The Scarlet Shadow IC

[Kyeudo]

Insar intends be be gone for more than a day, possibly as long as a week, so he will pack food and the rest of his travel gear. Insar will be carrying the scroll on his person, so that it can benefit from the shielding abilities of his Hearthstone. He will also find the harness used to carry sheathe Legacy, and pack that for later use.

What roll is it to determine if and where there are any First Age ruins withing a week's travel of here?

[Cubey]

Perception+Lore, I think. Here goes for you:

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(6d10)[2][4][9][7][5][10](37)

There aren't many First Age ruins in the surrounding area - the largest ones have been incorporated into the town you're living in. There are some ruins in the nearby forest, but you aren't sure if they are First Age or not. They are old, one way or another.

[Kyeudo]

OOC: I'd say those ruins sound like a great place to hold an epic showdown with the miniboss squad, plus give us something to explore and loot of treasure while we wait for the Dragon-Blooded to catch up.

[Tengu]

Kadree puts as many of her possessions as she can on the mule without encumbering it too much, apart from those that would be too clunky or not useful in the wilderness - which basically means the same things she had when she arrived in the town for the first time, before meeting everyone else. Food for at least a week, too. She takes the weapons too, and Norbo of course.

OOC: Agreed. I vote for giving them a try too. How long will it take to travel to those ruins?

[Cubey]

The ruins are less than half a day's worth of travel. They were probably a part of the same settlement that the town's First Age remnants, if the ruins come from the First Age too, that is.

[Cubey]

Allow me to fast-forward a bit, assuming that all your characters agree on the course of action - that is, hiding in the forest. You are all packed up and not only ready to go - you went there already, leaving the household locked safely, behind. Iskira was very disappointed in the fact that (as per Oak's persuasion) leaving the letter behind was a bad idea. You left the town without (hopefully) being noticed by any Dragon-Blooded or their servants, taking your route southeast, towards the forest. The wood, as mentioned before, is quite sparse - it's easy to travel, even with mounts. As a side effect of plants not growing one on another, the trees tend to be rather large and majestic. Yeah... it's pretty obvious that it's the eastern part of the world, with the Elemental Pole of Wood closest from them all.
Thanks to the large scale of vegetation, the terrain is easy to move on, although somewhat hilly, with a rare cliff here and there - they are no more than a few meters high though, and obstruct the view more than your travels, though it's a wonder how such formations appeared in a forest. You know the way towards the ruins, and your journey is a steady one.

About two hours pass without any events (one hour's worth of travel in the forest and an hour between it and the walled town), when something interrupts the silence. You can hear voices coming, almost exactly straight from in front of you, from behind a small hill. You recognise the voice as well, and the language - High Realm.

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"We have enough of time and men to succeed without trouble, but remember that maybe we are not dealing with normal humans here! The soldiers take over the gates, and then we send them our blackmail!"

That loud, commanding tone can belong only to Sesus Haskel! Before you have a time to react, he shows himself atop the hill, accompanied by three other Dragon-Blooded whom you know. Strangely, the warrior-woman Tanime is not among them.

They are no more than fifteen meters from you (and on a position three meters higher), and you can clearly see their expressions. Haskel and Berroc look at you with eyes wide in surprise, but Natakar's gaze is obscured by his mane of hair, and his grin seems to be permanent. As for Arsa, her face is expressionless as always, reminding of a porcelain doll.

It only takes a fraction of a second for Haskel to retain his mental balance.
"Ha! What a surprise!" He says in Riverspeak. "We were just going to pay you a visit, and here we meet. Dare I say, fate? Anyway, I hope you brought the scroll with you? If not, we can go back with you and take it back from that mansion you occupy." You notice that, instead of a shining breastplate, he now has a black one, with additional armour as shoulderpads, and leg- and forearm protectors. A large sword, black as well, rests at his side. Occasional glinting off the surfaces of all this armament betray it as jade. A smile disappears from his face.
"I am afraid that we cannot wait further. I request the scroll now. Don't worry! You will still get paid. In fact..." He puts his hand beneath his breastplate and pulls two pieces of paper from there. "It is here, signed up and official! Just ready for withdrawal at the nearest Guild bank." He raises his eyebrow as another voice can be heard! This one, voice of a middle-aged man speaking Low Realm, is unknown to you - but it's very loud and clearly resonates from Haskel's person!

"Sir, the teams are ready! We await for your order at any time!"
"Change of plans!" He speaks just as loudly (and in Low Realm as well). "Forget the gates, move all fangs to the forest south from your current position. Make haste, on the double!" At the same time, Natakar leans down from the hill, looking down on you with a hellish grin. He has an elaborate, red and yellow leather quiver on his back, and and an ornate, beautifully carved longbow in his hands, crafted from finest wood and a red material you instantly recognise as jade.
Haskel beats his breastplate lightly with a free fist, then starts to talk again, as soon as his shouting of orders has finished.
"Tanime!" This time he's in High Realm.

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"Our mercenaries are here, so come if you will. I'm leaving this open so you can hear what's going on, but hurry!"

"By the way, one hundred finest imperial legionnaires will be here soon. I just thought you'd like to know. So..."

A swooshing sound can be heard, like if a giant boulder was thrown from a catapult. Suddenly, something very large crashes down into the forest, about twenty meters away from you to the left, resulting in an explosion of dirt, mud, and wood splinters. As soon as the dust settles, you can see what caused the impact (and a small crater as well)...

A giant, six meters tall piece of armor! It rises slowly, sun reflexes glinting on its pure, white surface. It looks massive and bulky even for its size, with huge spaulders sticking to the sides and two ram-like horns sprouting from the helm's oversized forehead part, making the visor part hardly visible. A symbol of House Sesus is visible on its chestpiece, and for some reason it is clad in a huge, billowing cape of crimson. Instead of a weapon, it wields a small tree (roughly as tall as the giant armor), mostly stripped of side branches and leaves, which it currently rests on the shoulders, holding with one hand.

"Either you cooperate now." Haskel draws his blade, clearly unimpressed by the behemoth that just appeared. "Or we will solve this matter in a more... direct way. In other words, we will take the scroll by force, and you won't get paid."

"And we will crush you like the little bugs you are!" The voice (clearly recognisable as Tanime) comes from Haskel's person as well, but to make it obvious who is inside the newly-arrived hulk, the armor points its right hand at you as Tanime speaks, in a defiant pose. How does she control that thing anyway?

"I probably bored you to death with my talk, so... time to decide."

"Do as we say and no one will get hurt. You will even get paid. Please, you do not really have a choice." Adds Berroc, who was silent and looked a bit distanced from it all until now.

"Or we will not only bore you to death, ku ku..." Adds Natakar. "And don't try to trick us again or run away. I could hurt some townsmen because of my frustration, and it would be your fault!" His demonic smile is so wide that it's a wonder how the upper part of his head doesn't fall off.

[Tengu]

Kadree opens her eyes wider at the sight of the warstrider. "How did she grow so huge?", she mutters to herself, apparently not familiar with such vehicles. "Nevermind..."

She turns to Haskel and speaks in a much louder, confident tone. "The scroll is not for sale, or rent, or anything. Be reasonable and leave. If you decide to take it from us by force, then these legionnaires will arrive here long after the battle is over, and the bodies they find will not belong to the Dawning Suns."
She puts her hand to her side, atop her scabbard, and Vanguard slowly materializes in it. She moves the sword above her shoulder and behind her back in a broad, slow and almost sound-making arc, holding it in the typical position of wielders of huge swords.

[Kyeudo]

Insar

"I had hoped it would not come to this, but it seems that you leave us no choice. Very well, then. You will not leave here alive."

With that, Insar reaches behind him and pulls Legacy from its harness, bringing the great weapon into a ready position in front of him and planting his feet in a fighting stance. Mentaly, he again channels Essence to strengthen himself for the coming conflict. That golem-thing is not going to go down easy.

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If I remember the rules with Hearthstones correctly, I regain my Manse's rating in motes of Essence each hour as long as I have it with me, right?

6 motes of Essence spent on Increasing Strength Exercise.

Inititive: (1d10+16)[26]

[Brickwall]

Star

There's no way I can beat an academy-trained sorcerer in a spell duel. He probably has countermagic, and I'd run out of Essence before him at that rate. If someone can distract him, though, I might be able to shape a few tide-turning spells. And we need them with that warstrider around.

Star twirls open both her fans.

"I need someone to keep the sorcerer busy while I cast spells. If he gets the chance to use countermagic, it will make things worlds more difficult."

With that, Star gets a steely glare in her eye. Noticing that the rest of the Circle is preparing to fight, she makes her own preparations. Hers are a bit more obvious, though.

Without warning, golden Essence erupts from her, swirling about in powerful streaks. It threatens to tear the fabric of Creation around her, so powerful is its force. Bits of earth fly into the air, and gusts of air blow away from this epicenter of power as it continues to grow. However, after what seems like a gripping eternity, but is in reality not even a second, some force grips the Essence and begins controlling it, containing it. While many of the streaks fly unbound, many more of them begin to contract themselves around Emerald Star, taking the shape of her body. She's casting a defensive spell, and it looks like as long as nobody interrupts, she has a good hold on the torrents of raw Essence carving the air around her.

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Using the Charm Terrestrial Circle Sorcery to cast the spell Invulnerable Skin of Bronze. Spending all Peripheral Essence on this. Hiding Sorcery is impossible anyway.

Since I'm not acting first no matter what, given that Initiative roll there, hopefully someone will launch into battle before this.

Initiative - (1d10+9)[13]

It should be noted that my Hearthstone still allows me to parry ranged attacks at my full pool without counting it as a distraction. I'm sure the Dragon-Blooded don't know that, but just to ease things when you're writing stuff up. No need for you to go back and edit things, you see.

[Cubey]

(OOC matters first: I took liberty for rolling initiative for those of you who didn't. Mariko got 24, Kadree got 25. Don't forget to declare actions for this turn - this is for Insar too. Also, for unfortunate reason I am unable to check most rules. I know the basics, but if you use a Charm make sure to point out what it does and how much does it cost. This unfortunate condition should fade in less than 24 hours.
Final note, spoiler tags for other languages are clunky so I'll use brackets instead. That's enough for OOC stuff.)

"Anathema!?" Haskel looks surprised, but it seems he can add two and two together very quickly. As soon as Star starts to channel essence, Natakar sends two arrows her way, in moves so fast that they were almost instant!

Emerald Star feels the power of her Hearthstone as she tries to deflect the missiles with her fans. Unfortunately, the first one was too fast and accurate - she manages to throw it off course, avoiding a potentially lethal shot, but the nasty frog-crotch head still manages to rake her side, shredding clothing and leaving a bleeding wound. Fortunately, it is a shallow one, and the second arrow was aimed badly and deflected easily. ((7 successes on enemy's hit, 4 on your parry. Two damage, he won initiative so no need to roll for spell interruption, because you didn't start to cast anything yet.))

Immediately after, Haskel jumps down the hill and starts running forward, shouting commands in High Realm at the same time.
("They're Anathema, don't pull back! Berroc, neutralise the blonde! I'll kill the big man.")
("What about me?!") Tanime's voice resonates from him angrily.
("Pick targets of opportunity!")
("Opportunity, huh?")
The hulking armour crouches lightly, and launches itself in the air! It swiftly descends down, the tree-turned-club raised high above its head - right down on Iskira and Oak (who didn't even dismount so far!). The impact leaves another explosion of earth and plant fragments, obscuring the effect from view and causing any other mounts you have with to flee in panic! Catching horses and the fate of your companions are the least of your concerns now - there are far more pressing matters to attend to!

Kadree feels a strong, sudden gust of wind and the next thing she sees is Berroc appearing right at her side. "You are the infernal anathema, aren't you? That explains why you were so stubborn to refuse - allow me to change your mind. But we are not without mercy, give up and we will treat you lightly." His expression is very determined, devoid of his usual light smiles.

Haskel charges quickly towards Insar, his eyes looking at him like a bird of prey would look on a defenseless rabbit. His dark blade is held before him, equally ready to parry or strike blows. In his left hand he still grips the papers the Dragon-Blooded offered in exchange for the scroll - whether he is that confident in his skill, or did he simply forget about them in the heat of starting battle, it is unknown.

Arsa leaps up several meters into the air, not making a faintest sound, not changing her expression nor saying a word. She is obviously heading towards Mariko, and she should land very near if not right atop of her. You can clearly see fresh leaves swirling around her right hand and forearm, in a miniature green whirlwind...

(Don't forget to declare actions!)

[Jannex]

For a moment, Mariko remains still, and her gaze rises to meet Arsa's. Her face shows no more expression than the Terrestrial girl's; she merely looks into the other woman's eyes. Then, in a single flash of motion, her left hand draws the dagger from her right wrist-sheath and looses it. The blade spins lethally through the air, casting a whirling shadow on the sun-dappled forest floor, as it plunges toward Natakar's head. The moment her hand is clear of the knife, she dives to one side, using the same motion to draw the thin, curved daiklaive from its scabbard on her back, and comes up in a ready stance.

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Initiative (I don't know whether her daiklaive's Accuracy bonus would apply or not; if it does, it's +4.): (1d10+8)[12]

Dex+Thrown: (5d10)[7][8][9][7][9](40)

And she's prepared to spend 2 motes of Personal Essence for Shadow Over Water, if attacked.

[Tengu]

Kadree reacts quickly to the monk appearing right beside her, hitting him in the stomach twice with her sword's pommel with lightning speed, the second blow followed by raising Vanguard's blade in an arc, bludgeoning him in the head with its dull side! She combines the impact of the blows with a jump to leap back several yards, turning in the air and landing with the weapon raised in a defensive position, and with her shield in front of her.
"Why are you with these people? You seem to be a decent man and they are a bunch of lunatics!"
Then she swallows a bit, her face becoming even more serious and a bit pale, as she sees the behemoth fighting in the background.

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3 attacks, bashing damage (so each of them has 1 success less), and 2 prepared parries.

Attack 1: (12d10)[6][2][3][6][2][4][8][3][4][4][7][3](52)
Attack 2: (11d10)[6][1][10][5][9][10][2][3][1][9][6](62)
Parry 1: (7d10)[8][2][1][7][1][9][2](30)
Attack 3: (9d10)[1][5][3][4][1][4][8][9][7](42)
Parry 2: (5d10)[1][2][3][3][8](17)

[Cubey]

The blade spins through the air, and strikes true! Natakar probably expected being able to shoot you all without retaliation, so it was a surprise for him when the dagger slashes across his face, leaving a bloody red line under his eyes and cutting several strands of his hair. (4 damage!)

"What's this? Good... hu hu... but I'm angry now. Really. Angry!"
Smoke starts to emit from his surroundings - leaves and other plants that were near him start to scorch and sizzle, although it's a bit tricky to notice from your current positions. He closes his eyes just for a second, and when they open you see that they are burning in an almost blinding, white-red colour!

"Unfortunately, our relationship cannot bloom in current circumstances." Arsa speaks these words out loud and clear at the highest point of her jump. The leaves around her arm coalesce together into a solid shape - an extremely oversized (two feet long and with an appropriate thickness), laquered wooden needle, which she launches at Mariko with a flick of the wrist!

Mariko manages to avoid the weapon (in what fashion - you describe. Anyway, 4 enemy successes, LOTS of Jannex's successes). Arsa lands right in front of her, allowing Mariko to notice that her opponent is armoured now. She wears not only her high-class, chocolate brown kimono (to use an OOC term), but also a green jade breastplate. These details get covered by her cloak however, as soon as she lands in a perfect stand.

EDIT: Post part two!

Mariko received 1 stunt die. So did Kadree.

The monk flexes his body back in a fashion and fluidity unattainable for any mortal, dipping so low that he avoids your first hit. He uses this move's momentum to backflip several yards to the back, out of the range of any of your next hits!
"This is so painful to hear! What makes you think my companions are not 'decent' people as well? Do you know them? Did you witness any of their acts? In fact, I could turn this against you - at a first glance you look like decent people as well, but deep inside you are hideous Anathema! And unlike us, faithful servants of the Perfected Hierarchy, misdeeds of your kind are widely known."
He doesn't attack, at least in this round.

[Cubey]

Since only Kyeudo and Haskel didn't move in this turn yet, feel free to describe what you do in the following turn as well.

[Kyeudo]

Insar

Bringing Legacy around in a wide, horizontal arc, Insar charges Haskel, swinging the huge foecutter with far more ease than mortal possible. Blows fall down upon Haskel's defenses like a rain of orihalcum and black jade, driving him back into the trees.

Using the momentum of his last swing, Insar jumps up off the ground and pushes off of the trunk of a nearby tree, using the force of his leap to add power to his next swing. His caste mark burns brightly upon his forehead as Insar uses Essence to enhance the sureity of his blows.

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Attack1:(8d10)[8][7][9][6][5][4][1][2](42)
Attack1:(7d10)[7][7][1][8][7][8][5](43)
Attack1:(6d10)[2][2][9][7][2][1](23)
Attack1:(5d10)[6][5][3][6][6](26)
4 motes of Peripheral Essence spent powering Excellent Strike, buying one die for each attack.

If this doesn't hurt him, I think he's gonna hurt me on his next turn.

I'll wait to know how he counter attacks before declaring my next action.

[Cubey]

"Too slow!"
Haskel ducks under your first hit, only to spring up to a one-legged, narrow position to avoid the second swing, leaning to one side to move his body just out of harm's way of the third hit, and only taking a small sidestep to avoid the last one.
It wouldn't be hard to hit him if he performed such small maneuvers only (he hardly moved from the spot!), but he was insanely quick, reminding you of a flickering flame of a bonfire.
"If you want to live, you have to do better then that... or is that the best you got?" He readies his sword like if to stab. However, you cannot miss a small drop of sweat falling down his face.

Actions for the next round, please! Also, that was a 2-dice stunt. Since your willpower is full, you regain 4 motes.

[Kyeudo]

Insar

"You can't handle my best." Insar adjusts his grip upon Legacy and brings the sword high. Down the blade comes in a rush of black and gold, the ancient edge still sharp enough to cleave through stone without slowing. The length of the six foot long blade blurs from the power of his swing, sending up a spray of earth and shards of stone as it crashes into the forest floor.

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I am suddenly picturing Loyd from Legend of Dragoon.

Inititive:(1d10+16)[19]
Attack: (11d10)[6][6][8][2][9][3][1][2][9][6][9](61)

[Brickwall]

Star

The Essence streaks coursing around Emerald Star begin to thin and finally disappear, leaving only her brightly glowing caste mark. However, that caste mark is no longer mounted upon a woman with bronzed skin, but upon a woman with bronze skin. It isn't possible to tell if she's simply turned into a statue, until she springs into action. Without any kind of verbalized threat, she darts behind the Wood Aspect threatening Mariko and slashes horizontally with one of her fans. She doesn't, however, attempt to reign in her considerable momentum, which is even worse with the added 100 pounds of weight. There could be a crash at some point.

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Supposing that I take Multiple Action penalties, my Dice Pool for this should be...8? If not, you seem to have dice at your desk.
(8d10)[32]
EDIT: CURSE WORD CURSE WORD EXPLETIVE!
I'm off to destroy the world now. You'll have to roll for me.

[Cubey]

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Initiative rolls for everyone, just for fun. I wanna play with /roll too!
Star: (1d10+8)[9] (-1 for wounds)
Kadree: (1d10+15)[19]
Mariko: (1d10+15)[23]

And here's Emerald Star's attack roll. Yeah, it's 8 dice.
(8d10)[3][10][10][7][1][10][6][4](51)

Unfortunately for Insar, his opponent is faster than him! Making use of an opening you made when rising the Daiklaive high, Haskel quickly stabs you in the chest, then performs a wide slash, hoping to add injury to injury! He smirks as he deals these hits, and his blade leaves behind a trail of droplets of water!
(5 and 3 successes, do you use any defensive charms?)

Arsa does not seem to be impressed at a sight of a bronze, flashing anima-surrounded woman charging at her with deadly intent. "You shall be my opponent then." As soon as as Star is very close, the girl takes an almost unnoticeable sidestep - that is, you can see her changing position, but not the move itself, it was like if she teleported from one place to another. After avoiding the impact, a sandal-clad leg protrudes from under her cloak and quickly kicks Star's side twice in rapid succession! (2 and 3 successes).
Then, she rises her head slightly as blood bursts from her mouth! A large piece of her cloak floats away, sliced off by the strike of the fan and exposing the wound, dealt beneath her left collarbone.
(Arsa receives 4 damage. And yes, I included wound penalties in her attack. I assume you use Essence-Gathering Temper? Also, that was a one-die stunt, but the roll didn't give any successes)

EDIT: Minor edits for better fluff.

[Kyeudo]

Insar

Spiraling flames of molten gold and midnight blue swirl around Insar as he moves to parry. Golden light flashes as blades cross. Steam erupts from the clash as the droplets of water trailing from Haskel's blade vaporize from the force of the clash. "Looks like you are more of a challenge than I thought. I may very well need to use my best at this rate."

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4 motes spent buying two parries.
Parry1:(8d10)[8][7][3][2][1][10][3][1](35)
Parry2:(8d10)[8][1][10][10][6][2][5][6](48)
and praying for stunt dice.

[Cubey]

Two loud CLANG sounds can be heard as Insar first beats the enemy's blade off its path, and then parries the second strike, erasing the smirk from Haskel's face. (1 stunt die - first parry rolled 10, I kid you not, the second rolled 2)

Insar counters with a powerful, sweeping hit, blowing the enemy away as his weapon crashes into the earth below, resulting in yet another spray of natural elements.
Haskel crashes into a tree behind him, NOT sending it falling but leaving deep, visible marks on the bark. He clutches his right leg, bleeding clearly visible from under the plates that were supposed to keep his thigh protected. (3 damage)

[Brickwall]

Star

Thanks to the incredible protection of her sorcery, Star doesn't even seem to notice the kicks to her midsection. However, she converts the force of those kicks into magical resolve, and her glare at this point could be described as steely if it weren't bronzey already.

"Normally I'd offer you the chance to surrender, but I have no wish to meet the Wyld hunt. I wish the best for your next incarnation, though." Normally, one might consider that a taunt. However, Star sounds frighteningly sincere.

With that, Star attacks. She does a diagonal slice with her left fan, however, she pulls her arm in too much. It was a feint. As she practically spins in midair, her right fan threatens to sink itself into its last cut.

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EGT for both of those attacks. I assume they're either bashing attacks that deal less than 12, or lethal that deal less than 6?
I'm also assuming she does more dice of damage than simply those extra successes, so I don't know how much to roll for EGT.

(9d10)[2][4][10][7][8][5][1][7][5](49) No MA penalty this time, though any wound penalties I didn't think I had should come off the end of this, I do so declare before editing.

[Tengu]

"We're fighting right now because Haskel wants something that doesn't belong to him! Do you think that's decent? And I'm sure you know his reputation! Do you think that Natakar threatening to harm innocents from frustration is decent too?"

Kadree suddenly dashes to the side and kicks some dirt into her opponent's eyes, hoping to blind him! Even if it doesn't succeed it should provide some distraction, as she leaps into her opponent's direction quickly, Vanguard and the arm she's holding it in suddenly glowing in a faint reddish-golden aura and leaving behind a trail as she slashes from above her shoulder, and quickly repeats the opposite way, not bothering to turn the sword's edge and attacking with its blunt side! Or maybe it's intentional?

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2 attacks with Hungry Tiger Technique - so 2 motes spent. The second one is bashing.
Attack 1: (15d10)[10][8][9][4][3][3][1][8][6][7][7][9][2][6][9](92)
Attack 2: (14d10)[6][2][8][10][1][2][1][6][8][3][8][10][9][5](79)

[Cubey]

Emerald Star regains 4 motes of essence, for a net gain of 2. She hardly feels the kicks towards her impenetrable, bronze skin.
(As far as the attack goes however, I'll first wait to see what Mariko does this turn)

As Kadree strikes forth, Berroc tries to twist his body out of harm's way. But he is unsuccesful, and blood sprays from a wide slash across his chest! His skin offered very strong resistance towards your blade, and you would expect him to be hurt much more than he is. He rises his arm in a defensive block, and the second strike hits his forearm, not seeming to do anything. Wind starts to blow heavily around him, and a light blue anima appears around his body, full of small lightnings crackling!
(A total of 3 damage)

"Reputation can be false! And if you knew more, you would agree that it is really important for us to acquire the scroll! Enough... I will not hold back anymore!"
He tenses his arms, and launches a swift punch straight into your solar plexus! Lacking any means to dodge (you used a charm this round already), you are hit! There is no visible damage, but you gasp as your mouth and lungs feel suddenly emptied of air - you have trouble focusing and feel extremely exhausted!
(-5 dice to any actions. Yes, you've read that correctly. Five)
"It will be over soon."

[Tengu]

Kadree gasps loudly for air, and drops to one knee, breathing heavily, the end of her sword buried into the earth as she holds it upside down high above, supporting her weight on it. "And... if you knew more... you'd know we cannot give... the scroll to any...one, either..." She speaks with a lot of difficulty, her face in pain and her eyes almost closed. She tries to gather strength to stand up, but does nothing else...

At least until getting attacked! If Berroc decides to strike at her, she suddenly opens her eyes wider, and uses her gathered strength to spring to both legs quickly (though she still remains crouched), moving Vanguard in a swift notion, spraying some earth around as it leaves a long gash in the ground, turning the momentum of the monk's blow against him as he punches (or kicks) right into the sword's sharp edge!

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Action - full parry. Solar Counterattack on the first enemy's attack.
(12d10)[8][6][5][1][4][5][7][10][4][8][8][5](71)

[Cubey]

Feel free to declare actions for the next round - in fact, I see two of you took the liberty of doing that already.

What does Mariko do?

[Jannex]

((Sorry for taking so long in responding; real life has been holding me hostage away from the computer for a bit.))

Mariko dives out of the way of Arsa's attack, letting her momentum carry her into a handspring. She lands in a wide stance, her daiklaive low and braced to parry. "I'm sorry you feel that way," she says to the Wood Aspect, her expression and tone neutral. "It would have been intriguing."

When she sees Emerald Star move in to confront Arsa, she gives the Twilight a brief nod, and turns her attention on Natakar. I can't let him get any spells off; we've got enough to worry about with that warstrider, she thinks, remembering some of the stories she's overheard about Lookshy. Her left hand clutches another of her throwing knives against the grip of her daiklaive; she had drawn it from her ankle-sheath as she landed from the flip. A flick of her wrist looses the blade at the Terrestrial, and Mariko follows it almost as quickly, using the spinning steel as a distraction to allow her to get in close. She aims her strike low, skimming the smoldering leaf-litter around Natakar's feet and throwing up tiny embers before arcing up on the follow-through, hoping to take out his legs.

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Spending a Willpower on the Thrown roll, and burning 7 motes of Personal Essence on Excellent Strike for the Melee roll.

Dexterity+Thrown: (3d10)[8][9][8](25) +1 success from Willpower
Dexterity+Melee: (11d10)[10][8][5][5][2][5][7][2][1][5][6](56)

[Kyeudo]

Insar

The spiraling flames arround Insar grow more intense, spiraling almost lazily around his arms and torso. He readies his weapon and tightens his stance, then charges the fallen Dragon-Blood, bellowing a feral warcry. Saphire flames leap up along Legacy's edge, shrouding the weapon in a heatless inferno of channeled Essence.

Insar's spiraling anima roars up, forming itself into a slender dragon, its eyes pools of molten gold, its scales a brilliant blue, twineing around his body, fierce jaws following the stroke of the burning foecutter. His swing, a wide, horizontal blow aimed across the Dragon-Blood's chest, leaving a trail of golden sparks in it's wake. The force of the blow slices out, splintering the tree trunk behind the Dragon-Blood and sending it crashing backwards to the ground.

Spoiler

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Attack: (20d10)[5][3][8][1][1][8][9][8][10][10][1][7][10][3][8][6][10][3][10][6](127)
If this hits, extra sucesses are counted twice when determining damage, and the damage it deals is doubled after soak but before being rolled.
I can also still buy parry attempts with Dipping Swallow Defense.
6 motes spent on Excellent Stike, 1 mote on Hungry Tiger Technique, 3 motes on Leaping Tiger Attack.
3 points of Willpower spent, 1 for the combo, 1 for the Leaping Tiger Attack, and 1 to channel a point of willpower through my Valor for 3 extra dice.

[Cubey]

((Don't worry, s'alright.))

Mariko launches a throwing knife towards the Dragon-Blooded. An incredible thing happens - Natar's grin disappears, replaced by a giant, furious frown! Air surrounding him bursts into fire, as he angrily draws three arrows from his quiver, ready to release them at you.

Seeing the flying weapon towards him, he tries to avoid it by dodging to one side... but trips! The dagger spins and strikes him straight into the sternum. The flames start to flicker and wane, just as quickly as they burst out.
"Hell..."

Mariko's blade swings through the flames, the heat not endangering the fine orichalcum metal in the slightest. Her opponent looms above her, making all the details visible - his crazed face, wild hair, sickly skin and a strange collar-like necklace he wears on his neck.
Then it all gets obstructed by a splatter of blood.

Natakar falls down, both of his legs amputated... he is bleeding so much, and the anima around him fades completely, that you are sure he is dead.

(That was a stunt, 1-die. The rest of the post coming up soon!)

[Cubey]

I rolled initiative for you:
Insar gets 23, Mariko gets 21 (14 base, which will probably count because she's away from the enemies so doesn't get the weapon's length's advantage), Star gets 18.

Insar receives two stunt dice - you decide if you want motes or willpower back.
As the powerful Solar charges his opponent, Tanime speaks up from Haskel's person again. Apparently he forgot to turn off whatever was used to communicate. It's in Riverspeak:
"Why don't you die?! Little Anathema b*tch, you get all that skill for free, right?! We had to work hard for them! Do you know what torture the House of Bells was! No? So die! It's unfair for you to be so good for no effort! Die! Die!"

Haskel looks shocked as Insar moves towards him, surrounded by his glorious, overwhelming anima banner. He readies his sword to parry, and tries to perform a dodge to the side, slightly resembling a pirouette performed by a cornered and bleeding dancer. Yet... it isn't enough. The Twilight's fury crashes into him with full might, and he can only scream - scream horribly and loudly, in terror and pain.
"Haskel!!!" Another scream comes from somewhere near his chest, this one is Tanime and she sounds horrified by what she just heard.

Compared to these two sounds, Insar barely notices the noise of a huge tree crashing down in front of him, thudding to the ground so loudly that others are deafened for a second. All that Insar can see is the body of his opponent, his lower and upper bodyparts separated as he has been cleaved at waist. Haskel's eyes are glassed, but still have an expression of horror, and his mouth is open wide. A pool of blood quickly forms below him, but apart from that the cut was perfectly clean.

(You dealt 13 damage. Thirteen frickin' damage. And the damage pool was 38-dice heavy.)

The cloud of dust from where the giant armor landed settles down, and you can see that it is indeed still there, but it stands still, its tree-club raised high but unmoving. The armor's helm faces Insar and the slaughter he just performed.
Below the hulk, you can see someone who has to be Iskira - she looks even smaller than usual, tiny in comparison to the giant. You cannot see any details from where you are, but she looks wobbly and seriously wounded, both her sword and shield raised in defense. Oak and his horse are nowhere to be seen from your locations.

Star (1 stunt die) attacks, and her feint is successful! Her Dragon-Blooded opponent jumps aside the first attack, but the other slices into her body! Unfortunately, it is stopped by her breastplate - the only effect is that whatever was left of her cloak has been turned to shreds.
"Haskel and Natakar are dead. You have the upper hand now." Apparently even that event doesn't change her expressionless face and voice.

Anima around Berroc concentrates even further, forming a vibrant scene. Clearly visible light-blue clouds surround his body, their shapes puffy and clearly stylised, like if taken from a picture. Their calm forms contrast with roaring thunderbolts that strike further around his body, and with howling winds that start to blow everywhere near both of you. Kadree can feel fresh mountain air in her nose. Yet, despite this noise and distraction, Berroc somehow managed to hear what has happened to his group's leader.
"That's what I meant by hideous misdeeds! Who are you to murder the chosen of the Dragons? Painless death is too good for you... but I will deliver it anyway!" Lightnings around him intensify further as he says these words. Then, the monk leaps forward, trying to punch you in the solar plexus once again...

This time, he has been blocked. Surprise doesn't even begin to form on his face when Kadree strikes back - he jumps back, his reflexes faster than his emotions, but is too slow, receiving a diagonal slash across his chest. He spits out a drop of blood.
"How..."
3 damage, it was a 1-die stunt.

Waiting for Mariko now!