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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 4, 2023 18:41:11 GMT -5
A lot of legwork had been done in the past week or so as the W-E-F gets ready for its first big hunt since reforming. Gerhart was happy to see so many familiar faces starting to join and new ones as well. It really did fill his heart with a lot of excitement doing this work. The Fighter's Guild was fun and helping people around Charon was nice, but this felt like a real calling. He had a lot of experience hunting monsters and tracking them down, taking out big threats felt like a great way to focus his talents rather than feel spread so thin.
As the rest of the expeditionary force focused on shoring up the logistical side of it, a small team was needed to start flushing out some of the little ones and get a better sense of where the big troll was. Of course, the ranger jumped at the chance to take that job with Thoman eager to sniff out some bad guys as well. Having Astrid join him was just the icing on the cake. Who knew sharing a somewhat similar origin story and having pretty similar outlooks on life would forge a pretty strong friendship between fighters?
The ranger had tracked down the footsteps of trolls to the outside of a massive maw of a cave. Cave systems....fun. He gives a little smirk over to Astrid, "Let's hope it's not more cursed dwarves."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 4, 2023 21:42:46 GMT -5
While scouting and logistics are fun enough, the real draw of the WEF is to fight monsters. In the time that Astrid’s been with the group in Arid Mesa, she already found out that Blue Raspberry was around and made a new friend with a reptilian woman named Taki. It’s nice to meet new faces, and she’s even heard a few other friends will be making their way to Arid Mesa soon. Today though she gets to work with Gerhart on the actual hunting of the Nightcaller Trolls. With the guild’s hunt dossier though, she knows they’re dangerous. She’s read the document more times than she can count because, at the end of it all, she did promise to come home as unscathed as possible. These creatures are dangerous, and they’re going to be a lot tougher than anything else she thinks she’s ever fought. Because of that, they really need to plan to be careful, and fighting them in a cave away from all the defenses they spent the last several days setting up just… is not that appealing right now. Astrid offers Gerhart a less-than-confident smile about the whole thing. “Aye, hopefully no more cursed dwarves…” She’ll have to tell him about the second spooky dwarf home she found later. Her gaze drifts into the cave, and she asks, “Can ya see in the dark? Or have anythin’ ta do fire damage ta any of the trolls? I’d love ta draw ‘em out so we can use what we have against ‘em.” Looking Gerhart over and knowing that he’s a human, she doubts at least the first thing. Nope, she’s just gonna offer it up. Reaching into her bag, Astrid pulls out two small vials of a mysterious liquid. “Here,” she says. “Drink this. It’ll turn ya into somethin’ else, maybe somethin’ that can see in the dark and has fire breath or somethin’.” In her case, she thinks a dragonkin will work well for her.
Beist’s Transmutation Tonic - pick 2 grafts from here to have for the rest of the topic - changes your race temporarily. Nightcaller troll details: talesofcharon.proboards.com/post/24109/threadQuest details: Quest Name: Initial Contact Participants: Exactly two (you and one other, the other does not need to be interested in the guild) Location: Indicated by Hunt Dossier Post Requirements: 6 post per person, 200 words per post Reward: Quest Completion Description: With all your knowledge attained and preparations made it is time for you to start clearing the hunting grounds of the superfluous and smaller versions of the creature the Winged Expeditionary Force is about to take on. You need to combat and kill 3 smaller Nightcaller trolls, indicated by the Hunt Dossier, then study their corpse. By butchering the body you must study their organs and physical composition, this will help when preparing to face the major threat. Learn what you can from fighting these creatures, as everything you learn here will go a long way in keeping everyone alive during the final hunt.
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 7, 2023 16:58:34 GMT -5
"No and....no." He lets out a little sigh, putting his hands on his hips as they stare at the maw of the cave. "I had figured to use a torch, but now that I think about it, that's not a great weapon and getting it wet is probably a good possibility."
"Don't suppose you think we can just power through and knock it flat before it has a chance to start fixing itself?" He looks down at the vial, giving the liquid a little shake as she explains what it does. OK, well this is a much smarter idea, yeah.
With full trust this potion is safe, Gerhart downs it and slowly begins to feel the changes take effect. He shifts just a bit, skin tone darkening as he sprouts the tiniest of horns on his forehead. The sclera of his eyes turn black as his hair becomes a shocking white color as he changes appearance into a fellblood. One that ends up looking far more like his dad than he expected.
"This should work, dad always said fellbloods could breath fire like real demons, so this should work right? He was also really good at seeing in the dark so this should be fine."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 7, 2023 17:10:42 GMT -5
Astrid raises her own potion vial, a tiny “skal!” of a motion, before downing the odd liquid herself. It isn’t the first time she’s drank this potion, and it likely won’t be the last, but she’s had some practice with trying to manage the transformation itself. Rather than a tiny dracoling, she instead takes on the features of a draconynh.
Red scales form all along her body, her horns grow longer, her nose and mouth become a pronounced reptilian snout, and her eyes take on a more golden sheen than their usual green. Small spikes and frills emerge from her jaw and neck, and she grows to be another foot or so taller in height. It’s a strange adjustment, especially since when she became a dracoling, she lost a foot of height. Her clothes fit a bit tighter, but now Astrid looks like a dragonkin ready for a fight, and a set of permanent wings flares out beneath her cape. She figured having some wings that might not give out after a short time would be helpful.
With a snort, a puff of smoke escapes her nostrils, and Astrid grins with a mouth full of sharp teeth. She looks over at Gerhart and eyes him up and down. He looks a bit like a man version of a hell hound or some kind of werecreature.
“Ya look pretty cool,” she says cheerily, her voice a bit deeper than she expects. “It does feel kinda weird, like all yer bones shifted around. Gettin’ used ta walkin’ around an’ movin’ is a bit odd, but ya get used ta it. This’ll last all day too, so hopefully that’s all the time we need ta take out a few of these trolls.”
Beist’s transmutation tonic - draconynh - wings and fire drake gland
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 7, 2023 23:01:45 GMT -5
"This should work better than torches, that's for sure." He grins and laughs before turning back to the cave. "All right, let's go." Gerhart nods and will take the lead on heading inside.
Thankfully, this cave doesn't seem to hold any strange carvings or dwarvish writing which should rule out more cursed dwarves out of the equation. The interior of the cave is not exactly inviting though. Slow drips of water echo throughout the cave and little can be seen outside the edges of their night vision.
Gerhart runs his fingers along the wall just to feel if any work has been done, if these creatures are shaping the walls or carving out materials. "Hold on just a second."
The ranger holds out a hand seeing a small pile of something ahead, taking a few steps forward to crouch down in front of it. Torn rags with faint splatters of blood, finger nail rakes in some of the softer ground. The last moment of fighting from someone.
"Unfortunately we are on the right path...probably one of the messengers or workers that got picked off. Let's try and find something we can at least take back to bury if we can't save them." He stands with a sigh before taking a slow breath through his nose, sniffing at the air to see if he can find a trail of blood.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 8, 2023 11:34:54 GMT -5
Now that they’re both better equipped to handle the trolls, Astrid follows Gerhart inside the cave. Spicy Pawsage’s chest glows a soft red in the darkness. She glances through the hunt dossier while they walk as quietly as they’re able to, and she whispers. “They’re blind, but they’ve got real good hearin’... They can use echolocation ta find their prey, an’ the shout can knock ya off yer feet… Walk softly ‘cause they can feel the vibrations of the ground… They can hear blood flow???” Gods, these things are going to be really tough.
Reading over the document, she recalls Gerhart’s ability to cut things super effectively with his swords and wind magic. “I think yer slice an’ dice is gonna be real helpful fer us here cause of their thin skin. Burn ‘em an’ cut ‘em an’ we’ll get right through ‘em.”
When they come across the remnants of someone or something, Astrid’s brow furrows and she looks around. If they’re not careful, they might get ambushed. Even being completely silent won’t keep them from being seen or heard. She wishes she had another silencing potion. They’re going to need to stay off the ground if they can, she thinks. Catching the trolls off guard probably won’t be an option. They’re going to have to hit them fast and hard.
Squatting down, Astrid collects a handful of small pebbles from the ground and shoves them into her pocket. “I’m gonna charge ‘em up with lightnin’ an’ drop ‘em on the trolls,” she explains. “If ya can stay off the ground durin’ the fight, that’ll be good. I’m gonna stay in the air as much as I can ta avoid ‘em.”
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 8, 2023 19:14:08 GMT -5
"Makes sense....I wonder if that sound is something we could take advantage of...like a thunder crack or something....something to try...You can hear a lot of things if you practice how to do it...you'd be amazing how lod the forest really is, even when you think its silent." He smiles a bit, finding a strange connection with these monsters. He was a hunter himself, so a lot of this made sense for a creature that is a pretty top tier predator.
He pauses a moment, the smirk growing a bit. "Oh just wait and see what I picked up since last time, stole a trick or two of yours~" It's the last little quip before reaching those ripped fabrics.
Astrid's plan is solid, this was going to take a lot more planning than their usual fight. Until now, they had really only ever fought beasts together, there really wasn't a need for too much strategy, but this thing had proven itself to be clever. It also came with a lot more abilities than the average monster.
"I can get air for a bit, but not long....if you can stay afloat for longer...we could go high and low. If I make a lot of noise and keep their focus, then it will be easier for you to drop in and get them....Don't worry, I'm not saying I'm just gonna be bait." He grins and laughs gently, trying to maintain their stealth as much as possible. "But I've survived being eaten by a giant bone snake, some trolls won't be much more dangerous."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 11, 2023 20:11:57 GMT -5
While Astrid likes Gerhart’s confidence, she’s not going to underestimate the trolls. They may be blind, but their other senses are considerably stronger because of it, and they’re smart and strong. Each one on its own could easily fell an unseasoned warrior. Not only are Astrid and Gerhart potentially outnumbered, but the two of them have to take down three of the trolls. Normally, she would be more than happy to run in, hammers sparking, but the WEF's documents warn of how dangerous these creatures are, and they've spent a significant amount of time planning to fight one single troll king. They can't be too careful here.
“I like the idea of dazin’ ‘em with some loud noises,” she agrees. “Just gotta be careful in the cave in case it ain’t all that sturdy.” Glancing around, trying to keep her eyes and ears open and proceed cautiously, she wonders about setting a trap for the ambush predators. “Do ya have anythin’ fer layin’ traps?” she asks. “If we can keep ‘em from movin’ around too much, we’ll give ourselves an edge like when we were fightin’ the Remorhaz. Catch or distract a couple of ‘em with some of yer traps, then I can use that same spell from the bug fight on one of ‘em, then we can focus that one real quick since it’s hot and has some flames ta it an’ give ourselves some time ta deal with the others.”
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 13, 2023 18:55:02 GMT -5
"I have a few things....I don't know if there's anything in my bag that could stop them outright, but a few things to slow them down or make them think twice....We should do a little bit more scouting and see if we can find a more open space. Fighting in cave tunnels isn't fun." He looked around the space.
It was certainly more sturdy than the mine from oh so many months ago with Kamille, it wasn't likely to cave in. Still, the lack of space would hinder their attacks and from what the documents said it's not like these things have weapons. They are likely used to fighting in close quarters like this meaning they'd be at a disadvantage...or an even bigger one from the sounds of it.
"The traps can help funnel them in the direction we want...explosive wires can hurt them a bit and turn them away down a path, then caltrops and bear traps can slow them down....Just gotta find the right spots."
Easier said than done as he motioned for them to start moving again. The cave system isn't quite a labyrinth, but there are a lot of paths to travel. Options weren't lacking for the two, just had to make some decisions and hope for the best.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 17, 2023 21:55:56 GMT -5
Astrid nods in agreement. Fighting in tight quarters is hard, and if they get cornered in an unfamiliar tunnel, it could spell disaster for both her and Gerhart. They’d need to find the right path and, if they’re lucky, lead the trolls toward the outside world. That would be the most preferable situation, in her opinion. It would keep them from getting stuck in a cave in or caught in a dead end. She does have one thing she can offer to this though.
“The trolls got echolocation, an’ I can do it too a little bit,” she says with a smile. “It ain’t that quiet, though, so it’ll probably draw their attention. I’ll keep it quiet as I can.” From beneath her cape, a second pair of wings emerges. Unlike the red, scaled wings that grew when Astrid drank the potion, these are a bit more familiar to Gerhart, being the half feathery, half leathery wings that sometimes manifest on Astrid’s back. With them comes her own ability to echolocate through some kind of temporarily heightened senses.
Before she does though, Astrid summons two replicants to help with the process of scouting but also draw to any attention if they need a quick out. The three Astrids approach the branching paths and start tapping their hammer rhythmically against the buckler on their arm, sending a series of quiet ting, ting, tings through the tunnels.
Eventually, one of them speaks up. “Down this one. There’s three of ‘em in this direction. An’... oh they’re movin’ now. Might wanna set somethin’ up. We’ll go distract ‘em!” The two replistrids take off down the tunnel while the actual Astrid looks at Gerhart.
“Welp, we ain’t that far from the mouth if we need ta run.”
Bat Wings (post 1/3) - echolocation - detect living creatures within 500ft Replicant
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 20, 2023 10:04:29 GMT -5
Gerhart nods and keeps low to stay as quiet as he can as he makes his way down the tunnel just a bit. He reaches into a pouch and pulls out a few lengths of wire and a small bottle. The wire is threaded through a hoop on the stopper before the wire is then strung across a few of the rock formations. One the wire was tripped, the oxygen hitting the fluid in the bottle would combust immediately and engulf whatever was there in fire.[1]
As the ranger trailed back towards the real Astrid he scattered out some caltrops which blended in pretty well with the rocks. With what little he understood about echolocation, the trolls shouldn't be able to really identify that something else is there.
"Let's head down this path a bit, just get out of the immediate line of sight...plus if they move towards the mouth we can chase them out that way and if they go the other way we can keep the mouth at our backs."
If Astrid is alright with that plan, the ranger quickly jogs down another path. He may not be great at stealth, but in nature it's a bit easier. Gerhart tucks himself against the wall behind some rocks and seems to become part of the wall himself.[2]
1. Explosive Wire 2. Camouflaged Master
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 20, 2023 15:11:09 GMT -5
While Gerhart sets traps, Astrid stands at the ready in case anything comes charging down the cave her duplicates ran down. It doesn’t take long to hear a roar echo through the tunnel and the airy wisps of magic being cast. Her replicants can’t do any damage, but they can at least slow the trolls down a little.
When he’s done, she quickly follows him, but her head tilts with copious confusion when he mentions getting out of their line of sight. The plan to try to trap them in a different tunnel and keep their escape options open isn’t a bad one at all, but they’re going to– and he’s camouflaging himself as a rock. No, wait, they can’t just sit there and wait!
Astrid’s voice hisses, “What’re ya doin’?! They can’t see well, they use sound ta find the stuff they’re huntin’! Didn't ya read the dossier??” She’s in a mild panic which is only exacerbated by the fact that she feels the magic of one of her replicants poof followed by an angry roar of a troll. “They’re gonna trap us if we don’t keep ourselves closer ta the exit!”
Another poof. There go both replicants. More angry roars and pounding footsteps.
“Gerhart, we should get movin’!”
Two trolls are affected by the spell Slow, cast by the replicants. all approaching the traps
Bat wings (post 2/3)
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 20, 2023 15:32:52 GMT -5
"If we stay still and don't make a sound, then we should be fine right?" He looks back in the direction of the roaring then back to the real Astrid. "Fine, let's go."
Gerhart doesn't want to get into the fact that he missed that detail cause he can barely read and now isn't the time to argue about that. Astrid had a good instinct, trust that. He breaks for the exit to try and get clear of the tunnels. The sound of the growing footsteps and screams that only seem to get angrier doesn't help any.
As they start to move a dull explosion can be heard and a bright but brief light flashes down the tunnel. An enranged and enflamed troll comes barreling out, Gerhart dives past its lunging grab and combat rolls to stand back up and draw his swords.
"Looks like the fight is here, right or left one?"
They still weren't in an ideal set up for a fight, but they clearly got the drop on these guys. They might just be pissed enough to follow the adventurers back out of the cave if they can bait them that way. Even in a clear and open field these wouldn't be so easy to put down.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 20, 2023 18:00:58 GMT -5
KA-BOOM!
The cave rattles from the explosion, and a troll wreathed in fire bursts past Astrid and Gerhart, narrowly missing them both with its flailing arms. That’s one of them, so where are the other two? Clanging her hammer on her buckler again, Astrid uses the echolocation to identify that the other two trolls are moving towards them though slower than the first one, and with some caution as flames stick to the sides of the cavern. Her replicants must have managed some magic against them. Perfect.
All the while, she’s been murmuring something under her breath, looking for that thread of magic from the spell she learned from Scern.
“I’m gonna go trap one of ‘em same way we trapped the Remorhaz, then we can finish off this big guy before he recovers from the flames!” she says, opening her wings and diving into the tunnel. Astrid clangs her hammer on her buckler again for some idea of how far away the trolls are. They both charge through the caltrops towards her, leaving bloody footprints behind. As soon as Astrid sees one, she releases the spell, and glowing red chains burst forth from the ground and capture one of the trolls. It lets out an angry howl of pain, struggling to move but unable to escape the searing pain of the chain. The other troll stumbles back then lets out a roar and dashes past its captured kin to attack Astrid.
Not willing to wait for that to come smack her, Astrid turns, using the last boost of her extra pair of wings and some of her sky magic to zip back up the tunnel toward Gerhart where she sees the angry first troll with the last licks of fire sizzling off its body moving to attack the warrior with weapons manifested from its own blood. Even with its eyes burned out of its skull, its massive ears seem to perk and focus on Gerhart, able to hear his beating heart.
Astrid: Bat wings (post 3/3, req 2 post cooldown) - echolocation Scern’s God Killer Bullet Dash
Troll 1 - unable to regenerate due to fire damage across its whole body, active weapons of blood (a pair of crude, spiked clubs) Troll 2 - stuck in scern’s god killer for 2 posts. Fire damage prevents regeneration on arms, legs, torso (head, neck unaffected) Troll 3 - no longer slowed
Nightcaller Blood poisoning effective upon any damage received from the trolls - Something within the Nightcaller has been noted to cause paralysis upon contact with their reinforced claws; weapons; or saliva. Any damage caused by these means will cause the following symptoms: searing pain from the impact point to the heart; heat flashes; confusion; rapid heartbeat; disorientation, and an inability to function within proper means for a time. (Symptoms will last one post before beginning to fade.)
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on May 20, 2023 21:19:03 GMT -5
Well at least the fire seemed to be working so far. These things certainly didn't like being on fire, he read that far into the dossier. No time to really be thinking about what was and wasn't in those papers at this point though, the fight was here. Gerhart would just trust his instincts as usual.
He can hear Astrid coming up from behind, rushing along the air instead of running which kept the troll's focus on him. Good. The familiar scent of ozone fills the air as Gerhart's forearms start to crackle and light with sparks of lightning.[1]
The hum of electricty quickly built as Gerhart suddenly burst forwards[2] towards that first one with its clubs out. The guardian blade catches the paired swing of the clubs, buckling the ranger's knees a moment but he's able to get a swipe across the chest.
When the blade connects the lightning discharges in a flash and burns through the skin of the troll. It's arms hold where they are as the beast is completely paralyzed. It left a pretty big open for Astrid to clear it out if she could.
The third troll was not content to just watch its family get taken apart and rushes Gerhart, shoulder checking him into the wall. The first troll is still open, but Gerhart definitely got rocked.
1. Ulrich's Static Charge 2. Rushing Charge
Troll 1: Paralyzed, unable to heal Troll 2: Still captured in Scern's Spell Troll 3: Locked in with Gerhart
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