The Return of the Scarlet Empress IC

[Incendius]

Penumbra

Penumbra's eyes flash as she sees the erupting Anima. With a quick jerking motion, she scans the town with her impossibly keen sight, trying to capture the necrotic eruption's focal point. She might not be able to deal with someone hiding underground, but she his hiding place should not be hard to find, and even the smallest trembles of the earth would reveal itself under Penumbra's vision.

As she does this, Penumbra rubs her finger back and forth over the grip of her bow, thinking as she takes in the new circumstances. So it was a trap, but from one of my colleagues instead of those pitiful dragonblooded. It isn't a very good one though. Does this idiot think I care about these people? Or is he trying to recruit me through some misguided effort?

Penumbra reaches behind her and takes an arrow out of her quiver, notching it onto her bow. Whatever it is, I don't really care. This is getting on my nerves. I will not be played like some fool. Let this arrogant bastard do without his army. Penumbra seethes, her face contorting into vicious snarl as she prepares for battle.

Spoiler

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Penumbra is activating Superior Sight Focus for 3m personal, and is trying to locate where the anima came from, or anything that would tell her where it could have been sent from. She is basically on the lookout for anything that would point out where the Deathknight (what she thinks this is) responsible is.

Add four successes to this perception roll, and double any successes from the dice.
(9d10)[8][4][9][2][10][3][1][1][4](42)
-12 Successes

Would Superior Sight Focus/Entropic Awakening of Sight apply to the join war roll, either as a situational thing or in general? Just curious, as I've had several storytellers rule different ways. If they do count, add 4 successes to the roll, and double any successes from the dice.

Roll for join war, joining as a solo unit.
(8d10)[3][9][10][10][2][1][6][6](47)
-5 Successes, or 14 Successes if the charms apply.

[Aevylmar]

"Damn it. Is that deathknight trying to prove the Cleansing right? Either way..." Skandi drew his moonsilver daiklaive and held it aloft to catch the light, a beacon drawing the eyes of the troops inside the walls. "Men of Lookshy, to me! I took this blade from the slaves of one Anathema, and I'll use it to rout the slaves of another! If you want to live to cleanse anything, stand by me and we will break them!"

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Using the 1st Wits excellency to add 5 dice to my Join War roll. If the stunt isn't enough to end up in charge of the Lookshy infantry, I'll use my first action to rally.

If my Awareness specialty in ambushes doesn't apply here, discard the last die.

Roll: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500145/

Stunt: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500146/

[Tavar]

Child

He was glad that he managed to avert the riot, but encouraging closer ties to the Realm isn't exactly what he had hoped to be doing. Oh well, little should come of such a minor outpost. And when he gets back, he can help the others run damage control. Maybe Star-

The black anima, and the undead that follow it, stun him for the second time today. But only a moment, before he snaps to a decision. He'd trust the soldiers to handle this normally, but 5 to one odds is high, even for elite troops. Not that Lookshy is in the habit of filling border outposts with commandos. And that's not even counting the abyssal who summoned them. The only hope now is that there are enough fighters in the fort to stop them: god-blooded, Dragonblooded, even less welcomed ones would be a boon now. Before his voice was pitched to carry, but it was weaker, holding contempt at first, the urging. Now it is simply the Clarion call of command.

"Anyone who isn't part of Lookshy's forces, and can fight, to me. We have to help clear them out of the fort!"

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Join War: (8d10)[9][10][6][9][9][1][1][5](50)+2 successes
I don't think our Terrestrials or Abyssal can join us, due to their position outside the fort, but everyone else is welcome to it.

Personal:10/16 peripheral left
Peripheral:

[The_Snark]

Maren

"Right." No need to feign nervousness. Somebody should investigate this, certainly, but there's a world of difference between quiet observation and walking into a battlefield. She knows her limits, and facing several dozen of the walking dead on an open field is a bit beyond her.

Besi has other ideas. Isa just hopes the young Dragon-Blooded isn't biting off more than she can chew.

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Joining Besi's newly-Magnitude 1 unit. I think that, as a special character, I'm either supposed to use her Join War or roll Wits+Awareness like a solo character would? In case it's the latter:

(8d10)[4][6][1][1][9][8][9][8](46)

[horngeek]

Rose

Rose looks around quickly as the call goes up, drawing her sword. Someone's trying to manipulate Lookshy. Or just us, even.

Might have to reveal myself here... but that might just be playing into their hands. If it's needed, though, I'll do it.

She quickly heads towards the men on the ground, intending to join in with them.

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Join War: (8d10)[2][1][2][2][7][10][4][7](35)

Stunt Dice: (4d10)[8][2][1][6](17)

[Illyceria]

Aya was quite happy as things started to turn towards order. She was quite happy indeed that was until the voice in her head whispered at her. "Warning." Immediately after the dead was walking and chaos was reigning. The moonsilver wielding man drew her attention as too did Child both calm and collected as they attempted to arrange the frightened people into a force to fight the enemy. She had never been in a situation quite like this. She had to face multiple foes before, and generally with Smiling Rose with her, but this was thousands... well maybe hundreds. Child was the first to catch her attention snapping her attempting to figure out what she was to do next. She bounced over to him, she had no 'visible' weapons, and only the small protection of the bracelet around her wrist would provide her with defense. She would have to worry about using her power here later.

"I shall help you Sir Child. I am not too strong but I should be able to help in protecting those that cannot fight. Tell me what to do and I shall try to do it to the best of my abilities." So much for Laying Low. Hiding out.

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Join Child's unit (or do I roll sololy like? Which might be: (5d10)[5][7][6][8][4](30))

[Lix Lorn]

As scared mortals scatter and flee, someone hiding their nature would do best to flee too. An intelligent infiltrator would flee with them.

Sadly, Sierra is not an intelligent infiltrator.

Fortunately, she is scared. Undead are not her area-and nor is fighting.

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If I stick around I will die. I flee with the civilians.

If I should roll it anyway... JB
(3d10)[4][7][2](13)

[industrious]

Battle for Waypoint

Skandi's outburst sends the soldiers rallying to his cause; even those beyond the wall can hear his cry. The soldiers form in close against the dead as the civilians flee towards the barracks, and prepare.

This is their home. Some of them have families here.

They would not give in. They would not retreat. They would not abandon them.

Penumbra

The Abyssal's eyes pick out the epicenter of the now-gone anima barrier: it came from an area underground and at the edge of the barracks that served as home to those stationed or living in Waypoint. A storage room, undoubtably. There are some gaps in the stonework that would allow him to see through.

She also realizes that the barracks is where the majority of the civilian populace has just fled to.

Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself

The man sets his drink carefully down on the table in the foyer of the barracks, The bottom of the mug sends a small trickle of the blood on its surface dripping to the floor.

He's not particularly tall, and wearing richly embroidered robes of the deepest purest black, one can't make out much of his body structure either. His skin has an odd tint to it-tanned, but wrong, somehow, and his hair, cut short in the Lookshyian fashion, matches his robes.

Sierra was the first in the entryway. The others bunch up behind her, bumping into her when she stopped.

"I'll make this short," he drawls, twirling a short daiklave in his hand, jet black with writhing, twisted designs upon its surface. "And save you fatigue."

A moment later, the tip of his blade protrudes from Sierra's back.

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He rolled a higher Join Battle than you did.

I'll give him a 2-dice stunt.
(12d10)[3][7][2][7][10][9][5][7][1][1][8][7](67) - 9 Successes

[Aevylmar]

As the Lookshy troops rallied to his sword, Skandi glanced at the woman who joined them. Graceful, beautiful, expert with the blade she brandished, face serene as she charged into battle to fight the forces of darkness, rather than fleeing with the civilians. This wasn't her battle, yet she risked her life in it anyway. "No, damn it. I am not falling in love at first sight again. That is always a bad idea, and for Luna's sake you would think I would know that by now."

Oh, right, a distraction! Skandi pointed his sword at the undead lines. "Let's show those corpses why the Seventh Legion fortresses don't fall."

Blades held high, he and his thin line of soldiers charged the ragged formation of the zombies. Perfect discipline made mincemeat of the undisciplined horde. The shieldwall met the undead ranks face to face; as the zombies swirled in on the flanks the last of them in front of the soldiers were cut down. The unit separated for a second, repelling both sides of the enemy force, before coming together in a glorious arc that scythed the last of the undead down.

Fifteen seconds after Skandi finished speaking, twelve soldiers had just killed fifty zombies.

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I'm assuming that these have standard Lookshy Foot statistics, given on page 58 of the Scavenger Lands book. Skandi, in charge of the Lookshy force, moves towards the undead, then flurries two attacks without using charms. I'm assuming his specialty in Heroism counts.

Roll for rout when engaging the enemy force
Base: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501843/
Stunt: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501855/
Difficulty is probably 1; base 1, -2 because of formation, +2 because the enemy unit is 'composed of supernatural creatures'.
6 successes, plus stunt.
Roll for endurance loss from the first attack:
Base: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501833/
Stunt: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501856/
4 successes, plus stunt.
Roll for endurance loss from the second attack:
Base: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501835/
Stunt: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501858/
4 successes, plus stunt.
Roll for the first attack:
Base: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501851/
Stunt: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501860/
Twelve successes from the unit: 5x2 from Close Combat Rating, plus two from Might.
Six successes from me, plus stunt.
So 18+ on attack #1.
Roll for the second attack:
Base: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501853/
Stunt: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3501862/
Twelve successes from the unit: 5x2 from Close Combat Rating, plus two from Might.
Five successes from me, plus stunt.
So 17+ on attack #1.

I don't know their soak, so I can't roll damage, but I'm 99% sure that they're all dead. Lookshy troops are awesome.

Skandi has gotten whacked with an auto-intimacy of You Don't Know Her You Idiot aimed at Rose.

[industrious]

Battle for Waypoint

It took less than fifteen seconds. A perfect harmony of steel and moonsilver, cutting the horde of undead asunder. The corpses were of past allies and comrades, of civilians they had been sworn to protect. But their souls had been released long before, and those they cared for in the past were endangering those in the present. There was no choice.

It was magnificent.

The young messenger is at Skandi's side.

"That was amazing, sir," he breathes. "What is your name, so that this day may be remembered forever?"

There are shrieks coming from the barracks, where most of the civilians are pressing in, trying to get in but unable to, and those outside the walls still report another force without.

Status:

Spoiler

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It is now Tick 2 (Child's Turn). The Interior Zombies are gone. But there are still things that require we stay in combat.

Not revealing who he is would be against Skandi's Motivation.

[Aevylmar]

"You'll find out, kid. You'll find out. There's still more outside the fort, and I heard travelers out there - we need to hurry." He turns to Child and his group. "Hey, loudmouth. Can you take care of the civilians? It sounds like there's one of the zombies inside the barracks." Skandi led his troops at a fast trot out the gates, to rescue the travelers from the second group.

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Moving is a free action that you can do when it isn't your turn, so he's going to move his troops outside the fort to try and rescue the other Exalts - he doesn't know that the Abyssal is an Abyssal. Rose ought to be able to attack the zombies in her turn, if the gate's open enough for us to get through.

Why This Is Not Against His Motivation: A true hero knows there's always a third option. If he sets himself up as a heroic Man With No Name until the crisis is over, he can pull off a much better dramatic reveal later, after they've already built up a positive Intimacy towards him and will be more inclined not to stone him.

Also, if the damage rolls hadn't been enough to kill the zombies, I was planning on using the Third Strength Excellency.

[Incendius]

So he's not another burrower. Good, that means he has to exit the building to get away. Too bad for him, I'm not stupid enough to walk into that trap. Let him have his play killing those civilians; I'll destroy him when he shows his face. Penumbra plots as she keeps her eyes locked on the barracks. Her bow remains knocked, pointed at the entrance of the barracks, ready to launch the projectile at a moments notice. Penumbra waits for her chance, giving the her colleague the chance to show himself. His nature made it all the more imperative that she acted cautiously. She would not indulge him by walking into an enclosed space with an unknown enemy when she could just as easily snipe him from far away.

[Lix Lorn]

Sierra blinks in surprise, and looks down at the cause of the angry throbbing in her stomach. The force of people behind her holds her up for a moment-and she thinks.

A war is not her place. A battle is not her place.
But... if she flees now-or dies now-these people die too. This... this man, necromancer, whatever he is.

Defending the little ones is her place.

She pushes back against the crowd, straining slightly.
And they push back. She reaches into the bag at her side, whipping out a card, diamond sharp edges glittering with a crystalline rainbow of colour.

She drives the edge right into his face.

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I attack! Hopefully, defending innocents means I can channel compassion. 1wp spend, and 2m (personal) on an excellency. That gives me a terrifying fifteen dice!
(15d10)[1][7][5][6][6][6][6][4][8][9][5][9][6][5][5](88)
Does +6L/2 damage if hits.

[industrious]

The Barracks

The card takes the black-robed man by surprise, breaking through his defense; red blood spurts from a deep gash now crossing his face.

He backpedals for a moment, regaining his footing...and reassessing Sierra. A shifty look comes over his eyes.

"What sort of woman are you!" he cries...and begins to sprint further into the barracks, retreating. Soon, he's out of sight.

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He's moving away at dash speed.

[Lix Lorn]

Sierra blinks in surprise, not expecting him to run away, but quickly turns to the people behind her.
"Go!" she commands loudly. "This guy is dangerous, it's not safe to stick around here."

[Incendius]

Penumbra

Wait, dammit. How did my quarry get into the barracks in the first place? He might have an underground entrance. He may never come out. I'm going to need to chase him once more. Penumbra swears under her breath as she begins to slide through the air, rushing towards the barracks.

Penumbra's invisibility is more than enough to keep most individuals from being aware of her, but it fails against her deathly peers, so she must adjust to surprise them as well. She dances from shadow to shadow as she moves, moving from the tower's shadow, to that cast by a rooftop garden, and more as she moves towards the barracks. The shadows warp in her passage, subtly altering to disguise any other traces of Penumbra's appearance, making it seem as if there was nothing amiss about the town's sky.

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I changed my mind about Penumbra's action, based on some better reasoning; it should have been obvious, but the Abyssal probably had some way to get into the Barracks that isn't directly visible to the skyline.

She is staying in Stealth on the way there. I've rolled for stealth here, her hearthstone adds 1 success to this, and her invisibility poses a whole ton of penalties to people that don't have whispers (as whispers lets them see through it).
(13d10)[5][4][1][9][2][2][3][5][5][4][7][10][8](65)
- Six successes total.

Stunt Dice: Penumbra's stealth charms double stunt dice from stealth in shadows, which is why there are six.
(6d10)[3][3][6][6][5][1](24)

[Tavar]

Child

The fact that Child's help seems to be unneeded is both welcomed and annoying. The former because it means he won't have to risk revealing himself, the latter because the apparent Lookshyian leader is being a bit of an ass. Oh well, perhaps he can arrange a couple annoying accidents for the man. Who said being in charge of Fate was a bad thing?

The fact that the barracks might well be a trap is worrying, though. He had thought that the creator of the undead would show up to lead his horde, but if he's simply waiting to slaughter the civilians...

No. He can't let that happen.

Running, he heads to the Barracks.

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Join Battle: [rollv]6d10[rollv]

[Guancyto]

Ragara Besi

"I said close," Besi commands without raising her voice. Ensuring that Maren is on her heels, she descends into the army of the undead, hook swords stretched like wings, blades shredding undead flesh in a cleansing storm. There is no fire, nothing that would burn her companion with whom she does her best to keep at her back to avoid being surrounded. But the destruction will be thorough.

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Right! Might 3, Close Combat Rating 4 (capped by my War), Close Combat Damage... 3, I think, in Close formation with a Magnitude 1 unit. Subtract or add successes as appropriate for enemy Magnitude/Formation/Kittens.

4 attacks, spending 4m on First MA Excellency to boost the first and second.

(18d10)[2][10][7][1][1][8][5][3][2][9][8][1][10][10][7][9][4][7](104) 12 sux rolled +11 sux from mass
(17d10)[2][1][4][10][2][7][1][9][1][2][2][6][1][1][10][3][9](71) 7 sux rolled +11 sux from mass
(8d10)[2][1][10][9][7][2][4][8](43) 5 sux rolled +11 sux from mass
(7d10)[3][4][9][5][7][3][5](36) 2 sux rolled +11 sux from mass

Raw damage is +8L/2, I think with another 3 dice added from Close Combat Damage.

[industrious]

Waypoint Exterior

The zombies fall before Ragara Besi's blade with ease. Her form is immaculate; her moves graceful and flowing. Her tutor would have been proud of her.

When her dance ends, she is surrounded by shredded corpses and her cousin.

The Barracks

Penumbra, unfortunately, is too far away to reach the barracks, much less enter them in time. But while Skandi cleaves through his foes, Child breaks off to protect the civilians.

Pushing himself through the crowd, he sees two dead bodies already, and pushes himself to run faster. He's following someone else soon, a young woman wearing armor made from a strange blue metal (Int + Lore, difficulty 3) and holding a card edged with the same material. But even though blood is running down from the card's edge, he knows it isn't her, for feet clatter ahead of them.

Eventually, the feet stop, and there is the sound of a door slamming; he's trapped himself inside one of the officer's quarters.

"Thorns sends it's greetings, young Exalt!"

...is something burning?

[The_Snark]

Maren

The ersatz Dynast does as bidden, following close on silver-haired Besi's heels. Luckily for Maren, her cousin has not overstretched herself today; the walking dead fall like chaff before the scythe. There's hardly anything left to do but follow and make sure that none of them come at Besi from behind... not that there's much chance of that. To an experienced eye the dead here are slow and feeble, rotted and crumbling before they were dragged unwillingly from the grave. No black will commands them. Hardly any unholy fury at all. The few who manage to avoid being instantly cut down shy from the talisman of bone around her neck, and a sound thwack or two with her staff holds them at bay.

"That was amazing," Maren says breathlessly to Besi as the last falls, her voice quietly shattering the silence outside the fort.

(Silence. What of the inside, wonders Isa? Why aren't there archers on the wall? Is everybody in there dead?)

[Guancyto]

Ragara Besi

"Mm," is all Besi says in reply before cleaning her swords on the edges of her cloak, stowing them once again and motioning for her cousin to follow to the gates of the fort.

No archers on the wall indeed. Considering a moment, she raised her hands slowly and gracefully; subtle flows of essence released within her, and a gentle peace washed over her.

Then, espying a pine tree near the fort, she hopped from branch to branch easily, not bending any of them with the force of her landing, until she reached one high enough to reach the fort walls. Not stopping to reconnoiter, she took a running start along the branch, and at the very edge which would have barely supported a mouse, leapt onto the top of the wall.

She would want to examine the situation inside before she could drop a rope to her cousin.

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Rolling Dex+Martial Arts+spec to assume Crane Form. (13d10)[5][8][10][5][7][8][5][5][9][1][9][10][2](84)

Personal Ess: 4/18 (6 committed)

Assuming that succeeds (it's a pretty safe assumption), edit: yes, a very safe assumption, hopping up to the fort.

[Aevylmar]

As the sound of limbs flying at a rapid rate and dozens of zombies dying reaches Skandi's ears from outside the fort, he pauses. There's no screams of pain; only the nonliving are suffering. Whoever or whatever is outside the fort, they can take care of themselves.

"Whoever's out there doesn't need our help, but it sounds as though there's more than just a couple undead within the barracks. Fan out, guard any other entrances to the barracks - we need to find this necromancer!

As the soldiers he's hijacked rush to obey his orders, Skandi silently grins to himself. He's headed for the barracks, to investigate that cry - and the Immaculate soldiers won't be able to see just what he's doing...

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He's leaving Mass Combat and heading over to the barracks the next time he gets a chance, assuming there's still interesting things going on over there.

[horngeek]

As Skandi heads down, Rose goes to join him. "I'll go down there with you.

I'm Rose, by the way."

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And Rose will follow him down when he does so.

[Aevylmar]

Skandi smiles a sunny smile to Rose. Certainly! I'm pleased to meet you, Rose. I'm always glad to have some company when I'm foolishly risking my neck against necromancers vastly stronger than I am, especially when the aforesaid company is as gifted with the sword as you are."

With the sound of running men and zombies needing mopping-up, there's nothing at all suspicious about the fact that Rose is the only person near enough to easily hear him when he continues. "I'm Skandi, by the way."

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Feel free to roll Perception+Awareness to hear, of course.

Also, Skandi really needs to get more Temperance if he wants to not be dead.

[Illyceria]

Aya found herself pretty much all alone. Sure the barracks over there was teeming with fearful citizens, and over at that one wall there was that loud commanding type, but where she stood, among the re-dead, she was pretty much alone. Crossing her arms she glances back to the barracks wondering if she should add to that bit of chaos or not. The major issue seems to have been dealt with after all, and she could still maintain her laying low condition.

[Lix Lorn]

Sierra blinks, not sure what to do. After all, she can't really force the door, and she's unlikely to be able to fight him if she manages it.

And the fire is dangerous! She considers, and tries to work out where it's coming from.

[industrious]

Sierra and Child

The door to the officer's quarters opens, and the necromancer is nowhere to be seen. Instead...

The whole office is in flames. And they are spreading down the corridor.

Everyone heading towards the barracks

There's smoke coming from one of the narrow windows in the barracks. A good amount of it, really.

Ragara Besi

You gaze upon Waypoint Square, and note the details. The dead, mangled corpses (obviously another squad of zombies). The panicked civilians. And the group of individuals rushing to the barracks, which seem to be on fire.

[Lix Lorn]

"Oh god."
She turns and runs.
"FIRE! FIIIIIRE!"

[Aevylmar]

Skandi stops dead, ignoring his conversation with Rose. Filling his lungs, he shouts as loud as he possibly can. "FIRE! Bucket chain, people! He points out several local-looking people in the panicked crowd. "You, you, you, you, you and you, lady, get every bucket you know and bring them to the well. You two soldiers - get the siege buckets of water and sand off the walls. Everyone else - form chain!"

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I have no idea if this requires a roll, or if so, what the roll would be, but if the GM wants to roll it, assuming Skandi is excellencying for max.

[Incendius]

Penumbra growls under her breath and rises further into the air, running so that she can view the whole area around the barracks. The smoke doesn't matter to her; Penumbra's senses are too keen to be fooled by such things.

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Continuing to move to the barracks, but getting a high enough vantage point that she can see the areas surrounding it. Awareness roll to try to see anything out of the ordinary, beyond the fire, such as the Abyssal fleeing.

Perception+Awareness, +4 Successes, any successes on the roll doubled.
(9d10)[9][4][8][4][8][6][2][8][8](57)
14 total successes.