[WFRP] The Lord of Lost Heart (II)

[LCP]

Esther almost fell as Pieter barged her out of his path, catching herself before she could sprawl face-first onto the landing. Lowering his heads, Pieter tried to catch the knight around the waist and bear him to the floor.

With a single, economical movement, the knight stepped out of his path. With nothing to stop his headlong rush, Pieter stumbled, doing his best not to collide head-on with the wall. As he staggered, the sword was already hissing towards him, its razor edge gleaming in the lamplight.

Pieter ducked as low as he could, and the blow bit splinters from the banister. A frantic twist of his body avoided a second scything strike. Seizing his opportunity, Ricard fell back as fast as he could while the knight was occupied, almost tripping over Esther in his retreat along the landing.

Pieter heard pounding footsteps on the stairs behind him, and glanced over his shoulder to see Leopold running forwards to help. With Pieter and the knight battling at the head of the stairs, however, there was no way for the miller's son to get past...

~

Running back out into the rain, Ithelus assessed the exterior wall of the Faulebrand house with expert eyes. There was no time to lose; his decisions came like lightning-flashes, spurred by adrenaline. Producing the iron spikes he carried with him, he rammed the first of them into the soft mortar between the bricks of the wall, and began to climb.

[-Sentinel-]

Cursing his own stupidity for having counted on Talberg's help, Pieter threw himself at the knight again. He was pushing his luck, but it was not as if he had any choice in the matter - he had brought this on himself and would not blame anyone for carving Suicide on his tombstone.

Oh please, of all the things I can die for, I don't want it to be for Talberg.

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Aim + grappling attack.

WS 36: (d100)[9]
Knight's Agility: (d100)[63]
Knight's parry or dodge: (d100)[33]

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Help them, you coward! OR you'll be running forever! Illiiya screamed to Talberg, as she did her best to ignore the filth and the vermin and focus on her spells.

Focus... And strength of will... Focus... and strength of will... I will not fold and cower. I am Druchii!

OOC:

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Man, a little sad that after all we've done magic dart-spam is still the best way to handle a bad situation.

Channel: (1d100)[71]
Casting: (1d10)[6], (1d10)[8]
Damage: (1d10+4)[11]
Ulrics? (I get them oddly frequently): (1d100)[96]
MOAR Damage: (1d10)[2], (1d10)[6]

The winds listened, her will guiding them as she struggled to blot out her fear and her disgust for the sake of her friends. They lashed towards the knight like the claws of a great beast, though if it would give him any pause she knew not.

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar opened his mouth to reply to Ithelus, but the elf was gone. His hesitation cost him any movement he could have made against the night - Pieter had already raced past him, the peal of steel ringing down the narrow stairs. Despite his drawn weapon, the deserter was still left bereft of purpose.

He stood before Illiiya, and hesitated.

[LCP]

The knight raised his arm, and Pieter made a grab for it, trying to immobilise the hand that held the sword. As he did, Illiiya's spell blew past him in a rush of cold air and half-heard voices, gouging bright furrows out of the knight's rusted armour.

As Illiiya strengthened her resolve to cast again, she felt something brush at her hair. A blast of hot breath made her begin to look round – but before she could turn, animal teeth sank into the nape of her neck, dragging her out into the rainy night. Twisting like a hooked fish, she beat her fists against the horse's muzzle, crying out for help. It let her go with a whinnying snort, dropping her into the mud. Blood was streaming down her shoulder where its wolf-like teeth had torn her skin.

At the head of the stairs, the knight broke Pieter's hold, swinging his free fist in a back-handed blow at Pieter's face. The armour made him slow, and Pieter had been in more than a few bars where the odd rowdy fist-fight was seen as part of the décor. Seeing the attack coming from a mile away, he slipped back like a greased eel, letting the rusted gauntlet swing harmlessly over his head. Of course, that still left the sword.

The sword swung for him with a hiss of parting air, cutting low at Pieter's belly. There was no ducking under that – he jumped back instead, landing a step further down the stairs. Leopold, coming in the other direction, almost collided with him as Pieter leaned back to avoid the arcing tip of the blade.

“You will not deny his fate!” roared the knight, stepping in to strike again. He almost sounded angry.

~

Outside, Ithelus jammed another spike between the bricks, then felt his hand slip, the fingers wet with rain. Dangling for a moment, he reached up to take a firmer grip, before producing another spike...

[Exeson]

Ithelus readjusted his position, cursing the wet and the cold. He probed the brickwork above him with his fingers until he found a slight lip. Tendons tensing the Elf hauls himself up to stand on the next spike. He keeps a tight grip as him wedges another spike into place, giving it a few sharp swings of the muffled hammer.

Sparing himself a glance down Ithelus curses at the slow rate at which his assent was taking place, a concentrated frown on his face.

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter had no attention to spare for whatever was happening at the bottom of the stairs, but he did hear Illiiya's shriek. It was then that he understood with a sinking feeling that neither she nor Lothar would be helping him and Leopold anytime soon. He was on his own. How long he could dodge the knight's attacks, he did not know, but his defiance gave way to the realization that he was far out of his depth. And he really, really wanted to live.

He was a survivor. Not a hero.

Recoiling from the knight's sword, he hesitated, one foot on the landing and the other on the second-to-last step. It was easier for him to make his decision when he considered how saving his own life might also save Leopold's and Illiiya's. After three heartbeats, he drew back a few steps down the stairs, firmly holding both railings to keep the miller's son from pushing past him without a struggle.

"You're only after Talberg? No one else?" he said cautiously, every muscle of his body ready to strike - or flinch.


OOC:

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I disengage two squares down the stairs and try to force Leopold to follow.

Thanks for the map!

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Illiiya shrieked in pain and surprise, and fled from the gnashing teeth of the fetid beasts into the building. She needed to help Pieter! Scrambling away from the door, she looked up at the fight above her, trying her best not to feel helpless. She did not even know if the knight could perish, let alone how to accomplish such. The fly lord's will kept his soul tethered strongly to his form.

OOC:

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Retreating into the building away from the freakin' horse! That thing HURT!

She'll go on defense in case it's able to follow her, and will try and parry if it does.

[LCP]

Chirping crickets tumbled from Illiiya's clothes as she scrambled back inside the house. The black warhorse reared up, kicking out with iron-shod hooves as the elf retreated. It was too big to pursue her through the narrow door.

With a shout of inarticulate rage, Lothar cannoned out of the doorway in her place, his shield raised over his head. The scarred old shield slammed into the rearing horse's knees, smashing the huge animal off-balance. A hacking stroke of Lothar's sword ripped into its foreleg before it could recover, sending it crashing down onto its side. Flailing legs slithered in the mud as it righted itself, biting at Lothar's face. The guarding shield smashed its long snout aside.

At the head of the stairs, the knight raised his sword to Pieter, ready to end the Ranaldite's interference. Before he could descend to strike the blow, a second pistol-shot echoed through the house.

The pistol-ball crashed into the wall behind the knight at head-height, narrowly missing the lamp that burned there. The scarred helmet turned, fixing Ricard with its stare.

Lowering his sword, he glanced back at Pieter.

“Touch me again,” he said, “and we will find out together.”

Without another word, he lumbered towards the pistolier, each stride increasing his speed. Pale-faced, Ricard stood his ground. He brought his sword up to parry, but Reinhardt had always been the better swordsman. There was no crash of meeting blades – instead, the longsword flicked around the guarding sabre, slashing a red cut down Ricard's side.

The nobleman gave a cry of anguish – far more blood-curdling than Pieter would have expected for such a shallow wound – and stumbled back, almost falling to one knee. The knight raised his arm again, and a black shape collided with him from the side. It was Esther, lunging through the cloud of flies to hold back the bloody sword.

For a moment the knight seemed to hesitate. Then, with a savage motion of his arm, he threw her aside, turning back to his prey. Esther's interference had given Ricard time to recover, but his face looked drawn and grey, as if the wound had taken more from him than blood...

~

Outside, Ithelus had reached the windowledge. Reaching up with both hands, he began to pull himself up. He felt a lurch, and almost fell as he felt his hands slip on the wet brickwork. Grabbing one of his spikes, he managed to check his fall - then began to painstakingly pull himself back up to where he had been.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

We can't stop it...

Illiiya looked about in a panic, as if some solution would suddenly present itself to her if she was desperate enough. Nothing came to her, but at least the knight seemed far more interested in Talberg than slaying her or her friends. He could have the coward for all she cared.

OOC:

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Magic Dart on the horse!

Casting: (1d10)[4], (1d10)[9]
Damage: (1d10+4)[9]

And a parry, in case the knight takes offense. (1d100)[30]

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar spun his sword. This felt more right. This was an enemy he could kill. There was no grey cloud here, no twinge of conscience for the man that was Reinhardt, no contempt for the target he felt obliged to defend. No taunts about desertion and what that made a man, here - not unless the horse could talk, of course. [Who knew what else the North Wind had twisted in the creature. If it had a wolf's teeth, why not a man's throat?]

The former soldier stepped forward, and drove his blade at the creature. It wasn't going to taste elven blood again.

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Swift! Attack!

(1d100)[73] (1d10+5)[11]

(1d100)[36] (1d10+5)[9] - I'm not sure if that gets through the beasty's armour...

Any Fury/Critical Because You Never Know: (1d100)[78] (1d10)[9] (1d10)[6]

[Exeson]

Ithelus strained to pull himself up to the window. Hooking his fingers around the frame he grunted as he pulled it open.

'Ricard!' The elf shouts all pretense at respect gone, 'Damnit Ricard get yourself here now!'

[-Sentinel-]

Pieter half turned towards Leopold in the staircase. He wanted to go down and help Lothar and Illiiya, but would do so only once he was sure the miller's son was not harboring suicidal plans.

"Leo, listen. The knight won't touch your sister. See if you can get your mother and yourself to safety."


OOC:

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Holding action. If Leo starts down the stairs, Pieter will follow.

[LCP]

Unlatching the window, Ithelus had pulled himself through into a small, dark guest room. It looked like a guest room: the narrow bed in the corner did not look like it had been slept in for some time, and there were few personal touches to be seen. His elven eyes seeing with perfect acuity through the shadows, Ithelus could see everything in the room was neatly squared away. The furnishings betrayed a far higher level of comfort than he was used to from his life on the road; subconsciously he found himself sizing up the trunk, the wardrobe, the chest of drawers, evaluating their possible contents.

Out on the landing, Pieter and the others heard his the elf's shout. Glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the sound, Ricard jumped back out of the reach of the knight's sword, backing away towards the corridor.

“Running away again, Talberg?” said the knight, following him with steady, measured strides. Esther followed, looking desperately for another chance to stop the relentleless attack. “I thought you made a promise too. What are the words? 'Til death do you part?”

The sword lashed out again, biting into the thick oak beam at the corner of the landing as Ricard twitched out of its path. Talberg had his back to the wall. He looked to the right, sizing up his escape route, when a sound stopped him. The sound of hands, scrabbling against the inside of Alexa's door.

Leopold gripped Pieter by the upper arm.

“She's still in there!” he said. “We can't leave her to him!”

Eyes fixed on the door, he tried to push his way past.

~

Outside, the horse whinnied and reared as Illiiya's magic clawed at it, gouging bright furrows in the plate steel of its barding. Lothar struck out at its neck, but the segmented metal turned his sword aside. Front hooves hitting the ground with a double thud, it lunged forwards, sharp teeth sinking through the chain links around Lothar's elbow. The soldier's shield smashed into its snout and it let go, but blood was dribbling from beneath the spittle-slobbered mail.

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar gasped and spat and snarled. He ground his teeth and lunged forward, steel flashing in the light. The horse was fast, though, twisting like its Papa had gifted it with the burbling slickness of polluted water, swift and slippery. The sword glanced off the thing's knee-joint, the impact jarring in the soldier's hand.

[-Sentinel-]

“She's still in there!” he said. “We can't leave her to him!”

"It doesn't know, let alone care about her," Pieter hissed, still blocking Leopold's way. "She's safer than the rest of us. Your family needs you alive, Leo! You can't take that thing on alone."

[Exeson]

Ithelus throws open the door of the room, shouting again. 'Damnit Ricard I'm trying to save your life you piece of sh*t!'

Without waiting for a reply Ithelus begins to tie his rope onto the sturdiest looking object in the room.

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OOC: Ithelus will tie his rope to the strongest looking object and then (if he still has actions left) dangle it out the window.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Pieter! Leopold! Just... just step back. Illiiya called out, Why do we care of Talberg's fate?

She kept to her place inside, seeming relieved that the knight's steed could not reach her. It could reach Lothar, however, and that was reason enough to strike it down.

OOC:

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Dart on the horse!

Casting: (1d10)[8], (1d10)[8]
Damage: (1d10+4)[8]

Holding a parry, if needed. *shrug*

[LCP]

“Thanks!” called back Ricard, his voice strained as he dodged out of the path of another swing of the sword. “You're really helping!”

Focusing on the task at hand, Illiiya spread her hands towards the dark shape of the horse, chanting the words of yet another spell. Her nail-less fingers trembled as she spoke. Before she could finish the incantation, a many-legged woodlouse dropped out of her bloody hair and scuttled along her sleeve.

A stink like burning flesh filled her nostrils. Breaking Illiiya's control like a dog snapping its leash, the spell whirled across the space between her and the door, barely missing Lothar in its corkscrew flight. Aethyric talons raked the horse's barding, filling the air with unnatural shrieks as it ripped and tore at the rusted metal.

The whites of its eyes flashing in fear, the black stallion reared back, flailing its hooves at nothingness. It dropped back to all fours, whinnying and tossing its head as it turned to flee from the unnatural sounds. As it did so, Lothar's sword flashed out, hacking into its right hindleg just behind the knee. Flesh and sinew were cleaved to the bone, the horse collapsing with the most awful scream. It rolled and thrashed in the mud, blood jetting from its mangled leg.

"It doesn't know, let alone care about her," Pieter hissed, still blocking Leopold's way. "She's safer than the rest of us. Your family needs you alive, Leo! You can't take that thing on alone."

“I'm not. Trying. To!” hissed Leopold, punctuating his words with sharp attempts to push Pieter aside. When Pieter refused to give ground he stepped back, panting. “Will you stop running your mouth for one minute and let me go?

Alexa's door was rattling harder now, as if the girl was fighting to break out. Had someone locked it? As Pieter watched, his view to the doorway was cleared, Ricard retreating around the corner of the landing and drawing the knight with him.

In the spare room, Ithelus' hands worked with feverish speed, lashing his rope around one leg of the bed. Outside, Ricard was retreating down the corridor towards his position. Talberg's progress was slow – he didn't dare turn his back on his attacker.

Matching every backwards step, the knight pressed his attack. Swords clashed with shrieks of metal, Ricard stumbling to avoid being forced back against the balustrade that guarded the drop to the lower floor. Meeting a second strike with a clumsy block, he cried out as the knight rolled his blade around the parry, driving a stabbing thrust into Talberg's shoulder. When the iron sword drew free, it dripped red to a good six inches beneath the point.

OOC:

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The horse is now Helpless.

[-Sentinel-]

Only then did Pieter hear the rattle of Alexa's door. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Alexa was bedridden and could not be at the door - so what was in there with her?

Oh please, Pieter. Here you were, naïvely thinking you had only one invincible threat to deal with. You should know better.

The easy way out would be to let Leopold go to a near-certain death, walk down the stairs and leave out the front door with Lothar and Illiiya, leaving all their troubles behind. He was sure doing so would allow him to leave Hohlesbruck with his life. But Ranald did not expect him to take the easy way out.

He drew his shortsword and stepped out of the way. "Alright, you bloody stubborn fool. I'm coming with you. If she's already dead, we get the **** out and mourn later, got it?"

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

The horse, felled, Illiiya gave in to her disgust and collapsed against the back wall, flailing desperately at the vermin crawling all over her in a desperate attempt to dislodge them.

W-we.... we should leave.... She muttered desperately. What else... can we do here?

OOC:

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BUGS! Illiiya spends her turn attempting to get them off her now that Lothar is safe. If something attacks her, she'll attempt defense, but otherwise....

[Exeson]

Ithelus gave the rope a couple of sharp tugs to make sure it was secure before throwing the end out of the window. Then he drew his sickle and dagger and stepped into the hallway.

'Doing the best I can, fighting demons isn't easy is it?' Ithelus called, his tone a mix of adrenaline fueled aggression and sharp sarcasm.

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Half action to move to the door of the room and to draw my weapons.

[LCP]

Fingers raking through her tangled hair, Illiiya sent centipedes and woodlice tumbling to the floor, the many-legged things wriggling and writhing where they landed on their backs. Fat death's-head beetles spread their wing-cases and buzzed away from her clawing hands, their lazy drone underscoring the ringing rhythm of blades that drifted down from above. Outside, the whinnying screams of the horse came to an abrupt end. Lothar stepped back into view, his sword-arm wet to the wrist with splatters of animal blood.

Dashing forwards, Pieter reached the end of the landing, only the corner of the wall shielding him from the frantic duel that was playing out between the knight and his retreating prey. Ricard had almost reached Ithelus' door: though his face was pale and drawn, as if in great pain, he was managing to hold the knight's relentless assault at bay as he steadily gave ground.

Ahead of Pieter, the door to Alexa's room juddered and shook. Leopold looked left and right, his eyes frantically searching the scene.

"The key," he said, "where's the key?"

[goblinpaladin]

Lothar shook his arm, fat droplets of unclean blood falling to the floor. Somewhere deep in his peasant heart, he expected it to sizzle. He pushed the thought of what the blood would do to his skin (scales, tentacles, blisters, fanged maws, pustules, weeping sores, your mother's eyes) to the back of his mind and headed for the stairs. Blood spattered his wake.

"Come on, Illiiya. Pieter an' Leo're up there."

[Exeson]

Ithelus watches the knight and Ricard engage for a second before cursing and sheathing his weapons again, there would be no helping the fight in such close quarters.

Instead the elf looked to see if any of the furniture in the room could be used to block the door.

'Ricard, time's running out'

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So the plan is to sheath his weapons and then delay Ithelus's action to slam closed the door once Ricard is through and if possible block it with some furniture.

Does Ithelus have enough actions in one turn to do this? if not then instead of spending half an action to sheath his weapons he will instead just drop them.

[-Sentinel-]

"The key," he said, "where's the key?"

"No idea." Pieter fought to keep his voice calm. "Leo. I don't think it's Alexa banging on that door. Try calling her."

His ears strained to hear if any noises other than the door's rattle came from Alexa's room. He had that awful memory of a boarded-up well, from which he knew hundreds of hungry rats would emerge if anyone was fool enough to break it open; sure enough, someone had been.

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I ready an action, but what I do next depends very much on what Leopold does.

[BloodyAngel]

Illiiya Jaelrae

Illiiya swatteda the the vermin harrying her, as she rushed to Lothar's side. Though nervous she seemed, she would not leave her friends to a horrible fate.

W-we have to help them.... but I know not how. She told him as the two rushed to seek out the others. Have you... a plan?

OOC:

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Heading with Lothar to the others!

[goblinpaladin]

"No," said Lothar, the words rushed, "just to get 'em out."

[LCP]

Ducking out from under a head-high swing of the knight's sword, Ricard darted back like a greased minnow, leaping through the door that Ithelus was holding open. Moving just as fast, Ithelus slammed it shut. Moments later, the door shook as the armoured bulk of the knight crashed into it from the other side. With Ithelus and Ricard's combined weight against it, the door shuddered but didn't budge.

By Alexa's door, Pieter's words gave Leopold pause. Hesitating for a moment, he called out:

"Lex?"

From behind the door there came a piteous moan, and the sound of fingers scratching at the wood. A ring of keys was hanging from a nail hammered into the wall: Leopold grabbed it and began shuffling through to find the key to Alexa's door.

"She's in pain!"

Seeping under the door, Pieter thought he could catch a foul whiff of decay.

OOC:

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The knight takes a half move to the door and attempts an opposed Strength check to force it open. Ithelus has the higher strength out of him and Ricard, so the test will be resolved against Ithelus with a +10 bonus from Ricard's assist.

Knight - (1d100)[92] vs. [roll=Ithelus+10]1d100[/roll] - Erk. Apparently the rollcode doesn't like you putting a "+" in there. Hard enough that it gets the red message at the bottom, apparently.

In answer to Frankie's questions about actions: you spend a half action to ready another, so without Quick Draw you can't do that and put away/take out weapons. However, you don't need an empty hand to slam a door, so I leave it up to you whether you want to have dropped your weapons.

Considering that "I ready an unspecified action" seems to have become the most popular combat action among you guys after a move action, I would advise that you all go and read the Delay action again! Seems like I have to remind people how this works every time it comes up

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[-Sentinel-]

A cold sweat ran down Pieter's temples. He had a terrible feeling about that door, but what good would it do to tell Leopold that his sister was as good as dead in any case? People got irrational where their families were concerned, something the initiate might understand if he had had a family worth the name. If they tried to drag Leopold away forcibly, he would fight them - perhaps to the death, if his state of desperation was any indication. There was no time to waste struggling against one's allies when one's enemies were already overwhelming, so Pieter decided not to try.

Looking over his shoulder, he was relieved to see Lothar and Illiiya arrive at the top of the stairs. "Lothar, c'mere!" he called. "Stand near the door!"

He placed himself right next to Leopold, his shortsword ready to lash out. "Just a crack, Leo," he pleaded. "Until we're sure it's Alexa."


OOC:

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To be clear, I'm almost leaning against the door so that my body keeps Leo from opening it all the way without a struggle. The way I'm placed, I probably won't see inside the room, so I'll watch Leo's expression instead. At the first sign of alarm he shows, I'll slam the door closed.

Edit: Something I forgot to ask before deciding my actions: which way does the door open?

Edit 2: Change my actions for a readied attack against anything nonhuman that tries to get past the door.