A new team was formed, with DavidJ returning to the active roster. Joined by new Man-at-Arms Hodene, Sarah and DaveL, they decided to check out the Cove and test the strength of the new menace that had arisen. After provisioning, they set off into the caves.
Their first encounter with the fishfolk comes swiftly, with two Pelagic Groupers and a Pelagic Shaman appearing out of the shadows and catching our band of heroes by surprise. DaveL, especially, ends up out of position and the Shaman starts by casting spells upon its allies to help them in the forthcoming battle. Sarah's actions are able to send one of the Groupers backwards through the line, opening the way for everybody to focus on the Shaman, which falls quickly. The battle is, fortunately, short after this, as the Groupers turn out to be able to pack quite the punch, and our heroes move on. Scouting reveals many more battles ahead so our adventurers steel themselves and move further in. The next foes are two Sea Maggots and two Deep Stingers. The battle does not last long, and the heroes take away with them greater knowledge of their foes and various treasures. These are followed by a stronger group - a Pelagic Guardian, two Pelagic Groupers and a Pelagic Shaman. A dangerous battle ensues, with the Shaman showing immediately its willingness to use it's foul magic upon Sarah to cause stress. Sadly the Shaman is too far back for any but DaveL to reach it, and the Guardian takes up a position to cover for one of the Groupers. It becomes the primary target and most of the party focus on it. Hodene moves into a defensive stance, ready to strike back at any that dare target them. Thankfully, DaveL is able to deal with the Shaman before too much stress is caused, and the battle doesn't last long after the Guardian also falls. The rewards of battle are good with many heirlooms found within an old sea chest. Moving on, our team manages to surprise a group of Brigands that have made their home in these ancient tunnels - two Cutthroats and two Fusiliers. The battle is swift but bloody, with DaveL needing to pitch in with the healing to help DavidJ keep up, and the Vestal's stress levels are getting high. Further battle is found in an old cave, with the Cultists and Fishfolk teaming up to thwart our attempts to cleanse this place. A Brawler, Grouper, Acolyte and Shaman face us, and with two casters able to inflict stress at the back, this could go very wrong very swiftly. This prophecy swiftly comes true, as they both target their spells on the already stressed DavidJ, threatening to break their mind. Sarah attempts to knock the Grouper back, to bring the Acolyte into easy melee range, but unfortunately misses. DaveL tried to compensate, sending arrows at both of the rearwards foes, but with no luck. DavidJ continues to provide healing whilst holding on to what is left of their mind, under the continuing onslaught of the foul magics. The Brawler falls at Hodene's hands, but the other enemies continue to hide behind it's corpse and there are only so many bolts that DaveL can get into the air at once. Hodene keeps up the onslaught on the front line, baiting their enemies to attack and then taking advantage. The Acolyte falls to their shield and mace, but the Shaman remains very much out of attack distance for most. Thankfully, with Sarah's pointing out an opportunity for a shot, DaveL is able to defeat it before DavidJ's mind truly snapped. However, any further battles will be nerve-wracking. A quick scouting sortie shows two more battles ahead before the quest can be considered complete. The first of these battles sees a Pelagic Guardian, Cultist Brawler, Cultist Acolyte and Pelagic Shaman lined up against our explorers. The same danger as the previous battle is apparent, and DavidJ's mind looks very vulnerable. The Shaman works on casting spells upon its allies, but the Acolyte seems as if it can sense a weakness, and sends its occult power against DavidJ - under the continuing onslaught, the Vestal's mind snaps and their resolve is tested. DavidJ becomes abusive - not a great trait in a healer. However, it is DavidJ's words, more than their actions, that threaten to bring us down - with every action, or every failure, they have something to say, which starts to stress out everybody else. When the Guardian moves to cover for the Shaman, we know we have a difficult fight ahead of us. Sarah continues to show their might, as does Hodene, as the Shaman focuses on the Man-at-Arms - along with DavidJ's words, their stress begins to climb. However, the Brawler is swiftly defeated, leaving the Guardian next in line. The Acolyte summons up a tentacle of chaos, which pushes Hodene back out of position and continues to increase their stress. DaveL is further forward than they really like at this point and everybody's stress starts to mount. DaveL falls back, and Hodene starts to work on the Guardian - it will be slow going. DavidJ sends the power of the gods into the Acolyte, almost felling it when another surprise spoils their day. It turns out that the Shaman can heal, and brings the Acolyte back to full health. With it still protected by the Guardian, the fight starts to look like it will be drawn out. The battle continues, attack following attack, following attack. Hodene becomes the victim of the Acolyte's attentions, but DaveL spots an opportunity. The Shaman is, temporarily, unguarded and they take a shot, which lands. The Shaman falls, and the combat turns. As waves of stress fill the chamber and everybody can start to hear DavidJ's heart beat faster and faster, the team are able to defeat the Guardian, leaving only the Acolyte, but not before a devastating blow against Sarah. However, the battle is soon over and the party take stock, seriously considering heading back to the Hamlet, given DavidJ's condition. However, with only one more battle before them, they decide to push on. They move into the final battle, seeing two Pelagic Groupers, one Deep Stinger and one Shaman before them. They nod to themselves - this should be much easier than before - and they approach. However, they may have been overconfident. The Shaman begins by inflicting stress upon DaveL, and Sarah takes a heavy blow leaving them close to death. Hodene tries to get the attention of their enemies, looking to keep everybody else alive, whilst DaveL and DavidJ work on bringing Sarah back to health. As the stress levels continue to rise, everybody starts to lose hope. Sarah is the first to stand at death's door, only one more wound away from the danger of death and DavidJ desperately tries to keep them alive. Sarah retaliates and defeats the first of the Groupers. DavidJ's words continue to cause unnecessary stress to the remainder of the team, and when they are also at death's door there is a real sense that it is a good job they can heal themselves - there is a real danger that nobody else would take the time. However, DaveL, able to see the big picture, patches them up. Sarah's next attack against the Deep Stinger sends it stumbling through the lines, leaving the other Grouper more vulnerable. Sadly, DavidJ is still bleeding, and creeping closer and closer to death again. More words from the stricken Vestal finally cause Sarah's mind to snap and their resolve is tested. The Bounty Hunter looks over the brink into madness and comes back stronger, with a new resolution to see this through. Sarah becomes Powerful and inspires everybody else to greater efforts. This marks a turning point in the battle, with everybody refocused on victory. The other Grouper soon falls and DaveL is able to kill the Shaman. Sadly, the final Deep Shocker is hidden behind corpses, and is difficult to target. As it comes into range, it attacks DaveL and hits heavily. Along with DavidJ's ill chosen words, DaveL's mind snaps as well and their resolve is tested. They become Fearful, but the battle is almost over. Sarah, with a roar of power, attacks and finishes it. With the quest complete, they head home to the Hamlet, desperately happy to have survived more or less intact. The rewards are plentiful, with heaps upon heaps of heirlooms found, along with money. Hodene has come out of it with a new appreciation for the Weald and DaveL has become more Robust, able to more easily resist diseases. Upon return to the Hamlet, DavidJ is sent straight back to the Cloister, to think about what they have been doing and saying. DaveL and Hodene head to the bar, to pass the time in companionable drinking. Most valuable person for this one is definitely Sarah, whose actually passing their test of resolve and gaining a virtue probably saved the day and the party.
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DavidJ, almost at their wits end after the last expedition was sent to the cloister to spend the day in meditation. Meanwhile Jonathan, in a similar state, was sent to the bar to drink for the day. They should both be far less stressed by the next day.
Putting together a new team of Edain, Sarah, DavidH and DaveL, our heroes looked at the Courtyard, but decided that they weren't ready for that yet. Lacking a dedicated healer (DaveL being the nearest thing they'd have for this adventure) they opted for a trip into the Weald, where they would beat back the creatures and bandits that endangered traffic on the Old Road. Before setting out, they all took a swift trip to the Guild to see if there were any skills it might be worth them learning (which is what allowed DaveL to act as healer for the day). Early scouting gave them an idea of what to expect, and they set off through the woods, quickly finding an heirloom lost in a crate and then surprising some meandering undead. Two Bone Rabble and a Rabid Gnasher. Sarah began with a heavy blow to the Rabble in front of them, and DavidH followed up with a pistol shot that hit everybody. DaveL followed up by shooting the Gnasher and Edain easily finished the last Rabble. An easy victory, completed before the foe had a chance to react. A more significant battle awaited in a creepy clearing, where our heroes faced a Cultist Brawler, a Fungal Scratcher and two Fungal Artillery. DavidH reacted first, slashing at the Brawler and leaving him bleeding before Sarah finished him off. DaveL pointed out the nearer Artillery, suggesting it as a primary target, just before it left Sarah poisoned. Edain focussed instead on the Scratcher, but managed to stun it. DaveL took their own suggestion and fired upon the marked Artillery, but it had been pushed too far back for anybody else to do so, and so Sarah attacked the Scratcher before them. Sarah continued to take the brunt of the enemies' attacks, but they were soon finished by a final prayer from Edain. The guarded chest was full of heirlooms. Sadly, moving through the next passages, DavidH's obsession with the macabre led to them checking out a carcass they found on the floor. Swift intervention could have cleansed it with the herbs they'd brought with them, providing much needed food, but that was not to be in this case. Instead, DavidH caught The Ague from it. Perhaps they will learn, but it seems unlikely. Next they found a map of the local area, allowing another scouting opportunity to seek what lay ahead. Edain decides to play with an odd effigy that they find near an old cemetery and, to nobody's surprise, it does not end well and they become a Ruminator. Next finding an old mummy, our intrepid adventurers make a couple of attempts to ensure it is safe (to no effect), before finally searching it and finding old treasures. Thanks to their scouting, they knew that battle lay ahead, and it turned out to be two Bone Rabble and an Ectoplasm. Sarah continued to take the worst of the attacks, whilst DaveL worked to keep them healthy. Edain and Sarah worked on the Rabble, whilst DavidH aimed their pistol at the Ectoplasm on the back line. Before too long, however, the battle was over with comparative ease. An old crypt marked the scene of the final battle of the expedition, with two Webbers and two Spitters appearing to challenge our heroes. The arachnid opponents were surprised, however, which led to an early advantage. The battle was swiftly over, marking the end of the quest. However, in good spirits, the team continued on, first checking out a fountain, the waters of which lifted DaveL's spirits. Scouting showed there was little to find, but they worked for every bauble and heirloom they could find before heading back to the Hamlet. The quest had been easy, with most of the food they had taken for healing purposes uneaten. However, it had been lucrative in terms of heirlooms found. Returning to the Hamlet, Edain had sworn off drink and but also realised that the Ruins weren't all that bad really. DaveL discovered a previously unrealised skill at gambling. Everybody from the Stagecoach was recruited - a Man at Arms, an Atiquarian, a Shieldbreaker and a Houndmaster (no names yet due to insufficient volunteers!). This required an upgrade to the Barracks, and then DavidH was sent to the Sanitarium where the Ague could be dealt with. Edain was also sent there to help with their Kleptomania. Eleanor was set to the Cloister for meditation and the team prepared for their next adventure. MVP for this one was probably Sarah. Both Sarah and DavidH managed to inflict huge amounts of damage, but Sarah managed to avoid the Ague... Edain and Jonathan started by upgrading the Stage Coach, in order to ensure a steady supply of adventurers to help with the explorations. They then recruited Eleanor (a Plague Doctor) and DavidJ (a Vestal). New friends introduced, they stocked up and went into the ruins of the mansion for the first time, calling themselves team Red Hook.
This was just exploration for the moment, so they pledged to explore 90% of the rooms in this section of the mansion before they would call it a day. Venturing forth, they found the old stone of the building oppressive, but kept their torches well lit. The first room they came to brought about their first meeting with the undead, as a couple of Bone Rabble stood to defend a small chest. They were defeated easily by the old team of Edain and Jonathan, with only Edain taking a small wound which was patched up by Eleanor. The chest contained some small treasures. Continuing on, they were glad of the spades they had brought, as the ceiling had partly collapsed. Beyond this barrier they found more enemies - another Bone Rabble, a Bone Soldier and a Cultist Acolyte. The party focussed fire on the Acolyte to start, but not before Eleanor became stressed out by the situation. Edain, unable to reach that far, focussed on the two undead instead and soon defeated the Rabble with a short prayer, also weakening the Soldier. Between them, DavidJ and Jonathan took out the Acolyte before Eleanor finished by managing to hit the Soldier with some blend of chemicals and herbs that made it start to deteriorate. They found some gold and Sturdy Greaves (a trinket for an Arbalest) and continued along. They continued north, coming to another room where they encountered a Cultist Brawler, a Bone Soldier and another Cultist Acolyte, but with a large locked chest available as a prize. Knowing the danger of the Acolyte, Eleanor used another of her concoctions to stun their enemy and make them stumble into the front line. However, it proved remarkably difficult to hit and managed to resist Edain's attempt to keep it stunned, so wasn't defeated as swiftly as they would have liked. DavidJ focussed on healing as both Edain and Jonathan started to take heavy blows, and the Acolyte continued to stress Eleanor. Jonathan eventually managed to kill all three foes, first with a knife for the Brawler, and then a gunshot for the Soldier and the Acolyte. However, Eleanor's sanity was starting to look a little ropey. The chest contained heirlooms, and the party managed to do a little scouting of the area ahead. And a good job too, as the scouts spotted the traps ahead and Jonathan was easily able to disarm them. Continuing along, they chose a route that would involve less backtracking and ploughed ahead. Coming upon a small pack, Edain's kleptomania took over and they insisted on keeping all of the contents for themselves. Hunger struck and they stopped to eat, Edain insisting on taking from the dwindling group supplies, rather than the feast they had just collected for themselves... More rubble blocked the way to the final room on their route, and they were surprised by more undead! A Bone Defender, Bone Soldier, Bone Courtier and Bone Arbalest made their greatest battle yet. Sadly, the surprise left them out of formation and the Courtier started by focussing on Eleanor, already at the limits of their sanity. They held on, but they were getting very close to a breakdown. DavidJ and Eleanor focussed on healing whilst Jonathan took a shot at the Courtier and Edain worked to get back into position. Sadly, the Courtier continued to focus on the poor Plague Doctor and their resolve was tested - she broke and came out of it Fearful. With their potential for offence now limited, they continued to focus on healing. It was a tough battle, with Eleanor bumming everybody out at intervals, Jonathan getting stunned and shoved around the battlefield, and Edain seemingly unable to hit a barn. However, DavidJ was able to keep everybody alive, and they pulled through it eventually - only stopping to open the chest they'd found before fleeing back to the Hamlet. As a reward for their expedition, they received some money, heirlooms and a bloodstone - a small trinket that would aid health. Afterwards, Edain had become a Weald Scrounger (greater scouting chance in the weald) and Jonathan had developed Last Gasp (acted faster when below half health). MVP - definitely Jonathan for gaining by far the most kills and being able to hit consistently. When they returned to the Hamlet, it turned out the Butcher's Circus had come to town - whilst that might be a way to work off some stress, the party avoided it for the moment. Instead, Eleanor was sent straight to the Abbey to work out their issues and the party recruited some new helpers for their next adventure... Sadly, the Stage Coach only had two Highwaymen and an Abomination on it. The Abomination would have been a fun addition, but wouldn't have been able to go on adventures with Edain or DavidJ, and so it had to be a new Highwayman, and so we welcome DavidH. When they go to choose their next adventure, they see a light in the sky above the local Farmstead, but decide to ignore it for now and a slightly unusual team head into the Ruins again, this time to try to exterminate as many of their foes as they can and learn more about how they fight. This time they pledge to complete every room battle. As soon as they step foot into the first corridor, they encounter a trap but some early scouting gave warning and so Jonathan was able to make the way safe. Soon after they face their first battle as they manage to surprise a Brigand Bloodletter, Brigand Cuththroat and Brigand Fusilier. Confidently they go forward - this shouldn't prove a challenge. Indeed - a team of two Highwaymen turn out to be devastating to human opponents, and the Bloodletter soon falls to their slashing blades and pistol shots. The need to cut through his corpse keeps Edain busy momentarily, but the brigands fall swiftly with only a few wounds on our heroes to show for their miserable lives. Moving through the next corridor, DavidH checks out an old iron maiden and, thankfully, doesn't succumb to the vapours that pour out of it. Then, with similar luck, they run into a backpack that has already looted. This clearly distracted Edain who proceeded to step into a spike trap, leaving them much more heavily wounded. Undaunted, they move into the next room where they are surprised by a Bone Defender, a Bone Soldier, a Madman and a Bone Courtier. After seeing what happened to Eleanor in the last adventure, this gives them pause - they know the threat of the Courtier. The Madman is new to them, but even his presence is a concern. With our heroes completely out of formation, the Courtier starts to attack DavidJ, and the stress starts to creep up. After a failed shot from DavidH at the Madman, it strikes back but at Jonathan who is afflicted with Horror, meaning his stress will start to increase every round. However, Jonathan's counterattack on the Madman is successful, leaving the wretch almost defeated. Edain attacks the undead before them, but then DavidJ, unused to the front line, falls back - allowing the Crusader to take their customary place at the front. The Courtier moves their attention to Edain, and they also start to become stressed. The Madman inflicts the same horror on DavidJ as Jonathan is suffering as the Vestal desperately falls back to allow them to start providing the comfort of the gods. Edain stands tall, trying to focus on enemy attention on themself whilst the Highwaymen start to whittle down their numbers. Sadly, the ferocity of the undead attacks sends DavidH back, forcing DavidJ forwards again - seemingly never to get into a position to heal again. In desperation, the Vestal prays, and the gods strike down the Madman who was now at peace and no longer able to inflict his madness on others. After this the battle was swiftly over, but with our party wounded and, in several cases, suffering from mental trauma as well. They pause for food before venturing forth. In the corridor they find bugs - giant ones. Two Maggots and a Spitter. Despite Jonathan getting briefly poisoned, this battle is over swiftly and uneventfully. More food and then more progress. Further down the corridor, they encounter an ancient bookshelf and Edain takes a moment to check it out. They uncover a book and, after reading it they are forever changed and become a Man Slayer (extra accuracy and crit chance against human enemies). They face another battle, but this time get the drop on their foes - a Cultist Brawler, a Bone Soldier, a Cultist Acolyte and a Bone Arbalest. The two Highwaymen and Edain make short work of the Brawler, but the Acolyte pulls DavidJ out of position again. They retreat hastily as the Acolyte begins to stress Edain even further. Finally, the Vestal is in a position to actually perform some healing and, after that, the battle is swiftly over. The chest contained blood, food and a portrait. Scouting reveals that there are no further enemies on their current path, so they quickly backtrack into other parts of the mansion. In the corridors, they face more foes, this time a pair of Brigand Cutthroats and a couple of Brigand Fusiliers. However, the Brigands were surprised and did not stand long against our heroes, determined to complete their mission. Not learning from DavidH's earlier mistake, Jonathan checks out an iron maiden, facing the same deadly vapours - fortunately, they do not succumb. They do, however, check out a stack of books and find the contents disturbing. They move into the next room and discover more Brigands - a Bloodletter, a Cutthroat an a Fusilier, in some kind of old chapel. Again, the Brigands are surprised and, again, the battle is swift. DavidJ is able to stay in position and provide enough healing to keep our heroes on top of the battle, and victory is assured. And, with that battle over, the ruins stand quiet and our heroes know they have won. They take a moment to investigate the font, pouring in some Holy Water and allowing Edain to drink - the only effect is healing, but that is welcome. Leaving the ruins, Edain has gained a Guilty Conscience, Jonathan a Fear of the Unholy (extra stress damage when attacked by unholy foes) but has become irrepressible (extra chance of gaining a virtue when resolve is tested) and DavidH now has a Weak Grip on Life (poorer death blow resistance!) and is a Fairweather Fighter (large damage boost as long as fully healthy). The adventure over, they return to the Hamlet where clouds of mosquitos and other pests are descending - they appear to be coming from the old Courtyard. Eleanor has recovered and is no longer Fearful, but is now Calm (damage penalty on first round of combat). They recruit an Arbalest (soon to be known as DaveL) and a Bounty Hunter (currently unassigned!), equip some trinkets and wait for the next call to adventure. The arrival at the Hamlet went smoothly until the coach lost a wheel, leaving Edain and Jonathan (currently Reynauld and Dismas because you can't change names until you actually get there as far as I could see) to walk the rest of the way.
They encountered a Brigand Cuttthroat on the way, but the two of them handled him fairly easily, with Jonathan focussing on making him bleed, and Edain (after taking an early heavy wound) working on stunning him. They found a few resources as they travelled and then encountered a Brigand Bloodletter and a Fusilier. They focussed on the Bloodletter to start, using the same tactics as they earlier had with the Cutthroat, and to good success, as they Fusilier seemed unable to get a good shot in. A heavy critical hit from the Bloodletter on Edain made things look a bit hairy, and the Crusader had to go on the defensive for a while, but Jonathan was able to step to the fore and they soon completed the battle between them. They ignored the blatantly trapped chest, and moved to the Hamlet, receiving some treasure for their troubles. Jonathan also developed a Natural Swing, which has improved their accuracy. |