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imaginaryooc2020-10-20 06:34 pm
imaginarymods) wrote in imaginaryooc2020-10-20 06:34 pm
the island of dancing animals {{ m1 Call to Arms
CALL TO ARMS: SIGNUPS
| “Isn’t there a future you’d like to fight for?” |
THE STORY SO FAR
It's been a few months on the lovely archipelago of Baisla, and finally you've all figured out why you're here.
After your underwater explorations into the Mirror Maze and the Caverns of Memory, you've found a way to the island blocked off by thorns and deduced the location of Caleb Cleveland and the Imaginary Island — the Grand Relic which Angus McDonald used, and which created the pocket dimension of Baisla. Through a wish that the Universe itself answered — a wish for one last chance to make things right — you've all been kept safe in this dimension, the magic of your worlds and bonds used to patch the holes in the Weave caused by the destruction of the Wellspring of Magic. And while the Universe (or Greg, as he's introduced himself) stitched the Weave back together with the magic inside of you all, you've been collecting the pieces that will help you right the wrongs which could have led to the downfall of this world.
Lucretia has been unwell for some time, weary from bearing the burden of the self-imposed duty of collecting the Grand Relics and stopping the Hunger. But the Hunger preys on those who have given up and resigned themselves to apathy and dissatisfaction with their world. Many veteran Reclaimers encountered this kind of misery in the Cult of Shadows, spirits essentially stuck in bodiless limbo due to the destruction of their home thousands of years ago. They began to see the Hunger as their salvation — and by acting through stolen bodies, they became agents of the Hunger, so desperate to join it that they became vessels of its dark energy.
One by one, they took down Lucretia's closest friends, the Hunger's greatest obstacle in consuming this world. Standing on her own after all that, Lucretia grew more despairing and isolated with every day. Prior to bringing the Reclaimers to this universe, she had a run-in with the Cult herself. In the conflict, her ever-present white oak staff was cursed. And through the cracks in her tired spirit, the dark energy of the Hunger slowly made its way into her soul.
Lucretia, after a series of many bad decisions made under the misery-inducing influence of the Hunger, is caught in the deepest throes of the Hunger's curse. She's at risk of being consumed by it, and if she is, it's game over. The Hunger can use the mysterious source of power within the Relics she's been collecting — collecting, not destroying, as some of you have discovered — and consume this entire universe with Lucretia as the epicenter of collapse. Time progresses differently in this pocket dimension, and Greg has stretched it to give you as much time as he can to sort everything out. But there's only so much time to stretch, and it's running out.
Which leads us to the current mess. With the power from two broken Relics, a new Relic was born from the Relic that had yet to be reclaimed as of Candlenights. Caleb Cleveland and the Imaginary Island, one of Angus's beloved books, holds the power that was needed to wish a whole new chance into existence. And now it's hidden beneath the Cursed Zone, where there was little risk of someone stumbling across it before you all were ready. It's past the Gilded Wall, which has acted as a firewall to keep the Cursed contained.
And then there are the Cursed themselves: beings which aren't literally zombies, but what got spit out when Greg referenced your worlds and touched on too many pieces that had been consumed by the Hunger. Like an error spat out after trying to load corrupted data. Madame Director can't help you with any of this the way she often does, either; she's shut up in a spiky black opal fortress in the middle of Mount Reticulus, the volcano on the island that's been blocked by the thorn barrier.
To say the least of the Hunger, which is still waiting for you outside of the safety of Baisla. But the strength of your hearts — the magic, love, and bonds contained within them — seems to be the key. As many of you have learned, bonds don't break just because you forget. They don't break because someone is gone. And they certainly don't break because of the Hunger.
It's going to be tough. But you'll all find a way. You're going to be amazing.
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO
After Greg makes sure you're all caught up on the story so far, there are a few points of interest, as far as the problems you all need to tackle on Baisla. The first is the mysterious heart-shaped island which houses Mount Reticulus, the volcano that Lucretia has sealed herself and many unfortunate Bureau of Balance employees in.
The sand of the beach here is black, but it's flecked with iridescent specks of color — red, green, blue, yellow — which glimmer when the light hits them just right. The volcano itself looks rather craggy and dull in comparison, save for the veins of the same opalescent black that streak its exterior. Though the veins look like gemstone at first glance, the blackness is more like that of a void, and the streaks of color within shift slowly and eerily. The atmosphere on this island is heavy and gloomy. Not debilitatingly so, but it's noticeable, especially when entering the volcano.
The interior of Mount Reticulus is accessible through a hole near the base of the mountain, left by a large vein of that strange black substance. It's unexplored terrain, but upon entering, it's immediately obvious that the inside has been carved up, as if someone has shaped a natural cave into a castle. The magnificent black opal structures are ridden with thorns, and circular white eyes (iconic to the Hunger) watch from the high black "ceilings" of this strange fortress.
Occasionally, there are severe glitches in the terrain, but they quickly right themselves before they can become a threat. There are also exposed pools of lava — likely not in every room, but it is a danger you'll have to contend with. And it's hot. More than hot enough to cause damage if you're not equipped properly. Stand in silence within the volcano long enough, and you may swear that you can hear unintelligible whispers around you, so quiet that it's easy to convince yourself that you're imagining them. It's like they're coming from the walls themselves, or the polished black opal structures that allow you to traverse this place.
Strangely, the thorns inside of Mount Reticulus aren't as sturdy as those which blocked your access to this island. Maybe it's a metaphor? They're still fairly tough, but they can be damaged or broken with the right attack and adequate force. Which is good, since they will end up blocking your way sometimes.
Once someone has successfully navigated a path through this volcanic palace, deep within is a circular room. Which is strangely empty except for the ridiculous amount of shifting, creaking thorns that pierce into it with no rhyme or reason. There's a large, twisted, humanoid figure made of thorns in the middle of this room. This monstrous being may not be immediately recognizable as Lucretia, but at the center of its black opal thorns, Lucretia's body can be seen overcome by the darkness of the curse she's under.
Lucretia's form isn't the only visible form among the thorns; peeking out in certain areas are the faces of the Seekers, Regulators, and Reclaimers that were trapped with Lucretia on that last fateful day of Candlenights. Among them are a lot of familiar faces previously unaccounted for: Davenport, Johann, Lucas, Carey, Killian, Leon, and Avi, the travel bubble technician. Most of them, as well as those you recognize as some of your fellow Reclaimers, seem to be completely out cold.
Meanwhile, the Relic is hiding in a chamber of the Caverns of Memory which is beneath the northern segment of the mainland — right underneath the Cursed Zone. The only way into that chamber is through an underwater tunnel, accessible through a murky pool in the remains of the dead forest. A cursory examination of the pool reveals that the underwater tunnel is quite dark — the crystal coral within it has died and no longer glows. There don't appear to be signs of life within the tunnel itself, so it seems that you won't be hassled by any creepy critters on the way down. Obviously the path to the Relic Chamber is a damp one, but with the proper path actions or help from friends (and the benefit of no monsters in your way) it might even be a breeze.
The Relic Chamber at the end of the tunnel is a small cavern, crammed floor to ceiling with crystal coral with barely enough room to move around it. The coral itself is strange — glitchy and constantly in transition from one color to another. It gives off the glow of a screen at maximum brightness. There also seem to be forms that move in the shadows of the room at the edges of your vision — long and thin, moving gently. They look like they might be limbs, but it's hard to tell. They didn't seem to want to be seen through the crack by which this room was discovered.
One thing is for sure, however. Even just looking into this room makes you feel awful. Every part of you grows heavier with despair the longer you look at the chamber full of coral, as though something in you knows that you are staring at something incredibly, cosmically dangerous. Something wrong.
In the middle of a twist of coral that seems to be growing around it, perhaps even holding it in place, is a book — Caleb Cleveland and the Imaginary Island, the new Grand Relic you've all been looking for. It's thick and well-worn, and the title on its spine is just barely visible between the grappling coral. Physically speaking, there doesn't seem to be much stopping you from grabbing it aside from the coral.
THE NITTY-GRITTY
Those of you familiar with the Balance RPG format of the CTA will recognize some things about this process! However, some things have been changed up, so read on to get a rundown of those details.
For each CTA directive, there will be a Core Team with a maximum number of characters, which is given in the brief for each CTA assignment. The Core Team will be RNGed from the pool of sign-ups if the number of sign-ups exceeds the maximum number given for the Core Team. Other characters who have signed up for the CTA who are not RNGed for the Core Team are relegated to Supporting Roles for that CTA.
The Core Team is similar to the CTA teams as they were implemented in the original Balance RPG. The Core Team will be responsible for formulating the majority of the plan and for submitting it to the threads below before the given deadline. They're the front lines of each CTA assignment, and will be the ones most affected by the obstacles and challenges of each CTA! For example, if a CTA involves combat, a Barbarian on the Core Team may say they will stay at the ready with Danger Sense, and then use Rage and Call the Hunt to share Rage with the rest of the Core Team if it seems that a fight is inevitable.
The size of the Core Teams are limited for the ease of everyone involved. On the player side, smaller numbers are easier to coordinate, and on the navigator side, it helps us ensure that we can keep track of all characters and variables involved in a plan, so that things go as smoothly as possible in rolling!
What is new for Imaginary Island are the Supporting Roles. Characters in Supporting Roles will act as backup to the Core Team. Their contributions are intended to fill specific niches and act as constants. Basically, they take on One Job, and they keep doing that job to the best of their ability regardless of what variables the Core Team throws in. For example, if a Cleric is acting in a Supporting Role for a CTA team, their contribution might be that they are hanging back at a safe distance and focusing on healing the Core Team when they get injured. Or, if a character has access to a magitech beast, they may send it along with the Core Team of a CTA. Because Supporting Roles have less randomness involved, they are less likely to need to roll for success in doing the job they've chosen — when you can focus all your attention on doing one thing, it makes sense that you'll probably succeed at doing it!
Supporting Roles are less flexible in their actions and reactions than the Core Team, but they can provide much-needed modifiers and failsafes to increase the chances of success in a CTA! As navigators, we wanted to increase the opportunities to get characters involved in CTAs. Obviously, there are logistical difficulties in implementing greater numbers of characters in something like this, so we're limited in what we can realistically offer. But above all, we want to encourage engagement, teamwork, and creativity. So we're very excited to see the jobs you all come up with for characters in Supporting Roles, and we're eager to reward good teamwork and creative contributions!
Because of this system, barring extenuating circumstances, everyone who signs up for a CTA will be included in that CTA. Therefore, we ask that each character only signs up for one CTA. This also includes Wildcard Contributions, which we will get into below. You may do either a CTA or a Wildcard Contribution, but not both. This is true of both the Core Team and the Supporting Roles of a CTA. If you wish, you may sign up for a CTA in a Supporting Role capacity. If you do, your character will not be included in the RNG pool for the Core Team. You are welcome to state your intended contribution upfront if you choose to go this route!
As a note, if you have a magical or special item that you'd like to lend out, you do not need to sign up for a CTA to do that. Feel free to coordinate item lending with each other OOCly; just be sure that this info is included in your plan write-up!
Another new addition to the CTA format for Imaginary Island are Wildcard Contributions. Wildcard Contributions are actions that may be taken around the mission setting which are unrelated to specific CTA assignments, but which may improve the overall situation or impact the outcome of the mission. For example, if one of the CTAs was for a battle being fought outside of a town, you could say that your character's Wildcard Contribution is patrolling the border of the town to fend off any advancing enemies that the CTA team fails to stop. Or, if you have connections at the Roswell Center, you may offer to ask their healers to help the CTA teams as your Wildcard Contribution.
Wildcard Contributions are similar to Supporting Roles in that they are intended to fill a specific niche by doing one job. The difference is that they are more independent actions and aren't related to any particular CTA assignment. (If you wanted to take an action that benefits one specific CTA, we would ask that you sign up for a Supporting Role for that particular CTA instead.) Each character may submit a maximum of 2 Wildcard Contributions, and if you submit two, they must not be tasks that would conflict with each other. So if you're busy helping to treat the injured at the Roswell Center, you cannot also help the wildlife in the Foggy Forest.
You don't necessarily need to have a goal in mind for your Wildcard Contributions! Would your character simply be trying to keep the children and civilians of Baisla calm while all of the chaos is going on? Would they be recording observations of the events in a certain place? Let us know! As stated, we want to reward engagement and take character action into account wherever possible, so we're happy to find some creative ways to incorporate Wildcard Contributions into the ultimate outcome of the mission. Your characters' actions matter to the Baislans and they matter to us too!
Now, what about plan submission? In the brief for each CTA, we have provided information that is known to the characters about the challenges they will be facing, as well as hints for other threats they may face but which have not been ICly confirmed prior to the CTA. All information provided in the brief is information that can be reasonably gleaned by the characters from an IC perspective!
When it comes time to submit a plan, a member of the Core Team will reply to the appropriate thread with an in-depth explanation of what characters will be doing to overcome those challenges and progress through the CTA. Path actions, teamwork, and contingency plans will all be vital to building a solid plan for success! Contributions from the CTA's Support Roles should be included in the plan write-up, as well, to ensure that your navigators can find all the information we need in one place. Here is a good example of a CTA plan submission, provided by one of our navigators! You don't need to adhere to this exact format, but we hope it gives you all a good idea of what we're generally looking for.
If something unexpected occurs during the CTA, such as the death of a teammate which has not been accounted for in the plan, the navigators may give you the opportunity to reply with a reaction or revised plan before proceeding with the final results — similar to a more standard RNG thread, though with less play-by-play and back-and-forth. We will be doing our best to balance expediency and responsiveness for the CTAs, so that we can proceed in a timely fashion while still accounting for player action and spontaneity where possible.
You all have quite a few NPCs that are ready to assist you with this mission, too! As was stated in RNG and NPC threads, a few characters may expect to receive "favors" from Animalian NPCs in the CTA (or later, if they do not come into play during the CTA portion.) These characters are: Church, Sayori, and Sans, who may receive a favor from KV; Honoka, who may receive a favor from Niely; and Christine and Rose, who may receive a favor from Lola. If these NPCs are requested for a CTA by characters they owe favors to, they will gladly help as directed, and you are free to include them in your plan submissions!
Non-Animalian NPCs may make an appearance to assist as well. Particularly Lup and Taako, finally freed from the magical Umbrella they became trapped in after their run-ins with the Cult of Shadows. And currently both stuck in the same lich body, which is an issue they're sort of hoping to resolve after this whole island shebang is dealt with? Plus, with the help of the jellyfish in the Caverns of Memory, some of you have seen things that indicate Lup and Taako weren't the only victims of the Cult's plot, as far as Lucretia's friends go. Maybe they're hanging around somewhere too...
Feel free to use this post as a plotting post to discuss plans with each other and brainstorm for this part of the mission! Please direct questions related to the CTAs here, and see the appropriate threads for each CTA to sign up: Clear a Path Through the Volcano, Retrieve Lucretia, Clear the Cursed Zone, Reclaim the Relic. Offer Wildcard Contributions here!
CTA: RETRIEVE LUCRETIA (MAX CORE TEAM OF 4)
From the looks of things, Lucretia won't immediately recognize the Reclaimers and will turn those tendrils of hers on them as soon as she's awoken. Though all the trapped Reclaimers seem to be solidly unconscious, three of your other allies appear to stir from their thorny restraints when Lucretia takes notice of the CTA team: Killian, Carey, and Davenport. They cannot escape on their own, but they know you're there.
The Core Team of this assignment must be prepared to resist and endure attack from Lucretia until they can subdue her. If they wish to heal her of the curse, they must also find a way to get through to her while resisting her assault. Depending on how the CTA to Clear a Path Through the Volcano plays out, the Lucretia team may also need to be prepared to dodge the threats of Mount Reticulus on the way to her. Useful Supporting Roles for this assignment could include healing the Core Team throughout the onslaught, or running distractions to take some of the aggression off of the Core Team.
While it is not required, this team would benefit from STR and CHA archetypes.
SIGN UP HERE
Character Name: The character you are signing up. If you have two characters, please put them in separate sign-up comments!
Core Team? Are you signing up to be considered for the Core Team of this CTA? Yes/No.
Supporting Role: If you already know what your character could offer in a Supporting Role, share it here! This part is optional, but highly encouraged if you are only signing up in a Supporting Role capacity.
Sign-ups close on Friday, October 23rd at 11:59PM EST.
no subject
Character Name: guido mista
Core Team? yes
Supporting Role: the boy is a paladin with gun he can protecty and rooty tooty point and shooty. i'm very tired but i'm also right.
no subject
Character Name: Honoka Kousaka
Core Team? Y!!
Supporting Role: With a maxed out Bard & Astrologian Path and her Wizard support actions, Honoka's going to be bringing pretty much everything she can to the table! Astrologian in particular will give the gang a bit of protection from any attacks they weather and she can also buff folks with good ol' Bardic Inspiration if possible. Other than that, she'll be doing her best to be her Honoka self and hope that gets through!
DEADLINE EXTENDED
no subject
Character Name: maya fey
Core Team? yes
Supporting Role: maya is a fully maxed summoner/warlock/druid with lots of spells! she has a magitech beast that could help protect them all! and she has a frienship with lucretia and could try to reach out to her emotionally!
no subject
Character Name: Mia
Core Team? Yes
Supporting Role: In either role, Mia's techniques as a Dark Knight could be helpful in defending the others! She's also level headed and strategic, helpful in keeping them going longer
CLOSED
YOUR ROLES ARE...
Guido Mista
Honoka Kousaka
Maya Fey
Mia Fey
SUPPORTING ROLES:
None
PLAN SUBMISSION
no subject
1/2
Upfront, here are the main combat modifiers that we gave each member of this team and Lucretia after considering each component of your strategy:
Lucretia: DC 14 to hit her
• Changing DC to hit her thorn construct without catching Lucretia in the crossfire
• +3 STR from the Hunger curse
• -1 to attacking the CTA team due to the battlefield awareness from the Sex Pistols, Nick Jr, and Mia's Scuttlebuddy
• -1 to attacking Maya because of Maya's magitech wolf companion
Mista: DC 12 to hit him
• +1 DEX from archetype
• +2 to ranged attacks from the Sex Pistols
• +1 from the volcano team's success
• = +4 total to his standard ranged attacks (sorry, Mista)
• +1 to resisting Lucretia's aura of despair because his Oathed is nearby
Mia: DC 13 to hit her
• +1 STR from archetype
• +3 STR from Darkside
• +1 from the volcano team's success
• = +5 total to her standard melee attacks
• +1 WIS to resisting Lucretia's aura of despair
Maya: DC 16 to hit her, higher due to the cover provided by Mia & Mista as well as her teleports
• +1 CHA
• +2 from Mista's Emphatic Duty
• = +3 total to her attempts to get through to Lucretia
• +1 WIS to resisting Lucretia's aura of despair
• +1 to resisting Lucretia's aura of despair because her Oathed is nearby
• +1 to resisting Lucretia's aura of despair because of persistent positivity
• = +3 total to resisting the aura of despair
Honoka: DC 16 to hit her
• +1 CHA
• +2 from Mista's Emphatic Duty
• = +3 total to her attempts to get through to Lucretia
• +1 to resisting Lucretia's aura of despair because of persistent positivity
Any modifiers given in addition to these will be specified in the write-up, but for readability it's easier to give these main numbers upfront! We'll see how all these bonuses treated you.
Thanks to the success of the volcano team, the group makes their way to her chamber with plenty of energy to spare for the confrontation that awaits them (+1 to their attack rolls). Maya sets up Conjure Bulwark (-3 to Lucretia's physical attacks against Mia, Maya, and Mista) and Honoka rallies the team with Bardic Inspiration (+2 to push failure to success). It seems like a good start. Unfortunately, the...explosive way that the last thorn barrier was destroyed seems to have Lucretia on edge. The moment they cross the threshold into her circular chamber, a wave of anguish pours off of her that nearly brings them all to their knees. (DC 11 on acting first: 2)
Mia can feel as that anguish eclipses her own heart. (DC 16: +1 WIS; 3+1=4) Her Purity of Body expels the foreign emotion, but she now knows firsthand the strange waves of despair the volcano team contended with on their way in. Maya shrugs it off as easily as she tends to shrug off her own pain (DC 16: +3 for WIS, proximity to her Oathed, and general genki; 16+3=19). Mista (+1 Oathed; 9+1=10) and Honoka (+1 genki, rerolled with Fortuna Fatalis;
710+1=11) aren't so lucky. Disoriented with such powerful sadness, they no longer feel as prepared to act. (-2 on Mista & Honoka's next rolls)Nick Jr. swoops in with Forbicino to begin their steady work on the vines that make up Lucretia's massive thorn construct. Maya's magitech wolf beast prowls protectively in her orbit as she implores that there's no need to fight. Lucretia doesn't even seem to hear her. (DC 18: +1 CHA, +2 Emphatic Duty; 6+3=9) A thorny torso with Lucretia at its heart leans out from the pillar-like structure in the middle of the room. Gnarled, thorny vines form a pair of arms and tendrils both; they unfurl as Lucretia and the construct roar as one.
Mia's Darkside aura flares (+3 to STR) as she strikes the construct's outstretched arm. (DC 12: +1 STR, +3 Darkside, +1 volcano success; 7+5=12). Sadness darkens his heart, but with the Pistols at the ready and the radiance of his Aura of Courage (x2 effectiveness on the thorns) lighting the way, he shoots a thorned limb as it reaches for Maya (DC 12: +4, -2 failed save; 15+2=17); there's a feral hiss from the construct as it recoils (DC 16 vs Maya: 11-2=9). Honoka, still rattled by anguish, meekly calls out, but is drowned by the chaos. (DC 18: +3, -2 failed save; 2+1=3)
However...it seems that this time, Fate has her back. (Rerolled with Fortuna Fatalis; 19+1=20)
With Message, she reaches out to Lucretia's mind to plead with her. They know now of the burden Lucretia carries, but as Honoka peers telepathically into her mind, she gets a first-hand sense of how wrong it is in there. How dark, how guilty, how angry and shamed and sad Lucretia is, and how it's completely eclipsed her rational mind. And Honoka gets a vision — just for a second — of an inky black abyss dotted with white eyes and streaked with veins of shifting color. She's lucky to escape such close contact with Lucretia's curse unscathed.
But she sees the change in Lucretia's expression, and the construct hesitates for only one moment. Honoka spoke to Lucretia's heart — and Lucretia's heart heard. Unfortunately, the curse runs deep. It's not enough to stop the battle. But it is enough to give the team hope that their words still have power.
Hesitation gone, Lucretia lashes out with her thorny limbs, catching Mista (DC 12: 19-1=18) and Honoka (DC 16: 19-1=18). They both suffer lacerations from the thorns and bruised ribs. Mia, though? Mia is ready. Lucretia's arm hurtles at her and the dark tendrils of Mia's aura lash out. They catch the huge hand, take it by its horrible pointed fingers—
And rip it right off the construct. (CRITICAL FAILURE on hitting Mia)
Lucretia howls as she recoils; the obsidian vines reform around the wrist of the construct as if to close a wound, but they can't rebuild the hand. (-2 on melee attacks with that arm) As Mia (18+5=23) and Mista (15+4=19) attack the construct, Honoka pops a Goodberry and focuses on undoing some of the damage she and Mista sustained with Healing Word. Maya speaks to Lucretia, but again, she doesn't listen. (DC 17: 8+3=11)
Then there's another wordless cry from Lucretia, and the party feels that awful psychic impression of the darkness inside of her. Maya (19+3=22) and Honoka (19+1=20) don't let it get to them. Mista is unlucky again,
maybe it's all those +4 modifiers(5+1=6) and is staggered by the debilitating wave of shame. (-2 to his next roll) Mia's Purity of Body is spent, but Honoka calls out with encouragement, and something happens inside of Mia's heart. (13+1=14, +2 Bardic Inspo=16) She takes all that anger and pain in stride — feels it, acknowledges it, and masters it. Her Darkside aura grows larger, stronger, as the emotional boost empowers her further. (Darkside bonus rises to +5 STR for 2 rolls)Mia (6+7=13) and Lucretia (14-1=13) exchange blows, Mia heedless of the thorns cutting into her arms. Lucretia can't hit the others while occupied with Mia (vs Mista: 11, vs Honoka: 12, vs Maya: 14), and can't hear the words of Maya (DC 16: 10+3=13) or Honoka (6+3=9) either. Mista takes advantage of her distraction and lands another radiance-charged shot on the construct. (11+2=13)
Realizing the Bulwark protects them, Lucretia whips the construct's limbs to fire off magic blasts. Honoka narrowly dodges (13+2=15 vs Honoka), but Maya and Mista are hit hard. (vs Maya: 18, vs Mista: 20) Ribs and organs bruise as Mista is knocked flat against the wall, and Maya's shoulder rattles in its socket as she loses the Bulwark. (DC 14: 3) Threatened by Mia, Lucretia reaches lightning-quick with a tendril, but Mia's Darkside aura whips it away before it can grab her. (Lucretia's 14 vs Mia's 18)
Lay on Hands and Goodberries dampen Mista's soreness. (Perhaps after he’s pestered by Maya, who is presumably acting in place of Mista's non-existent self-preservation instinct.) As one, Honoka sets up a Globe of Invulnerability while Maya pops enough Goodberries to begin to channel the Bulwark again. Mia (12) and Mista's (18) offense finally begins to loosen the densely-packed vines. (-1 to Lucretia's melee attacks; higher DC to hit the thorns) Maya pleads again with Lucretia, but her summoning distracts her. (DC 15: DIS,
157+3=10)The sounds of the words draw Lucretia's attention — she strikes the Globe once before focusing on Mia and Mista. Mia fends off a tendril (3) only to be snatched up by a thorny hand with Lucretia’s NATURAL 20. Mia can feel as the thorns dig into her and she's struck by a spell that just drains her, makes her feel heavy in her brain and body. (1/2 effectiveness on 2 successful attack rolls)
However, the dice are capricious, and as Lucretia lashes out towards Mista— it's another CRITICAL FAILURE. In a fraction of a second, Mista works out the perfect angle for the thorny tendril coming at him, and with the aid of the Pistols he lines up a Piercing Shot, firing through the construct in three places with the same bullet. (DC 14: 1st hit autopass; 2nd hit ADV 13+2 Bardic Inspo=15; 3rd hit ADV 23)
Honoka calls out to Lucretia, and even occupied with the Globe of Invulnerability, there's no speaker quite like a Bard. (DC 15: DIS,
2213+3=16) Lucretia hesitates; her swipe at Mista wings wide. (7) The Bulwark is conjured again, and Honoka drops the globe and gets to work healing Mia and Mista and speaking new words of encouragement.Mia needs it; she wrestles with the construct's grasp, but is too drained to break free as the thorns cut deeper to drain away the health Honoka gives her. (Mia's 9 vs Lucretia's 16) Healing Word bolsters Mista — he fires at the tendril and it releases Mia. (DC 14: 11+4=15) Maya and Honoka keep on their power of friendship thing, to solid success. (DC 15: 18 for Maya, 17 for Honoka)
Frightened by their sincerity, Lucretia's awful emotions assault the team. Maya (DC 15: 21) and Mista (17) fight through, but a drained Mia can't resist the anguish (3)...and though Darkside offered her a boon in mastering these feelings last time, now the wayward despair causes her to lose control of her own emotions, and her Darkside grows more difficult to control in kind. (DIS on next 2 rolls) Honoka wavers (12), but the guiding hand of Fate steadies her soul one last time. Standing tall against the fear and grief, Honoka pleads desperately with Lucretia, so easily able to empathize with her after feeling her pain firsthand and witnessing what darkness allowed the Hunger to creep in. She counters that darkness with words of light—
And sees the softening of Lucretia's expression as the curse's hold on her loosens. (NATURAL 20, rerolled with Fortuna Fatalis; Lucretia's rage bonus lowers to +2)
The woman who became Madame Director is still in here. She's trying to listen. However, though she may want to believe in Honoka and Maya's words, she still doesn't believe in herself. Trying to shut herself off from the kindness, she lashes her tendrils out towards Honoka and Maya. But perhaps her heart isn't in it, since she misses both of them. (13 vs Honoka, 14 vs Maya) Mia and Mista are the next targets, each taking a forceful blast of magic that knocks the wind from them, and there's a sharp pain in Mista's arm that lets him know one of his bones might be cracked. (14 vs Mia, 20 vs Mista) And then something new happens — with a ragged, enraged cry, Lucretia seizes one of the party with horrible necrotic energy.
And with a CRITICAL FAILURE to save against it, Maya falls to the floor, knocked unconscious by the pain of death and decay.
The Bulwark vanishes. Mista and Nick Jr. rush to Maya's side. (-1 to Lucretia's attacks against Maya & Mista) With Mista aiding Maya, Honoka heals the battered Mia — who is enraged and out of control, barreling unthinkingly at Lucretia and missing with every angry, imprecise strike. (DC 14: DIS,
167+5=12) There is one small boon: Forbicino and Nick Jr. have been making just enough progress on whittling away at the thorn construct that one more snip at its foundations further weakens it. (-2 to Lucretia's melee attacks)Seeing opportunity, Lucretia reaches with all four limbs while the party is down. Mia fends off the attempt (5 vs Mia), but her out of control aura spoils her counterattack. (
163+5=8) Though they’re at an impasse, Mia can finally feel her blind rage ebb away as she wrestles the tendril off. Closing in on Mista, meanwhile, was a mistake. He reacts immediately with a Pistol Whip-Shot, lashing out at the appendage with the butt of his revolver and then shooting it straight through as it recoils. (DC 14: +1 STR, +2 whip-shot bonus, +4 standard bonus; 11+7=18) The arm reaching for Maya suffers the same fate (19+7=26), and the fury of Mista's retaliation distracts Lucretia from Honoka entirely. (9 vs Honoka)The construct pulls half apart under the radiant damage, looking more like a humanoid cage for Lucretia and the Bureau employees than a solid creature. Lucretia starts to look less angry and more...tired. (-3 to Lucretia's melee attacks; higher DC to hit the thorns; lower DC to appeal to Lucretia)
Between the healing and protection, Maya comes to. Goodberries take the edge off of the latest injuries; Mia and Mista remain fairly wounded, but Maya and Honoka only have minor damage left. Nick Jr. returns to working at the thorns as Mia regains control of her aura and lands a weak parting shot on the tendril with Honoka's encouragement. (DC 16: 14+2 Bardic Inspo=16)
Also cheered on by Honoka, Mista's Bullying Shot sails disorientingly past Lucretia's face. (DC 10: 8+2 Bardic Inspo=10; Lucretia takes DIS on attack rolls) Honoka and Maya speak to her again, but she's still spooked from the Bullying Shot and doesn't respond at first. (DC 13: 10 for Honoka) It takes Maya's offer to share the elderflower macarons she brought to catch her attention for a second. (DC 13: Macaron ADV,
915+3=18)But...the offer seems to remind her of something painful, too. Again, a wave of terrible emotion. Once more, Maya pushes through it (DC 15: 19+3=22) and Mia uses it to strengthen her Darkside. (16+1=17) Mista and Honoka are hit, and they struggle under manifestations of hang-ups Lucretia can't let go of. (10 for Mista, 3 for Honoka) Mista experiences an uncontrollable tremor, temporarily losing his +1 DEX bonus. Honoka is seized with the compulsion to constantly correct her outfit, as if she were getting ready for a live show. This renders her unable to perform her somatic spellcasting components, and thus temporarily unable to cast magic. Luckily Bardic Inspiration isn't magic.
2/2
135 vs Mia,76 vs Mista,33 vs Honoka,148 vs Maya) Honoka ends up in the grasp of Lucretia's necrotic spell this time, and feels soreness and fatigue seep into her body as life is sapped away. (DC 14 to save: 12)Mia and Mista fight on against the weakened construct. (DC 16: both rerolled with True Strike;
1114+7=21 for Mia,1119+3=22 for Mista) Mia feels the enfeebling effects of the spell fade as Honoka and Maya continue their efforts to converse with Lucretia. (DC 12: 19 for Maya) She still doesn't have much to say in response, but her conviction for this fight is fading with every word. (DC 11: 17 for Honoka)The waves of sadness pour off of her nonetheless. The Fey sisters don't let it get to them (DC 14: 19 for Mia, 22 for Maya), but once again Mista and Honoka are hit hard. (11 for Mista, 6 for Honoka; both take DIS on their next roll) Lucretia fires magic blasts at Maya and Honoka again, missing both. (
98 vs Maya,143 vs Honoka) She lashes out at Mista and Mia with the limbs of the construct again, but. Well.With another CRITICAL FAILURE (
201) against Mia, Mia easily seizes the arm with her Darkside aura and rips it off of the construct's torso like it was made of paper. Lucretia's attempt to attack Mista doesn't go over much better; with a mind-boggling 0 (102-2=0), Mista is able to fire a shot that blows off part of the tendril coming at him, giving it -1 to further melee attempts. Even Lucretia's necrotic spell loses some of its bite; Mia only feels minor fatigue as a result of getting hit by it. (DC 14 to save: 13)Forbicino and Nick Jr. tear more easily at the now-loosened thorns. True Strike blesses Mia with a NATURAL 20, and she rips off the construct's other arm with her next attack. Mista still feels off-kilter from those last despair waves, but his gift for marksmanship and his Deadeye Shot compensate for it. With a little cheering from Honoka, his bullets fly true. (DC 16: DIS counteracted by Deadeye; 15+2 Bardic Inspo=17)
Maya and Honoka continue their pleas (DC 10: 11 for Maya, DC 9:
189 for Honoka) despite the persistent waves of melancholy that permeate the room. Mista is the only one unaffected this time (DC 14: 17); the others struggle with the fear of vulnerability that Lucretia emits as Maya and Honoka talk to her. (8 for Mia, 6 for Maya, 5 for Honoka; all take DIS on next roll, Mia takes DIS for 2 rolls) Lucretia tries one last time to chase them off, lashing out towards Mista and Honoka with the construct's remaining limbs, but her heart isn’t in it, with two critical failures in a row. Mista fires off the Piercing Shot gambit again in response (DC 16: 1st hit autopass; 2nd hit ADV 12; 3rd hit ADV 22), while Maya and her wolf friend intercept the attempt on Honoka with a stunning blast from her spear and the strong jaws of the wolf.The construct seizes up and shrivels inwards like a dead spider, lying motionless. Forbicino and Nick Jr. are now able to clip the other prisoners free of the dead thorns. Lucretia, exhausted, is still.
Approaching Lucretia with caution, Honoka and Maya continue their appeal — wholeheartedly reminding Lucretia of all the good memories they've made, all the sadness they've overcome together, all the friends they have to support one another now. They speak to her of bonds, and love, and lifting each other up out of the dark.
And Lucretia finally lets those words of love in. (DC 8:
158 for Maya, DC 7:1613 for Honoka)"I'm sorry," she sobs, voice weak, before she falls limp within the tangle of thorns.
Bruised, battered, but triumphant, the team is able to free everyone. They heal as much as they can, and with the help of some magitech beasts, get the unconscious Director and her unintended prisoners out of the volcano. Congratulations, team!
More information will be coming in the CTA log!