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[RPG] Sword and Sorcery Play-by-Post

533 replies · 502,118 views · Started 24 September 2014

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Rule Clarification:

General: Leaving and Rejoining the Game
If you wish to leave the game, you needn't fret. You do not even need to announce your departure. Every time you miss an update, I will reduce the length of your next prompt (Prompt lengths are usually proportionate to the amount of text you supply). After a few missed updates, I'll assume you want out and I will stop supplying prompts for your character(s).

Rejoining the game is a little more complicated, though. When you first create a character I make an effort to insert that character into the universe, but when your character leaves it becomes your responsibility to explain why they came back. This can be as simple as reading the last few posts and saying that you passed out and woke up in the new setting, or as complex as a short story arc about time travel and magic McGuffins taking your character to Mars, whereupon he/she saved the world before popping back into the middle of a pirate ship during an epic sea battle.
Again, the size of the prompt I will supply is roughly proportionate to the amount of material you give me.

In other words, if I stop supplying prompts for your character I have assumed you no longer hold any interest in the game. If you do wish to resume play that is fine, but you will need to figure out how to bring your character back into the story.
[MENTION=38528]SUCCESSOR[/MENTION] [MENTION=39056]bigjoe[/MENTION] [MENTION=38796]Xyvol[/MENTION]

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[MENTION=56506]Tamamo[/MENTION]
Rossaria...
Your past and present swirl in a murky vortex as you try to make sense of what is happening. The werewolf that chased away the vampire... the spirits you saw as you fled.
Were they multiple spirits? They seemed to be everywhere you looked, but they were all identical in appearance. As you focus on this matter you discern that it was indeed a single entity: a spirit of the wolf that was chasing you and clinging to the corners of your perception.
Your head hurts. What had the dwarf said to you when he pulled you away. He saw you sprinting blindly through the dark, then grabbed you and brought you to this... hovel.
He said he was under attack. No, that the village was under attack. From what? You feel a flash of a memory. You were glancing up at the sky and you saw the silhouette of something big against the moon. REALLY big. You think it might have been a dragon.
Going back to the thoughts about the wolf spirit, you note that each time it spoke it was trying to climb into one of the trees in the dead forest. It was looking for life to give it form. That must be it! The thing couldn't touch you. ...Why couldn't it touch you?
You have a flash of insight... a memory of yourself, but not one that is familiar. It is a Rossaria bound with the beast, drinking some concoction from a clay mug. A potion. Someone brewed a potion to pull the beast away. It must be warding against the spirit's return to your body.
But when were you such a beast? How did you even get here? The memories continue to spin and perplex you.
Suddenly you are acutely aware of a sharp pain in your neck. You recall that a woman--another elf--introduced herself and sank her teeth into you. Is this confusion her doing? She seems familiar but she is also a stranger.
Your left eye fills with red, as if there is blood dripping down your brow. You are in the dwarven hovel... it is a run-down place. You have faint recollections of Audamar. If this dwarf is living outside of the mountain he can't be in good standing with the town. Is he some manner of hermit?
The elf woman--CAMILLA--is shouting at the dwarf.
"No, NO! What have you done?! You have interrupted the process. She will become DHAMPIR, trapped between life and death!"
The dwarf's voice echoes, as if in the distance.
"Be silent, monster! You will not survive the night!"
You hear the sound of trees snapping. No, not trees. Camilla has broken the dwarf's neck.
"ROSSARIA, we are not finished. Focus on me. Come to me."
You push her away and sprint out of the hovel. Exhilaration fills your lungs as you breath in the night air. It is as if you are feeling the world for the first time. You look into a puddle and see that your LEFT EYE has turned RED, while the right remains as it has always been--BROWN.
The wolf spirit stands before you, body poised to strike. It looks at your eye with grief, then turns its attention to the moon above. The silhouette of the dragon lingers in the sky. With a powerful leap the spirit joins with the dragon, which begins to descend upon you.
What do you do?

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[MENTION=60919]TheDarkOne[/MENTION]
Sancireph, the guard agrees to take you to someone in charge, but does so by leading you at the tip of his sword. You've never had to work so hard to help someone before. Don't these people care that they're about to be invaded?
You are eventually brought to a dwarf woman behind a stack of papers. She does not take the time to look at you; she takes a page from one stack, signs it, moves it to the other stack, and then repeats.
"Ma'am, this elf claims that some band of ogres is trying to drill their way into the city. Ridiculous, right? Should I throw him in the drunk tank?"
She glances slightly upward, adjusting her glasses in the process.
"Ogres? Didn't we have a problem with ogres a few weeks back?"
She rifles through some papers.
"Yeah, here, I have an arrest record that has ogres in the report. Some woman was leading a charge at the front gates with an army of ogres."
She stands, and holds out her right hand to shake yours.
"I'm EVAINE, prime minister of Audamar. I apologize for my underlings, there are always people coming and going for trade agreements and we can never be too careful."
You explain that the ogres have been kidnapping gnomes and that they have constructed a drill to burrow into the city.
"The ogres are still acting in an organized fashion? But we've arrested their leader? How are they still taking orders?"
She invites you to accompany her to the city's prison, with the intention of interrogating the captured prisoner.
You feel a faint rumble in the distance. It sounds like it came from the market.
What will you do?

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[MENTION=38704]mrz84[/MENTION]
Zataka, the guards are about to apprehend you and take you to jail for trespassing when the ceiling of the market begins to shake. You see the stone at the top of the cavern begin to give way and you are able to tackle GRINGHAM out of the way before the drill comes crashing down, shaking the ground violently as it lands. Its tip lands in the ground and continues to drill, spewing sand in all directions as it spins. Following the plummet of this machine you see ogres dropping down from the ceiling one by one. About three reach the ground before you can draw your sword, but you can see more in the opening above.
This will be a hard fight, but there are many allies you can employ: the gnomes in their mechs, the dwarven guards, and even the greenhorn knight.
A green ogre raises its big axe into the air. It looks like he's preparing to electrify the ground, much like before.
How will you do battle? What commands will you give your militia?

I instruct the local militia that the the defense of civilians takes top priority. Any remaining combatants are to assist in the containment of the ogres. I also shout for someone to do something about the drill if possible, though it isn't a high priority at the moment. I enchant my greatsword with wood, hoping it will help counter the electricity as this area is too densely populated to risk the earth enchantment. I leap at the green ogre in an attempt to cleave it in two.

The crash from the market area confirms my worst fear. The minister and guard also realize what is happening. Evaine instructs the guard to gather as many of his men as he can find and get to the market. She looks at me and I answer her unspoken question: "I am here to help. I will battle the ogres with you." As I rush towards the market I hear the familiar zing of a sword enchantment and realize Zataka is there already. My blades are drawn and I enter the site of the battle in time to see Zataka leap at the green ogre. The dwarven guards rush forward to battle the other ogres, and I turn my attention to the nearest one. I attempt to cripple him with a cross-slash at his legs.

[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]

My character decided to go over and approach red instead what now?

Tamamo wrote:[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]

My character decided to go over and approach red instead what now?

(Red bit Rossaria and started to turn her. As a result Rossaria was thrown into a fugue state of various memories, some fractured, some clear. Red was unable to finish the turning, though, as she was tackled by the dwarf whose hovel was being occupied [she subsequently killed said dwarf]. Rossaria thus broke away from Red and, muddled, wandered out into the night, whereupon she was confronted by the wolf spirit that had been separated from her. Being half undead and still under the effects of the concoction, the spirit tried to attack, eventually settling on claiming the body of a dragon which was flying overhead.

In other words, the transformation into a vampire is only half complete, you are in a daze, and a dragon is attacking you. I wrote the paragraph to emphasize the confusion of conflicting memories but I guess I could have been more clear)

[MENTION=38704]mrz84[/MENTION] [MENTION=60919]TheDarkOne[/MENTION]
Zataka and Sancireph...
The waves of ogres seem endless.
Sancireph, you focus on crippling the enemy so that the militia can finish them while they are downed.
Zataka, you obliterate foes with your enchanted blade. Each time they try to avoid a strike, the wood enchantment twists branches to impale them.
The battle seems to be going in your favor despite your inferior numbers, but the day drags on with wave after wave of ogre storming the city. Some of them manage to slip deeper into the city.
When night comes the waves stop. It seems there are no more ogres left to fight. You turn to your troops to assess the casualties.
Several of the guards have perished. GRINGHAM also did not survive the battle. He's got a gaping hole in his chest, cauterized as if caused by a massive burst of flame. He's tightly gripping a sealed box in his hands.

Sancireph, you remove it and open it. It contains a perfectly spherical VERIDIAN STONE and a note, which you read aloud to Zataka.
"EVAINE, I do not know why you feel the stones need to be reunited now. Our ancestors had them separated for a reason. Even from this stone alone I feel a terrible surge of power. What doom will come if they are reunited?
Still, you're the prime minister of Audamar and I'm just a carpenter. I suppose you know best.
I can't make the journey myself because of my bum leg, so I'm sending your cousin GRINGHAM to deliver the stone. Be nice to him. He's got delusions of grandeur; he doesn't see the value in a crafting trade. I'm hoping this trip will break him of his fixation.
Lots of love,
Uncle Grant"

Zataka, you look in the direction of the drill, which was left unattended during the battle. There is a gaping hole in the market floor, leading down to a series of prison cells. They appear to be empty, but one looks like it was recently occupied. The drill is sputtering sand in a big hole at the bottom: it looks like it broke from the second fall.

What do you do?

(You are now only an hour behind Tamamo)

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[MENTION=56506]Tamamo[/MENTION]
Rossaria, on close glance you see the dragon is of medium size and VERIDIAN in color. It is a sand dragon. This particular breed draws in boulders with a vortex inhalation, disintegrates them into sand, and then fires the sand out at high velocity. This is to your advantage as it will not be able to fire blasts while airborne. Still... it seems to be mutating as it descends. Is it... is it growing another head? It is, it's sprouting a wolf's head! The spirit! It snarls at you.
You begin to run, but your ankle snags on an exposed root. You fall face down in the dirt, but a familiar hand helps you up. It is Red.
Suddenly an insatiable thirst overwhelms you and you sink your teeth into her wrist. She flinches but she does not push you away.
You hear the chimera dragon behind you speak. The voice is that of the hunter spirit.
"We were a beautiful unity of form. We were the hunt! And you've abandoned me for this... this abomination!"
Red's eyes flash, and from her free hand a wave of green fire erupts, engulfing the dragon.
Her magic?! That had died out years ago. How is it she was able to conjure flames? She speaks.
"Yours was a parasitic union, spirit. Ours is one of symbiosis."
You feel the power of blood surge through you. You are now one of the undead. Releasing Red's wrist you turn and face the beast.
It is still blinded by the flames. You are filled with power you do not fully understand; you have not had the opportunity to explore the extent of your immortality. Fighting this dragon in your current state could be very dangerous.
Still, the decision is up to you. Do you and Red fight the monster? Or do you flee?

I mourn over the death of Gringham. I lament his loss and try to recall if he ever mentioned his uncle or this Evaine. I ask to carry the stone in its box as I will carry it to its destination in his stead once this mess with the ogres is finally resolved. I ask for the highest chain of command present and ask if there are any prisoners the ogres would have wanted to rescue and if so, where we could possibly find them for the purpose of pursuit. Once that is resolved, I thank any of the gnomish mech pilots who remain alive for their services in this time of need and that I will accept any and all consequences for what has happened in their stead. I leave Gringham's body to the dwarvish guards, asking that he be respectfully tended to and that if they can locate his uncle Grant that he be informed of what happened and that I intend to finish what he started. Once this is done, I prepare to depart to pursue the remaining ogres after a short rest.

Listen Rose that dragon can't control his actions but is aware of its surroundings. Its a slave now. We need kill this thing. I nod in agreement.

All of sudden sylvan runes start circling Red. The wolf chimeras eyes widen and it screms. NO STOP YOU STUPID ABOMINATION.

[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]She is doing what she did to Ebb.

I consider Zataka's request to deliver the stone to Evaine, but I am concerned. I show him the letter and what it says about the possible danger of "reuniting the stones". I suspect this stone is one of a pair, and that Evaine possesses the other. Should we give her this stone? If Gringham had survived, he would have delivered it to her. However, if there is a danger, we might be averting a major catastrophe if we do not give her the stone. I ask which course of action he thinks is best.

The dragon chimera is torn apart in a burst of magical energy. Red fals on he hands and needs and i give her hug.

Let head to the village. With the confusion of tonights events we should be able to sneak in.

We come across two orges they roar a us and Red begins speaking a lnguage i dont know i assume its giant.

Looks like thos wasnt an norma raid. it was a rescue mission for the chiefs son.

She converses with them somemore.

We have come to an arrangement. They lost comrads and expect an upcoming attack. They want us to go to the village and gather battle intel from the dwarves. In exchange they will help us take down Surge. Which is impossible without some help.

Alright we will d it.

She nods to the orges and they walk away.

We make or way to the dwarven village and two dwarves approach.

Qick focus on your eyes nd change thwm back to normal.

I follow suit.

After hearing of Sancireph's concerns over the stone, I ponder for a moment and decide that it would be best to keep the stone to ourselves for the moment. I ask him to hold onto it (and the note) for the moment and keep it hidden as I believe he could do this better than I could. I now how concerns about the stone, but with it in my comrade's safe hands I follow my previous intentions (minus delivering the stone and avoiding mention of it) as previously stated otherwise.

Name Granberia
Alignment LN
Race Dragonkin
Class Magic Swordsman
Weapon Mithril Greatsword
Armor Mithril Breastplate
Shield Nope
Appearance

I sit in the tavern playing drinking games with the dwarves so far i have managed to out drink some gnomes and a dwarf in the tavern.

A second dwarf passes out. By the heavens above isnt there some dwarf in existance that can hold thier alcohol better then a dragonkin. All of sudden a flash feels the room and a regal dwarf appears.

I guess its my turn then he says as he grabs to clean mugs ands fills them with a clear liquid and sits in front of me with his white beard and blue eyes.

He downs his glass in three gulps and licks his lips. That is some good ale try it. He says.

I take a sip and my head begins to spin and i fall out of my chair. Throw her in the brig, and ake sure you set up some magic wards. Place is empty now anyways.

Summon me when she awakens. She is under arrest for suspician of being involved with the orges.

I black out.

I forgot to mention [MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION] who that dwarf was. He is th prison warden an hates dragon of all shape and sizes. Im going to lock him and hand control over to you.

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Rule Clarification:

General: Multi-Boxing
This came up early in the game but it has only recently become a matter that needs clarification. Up until this point I have had a limitation of one character per user.

That limitation is no longer valid. Users are allowed to create up to three characters to run in the game.
I give you the following warning, though. You are only allowed three posts per update (Any further posts will not be considered when I am writing the update, I will simply ignore them). As such, running more than one character inhibits the available actions you will be able to make with each. Additionally, the plots involving a multi-boxing player will have less depth, as I will have more character details to track when writing updates and I will be easily muddled if things get to complex.
Finally, any character you introduce beyond the first will be added to the game by your own effort; it is your job to work out the character's background and how they came to the situation they're in, just as it is your job (for all characters) to choose the character's motivations.

If this three character limit is too constraining, you may RETIRE a character from the story to open up a slot. Retired characters cannot return to the game until an arc concludes, though, so take such action with caution.

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[MENTION=38704]mrz84[/MENTION] [MENTION=60919]TheDarkOne[/MENTION]
(Psst, Grant is Evaine's uncle. From his description in the note, it is far more likely that he is Gringham's father.)

Zataka and Sancireph...

Zataka, you see a dwarven woman walking the scene of the fight. She seems fixated on the great hole in the middle of the market. Since she looks official, you approach her and ask if there were any prisoners the ogres were trying to rescue, as the gnomish engineer who had been kidnapped had implied such when you were in the mountains.
"That's funny, that elf over there was asking me the same thing earlier." She points to Sancireph. You invite him over.

Zataka and Sancireph, the woman (whom Sancireph recognizes as Evaine) unfurls a scroll of parchment.
"I was looking through my records and we did have an arrest about a month ago. There was a woman trying to lead an assault on the city with ogres. We captured her but were unable to dispatch with her forces. They must have been trying to retrieve her this whole time. It says her name is 'Cecette' "
(Cecette is locked!)
She looks at the fallen soldiers, forlorn.
"If I had known she would have caused such damage, I would have had her executed. The Warden insisted that if we locked her up the rest would disband."
She notices Gringham's body among the deceased.
"Is that... no, it can't be."
She runs over to him.
"Gringham?! No... no, what was he even doing here?"
She looks at the gaping hole in his chest, running her fingers along it.
"The burn is so severe... if only there were a wizard nearby."
You ask what she means.
"I read a book once. 'The Thirteen Resurrections'. I'd gladly hire a wizard to bring him around. I can't... I just can't. How am I going to tell his father?"

Sancireph, as she draws near to you an intense heat begins to emanate from your cloak. Specifically it is coming from the box you have hidden. You recoil and it begins to cool.
You suggest that Evaine take you to see this prisoner.

Zataka and Sancireph, you and Evaine (along with a half-dozen dwarven guards... two carrying Gringham's body) descend into the prisons. Zataka asks why Evaine is bringing the body with her.
"Our traditional burial involves cremation. The ashes are then mixed with mortar for the construction of new buildings. I think my cousin can still be raised, so I don't want to let him out of my sight."
She brings you to the cell where Cecette should be imprisoned, but it is empty.
"I don't understand. Where is the prisoner?"
She looks around, panicked. Turning to a guard, she demands that the warden be brought before her. A voice comes from around the corner.
"No need for that. He's right here."
An unfamiliar woman... full elven in appearance, rounds the corner [CECETTE]. The warden is crawling next to her, his forehead held back by one of her hands.
"Tell me... what is that you have in your pocket?"
What do you do?

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[MENTION=56506]Tamamo[/MENTION]
(I need to know what percentage of dragon Granberia represents. As a benchmark, BigJoe's character Jerias [The corrupted Dragoon] was 75% dragon and would be comparable to a D&D Lizardfolk)

Granberia, the old dwarven warden TALRIK throws you in jail, attesting that you were involved in a recent ogre attack against the gates. You assert your innocence and explain how ridiculous his claim was.
"What is it with dragons and mountains, anyway? You like to find a hot rock to sit on, lizard?"
...That... didn't have anything to do with what you were talking about.
He slides a cold bowl of stew into your cell. Well, kicks it is more appropriate. Sneering at you, he scoffs and turns away, leaving you alone.
You hear a voice from the next cell over.
"He's a charmer isn't he? He reminds me of someone I met a long time ago."
She reaches her arm out of her cell and waves to you.
"Well then, is that the sweet warmth of dragon flame I sense emanating from you?"
You ask how she could feel that.
"It's a hard sensation to forget. Hello there. I go by CECETTE. What's your name?"
What do you do?
(Granberia is about a month BEHIND the other characters)

Rossaria...
Red begins her ancient Sylvan ritual to separate the HUNTER SPIRIT from the CHIMERA. It is old magic, learned long before she became a vampire... back when she lived alone in the woods with her family and frequently had to do combat with werebeasts. The technique is from the PHANTOM school of magic. She hasn't been able to cast it correctly since her induction to undeath, as vampirism is a consequence of extreme exposure to GOURMAND enchantment. Still... isn't it odd that a spell to treat lycanthropy would be a PHANTOM spell, rather than one of the LYCAON family? These thoughts perplex you as she casts.
The dragon head of the beast watches the symbols form on the ground and studies them intently, all the while the wolf head screams in agony. Before the beast is ripped in half the dragon head begins to mimic the spell. Indeed you can see a similar set of runes--green--form beneath the chimera right before it is torn asunder. You are forced to avert your eyes from the flash of light that follows as you are freshly undead, but when you look again there is no sign of the chimera's corpse. ...And there's a blood trail leading off into the dead forest from whence you came.
Which portion of the monster escaped?
[Act Medias Res]
Conversing with Red about Magic
(Not Filled)
[indent]~~~~~
~~~~~[/indent]
[/Act Medias Res]
You decide that in the panic of the dragon's attack you might be able to gain access to the city of Audamar proper. Red has expressed disdain at the prospect, though. Many times she tried to sneak into that fortress under the mountain and each time she was ejected. You ask why she wants to go there anyway.
"There's a memento within. Something my father made a long time ago. The VERIDIAN STONE OF AUDAMAR. I want it."
As you approach the city you encounter two ogres fleeing. Red approaches them and converses in a language which is unfamiliar to you. You assume it is giant, but could it be sylvan? Each word carries with it the weight of the forest, as if she is speaking the tongue of nature itself.
"Your chief's... what? I don't understand, stop slurring!"
One of the ogres shakes its head, sighs dramatically, and helps its friend limp away.
"I think they're planning a counterattack. Such a thing might be the distraction we need to get my stone. Perhaps we could sneak it now... that we might take advantage of the chaos."
She tells you to focus on your eyes, that you might pass for the living. As you approach the entrance to the mountain city you are stopped by two guards.
"I'm sorry ladies, the city is closed for repairs. We've had quite the disturbance this night."
What do you do?

I quickly gauge the situation and determine that any hostile actions could cost the warden his life. I attempt to discern what her intentions are, as well as the purpose of the runes from her study. I watch for an opening and if I can, will rush forward with an wood enchantment on my armored gauntlets and attempt to detain her. If no such opportunity arises, I will make safety of the warden and Evaine my top priority above my own if need be.

[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]

Granberia is a defect of the dragon race who is more humanoid then even halfdragons. She has human skin with scaly patches along her back an outer limbs an full on her and tail. She has finned liked projections from her face an gold almond shaped eyes an pointed teeth. Her hair is long and red an she keeps it tied up in a ponytail in the back. Abandoned as a child she was raised by a salamander who taught her cursed sword skills and elemental techniques.
Google me for more info. She is from MGQ.

I reach out and feel a warm sensation as I Shake her hand.

"Nice to meet yeah CECETTE" I say with a wink. "I am Granberia also known as the swordswoman of fire."

"Now there's an interesting handle. What is its' origin?" She askes me.

I convey my background see above post. In Draconic

"She smiles. That is unfortunate. Im sorry you had to go that."

"Care to tell me about yourself CECETTE?"

GM TEXT

"Looks like we both live interesting lives CECETTE."

I start whispering. "We need to bus out of here. That racist dwarf is gonna starve me to death. Whats the play?"

GM TEXT

"Very well. We wait till then and escape together."

[MENTION=38704]mrz84[/MENTION]
You feel a hand your shouder.

There is no need for bloodshed. You will only get yourselves killed. I walk up to the dwarf and glare at him.

You ask me what my deal was month ago remember.

The answer is simple I live by my sword and my wits. Too hell with your hot rocks.

Tell us Paladin would be interested in a sparring match. If you win we will leave this place. If you win you must choose.

I draw my sword and fac you and wield it both hands.

Hold nothing back fellow swordsman.

RETIRE ROSARIA

I say nothing about the stone, stating that what I carry with me is no concern of hers. I am certain the stone does not belong to her and she has no right to it. Furthermore, I doubt her intentions are good. I caution Zataka that I suspect she will not fight fairly, and if he accept her challenge, he should be watchful for any treachery. I also keep an eye on here, ready to intervene if I see any subversion.

Hesitant at first, I draw my greatsword and take a balanced stance. I enchant my weapon with a wood enhancement spell and tell the others to stay back.

PASSIVE: Serene Mind makes it easier to dodge.
ReACTION: I teleport behind ZATAKA and trip him sheathing my sword.

I fold my arms, frown and close my eyes for a moment.

You're too green warrior. Train hard Paladin there will come a time when we must fight again. Dont disappoint me.

I walk over to CECETTE i turn my head sideways and smirk. As promised you can keep the racist dwarf. But I am takin the this. She opens her hand to show a veridian stone.

I slam the stone in CECETTES Busom and she lets out a draconic roar.

Time to fly CECETTE.

Cecette changes shape and scales cover her body and she grows wings and before you know it the truth is revealed.

She is a dragon.

I hop her neck. Time to go love.

She take off leaving wreckage in her wake.

[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]
I went a little overboard forgive me.

I watch calmly as the two fly away. I help Zataka to his feet and tell him not to worry. "She fell for the trap I had set." I open the secret compartment of my pouch, with my back to Evaine and the others, to show that I still have the viridian stone. Then I quickly close it. "I simply put a fake in the pouch to deter any thieves. She won't discover the deception for at least a day, and by the time she returns we will be gone from this place." I turn around and face Evaine. "What do you propose to do now?"

(Okay, hold up for a second)
[MENTION=56506]Tamamo[/MENTION] has broken the rules by controlling a locked character (Zataka is locked and under mrz84's control. By tripping him instead of attempting to trip him [preventing him the opportunity to react] the rules have been violated).

As [MENTION=38704]mrz84[/MENTION] is the wronged party, he may decide how much of Tamamo's post actually happens from the initiation of the trip. This is the only fair way to handle this situation.

[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]
On that subject, Tamamo has also implied that she was able to steal the viridian stone from my Sancireph character (without ever coming near him). My last post reflects this, and my response to it. Unless mrz84 changes the outcome of what happened from Tamamo's last post, that still stands.

[MENTION=60919]TheDarkOne[/MENTION]
You are correct. If mrz84 does not change the outcome of the action (or does not change the theft of the stone) then you too are entitled to adjusting the consequences (as you have already). I believe Tamamo was confused about who was actually holding the stone which may have led to this situation.

As a heads up to everyone, here's what's actually going on:

There are two Veridian Stones of Audamar, one which is bright green and one which is dark green. These two stones are actually two pieces of the same object: a dragon's pearl. More specifically, they are the light and dark halves of Cecette's dragon pearl, ripped from her generations ago by a team of wizards attempting to deal with the dragon problem. This draconic deconstruction was conducted before the tradition of the twelve schools of magic was formed, which is why Cecette was able to learn magic of many different specializations in her humanoid body and use them in tandem (controlling the warden as she did, as well as warding her study with runes and creating the ogres). Over the years and centuries the peoples involved in the formation of the Stones of Audamar faded into legend and the current denizens are unaware of their purpose.
If the two stones were to make contact, Cecette's original pearl would reform and she would have access to her full power. Gaining possession of one, though, is enough to restore her dragon body. She WILL recover this capacity before the arc ends, though it is up to you the players whether she receives the stone in your care, Evaine's stone, or both. I know which stone is which and I just want to say two of the outcomes are worse than the third.

[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]
Actually CJC n my defense I flanked him I made the ASSUMPTION i had the element of surprise on my side guess not.

Okay, there's no reason for anybody to be angry or surprised by this. It was inevitable that there would be a rules clash eventually and this gives us the opportunity to iron out these issues. I tried to avoid this situation earlier in the story when BigJoe was pursuing player-versus-player combat and the result was less than stellar.

I can see arguments for both possible outcomes of the trip and snatch:

In Granberia's favor, Zataka and Sancireph had been fighting ogres all day after a night of interrupted rest. They're exhausted and they were expecting an interrogation through bars, not an ambush. Additionally, as a dragonling Granberia would be able to sense the warmth of the stones.

In Zataka and Sancireph's favors, Zataka is a trained interdimensional paladin who has bested a dark lord in combat (and thus is likely used to fighting for hours without rest) and Sancireph is a perceptive fighter with many hidden pockets in his cloak.

We don't have impartial games of chance to determine who gets the upper hand, though, so we have one of two options: Players either assume their actions are successful and then their targets decide if some portion of that action requires retconning (I'm in favor of this option), or players take small single-move actions to await the reaction of their target. I believe the former is better, because it gives you the players banter such as "You TRY to trip me, but my tree enchantment roots my legs as you sweep kick at me. I then stab my sword through your shoulder." "You TRY to stab me through the shoulder, but I lean to my left and pull right in your face, grinning before I shove you to the ground." and so forth.

However it plays out, I'll have a way to keep the story from dissolving. I am very flexible.

[MENTION=39330]CJC[/MENTION]
Im with CJC we need rule clarification for PVP. And flanking. I'm curious how that works.

I agree with your prefered method. And vote for it

[MENTION=38704]mrz84[/MENTION]
Th reason i pulled that cheesy ass tactic on you is simple. You made Granberiathink she was being mocke when you casted your wood charm. I am a fire dragon. Ha you simply rushed.me it woul of been a fair fight until Sacrieph intervened and joined you do to my serene mind which he is all to aware of a he does all my cursed sword skills. Ha to do with th asimaar thing.

*Dang lots happened while I was at work*

I'm not a fan of PvP, though I will not condemn such an option so long as we have proper rules in place. On that note, I vote for the former of your two options.

Also, I'd like to point out that the "Dark Lord" that Zataka fought required the intervention of the gods of his world. Had they not stepped in he would of lost, despite his valiant efforts. SO while he is a formidable opponent, he has been brought to his knees before now. (if you'd like CJC, we can discuss more of this via PM for future reference or whatever you may need to know)

As for the wood enchantment, it has proven to be flexible in combat, such as against the ogres where it twisted itself to damage them despite their efforts to dodge it. That is why I went with it instead of something more resistant to fire such as water (an element I have not tested yet in combat) or earth (which we all know creates a shockwave around me and could harm my allies) so I went with something I knew was useable instead of what would be risky at best (water as I'm unsure if its exact effects at this time) or completely unusable at worst (earth as it would harm my allies and possibly innocent civilians).

As for the actual combat, I will allow the tripping as Zataka is at this point without any rest for almost 2 days since the mansion adventure (his "dark lord" fight spanned a few hours at best for comparison), however he didn't have either veridian stone on him, nor were there actions describing the theft of either stone from either of their currently respective holders. I would accept such an outcome had the actions been mentioned with viable reasons (ie: Serene Mind could also allow the user to appear to move faster/leave after images to confuse the senses of those around them, making an attempt at either or both stones possible due to misdirection)