[pnpgm] Game Update #142 - File #1017 - The Phoenix & Rebirth
Scott Adams
longshotgm at netzero.com
Thu Jan 6 18:44:22 CET 2011
HT Alias/Player Character Name Type Status/Notes Sex
-- -----------------------------------------------------------------
R1.John Haight...........Arawn.............Druid .Normal/Alfar Ma
??.Chris Wells...........Ben'dar...........Warrior.Normal/Human Ma
R4.Tom Corckett..........Caladan...........Wizard Normal/Human Ma
W2.Marcel Liberty........Chion.............Sailor..Normal/Human Ma
W3.Ryan Torres...........Farseeker.........Warrior.Normal/Human Ma
--.Tobie Bonahoom........Fremea............Sidh....Normal/Faerry Fe
R2.Mark Murtha...........Kell..............Trader..Normal/Human..Ma
R1.David Sanders.........Kiet.Sunan........Acrobat Normal/Human Ma
R4.J H Hooten............Raban.Usherwood...Bard....Normal/Human..Ma
W2.Robert Maxwell........Strie'bog.........Bard....Normal/Human..Ma
W4.Wout Broere...........Unali.............Ninja...Normal/Human Fe
R1 John.Stowman..........Will..............Hunter..Normal/Human..Ma
R4.Alex Koponen..........Z'leyra...........Healer..Normal/Human Fe
R1 NPC...................Zhou Kiwat........Noble...Normal/Human..Ma
Animals: Corona [Eagle] Z'leyra, Tef'wo (Horse) Ben'dar,
Cover Story Info: [HD- House member, F-Foreigner, N-native non house]
Arawn aka Arawn as Teacher to daughter [F]
Ben'dar aka Bu Da as Horse expert [F]
Caladan aka Ca Lu as Guard/Archer [N]
Chion aka Capt. Chu Mai as Sailor Trustee [HD]
Farseeker aka Fu Sa as Guard [F]
Fremea aka Lin Mong as Noble child [HD] [Disguised]
Kell aka Swan as Trader [F]
Kiet aka Kiet Sunan as Zhou's servant [F]
Raban aka Toban Nu as Entertainer/Guard [F]
Strie'bog aka Sun Zhu as Entertainer [N]
Unali aka Tun Au as Zhou's wife [HD]
Will aka Sun Tzu as hunt master [F]
Z'leyra aka Kakita Junami as Healer [F]
Zhou aka Zhou Wa as Baron Noble [HD]
Game Web Site - http://www.furvert.net/longshotgm/pbem/index.htm
Public posts/actions to pnpgm at abroere.xs4all.nl (mailing list)
Private emails (not public actions) to longshotgm at netzero.com
Game Update #142 in sequence (file #1017)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Admin Notes: None.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Recap]
Post from Kell: [Re: Actions]
"The problem of the Vong digging in is bad for the Katai.....
Ha'Kell whispers to everyone near, "Is there someway we can...
GM: Ack.
From Arawn: [Re: Actions]
"I agree with Kell on this," Arawn replied. "Tor is already....
------
Arawn's face was a stoic mask as he watched the man writhe on the...
"I can translocate with three others to the shack if we're to...
OOC: Please reply if anyone is interested in doing this. If I don't
hear anything by tomorrow afternoon I'll post with an adjusted set
of actions.
-----
Arawn just shook his head, 'No', as a reply. His methods required...
GM: Ack.
From Kiet: [Re: Actions]
Kiet marches over to the tall elf with a look of complete anger.
Kiet sticks a finger in his face and angrily says, "No! No more
GM: Ack. I like the god reference! That's how to play in the
pnp world and in character. Always kudos to see that.
From Kell: [Re: Actions]
Watching in fascination, this half-elf then comments, "Listen...
GM: Ack.
From Arawn: [Re: Actions]
"Calm yourself, Kiet, it's only a suggestion," Arawn replied...
-----
As posts are quiet, not really sure what the party's plan is so
I'll improvise:)
I noticed in the description that there is some forest cover. If it
would be enough for Arawn to be able to take advantage of his elvish
ability to hide invisibly (non-magical) in the forest he'll do so.
He doesn't want to alert the Vong if he can help it and will keep
his distance, at least 100ft as that's the current space between
party and Vong. If I'm reading the map correctly the visible Vong
and Flier are on the west so Arawn will try and move quietly and
unobserved/' invisible' through the tree cover in the east. He'll
try and make the most of his elven senses along with Forest
Survival/Forester skill and keep an eye out for any hidden Vong
traps/creations/sentinels so as to avoid them. His goal to is to
make it to a spot where the east wall of the house is visible from
the forest and study it for an entrance while hidden and keeping the
Vong in view as well.
As I'm not sure if there is another plan going on or if everyone
is mostly sitting around/waiting for you to improvise for them, if
a party member (he'll look to Unali first) signals the group/Arawn
to wait he will remain put. Also, to give Kiet's plans a chance Arawn
will not head out immediately but wait with the party a short bit to
see if the Vong are about to pull out of the area.
GM: Ack.
From Will: [Re: Actions]
"Whats with him... still it may be a bit premature"
OOC: Will in not to concerned with the traslocate but thinks we
may want to conserve mana if we are about to be involved in a major
fight. From what we've seen so far people here seem to use telaports
fairly freely. Although its not clear to me whether that's because
it is tough to detect (since its instantaneous) or because they
figure if they respond the where the telaport is cast they will be
in the wrong spot.
PRIVATE:
Why do you ask?"
OOC: Scott, would a head be enough for the spell?
It just seemed to me that some of those we have encountered could
give us some information that might give us a significant advantage.
The boss at the tavern for example and wanted to clarify what exactly
we needed.
GM: Ack. Didn't see the private part in a post till now. IT was a
quote to something I may have missed? For the spirit spell? A
good full body would be best I would assume. It allows the soul
to find itself better. If you explode a body into millions of
pieces could the soul find itself again ? Likely not. So the
more parts the better. But technically this spell has only been
tried once. So more experience is needed. A head could be fine
technically but I support full body is always best. But the
spirit might see you playing with its head and wonder if you
did it and get upset. Would you answer a person that way? Just
some things to think about.
From Arawn: [Re: Actions]
Arawn nodded his agreement and shot Will a grin, though in an
instant his eyes were focused once again on the area of the burning
shack. "Wasn't going to 'jump' unless Unali's plan was to move...
------
I agree. It is a risk, more so in Katai, but under some
circumstances it can be quite useful. If Will has an idea on
who/where to use and Scott defines how much of the remains is
necessary for the spell to function Arawn is open to possibly
using, just depends. And if Will is ever interested in learning
it (and maybe hearing more of the Sidh traditions, he is an alfar
and druid after all:) Arawn is open to teaching it and learning
more of Will's past.
GM: Ack. See Above. But I believe the spell is chaotic? Teaching
such a spell to a wizard might encourage him into the chaotic
arts wouldn't it? If have other questions just ask about it.
From Z'leyra: [Re: Actions]
Z'leyra says "I could turn into an eagle and try to follow the...
GM: Ack.
From Arawn: [Re: Actions]
"The fliers are very fast. I'm hoping you can keep up."
Scott, I'm not sure how quickly the fire is spreading but unless
it grows so quickly as to engulf the house during this time Arawn
will stay put for around a minute or so before moving forward with
the plan to slip through the woods.
GM: Ack. Cool. Someone recalled the past so not to doom repeat the
future. As to the fire shack is pure wood. Fire loves wood.
From Kiet: [Re: Actions]
"I don't have to come up with a way...we do. It's not just up...
GM: Ack. Just to clarify. This is IC not a personal thing I assume
These kind of posts can seem cold and direct. Can offend when they
don't mean to. We lost Whitney that way. Right?
From Fremea: [Re: Actions]
Fremea thinks back to the other flyer and some of the 'tools' the
Vong used. "I don't believe I could follow it with out being...
GM: Ack. The telescope would work indeed if day. But keep in mind
this is night. While the Flyer has no light on it you do have
SOME night vision. That is more awareness to things around
you in close range more like seeing a room using the faintest
light around. If its pitch black then likely no night vision.
So the starlight might work but if theres clouds or they decide
to go high or skim the trees might be harder. Just FYI. You've
not tried it before so wouldn't know it. But good use of tools.
From Unali: [Re: Actions]
Unali: "Z'leyra, that would be worth the try. And as Fremea...
OOC: Seems the week/month of dying computers. The PC we use as
TV/VCR died and has turned out to be such an old and convoluted
setup, it took me a few days to rescue all old recordings and get
it to record new shops. All seems well and the kids are happy again,
watching old episodes of sesame street.
GM: Ack. Glad to hear computer fixed. I need to get a new one..sigh
From Will: [Re: Actions]
Good point....
I will ready my bow and prepare to implement maneuver zebra tango
alpha and if that fails I’ll try the Picard maneuver making sure
to doff my red shirt.
GM: Ack. Time for take Skywalker Blind Shot. If you only KNEW how
relevant that comment was. :)
From Arawn: [Re: Actions]
Arawn looks to Unali and nods silently. He'll wait until the Vong
are looking in the other direction, or at least not focused on his
spot, before attempting to use his elvish ability to hide in woods
and Forest Survival to maneuver stealthily to the woods on the far
side of the building, away from the Flier as mentioned previously.
GM: Ack.
From Kell: [Re: Actions]
Ha'Kell watches and listens as the groups springs into non-action,
or partial action, or stealth mode. Grabbing Z'leyra's clothes, he
also waits for the flyer to take off. If the Vong find the group
then any possible intelligence gathering by following the flyer is
lost.
After the flyer and our two flying trackers take off, he rushes in
to help anyone that needs it or save whatever can be saved.
GM: Ack.
From Will: [Re: Actions]
Speaking of springing into inaction did I mention that I was being
as unobtrusive as possible. Using my best survival techniques to
avoid detection and if we are spotted be in a good position to fire
in ambush if I'm lucky.
GM: Ack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[New Stuff]
[Augado 6th, 1634TH]
[Location: Middle Katai Plains]
[ Pamau Province, Pamau City]
[ South-East section of City, Noble Tavern/Inn]
[Time: 12:31am]
As the group sits around the desolate tavern some continue
to examine the scrolls and records. To some who are simply into
coins the papers are worthless. But to the leadership of this
land they are priceless.
"The problem of the Vong digging in is bad for the Katai.
Assuming we can stop the initial invasion, the cleanup could take
a long, long time. One possibility - make a copy of the list and
give it to Tor. He was already curious and suspicious about the
Peace Brigade tavern. Then he can start the cleanup of the Peace
Brigade and help all of Katai, maybe even us indirectly. What are
your thoughts on this?" Kell asks whoever is awake at the tavern
at this late hour. "Any major objections? This is work we won't
be able to do."
Zhou nods while yawning, "it might just take years to clean
up this place. Not just here but if they are in other lands.
If the Vassa stuff is evidence they are in other lands as a forward
group. It won't be our job. I don't want to risk exposure anymore
than we have to. Stopping their method of invasion is our job.
The others can do the cleanup."
"I agree with Kell on this," Arawn replied. "Tor is already
involved in some manner and has access to the resources and people
that can mount a nation wide investigation. A copy of the papers
along with a brief explanation would be an effective start."
Farseeker pinches off the last piece of raisin bread and gets
ready to eat. "From what you say Tor sounds like he was aware
of the Brigade as a gang not the Vong. So we'd have to show him
the Vong. Maybe without their human skin. That'd convince just
about anyone."
-----------------------------
[Augado 6th, 1634TH]
[Location: Middle Katai Plains]
[ Pamau Province, Pamau City]
[ North-west of city, few miles outside near river]
[Time: 5:41:00am]
The party stirs into action with quickly worded and frantic
plans. There seems to never be enough time to form a good
hour or two hour long plan anymore.
Ha'Kell whispers to everyone near, "Is there someway we can track
this flyer? If so, I suggest we let it leave and follow it. It
may lead us to the next larger base." He tries to be both quick
and quiet. There isn't much time for planning.
Arawn just shook his head, "No", as a reply. His methods required
magic and might not prove successful with the magically resistant
Vong flier.
Arawn's face was a stoic mask as he watched the man writhe on
the ground but inside he was resisting the urge to come to his
immediate rescue. Charging in an uncoordinated fashion could ruin
any chance at securing information and result in the loss of other
lives. Hoping the man could be rescued in time he whispered to the
others in a quick hiss, "I can translocate with three others to
the shack if we're to strike with surprise."
Arawn is amazed at his change. Just months ago he'd have
charged into the rescue to help the man and hope the others
follow. Now he waits, listens and see what the others including
the leader decides. But is the pain of an innocent worth the
time to plan a rescue? Who is the man? This can't be coincidence
as the Vong are here. So this has to be Nom Amor's cabin. Based
on Unali's sketchy map found on Amor himself. Now long dead Nom
was the first wave into this world. The first to spy, gain
information, setup plans and gain allies. If the Vong are willing
to destroy the cabin then either they know Nom is dead or Nom's
allies are not needed. Could Nom have lived with Brigaders?
Maybe the man is a Brigader and his boldness to stand up against
the Vong may indicate that indeed. But what if in some remote
chance this is some hapless farmer in the wrong place at the
wrong time. One life for 7 million in Katai? Is that the
way of a druid and Priest?
Kiet marches over to the tall elf with a look of complete anger.
Kiet sticks a finger in his face and angrily says, "No! No more
magic! Have you learned nothing?" Kiet lowers his voice even
more in case that was a bit louder. "Wait till we find where they
are based...THEN cast all the magic you want. It might help
attract the authorities. But by Domiel's Eyes, stop using magic
until then!"
Watching in fascination, the half-elf then comments, "Listen to
Kiet! We're just outside a city that would kill half this group for
living. Let's do this without magic!"
Kiet glances to the darkness to the voice of Ha'kell but can't
find him in the darkness. Finally someone actually agrees with him?
The acrobat is a bit surprised.
Kell continues, "Fremea, think you can follow that flyer for a
bit and at least learn the general direction it's going? Then we
save all the people we can, possibly any papers inside the house.
Alerting the Vong to us could make it worse here."
"Calm yourself, Kiet, it's only a suggestion," Arawn replied
unperturbed, though speaking quickly as time was limited. "If you
can't follow the craft I hope you have a plan on getting inside
that shack before any useful information is burned up."
The woodsman Will watches Kiet's anger, "What's with him...
still it may be a bit premature"
Arawn nodded his agreement and shot Will a grin, though in an
instant his eyes were focused once again on the area of the burning
shack. 'Wasn't going to 'jump' unless Unali's plan was to move
forward quickly."
Z'leyra says "I could turn into an eagle and try to follow the
Vong Flyer. If spotted I would be far less likely than Fremea to
attract the wrong kind of attention."
As she strips off her equipment and clothes she continues "If
you follow in the direction I go I should be able to find you
when I backtrack. Bring my stuff."
"The fliers are very fast. I'm hoping you can keep up." Arawn
looks to the burning shack. "If not then we'll need any clues that
might be in the hut. I'll wait a bit to see if they leave before
moving through the trees to the far side of the shack."
As others gather weapons from horses and prepare to charge
while others strip and prepare to fly, Kiet's anger seems to
ebb and flow.
"I don't have to come up with a way...we do. It's not just up
to me but refusing to use our talents is up to all of us!", says
Kiet.
Kiet adds, "It's difficult enough to deal with the Vong...must
you also bring down upon us the might of this immense nation?"
Kiet is obviously out of patience with the cavalier use of magics.
Fremea thinks back to the other flyer and some of the 'tools'
the Vong used. "I don't believe I could follow it with out being
noticed, however I do have a way to watch from quite a distance."
With that she will let the others deal with fire and person and
she will setup to keep far back from the flyer, but watch it with
her special telescope. She heads over to the horse which carries
her bag for her spyglass.
Unali: "Z'leyra, that would be worth the try. And as Fremea
watches it with the telescope, we have another shot at finding
out where they go. Arawn, if you want to position yourself better,
please do so. Let them depart and then see what can be rescued
here." Unali keeps cover until the flyer is out of sight.
The party falls into silence. The plan has been decided. The
leader has spoken her opinion and thus the party will act on it.
It is decided even if it means destruction of the cabin to let
the Vong leave and follow them to their base at all cost.
[Time: 5:43:25am]
In the almost two and a half minutes since the party decided to
do something to now the cabin has continues to burn. Initlally
from the Vong hand held weapon only the south west corner was
aflame about 10% but spreading fast. Since the cabin is pure
wood it doesn't take long to fuel it to a full fiery beacon.
The cabin is now over 80% in flames. The roof is a bed of fire.
From the sound it seems the tiny window panes are all blown out.
All four sides seem to be engulf in flames.
But the party still wait and watch the Vong to see if and when
they will leave. No backup plan is made in case the cabin is
in this much destruction.
In that short duration the human continued to wriggle back and
forth on the ground. Occasionally he would be seen to grab a
body part and scream. Then he'd grab another body region and
moan in agony. As the talk of plans were made some in the party
wanted to charge right in including Arawn, Farseeker, Caladan and
a few others. But with the tools the Flyer has it could be
a high risk. Sadly the party members just grit their teeth and
watch the man in pain.
About 30 seconds before the party finally gets a plan in order
the man just goes limp and yells no more. In the darkness it
is unclear if there is blood or not. Only his body is seen in
the burning flames of the nearby cabin.
During this time the Vong flyer remained silent and unmoving.
The party recalls its high speed which Arawn commented on. The
party recalls its rear and forward weirdness-area-things that
seem to engulf matter like arrows or bodies as if eating them.
The party recalls from the carnival fight the antlers being able
to fire hot fireballs but at a limited reload time it seems.
But the danger was the magic sense the flyer seems to have in its
innate ability to find Fremea and change course during the fight.
The lone Vong fighter had walked to the open threshold of the
Vong Flyer and looked in. His ugly gray large skull like head
is seen talking to likely a pilot inside. The Vong seems to
gesture a few times. then the Vong turns and walks back to the
man on the ground who at this point was still yelling. The
Vong gives a good kick to the man. A sound that can only be
like a laugh is heard from the Vong.
Some in the party who are not arguing over magic or the best
way to do things notice this and wonder if they have a sense of
humor how can they delight in pain so much?
When the man finally slumps and becomes quiet the Vong seems
to be happy. The Vong turns to the cabin and nods happy that
it won't be around long.
The Vong then moves back to the Vong and climbs inside.
The threshold seems to seal up in some fashion as the light
from inside turns to black darkness.
As Unali is giving final orders, Farseeker also comments
at the same time. "Something's about to happen guys. We
must remember the cabin will be a beacon for miles at this
hour. Some on the river will surely see it. We must act
fast."
As Z'leyra dumps the final bit of her clothing, Kell stands
by silently and gathers up her clothing. He can't help but
notice the curves, hills and valleys. Some minor night vision
does help indeed.
Finally Unali issues her final instructions to the party and
the group approach the front of the line. All wait several
long moments to see what the Flyer will do. Many urge it to
just leave quickly. A sudden lurch is seen but its as if seen
from across a desert. The desert heat fools the eye in a
mirage like vapor. The front of the Flyer seems to shiver a bit
then move forward. With a lurch it takes to the air only needing
to require few feet to do so. It soars to the air, the method of
movement is still not understood at all. The Flyer soars eastward
over the cabin and toward the party.
The party tense and begin to cower in case they have been
detected. But as the Flyer gets about 30 feet past the cabin
it turns north and a lazy path turns again west.
"That confirms Shu's map at least. If they are located in
the west." Caladan adds finally to the discussion.
Z'leyra and Fremea take to the air in Eagle and Faerry form.
Fremea will lull behind as far as she can so not to be detected.
But Z'leyra flies as fast as she can.
Arawn uses this time to move west toward the cabin using the
light trees as cover.
About 200 feet west of the cabin the flyer suddenly turns
again and heads back to the cabin.
Arawn now about 50 feet from the cabin notices the Flyer
zoom directly toward it. The Druid and the party watch in
grief as a fireball from one of the antlers hits the roof
of the cabin. This causes the cabin to implode downward and
now is obviously in 100% flames. Arawn frowns knowing that
hope of saving anything there will be impossible.
The Flyer then turns yet again around and heads west.
Z'leyra continues to follow the Flyer in the night sky. But
her weaker human eyes make it a bit difficult to pinpoint the
bulk in the black sky.
Once the flyer is about half or what seems like it half a mile
away the party charges the cabin and the human.
Arawn tries to approach the fire first but it is so hot it
is near impossible to approach. As others charge forward some
yell for a Healer to help the man. Arawn realizes with Z'leyra
and Fremea gone that might only be him. He rushes toward
the body.
Chion and Unali approach the cabin. Chion pulls something
out of a pocket and places it on a finger. With shock from
others he then charges right into the burning collapsed burning
cabin.
Arawn leans down and examines the body in the fire of the
cabin. Arawn notices many holes on the chest of the man.
It is as if bugs burrowed into him and made tunnels. Arawn
checks the man but finds him dead. Arawn curses that even
he can't be rescued.
"What did Chion just do?" Farseeker asks.
Caladan watches the sky and shakes his head. "Don't know
but hope Z'leyra can stay pace with the Flyer."
As Arawn begins to rise to look around the man below him
suddenly lurches upward and screams. He gasps for air and
reaches out. "Get them out!"
Arawn stares in amazement that this dead man now is lying
alive. He wonders if the bugs revived him so they could torture
him more and kill him again to start the cycle over again. Man
these Vong bastards are evil.
[Time: 5:45am]
Actions? Comments?
Next Update...Monday...
GM: Time is critical in these short combat scenes. The dialogue
was quick but it turned out to be 145 seconds (2 min, 25
seconds). I use a quick estimate system from an old boring
college speech class. So talking does speed things up
on the other end but if the above was an army charging at
one minute the conversation would only be half over before
the slaughter was done. :) Just keep that in mind when time
is critical. Sign language or Fast Talk does speed things
up but at night SL isn't much good.
GM: Horses - I believe the top roster is updated. Had to fix
one slot. If not let me know. Looks like all have a horse
but Fremea who rides with someone or flies.
GM: No Posting - At this point npcs will be critical to overall
success or not. Without a Player's skills or magic the
party might miss something. So just a reminder. If you
haven't posted in months then there is a higher chance such
npcs will be dumbified to simple fighters. Sadly this makes
them easier targets for death. Everyone has posted this week
but three players.
Chion - July '90
Strie'bog - July '09
Ben'dar - 8/4/10
Now I know Chion and Rob have their own problems and
issues. Chion got some serious ones last I emailed him.
Strie'bog being a teacher has a hectic schedule. But
Chris we all know was a huge active poster till he just
sort of shut down and not sure why. He then moved to
England. But I see him posting in the other pnp game even
as recent as yesterday. So its not as if he is dead? So
I don't understand why he isn't active here. Hopefully soon.
This is only a situation for the above 3. For the others
who have been good posters ignore.
GM: I had to roll dice to see how long the fire would spread based
on the talk time and delay. Sadly it spread over 70% more than
the initial event. Wood and fire don't mix well for rescue.
GM: Map removed. Won't need it now. Some things to consider:
Sunrise yet maybe 45 min - 1 hour.
Shu's possible Vong area is 100 square miles west of here.
That area is maybe For reminder check out the jpeg on the
site for the circled area. From the cabin this area is
about 20-30 miles from the circle boundary. So from there
it might be another 100 miles.
Eagles fly MR 30 (30 a day) but need to eventually rest.
Fremea can fly MR 29 I believe but also may need food/rest.
Flyer is around MR36 based on the carnival fight if you
figured out the math. But may not require fuel or rest.
This means eventually some gap will start to form. First
maybe 6 miles then maybe few more and more. This is also
assuming a slow and normal rate.
So maybe the base is in a short range?
Just some things/common sense to consider.
If there is things to improve that (aside from should've
posted that if gear) that can do during flight then let
me know. Once daylight happens Fremea should have less
trouble tracking the flyer with her scope. But she will
fall further behind as well.
Should be a fun leisure flight in the early dawn....
GM: Health wise improving fast. Sorry for delay. Heck. This
is a soft ball I'm throwing. Think if I was 100% full brain
and health. I could've been real mean! Just to clarify
Vong heading West. City to E-SE. Sun will rise behind the
party if they follow.
More information about the pnpgm
mailing list