Storytime (Main RP Thread)

[Barrow]

Yarlaganda

agrees with Lahwi. He does not press his attack on J7. "You are defeated," he growls. "Yield, and live."

OOC: No attack this round, full parry if attacked.

[Just X]

Kluenons


Seeing that the situation seems to be in hand, Kluemons will take another round to shake off the stun, and save his berry.  He looks off in the direction that the terrified jackleware ran, a bit mystified by his sudden change of heart.  Seeing the he ran to the northwest makes him wonder if that direction is home.  Kar Nergal?  Nergal, god of war, death, pestilence and famine--was the cult somehow responsible for the the bazaar battlefield scene we just passed?

[Dalewarrior]

Lahwi-Addu

gives the Elamite thief a hand in fighting J7 for round #8 (no parry).

[Kantron]

OOC: Is it possible to use my ambush skill to subdue (not kill)?

If yes, then I do.

[Enheduanna]

OOC: Is it possible to use my ambush skill to subdue (not kill)?

If yes, then I do.

Sorry for the delay in response.  I don’t think there’s a way to do this in RM, unless you have a skill like Subdual (you don’t).  You could always use less OB in an attempt to limit the damage to him, but it’s random, so you could still kill him, or miss him completely.

With all of that being said, let me know what you want to do.  J3 and J4 are incapacitated and slowly dying.  I guess you could kill J7 and then save the life of one of the dying ones if you wanted someone to question.

[Just X]

OOC:  I had always thought the ambush skill was a +/-  While typically you would not modify the crit roll down, it would make sense to me that you could use the same knowledge of anatomy to miss vital areas as easily as to hit them.  Still not subdue but could modify damage downward.

[Grinnen Baeritt]

OOC: Me too. What I usually do would be to let the player choose a result from the range of crit results which best emulated their intended action.

However, I never allowed using Ambush in Melee against foes that were aware of the attack... so it's a moot point

[Enheduanna]

OOC:  I had always thought the ambush skill was a +/-  While typically you would not modify the crit roll down, it would make sense to me that you could use the same knowledge of anatomy to miss vital areas as easily as to hit them.  Still not subdue but could modify damage downward.

That's an interesting idea!  I hadn't considered it.  Okay, we can try it this way, but I'm serious when I say that J7 doesn't have much life left in him.  I suspect he'll probably be killed from concussion hits this round, if nothing else.

[Enheduanna]

Round 8
Initiatives
29 Lahwi-Addu
22 Werejackals
11 Indattu

Snap Phase
Lahwi-Addu moves 10 feet to assist with J7.  This uses 10% of his activity.

Over round 8, the bodies of J1 and J2 slowly revert into their human forms.

Deliberate Phase
Lahwi-Addu attacks J7:
Roll 50 + 119 OB +15 Axe +10 Deliberate -10 Activity - 50 DB -20 Adrenal Defense = 114
Result:  14 Hits + “B” Slash Critical.
Crit. Roll: 56
Result: Thigh wound.  +4 Hits, must Parry 2 rounds, 2 points Bleed.
Death from concussion hits.

J3 is out of the fight.  He will be dead in 9 rounds.

J4 is also down.  He will be dead in 7 rounds.

J5 is stunned, and bleeding badly.  He voluntarily reverts to human form, and kneels down on the ground, clutching his wound.  You might be able to save him, if you successfully stop his bleeding next round.

J6 has passed behind several low hills, and beyond your sight.

J7 is dead.

The rest of you have no one left to attack.

Positions at the End of Round 8


I’m going to end combat here.  If you want to save J5, you better act quickly.  For now, the disheveled, bleeding man doesn’t speak, but looks at his dead and dying comrades.

[Barrow]

Yarlaganda

shrugs as Lahwi slaughters the werejackal who looked like he was about to surrender. Ah well. You should have yielded. He nods to Lahwi. "Well struck," he says.

He turns to offer Klumenos a hand up. "Well fought, friend. I would leave that cursed bow in the ditch," he laughs, "you fight well enough with a blade."

When he sees Indattu, he'll thump the Elamite heartily on the back. "I am glad you are on our side. You've racked up quite the body count."

He'll wipe his sword and start searching the dead and dying werejackals. He'll leave J5 in the hands of someone more skilled at the healing arts.

[Grinnen Baeritt]

Murdus

Will move to attempt to heal the wounded.. whatever it is.

[Dalewarrior]

Lahwi-Addu

got close to one of the dying were jackals and asked, "Why did you want to kill the Astrologer? What is he to you?"

[Just X]

Klumenos


As the last of the stun passes Klumenos, looks after the one who fled and says, "Do you think that the one that got away will mean more will follow?"
He then turns his attention to the scene before him.  He turns to the Astrologer and says, "Thank you for your assistance."  he extends his hand in friendship.  The asks, "Why do they want you?  And how are you the Namzāq namzītim?"

[Enheduanna]

Yarlaganda searches the bodies of the werejackals.  J3 and J4 retain their wereforms while they die.  Neither one moves to stop him, they are too gravely injured.  The body of J7 joins J1 and J2 in reverting back to human form.

Assuming the Gutian takes his time searching the bodies and dying creatures, he finds the following:

J1: In a pocket sewn in his dirty robes, the Gutian finds a leather pouch with a stitched Ω symbol.  Inside is 5 SP worth of silver and two doses of nēhtum.

J2:  There is no pocket in J2’s robes, but his leather belt looks new and has a number of pouches.  There is a total of 15 SP worth of silver in them, and a small diorite figurine with monstrous aspects.  There is also a tablet with writing on it.  He also has two doses of nēhtum and a curious bluish-purple stone.

J3:  The dying werejackal has a small bag with him.  Inside, you find a well-worn Game of Twenty Squares (a.k.a. “The Royal Game of Ur”).  This werejackal has no money, and two doses of nēhtum in a smaller bag.



J4:  This dying werejackal has a necklace around his neck with the Ω symbol on it.  The Gutian feels the hair on his arm rise when he removes it from the creature.  The werejackal also has 6 SP worth of silver in a pocket of his robes, a small diorite figurine that resembles the one you found on J1, and two doses of nēhtum

J7:  Carries a large pouch, whence a pungent odor emanates.  Inside, you find a small silver orb (3” in diameter), several little clay jars, and a handful of herbs, including several sprigs of nēhtum.

— —

Murdus has partial success at staunching J5’s bleeding.  He will need to work another two rounds to stop the flow entirely, but the beast will live for the time being, so long as he stays still.

— —

In response to Lahwi-Addu’s question, J5 laughs.  “He’s a thief, that’s what he is” he says in his strange accent.  “You are better to kill him now, for while you may escape us, even in death, he cannot.  The curse he placed on my novice brother [J6] will wear off eventually.  Then my brother will return to our den, and my family will not rest until they’ve recovered the property of our god.”

J5 allows Murdus to continue his work.

— —

The astrologer is looking towards the direction that J6 fled.

Distracted, he responds to Klumenos.  “I am not the namzāq namzītim,” he says, then after a moment he adds, “But we should find it and get out of here quickly.  The creature may run into other search parties.  I’ve seen the priests who govern them — in my visions.  I would not like to meet them, or their pets.”

[Kantron]

I help dig through the jackals for anything useful/ informative.  After were done with that, I suggest that we build a fire to destroy the bodies.

[Dalewarrior]

Lahwi-Addu

The Amnorite's voice got more quiet when he knew that piece of information, and he pressed on, "He stole property from your god; what property and what is his rank in your cult?"

[Barrow]

I help dig through the jackals for anything useful/ informative.  After were done with that, I suggest that we build a fire to destroy the bodies.

Yarlaganda

“These bodies are not for burning, my friend. They are for our guardian.” He gestures at the giant scorpion.

He’ll make a pile of all the loot he found. He hands the tablet (from J2) and the pouch of herbs (J7) to Murdus. Then he says to the others: “Come make your claims to the loot.”

He’ll drag the dead to the ditch and throw them in... the almost dead, too. The only bodies he leaves are the ones his gellows are healing or questioning.

[Just X]

Klumenos


Klumenos, begins to get used to the distracted nature of the youth, and continues his questioning, "if you are not the key, where is it?  I assume that you id it nearby."

[Enheduanna]

With the mid-day sun glinting off of its carapace, the scorpion barely moves.  It watches Yarlaganda and Indattu-Inšušinak with its tiny eyes as they deal with the bodies of the werejackals.  When the Gutian begins to throw them into the ditch, the creature catches his eye.  There’s a plaintive look there, almost as if to say, “May I be dismissed now?”

— —

The werejackal’s leader laughs at Lahwi-Addu’s question.  “He is not one of us — but nor do I think he is one of you.  He is a thief,” he hisses the word, “He desecrated our sacred places, and took the namzāq namzītim.  The battlefield you crossed, ask him how those men died.”

— —

In response to the Minoan’s question, the astrologer smiles.  “Yes, I think I would like your help with this, if you’ll give it.  You’re mostly foreigners anyway, what do you care about the squabbles of petty kings?”

— —

OOC:  I'm assuming that the two conversations (1. Lahwi-Addu and the werejackal leader; 2. Klumenos and Nur-ili) are happening at the same time in such a way that they can't overhear one another.

[Barrow]

Yarlaganda

Erases a hole in the circle in the sand to free the scorpion. Thank you for your trouble. he says, freeing it to go.

“Let’s make camp far from here,” he advises. “This beast will not recognize us as friends at nightfall.”