Play-Test Episode: "Ariel's Fate"

[Ruby]

Fenella

"Take care, Mariya," I whisper as the tiny muse disappears from sight.

I remember that I can do a little magic, too, if she needs my help..

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Mariya's POV

After climbing up about 10-15 feet, Mariya finds an opening that is very big to her. A human would need to crawl. The monk likely squeezed through this space with difficulty, but everyone else in her group is thinner than him.

Once she is able to walk rather than climb, she finds there is plenty of room in the cavern--even for a group of humans--and as far as Mariya can see, there are no signs of life. As she walks down further, she hears neighing and whispers. She finds a small ledge she can crouch under, allowing her to see without being seen.

The creatures are men from the waist up, donkeys from the waist down. Their voices are donkey-like, but they speak the common tongue.

"Bah," says one. "This is a waste of time. He ran off to his death."

"Or he'll come to us," says the other. "Then we take him alive... then kill him."

"That's so stupid. Why do they have to be alive when we cook them? They aren't lobsters."

"Don't ask me. Rituals are always too complicated."

A voice from above says, "Both of you, shut up!" As Mariya looks up to where the voice came from, she sees a rock formation like a flight of stairs lit by rays of sunlight.

 

[Noma Galway]

Mariya clambers back down as quietly as she can.

((feeling like I failed...what was the deal with Mariya and stealth?))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The donkey men look in Mariya's direction as she descends.

"What was that?" one asks?

He glares right at the tiny pixie, his eyes meeting hers as her head ducks behind a small stalagmite.

Mariya hears a second voice reply, "A rock fell. Don't be so jumpy."

"I thought I heard a squeaky voice."

"A mouse, then."

The donkey men walk around a bit to investigate, but they don't venture too close to the hole.

 

[Noma Galway]

Mariya shudders. They almost caught her. She should be safe now, though. They've dismissed her. She slips through the hole and back down to the others. "Donkey men. They're donkey men." She relates what she saw and heard, breathing heavier than usual. She closes, "They almost caught me, so I bet they're suspicious now. It's going to be a lot harder to sneak up there if they're already on the watch."

She hops to Fenella's shoulder and rests there to listen to the others.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Lily asks, "How many are there? If there aren't too many, we just need to think of a way to attack… and who goes up first." She sees the way Mariya perches on Fenella's shoulder, then says to Mariya, "I guess it's a question of which human goes first, and you can hitch a ride."

 

[Noma Galway]

"There are two up there, but it sounds like there are more up above them." At the notion of hitching a ride with a human, Mariya shakes her head. "I can get back up there on my own and hide. There will be less chance for them to notice me, and if they start to attack whoever comes through, I can zap them."

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I ask, "Mariya, dear, can't you magic yourself one of those enormous protective bubbles? They were so useful during our other battles."

 

[Devor]

While Mariya talks, Furtano looks up into the tunnel behind her.

Mad donkey men. He had suspected as much. You don't travel the seas without hearing about the mad donkey men.

Now he wished he hadn't tuned out the tales. Who cares about the antics of a crazed donkeys when you're a pirate slave?

"I'll go first," he volunteers. It only makes sense. Furtano's skills make him the most versatile of the group. And there's Leppy. Perhaps he could even talk his way past the jackasses. "Maybe they'll trust me if I make a good mocking of war horses and ponies."

But he says all this while staring up the tunnel. There's another entrance to the donkey's cave. "They scaled the cliff outside and came in from the top of the hill," he mutters, almost to himself. "I would rather avoid entering single file into the donkeys' den. Are we agreed this tunnel is too small for the donkeys to fit through? If we can find another entrance, we can strike from two sides. Perhaps an archer or the muse can pick off a few from the tunnel and slip down to safety if needs be while the rest enter from the front?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Splittin's fine," says Lily. "It's just a matter of who goes, and what's the signal to synchronize our attacks. I expect donkey men on watch, but if we attack from both sides, that puts the main force in a tough position—split, or stay on the defensive."

 

[Noma Galway]

"Like I said, I can go up alone without them noticing me. But once lightning starts to strike, however many donkeymen are up there are going to come down into the main cave." Mariya frowns. "And if anyone is going up the way I did, they would have to be the sneaky ones. Those donkeys have good hearing."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Round 2... Fight!

The party splits into two, with Mariya sneaking back up the tunnel and Lily helping Furtano find the quickest way up the outside.

Lorenzo says a prayer for Mariya, but decides that he's better at climbing down holes than up them, so he follows Lily. He says to Ariel, "So, you were saying you follow The Voice as well. How long have you had the fortune to know Her daughter?"

(Ariel can respond while traveling.)

As Lily gets close to the hill, she gives a signal which Ariel knows to mean "silence."

(Furtano and Ariel can roll for Stealth.)

Dila follows Mariya up to the cave. She can see the enemy. They appear to have helmets that look like human buttocks. They are engaged in a whispered conversation, and seem to be complaining about something. They don't notice Mariya and Dila, but Fenella has yet to make the climb.

(Fenella can roll for Stealth [4u1+0].)

Spoiler: enemy heart

Pink = 100% health
Red = 50-99% health
Purple = 1-49% health
Black = 0% health

 

[Aspasia]

Dila

More strange creatures! Sneaking into the cave with Mariya, Fenella just behind, I'm glad I managed the climb without attracting their attention. Now I'm on my feet again, and though cave fighting is less than ideal, if I manage to stay away from the melee action I should be good.

I watch the donkey-men, as I wait for Fenella to emerge into the cave.I'd better not aim for the head in case those helmets turn out to be as functional as they are ... unique. I wonder why they would attack the preacher. Didn't look like he had much these creatures would want. Except ... I shudder as I recall their headgear. Man, seems like every creature wants a piece of us!

They seem to be arguing about something. Now seems to be a good time to spy out the cave. I wonder if I can pick up on what they're arguing about -- maybe it'll be useful?



((Ass-hats XD))

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I hesitate outside the cave. Will I be able to move stealthily enough if I enter?

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Fenella is cautious as she pauses. She keeps her glowing sword where the enemy cannot see it. Though hardly the sneaky type, it seems the donkey men in the cave are too engrossed in their harsh whispers. Fenella sees she at least has time to complete the climb. If they notice her when she's up, she should have time to attack.

(Those in the cave are free to attack. Those by the hill need o beat a 1. If a 1 is rolled, your actions determine who the tie goes to. Fenella was cautious, so the tie went to her.)

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Dila is able to focus on the ass-hats' words...

Spoiler: what she learns

They're intimidated by the orcs, which is why they refuse to go down the hole an investigate every stupid little noise which is probably a rat or bat or rock, or a bone an orc tossed up "just to mess with our heads." She also understands that the donkey men wish to form an alliance with the orcs, since the orcs want to make pants of human heads and the donkey men want to make hats from human butts.

"Ten of them, ten of us... so we kill ten people and that's new outfits for us all."

 

[Devor]

Furtano walks quietly with Lily and Ariel around the hill, listening instead of speaking. Who are these women? With the princess, the muse and the mercenary elsewhere, it would be a good time to decide if he could trust perhaps just these two women with a conversation about Leppy.

Furtano wants to believe it, but he needs to be certain. And certainly not while there are donkey men afoot.

Lily raises her hand, and Furtano immediately bows low in a bush beside the hill.

The time was now. He wasn't sure if he could trust them, but there would be no better way to earn their trust than by running a sword through their enemies. He gripped the hilt of his blade, willing to take that essential first step.

 

[Ireth]

Ariel

Lorenzo asks how long I've known Mariya. I smile and say, "I only just met her today, like you, Furtano, Dila and Her Highness. Lily I've known for about a month. She's my trainer."

Lily motions for silence, and I nod. Time to be a stealthy, sneaky lioness again.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

(No need to update the map, since players get the first move on both maps. Go ahead and take your first turn...

You can roll once or twice: one action for a special movement or RP, and an attack. The turn ends when you attack.

No one needs to roll stealth since the enemy already failed to notice you.)

 

[Ireth]

Ariel

I peer out at the two donkey-legged men on the hill. They seem to be arguing about something, paying no attention to us. Perfect opportunity for us to make the first move. I nock an arrow and aim for the one with the hammer.