Group 22
Page 186 of 203

Author:  Raneth [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:17 pm ]
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Of course, damn Phalx would retaliate with lethal intent, and V saw the bartender topple backwards, several bolts protruding from his torso. She had to save the Shade from a dagger in the back, smiling at her whip's efficiency, and prepared to join in the brawl proper. As the neared the melee, the background singing quickly grew in intensity, and by the time she moved to shield bash some unfortunate fool it had started to well hurt her ears. She looked back in annoyance - Enough is enough, you damn Corsair - but just then all glass around her shattered, and she was forced to blanket herself with her cloak.

Silence followed; the patrons stood baffled, and knowing magic was in play V favoured a quick getaway. Luckily, Elysian had provided a plan, so this little expedition hadn't been for naught entirely. No thanks to V, though, and she well realised as much. Outside, she made to follow Elysian and his new found ally. Vryala gave this Shayla character the friendliest of smiles. Lead us astray, and your life is forfeit.


Author:  Nightcall [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:48 pm ]
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Violence erupted, and the corsair did what he did best in these situations; join in. As hoodlums charged upon Phalx, Casaythe spun one around and sent him packing with a nasty slash across his back. Raising his sword again, he frowned, the noise from Caraoc hurting his ears.

Casaythe ducked just in time to avoid the shattering blast of glass. The air was filled with cries of surprise or pain, and the heady smell of spilt liquour. "What a waste" he mused, slowly returning to his feet and pulling the cloak back over his shoulders.

Recovering, he surveyed the damage. "Quite a mess." He was about to find another local to dance with, but suddenly a strange calm filled the room and the urge to down a bottle of firewater was subsiding. Elysian had returned, and stepping softly over the glass shards, placed a hand on Phalx's and Vrayla's shoulders, telling them some news. Vrayla gave Casaythe a nod, urging him to follow them. Seeing no reason why not, he did.

Feeling rather chilled out all of a sudden. Following Elysian and the others.

Author:  Dauricha [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 8:07 pm ]
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His bolts blasted the bastard of the barman away,and Phalx gave his mad grin. The Shade stepped back, feeling the rising tide of angry patrons about him, no doubt friends of the old dead wretch. He winced slightly, turning his head at the sound of a cracking whip besides him. This instinctual flinch made his eyes fall upon the the git coming at him with a blade. He sent single bolt at him, watching with casual delight as the fast poison crept thorugh the fools veins.

Before he could enjoy any more of this however, the Rats Nest exploded into noise and razor sharps of glass, drops of hard drink sticking to them. He slammed to the ground, a few shards whistling through his torn cape. What bloody madness had he fallen into now. He got to his feet, seeing Elysian return with an unknown figure. He looked at the broken bodies of the patrons about him, and made to draw his dagger, as Vryala and the magic wielder put stalling hands on them. He snarled shaking them off, join the others as they left. The Rats Nest was in disarray, but he had seen the old place recover form far worse.

So this Shayla or whatever would take them to the rats? So be it, Phalx had nothing to see, merely checking Deathspitter as they made ready to follow her to their doom, or glory.

Phalx will check over Deathspitter, ready to follow the others.

Author:  Kinslayer [ Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:11 pm ]
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The group had made their way outside and now stood in the shadow of the old tower, wary of the windows of the buildings on the opposite side of the road. No doubt they were still being watched by bandit lookouts, and thus they did not loiter in case it drew attention to them. A hooded Druchii was already walking away to their left, heading west the opposite way to where they had arrived from. Elysian seemed to know this stranger and told them to follow, so with caution they did as he suggested. The bandit stopped at the far end of the road in the shadow of a building, and there the group approached her with weapons drawn and ready.

Shayla, as she introduced herself to them, knew where the Skaven were hiding and seemed to want to lead the group to them. This put most of their nerves on edge, expecting either an ambush or some other form of treachery. Elysian alone seemed to know why she was helping them, but even he did not seem to trust her entirely, keeping a wary eye on her back as she led them onto a road that turned north. Here and there they passed more dead Druchii, and after winding their way through several more streets they started to see dead Skaven amongst the bodies. The roads here were not void of life either, small bandit gangs and worried looking families jogging through the snow, all of them carrying weapons as well.

Shayla took them to the mouth of another narrow road, their exact position within Vikarh now lost to them due to all the corners and twisting roads. As far as they could tell they were quite far north of the Rats Nest now, but also further west, so much so that the City wall could not be much further in front of them. The road in front of them was littered with bodies, enough to make up several small bandit gangs and countless others, strewn across the snow in pools of blood, many having been dismembered or even torn apart completely. A wry smile played across Shaylas' lips as she turned to face them, casting them a sidelong glance from under the shadow of her hood.

"If you're still feeling brave enough now that you're here, there is a sewer entrance at the end of this road. Most of the rats are inside, but not all of them. The first two mercenary groups I led here were gunned down by warmachines, they are dug in about half way down the road behind mounds of compressed snow. There is no way to get to this road from a side street or to get behind or above them, I have already checked. It's more a case of not letting them see you coming until you're close enough to strike, and then hoping they miss. But that's not the worst of it..."

She indicated to the mangled corpses on the sides of the street with a wave of her hand,

"The other teams I led here killed off the ratman gun crews and disappeared into the dark, only to come running back out towards me. As you can see, none of them made it very far at all. The rats are re-manning the guns between each such attempt. That's all the help I can give you, I'm not heading down there until the rat beasts are out of the way and I know I can get through. If you fail in the attempt as all others have done so far, I'll just have to return to the Rats Nest and try to find another bunch of hot headed goons with a death wish. You'd be surprised, there's quite a few around at the moment."

At that, Shayla left them to make their own minds up about continuing their quest to deal with the last Skaven strong point in Vikarh.

Author:  Raneth [ Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:58 pm ]
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Vryala cracked her neck, casually flipping a smoke grenade in her armoured palm. Not letting them see us, eh... well let's hope Phalx and mage boy are up to the task.

Ol' V procastrinates. When she hears Go, she Goes.

Author:  Nightcall [ Wed Aug 08, 2012 7:32 am ]
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'What sort of war machines?' Casaythe asked with a frown. He had encountered ratmen before, but never their engines. Stories had been told of great weapons that spilt scorching green flame, searing flesh from bone, and he didn't fancy being cooked alive, despite the cold of Vikarh.

Unless they could sneak up and slay those manning the weapons, any further advance attempt seemed bound to fail. He unclipped his crossbow from the strap across his back and loaded it with a clip of bolts. He stepped back into the shadow of a doorway, trying his best to conceal himself, carefully watching for signs of movement.

Realises there is no sense in charging forwards. Will wait to see what the sneakier group members do. If he sees a skaven he will try to shoot it from a distance.

Author:  Calisson [ Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:56 am ]
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The group was reunited again outside.
Apparently, Elysian had found the contact they were looking for.

Seemingly, whatever Vryala and Phalx had been doing was only a diversion, probably in order not to publicize the relationship with that new hooded figure.
A bloody diversion, wine was not the only red liquid that had been spilled.

On the move again, the group made accointance with Shayla.
Despite the darkness and the cloak, Caraoc could guess that her body did not lack attractiveness.
In other circumstances, Caraoc would have cheerfully engaged in a chat, but they were rapidly crossing narrow streets in an unknown and unsafe district.
Even the professional pilot that was Caraoc was beginning to be unsure about were they were exactly. The general direction from the Rats Nest was clear, but the distance wasn't that much so.

Shayla stopped and provided some guidance. Her appealing lips would become visible sometimes. Hmmm. The kind of voice sailors love to hear when they come back from sea.
Too soon, she left the group. Caraoc kept looking in her direction but she had vanished in the dark. Take care, Sweetheart.

Caraoc licked one finger and rose it into the wind.
"Warmachines might not be that much of a problem. I wouldn't be surprised to see soon some blizzard lifting the snow, as far as I can forceast weather."

Then he asked Elysian, who seemed to have the best experience of Druchii lowlife society:
"If these dead Druchii were like the ones we left in the Rats Nest, no wonder why they were flattened by warmachines and freightened by Skaven.
Did you know the groups here that failed? And our guide, did she tell all the truth?"

The snow is there. The breeze needs just a little boost to make it swirl.

Caraoc the pilot - WS3 S4 T2 D5 I5
Equipment: staff, short bow (11/20), repeater handbow (11/20), Sea Dragon Cloak,
Inventory: -
Mount: -
Gold: 100
Skills: Power of Azyr (2), Evasion
Class: Mage (Astromancer)

Author:  Drainial [ Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:47 pm ]
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So the task was far from easy, not that Elysian had thought otherwise. At least the others had accepted his word about Shayla, now he could only hope he had not been a fool to accept hers. The corsairs were most verbal, the others not needing to speak so much; they knew what the plan had to be in the circumstances. The other mage raised the possibility of a sudden storm, a promise he could likely deliver given his apparent proficiency in the wind of Azyr, that might make things easier.

"Perhaps I knew a few of them, perhaps not. I am not too inclined to waste time examining their bodies. In either case these are lower class bashers, not the sort worth bothering about." He declined to answer on the subject of Shayla's trustworthiness, the answer would not be conducive to calm. He thought it likely she spoke the truth but deceit ran in her veins perhaps more so even than in his.

Rather than continue to answer the wind wizard's queries Elysian proposed a simple plan of attack
"If what our guide says is true, and we have no reason to think it isn't, we need to take the war machines quietly," he said "sounds like a job for us shade. I can cloak us in shadow to help us get close, when we have them engaged everyone else can come and reinforce us under the cover of the storm. From there we can try to destroy the machines or maybe turn them on their owners. What say you to that?"

Elysian lays out his plan and waits for objections/comments.

Author:  Calisson [ Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:17 pm ]
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Elysian had offered satisfying explanations.
"Casaythe and myself could try and see if we can do something with the Skaven warmachines. As long as their technology is close enough to what we got on our ships."

Having said all he needed to say, Caraoc concentrated on the weather.
"Still some time before the storm arrives. I'll let you know."
Someone getting close could hear him start a song, softly at the beginning, increasing with the wind.
"Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out alone
Riders on the storm"

Concentrating on the weather forecast.

OOC: :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKbPUzhWeeI

Caraoc the pilot - WS3 S4 T2 D5 I5
Inventory: -
Mount: -
Gold: 100
Skills: Power of Azyr (2), Evasion
Class: Mage (Astromancer)

Author:  Dauricha [ Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:09 pm ]
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Phalx listened to all of it. Let them fiddle about with the tinkering of rats. The new mage was mumbling something the Shade didn't care to hear. He nodded, agreeing with Elysian moving away slightly.

Phalx will go along with the plan, though he not fiddling with no rat machines, he'll keep a damn fine guard though.

Author:  Kinslayer [ Thu Aug 09, 2012 7:43 pm ]
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OOC - Feeling the sudden urge to try and organize another live chat RPG session some time this summer. What ya think? (Discuss in OOC thread)

IC -

Shayla did not wait around long enough to answer any more of their questions, slipping away into the darkness beneath a nearby building and quietly vanishing from sight. No doubt she would be watching them, waiting to see if they succeeded or failed in the attempt. It was only at this point after the thief had retreated and the group whispered ideas for a plan that a couple of them noticed something was missing. Phalx checked over Deathspitter as he always did, and upon inspecting the still loaded magazine of poisoned bolts suddenly realized the other quick death bolt clip was no longer on his belt. Vryala noticed him looking at the space on his belt and put her hands to her own, finding a small coin purse missing which had contained 50g. Last to notice he had been robbed, Casaythe too suddenly realized the dagger he had claimed earlier was no longer in his possession. Either Shayla was as a good a thief as they get, or they had lost their belongings in the confusion in the Rats Nest, a whole den full of the kind.

Despite this brief distraction, a plan was quickly formed amongst the group and their new found Corsair allies. As ever, Phalx and Elysian would be tasked with sneaking ahead under the shadow of magic and stealth, to try and scout the road and identify what and exactly where the warmachines were. While they advanced, Caraoc would try his hand at making the snow billow up in the wind to shield the rest of the groups' advance. All of them were eager to rush through the blizzard and get to grips with the ratmen once more, but Vryala as ever took point and would lead the hidden charge. Casaythe was not too sure about running in first, letting Fiat, K and Saldrimek form up beside Vryala as he drew his crossbow and prepared to shoot the rats down first. He would draw his glaive and join them in combat when he felt he was needed, for still being new to this group he did not want to get in their way.

Caraoc began to chant softly, not wanting to alert the Skaven to their presence even as he tried to cloak them from view. As he chanted, he waved his hands slowly and first and then with more and more increasing vigor, whipping the sleeves of his robes around. A strong breeze blew across the road as the chanting continued, despite the tall buildings either side of the narrow pass. The snow flakes that had settled on the ground were picked up and pushed around slightly, making it hard for the group to see their feet through the cloud of white that was forming below them, and all the way down the road. Seeing that the Astromancer had started his work, Elysian began to utter a chant of his own and moved with Phalx into the shadows on the right hand side of the road.

Almost at once the Mage was out of view, concealed as he was in the Cloak of Dusk and now in a magical veil. As the snow storm continued to billow up from the ground and reach chest height, the group lost sight of Phalx as he followed him as well. Vryala knew that it would only take the pair a few moments to scout ahead and get into position, and knew that she and the rest of the group had to be ready to advance and help them out at but a moments notice if required. As such, she waited until Caraoc had brought the storm up to head height to cloak the group entirely, and then began to lead the advance cautiously down the left edge of the road. Even cloaked by magic and moving with caution, the Warrior did not put it past the rats to simply fire up the length of the road if they got scared.

Phalx followed in Elysians' wake as the Shadowmancer fleeted through the darkness beneath one building after another, moving under entrance ways and around dark obsidian and black wood pillars. Here and there they saw fallen statues that had once stood outside these buildings as decorations, most shattered and unidentifiable but one in particular clearly resembling a harpy. They checked behind the fallen masonry and other scattered objects, such as crates and barrels, as well as heaped mounds of blood stained snow, but still they found no ratmen. Then suddenly Elysian froze, and Phalx came up beside him and checked where the Mage was looking, Deathspitter already raised in front of him. The snow storm was at their heels but did not overtake them, giving them a clear view ahead while those they were looking at would be staring into a thick white haze.

About a dozen yards ahead and off towards the left side of the road, the opposite side to their current position, the scouts could see the first of the Skaven contraptions. There was a packed mound of snow forming a wall around the makeshift emplacement, which had been impaled every few feet along with a spike of sharp wood or iron. These in turn had the impaled heads of fallen Druchii bandits on them, most so fresh as to be blue because of the freezing snow rather than because rot had sunk in. In the warmachine emplacement behind the low three-feet high wall was the wide maw of some sort of cannon. Two ratmen scurried around behind the strange contraption, which was connected to a large barrel by some sort of tube. As they watched, one rat dropped a handful of sickly green warpstone into the pot, and the front of the warpfire thrower let out a spurt of glowing green flame.

They seemed to be trying to clear the foggy snow that was rising up in front of them, and the magically infused flames did indeed open a small rift in the snow cloud for the moment in which the weapon was fired. As if in answer to this shot, a sudden blast of gunfire from further down the road caused both Elysian and Phalx to duck in shock. The patter-patter-patter of fire only lasted a moment, and fortunately was not aimed at the pair of scouting mercenaries. Instead they watched and saw the muzzle flare another dozen yards down the road from the warpfire thrower, but this time on their side of the road. The ratling gun sent a spray of small bolts into the snow shroud with no particular target in mind. Having already witnessed the destructive nature of such a weapon in the mines, both Phalx and Elysian could only hope that the others were not coming down the middle of the road. If they were, someone had likely just been shot.

Moving through the cover of the snow storm on the side of the road, the group all instinctively ducked as a loud whirring noise suddenly heralded a stream of bullets flying through the air beside them to their right. Either the rats were getting worried by the magical snow, or the groups' scouts had just been shot up ahead.

Phalx, -1 quick death bolt clip
Vryala, -50g
Casaythe, -dagger

Author:  Dauricha [ Thu Aug 09, 2012 8:32 pm ]
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Piss gutted sneak thief! I'll peel her skin, and have her bloody tatters for breakfast lunch and dinner! The sheer madness, the utter.. puss ridden wretch.. The spheal of curses at the talent thief, who had manage to take something from Phalx's very own belt, carried on in the Shades mind as he followed the mage. He had no fondness for the bastard, but Elysian knew how to stick to the shadows, and the mad druchii could respect that.

The unnatural snow swirled all around them, as they moved further and further from the main group. He had a few quick death bolts left to him now, and he wouldn't be wasting them in this blinding white blanket. Then they were past it, and Deathspitter pointed forward past the mage's dark cloaked shoulder. He caught their stench before he saw them, heard their twitching scratches and sniffing before he saw them. Phalx was aware of what lay before him, just as it ame into sight. Moments later a blast of wicked green flame shot from the weapon the mad things were working on.

This was followed by the stuttering burst of fire, bloody darkness! These rats with their infernal machines! The Shade turned to the cloaked mage saying. I'm going to try something crazy, get something ready to cover our retreat if we need it. He said no more sneaking forward ever so slightly. He began to slow his breathing, his eyes focusing on the ratling gun, and its horrid creators. It was worth a shot, so to speak.

Phalx is aiming to fire one incredible aimed bolt. He wants to get one bolt, into one of the ratling guns barrels. If he achieves this great feat of crossbow skill, he will make himself known, encouraging them to fire. This he hopes will cause a catastrophic malfunction.

Author:  Nightcall [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:32 am ]
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The shadowy one and Caraoc both seemed to combine forces, the snow swirling up into a blizzard making visibility poor. The shadows were called upon, allowing the Druchii to advance.

Casaythe put his crossbow away. "No use wasting bolts if I can't see what I'm aiming at." He reached for his sword, his hand moving along his belt to his scabbard. Something was missing! He looked down and saw that the dagger he had acquired in the market was now gone. "The thieving bastards!" He grumbled quietly, checking the rest of his belongings. Thankfully for him, his coin purse was still there. He sighed with relief, then drew his shortsword quietly, holding it tip forward in his right hand as he advanced.

They advanced through the blizzard along the road. Casaythe remained at the rear of the group, occasionally turning to see if anything was approaching from behind. In the noise of the swirling wind, it was hard to tell. And then... thuka thuka thuk! He spun around to see that they had reached the ratmen's war machines. One had shot at them... that is if they could see them. Casaythe wondered if they just sent a warning shot or were firing blind into the snow. There was a heavy smell of musk on the air. "They're scared."

They edged closer. Behind a low wall, Casaythe could just make out some sort of cannon on their side of the road. Another weapon. It belched out some green flame, and Casaythe shook his head. "Just my bloody luck" The rats seemed to be clearing the snow with this device.

Before he could advance further, the noise of the first gun went off again. The corsair dropped to a duck. The last thing he wanted was to have his severed head add to the rats' collection.

Being as quiet as he can so he doesn't screw up the advance. Once the stealthier members of the group have made their move, he will jump in and smash up the weapons or kill rats. Whatever is required.

Author:  Calisson [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:42 am ]
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Caraoc was always pleased to see how accurate his weather fore-"cast" could be in time of need.
Apparently, some Skaven out there had been impressed, as a couples of strange noises could testify.

Warmachines are bad for bodies. Snow is bad for warmachines.
Will they run short of ammo before the gust runs short of snow?

Caraoc knew that in a blizzard, it is far more confortable to have the wind in the back than in the eyes.
Let's push more snow in their eyes and into their machine's muzzles.

Shayla had gifted a warm feeling in Caraoc's soul - contrary to some other members of the group, who's belongings seemed to have diminished somehow with Shayla's presence.
Caraoc was eager to prove her to be up to the task she assigned to the group.
As the wind was blowing strong, he could now chant with his whole lungs.
He was comforted to imagine Shayla watching and listening.

"The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm! :twisted:
What do I care how much it may storm?
I've got my love to keep me warm. :P
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form!
What do I care if icicles form?
I've got my love to keep me warm."

Trying to blow more snow towards the opposite end of the street - trying to create icicles.

OOC: Credit to Irving Berlin - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm, song written in 1937.
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP_oy5y4kgo
OOC: ah, males, so predictable... I know, I'm one of them...
Caraoc the pilot - WS3 S4 T2 D5 I5
Inventory: -
Mount: -
Gold: 100
Skills: Power of Azyr (2), Evasion
Class: Mage (Astromancer)

Author:  Drainial [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:50 am ]
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Stealth was Elysian's forte and with the cloak of dusk added to his own magic he had never been better, Phalx too was no slouch though at times like these Elysian missed the unquestionable skill of Vash'nir. The rats were on edge though, or maybe they smelled something they could not see for although Elysian was sure they had not been spotted war machine fire sprayed sporadically down the road. The shadowmancer did not like what he saw, Druchii war machines were bad enough but he would much sooner die from a sapling sized bolt through the chest than be burnt by arcane warpstone fires. The machine that shot tiny flightless bolts much faster even than Deathspitter was no joke either.

Elysian was just preparing to sneak closer still and engage the war machine crews when Phalx informed him quite calmly that he was about to do something so stupid even he admitted it was crazy. The shade slipped away before Elysian could object and so he had little choice but to do his best to support him. Whatever the shade did next was certain to raise the ire of the Skaven and with it a storm of horrible death. Slowly Elysian snuck ever closer to the war machines, keeping to the shadows at the side of the road. Reluctantly he let his shrouding spell fade and trusted to the cloak and his own skills while he prepared another spell. When Phalx ignited this bonfire he could at least make sure that the rats couldn't see where they were aiming at, though with these weapons that might not matter.

Not knowing what Phalx is about to do but certain it will prompt a lot of gunfire Elysian will keep to the sides of the road and will creep closer. Meanwhile he will prepare a blindness spell which he will cast on the Skaven crews if and when they become aware of Phalx (or anyone else in the group)

Author:  Raneth [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:31 pm ]
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V knew her own rankling enough to notice something was not as it should be. Indeed, inspection revealed a small pouch had been nabbed from her person. F**k this ****ing ***** of a *****!!! she thought, of none in particular, since without witnesses the culprit could be either Shayla, one of the Nest's patrons or perhaps even the Corsairs they joined up with. All she could do was resolve to be more alert, as the group moved to prepare for action.

Phalx and Elysian scouted ahead, which was fine by V, although the wind chanter's plan raised an eyebrow. The sneaks seemed to be cool with it, so she didn't feel like it was her place to object - today, she'd be a sword-arm first and foremost. Taking point, she cautiously led Sal, Fiat, K and Casaythe down the road. She knew well of the ratmen's artillery, but wasn't overly worried - those machines needed a full crew to operate with any efficiency. Taking out the back guy would invariably be rewarded with hilarious results.

The Skaven were getting itchy though: first a great gout of sorcerous flame, then that all-too-familiar Ratling patter... aimed at naught but the vermin's own fears. V kept her cool.

Keeps an ear out for Elysian's call.

Author:  Kinslayer [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 6:28 pm ]
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The group moved into position to strike, Elysian and Phalx ducking behind a fallen object on the right hand side of the road a dozen yards from the fire thrower, the rest of the group on the left slightly further behind. They were still concealed by the snow storm that Caraoc was holding onto, following the rest of the group whilst also keeping his head down. Another small burst of fire cut into the snow screen, the magical properties of the flames melting away the magic screen, just as natural fire would match natural snow. Elysian on the other hand let his cloaking spell drop, instead turning his mind to covering the eyes of the ratmen with shadow. It was a well practiced cantrip, and he cast the spell just as Phalx moved forwards, a wild idea taking control of the Shade.

Phalx looked down the sight of Deathspitter, resting the front of the crossbow on the closest edge of the fallen masonry and pointing it at the furthest of the two Skaven warmachines. He took a moment to steady his hands and calm his breathing, before closing one eye and aiming into the very barrels of the gun. With a click, Deathspitter fired a single shot, the taut cable snapping forwards to project a bolt of black iron in the blink of an eye. A moment before the Shade had fired Elysian brought the darkness down on the ratmen, and the bolt hit the Ratling gun while the Skaven shook their heads in confusion. The bolt glanced the gun barrel and slid down its edge, not going in as Phalx had intended but instead causing what looked like a spring to fly out of the machine. The bolt struck the body of the gun and ricocheted off, narrowly missing one of the ratmen as it sailed through the air in front of them.

Suddenly, everything changed in an instant. A wave of arcane power shot out from the other end of the road with such force that even the mundane members of the group could feel it, a cold shiver running down their backs. Elysians' spell over the ratmen crews was washed away a moment before the dispel hit the snow storm, and the spell Caraoc had been holding for some time now unraveled along with the whispered song upon his lips. The snow seemed to linger in the air for a moment more, before suddenly it fell to the ground as a powder across the entire length and width of the road. A moment before the rats had been blind and the mercenaries shielded, now the advantage had been suddenly reversed. The group were more or less in the open in clear line of sight, desperately scrambling for the nearest bit of cover they could see were they not already behind one. The ratmen saw them, and they opened fire...

A long gout of greenish flame was spewed from the blackened muzzle of the warpfire thrower, which melted away the snow on the masonry and ignited the crates behind which the majority of the group members were hiding behind on the left side of the road. Further back and on the right, the two Skaven operating the ratling gun opened fire as well. A stream of deadly bullets were sent out across the road in a sweeping arc, at first cutting holes in the buildings on the roadside before chipping away at the rock behind which Phalx and Elysian were ducked. The machine held its fire, sending bullets across the road and then into the rocks and makeshift cover the rest of the group were using even as the flames still engulfed it. A moment later the ratling gun stopped, and soon after so did the warpfire thrower, the Skaven at the back of the team quickly throwing more warpstone into the canister the gun was attached to.

As Phalx and Elysian watched on, black smoke began to billow from the side of the ratling gun where Phalxs' bolt had struck it and broken part of the mechanism.

If the ratmen noticed, they continued to fire regardless, another short burst of fire coming their way a moment after the first.

Author:  Calisson [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:40 pm ]
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The song was going fine and even romantic, when...
...Caraoc could feel that the backbone of his blizzard shiverred and quailed, and before anything, it just collapsed. Pooh, like that.
The last words of the song froze in his throat.

That's when the blast of the Skaven dispel kicked him on the chin.
Caraoc lost his balance and fell down in a cushion of snow.

On the opposite side of the narrow street, a green flashing light illuminated the ghasty walls.
If the mateys are not in Hell yet, they sure believe they are.

No time for lengthy planning. Caraoc came back on his feet.
They repelled snow from the street. What about snow from the roofs?
A thick mass of snow had conveniently accumulated on the roof top above the green light. It was stable so far, waiting for some new element to unsettle it.

Caraoc started a song which would tell the Azyr winds what was the intention.
"I'm riding shotgun down the avalanche
Tumbling and falling down the avalanche

So be quiet tonight the stars, shine bright
On this mountain of new fallen snow
But I will raise up my voice into, the void
You have left me nowhere to go"

Then, with his hands making a cone, Caraoc concentrated the bouncing of his yell towards that very roof top just above the green flame.
"PAW!" <echoing upwards and forwards> paw! paw!paw!

Delivering an avalanche of snow onto the warp gun.

OOC: SHAWN COLVIN - SHOTGUN DOWN THE AVALANCHE http://www.metrolyrics.com/shotgun-down ... z23B3ylTk6

Caraoc the pilot - WS3 S4 T2 D5 I5
Inventory: -
Mount: -
Gold: 100
Skills: Power of Azyr (2), Evasion
Class: Mage (Astromancer)

Author:  Dauricha [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:19 pm ]
Post subject: 

Phalx closed his left eye, his vision narrowing around the left most barrel of the strange weapon. His breath was slow, his hands steady. In the moment between heartbeats he pulled the trigger, and cursed himself. The shot would miss. It had been a near impossible target, sheer madness to aim for, but the Shade still cursed quietly. He didn't even bother to watch the bolt take off part of the things mechanism.

Then he felt it, a stripping wind or energy or something. There cover was gone, and a moment wicked greens flames were licking around their cover, snow steaming about them. He spat as he crawled away slightly, just as that infernal tubed thing started up again. Any ideas? He snapped at Elysian, as he took a quick glance. Thick tar like smoke was billowing from the ratling gun, and Phalx grinned. Maybe something good had happened.

Phalx will take pot shots at the Warpfire Thrower crew, encouraging the Ratling Gun and its crew to fire.

Author:  Raneth [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:25 pm ]
Post subject: 

The sneaks messed up badly, leaving the rest of the posse to dive for cover in the face of overwhelming firepower. Against the wave of flame and arcane pellets, the crates littering the otherwise open road were scant solace; realizing they could not remain in this spot Vryala spat a vile curse under her breath. She risked a glance, trying to roughly determine the fusillade's point of origin, and readied a grenade to repay the vermin in kind.

V lobs the ball (Hail Mary!)

Author:  Nightcall [ Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:47 am ]
Post subject: 

Casaythe was no weaver of magic. But he felt something in the air shortly before their own spells were shattered in the blink of an eye. "What's this?" he wondered, "Do they have a sorcerer of their own?" He hoped not.

All hell broke loose as the stealthy attack failed. He growled to himself in annoyance, sheathing his sword and grabbing his glaive in both hands. As Vryala threw a grenade towards the Skaven, he risked a peek over the top of the crates. Ducking back down, with his back to the enemy, he threw a glance at the others scrappers of the group. Time to sort out these rat bastards. They couldn't hide here all day...

Getting ready to attack.

Author:  Drainial [ Sat Aug 11, 2012 10:35 pm ]
Post subject: 

The thing about Phalx was that Phalx was crazy. That meant he had lots of mad cap plans. The thing about Phalx's madcap plans was that although some of them worked surprisingly well it was also somewhat surprising just how wrong they could go. The storm of warmachine fire while deadly was the least of Elysian's worries.

"Gods above and below is every second person in this city a wizard!" Elysian hissed to himself. What was it this time? Had Kirathi caught up with them? Another Grey Seer perhaps or something entirely new. All he knew was that there was a mage of unknown power on top of an already entrenched position and their element of surprise was well and truly lost. At least the loud bolt thrower machine was billowing smoke but the warp fire contraption was still apparently in working order.

Although somewhat hesitant to cast again with the unknown wizard around Elysian reached out to the wind of Chamon and looked for a weak spot. He did not know the workings of the gun well enough to do anything with the inner workings, he might end up blowing up half the street for all he knew. Instead he sought out some inconsequential piece, a handful of bolts or a wheel nut, something to take it out of action even briefly.

Elysian will cast a quick spell on the warp fire thrower trying to sabotage it in some way. Making a wheel fall of, making the trigger seize up, that sort of thing.

Author:  Kinslayer [ Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:21 pm ]
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The group were hunkered down behind cover and fallen stone, listening as the patter and whoosh! of Skaven weapons fire soared through the air overhead. Whatever advantage they had hoped to gain by sneaking up on the weapons teams seemed to have failed to occur, as now they risked death at close range. Fortunately for them, the ratmen seemed to either be firing wildly down the street or to have absolutely no aim or control of their weapons what so ever. For a moment at least, the arcane pair within the group were a little more concerned about what had just dispelled their castings, for it was no doubt more to worry about than a couple of little ratmen missile contraptions.

As Vryala pulled the pin on a fire bomb and hurled it overhead towards the first warmachine, both Mages' were channeling the Winds of Magic once more. Phalx took aim with his crossbow at the warpfire thrower and sent forth a spray of bolts, the sharp projectiles clattering off the side of the wide barrel of the machine and causing the Skaven to turn it his way. He ducked behind cover again as another gout of greenish flame was spewed across the road, melting snow and engulfing the splinters of broken crates and the flesh of fallen corpses in arcane flames. The ratling gun opened up again as well, another hail of bullets chipping away at the rock he and Elysian were hiding behind, causing more black smoke to pour from the strange but deadly machine as it started to clatter louder and louder as it fired.

Elysian was just working one of the important looking bolts of the warpfire thrower out of place with a Chamon fueled spell when the whole thing suddenly erupted in a fiery explosion, Vryalas' fire bomb connecting with the ground just behind the dangerous machine. The rear Skaven gunner was lost in a ball of flame a moment before the warmachine was enveloped as well, and when the fire died down enough for them to see both ratmen were dead and the gun itself was alight. As the flames danced across the flammable parts of the contraption, the canister of warpstone dust that fueled it hissed and steamed, sounding like it was about to blow up at any moment. Fortunately for the group, it was then that Caraoc finished his next chant, and a sudden tremor across the nearby rooftops dislodged the snow that had built up there.

On the left side of the road the snow came crashing down, and the now unarmed warpfire thrower was covered in a thick blanket of the white powder just as it began to shake and convulse. As far as the group could tell, the snow put out the flames that were causing the unstable contraption to hiss and smoke and had stopped it from blowing the road asunder. The ratling gun however was still as much of a problem as before, and despite the rooftops above it trembling with a wave of energy, the snow there did not budge. Caraoc could not bring the white blanket down on top of the second gun, but as the ratmen once again caught sight of one of the group they opened fire again, sending a stream of bullets into the floor and across their cover. This time, the smoke that was pouring from the weapon was suddenly belched upwards in a thick cloud, and the pattering of fire faded away into a series of hollow clicks.

They risked a glance out of cover, and saw that the two ratmen manning the deadly machine were looking at it in confusion, one of them trying to fix something with a spanner while the other shook the barrel of the gun as if attempting to make it start again. There was no time to lose, the other members of the group were already poised to strike and these few seconds might be the only chance they got to advance upon the entrenched weapons team without being shot at. To the groups surprise, Casaythe was the first to ditch cover and charge across the open road, throwing himself into the confused and rather terrified looking Skaven crew as they ditched their warmachine and tried to run. Fiat, Saldrimek, Karonath and Vryala were right behind him, with Phalx, Elysian and Caraoc also advancing now that the way ahead was clear, the ratmen being cut down as they turned to flee.

They stopped where the ratling gun had been dropped, some of the group removing parts of it and disconnecting its ammunition feed so that it would not be fired again, as others checked the buried warpfire thrower too no longer presented a hazard. They had not forgotten what Shayla said lay ahead however, and now two dozen yards further along the road they could see the wall where the road met with a dead end, a small stone structure with a wide door, clearly marked as an entrance to the sewers. There, in the darkness of the hollow doorway, a multitude of evil red eyes were watching them, and the chittering of malicious ratmen echoed out from inside. As the group formed up on the now open that lay before the doorway, a deep tremor sounded from within, like the footsteps of a monster coming forth from the deep.

Most members of the group knew the Skaven bred foul parodies of rat and ogre and raised them for war, and indeed most of them had faced them before. They knew how deadly they could be.

Author:  Calisson [ Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:20 am ]
Post subject: 

The snow avalanche fell where expected, albeit a little bit late, when the Skaven flamethrower already had been disabled and its servants killed.
At least, the snow had put down the resulting fire.
When Caraoc turned his attention to whatever other machine that could be left, it had been already assaulted by the group.

The preliminary part of the group's assault on the Skaven had been very close to become a dramatic failure. Somehow it turned out to be successful.
The group had made its way. Nothing had been lost - except maybe every element of surprise.


On his way, Caraoc observed how the snow melted by the Skaven flaming machine had frozen again and created plaques of slippery ice - with some greenish hue.
Something to keep in mind.

Caraoc made a comprehensive investigation of those two strange ratmen's machines.
Definitively odd. Nothing of human or dwarven origins that Caraoc had been able to see in his life could match the mad strangeness of this technology.
Caraoc grumbled to himself:
"How in the world could that work at all? Gimme a good ol' Reaper Bolt Thrower anytime, but that?"
Then he proceeded on to destroy whatever he could. Those machineries would certainly work less functionally after the amputations he had made.


Once done with the warmachines, Caraoc joined the group which was gathering near the end of the street.
The entrance of the sewers was there. Not much could be seen. Much more could be heard.
Various squeaks indicated a numerous presence. More worrisome, heavy footsteps coming forth from the deep were becoming more and more audible.
"Uh uh!" grumbled Caraoc. That sound was a bad omen.
The Skaven had surprised the group with fancy warmachines and with counterspells. What nasty surprise would come out this time?

In order to counter that, could the group quickly prepare a surprise of their own?

Caraoc told to the group:
"When you move, beware of patches of ice in the middle of the street. The street's sides near the walls remain safe, with regular snow.
Whatever comes out of this burrow might be surprised and slipper."

This idea made him chuckle. "Hmph hmph hmph!" There was a lot of snow accumulated in front of the sewer's entrance, brought by Caraoc's blizzard. With the prevailing cold, it would not take much for it to freeze.
Even the stars, Caraoc's good old friends, would laugh at the sight of a mighty beast skidding off balance and falling free.
With a nasty smile, Caraoc muttered a song as he imagined the snow in front of the sewer's entrance becoming as slippery as the most glazing black ice.
"Floating downwards - free-fall fast
Skating sideways - slowly now
Floating backwards - free-fall fast
Loop to loop - Ice skating at night...
Floating downwards - free-fall fast
Skating sideways - slowly now
Floating backwards - stars a sight
High above - Ice skating at night..."

Beware of the slippery ice just at the entrance of the sewers.

OOC: The Ocean Blue - Ice Skating at Night
Music and ice skating: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xilzl4 ... ight_music
Lyrics: http://www.lyrics007.com/Ocean%20Blue%2 ... yrics.html

Caraoc the pilot - WS3 S4 T2 D5 I5
Inventory: - Mount: -
Gold: 100
Skills: Power of Azyr (2), Evasion
Class: Mage (Astromancer)

Author:  Nightcall [ Mon Aug 13, 2012 7:44 pm ]
Post subject: 

Casaythe smiled as the grenade exploded with a boom, the sounds of splintering wood mixing with panicked squeaks. The mages were at it again, and the arcane fire of the damaged war machine was soon extinguished by a mini avalanche falling from the rooftops. Now was his chance.

With a feral growl, the corsair leaped up over the crates, sweeping his glaive around his body as he sought Skaven to hack to pieces. The smell of scorched fur hung in the air, along with fear musk. "Disgusting creatures." he thought as he aimed his sharp headed weapon at a fleeing member of the rat crew. The others took heart from his efforts, or so he assumed. They more likely were taking advantage of him making himself a hated target, to move past the enemy with less attention drawn at themselves.

After a short while, they made it past the blockade. As red eyes stared from the sewer entrance, it was unclear to the group how many more rats they had to face. Casaythe was sure that worse was to come. 'What we need now is for that pack of escaped cold ones.' he joked, imagining the stinking reptiles charging in to the sewer and munching the way clear.

Casaythe grinned at Caroac, noticing the way he was salvating after that female thief. 'Yeah, yeah, I'll watch the ice, Caraoc. You just watch her, she'll steal more than your heart...'

Standing with his back to the tunnel, on guard, in the off chance that they get attacked from the rear whilst the decision to advance is made.

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