Fool's Bounty (IC)

[Jzadek]

Fool's Bounty Chapter One: Into the Woods


http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/091/1/c/Bear_by_sandara.jpg



"We'd better hope we get there soon," remarked the driver of the cart darkly, looking up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, throwing long shadows across the country road, turning everything into emaciated stick figures. The trees curled over the darkness of the undergrowth, cradling it as one might a child. There was a chill in the air, as the two bounty hunter's made their way to the Windenne Wood.

The horses driving the cart noticed this too. They were even more jittery than usual, having got somewhat used to the lioness in the back with them. The lion had had them quite spooked, but not as much as this. There was a feeling of essential wrongness, or perhaps rightness, in the area. While humans had settlements here, they had not tamed the land. Here, the land was wild, feral. When the very earth seemed to have the instincts of a predator, it was little wonder the horses were so scared.

Still, though, the two bounty hunters were not ordinary people - they were two of the most deadly, feared and revered hunters out there, and could probably handle anything they came across. But still, the Windenne Wood was a whole other story. No-one came out, at least, no-one human. There were stories of ancient gods of the forest, becoming lost and rampaging through human lands of old... but they were just stories.

And so, the cart trundled along, its passengers on the back, as it made the final stage of its journey. It would drop them off in the village of Tamlingrave, where they would make there own way into the forest proper, and find Lord Cadby's missing daughter. The outlook was not good.

"So, either of you ever been to Tamlingrave before?" the driver asked, "It's not a bad village, if you remember t'bar your doors at night. People are welcoming. If y'needin' a bed, Katelyn'll set you up with one at the local tavern."
He grinned roguishly, turning around to look back at his two passengers.
"If y'lucky, she may even join you in it."
He turned back around.
"Still, though, if we don't make it soon, you may not get to see the village. I hope you lads brought a lot of iron."

[Sparrow]

"No, I've never to Tamlingrave. I hail from the capital, although these days, I prefer being away from that city," Johnny said, dragging his fingers through his blond hair. "Don't worry, when the sun goes down, we'll be ready to defend ourselves." He looked at the cart driver, "And anyone else, if need be."

I can't remember if I designated a color for Johnny or not, so lets go with teal.

[Lord Ruby34]

Brenden shook himself from his reverie. "Mmh, I've been there before. I never thought I'd go back either. If that stupid girl hadn't gotten herself lost I wouldn't have." Brenden shook his head. I hope Katelyn won't want to pick back up where we left off. Leaving was probably the best thing I ever did for her.

[Jzadek]

"It's good t'have someone fer protection," the driver admitted with a short nod, "I can throw a mean 'orseshoe, but tha's unlikely t'get me out of any real danger, irregardless of what iron'll do to 'em faeries."

He eyed the area suspiciously. Between the trees, for just one moment, there seemed to be a flash of movement.

"What was that?" he asked worriedly. The horses pulling the cart twitched nervously.

[Lord Ruby34]

Storm appeared in Brenden's hand faster than the eye could follow, an arrow already knocked. He scanned the woods, carefully looking for another sign of movement.

"Johnny, look behind me."

OOC:
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Sparrow]

"Got it." Johnny pulled his crossbow and loaded it with a bolt, going back-to-back with Brenden. "When were you planning on telling me you had been here before?" Johnny asked, searching the trees for any sign of movement.

Spot:[roll0]
Listen:[roll1]

[Lord Ruby34]

"I was going to tell you before we got to town. Now, shut up and keep looking." Brenden replied curtly.

[Sparrow]

Johnny sighed, "Fine." Johnny kept his eyes glued to the forest, continuing to watch for movement.

[Jzadek]

There was another flash of motion, and a blur shot out behind the cart across the road, too fast to be made out, leaving only the rustling of bushes to indicate it was ever there in the first place. An inhuman screech sounded from yet another area of wood - there seemed to be at least three of them.

One of the horses bolted, coming free from the cart and knocking it over, running off into the trees and tipping the passengers from their seats.
"Jess!" the driver yelled after the animal, getting up, but stayed with Brenden and Johnny, not wanting to be caught alone with whatever manner of creature was out there. Moments later, a terrible, painful whinny sounded from the woods, promptly cut off.

"Damn't fey are early! It's not even sundown!" the driver shouted at the world in general. Another screech sounded, echoing through the trees. But there was something different about this one. Something less predatory, more... fear.

No-one had time to consider the implications of this, however, as one of the creatures that had been pursuing them came out of the woods towards them. It was vaguely man-shaped, but it's legs were more like a goat's, and it's head primal and animalistic, with great curving antlers rising from it's skull. It's skin was rough and barklike, while two amber eyes glared out. It opened its mouth, and let out that same dreadful sound.

Then the earth began to shake, and the fey creature turned around in fear. Towards it lumbered a seven-foot man, hooded and cloaked, with yellow and pupil-less glowing eyes and fists of clay betraying it as a golem. It stopped in front of the fey, and the two strange people stood there for a moment, staring into one another's eyes. Then the golem's fist shot out, throwing the fey into the air. With speed unfitting for such a heavy seeming construct, the golem smashed through the remains of the cart, barely missing the three, before grabbing the fey from where it landed and picking it up and smashing it into the ground.

The one-sided battle took about eight seconds.

The golem then thundered over to Brenden and Johnny.
"Are you Brenden Martel, occupation bounty hunter?" it asked in a deep monotone, "Are you Johnny Zephyros, occupation bounty hunter?"

[Sparrow]

Johnny looked over at Brenden as he got up and wiped the dirt from his clothes. When the Golem came, Johnny positioned himself between the driver and it. Johnny said nothing in response to the Golem's question. He waited for Brenden to say something, or run. Whichever came first.

[Lord Ruby34]

Brenden smirked at the Golem. "Yes."

[Sparrow]

Johnny responded to the Golem as well. "I am Jonathan Zephyros, bounty hunter. Is there something I can help you with? Perhaps I can play you a short tune." Johnny said sarcastically, pulling out his harmonica.

Note: Johnny would not usually be this rude, but since this Golem most likely works for the government, he isn't very happy to see it.

[Lord Ruby34]

"You call what you do with that thing playing a tune? I thought it was called torture." Brenden smirked. Keep watching us, big boy. Don't notice the giant lion behind you.

Brenden got ready to give the signal for Jasmine to pounce. If this went bad he wanted to knock this thing on it's ass before it had time to make a move.

[Sparrow]

"Okay, no music then." Johnny said to Brenden, putting his harmonica back, then he turned back toward the Golem."Do you need directions, because we don't have them. If you're looking for a place to stay, I think I saw an inn about twenty, maybe thirty miles. If you ran really fast, you may get there before midnight."

[Jzadek]

The Golem throws back it's hood, revealing a vaguely human head, with the eight pointed sun of the Thaumennon, identifying it as a Prefect.

"Brenden Martel, Johnny Zephyros, by order of Prometheus, you are to be detained immediately and relocated to wherever he sees fit."

Two chains slide from it's bracers, and it grips them in two broad porcelain fists.

"Do not resist. Resistance shall be immediately crushed. In the event that you do resist, lethality has been permitted."

I'm rolling for initiative in the OOC thread - that does not mean that combat is an inevitability, it's up to you to decide what course of action to take. This is merely to speed up posting if that's what you decide to do.

EDIT: If you do decide what course of action is best, Johnny wins initiative, Brenden goes next, and then Johnny gets another turn, and Brenden another after that - the Prefect go a nice health score of 0, originally a natural 1, so an automatic failure, threatening a critical, which it got (having the confirmation lower than Johnny or Brenden's scores).

[Lord Ruby34]

"You remember when we took down Gerald Three-fingers?"

[Sparrow]

Johnny chuckled, "Yeah he never saw us coming."

Johnny quickly jumped back and fired his already loaded crossbow at the Golem, then he reloaded and shot another, and another.

Five Foot step back, Going into Assassin Stance,Rapid Shot, Sneak Attacking. Meaning Lots of dice are gonna be rolling.

Shot 1 Attack Roll: [roll0]
Shot 1 Critical Confirm (17-20)Roll: [roll1]
Shot 1 Damage Roll: [roll2]
Shot 1 Sneak Attack: [roll3]

Shot 2 Attack Roll:[roll4]
Shot 2 Critical Confirm (17-20) Roll: [roll5]
Shot 2 Damage Roll: [roll6]
Shot 2 Sneak Attack: [roll7]

Shot 3 Attack Roll: [roll8]
Shot 3 Critical Confirm (17-20)Roll: [roll9]
Shot 3 Damage Roll: [roll10]
Shot 3 Sneak Attack: [roll11]

Edit: Third one is a critical threat

[Jzadek]

Woah. That's one powerful attack. I'm impressed.

I may have to send a more powerful foe at you guys next time...

I should probably add that while Sneak Attack works against golems, critical hits do not. I'm also ruling that if the original attack does not damage (due to damage reduction) sneak attack doesn't do any either.

The first bolt slammed into the Prefect's forehead, snapping it's neck back with the force. Clearly not expecting this sudden strike, it stumbled backwards, cracks forming where the bolt had pierced the ceramic exoskeleton.
The second pierced it in the torso, bouncing uselessly off it's clay chest. It attempted to move forwards, but the third bolt penetrated it this time, hitting it in the shoulder. The wooden shaft splintered, but the metallic point tore a great rift across it, and a large chunk of clay shattered from it's artificial shoulder blade. It looked bewildered at the injury, clearly unused to being hurt.

[Lord Ruby34]

Brenden muttered arcane words under his breath, and made a sharp sign with his right hand. Both he and Jasmine disappeared without a trace. She pounced on the Golem from behind, her claws raking against him powerfully. Brenden started creeping to the left. Never take a chance you don't have too.

OOC:
Brenden's going to cast Greater Invisibility and move silently ten feet to the left. [roll0]

Jasmine will Pounce on the Golem.
Attack 1 (Claw): [roll1]
Damage 1: [roll2]

Attack 2 (Claw): [roll3]
Damage 2: [roll4]

Attack 3 (Bite): [roll5]
Damage 3: [roll6]

+2 from Charging, +2 from being invisible. I'll assume default feats for now.

[Sparrow]

Again Johnny jumps back, trying to distance himself from the Golem. As before, he fires off three shots into the Golem.

As a swift action, I'm activating my Motivate Ardor Aura for +3 on damage. It affects all allies with in 60 feet who can hear me and lasts until I dismiss it with a swift action

Rolls as far as the eye can see:

Rapid Shot and Sneak Attack because he should still be flat-footed and also forgot point blank shot last time so that's +1 Attack Damage:

Shot 1 Attack: [roll0]
Shot 1 Confirm: [roll1]
Shot 1 Damage: [roll2]
Shot 1 Sneak Attack: [roll3]

Shot 2 Attack: [roll4]
Shot 2 Confirm: [roll5]
Shot 2 Damage: [roll6]
Shot 2 Sneak Attack:[roll7]

Shot 3 Attack:[roll8]
Shot 3 Confirm:[roll9]
Shot 3 Damage: [roll10]
Shot 3 Sneak Attack:[roll11]

I think That is all right

[Jzadek]

Jasmine's claws rake across the golem's back, scratching the ceramic plating, but doing only minimal damage. Before it can react, however, Johnny's shots slam into it, one by one, causing great cracks to form across it's body. It stumbles slightly, off balance and unable to attack. It's obviously on its last legs.

Brenden has one last shot to take it down before it is able to attack. Finally.

[Lord Ruby34]

Brenden's voice cut from the middle of nowhere. "Ah, hell with it. It's almost down anyway." An arrow burning with golden fire streaked out from nowhere, then another, and another. In midair all of them sprouted a phantom copy, and continued toward the golem uninterrupted.

OOC:
I'm using Point Blank Shot (Remixed), with Rapid Shot, while trying to ten foot step. If I hit forty I can do so. I'll move toward the Golem. I'm also using a first level spell to power each shot. That only costs me three, as splitting doubles all the effects. It's great synergy for archers.

Attack 1: [roll1]
[roll]3d6+1d4+4
Skirmish

Attack 2: [roll3]
[roll]3d6+1d4+4
Skirmish

Attack 3: [roll5]
[roll]3d6+1d4+4
Skirmish

Attack 4: [roll7]
[roll]3d6+1d4+4
Skirmish

Attack 5Attack 1: [roll9]
[roll]3d6+1d4+4
Skirmish

Attack 1: [roll11]
[roll]3d6+1d4+4
Skirmish [roll12]

The Skirmish only matters if I hit my ten foot step.

[Lord Ruby34]

OOC: The damage didn't work. Huh, maybe it can't do two dice at once.

1:[roll0][roll1]
2:[roll2][roll3]
3:[roll4][roll5]
4:[roll6][roll7]
5:[roll8][roll9]
6:[roll10][roll11]

EDIT: I read arcane strike wrong, I only sacrifice one slot instead of three.

[Jzadek]

One large crack appeared right through the golem's middle as Brendan's shots hammered into the already-weakened clay form. It stumbled back, crumbling as magical runes danced across it's breaking ceramic skin, and it gav a blood-curdling cry of agony.

"I die for Prometheus!" it yelled, regaining its balance and lunging at Johnny, arm outstretched, but before it could reach him, it disintegrated into a cloud of dust and chunks of clay at his feet.

[Sparrow]

Johnny stumbled back as the golem lunged at him, but caught himself as the construct turned to dust and showered his feet. He turned toward the general area Brenden was before he went invisible. "Thanks. He nearly got me."

He then turned toward the cart-driver. "Are you okay? You aren't injured are you?"

[Jzadek]

The cart driver just sat on the ground, opening and closing his mouth for a moment, before speaking.

"Holy frakking gods of heaven and earth!" he wailed hysterically, before getting a grip on himself, "Ahem, sorry. I'm going to be okay, it's just... frak me..."

He climbed up and slid his foot through the dust of the destroyed prefect.

"That guy seemed pretty broken up, if you'll excuse the pun," he said, "I always learned that all 'em golems 'adn't no emotions, but he seemed a bit o' a drama queen, by their standards."

[Lord Ruby34]

Brenden dismissed the spell on himself and Jasmine before speaking. "Frak is right. What did we do to Prometheus to make him send a golem after us?"
He sifted through the dust of the golem's body. "Well, you should be happy about that Johnny. One less golem in the world."

[Sparrow]

"Yeah, one less Golem. I just wish that I got to fire off the final shot." Johnny looked at the slowly setting sun. "So, about how far from the village are we?" Johnny asked, still looking at the sky. His question wasn't directed at anyone in specific, just to anyone who would answer.

[Jzadek]

The driver decided to answer.
"About a mile now," he said, "Only a few minutes by cart."
He surveyed the wreckage.
"Although walking will probably be a little longer..."

[Lord Ruby34]

Brenden stood up and sighed. "I doubt we're gonna be able to hide this. If Prometheus figures out his golem failed he's gonna send something else. I'm not sure if it's safe for us to go Talimgrave. If Prometheus sends another golem there..."

[Jzadek]

"Who is Prometheus, anyway?" the driver asks, "S'not the name of any of the Archmages, or any generals..."

He looked down the road. Slender and thorny tree curled around the edges like claws.

"Anyway, if you don't want t'go to Tamlingrave, that's fine. But there's no way in the Nine 'ells that I'm stayin' 'ere."

He began to run down the road, fast as his legs could take him.

[Sparrow]

Johnny looks at Brendan. "We should probably get to the town before it gets to dark, huh?"

[Lord Ruby34]

Brenden sighed and looked up at the sky. "Yeah, I guess we better go."

[Jzadek]

The road was clear, and your journey uneventful, despite the unearthly noises coming from the trees, and soon, you reached the village of Tamlingrave, just as the sun was setting, bathing the little town in a golden glow.

The buildings - log cabins, for the most part, with a little granite thrown in - were clustered around the centre, which the road went right through. On the far side of the town, the only purely stone building stood, which seemed much older than the rest, and appeared to be some kind of a church. The stone was reddish, for some reason, and it took a moment for you to realise that that was because of the high levels of iron in it. A large window, stained with a myriad of vivid colours, depicted a heavily armoured knight of some sort, with four arms, while fey creatures cowered on either side of him. It looked out onto the centre of the town, where a twisted tree curled out of the ground. It had a certain skeletal property to it, which upon closer inspection, was because there was an actual skeleton, merged into the wood.

"That's what happens if a dryad lives near iron for too long," a voice behind you spoke, "Ain't pretty, is it?"

A man, tall, burly and clad in leather walked up beside you, dragging a large bear.
"Third one this week," he explained, "Something in that forest has 'em well spooked."
He smiled, and gestured to one of the buildings.
"I'm Nate Gehry, the sheriff of this town. You boys are gonna want to get yerselves inside before nightfall. The inn's just that way."

[Sparrow]

"Thank you, Sheriff. We'll be heading that way now." Johnny said, gesturing at Brenden. "Come on, lets get to the inn. Unless you know someone else we can stay with?"