Sorrow’s Reach - Exalted 3e

[Psychie]

Panting from the exertion of fight so far, Scorpion keeps her eyes locked on her target. So close! It is almost time to end this! Pressing the advantage that she's so far earned over her opponent, the Dawn Caste leaps up into the air, and with a loud scream, she unleashes her blade once more. Falling down in a brutally powerful attack, Scorpion can feel her Essence pour into the power of the upcoming strike.

Spoiler

Spending 1m on Fatal Stroke Flash, 4m 1wp on Thunderbolt Attack Prana, and 4m on Martial Arts Excellency.
Making a Decisive Attack, Dice rolling: Dex 5 + Ability 6 + 4 Excellency + Stunt = 17 to hit with 1 auto from Willpower Spent.

Fatal Stroke Flash adds the difference between her Initiative and mine (10) in Raw Damage, and Liquid Steel Flow converts 3 dice of Raw Damage into Auto, Successes. Thunderbolt Attack doubles damage dice rolled.

9 Successes from Willpower spent and Stunt bonus.

Single Point Shining into the Void Style Form Charm and Increasing Strength Exercise active.

Essence: 1
Personal: 13 / 5
Peripheral: 33 (23) / 0
Committed: 10
Willpower: 6 / 3

Join Battle: 8 + 3 successes

Natural Soak: 4 + 2 (from Hearthstone)
Armored Soak: 5
Total Soak: 11
Hardness: 4

Parry: 6
Evasion: 3
Resolve: 4
Guile: 1

Health Levels
- 0 [ ]
- 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
- 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] - [ ]
- 4 [ ]
Incapacitated

 

[Psychie]

WlfSamurai A quick edit to my attack roll. I forgot to add that Fatal Stroke Flash lets me double (Essence) 9's, and as long as I have Initiative at 11+, I gain one auto success from Liquid Steel Flow. That puts me at a total of 11 successes to hit. Sorry for the oops.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Scorpion, as with much of this fight, your decisive strike takes the dead-eyed woman by surprise. You bring down your weapon with the force and might of the Sun himself. The woman’s anima is a roiling fire black void. It flares again, this time into the shape of a skull consuming everything around it, visible for miles. She brings her weapon up to block your strike and take the brunt of your attack.

But it’s not enough…

Her defense is 11! So, you hit, but with 0 threshold successes. Her hardness is 10, so as long as your pool is higher than that (it is), roll damage!

 

[Psychie]

Ok, my Initiative is 11, plus 10 dice from Fatal Stroke Flash. Three of those are converted to Auto Successes, and the rest is doubled.

WlfSamurai Do I add my Str and Weapon Damage to this roll, too? I'm still pretty new to 3e.

 

[Sherwood]

I don't think you do. That is only on Withering Attacks.

 

[Psychie]

So, with that in mind, I roll 26 dice for damage, with 3 auto. Here it goes!

A total of 15 Lethal. Yowza! And now I get to make a second attack with my sword.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Scorpion, the next moments seem like an eternity. The air is still. There is no sound. You can see the black eyes fixated on you as you and your sword drop on her.

At the last possible moment, before impact, her mouth moves. To everyone else on the battlefield, it’s inaudible. But you’re close enough to hear her last words.

“Peace at last...”

You smash into her blade and it shatters sending tormented screams into the air as souls are release into the night. Your momentum and sword carry through and split the woman down the center. And then your weapon impacts the ground and a crater explodes out around you sending shockwaves through the town. What few windows remain are shattered.

The wind stops and the dust settles. What was once the dead-eyed woman parts and both halves slump to the ground in a bloody heap. Her hand still clutches half of her daiklave. The other half of the blade falls from the sky and impales the ground a few meters away, punctuating the gruesome scene.

End Initiative

 

[Psychie]

Kneeling in the center of the crater that she just made, Scorpion can feel her breath heave in and out of her chest from the exertion of the battle. Slowly she stands, her eyes closed. With a practiced maneuver, the one armed swordswoman sheathes her blade with a resounding 'clack' as the hilt hits the sheath. It seems very loud in the still of the night.

She takes a few more moments before she even opens up her eyes, as if she didn't need to see to know that this fight was over.

 

[Sherwood]

Tomiko blinks in amazement at the sheer power of the strike that Scorpion just unleashed. I knew that she was a formidable blade master, but that is truly amazing! I am glad to have her on our side. With the fighting over, Tomiko takes a few steps forward and looks over at the group of fighting men that make the sudden appearance on the field. Now the question is, what do those men want? To claim this town for themselves, or a more peaceful encounter? Let us try and find out.

She calls out to the troops, "Thank you for your timely arrival! You are certainly responsible for saving a great many lives here. I am Tomiko, and my friends here and I came to this town to protect it against this incursion of walking dead. Who is your leader, so that we may offer up our proper thanks?"

 

[WlfSamurai]

The rotted bodies of once-animated corpses litter the street. Discarded armor no longer haunted by incorporeal ghosts lay motionless in the dirt. A wagon sits still with corpses piled in the back.

Windows have been shattered. Walls are crumbling. There are burn marks on the ground and buildings where the woman’s dark Essence had touched.

The town is still once again. The fighting is over.

 

[Psychie]

Leaving the talking to the others, Scorpion looks down at the body of the woman that she sliced in half. "Why were you here? What purpose did this serve?" She shakes her head in disgust, continuing to talk to the dead woman. "You were a fool to follow the Deathlords. See where it got you?" With her one good eye, she catches sight of the broken blade, the hilt still clutched in the hands of the dead eyed woman. Kneeling down, Scorpion pulls the hilt free from her hand and tucks it into her belt as a trophy of her kill. Let those that follow her same path see this and know their fate if they cross blades with me.

Standing once more, she calls out to the townspeople barricaded in the town hall. "Bring me torches and oil, and men with strong backs! Pile these bodies up and burn them all. If not, the hungry ghosts may rise once more, and the bodies will rot and bring pestilence to your town."

 

[MasterDAF]

Deimos walked to the front of his men, taking time to place a hand on their shoulders and give thanks and blessings as he passed through the group. He leaned down near the splintered cart, grabbing his spear from the wreckage and then turned to Tomiko. "I am Deimos of Nexus, and these are my Gold Claws." He gestured towards his assembled men and continued. "We were hunting Bloody Reeds, that soulless monster of the night your friend dispatched, so that we might do the same to him ourselves."

He listened as Scorpion spoke, then turned to his second and instructed that the men aid with piling the dead and setting light to the pyres. Deimos nodded to Scorpion, folding his body into a half bow of respect. "I have hunted Reeds a long time. I had hoped it would be at the end of my spear that he writhed his last, but I am thankful for your decisive action none the less. You have my gratitude."

 

[Psychie]

Scorpion nods in return. "Well met, Deimos of Nexus. I am Scorpion of Nowhere in Particular." She smiles to show that she is just making light of the moment. "It is good to know that the Light of the Unconquered Sun still shines bright enough that there are still people willing to go into harms way to stop creatures like that one." She walks over to Deimos, and offers up a friendly fist-bump to the man, one warrior to another.

By now, her anima banner is starting to fade down, making it easier to look upon her. "So, what is your story, besides hunting down these monstrosities? How did you come across the path of Bloody Reeds?" As she talks, her hand pulls a flask from her belt and she takes a deep drink from it, then offers the container to Deimos if he cares to partake with her.

 

[Sherwood]

Tomiko looks at Scorpion and Deimos as the Dawn tries to bond with the man, then smoothly says, "Well, it is good that you were here. Is it Commander? Or Captain? Or do you just prefer Deimos? We became aware of the threat to this village a short time ago, and were just able to get here in time to prevent the walking dead to slaughter the people here. I am sure that they will give you their thanks once they find the courage to come out from their chapel, villagers being what they are."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Letting her friends engage the new Solar in conversation, as she listens in, and tries to gauge his reactions, and intentions, but the grit of the battle, and the angle she stands in seem to be acting against her.

Spoiler: Read intentions

9 dice

1 measly success

 

[WlfSamurai]

Gatherer, what were you hoping to gain? Just looking to read Deimos’ intent?

The townsfolk filter out of the chapel. No one is saying a word. They all eye the damage, the corpses, and the cleaved woman. They gather—men, women, children—and stare at the remains.

The old farmer, who was part of the group that opposed you all, kneels to look at the woman’s two halves. “What...happened?” he asks. “Who is...this?”

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Gatherer is just trying to read Deimos' intentions. If it was more than that, it would be stated.

 

[MasterDAF]

Deimos returned the fist-bump with Scorpion, smiling slightly at her response. "To be honest, Bloody Reeds crossed my path first." He took a swig from the flask, then handed it back. "I was serving with a different mercenary company at the time, the Fifth-Born Swords, and we working a job near the coast of the Inland Sea. He tore into us like a knife through butter, and if not for the Sun's blessing we would have all fallen before him. We managed to escape, and after a difficult transition I formed my own group and we've been on the hunt for him ever since."

He turned to Tomiko, "Captain is fine, but I tend only to hold my men to that. You can call me Deimos if you'd prefer." The Zenith warrior looked towards the chapel and villagers as they exited the building. "Thanks aren't necessary," he announced smiling, "though they are appreciated."

[Deimos' Guile score is 2, so if I'm right I don't think you're able to successfully Read his Intentions, but please correct me if I'm wrong.]

 

[Sherwood]

"Deimos it is, then." Tomiko offers her own hand in welcome to the man. "We came here because we had a tip that this village was the next in a long list of small towns that had been attacked by the forces of the Underworld. I am fearful that these attacks are just the tip of the iceberg of the plans of the dead." She glances off at the pile of bodies being hauled away, then looks to the other Solars. "Before the body of Bloody Reeds is burned, we should check it for any clues that might have survived the sundering that she went through. Perhaps we can get lucky and find something significant."

 

[Psychie]

In response to the villagers question, Scorpion can't help but put a little bit of swagger on. "That was one of the servants of the Deathlords that thought that she could cross blades with me and live to tell the tale. One less blight upon the face of Creation."

When Tomiko suggests that the body be searched, the Dawn shrugs. "Good idea. Lets see if there is anything of interest." She goes over to the body and kneels down to look through the pockets to see if there is any clues to look over.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Gatherer turns towards the villagers "As you can see," and she gestures at the many corpses all around "what we told you was correct, and the dead did indeed try to attack your village. And it was our efforts that stemmed the tide of death that threatened you all, so that you can all live in peace." And then she looks at those who opposed them, and claimed that they would steal their belongings "You are more than welcome to see that none of your houses was even entered. We have kept our word."

 

[WlfSamurai]

Mayor Weil pushes through the crowd. She shakes her head and looks at each of you in turn.

“We were wrong to have doubted you,” she says. “Forgive us.” She kneels and runs her hand through the blood-soaked dirt. “Thank you for protecting our village. I’m afraid we’ll never be able to repay your kindness.”

A woman clutching her baby shoulders forward. “What do we do now? Will there be more? Are they coming back? Are we safe?!”

 

[Sherwood]

Tomiko motions for the mayor to rise. "Please, that is not necessary. We are here to protect you. Now that we have stepped in, I feel that it is unlikely that there will be any other attacks against you. But, to help make sure of that, we will be taking our hunt for others like this one," she glances down at the sundered body, "out there, and end any threat to you for good."

 

[MasterDAF]

"She?"

Deimos froze in place, and felt a chill run up his spine. That's not possible. He stepped towards the body, kneeling to examine it closer for the first time. We were assured he would be moving through here. His eyes quickly crossed the split corpse, and recognized the more feminine traits that his tracked foe would not have shared.

The Zenith caste mark still glowing dimly on his forehead, Deimos shook his head somberly and stood before speaking aloud. "That's not Bloody Reeds." He looked to his men, "begin making preparations to move out. Our hunt is not over yet."

 

[Crocodile]

Mountain Shadow listened and worked. Heaping up bodies and building piles for burning. Aiming to get it all away and outside of the town were possible and not set anything or fields on fire. The sooner they could get rid of the rot here, the better even as he takes in waht is being said. It still bothered him why they had attacked here, but at least there as some justice done in destroying this lot. The bigger problem seemed to be there were other parties involved or more groups doing this same kind of attack.