[Breathstealer - part 3, movements in shadow]
There was a vast proxy recently in the UK Forsaken game which saw people going to Spurn Head to do all sorts of crazy things, i'm fairly pleased with the write-up and so, with permission, i pop it here...
Part 3; Movements in Shadow
As the ritualists start their decent towards the church at the base of the Humber the first of the attack posse ready themselves to go through. First off Rhodes and Dermot head to where the sad bell swings gently in the strong current, followed by Nicky, ready to step through and make sure there is no trap lurking in the Shadow to catch unwary Uratha.
The other Uratha congregate around the church, bar the Hunters of Balance who await the Ritualists, anchoring themselves on scattered debris and arranged to spot anything coming from outside.
Slipping sideways, oh so slowly, the trio of Rhodes, Dermot and Nicky slide through to the Shadow, Dermot shading to invisibility as the SBS trained duo assume positions ready for whatever lurks in wait for them. Watching the goings on through the Gauntlet through their Two-world-eyes assorted of the Ithaeur pass word to the others as dread spirits launch a blistering assault. A hunched over toad-like spirit of an inky hue croaks with a dreadful rasping noise whilst a painfully thin, skeletal figure with elongated jaws showing huge, serrated fangs through paper-thin flesh showing a fearful visage spreads stick-thin arms wide, spreading evil currents through the already night-dark water. Something in their mere presence seems to fill Nicky and Dermot with dread, they turn to flee even as a pair of gaunt spectres approach with knives. Rhodes shivers with fear but controls himself enough to remain where he is, though the two spirits are swift and press him hard.
As word is passed through Max immediately starts forward, waving to Gunny and Captain Richards to bring the others through - as a group Uratha start towards the bell, hoping they’ll be in time to save the others as the slow journey through the Border Marches is sped by calling on the spiritual power within them all.
Meanwhile, as the Ritualists swim to the dubious safety of the ruined church, the Breathless whose path brought him near to MacGuyver remains near to him but in the Hisil - the others who were scattered by the initial driving blow by the Submarine/Shark spirit instantly ceasing their attacks upon its rapidly retreating form and instead swimming quickly to join their cousin. The great sea/violence Jaggling named Rends-Prey-in-Water and the Kraken-like hunger/pain Jaggling called Smothers-Prey-in-Darkness both move to join them - the shoals of fish spirits who were acting as the sentries for the Breathstealers underwater lair making their way to surround where the Ritualists gather.
Before anyone has a chance to say “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” or even “Ooh boy” the first of the second wave make it to the cage, only to fall under the fear-causing Numina of the Breathstealers minions within the Cage. Rhodes had suffered badly in the precious seconds that help took getting to him, as Captain Richards attacks the first of the knife-armed spectres the second is charged by Ragna who instinctively takes the Direwolf form, clamping jaws on her target.
Jim Turnbull and Matthew Lynch immediately move to Rhodes, supporting the weight of the battle hardened Blood Talon as he slips to the base of the floor, the two are flapped away as he struggles to stand - once he’s regained his footing, and with a nod of thanks.
The others who come through aren’t left twiddling thumbs - Flows-like-Lightening, Gunny and Max face the frog-thing and the skeletal-thing, looking at each other, nodding, and readying weaponry they advance. For a moment only each falter, Gunny and Max stopping entirely as the Storm Lord raises his hammer high… There is a distant light, what might be a flash of lightening hitting the sea many dozens of feet above your heads, then a cruelly barbed bolt juts from the bloated belly of Froggy as the mighty hammer crushes the skull of the other in one massive blow. Finally Max lets loose a warped bolt from his harpoon gun…striking the toad in the head and stopping its movements.
Meanwhile Dermot and Nicky have both been entangled by tentacle-like vines, complete with octopoid suckers, barbed and cruelly tearing at flesh. Both appear to have regained their wits, the Hunter-in-Darkness apparent only by the invisible bulge in the tentacles, Nicky moves with the strength of a bull and the speed of a serpent, his combat knife slashing and cutting, the unwelcome environment no hindrance to him. Despite their struggles, and valiant efforts, it’s clear that the cage is a mighty and solid thing crafted from many spirits - this is plain before the eyes of all within sight.
*CRACK*
Again the massive Submarine/Shark spirit crashes into the cage, this time its great steel jaws drag a portion of the cage off with it. What was once a near natural chunk of rock takes the trueform of a hulking and craggy crab; an Earth Elemental the Ithaeur know. The spirit appears to be consuming its prey as it moves away, lazily flicking its mighty tail to propel it through the shadowy water of the Hisil, the effort little, the speed impressive. The blow startles the tentacles, they instinctively grab for their attacker, giving those caught the chance to free themselves.
Gunny, Flows like Lightening, Captain Richards, Ragna Jim and Nicky move to start clearing the tentacles from the cage, and further breaking the walls free, as Max, the handyman Lynch and Rhodes examine the electric-charged chains running from the bell and surrounding what appears to be a darker patch of dark seawater. The Captain notes the stiffness of movement that the Irraka is suffering from and with a glance to Max indicates he should return to the beach. After a moment the experienced fighter nods and makes his way through the Gauntlet.
All within the area of the cage feels as if moving through mud, emotional rather than physical, but draining and difficult all the same. It hampers the efforts of all but the strongest willed to make any efforts, even in their own defence. With that as a passive effect you hate to think how the active twisting of spirit that the Gafflings within must be capable of would do to a person.
[OOC note, the Gafflings within the Cage were using emotional Numen, such as Harrow and Emotional Aura, and in general weren’t that good in an actual fight - certainly no match for the talent arrayed before them (though the Spectres were pretty hard, mainly due to dealing Aggravated damage). The Cage itself is yet another matter, without the intervention of the Spirit on the outside it’d have been a real pain to deal with, being very resistant to damage and able to face multiple attackers - no matter how visible they are! This part was a success due to a mixture of dumb good luck, peoples cunning and the plan being simple - and good!]
As the Hunters of Balance ready themselves to go through and deal with the rest of the cage the Breathless attack. Moving from the Shadow they swim lightening-fast towards the Citadel with its damaged cage atop…their charge instead carrying them through the Gauntlet to appear in the true Ravenser Odd, surrounding the Iron Master MacGuyver! Harmony moves in front of him, ensuring she’s between any of the foul sea-zombies and Janesca. Her form bulks as she takes that of Dalu, shoulders hunched behind a solid defence which confounds a pair of the Breathless for essential moments. Ricky is no less quick to take the offensive, resisting the urge to slip into the more warlike Direwolf form he instead raises a harpoon gun, loaded with a rather special bolt - it bursts into a sickly green flame as it strikes the back of the nearest Breathless, burning a hole in its torso even as the waters extinguish the brightly burning bolt. Xenophon, the veteran Storm Lord, splashes back a handful of feet, watching the Jagglings and weighing up his best options even as the bulk of Dalu form fills out his swimming gear. Janesca rather concentrates of the problem here and now, her fishing harpoon soon jutting above the hole caused by Ricky’s deadly bolt - and proving sufficient to finish off one of the aquatic dead men swimming…
MacGuyver, the focus of the Breathless attack, does his best to see them off but first one, then another two are able to get a firm grip - an icy cold bearhug making movement all but impossible as the stone meditation bead around his neck flares into life, adding it power to his and granting some hope to the beleaguered Iron Master. Even so his struggles cease as the Hunters of Balance join the fray - Wraith is awesome indeed, a gigantic Direwolf the size of a cow (Primal Form) with huge boned spines (Bone Carapace) making him a grotesque sight as he bites one Breathless in twain, Sorrow’s Rage taking Gauru form to rake her claws through the grinning and swimming zombies. As another rips itself in two with none near it one can only assume that Isha has joined the fray too. Ricky helps as best he can this time his bolt flying deadly true and spitting a Breathless foe in the back of its head - the soggy hair catching alight for seconds before the rotting corpse starts to drift with the tide. Janesca shoots another, though the effects appear to not bother it, as it does not cease its icy bearhug for a moment. Harmony continues her manic dance of defence, though with less success than previously - a thin female figure with the remains of long pale, near white, hair plants a delicate kiss on her cheek - a kiss which takes the breath from her lungs for a moment. Finally even Xenophon joins the fray - his Gauru form as unexpected as it is welcome as it rips one of the limpet-like corpses from MacGuyver, flinging it out to sea missing an arm.
After seconds which seem transformed into long minutes by the water the Breathless are dead or scattered, the body of MacGuyver floating through the water supported by Harmony. To all who look on the grey-skinned MacGuyver looks in trouble, though all know that the sea is no place to do first aid. Unexpectedly it is the diving-trained Janesca who takes charge, swimming swiftly to Harmony she nods to the surface and the two swim rapidly upwards - towards the surface. The others look to Xenophon who looks slightly peeved that so few of the warriors were on hand for the hardest combat yet, but he then indicates the bell and so the last handful of Uratha head there.
[OOC note, MacGuyver was using Sagicity to give him extra Athletics, meaning that it wasn’t available for Brawl. His Defence isn’t poor, but even doubled with the penalties for being underwater wasn’t enough to see off 5 attackers (2 being flatfooted by Harmony, 1 being slain, the others unable to get close enough - underwater combat is fully 3D after all). His natural Stamina was suplimented by the Fetish, allowing him a chance to stay upright - however his resistance to the icy-drain of the Breathless wasn’t as good as it could be. His enhanced Stamina was worn down on turn 2 (when the Hunters of Balance arrived - to balance things out). MacGuyver suffered the loss of all his Stamina (including that granted by the Fetish) and fell unconscious from it - he isn’t dead at the end of this chapter of the proxy. Harmony suffered the loss of 2 Temporary Stamina from the fight, the others being largely unscathed.]
When they reach the Bell, the focus for the Locus, Isha appears once more - each of the Hunters of Balance have lost breathing equipment by assuming forms suited for war, somehow this is communicated (mainly by the fact none of them have scuba gear any longer) and the trio head for the surface and blessed air.
It’s at almost the same instant that Janesca and Harmony reach the surface, two dozen yards from the beach - a concerned Steve Tate immediately starts to wade out as Lucas paces the shoreline (just up from where the water reaches as it laps in and out and in and out) muttering to himself in a jumble of languages - that the Hunters of Balance do, though further out, swept out to sea, but luckily close to one of the boats. They wearily pull themselves into it, exhausted from unaccustomed exercise, silent looks between them acknowledging how lucky they were to escape any number of evil fates, not least being washed into the North Sea and lost for all time.
Finally the Ritesmasters, those who remain, step through the Locus to stand in the ruined remains of a cage of spirits. Xenophon and Ricky the final two Ithaeur from the five who started on the expedition, at the heart of their enemies lair.
Part 3; Movements in Shadow
As the ritualists start their decent towards the church at the base of the Humber the first of the attack posse ready themselves to go through. First off Rhodes and Dermot head to where the sad bell swings gently in the strong current, followed by Nicky, ready to step through and make sure there is no trap lurking in the Shadow to catch unwary Uratha.
The other Uratha congregate around the church, bar the Hunters of Balance who await the Ritualists, anchoring themselves on scattered debris and arranged to spot anything coming from outside.
Slipping sideways, oh so slowly, the trio of Rhodes, Dermot and Nicky slide through to the Shadow, Dermot shading to invisibility as the SBS trained duo assume positions ready for whatever lurks in wait for them. Watching the goings on through the Gauntlet through their Two-world-eyes assorted of the Ithaeur pass word to the others as dread spirits launch a blistering assault. A hunched over toad-like spirit of an inky hue croaks with a dreadful rasping noise whilst a painfully thin, skeletal figure with elongated jaws showing huge, serrated fangs through paper-thin flesh showing a fearful visage spreads stick-thin arms wide, spreading evil currents through the already night-dark water. Something in their mere presence seems to fill Nicky and Dermot with dread, they turn to flee even as a pair of gaunt spectres approach with knives. Rhodes shivers with fear but controls himself enough to remain where he is, though the two spirits are swift and press him hard.
As word is passed through Max immediately starts forward, waving to Gunny and Captain Richards to bring the others through - as a group Uratha start towards the bell, hoping they’ll be in time to save the others as the slow journey through the Border Marches is sped by calling on the spiritual power within them all.
Meanwhile, as the Ritualists swim to the dubious safety of the ruined church, the Breathless whose path brought him near to MacGuyver remains near to him but in the Hisil - the others who were scattered by the initial driving blow by the Submarine/Shark spirit instantly ceasing their attacks upon its rapidly retreating form and instead swimming quickly to join their cousin. The great sea/violence Jaggling named Rends-Prey-in-Water and the Kraken-like hunger/pain Jaggling called Smothers-Prey-in-Darkness both move to join them - the shoals of fish spirits who were acting as the sentries for the Breathstealers underwater lair making their way to surround where the Ritualists gather.
Before anyone has a chance to say “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” or even “Ooh boy” the first of the second wave make it to the cage, only to fall under the fear-causing Numina of the Breathstealers minions within the Cage. Rhodes had suffered badly in the precious seconds that help took getting to him, as Captain Richards attacks the first of the knife-armed spectres the second is charged by Ragna who instinctively takes the Direwolf form, clamping jaws on her target.
Jim Turnbull and Matthew Lynch immediately move to Rhodes, supporting the weight of the battle hardened Blood Talon as he slips to the base of the floor, the two are flapped away as he struggles to stand - once he’s regained his footing, and with a nod of thanks.
The others who come through aren’t left twiddling thumbs - Flows-like-Lightening, Gunny and Max face the frog-thing and the skeletal-thing, looking at each other, nodding, and readying weaponry they advance. For a moment only each falter, Gunny and Max stopping entirely as the Storm Lord raises his hammer high… There is a distant light, what might be a flash of lightening hitting the sea many dozens of feet above your heads, then a cruelly barbed bolt juts from the bloated belly of Froggy as the mighty hammer crushes the skull of the other in one massive blow. Finally Max lets loose a warped bolt from his harpoon gun…striking the toad in the head and stopping its movements.
Meanwhile Dermot and Nicky have both been entangled by tentacle-like vines, complete with octopoid suckers, barbed and cruelly tearing at flesh. Both appear to have regained their wits, the Hunter-in-Darkness apparent only by the invisible bulge in the tentacles, Nicky moves with the strength of a bull and the speed of a serpent, his combat knife slashing and cutting, the unwelcome environment no hindrance to him. Despite their struggles, and valiant efforts, it’s clear that the cage is a mighty and solid thing crafted from many spirits - this is plain before the eyes of all within sight.
*CRACK*
Again the massive Submarine/Shark spirit crashes into the cage, this time its great steel jaws drag a portion of the cage off with it. What was once a near natural chunk of rock takes the trueform of a hulking and craggy crab; an Earth Elemental the Ithaeur know. The spirit appears to be consuming its prey as it moves away, lazily flicking its mighty tail to propel it through the shadowy water of the Hisil, the effort little, the speed impressive. The blow startles the tentacles, they instinctively grab for their attacker, giving those caught the chance to free themselves.
Gunny, Flows like Lightening, Captain Richards, Ragna Jim and Nicky move to start clearing the tentacles from the cage, and further breaking the walls free, as Max, the handyman Lynch and Rhodes examine the electric-charged chains running from the bell and surrounding what appears to be a darker patch of dark seawater. The Captain notes the stiffness of movement that the Irraka is suffering from and with a glance to Max indicates he should return to the beach. After a moment the experienced fighter nods and makes his way through the Gauntlet.
All within the area of the cage feels as if moving through mud, emotional rather than physical, but draining and difficult all the same. It hampers the efforts of all but the strongest willed to make any efforts, even in their own defence. With that as a passive effect you hate to think how the active twisting of spirit that the Gafflings within must be capable of would do to a person.
[OOC note, the Gafflings within the Cage were using emotional Numen, such as Harrow and Emotional Aura, and in general weren’t that good in an actual fight - certainly no match for the talent arrayed before them (though the Spectres were pretty hard, mainly due to dealing Aggravated damage). The Cage itself is yet another matter, without the intervention of the Spirit on the outside it’d have been a real pain to deal with, being very resistant to damage and able to face multiple attackers - no matter how visible they are! This part was a success due to a mixture of dumb good luck, peoples cunning and the plan being simple - and good!]
As the Hunters of Balance ready themselves to go through and deal with the rest of the cage the Breathless attack. Moving from the Shadow they swim lightening-fast towards the Citadel with its damaged cage atop…their charge instead carrying them through the Gauntlet to appear in the true Ravenser Odd, surrounding the Iron Master MacGuyver! Harmony moves in front of him, ensuring she’s between any of the foul sea-zombies and Janesca. Her form bulks as she takes that of Dalu, shoulders hunched behind a solid defence which confounds a pair of the Breathless for essential moments. Ricky is no less quick to take the offensive, resisting the urge to slip into the more warlike Direwolf form he instead raises a harpoon gun, loaded with a rather special bolt - it bursts into a sickly green flame as it strikes the back of the nearest Breathless, burning a hole in its torso even as the waters extinguish the brightly burning bolt. Xenophon, the veteran Storm Lord, splashes back a handful of feet, watching the Jagglings and weighing up his best options even as the bulk of Dalu form fills out his swimming gear. Janesca rather concentrates of the problem here and now, her fishing harpoon soon jutting above the hole caused by Ricky’s deadly bolt - and proving sufficient to finish off one of the aquatic dead men swimming…
MacGuyver, the focus of the Breathless attack, does his best to see them off but first one, then another two are able to get a firm grip - an icy cold bearhug making movement all but impossible as the stone meditation bead around his neck flares into life, adding it power to his and granting some hope to the beleaguered Iron Master. Even so his struggles cease as the Hunters of Balance join the fray - Wraith is awesome indeed, a gigantic Direwolf the size of a cow (Primal Form) with huge boned spines (Bone Carapace) making him a grotesque sight as he bites one Breathless in twain, Sorrow’s Rage taking Gauru form to rake her claws through the grinning and swimming zombies. As another rips itself in two with none near it one can only assume that Isha has joined the fray too. Ricky helps as best he can this time his bolt flying deadly true and spitting a Breathless foe in the back of its head - the soggy hair catching alight for seconds before the rotting corpse starts to drift with the tide. Janesca shoots another, though the effects appear to not bother it, as it does not cease its icy bearhug for a moment. Harmony continues her manic dance of defence, though with less success than previously - a thin female figure with the remains of long pale, near white, hair plants a delicate kiss on her cheek - a kiss which takes the breath from her lungs for a moment. Finally even Xenophon joins the fray - his Gauru form as unexpected as it is welcome as it rips one of the limpet-like corpses from MacGuyver, flinging it out to sea missing an arm.
After seconds which seem transformed into long minutes by the water the Breathless are dead or scattered, the body of MacGuyver floating through the water supported by Harmony. To all who look on the grey-skinned MacGuyver looks in trouble, though all know that the sea is no place to do first aid. Unexpectedly it is the diving-trained Janesca who takes charge, swimming swiftly to Harmony she nods to the surface and the two swim rapidly upwards - towards the surface. The others look to Xenophon who looks slightly peeved that so few of the warriors were on hand for the hardest combat yet, but he then indicates the bell and so the last handful of Uratha head there.
[OOC note, MacGuyver was using Sagicity to give him extra Athletics, meaning that it wasn’t available for Brawl. His Defence isn’t poor, but even doubled with the penalties for being underwater wasn’t enough to see off 5 attackers (2 being flatfooted by Harmony, 1 being slain, the others unable to get close enough - underwater combat is fully 3D after all). His natural Stamina was suplimented by the Fetish, allowing him a chance to stay upright - however his resistance to the icy-drain of the Breathless wasn’t as good as it could be. His enhanced Stamina was worn down on turn 2 (when the Hunters of Balance arrived - to balance things out). MacGuyver suffered the loss of all his Stamina (including that granted by the Fetish) and fell unconscious from it - he isn’t dead at the end of this chapter of the proxy. Harmony suffered the loss of 2 Temporary Stamina from the fight, the others being largely unscathed.]
When they reach the Bell, the focus for the Locus, Isha appears once more - each of the Hunters of Balance have lost breathing equipment by assuming forms suited for war, somehow this is communicated (mainly by the fact none of them have scuba gear any longer) and the trio head for the surface and blessed air.
It’s at almost the same instant that Janesca and Harmony reach the surface, two dozen yards from the beach - a concerned Steve Tate immediately starts to wade out as Lucas paces the shoreline (just up from where the water reaches as it laps in and out and in and out) muttering to himself in a jumble of languages - that the Hunters of Balance do, though further out, swept out to sea, but luckily close to one of the boats. They wearily pull themselves into it, exhausted from unaccustomed exercise, silent looks between them acknowledging how lucky they were to escape any number of evil fates, not least being washed into the North Sea and lost for all time.
Finally the Ritesmasters, those who remain, step through the Locus to stand in the ruined remains of a cage of spirits. Xenophon and Ricky the final two Ithaeur from the five who started on the expedition, at the heart of their enemies lair.