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  1. - Top - End - #1
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    Default Black Tide [DFRPG]

    The war between the Red Court of Vampires and the White Council of Wizards had dragged on for years with heavy casualties on both sides. Terrorist attacks on major cities, small town getting destroyed or vanishing without trace, organizations allied to the two sides from local New Age clubs to drug-cartel-controlled countries moving and clashing behind the scenes. The mundane world was kept in the dark as dozens of battles took place over a decade, some with casualties in the tens of thousands. The war was picking up speed despite a brief cease-fire and everyone in the know around the globe was bracing for another decade of conflict.

    Then a massive wave of overpowering dark magic flowed out from the Yukatan peninsula out to the corners of the world. It was so powerful that even the weakest practitioner could feel it, so pervasive that no circle, threshold, or common ward could block it, and contained so much energy that sorcerers and wizards of even middling talent could feel its point of origin even from the other side of the world. And it was so terrible its wake left the souls of every member of the magical community frozen in its passing, an aura so inimical to life clinging everywhere that for a single moment the world stood still.
    Then the darkness passed, a new day dawned, and the world moved on - minus a couple hundred thousand vampires. The Red Court was gone, reduced to ash down to the youngest vampire, even mere infected reverting to humanity. One of the strongest supernatural nations had been destroyed by the White Council in a single spell.


    The world had been shaken to its foundation from that single act. In the city of Los Angeles, one of the few major cities in the world with a relatively quiet and peaceful supernatural scene, the event was even more terrifying than in other communities. The local practitioners had only started being united by the Paranet organization in recent years, and very few in the city had the power or knowledge of a full wizard to guide them.

    Under a climate of fear and uncertainty Mrs. Dobbs, the owner of the local supernatural pub and Accorded Neutral Ground, had called anyone of influence in the city to an emergency meeting. Very much an informal gathering rather than organized procedure, many lesser talents in the city hoped the meeting of those stronger and more informed than them would result in desperately-needed answers...

    Spoiler: read me first
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    Your first post should be an introduction o your character; who they are, what they look like, what are they doing in LA that would get them invited to the gathering. Also decide when to arrive for said gathering -early, on time, late- it is set for sunset, three days after the Red Court got obliterated.


    If all you have is a hammer, don't be lazy; be a blacksmith and start making more stuff.

  2. - Top - End - #2
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    Quellian-dyrae's Avatar

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Three nights ago, Thalia had gone stumbling into her big sister's room with tears running down her face and a haunted look in her eyes. "I think...I think something terrible happened," she had told her in a broken voice, before collapsing sobbing into her arms.

    Since then, she had picked up the gist through the grapevine, and well...you could certainly say her words had been debatable. On the one hand, a terrible spell indeed had been cast. On the other...the complete annihilation of the Red Court wasn't really something a lot of people would call "terrible". Thalia knew enough about the Red Court that she'd grant that neutralizing the threat they presented was likely a net positive for the world. She wasn't exactly of a mind to celebrate destruction on such a scale though, even if it were unleashed upon monsters.

    And frankly, that such destruction could be unleashed on such a scale at all rather terrified her.

    Nonetheless, it had been three whole days, and Thalia Bowers had trouble being gloomy for three whole minutes. When she walked into Dobbs' Pub, it was in her usual chipper mood and with a bright smile on her lovely face, her forest green eyes alight with cheery energy and darting eagerly about the room. Standing a bit under five and a half feet tall and with a slender build, her honey-blond hair hung freely down past her shoulders. She was wearing a white tank top, light blue skirt, and sandals, a thin silver chain around her neck and a pair of small golden hoops in her ears. On her back was slung what appeared to be a leather guitar case.

    Normal folk might have said she brightened the room by her very presence. Maybe because of her cheerful demeanor, the friendly smiles she favored pretty much anyone whose eye she caught with, the dancer-like grace in her step, or perhaps just because of her beauty. And all of those things were certainly there, but none of them hit the mark the way one with senses attuned to the supernatural would understand it.

    No, when she walked into a room, it was quite literally brightened by her presence alone. The mark of the Muses shone strong within her, clear as day to anyone with a sense for such things and seeming to fill the area around her with a bright, joyful energy. And that leather carrying case on her back would not so much as dampen the sense of supernatural power radiating from the archaic, ornate lute held within.

    If anyone had any question why this seemingly-simple young woman had been invited to this meeting, those would have been more than answer enough.

    "Heya Mrs. Dobbs! Where do you want these?"

    ...I suppose on the topic of enhancing the atmosphere of the room, it would be worth mentioning the rather delectable smells coming from the aluminum trays in her hands.

    When Mrs. Dobbs had made the invitation, Thalia had of course offered to help with the food and such. Obviously, she wasn't going to just just outright cater the whole thing or anything - Mrs. Dobbs ran a pub, she was sure she'd have stuff to eat and such. But she offered to bring some stuff by so she didn't have to cover it all herself. You know, just whip up a few things.

    ...To be fair, though, Thalia's idea of "whip up a few things" mayyyy have been slightly different than that of the average person.

    Thalia had arrived about half an hour before the meeting was scheduled. She'd follow any instructions Mrs. Dobbs gave regarding placement of the food, and then present herself before her. "So. What can I do to help set up?" she asked.

    Spoiler
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    And just for fun:

    Performance+2 for Thalia's "charge up" (Difficulty 5): (4d3-1)[10]. Bonus achieved

    Performance for the quality of the food (Assumes +2 from above, minimum result 5): (4d3-1)[8]. Legendary, I appreciate it dice.
    Last edited by Quellian-dyrae; 2018-06-19 at 10:08 PM.
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  3. - Top - End - #3
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Maxwell was a tall man, nearly of six and a half feet in height. His hair was dark, nearly black as night itself. He usually wore a set of a tunic and trousers, and quite often visited the theatre when the mood struck him.

    I do say was because he is indeed dead.

    Maxwell was cursed with a semblance of unlife unlike anything of the other main vampire courts. Ancient Nordic death magic had cursed him with a hunger of blood, yet blessed him with unholy strength and recovery as well a symbol on his chest which acted as a manifestation of Fate itself.

    Maxwell was a calm and collected man, he had to be lest he go into a frenzy, and often thought things out to the extreme.

    Oh everything is going to go into complete s**t, isn't it? Were the first words out of Maxwell's mouth when he read the news. He was currently in Southern California at the time, trying to catch a quick doze when suddenly he felt something in the air. A thick blob of unholy energy swiping through the world.

    One of those damned Kemmlerites corrupted the world or something I swear to you!

    What are you talking about?

    SHUT UP RANDOM PERSON, THIS DOESN'T INVOLVE YOU. Go back to your... random things.

    Said random person walked off after that. Maxwell arose, went to the nearest men's room, took off his shirt, and incanted the words which activated the symbol on his chest, the Vegvesir. It shined with a brilliant red light, and gave Maxwell a clear image of Los Angeles. Maxwell exited the restroom, and went down to an alley first. A scrawny dog was there, something that appeared to be barely a skeleton.

    Sweet gods above, you give me a scrawny thing to... ugh.

    Maxwell devoured the beast, it was an easy struggle. A quick grab of the dog's midriff, and a burying of his teeth into its neck later and Maxwell was nearly fully fed. He moved on after that, trying to wipe the blood off his mouth, and went to a bus station. After paying a fare, Maxwell was carted off to LA, the place which Fate had deemed him go. He nodded to the bus driver, and went down to the area's accorded neutral ground. He pushed open the door, a bit too harshly than he meant to, and the door slammed open.

    Ugh, sorry. I ate Vietnamese before I came here. Dog, that is, not a Vietnamese guy. Sorry, bad joke. I instantly regret making it.

    With that awkward opening, Maxwell stepped inside, and approached Thalia.

    How'ya doin, lass? Holdin up well, things considered?
    "I'M just a guy with a boomerang... I didn't ask for all this flying... and MAGIC!!!" -Sokka

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    the biggest nerd ever who transforms into BEAR is of course alluring.

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    Three days ago Erik had awoken out of a dead, slightly cannabis induced, sleep with his whole body tingling. Despite the warmth of his tiny room he was shivering uncontrollably. "Wh-What the hell?!" The feeling made him want to crawl into a hole and pull it in after him and the fact that he, a fairy with ties to winter, was shivering, in some ways was even scarier than that awful tingling.

    After it passed, Erik spent most of the next few days, burning through his stash, quite literally. Usually he was pretty chill just on his own but after something like that... Well some herb never hurt. In between getting blazed Erik put out what feelers he had in the magical community, mostly to the proper wizardly types, and heard about the meeting at Dobbs'. Whatever had happened couldn't mean good news to Erik so he figured if he was going to watch out for his mundane buddies like he always had, he should probably make sure he knew exactly what was going on.

    Of course, the day of his fact finding mission, he overslept. It takes talent to oversleep an appointment at sunset. Rolling out of bed with a curse, Erik got dressed in the tiny room, made all the smaller by his bulk. He wore clothes that fell in line with his life as a semi-retired gang banger. Which is to say that everything was extra baggy, even on his massive frame. Of course in Erik's case part of the reason for that was so that if he had to hulk out he wouldn't have to deal with standing around holding his **** in the aftermath.

    So it was that a huge young man of vaguely Spanish heritage wearing an oversized pair of cargo pants and a baggy white plaid shirt and sporting several prominent gang tattoos tried to slip in quietly after the meet up had started. Unfortunately being the size of a smart-car makes doing anything unobtrusive difficult. Shy apologetic smiles look rather strange coming from a face that seems made for intimidating scowls, but that never stopped Erik from trying them before.

    Erik nods to the few familiar faces in the crowd and glances around in vain for a chair that might support his weight, and not finding one, gives a sigh and goes to stand at the bar, from which he is not old enough to order a proper beverage.

  5. - Top - End - #5
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Max

    Max had been sitting at his kitchen table grading papers and trying to ply his bone deep weariness and headache with coffee and advil when the world changed. He had been having nightmares horrible enough to deny him rest for the last few days, only leaving him with a vague memory of blood flowing down ancient stone steps. He had asked around the Paranet and several of the more psychically attuned were also having trouble sleeping, but nobody knew what was going on. He then turned to his contacts in the White Council, who turned out to be just as in the dark. Finally, the day before he had summoned a friendly oracle spirit but the characteristically chatty being had only wept until he dismissed it. So he could be forgiven for mistaking his headache as merely a consequence of sleep deprivation. Until that is the taste of the coffee turned to rot in his mouth and he felt like something was stepping on his soul, even behind his heavily warded threshold.

    He rushed to the basement, stepped inside his summoning circle and put up the strongest barrier he could against the wave, barely blunting it. Once it passed he was left with an overwhelming sense of regret and disgust and a truly horrible migraine and he stumbled to his bed for a blessedly dreamless night.

    He woke up the next morning refreshed enough to finally get some information. Nobody knew exactly how the 2 events were related but every active trace of the Red Court seemed to have disappeared. Their dens were empty, the few infected who had remained mostly human were cured but reverted to their biological age, and the Reds themselves were nowhere to be found either on the material plane or the Nevernever. Plus, the beings of Faerie, incorrigible gossips that they were, chattered about Mab finding herself a new knight and Winter being ascendant but were strangely reticent to identify the poor sap. Ramirez was still MIA, as was Elaine Mallory, and one medium Max talked to kept talking about the depths stirring, whatever that meant. All in all the day after what he was referring to as the Wave was very confusing for Max, he went to bed with more questions that he had had at dawn and a small but growing hope that maybe the horrible war was really over and that nobody in the future would suffer the depredations of the Red Court of Vampires as he had so many others had.

    The next day was dedicated to his other life, the one he referred to less and less as his real one as time went on. He graded papers, gave a class and amused himself by watching conspiracy videos on youtube about the many notables who had disappeared and the turmoil they left behind knowing that the truth, no matter what it ended up being, was far stranger than whatever fantasies Alex Jones could conjure. The scrabbling for the real estate left vacant by the reds in the mortal world did concern him though, since their sphere of influence on the weirder side of things was also vacant and nature abhors a vacuum.

    On the third day he got the call from Mrs Dobbs that she was holding a meeting at her pub just as he was wondering if he should propose one, and spend about an hour compiling what he knew into a short document of which he printed a dozen copies. He ran errands for most of the afternoon and showed up at the pub about 45 minutes before he was expected, hoping some of the other local heavy hitters would have had the same idea and that they could share a quick word before the actual meeting happened. In his experience much more was done in hallways during coffee breaks than in meetings, and that rule extended to the supernatural world as well as business and academia.

    He parked his truck not too far away from the pub and strolled in casually, to all outward appearances a normal young man, the only remarkable thing about him being his coat which was on the heavy side for the local temperatures. He was of slightly above average height, with perpetually uncombed light brown hair, pale blue eyes, and pleasant enough if unremarkable features. Under the long brown coat he was wearing what he referred to as his utility belt, an assortment of trinkets useful for on the fly thaumaturgy and self defense, and if someone were particularly eagle eyed they would be able to spot the bump where he carried his pistol in brazen defiance of local law.

    He greeted Mrs Dobbs and whoever was there, ordered a beer and sat down with his back to a wall, keeping his coat on, either joining in conversation or making idle chatter with Mrs Dobbs until Thalia showed up.

    When she opened the door he could almost feel some of the pressure leave him. No matter how much he was aware of the source of the effect and how many times he brought up Brave New World with her Thalia's presence was relaxing, as if her innate joy was proof that things couldn't be that bad after all. He gave her a lazy wave and saw that she was carrying several boxes. He rose to help her carry them to wherever Mrs Dobbs indicated, greeting her in his slightly accented english.

    Hey Thalia, need a hand? And is that your bruschetta I smell?
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Quote Originally Posted by thorgrim29 View Post
    Hey Thalia, need a hand? And is that your bruschetta I smell?
    I doubt it's my musk.

    Maxwell lifts his armpit, and gives a sniff.

    Eh, better than yesterday's.
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    When the wave of unholy energy struck Los Angeles, Rķkharšur was in the midst of a private tutoring session at the library. He'd been mildly shocked by the high prices for everything when arriving in LA--he'd thought the prices in Reykjavik were nigh-extortionary, coming from his hometown, and somehow this city managed to be even worse!--so shortly after arriving in town he started picking up odd jobs in between his Warden missions where he could to supplement his savings. A bit of tutoring here, some substitute teaching there, document translation on occasion...it was all easy enough compared to his previous experience as a university professor, and it turned out that American parents are willing to pay one a premium to tutor their children in history and literature when one has a refined European accent and they can't pick out one's country on a map, as it gives one an automatic air of credibility and refinement.

    The tall Icelander, clad comfortably in a sweater, slacks, and loafers, managed not to visibly react when he felt the overwhelming cascade of dark power crash over him; he was surrounded by "vanilla mortals," as the local Wardens called them, and didn't want to startle them or make them think there was something odd about him by reacting to nothing they could see. Unfortunately, while his expression was controlled enough, his true feelings leaked out through his mental shields despite his best efforts, and the resulting pulse of uncontrolled magical energy fried the desktop computer his student was working on and shorted out every lightbulb in the building.

    "Nothing to worry about, Meghan," he assured his student when she blinked in surprise at the dark screen. "These things happen. Perhaps someone plugged something into the wrong outlet, or a car struck a transformer." She was looking less scared and more upset about having to re-type everything she'd been writing for the past hour, so he gave her the warmest smile he could muster under the circumstances and said, "I'll tell you what, since we've almost finished our session for today, just this once you needn't finish the rest of that assignment. Work on your maths tonight instead, and we shall pick the English paper back up next time, hmm?"

    As the excited middle-schooler threw her books into her backpacks and ran off to go play with her friends, Rķkharšur stood on wobbly legs, collected his own books, and walked down the street toward the nearest bar, with only a few streetlights popping and sparking as he went...and then walked past said bar, deciding that he'd rather be home behind his wards instead of in a crowded public building where he might cause more technological issues due to his unstable emotions, and continued on to a nearby liquor store. After buying several bottles of mead and wine (and paying in cash after the credit card machine went down), he trekked back to his apartment, locked the door, reinforced his wards, poured himself a nice big glass of wine, checked on the wards, walked over to his record collection, picked out some Wagner and Grieg, walked back to the door to double-check the wards, put a record on the record player, triple-checked the wards, turned up the music, and collapsed bonelessly into his recliner to let the alcohol and classical music drown out the psychic aftereffects of the day's events, one hand tightly grasping his raven amulet for reassurance.

    The next morning Rķkharšur no longer felt as though his brain was swimming through the magical equivalent of oily black sludge, he had his magic under control again and none of his apartment lights had shorted out, and he apparently hadn't been eaten in his sleep, which is always a good thing. No messages on his answering machine from the Wardens about the day before, though; not a good sign. Every number he tried was busy or went to voicemail, so he decided to contact one of the minor practitioners he knew to see if she knew anything. It turned out she didn't--nothing more than wild rumors, anyway--but the meeting was still productive, as he was able to spend some time to shore up her wards and give her some pointers on what to do if anything tried to break in. Well, his contact thanked him profusely for that and mentioned that she had a friend who might know something and could use some stronger wards, so he went to visit her friend and did the same, then her friend's friend, and her friend's friend's friend, and so on, and that's how he spent the remainder of the day and the next couple days as well.

    The third day after the event found him in a local bar he hadn't been to before, speaking with the proprietress; he knew of the Accorded Neutral Ground, obviously, but hadn't yet had occasion to visit for official business. He couldn't do much to improve on its limited existing wards, as the bar was open to the public and therefore had barely any threshold worth mentioning upon which to anchor solid wards, but she did mention a meeting later that evening to discuss the matter of the "dark energy wave" which he agreed to attend. He went home after lunch for a quick nap, then walked in the door fifteen minutes early for the meeting after locking up his bicycle outside.

    Scanning the bar, Rķkharšur saw a few people he recognized and made a beeline for them; he wasn't in the mood to mingle with strangers just yet. Walking over just in time to hear Maxwell's comment, he greeted Thalia and Max with a brief smile, then greeted the ersatz vampire with a frown, disapproving of his flippant tone in such serious times. "Hopefully some good food will help lift everyone's spirits," he said softly with a nod at Thalia's trays. "From those I've talked to these past few days, they could definitely use it."
    Last edited by PairO'Dice Lost; 2018-06-20 at 01:19 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by abadguy View Post
    Darn you PoDL for making me care about a bunch of NPC Commoners!
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]



    ((I think the timelines got a bit confused guys, Max showed up 45 minutes before the meeting, Thalia 15 minutes later. When would Maxwell and Rķkharšur have arrived?))

    Max glanced at the vampire with slight disdain, thinking that it would have been too much to ask for the Wave to get rid of all bloodsuckers, but greeted Rķkharšur with a friendly handshake and asked with a slightly teasing tone

    Wizard Heikarson, I would have thought you'd be at a V-Day party in Scotland, what are you doing slumming with the likes of us?
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
    So what do you think? What is best use for Signatures?
    To curate my brilliance and wit, of course. Any other use is a waste.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    [Rķkharšur arrived 15 minutes early; I assumed Max and Thalia would have had the food mostly set out by then and be available to chat.]

    Rķkharšur shook his head. "Scotland is out of the question," he said solemnly. "A single transatlantic flight was nerve-wracking enough, being one errant thought away from hexing the engines for ten hours, and I have no desire to repeat the experience any time soon. The Nevernever has, of course, been far too dangerous to travel such distances for some time, more so than ever these past few days until we know what the situation is there." Cracking a rare smile, he added, "And given the choice between sampling this bruschetta or the absolute travesty the Scots try to pass off as smoked haddock, I know which I'd prefer."

    Serious once more, he asked, "How are you holding up? And were there any practitioners among your students that would have been affected by the event, do you know?"
    Last edited by PairO'Dice Lost; 2018-06-20 at 01:20 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by abadguy View Post
    Darn you PoDL for making me care about a bunch of NPC Commoners!
    Quote Originally Posted by Chambers View Post
    I'm pretty sure turning Waterdeep into a sheet of glass wasn't the best win condition for that fight. We lived though!
    Quote Originally Posted by MaxiDuRaritry View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by PairO'DiceLost View Post
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    Where are my Like, Love, and Want to Have Your Manchildren (Totally Homo) buttons for this post?
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    "Hey!" Thalia greeted Max2 brightly. Although she...definitely got a look on her face that was somewhere between weirded out and grossed out from Maxwell's joke. Did he...does that mean...? Nope. NOPE NOPE NOPE! NOT THINKING ABOUT IT! "I'm good, thanks. And yeah that'd be great!" she said, letting him take some of the trays. If she had been troubled whatsoever by the events of the past three days, she certainly wasn't showing it now. But that was normal for her; negative emotions seemed to roll right off her shoulders. "Just, you know, wherever Mrs. Dobbs wants them. And yes it is! I've got bruschetta, I've got croquettes, I've got grilled trout and veggies for the healthy folks, chicken alfredo for the not, pesto wraps for the vegans, and brownies for dessert!" "Whip up a few things." Oh, Thali.

    Once the trays were set down, though, Thalia more-or-less immediately gave them each a hug. Thalia was a hugger. Seriously if you have interacted with her personally at least, like, twice you could probably expect a hug at the earliest possible opportunity upon future meetings. "How about you guys? How have you been?"

    "Heya!" she added when Rķkharšur came over, giving him a hug too. "Well, hopefully, anyway!" she agreed. When Max mentioned the victory party, she added, "Oh hey yeah! Congratulations on, like...winning your war! Or whatever." There was a bit of uncertainty at that last bit. Thalia had a cursory understanding of the whole thing with the wizards and the vampires and such, but not a detailed one. (She still wasn't entirely clear on what exactly separated Max's wizardness from Rķkharšur's, for example; "wizards" and "Wardens" and "sorcerers" and "warlocks" and "the White Council" were all kinda a vague muddle in her head.)

    --

    While Erik didn't approach when he arrived, Thalia caught his nod, and returned it with a big smile and a cheery wave.
    Last edited by Quellian-dyrae; 2018-06-20 at 12:34 PM.
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    At Thalia's last words, Maxwell laughed. He laughed heavily. He feel out of his chair, that's how much he laughed.

    If you-- hehehe-- if you think that the war between the wizards and the vampires is over, you're correct! If you think that something even worse is not brewing on the horizon, you'd be wrong. The Red's had their hands in so many pie's, the bakers of said pies probably packed up shop and left years ago after they hopelessly tried to reclaim them. There is going to be a mad scramble to pick up what the Red Court left behind, and that's just the supernatural side of things. Worldwide, government officials just up and turned to dust, and with things the way they are now, mundane war isn't out of the question.
    "I'M just a guy with a boomerang... I didn't ask for all this flying... and MAGIC!!!" -Sokka

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wuff View Post
    the biggest nerd ever who transforms into BEAR is of course alluring.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    "Very true," Rķkharšur agreed, while spooning his second croquette and fourth bruschetta onto his plate. "One war is over, but another may begin soon, and for all we know whatever working was used to destroy the Red Court could be turned against another supernatural faction just as easily. Or, gods forfend, turned against mortal nations and spark a war that way. Congratulations and celebration are likely premature at this point."
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    Quote Originally Posted by abadguy View Post
    Darn you PoDL for making me care about a bunch of NPC Commoners!
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    I'm pretty sure turning Waterdeep into a sheet of glass wasn't the best win condition for that fight. We lived though!
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Max

    To Rķkharšur, between bites of some of the best food he'd had all month:

    Shame, I would have liked to know what the hell is going on. Have you managed to get a hold of Ramirez or anyone else in Warden Land? Whatever happened 3 days ago didn't exactly scream Council sanctioned magic to me but I'm sure they know more than I do... Not that Wardens ever tell me anything.

    Anyway everyone I've been able to reach had a rough night but seems fine... Honestly I've had it about as bad as anyone I'm aware of. I couldn't sleep for a few days before and the event itself, I've been calling it the Wave, pretty much knocked me on my ass. I guess one of the ''benefits'' of getting better at magic is going to be increased sensitivity to stuff like that....


    He chuckled sourly and took a few more bites while Maxwell was talking

    Yeah no kidding, several governments in South America are going down, not to mention I'm guessing most of the cartels. It'll get worse before it gets better. And you can bet your last dollar that something is going to try to muscle in on the Red's niche. Probably a lot of somethings since I can't think of any Accorded nation or group that would have both the inclination and the strength to do it by themselves. It's going to be the turf war to end all turf wars all over their territory, I wouldn't suggest hitting Vegas until the dust settles that's for sure.

    I figure the best we can hope for is that they spend long enough fighting it out among themselves to give us a shot at organizing.


    He then seemed to shed his machismo for a bit

    Still, they were pretty much as bad as it gets, and I'm now completely sure that the filth that killed Amélie is dead. I'm allowing myself to feel good about that for a few days at least.

    He smiled while a few tears rolled down his cheeks, soon wiped away with a sleeve.
    Last edited by thorgrim29; 2018-06-20 at 05:04 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Mrs Dobbs, a middle-aged, matronly woman with long, grey hair in an old-style braid, was largely quiet as all of you talked about the "Wave" and its consequences. She might be the owner of an Accorded Neutral Ground, but she had little in the way of true power or authority. The best she could do she was already doing; providing hospitality while nervously patting the shotgun she had under the counter.

    Not long into your discussion, her nervousness is rewarded by a flickering of the lights, followed by screams echoing in the night. Whatever that was, magic enough to affect the very old, very robust electrical system of the pub was involved, and no more than a block away or so.


    Spoiler: readme
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    Those who haven't yet arrived to the meeting will be approaching the commotion from the outside. Similar flickering of lights all over the place.
    Last edited by Belial_the_Leveler; 2018-06-20 at 06:14 PM.


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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    "No, no word from the Wardens, despite my calling quite a few of them," Rķkharšur sighed. "There may be some Warden auxiliaries who have been kept better-informed than I, but I have largely been working on my own, or at most with one other at a time. In hindsight, perhaps I should have joined some of the larger groups and cultivated contacts among them, but that's no help now."

    When Max mentioned Amélie, Rķkharšur reached out to give him a comforting, if hesitant, pat on the shoulder. Rķkharšur had had to get used to a lot of hugging over the past few months in the States--particularly from Thalia, who gave out hugs as easily as easily as breathing--but he wasn't the most tactile person by nature. "I'm glad to hear you are in better spirits and sleeping well," he said, politely ignoring the damp spot on Max's sleeve.

    He checked his wristwatch, an older and purely mechanical Sandström that had served him well for many years, and noted that it was only a few minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. "I'm going to find a table," he said to all three of his acquaintances while grabbing one last croquette, "and you are all more than welcome to join me."

    Before he could take more than a few steps he heard the screams, however, and he paused, frowning. "Or perhaps not," he said, glancing out the window to note that the buildings across the street were also having trouble with their lights, before looking back at the others. "I presume you all brought your magical accoutrements with you?" he asked, his left hand patting his pocket where he had a few runestones at the ready.
    Better to DM in Baator than play in Celestia
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    Quote Originally Posted by abadguy View Post
    Darn you PoDL for making me care about a bunch of NPC Commoners!
    Quote Originally Posted by Chambers View Post
    I'm pretty sure turning Waterdeep into a sheet of glass wasn't the best win condition for that fight. We lived though!
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Erik had hardly arrived, let alone gotten anywhere with his questions about what was going on when the lights started flickering. At first he put it down to one of the heavy magic types having a bit of a hiccup, at least until the screaming started. The young changling glanced around. Most of these people would get in the way more than they would help in a fight, he thought to himself.

    Spotting Thalia again, Erik steps forward, the floorboards creaking in protest underfoot, and joins the small cluster of people around her. With a crack of his knuckles he growls, "Accoutrements ready." The tough guy act is slightly undercut by the lingering aroma of weed smoke clinging to his clothing, but Erik seems not to notice. Heavy-hitters indeed, he thinks sizing up the ones he doesn't know.
    Last edited by Obscuraphile; 2018-06-20 at 07:16 PM.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Thalia frowned a little, the expression almost foreign on her face, as the others explained why the destruction of the Red Court was not necessarily cause for celebration (although she blinked a bit when Maxwell's laughter carried him clear out of his chair, kinda having to resist urge to defensively say, "Not my fault!") Not that she had been super-enthused about it anyway, or anything - and the concern that whatever magic had been used to obliterate them was a fear that she had come to herself - the point about officials dying, and power vacuums, and all of that hadn't even much occurred to her. She was still relatively inexperienced with the supernatural world. She knew the Red Court has been able to masquerade as humans, but it hadn't really occurred to her that they had masqueraded as people.

    She turned a sympathetic not-smile on Max when he mentioned his sister. Thalia knew what it was like to lose family, but she couldn't even imagine having to go through it like he had.

    She nodded when Rķkharšur said he was going to get a table, following along. "So, then," she started saying, in a tone of voice that the wizard would probably recognize. It was the very same tone she had taken after he had first explained to her the signs of the White Court, and her next words would not have been difficult to predict. "How can we help? What can we do to-"

    The flickering lights and the screams cut off her question. Something was going down. Something magical, and something bad.

    ...Yeah, not on her watch.

    In a graceful, practiced move she flicked open her carrying case, withdrawing the lute within. Polished chestnut wood and an ivory finish, strung with woven silver and inlaid with golden symbols of all the deities of Olympus. The ornate lute looked old, it looked valuable, and to those who knew what to look for, it looked powerful. She grinned as Erik approached. She'd seen the half-troll flatten a wizard who had stood up to her best with a single punch; if there were magic being slung about, she was more than glad for him to be involved.

    "All set!" she confirmed with a level of bright enthusiasm that was certainly at odds with the notion of diving headlong into what could very well be a deadly supernatural battle. She'd hold for a beat or two, in case anyone had any like...plans or anything to come up with, but otherwise, she'd head for the door without fear.
    A role playing game is three things. It is an interactive story, a game of chance, and a process in critical thinking.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Too much talking. Maxwell said as he went to the front door, and kicked it open.
    "I'M just a guy with a boomerang... I didn't ask for all this flying... and MAGIC!!!" -Sokka

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wuff View Post
    the biggest nerd ever who transforms into BEAR is of course alluring.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Max

    Max was regaining his composure when the lights started flickering. As answer to Rķkharšur's question he pulled out his pistol, chambered a round, and slipped it back to it's holster, adjusting it slightly for ease of access.

    A week of calm would have been too much to ask for I guess. I have a gun and my rings are charged up, so yeah...

    He looked up, and up, and up as Erik rumbled his way closer

    Alright then big guy, let's go

    He followed Maxwell outside, more than happy to let the immortal take the lead.
    Last edited by thorgrim29; 2018-06-20 at 08:21 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
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    To curate my brilliance and wit, of course. Any other use is a waste.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Zeus
    Three days ago
    A night like any other one for the ages Zeus would be telling folks about it for months, his buddy Charlie was finally buying him dinner instead of Zeus. The old fart had been saying since the seventies that he'd "get the next one" and now Charlie was paying up, they found a "podunk" diner as his buddy Charlie would call it but to Zeus it was the finest diner across the United States a little run down but full of character and breakfast whenever you want. Midnight pancakes had never tasted sweeter knowing that he wouldn't have to put a dime forward not even for the tip, the midnight pancakes were ruined.

    I can still remember how it started; Charlie stopped eating for just a second I thought maybe he had some joke or something but he just stared at me disgusted and worried, I looked outside just out of instinct and could almost see it washing over the land, the lights around flickered and I saw my milk spoil and rot right before my eyes, and most importantly Charlie exploded. The silence was broken by screaming maybe it was my own maybe it was the poor waitress serving coffee suffice to say Charlie got out of paying one last time. The night had left a sick feeling in my stomach between five stacks of pancakes and Charlie exploding all over me I had a feeling I'd be sick for awhile but I'd have to be sick after working.

    Two days ago (ish)

    My lab was coated deep in the dark magic that a power washer filled with holy water and a hint of lemon just barely got out with the smell gone from one of the sewer labs, I set towards searching across the information that humanity was kind enough to supply. Although direct access to the internet was proving...difficult to access the information scoured across it was not, Hundreds of police scanners in more languages than I could count, reports of thousands upon thousands of people going missing one case in particular was of a pilot vanishing at 12 kilometers up in the air that almost crashed. I began marking off as many deaths as I could reasonably track and I learned I had nowhere near enough chalk.

    There was a long period where the connection was lost to me perhaps it was some kind of rapture but the pope was still around and so was Mr. Feely so that theory was out, after hours I decided to do the unthinkable and call up some wardens perhaps they knew something I didn't. Too my amazement the professional secret keepers were not responding. I tried them again and then tried a few more numbers and no one was answering. I worked some of my magic to see if they had somehow blown out their phones but the lines were clear they weren't answering.

    Either I wasn't looking in the right spots or the information out there, I let some probes run wild across the internet and the paranet while I slept.

    Today
    Couldn't keep track of how long I wasn't interested in checking the time, I had let the station just play some oldies while I was working something classic and I prayed that for once no one was listening for answers. I needed food more than I needed answers and I wanted to changed that so I left the sewers for some fresh air and to my surprise I found a note. Some local bar had left a note taped to my manhole they were asking for all the little local powers to show up, it smelled like a set up so I set up appropriately.

    About an hour ago.
    Cali's homeless scene was a bit sad not many people paying attention to the street-folk which at least gave me some privacy. I'd set up a small spying device across the street aimed directly at the bar, wrapped in a circle just in case with a speaker so I could listen on the outside Magic might be good at blocking most magical means of people listening in but most magic-folk don't think that normal people are going to try and spy on them the normal way. So there I was a thick ancient typewriter in my lap with notebook in hand transcribing as much as I could hear. If the place seemed clear I'd consider going in and if it wasn't I'd end up reporting it.

    All was going relatively as planned and then I heard the all too familiar sound of screams. I dropped my notepad and very gently set down my too expensive ancient printer and started running, Z3 could wait it was time for Zeus!.
    This is horrifying beyond anything Lovecraft ever wrote or Giger ever drew.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    California is one of the most cosmopolitan states in the US, and Los Angeles is a city with very vibrant and occasionally weird night life. So when clusters of very tall, oddly dressed men started congregating towards a certain block the suburbs known for its very old, very traditional tavern, observers thought it just a biker convention and largely ignored it. It wasn't as if the bikers in black leather were doing anything odd or inappropriate, and it wasn't their business anyway. In fact, shoppers, tourists, and passersby alike remembered they had business elsewhere, and in only a few minutes after dark, the area was practically empty.

    Of the few passersby remaining, several moved on to the old tavern, paying little attention to the biker convention. They had their own business to attend to after all, and the leather-wearing visitors blended so well with the LA background nobody really paid attention to what they were doing. All of that changed when a young blonde woman hurriedly moved towards the tavern, pink bag clenched tightly to her chest as she jogged through the dark streets. The girl was about a block from her destination when she blinked, looked around, and realized that no, the street was not empty; it was full of tall, ominous-looking men in black trench-coats. A trio of the guys that were within reach immediately noticed her hesitation and tried for a grab... at which point the gaudy silver amulet the girl was wearing glowed like a light-bulb and they smashed into an invisible wall.

    It was as if a spell broke, the leather-clad crowd of tall, strangely faceless and forgettable men appearing as one out of the gloom, moving like an ominous tide towards the girl, and the tavern beyond. With near-frantic haste the blonde gestured towards the closest man as if to push him away. A high-pitched, girlish scream ensued as the huge guy toppled like a puppet with its strings cut. He did not get back up...


    If all you have is a hammer, don't be lazy; be a blacksmith and start making more stuff.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Aw dammit, I'm tired of faceless armies. They're so unoriginal. HEY LASS, NEED HELP? NO? OKAY!

    Maxwell steps back into the bar.

    False alarm, this is one of those situations where it isn't my problem. Lass out there is handling herself just fine.
    "I'M just a guy with a boomerang... I didn't ask for all this flying... and MAGIC!!!" -Sokka

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wuff View Post
    the biggest nerd ever who transforms into BEAR is of course alluring.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Thalia's eyes narrowed at the sight of the horde accosting the woman. As a general rule of thumb, upon encountering a horde of big guys going after a lone woman, absent any evidence to the contrary, the smart move is to side with the latter. Even if maybe she has some magic to even the odds.

    Now, Thalia wasn't exactly a powerhouse of physical might. If she went wading into that horde throwing punches, she wouldn't exactly accomplish much. And there were too many of them to try to send them all into fits of hysterics!

    But then, Thalia's true power had never been offensive in nature. Not really. Sure, she could remove an opponent from the equation well enough, come down to it, but what you had to remember here was that Thalia was literally surrounded by powerful allies. A powerful vampire (okay nope Maxwell wasn't down apparently wait what?), a mighty half-troll, and two wizards! (She hadn't even seen Zeus yet!)

    What we had here was an opportunity, unlike almost any she had had before, for Thalia to truly cut loose!

    The ancient, ornate lute in her hand changed in an instant, taking the form of an equally ornate, equally modern-looking, but much more modern electric guitar. Now, at first glance, this might have seemed an odd choice. It wasn't like she had a whole speaker set-up or anything!

    But the Artisan's Tool, the gift of the Muses, gave precisely zero flips.

    Thalia hit the battle music.

    (Blame Ashley, she's the gamer in the house.)

    The music did more than add some ambiance. It was a conduit for her power. The choice of a song of battle was not without purpose, and honestly, using the music from a video game had its own value. This wasn't a bardic song of inspiration, and its targets weren't her friends. It carried the power of Joy on its wings and unleashed it upon the enemy, tied directly into the martial stirrings that would be awakened the fast-paced melody. The power would replace hostility with humor, anger with amusement, fury with fun. Any attempt by the faceless goons to raise a hand, weapon, or power against them would risk being lost in a sudden fit of overwhelming hysterics!

    It might not hold back all of them, and it might not hold them for long, but hopefully it would give the others a chance to engage with less risk, or get the woman into the (hopeful) safety of Neutral Grounds.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Okay let's see if I know what I'm doing!

    Using the option of Incite Emotion to perform a Block, and the option of Blocks to Block one action for multiple targets. In this case, I'm blocking the Attack action from any of the bad guys. I believe Incite Emotion's bonus only applies when I'm using it for Maneuvers, so I'm not including it, but if I'm wrong I guess this should be two higher. That seems like it'd be awfully strong though.

    Block roll for this round: (4d3-3)[9]. AWESOME! (yes I came up with an extended ladder for my own amusement, also WOOOO max roll on a Block! Opportunity to truly cut loose indeed!)

    Thanks to Prevent Pain, any enemy who beats the Block still has any physical or mental Stress the attack would inflict reduced by 2, although if it's reduced to 0 or less it treats the attack as a successful Maneuver rather than negating it outright.
    Last edited by Quellian-dyrae; 2018-06-21 at 02:42 PM.
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Erik shoulders past the man who started to lead the charge and then decided better of it as Thalia strikes up some power chords. Deciding not to hulk out for the time being he blows past Zeus with a "Que onda, Sparky" said in a voice entirely too cavalier for the situation.

    Balling up one meaty fist Erik slides across the concrete skiding to a stop next to the girl, between her and one of the remaining faceless, leather-clad things hoping to keep her from being surrounded and overwhelmed. "Need some muscle, sweetheart?" Erik asks with all the confidence of a teenage male who thinks he's some hot ****.

    Spoiler: Crunch
    Show
    Okay, so not hulked out means I'm just rolling on fists alone without Inhuman Strength. Also I am assuming that we are all within the same zone so movement isn't an issue. I'm going for a basic attack, bit of information gathering as well as setting up for an effective tank should we need it.

    Not exactly sure how Quellian is doing dice so I'm just going to roll-v and edit in my place on the ladder. 1s & 2s are -, 3s & 4s are blank, 5s and 6s are +
    (4d6)[2][5][4][1](12)+5=4 Great


    Edited for distance.
    Last edited by Obscuraphile; 2018-06-22 at 11:50 PM. Reason: Altered Understanding of the Tactical Situation

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Oh c'mon she was handling it! You don't have treat her like some damsel in distress, she's an independent badass. I don't wanna fight right now, let's just go back for some drinks, pleaaaaase.

    Maxwell says from inside. He then goes to the bartable.

    Ugh, whatever. Give me whiskey, and I'll give you money.
    "I'M just a guy with a boomerang... I didn't ask for all this flying... and MAGIC!!!" -Sokka

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wuff View Post
    the biggest nerd ever who transforms into BEAR is of course alluring.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Max

    Max stepped out of the bar and took in the weird scene with an incredulous What the..... He didn't have a ton of information but it was a safe bet that a horde of identical men attacking a single girl was bad news. He turned to Rķkharšur and, seeing the other man didn't seem to be much more aware of what was going on, he decided to take a risk. He tapped Thalia on the shoulder and probably confused her very much

    If I start screaming, step in front of me

    Before taking a step back, closing his eyes, focusing on his extra sense and opening up the Sight just long enough to get the gist of who the protagonist were in this scene before closing it down again

    ((So I'm going to open up the sight for 1 action and close it immediately after, focusing on the blond girl and the faceless men next to her.. The thing with Thalia is that she should be familiar and non-traumatizing under the Sight))

    Lore: (4d3-4)[5]

    Discipline: (4d3-4)[5]

    edit: what superb rolls :)
    Last edited by thorgrim29; 2018-06-22 at 08:44 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
    So what do you think? What is best use for Signatures?
    To curate my brilliance and wit, of course. Any other use is a waste.

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Rķkharšur quickly paced to the door to get a good look at what was happening outside, and his first instinct when his friends went to help the lone and surrounded practitioner was to go to her aid as well. The sudden appearance of those trenchcoated creatures concerned him greatly; he hadn't run into their ilk back home and so couldn't judge how threatening they might be, but they were almost certainly sent here with a purpose that he and his friends would not appreciate, and several dozen of any supernatural creature tended to be bad news and might be more than Thalia and that one overconfident boy could handle on their own.

    But then he paused, and noted two things. First, everyone currently in the bar (with the exception of Maxwell, helpful as always) had gathered here this evening specifically because they were unsure of their ability to defend themselves after recent events, so with the other stronger practitioners outside he should probably stay here to protect them. Second, the unknown girl had just slain one of the whatever-they-weres with a single gesture and no visible manifestation of magic. That could mean that she was merely powerful and skilled enough to launch a precise blast of wind or knife of kinetic energy with pinpoint accuracy and merely a thought...or possibly, and from the creature's reaction more likely, she had just slain the creatures by scrambling its whatever-it-had-for-brains with mental magic or severing its thread of Wyrd with death magic, neither of which would precisely be an instance of Lawbreaking under the circumstances but either of which would mark her as less than trustworthy at best and a warlock at worst.

    Unsure of which would turn out to be the bigger threat, he went down on one knee, pulled out a piece of chalk, and quickly but carefully marked several runes on the inside edge of the doorframe. First, just above the floor, he drew the extended diamond of ožala, a rune related to the home and safety and an ideal anchor rune for threshold wards. Above that, the linked poles of mannaz, a rune related to mankind; drawn upside-down to reverse its meaning, it related to supernatural creatures and was well-suited to penetrating their defenses. Finally the bisected staff of naušiz, a rune related to restriction and endurance, good for creating or reinforcing barriers.

    He scooted to the left a bit and repeated the sequence top to bottom on the opposite side of the doorframe, so that each of the matched pairs of runes were directly across from one another. Then he stood, return the chalk to his pocket, dusted off his hands, and hoped he wouldn't end up having to make use of them.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Rķkharšur is going to maneuver with Lore to place an Inscribed with Runes of Protection Aspect on the doorway: (4d3-4)[5]

    EDIT: I certainly hope a +5 is enough to get a sticky Aspect out of this!
    Last edited by PairO'Dice Lost; 2018-06-23 at 09:48 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by abadguy View Post
    Darn you PoDL for making me care about a bunch of NPC Commoners!
    Quote Originally Posted by Chambers View Post
    I'm pretty sure turning Waterdeep into a sheet of glass wasn't the best win condition for that fight. We lived though!
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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Thalia's battle-music seems to confuse all the combatants for a split second, more due to the oddness of singing in a fight than its innate power. Then the roaring waves of joy thundered through the night, infusing hearts and minds with inspiration that becomes reality. A good portion of the horde around the girl staggers as if struck by an invisible hammer... then starts milling about, confused and aimless. It's not that they can't attack, or no longer want to; in the throes of joy they simply can't conceive of aggression at all.

    Eric charges through the ranks of the faceless, shadow-obscured attackers and runs up to the girl. Up close he can see she truly is young - sixteen to eighteen, blonde, blue-eyed, taller than average and curvy, with beautiful golden skin; she'd be the poster girl for this town and state if not for her too casual clothes... and the bright star hanging around her neck. Erik steps closer to strike up a conversation... and moves not at all. He tries again, carefully putting one foot before the other, and still his distance from the girl becomes no shorter than about ten feet. The same is happening to the faceless goons trying to abduct her; they can't seem to quite reach her no matter how fast they run.

    "Muscle?" the girl asks, golden eyebrow arched. "I suppose I could use some, if you can still use yours," she says with a smirk. With all the confidence of a young male Eric rises up to the challenge, or rather raises a fist. Then he lowers it and laughs. This night... it's far too joyous to beat people up, even those faceless goons here. Maybe especially the faceless goons; no challenge, no fun beating them up.
    "Apparently not," the girl snorts. "Here, let me fix this for you." She flicks a finger and suddenly Erik can think clearly again. He's still happy to meet and impress a beautiful girl, but not so high that he can't punch someone in the face. He does just that to the nearest goon just to confirm that he can, sending the guy staggering. Hmm... those things are tough. He'd probably need to 'power up' to take one out in one blow.


    Instead of joining the fight, Max decides that information is more important. While the other wizard is busy carving protective runes on the building's entrance, Max focuses inwards, closing both eyes... then opening all three. The Sight is not something he uses lightly but with no other knowledge available in short notice, it's his best bet.
    Spoiler: Sight
    Show

    Immediately, everything in the area grows darker as if a thin layer of black smoke is both cutting off visibility and invading peoples' lungs with terrible consequences. A ring of shadow forms all around the tavern, a ginormous black maw the size of a city block with dozens upon dozens of teeth ready to plunge down on all within and devour them. From the tavern's doorway waves of sound so loud as to form visible vibrations spread out towards the teeth, carrying words of inspiration like a military plane carries bombs. They fall upon a good third of the man-sized, utterly twisted, shark-like teeth and explode in terribly loud bangs, blunting the teeth and pushing them back, at least for the moment.
    Then, a young, muscular, really athletic guy dashes through the teeth. He is very clearly Erik, his young face unchanged. Yet his body is half again as tall and twice as wide, with a tightly controlled strength ready to but not yet unleashed. He is about to attack one of the teeth too, but a sound-bomb falls on him, dazing him an halting his charge. A woman laughs at that, voice loud and clear like a crystal bell. Max turns to her and...
    The wizard staggers, shakes his head. What was that? Something about a woman laughing... he staggers, stumbling this time. The hell? He tries to focus his Sight again and something in him protests, but he perseveres. Taking things slowly, he looks at the dazed Erik once more, and blinks. The guy isn't dazed any more, but a helm of black iron rests on his head. It is made of thick plate with slits for eyes but otherwise featureless and completely utilitarian... except for the spikes all over its surface. Rusty red spikes, dripping blood. Slowly, almost involuntarily, Max turns towards the hand that put that helmet on Erik's head. It is a delicate girl's hand, covered in a thick gauntlet of black steel, coated in brown flecks of old blood, and more than a bit of new crimson.
    ...
    In the corner of Max's eyes - he doesn't dare turn towards her completely - a girl slaps another tooth. The shadowy, man-sized fang shatters with a piteous scream, its broken pieces melting away to reveal the corpse of a man. No, not quite corpse; a decrepit, comatose, shriveled thing, just bones and skin, and rot. Down its throat is shoved a tube of alien bone curving up like a horn and ending in a fanged, eyeless maw. The maw is connected to a mass of tentacles, wrapped around - and in some places into - the man's torso. The tentacles rhythmically flex, forcing the almost-corpse to breathe through the hideous alien life-support, obviously keeping him alive for the parasite to use. More, thinner tentacles are wrapped around the wasted victim's limbs, moving them around as they have no strength of their own, merely using the limbs' bones to support their boneless form into something that could walk.
    A mailed fist, black and spiked and bloody, grips the parasite and pulls, ripping it off with absurd ease. Then the fist clenches, the parasite bursting like an egg, blood oozing over the gauntlet. The black metal becomes a bit blacker, the spikes a little bit sharper, longer. Then the dead parasite is thrown aside, like an empty beercan crushed and binned after a party.

    The decrepit victim smiles in both gratitude and relief that his torment is over, then dies.




    "Hey, you guys are going to help, or what?" the girl calls out to all of you as she points at another goon, causing him to open his mouth in a soundless scream, then fall to the ground, dead.


    If all you have is a hammer, don't be lazy; be a blacksmith and start making more stuff.

  29. - Top - End - #29
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Celticbear's Avatar

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Yo, Im running on empty. Are you gonna give me my drink or what? says Maxwell, ignoring the sounds of battle outside.

    Don't give me that look, she had those guys under control. They're a faceless mob, anyway, those guys go down like pansies. Give me my damn whiskey already.
    "I'M just a guy with a boomerang... I didn't ask for all this flying... and MAGIC!!!" -Sokka

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wuff View Post
    the biggest nerd ever who transforms into BEAR is of course alluring.

  30. - Top - End - #30
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    Quellian-dyrae's Avatar

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    Default Re: Black Tide [DFRPG]

    Fighting through a horde like this in the open was...impractical at best. Best strategy here, far as Thalia could figure, was to make it too difficult for them to achieve their objective, which at the moment appeared to be capturing the woman. Just getting her into the tavern might be sufficient to accomplish that; it was Accorded Neutral Ground, so they couldn't bring their conflict within without violating what she understood to be some pretty serious magical law. Even if they tried, it would give them a much stronger defensive position. Rķkharšur was already doing...something wizardy at the doorway.

    Spoiler: If Max has, uh, started screaming
    Show
    Thalia did step in front of Max as requested. Normally, Thalia was definitely an attractive young woman, but viewed through the Sight she looked like she had just spent half a day preparing for a ball - her hair was styled, her face made up, her clothes far more extravagant. Nonetheless, she no longer appeared quite human either. She took on the color and texture of pristine marble, like a statue you might find in an ancient Greek temple, the mark of the Muses engraved on her brow and shining like a star. The guitar in her hand was also aglow with power, and constantly changing. One moment, it was a guitar. The next, a paintbrush. The next, a pen. Then a violin, a flute, a frying pan, a gardener's shovel...

    If Max continued looking at her with the Sight for more than a second or two, other perceptions would filter in. Flashes of his most pleasant memories would flicker on the edges of his vision. His favorite song would play in his ears. He would smell and taste his favorite food. The gentle pressure of a warm embrace would enfold his body.

    Looking at Thalia Bowers through the Sight showed you two things above all: Beauty, and Joy.

    "Hey...what happened? It's okay! Here, come on, back inside okay?" she told him, as soothingly as she could in the circumstances as she kinda tugged him along. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but clearly she needed to get him back inside.


    The music stopped as Thalia's Tool changed from guitar to microphone. "Get into the tavern! It's Neutral Ground!" Thalia called to the woman, channeling a supernatural augmentation through her words with the Tool's power. There was a reason that when someone was happy they were said to have a "spring in their step", and that one of the most iconic displays of joy was dancing. As an emotion, Joy was active, fast, fluid, mobile. Thalia's magic would put a much less metaphorical spring in the woman's step, to hopefully allow her to easily escape the press of bodies. "Erik can you hold the door if they try to force their way in?" she requested. That request didn't carry much of an augmentation, but frankly she pitied any of the goons who tried to get in the half-troll's way. She withdrew back into the tavern as well.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Incite Emotion to add Spring In Your Step to the woman, to hopefully help her get to the tavern more easily/encourage her to do so. +2 for Incite Emotion's bonus, -1 since I'll be taking a Supplemental action myself. (4d3-2)[5]. Superb

    Supplemental action to move back into the tavern if Max is able to follow. If he isn't she won't leave him alone out here.
    Last edited by Quellian-dyrae; 2018-06-24 at 04:38 PM.
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