Ambergriff wonders her way through the bog at night, looking for safety. Silver leads a heroic assault on the infiltrators before they can destroy the city. Both will have to wake soon...
Hopefully Spark's line will continue soon as well.
>>168891"Funny." Helder is in a porter's uniform. He whispers,
"So what is your plan? Remain like this until we get to Hellquill? Or ditch at the border?"
>>168890Hmmmmm, I want to get closer to the bend
"Umm, no, no, no, new to country." Posey says, her hood pulled over her head and her features obscured, layering a thick accent (vaguely Romanian) over her speech
Rolling Bluff
[1d20+12 = (3+12) = 15]
>>168892"Best to keep everything looking normal," Amber whispers back. "When we get to Hellquill Station we can quietly disperse."
>>168893"Did we catch you with your marefriend? Or rather, with your marefriends? Where is the rest of your crew?" The stallion asks assertively, evidently more so to intimidate than out of a sincere desire for an answer
>>168894"Sounds good enough. Keep it up." He says
>>168895Posey gestures for Mason to move closer beyond the bend, and she cautiously moves back
How close are they?
>>168895Amber quietly nods and gets on with the work.
>>168893>>168895The stallion, a light red creature, evidently a pegasus wearing a vest and a fedora, addresses Mason, and only looks over towards Posey out of response to movement or noise, but not not in sincere interest. The diamond dog is a little further back
>>168896They are right by it, it's a movement of at most 20 feet to the left, if even that far, though actually getting out of line of sight might require moving past an orphaned wall that used to be a part of a storefront, but now is closed down and the doors are sealed off
>>168897Is that guy trying to avoid getting his ticket punched? Because it seriously seems like he doesn't have a ticket, the way he moves out of his seat, and tries to go to the bathroom
>>168896>>168898Mason starts to move backwards, and towards the bend
>>168898A job is a job, even if it's a fake job….
"Sir, I'd like to see your ticket."
>>168898I meant how close are they to us? Are they in booping distance
>>168899"Mason, come now, fiu is waiting." Posey says, still with her thick accent, pretending to telekinetically drag him around the bend
But really, she waits right by the corner, waiting for them to get in booping range
>>168901Not exactly, but she could jump forward and boop him.
They don't move closer to them
immediately, though Mason takes a step back. They are kind of close to the brick wall.
"Or was your whole crew killed? Who are you working for now, huh?" Again, said more so with the intent to intimidate.
>>168900He sounds offended,
"You've already seen my ticket!"
>>168902She shakes her head. "If I have, it would have a hole in it."
>>168904"Where did you drop your ticket? If it's on the train we can find it."
>>168905"Up there. Further up front." He says, just pointing vaguely towards the front part of this coach car (car 3).
>>168902Fuck it. Who needs sleep.
Posey jumps forward with supernatural speed.
She draws an arrow from her quiver and
"Boop."
She teaches out and boops the Pegasus on the nose, invoking her Charnel Touch attack with Inflict Light Wounds
[1d20+5 = (20+5) = 25]And since he's currently flat-footed, rolling for laijutsu focus
[1d20+4 = (12+4) = 16]
>>168906"It'll be some time to the next station. Let's go find it," she says, looking at him suspiciously.
>>168907Nat fucking 20
Rolling damage for inflict Light Wounds (doubled)
[1d8+5 = (2+5) = 7]And charnel touch
[1d8+1 = (7+1) = 8]And laijutsu focus
[2d6 = 6]As a free action as part of her attack, the bones on her armor rattle and she immediately rolls intimidate to Demoralize
[1d20+11 = (8+11) = 19]
>>168907>>168909That's some serious damage
The hell is liajustu though?
>>168910[1d2 = 1]>>168908He doesn't move. Then both Erich and Federkleid enter behind Amber, saying nothing at the moment.
>>16890928 damage on the first hit, and a 19 to demoralize
I guess that's Posey's surprise round. Rolling for Initiative
[1d20+13 = (10+13) = 23]>>168910A skill that samurai use to deal more damage on the first strike in combat.
Posey drew an arrow from her quiver, which counts as a melee weapon since it's treated as a dagger
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/skills/iaijutsu-focus/index.htmlDread Necromancer relies on melee attacks a lot, and has low damage. Posey uses Laijutsu to take advantage of her high charisma to eliminate opponents quickly.
>>168911"If you cannot produce your ticket, you will be transferred to the authorities at the next stop," Amber says sternly.
>>168909>>168910>>168912It's a bit simpler than that.
The diamond dog grabs the stallion by his shoulder, and tries to drag him away from the master booper
>>168913He stares at Amber... with that stare becoming much less confident as the other griffins come behind her
"Okay, okay. I don't have a ticket. Can I buy one?"
>>168914Is the stallion unconscious?
>>168914"It's too late now," Amber says simply. "At the next stop you will have to pay a fine for being a stowaway, and then you might be able to buy a ticket."
>>168916Since it's the next round, I would like to boop the stallion diamond dog as well as he attempts to move away.
That depends if he beats me in initiative though. Do I move before he does?
>>168917He looks a bit intimidated, then jumps up, almost stumbles out of his seat and nearly hits a griffin on the other side, and then runs away towards the car in front of them.
>>168918No. His move, however, is to attempt to disengage.
>>168919Then I make an attack of opportunity.
Charnel touch, this time without a spell
[1d20+5 = (18+5) = 23]And a demoralizing check
[1d20+11 = (13+11) = 24]
>>168920Idk what kind of armor he's wearing, but no way he has 24 touch AC if he's trying to escape
[1d8+1 = (3+1) = 4]
>>168920Opposed,
[1d20+3 = (11+3) = 14]Please note that while Posey's initial boop was inconspicuous, this battle against the diamond dog is back in the main walkway as he's moved.
>>168922Well, charnel touch has no verbal or somatic component, so this only looks like a seemingly-innocent boop.
He should be shaken now.
It's Posey's turn now, but she's used Charnel Touch already, so she's going to make a in melee Slam attack, booping him again, this time not so gently.
[1d20+5 = (19+5) = 24]And Demoralize as the bones on her armor rattle (gotta love that grotesque Barding)
[1d20+11 = (14+11) = 25][1d20+5 = (14+5) = 19]
>>168919Amber groans. This is
not what they needed. She looks to her friends to follow, and calmly follows the stowaway. There's no need to run given that it's a dead end.
>>168923Don't know where the second melee roll came from, but I think that hits, so I'll roll the damage
Bludgeoning
[1d6+5 = (6+5) = 11]And Cold
[1d6 = 6]
>>168924Well, he's left the car.. then the next car...
Federklied whispers
"So are we getting off at the next station?"
>>168925>16 damage without use of a spellI'm starting to get skeptical
The diamond dog draws a knife from presumably an internal pocket on his jacket, and stabs at Posey with it
[1d20+4 = (5+4) = 9]
>>168926"I think if we do, it would raise too many questions," Amber replies in a low voice. "If we want to avoid suspicion, we should continue on to Hellquill itself."
>>168927"True" She says
As the door to the locomotive is locked, and there is no baggage car, there is but one location left for this rapscallion:
The front bathroom.
>>168926Well, I did start at lvl 3 instead of 5 for this dhampir-strength, so may as well buck some thugs while it's mechanically relevant.
Posey rears up and attacks him with both hooves
She uses her Charnel touch as a primary manufactured weapon (a touch is considered a weapon), and her Slam as a secondary natural attack
[1d20+5 = (15+5) = 20][1d20 = 17]And a demoralize check; this should increase him to panicked
[1d20+11 = (20+11) = 31]
>>168928Amber knocks on the door.
>>168929[1d8 = 2][2d6+5 = (2+5) = 7] not sure if this hits, but rolling anyway
>>168929>>168931Posey has hit him, but he tries again to make a stab.
[1d20+2 = (20+2) = 22]>>168930No response
>>168932"~Oh!" Posey gasps as the dog stabs her in the place where her heart used to be
And then smiles
>>168933The dog is not content with the course of events, looking back at Posey with his golden eyes
>>168934"I'm not here." Is the reply
>>168935Amber sighs, unlocks the door and goes in.
>>168936The bathroom is cramped, but Amber can see her quarry there, hiding on top of the toilet.
>>168935Are you going to roll damage?
Posey has DR/2 Magic and Bludgeoning from her Lich Body feature, and immunity to extra damage for crits, being undead
Posey glances down at the knife in her chest, then back to the dog.
"Run." she says coldly
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7KSZicb6McRolling intimidate. This time just to coerce, not demoralize.
[1d20+11 = (15+11) = 26]
>>168937"We're not police. What's your real reason for sneaking aboard the train?"
>>168938I'm definitely not persuaded this is balanced. It's bad enough that Posey has +5 points of luck on every other playerPosey did not know that diamond dogs could run that fast, as he colides with a griffin, stands up, and starts running again.
Mason says to Posey
"We've got to get out ourselves"
>>168939"Because to buy a ticket, I'd have to present identification." He says
>>168940She blinks. "And why is that an issue?"
>>168941"I
may have police looking for me in Griffinhiem..."
He has a large, toothy smile, and his head is low in front of his shoulders.
>>168942>toothy>griffon"What did you do?" Amber asks curiously.
>>168940Posey looks quite pleased with herself, finally getting her fix of violence for the night.
She looks down at the unconscious pegasus, a fine body and a decent sacrifice, but per Mason's heed she realizes he would be too much of a burden to drag with them without standing out, so she follows Mason, abandoning the pegasus to his fate.
And with that, I bid you good night
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMmvrM9wmkcA fair assessment, but also consider that a lvl 5 Wizard would have fought that battle using 2nd and 3rd level spells like Glitterdust, Fireball, in or Sleet Storm, or a lvl Fighter with a Greatsword would've done far more melee damage, let alone a Warblade or Crusader. I understand your concerns though. I will revise her sheet per your advice.
>>168943no u
"Well, they claim it involved stealing items out of a store as it was shutting down for the low season, but really I think the manager just hated me. Anyways, I'm trying to leave all that behind me."
>>168945Amber sighs once again. He really is just a low-life criminal, but at least he hasn't
killed somegriff. Also, with how bureaucratic this land is, she can't risk that turning him in would also expose her and her friends' identities. But she also can't let him know that they're fugitives as well….
Amber replies sternly, "You're beneath our interest, but don't cause any more trouble on this train."
>>168946He shakes his head, still squatting on top of the toilet with its closed lid.
>>168947Amber huffs. "Good thing it was still there," she says, loudly enough to be heard by a few passengers. "If you didn't have a ticket, there would have been
serious consequences." She leaves the lavatory and resumes her duties.
>>168948The ~~little pony~~ medium sized griffin is free to ~~her~~ his work. 3 whole cars remain.
>>168949Well that's not too bad. Hopefully this failed state isn't rife with stowaways and miscreants.
>>168950Hopefully....
Another car, another problem, with a griffin allegedly sleeping. Now has this griffin actually fallen asleep, or do we have another rapscallion on our claws?
>>168951She taps him on the shoulder with a claw. "Sir?"
>>168952"Schnaaaaaacht!" He snores, or seems to
>>168953She shakes his shoulder. "Sir," she repeats, more firmly.
>>168955She's starting to see what a thankless job this is…
Amber continues to pester the "sleeping" passenger.
>>168956He bolts his head up, looks side to side, and says "Huh? What's that? Why did you wake me?"
>>168957"Ticket please," Amber asks simply.
>>168958"Yeah yeah..." He pokes through his jacket pocket, then other jacket pocket, then pants pocket... then other pants pocket...
Nothing.
>>168959"Have you got your ticket or not?" Amber asks, rather annoyed at this point.
>>168944Oh wait, I have Tenser's Floating Disk from spellstitching. I could drag this guy along. He might come in handy later, alive or dead.
>>168940Posey turns to Mason as she readies to leave.
"Were they
friends of yours?" she asks
She put a quizzical amount of emphasis on the word 'friend', as though it's a sort of eldritch art that she hasn't fully wrapped her mind around
>>168962"No." He answers, shaking his head. He's obviously ready to bolt out of there. There are at least three creatures looking her direction, though it's hard to say when they started - it may not have been until after the Diamond Dog fled.
>>168963"Then let us be off." Posey says, plucking the knife out of her chest, the wound oozing with corrupt black icor... but a trickle of red blood as well? She places the blade in her satchel (removing evidence).
Btw, is the pegasus still alive?
>>168965Posey's best guess is yes, but without checking the body it is hard to tell.
Mason is happy to go off with Posey's confirmation.
>>168960"Yes, I have it. It's just..."
He's feeling all around. Then in his seat. Then he doesn't seem to have it.
"I have my ticket." He says, coming a little closer to panic. This griffin is heavier, heavier built, and older than the young rapscallion encountered earlier.
>>168973The conductor blinks, and is decidedly not in the mood for another train chase. "I'll come back later, please have your ticket by then."
>>168974Well, this one is probably slower. Probably. He's still looking for it as they move away.
>>168975As long as he's not faking it….
Amber is not moving fast regardless, as she checks and punches the tickets of all the other passengers.
>>168976The remainder of this task is thankless, somewhat tedious, but all in all, uneventful, and frankly not worse than most of what she has to do on a daily basis. At least she gets to punch holes through things.
Then Amber feels the train slowing down. She didn't give them permission to slow down. She doesn't feel a turn, and it's too soon for them to be approaching Soldau.
>>168972Then I'll take him. I won't get many more opportunities like this anytime soon.
"One moment, please."
Posey takes a moment to drag the stallion into the hidden alcove. There, she casts Floating Disk, and telekinetically flops the stallion onto it, before throwing her Cloak over the disk to obscure him.
And with that, she gallops off with Mason, towing her prize with her at full speed.
>>168977For a moment Amber feels sheer panic as she thinks they're approaching the next station, before she had been able to finish or resolve all the problems. When it becomes apparent that's not possible though, she looks out the window and moves up to the engine, where she (hopefully) can unlock the door and ask what is happening.
>>168978She's going to drag the equivalent of a gurney through a public thoroughfare?
>>168979All the problems?
>>168980Well, that one griffon who still doesn't seem to have found his ticket, but still.
>>168980Does it look feasible to get away with it?
>>168982Having a body under a sheet floated through the air for at least a city block down a road, then up public stairs, then placed in a car that's parked in a public area? What do you think?
>>168981Amber walks the approximately six car lengths, during which time the train comes almost to a complete stop. Amber finds the Engineer, the old grey griffin, in a somewhat excited state.
"The police called in and have ordered us to stop. I did not have time to wait for your command. They demanded we stop before we crossed the border." He tells Amber
>>168983Oh fine. No kidnapping for me tonight.
Posey gives up on her plan and gallops away.
>>168983Amber gulps and seems to blanche. "Th-they called in? How?"
>>168983Kidnapping plans abandoned, how easily are we able to get to the car?
>>168984>>168986Mason seems content with this choice. Posey doesn't actually know how to get back up, but Mason seems to. He seems a little confused at one point, stopping and looking at doors, before saying "this way" and moving further down, finding a set of stairs, and then coming onto the roadway. He looks around, then to the left. It's less than a block back to the car, still parked there. Mason looks around to make sure he isn't pursued or facing other danger, fumbles with his car keys before unlocking the automobile, and getting in.
>>168987Posey gets in after him.
She checks if the coast is clear as they leave.
>>168985He looks back to her, clearly concerned, but less so than Amber. "Is this your first time on the Hellquill line? Our locomotives are fitted with radios. They called in over the radio, telling us to stop immediately."
>>168988He starts to drive immediately, going straight. The road turns to the left and takes them out of the rows of mixed-use buildings, and into factories and warehouses, sometimes traversed overhead with walkways, pipes, or conveyer belts.
>>168989Amber looks down briefly, then back up to stare at him. "Did they give you the identification code?"
>>168989Posey doesn't bother him with smalltalk for a while, instead scanning the area for unexpected obstacles or cars that may be following them. She continues like this until they've gone some distance.
>>168990He looks to her, raisng an eyebrow
"No..? They've done it before and did not use an identification code. It's from a frequency generally used by the government though."
>>168991Posey sees no sign that they are followed. There are obstacles like trucks, though these move quickly enough to suggest they are not traps. The only issue Posey may have noticed is they are going the wrong direction.
>>168992>wrong direction"Um.. the lair is that way...?" Posey says inquisitively, not having mastered the art of automotive magic
>>168992"Frequencies can be imitated. Bandits have become more bold and clever, learning from Blackrock. A few trains have been ordered to stop and then robbed by bandits pretending to be the authorities. This is why codes have been recently introduced."
Rolling diplomacy:
[1d20+4 = (11+4) = 15]
>>168993"Yeah, yeah. I just want to be clear of there. If we go north, we'll probably have one more check point, but we should be fine." He answers, still driving, though if Posey thought they had any likelihood of being ambushed, she'd be uncomfortable with these streets that are more cramped than the ones she left.
>>168994Bluff. It's called Bluff.
He looks anxious and uncertain. He picks up a receiver, and calls into it.
"This is HB 211. Can you give me the confirmation code. Over."
Response, a few seconds later,
"Confirmation code? This is Germar Grismonde of the Imperial Inquisition. You are to stop the train immediately. There may be fugitives aboard."
>>168995"Hmmm, fair point. I'll leave it to you, Mason." Posey says
She takes a moment to recline, counting the spoils of her adventure
>>168995Amber puts on as serious a demeanor as she can manage while feeling so jittery.
"Look, if he was telling the truth, he won't keep his job long because the blame for not stopping will fall on him. But if we stop and it is indeed bandits–because this is exactly the sort of thing they would try–every single passenger will be robbed or worse. Do you want that weighing on your conscience?"
>>168997"Are you sure they will always have a confirmation code?" He asks Amber.
But they barely have to wonder. Just ahead, looking out the window (of course through the side, the boiler is in the way directly ahead), they can see the alleged officers. Or at least, the engineer can. The train is almost stopped, though not quite.
"Oh look. They look like they have police uniforms to me." He says
New Thread!
>>168996She finds that she has a knife, an 8-inch pot, a mask, a small... fetish? totem thing? and a bracelet.