[WFRP] The Bloody Crown XI

[RossN]

Adelbert & Sieghard

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'For the moment I suggest we wait,' Adelbert said. 'That duststorm can't last.'

He cleared his throat and looked around at the Thorns. 'Everyone stay within eye contact of everyone else and as Sieghard says don't eat anything. This is a dangerous place.'

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard and Adelbert

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Sieghard slouched against the wall. Everything had gone so wrong so quickly and he felt completely drained.

"If there's something about this place that can keep the dead out, do you think it could be used to stop them out there?"

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Can Sieghard get one of those heal checks too?

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo and Urgi

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Ludo didn't hesitate this time, sidestepping the straight-arm jab and swinging his sword in a wide arc.

[Thragka]

Lurguido

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Urgrim hove into the animate corpses ferociously, his momentum almost carrying him right into their midst as he burst from the ruins.

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Going all-out this round.

To Hit 80 - (1d100)[91] – miss
Damage - (1d10+4)[7]

To Hit 80 - (1d100)[18] – hit, right leg
Damage - (1d10+4)[5] – DoS boosted to 10

[RossN]

Adelbert & Sieghard

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Adelbert moved to bandage Sieghard's wounds, his expression growing conflicted at Sieghard's question.

'Probably,' he said very quietly to Sieghard so the Thorns couldn't hear, 'but I suspect it would mean dealing with the Ruinous Powers. This is one of their holy places.'

OOC:

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Heal on Sieghard: (1d100)[75] vs 76
Wounds recovered: (1d10)[8]

[LCP]

Urgrim & Ludo

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Ludo's sword clove deep into the girl's side, only stopping when it struck bone. For a second or two more, she still stabbed mechanically at him, her emotionless face betraying no change - then at last, the magic controlling her guttered and died, and she crumpled lifelessly to the ground.

OOC:

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Can I get a WP test (at +10) against an Insanity Point for Ludo please.

To his right, Urgrim drove his axe into another zombie's leg, breaking bones but not bringing the creature down. Its lumbering return blow battered harmlessly against his shield - and all around them, the Thorns were cutting down the rest of the walking corpses, their desperation lending fresh energy to their blows. Behind them, some of the Thorns still caught in the building were climbing out of the empty windows. One of them screamed and fell as ghostly hands reached through the wall to grab them.

Through the storm of dust that still filled the plaza, Ludo thought he could see hazy shapes closing in, and hear the clinking of chains. He couldn't see the tower, or the avenue - he could only just make out the dark bulk of the domed building to their left. If that was the building with the brass gates, then that was west, more or less - but which direction meant safety was anyone's guess.

OOC:

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Ludo's zombie is down, Urgrim's zombie is crippled but still standing.

[Thragka]

Urgiludo

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Urgrim grinned as Ludo downed his foe, unaware of his friend's inner turmoil. He didn't spare a look around while there was still a corpse to pacify.

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All-out attacks, again.

To Hit 80 - (1d100)[74] - hit to the left arm
Damage - (1d10+4)[10]

To Hit 80 - (1d100)[87] - miss
Damage - (1d10+4)[11]

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo and Urgi

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With barely capacity to consider his situation and the heat off him in the short term, Ludo switched to his crossbow and loaded it, fumbling in the dust storm. "You two, grab Petar and bring him with us!"

"What's step two of this?" he shouted at Urgi. "Where are we trying to go?"

[LCP]

Ludo & Urgrim

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Urgrim's axe felled the last of the zombies, its split body falling to join the pile of its brothers and sisters on the ground. Wiping their blades, the Thorns took a moment to take stock and regroup - and a moment was all they had. As the two men Ludo had tasked ran back for Petar, the shades of the old man and the boy melted through the ruined walls in front of them, plunging emaciated hands into their chests. At least four more shades were converging on them from the plaza, their hollow eyes staring through the whipping dust...

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo and Urgi

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Ludo froze, crossbow in his hands. Even a silver bolt hadn't stopped these spectres before, what else could they do... Sieghard had the spear, Adelbert could magic weapons... when would Elsa get her voice back?

"Find Elsa," he shouted over the wind. "Get inside, draw them away. I'll see if I can find Sieghard, and come back round for Petar and Abe. Ingwald's nearly back on his feet, whatever this is wears off. We just have to keep them occupied."

He fired another bolt - an ordinary one this time - into the nearest spectre, without much hope of it achieving anything, and then started moving east. "Go!"

OOC

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Not sure if we're on combat time, but consider this HA shoot, half move eastwards.

Is the Flee! talent appropriate for a tactical withdrawal? If so, that lasts (1d10)[5] rounds.

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Ludo

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Urgrim shared an anguished look with Ludo before they split. "Don't throw any lives away," he yelled back. "Ludo – if I can't find Elsa, I'm circling round toward the tower," he finished. Then he set off into the whirling dust towards the gates of brass.

[LCP]

Ludo

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Ludo's bolt shot right through the nearest ghost, spinning harmlessly away into the storm. Taking the deepest breath he could without filling his lungs with dust, Ludo took off running. Two of the shades turned to follow him, but he was fast, even in this buffeting wind. Head down, half-blind, he sprinted for where he remembered the entrance to the avenue as being.

Dark shapes fleeted past as he ran through the choking clouds. Some were men from Sieghard's division, running for their lives; others didn't look so friendly. An obstacle loomed out of the murk ahead of him, almost tripping him in his haste - it was the corpse of a Thorn. There were no wounds on his body, but his face was contorted in a silent rictus of terror.

Up ahead, he could see the entrance to the avenue, seemingly empty - and beyond it, the vague outline of the walled garden, the tops of the trees swaying in the dust-laden gale. The black iron gates were shut - outside them, three more shades were hovering, as if waiting for someone to let them in. One of them turned its hollow eyes towards Ludo...

Urgrim

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Seeing Ludo sprint off into the dust, Urgrim turned and led the Thorns towards the brass gates. The ghosts of Nath came floating after them, twisting through the air like predatory fish. Urgrim heard the screams of the stragglers in the rear as icy hands caught hold of them, reaching through flesh and bone to grasp their beating hearts. There was nothing he could do - only run as fast as he could, and hope the others could keep pace.

Up ahead, he saw the gates loom out of the dust. They stood a fraction ajar - and through them, he thought he could see a familiar face.

Urgrim & Elsa

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Elsa heard the screams outside grow louder, and saw a rush of dark figures approaching from out of the dust. She raised her crossbow in readiness - but it was Urgrim and the Thorns, sprinting towards her as fast as their legs would carry them. They came piling in through the gap where the gates stood open, a good dozen of them or more.

"Close it!" babbled one of the Thorns, as the last of their number rushed through. "Close it close it close it!"

Elsa caught a glimpse of ghastly figures approaching through the dust outside - the shimmering outlines of men and women in heavy chains, with hollow pits where their eyes should be. Then, two of the Thorns caught hold of the gate and pulled it shut, the boom of its closing echoing around the inside of the old ruin.

"That's not going to stop them!" said another, panic on his voice. "Get back!"

OOC:

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Thragka, you can read the Elsa spoiler in this post to get a picture of your surroundings.

The effects of Elsa's miscast are starting to wear off - she can currently speak in partially comprehensible Reikspiel (though she still sounds as if she has a mouth full of cotton wool). In 1 minute the effect will have completely worn off and she'll be able to cast again.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa and Urgrim

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At the sight of the Thorns and what was after them, Elsa's expression shifted quickly from relief to horror to confusion. "Wha hyu mean, 'at'sh not going to shtop 'em?" she said, her articulation still difficult.

They did not lack for room to retreat, but neither did they lack numbers to fight.


OOC

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Are the Thorns noticeably less numerous than before?

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard and Adelbert

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"There's nothing holy about this place, Schreiber," Sieghard replied. He sounded utterly defeated. "Inside these walls or out."

"Those things just keep appearing and I'm one man. I can't get us out of this. We don't know when the wind will stop and the shades will disappear or even if that'll happen at all. But if there's a chance there's something we can use against them, then it's worth at least knowing what we're dealing with, isn't it?"

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Elsa

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"Spirits," said Urgrim. "Can't hurt them, things go right through them. Hoping you can help with that." He gave Elsa a curious look. "You okay?"

He waved the Thorns back from the gate. "Spread out, put an armspan between you. We'll have to dodge the things while the Magister gets ready."

[LCP]

Urgrim and Elsa

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The Thorns spread out and fell back. Some loaded their crossbows and aimed them at the door - others didn't bother.

Nothing came through. They waited twenty seconds, forty, sixty. All they could hear was the blowing wind.

OOC:

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Are the Thorns noticeably less numerous than before?

They came piling in through the gap where the gates stood open, a good dozen of them or more.

[RossN]

Adelbert & Sieghard

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'I agree,' Adelbert replied, though he didn't stand happy about it. 'Let's go investigating. Best leave the Thorns here though.'

He stood up and, sword still in hand, walked down the straight avenue towards the domed building, which presumably was the centre of whatever dark magic still lay on this place.

OOC:

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Magical Senses: (1d100)[84] vs 68.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo

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In all the commotion... it hadn't occured to Ludo that they might have closed the door.

He froze, nearly knocked down by the wind, and frantically considered. Trying another entrance could find him hopelessly lost inside a building where the circumstances could be just as dire - or worse - and there was no guarantee there even would be one.

Back to his second plan then: hide.

OOC

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Ludo's plan is to backtrack across the avenue to hit the building next to the one they hid in, then sneak through the rubble back to their hiding place, in search of the paralysed Thorns.

I'll roll concealment: I'm sure these things have preternatural senses or whatever but halflings gotta half. (1d100)[14] vs 79

Gonna have to be pretty damn preternatural.

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Elsa

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Urgrim relaxed slightly, taking a deep breath. "Anyone wounded?" he asked the Thorns.

"Anything you can tell us about what's going on, Magister?"

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa and Urgrim

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"Anything you can tell us about what's going on, Magister?"

Elsa's eyebrows went up. He was asking her? "I've been in here since the sandstorm began, Urgrim," she said, her words finally clear. "I don't know what's out there. Are there a lot of ghosts? Nahorek may have managed to bend local spirits to his will."

This was bad. This was very bad. What if he now waged all-out war on the Reaches with ghosts? What defense could there be?

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard and Adelbert

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"We're going to take a look inside," Sieghard told Hanna. "Keep things under control out here." He stood and followed after Adelbert.

"Bless their weapons before we go. If the ghosts do manage to get through the walls, they need to be able to fight back."

[RossN]

Adelbert & Sieghard

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Adelbert nodded and paused to bless the blades of Hanna and two of the others, privately begging the goddess's forgiveness for asking so much. Then to the building at the end of the garden.

OOC:

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Blessed Weapon(6): (2d10)[1][10](11)

Blessed Weapon(6): (2d10)[3][6](9)

Blessed Weapon(6): (2d10)[6][3](9)

[LCP]

Sieghard & Adelbert

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Adelbert felt the power of Verena flow through him as he blessed the Thorns’ blades. They might be on cursed ground, far from Verena’s light, but his goddess still watched over him. It was some comfort to him at least, if not to the Thorns - they looked at their newly blessed swords as if they couldn’t tell the difference.

Closer to the doors of the domed building, the garden grew more tangled and overgrown. Thorny brambles spilled over the path, sprouting strange, fleshy flowers. Adelbert could smell their musk even in this wind - they smelt like perfume over rotting meat.

The hinges of the doors were rusted almost solid, but the firm application of Sieghard’s shoulder forced them open. Hurrying inside, the two of them pushed them shut again, finally granting some respite from the dust-laden gale.

The still air inside was sour with the scent of mould and mildew. They were standing in a dark antechamber, the only light falling from small windows high overhead. All around, once-fine furniture had collapsed into decay, a riot of fungi sprouting from the rotten wood. Adelbert was pretty sure he recognised some of the growths from Hieronymus’ books of herbalism - that red one there was a Blood River stinkhorn, while those sickly off-white toadstools were goblin-bane agaric. He could taste their powdery spores on his tongue - putting his hand over his nose and mouth, he advanced to the other end of the room.

Here, an open keyhole arch led into a central chamber, directly beneath the dome. It was laid out in a strange shape, like a three-pointed star. In the corners between the other arms, two more archways led back into shadow.

In the centre of the chamber stood what looked like a well - and growing beside it, a single tree. Crooked and leprous for lack of light, it reached its gnarled branches up towards the high windows, turning yellow-green leaves towards the sun. Strange three-lobed fruit hung from its boughs - and tangled among its roots were what looked like human bones. Among the ancient remains, Sieghard thought he caught a tarnished gleam of gold.

Urgrim & Elsa

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”There’s at least eight of ‘em out there,” said one of the Thorns. “And that’s the ones we could see.”

“Eight?” said another. “I made it twelve.”

Ingwald was among them, but he wasn’t talking. Another of the Thorns had been supporting him, as if he was wounded, but Elsa could see no marks on him - he just looked pale, as if he had suffered some terrible shock. Letting go of his comrade’s shoulder, he stumbled over to a suitable block of rubble and sat down.

“I don’t get it,” said the first Thorn who had spoken, as those with more physical injuries made themselves known to Urgrim. “They came through the walls out there. Why would they stop for a door?” He turned, scanning the darkened hall. “What - what if they’re sneaking up on us?”

OOC:

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There are (1d3)[2] Thorns with minor flesh wounds that could use treating. The exact size of the party with you is 15.

Ludo

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Darting back the way he’d come, Ludo swiftly lost the spectres in the churning dust. Hunkering down behind a chunk of rubble, he waited until he was sure they were off his tail - then, slowly, methodically, he began to work his way back to where he remembered the Thorns’ position.

More than once, he had to stop as he heard the clink of chains, eyeless figures drifting past through the dust. The screams in the storm were thinning out, but the spectres still seemed to be on the hunt. He counted at least six by the time he finally made it back to the spot where Ingwald’s squad had been stationed. Fortunately, they didn't seem to sense him there.

There was no sign of Urgrim or the others - but he did see a handful of prone figures lying amid the rubble. Looking left and right to make sure no hungry ghost was about to loom out of the shadows, he hurried over to the nearest. The dust had made their uniform almost unrecognisable, but he recognised the face as Dirk, one of the new recruits. Like Ingwald, he had not a mark on his body - but his skin was ashen pale, his face frozen in an expression of abject fear. Putting a hand to his wrist, Ludo could feel the poor boy’s body was as cold as ice. There was no pulse.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard and Adelbert

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"The shades can be slain," Sieghard assured them. "You saw me kill the one out there. Right here's probably the safest place right now, but if they get through the walls, just keep your heads about you."

---

"Never seen any tree like this," he muttered. He stepped up to get a closer look. "What do you make of this?" he asked, pointing at the bit of gold on the body.

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Not touching it. Just wanting to get a better look. Both at the gold thing and the body itself. Does it look like a normal human or is there anything unusual about it? Can Sieghard tell anything about how they died?

[RossN]

Adelbert & Sieghard

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'I think its a shrine,' Adelbert said. 'Though I'm not sure if that poor soul was a sacrifice or an unlucky thief. I wouldn't be surprised if those fruits are poisonous.'

At the mention of the golden... thing, he frowned and stepped forward for a better look, though taking care not to touch anything.

[LCP]

Sieghard & Adelbert

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The glint of gold was coming from an ornate brooch, set in the rotted remnants of a black turban that still clung to the skull of the unfortunate at the base of the tree. The skull it sat upon looked fully human - but the bones were so porous and decayed that they were flaking away where the roots of the tree burrowed through them.

[RossN]

Adelbert & Sieghard

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Adelbert concentrated and stared at the broach, trying to pierce through the veil to see reality as it was to the divine.

OOC:

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Magical Sense: (1d100)[92] vs 68

[-Sentinel-]

Urgrim and Elsa

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"I don't get it. They came through the walls out there. Why would they stop for a door? What - what if they're sneaking up on us?"

"If we can't hurt them, I don't see why they would even need to sneak up on us," said Elsa calmly, hoping to prevent any panic. "There could be magical wards protecting the place... I certainly sense a lot of magic in here. Especially over there." She pointed at the wooden door at the other end of the hall.

Or perhaps the ghosts are afraid of something in here... but is it something we should fear too?

"I... would like to have a look."

[Thragka]

Urgrim and Elsa

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"I've been in here since the sandstorm began, Urgrim," she said, her words finally clear. "I don't know what's out there. Are there a lot of ghosts? Nahorek may have managed to bend local spirits to his will."

"So you don't know what it is the Jackal's doing with his witchcraft?" Urgrim asked. "Shame. Was hoping you'd know more than us."

"I... would like to have a look."

Urgrim frowned. "Is that really the best use of our time? If your magic can hurt the spirits, we can rejoin the fight. Save the living who are still out there," he said, swinging an arm to point back at the gates.

[LCP]

Adelbert & Sieghard

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It was difficult for Adelbert to pick out an individual object from the generalised feeling of skin-crawling corruption he felt within these walls - but as far as he could tell, it was just an ordinary piece of jewellery.