn't turn around, unable to gather the courage, but the woman's image already appears in her head with parts of her barely recognizable while others appear crystal clear. A tall, muscular woman with a powerful build, blue hair reaching down to her neck and stern eyes of the same color. While other details become a blur, another part of Lynne distinctly remembers the matriarch's commanding presence, curvaceous beauty and most of all her smooth skin. And Lynne can only wonder why she knows the last part so well.

"I... no," Lynne answers weakly to Silk's chastising words, unsettled by the thought of how many might have fallen victim to her in the past. But her memories fail her, lurking somewhere deep inside her, along with whatever might be hidden there, waiting, watching. "I don't want to be alone with myself."

[bkwormlisa]

Anastazia

Uh, oh. Looking around quickly, Anastazia spots a folded sail. It's a windy day, so she grabs the sail and shakes it loose, leaving it where it will flap in the breeze. Then she quickly finds a hiding place, not too close, and hopes that she was in time.

[The Blue Guard]

It wasn't an easy climb up the sea slicked stone of the cliff face and up to the forested edge above, but the pair managed without the insanity the longer named sailor would have brought otherwise. Food and fresh water was also no challenge, and also went without flair as they gathered it up - fruits mostly, with nuts and some small game and poultry to mix things up between the otherwise boring collections of non-salinated water.

With the usual lack of warning something strange - though not so strange in the grand scheme of things - happened. A man wearing a black cloak was hopping from stone to stone like a bird down the cliff as he was pursued by a pair of soldiers from the Realm; likely some snippet of the occupying force or a cast-away from a decimated one, but given the state of their opposing enemy the second wasn't likely (even more so given the state of the survivor who had been a gibbering bag of nerves). Cautious of being seen retreating from the area and being tracked the sailor shifted himself down, using the natural cover to help hide himself as he watched, and motioning for his companion Piscus (or whatever) to do likewise.

OOC

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Dexterity + Stealth: (4d10)[7][7][2][2](18)

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Sails with the Tide--

The two soldiers seem oblivious to the pair of sailors hiding in the rocks below them, but the old man has sharper eyes.

"Help!" he cries out, waving at Sails's hiding place and incidentally revealing the hidden sailors to the pursuing soldiers.

--Anastazia and Aran--

The three soldiers move on to the ship to investigate the flapping sail. Seeing his best chance, Aran charges the pair of soldiers guarding his men. He's past the startled soldiers before they can react, and acting swiftly he cuts his men free.

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Roll join battle! -- Wits + Awareness

Aran's crew: (5d10)[8][10][9][7][1](35)

Soldiers: (3d10)[10][5][2](17)

--Lynne--

Fabric rustles as Silk moves behind Lynne.

"Have you considered that he may have just as sordid a background as you? That he, of all people, might understand your need for redemption?"

[Ridai]

Lynne

Lynne doesn't answer, biting her lip. She knows Silk is right, forcing Lynne to face just how scared she is. Trusting that Silk knows her unspoken answer, Lynne slowly gets back on her feet. The other woman probably is not real, but it doesn't matter to her, she has to ask. Taking a deep breath, Lynne turns around, the familiar face making her blush guiltily, yet she doesn't try to distance herself from the other woman. "Why are you trying to help me? Don't you hate me for what I have done to you?" Her eyes examine Silk's face and form. She can't shake the feeling that there is much more buried in her memories about the matriarch and frustration spreads through Lynne everytime she fails to remember.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Lynne--

Silk tilts her head curiously. "Who are you talking to, child?"

[Ridai]

Lynne

Caught off-guard, Lynne is at first visibly confused before all color drains from her face. The young woman stumbles backwards, seeking something to hold on to. Her eyes are shut tight, but the image of Silk has burned itself into Lynne's mind, not helping in the least as she breathes heavily and further struggles to regain her grip on herself that is slipping away so rapidly again on this day. After her head is buried in her hands for a moment, Lynne looks up again, hoping the hallucination is not there anymore.

[The Blue Guard]

Sails-with-the-Wind

Sails-with-the-Wind gritted his teeth in annoyance, but not at the old man for revealing their hiding place. Well, not just at the old man. It was because he had done the safer thing rather than the right thing, rather than that which Remy would have wanted him to do.

With fire in his eyes he drew his right hook sword and plunged forward - he only needed one for them. Racing straight at the oncoming old man he steadied his sword out to his right, turning his face so his hidden demon eye faced away he suddenly leaped to the left before colliding with the old man. His left foot planted itself on a nearby rock, scrunching up under his momentum before he launched himself right side on at the left soldier at an oblique angle. His hook sword flashing out before him without mercy, cutting the soldier up along his sword arm, twisting his body mid-air so as to land facing the pair.

OOC

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Join Battle: (6d10)[9][6][8][3][2][2](30)

Hook Sword Attack: (13d10)[7][1][1][8][8][8][7][8][10][5][3][6][8](80)

Making a Called Shot, Fierce Blows, so I lose a die from my attack pool but gain two die for my damage pool. Not a bad trade off. Also, if the Stunt is two dice or more I'm going to spend a point of temporary Willpower using Daredevil.

Edit: Nice. I'm happy with my nine successes, so I'll not spend a temporary point of Willpower to double my stunt dice.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Sails-with-the-Wind--

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Two stunt dice: (2d10)[8][10](18)

12 successes! 3 DV, 9 extra, +2 for Fierce blows, 2 for Str, and 4? for hook swords?: 17L base damage, 3L soak for armor, 14L damage, don't roll against Extras but divide by 3, 4 levels of damage, he falls.

Join Battle for soldier: (4d10)[1][7][2][7](17)

Soldier attack: (6d10)[7][2][6][1][9][3](28)

Base damage 6L

The leading soldier hastily brings up his blade to block Sails's attack, but he is no expert with the blade. Sails's blade slips past his guard, slashing across his chest to cut through the metal rings sewn into his leather jerkin and tear a deep gash in his lower torso. He falls from the slick rocks, bouncing twice before splashing into the cold water below.

The other soldier, eyes wide, makes a swing for Sails. The swing itself nearly overbalances him, and he teeters on the rock.

--Lynne--

When Lynne opens her eyes, an old woman is sitting on the deck across from her, naked but for a cloak of raiton feathers. She smiles, the expression simultaneously kindly and predatory.

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Ridai]

Lynne

Lynne hopes that, regardless of who this woman is, she is real, the prospect of layered hallucinations being too unsettling for her in her current condition. Taking a deep breath, Lynne carefully stands freely again, at least trying to present herself in a more coherent and courteous manner, even though the other woman has already seen enough. "Is there... something you want from me?" She asks with hesitation, entirely unsure of her opposite's intentions.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Lynne--

The bird-woman gives a toothless smile.

"No, but there is something that you might want from me."

[Ridai]

Lynne

"...Can you help me become whole again?" This is all Lynne cautiously asks, something pushing her to not let even the smallest possible opportunity slip. She has to know.

[The Blue Guard]

Sails-with-the-Wind

Sails-with-the-Wind stares at the soldier as he rocks unsteadily on the island stone. It was never a fight, and as the wandering warrior deflected the desperate swing that fact becomes clearer. With a careful twist the hook sword caught the deflected blade, and stepping nimbly forward Sails-with-the-Wind moved into the soldier to shift his swaying weight the way he wanted it to move while his hook sword mercilessly tore the blade the opposite way.

OOC

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I'm going for a disarming attempt, so I take a -2 external penalty (which means I lose two successes as opposed to an internal penalty which would lower the number of dice I roll by two), but because I'm using a hook sword my Accuracy pool gets an extra two dice - explanation for elucidation of what's going on. I'm also trying for some stunt dice which I will, no matter what, be doubling with a dot of temporary Willpower to help ensure that this guy cannot even dare to oppose me removing his weapon from him.

(16d10)[7][5][10][4][1][8][8][4][3][2][3][10][7][3][9][5](89)

Gotta pray for a goodly number of 7s, 8s, 9s, and hopefully 10s now, so I'll be assumin' the position now.

Edit: Nine successes again! Awesome. So once my stunt dice are in and accounted for it'll be time for him to roll his Wits + Melee vs. my successes after removing two plus his applied DV.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Sails--

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Two stunt dice! (2d10)[6][9](15)

Wits + Melee to hold onto the weapon: (4d10)[3][6][4][8](21)

7 successes + stunt dice to hit, -2, -2 DV, but that still gets it!

The weapon goes flying free. Unbalanced by the strike, the soldier begins to topple off of his stone towards the pounding surf below.

--Lynne--

The woman gives a gap-tooth grin.

"Of course, my dear. But it may not be the way you expect it to be. Can you trust me to see this task through?"

[Ridai]

Lynne

"I... feel like I'm losing the grip on who I am. I know it will be painful, but this might be my only chance to fix myself and... Sails deserves better than what I am now. Please help me." The events of the last month and particularly of this day weigh heavily on Lynne and it becomes apparent as she speaks. Yet she'd rather face her past than hide away from the pain and slowly perish in uncertainty and fear.

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Anastazia--

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Rolling for Aran: (6d10)[1][6][8][6][10][7](38)

5 for crew
4 for Aran
2 for soldiers
2 for Anastazia

Tick 0 -- Crew
Tick 1 -- Aran (guards until tick 3)
Tick 3 -- Anastazia
Tick 3 -- Aran
Tick 3 -- Soldiers

--Crew, Tick 0, attack, Speed 5, DV -1--

With a roar, the crew surges forward. They quickly surround the two guardsmen, raining a hail of blows upon them.

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5 attacks on each guardsman

(5d10)[7][9][3][4][8](31)
(5d10)[2][10][4][8][5](29)
(5d10)[9][1][7][8][10](35)
(5d10)[5][3][3][8][2](21)
(5d10)[4][6][1][5][7](23)

(5d10)[2][1][5][4][5](17)
(5d10)[9][5][4][5][9](32)
(5d10)[4][4][5][5][1](19)
(5d10)[1][4][3][4][1](13)
(5d10)[6][3][10][9][4](32)

That's three hits on the first guard, felling him, and one hit on the second guard, mildly wounding him (technically three of those attacks botched, but the crew aren't important enough for that to matter).

Anastazia, you're next!

[Horatio@Bridge]

--Lynne--

"Good...well, then, if you are resolved...you will find your redemption in a treasure hunt."

The woman cackles, then the cackles turn to caws as she dissolves away into a raiton which flies away from the ship, leaving a few feathers to drift to the deck.

--Sails--

The soldier staggers, then in a lunge hops back to the next rock. He barely manages to catch himself, then turns his fall into a mad scamper to get away from the expert swordsman.

"Thank you, thank you," the decrepit old man says, bowing as he approaches Sails. "I do not have much, but please take this." He holds out a small torn square of canvas, produced from the folds of his cape. "It is supposed to lead to a great treasure. I was going to search for it myself in my younger days, but I never could get the money together to buy passage on a ship. Now I am old, but perhaps it will serve you better."

[Ridai]

Lynne

Watching the old woman laugh, transform and fly away, Lynne wonders whether she only wanted to mock and play with her. Being alone again, Lynne stares at the lone feathers for a while and goes back to watching the Ocean Wind, having nothing else to do. Noticing the disarray her appearance is in from the vision and the whole encounter, Lynne quickly fixes it while blushing because of how she reacted.

[The Blue Guard]

Sails-with-the-Wind

Sails-with-the-Wind stared at the retreating soldier, at once damning himself for not ending the soldier's life and convinced he did the good thing. Twisting his sword about in his hand he lifted up and behind his back, the blade sliding into place with practiced ease as the old man who had not five seconds ago been leaping from rock to stone like a frog thanked him. Listening to him the sailor hated himself for what he was about to do. "Listun, Ay uve gorra boat and Am leav'n soon, so if yous wanna come wi' me yous welcome."

It wasn't the smart move, not by any stretch, but then neither was fishing Lynne out or sailing into the flotsam to net survivors so it was at least normal for him.