The Fey, the Far, and the Ugly Space In Between

Tecklenburg · Dec 14, 2014

Per Manbearcat
The dog runs free in the freezing snow, then loops back toward Otthor, cowering behind and against his legs. Dogs can instinctively sense both friends and strength. It knows Otthor will protect it and is up to the task.

Something like a Pouch of Star-Indigo Seeds would seem like something I would have as part of my Adventuring Gear. They're seeds of Feywild wildflowers that glow brightly in the dark of night. I'd like to spend 1 use of AG for them. Perhaps I have to crush a handful of the seeds for them to release their phosphorescent glow. Maybe I can use that in the stead of Discern Realities and you can tell me what I see?

Keeping my eyes fixed on the darkness within the common building, I reach into my pack and pull forth a pouch, expertly pulling the strings on it so it instantly opens. As I reach inside for a handful of Star-Indigo Seeds, I yell to Saerie. "Call the dog to you! It is safer where you are!"

I crush the handful of heavy seeds, step forward and throw them out before me in a horizontal arc into the hole in the building.

What do I see?

Per Manbearcat
The eerie blue-hue from the seeds cascades over the horrors within the building. Hanging from every large, load-bearing timber that connects to the joists and roof rafters of the open, vaulted ceiling is slimy, bulbous cocoons. Thick, translucent, slimy connective tissue joins the entirety of the monstrosity you see before you. Tendrils like fungal arms come off of the central mass at disturbing angles with no discernible pattern or anatomical arrangement.

Worse still, inside the cocoons are bodies in various states of contortion and disrepair...but their white, dead eyes are all...open.

Suddenly, the disturbing mass lurches violently, disconnecting itself from the central pillars of the chamber with revolting squishing sounds. The tendrils jolt suddenly with awareness and coordination. They smash at the building, grabbing vertical timbers to propel itself forward, out of the building, and toward you!

You're at Near range and can make a Move.

FYI for both of you: While this is one creature, mechanically I'll be handling it at 4 tentacles and 1 central mass. Therefore, if you're engaged with 4 tentacles, that is damage + 3. And they have separate HP pools.

Got it.

Hopefully, the dog minds Saerie because Defending isn't my forte! I'll go on the offensive.

[sblock]Wind Slash (Int) on a Near tentacle

5, 4 + 3 = 12
4 damage.

Technique 1: Burst - Your attack deals an additional 1d4 damage (3) and gains the ‘forceful’ tag.

Technique 2: Flowing - If your attack kills a target, you may immediately attack a new target as if you had gotten a 7-9 on the move you initially used.

7 damage, slaying the tentacle. Since it kills the target, the below happens from Wind Slash:

On a 7-9, deal your damage and apply 1 technique, and choose one of the following:

I'll choose: * You have to move to get a clear shot, placing you in danger. My damage roll on 1 of the 3 remaining tentacles is 2. The technique I'm applying is:

Torrential: Your attack ends with a flurry of strikes that your opponent must dedicate effort to blocking or avoiding. If they instead attack you in response to your attack, deal your damage again (this does not apply techniques).[/sblock]

My blade and body are married. From them comes magical power, cutting through the air with deadly precision. One flailing tentacle thumps heavily to the wooden floor. Unconsciously, the song of battle carries me up the steps and to the foyer of the building so that another tentacle may feel the sting of my whirling blade.

Let me know what danger I put myself in.

Manbearcat · Dec 16, 2014

Tecklenburg said:
Let me know what danger I put myself in.

[sblock]The tendril does counterattack so you can go ahead and roll the damage from your counterattack due to Torrential. However, it misses you regardless. The threat isn't from the tendril. It is from its Messy and Forceful Tag and it smashing into the load-bearing timbers of the foyer, regardless if its dead or living after your riposte![/sblock]

The building is well-constructed, meant to withstand the gale force winds of highland blizzards. However, it wasn't stress-tested for hulking creatures of supernatural strength trashing away at its support columns.

The tendril lashes back at Otthor and tastes steel for its efforts. As it does it hammers the primary load-bearing timber for the foyer, splintering wood. A sickening sound of imminent collapse follows immediately thereafter. A foyer rafter and the roofing above it comes down where our elven hero stands!

Go ahead and roll your damage for Torrential. Then you're going to have to Defy Danger to avoid the foyer ceiling collapsing on you and/or to avoid being trapped in the building by yourself with this aberrant behemoth! Let me know what you're planning on doing.

Tecklenburg · Dec 16, 2014

[sblock]d8 counterattack damage from Torrential = 5. 5 + 2 is 7 so another tendril down. Two left.[/sblock]

The slimy tendril lashes across and is eviscerated on a torrent of steel. As Otthor quickly assesses the location of the last two tendrils and the "body" of the giant abberation itself, he hears the sound of the ceiling above him collapsing. He has no time to think.

[sblock]Defy Danger (Str)
6, 5 - 1 = 10 [/sblock]

He acts, crouching for an explosive leap backward out of the foyer where the crushing field of debris would have left him injured, trapped, and utterly vulnerable to the horror lurking in the building. The building would have thawed his icy, aching feet, but the freezing cold of the wind and the snow never felt so good as he rolls to his feet, sword before him, in front of the building.

Binks · Dec 20, 2014

Tecklenburg said:
Keeping my eyes fixed on the darkness within the common building, I reach into my pack and pull forth a pouch, expertly pulling the strings on it so it instantly opens. As I reach inside for a handful of Star-Indigo Seeds, I yell to Saerie. "Call the dog to you! It is safer where you are!"

By the power of my Bestial Tattoo I call upon ancient primal magic that lets me understand and speak the language of all animals. I call to the dog with a series of short barks and a howl. In its language, I am asserting my will as an alpha and beckoning it to me with the promise of the pack's protection.

Per Manbearcat
Strangely, the dog doesn't respond in any discernible way...as if it doesn't even register your call. When Otthor's battle dance calls him into the foyer of the building before him, the dog whines momentarily and tucks tail and runs directly away from the structure.

Hmmmm. I have a thought, but no time to consider it as the battle before me is in full bore. I'll call to Rawr to stay with Otthor and surely he does. When Otthor dives from the foyer of the building and the ceiling collapses, I'm relieved to see him nimbly roll to his feet. I know our adversary is injured but not remotely undone. Now that we have a mind of what we're facing, I suddenly feel a bit vulnerable this close to the action. I scan the battlefield for cover at a little better distance.

[sblock]Discern Realities (Wis)
6, 1 + 2 = 9

1 question and + 1 forward with it.

* What here is useful or valuable to me?[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
One of the buildings just a short 40 yards would put you at near range. Its stout chimney would serve as fine cover and the elevation would give you all the line of sight in the world. You could easily make the climb and cover the distance but its going to take a bit, putting you out of the fight for a few. If you want to try your luck, you can do it with the extraordinary elven speed borne from a life in the trees of the Feywild with a Defy Danger (Str)!

I'll try my luck!

[sblock]Defy Danger (Str)
6, 5 + 0 (Str) + 1 forward (DD) = 12![/sblock]

This elite ranger of the Summer Court is there, up on the roof, and behind the cover of the chimney in a flash! When I get up there, an arrow is strung and I'm ready for whatever comes forth from the building.

Manbearcat · Dec 20, 2014

The sound from within the common building is monstrous. A low thrum quickly works itself into a strange, choked keening. The timbers of the, now partially collapsing, structure begin vibrating subtly, soonafter shaking violently. Suddenly, the majority of the building fragments into a cloud of deadly, wooden shrapnel as a wave of sonic energy washes over you Otthor.

[sblock]Going to need a Defy Danger (Con) for Otthor. [/sblock]

The gargantuan, Lovecraftian horror emerges from the wreckage, a disturbing form of slimy, awkward locomotion that seems to defy the laws of physics of this world. A bulbous mass with various cocoons coming off the center, it doesn't roll so much as it lurches and "squishes" along. Or perhaps it moves by some unseeable, unknowable force. Its hard to say. It has no eyes (save the milky white eyes of the pour, cocooned humans), no maw, and no discernable ears. The only thing that looks remotely of this world are the two remaining tendrils which reach hungrily toward Otthor and Saerie's loyal bear companion.

While you are up on your perch Saerie, you can see where the dog lit out too. Its making a bee-line for the gates, presumably to exit the settlement and get as far away as possible from the nightmare it has been trapped with for gods know how long. Unfortunately, from this same perch, you can see the paired forms of great winged creatures, no doubt predators, high in the sky, circling. Whether or not they see the dog is unknown to you at this point. However, with such sparse prey out here, he would make for easy pickings, due to his elderly state, and a fine meal even though he is little more than skin and bones.

What are you guys doing? You can both make a move, but I'm going to need that DD first from Otthor.

Tecklenburg · Dec 21, 2014

Manbearcat said:
The sound from within the common building is monstrous. A low thrum quickly works itself into a strange, choked keening. The timbers of the, now partially collapsing, structure begin vibrating subtly, soonafter shaking violently. Suddenly, the majority of the building fragments into a cloud of deadly, wooden shrapnel as a wave of sonic energy washes over you Otthor.

[sblock]Going to need a Defy Danger (Con) for Otthor.[/sblock]

The gargantuan, Lovecraftian horror emerges from the wreckage, a disturbing form of slimy, awkward locomotion that seems to defy the laws of physics of this world. A bulbous mass with various cocoons coming off the center, it doesn't roll so much as it lurches and "squishes" along. Or perhaps it moves by some unseeable, unknowable force. Its hard to say. It has no eyes (save the milky white eyes of the poor, cocooned humans), no maw, and no discernable ears. The only thing that looks remotely of this world are the two remaining tendrils which reach hungrily toward Otthor and Saerie's loyal bear companion.

[sblock]Defy Danger (Con)

6, 2 + 1 = 9[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
The barrage of energy slams into you but your feet are anchored into the snowy ground. You lean into it and slide a few feet backwards, but you avoid the brunt of the timber shrapnel, you keep your weapon, your feet, and your will. A single trickle of blood from your nose warms your freezing face.

The creature closes to melee (Close) with you. You can feel a dizzying, otherworldly aura coming off it. It is a hive of inaudible whispers that assail your mind. You sense that staying this close to this "hive" for too long will drive you mad.

[sblock]Roll 1d6 damage, no armor, against yourself[/sblock]

[sblock]1d6 damage, no armor.

4 damage to me.[/sblock]

I clench my teeth and furrow my brow as the (psychic? sonic/thunder?) energy passes over me. Something is powering this hive, this collection of cocoons. Obviously the people inside them are the people of this town. I reach back into the recesses of my mind and my martial tradition. I've fought dozens of aberrant creatures from the Far Realm. Surely I have seen something akin to this before. Something where they use their otherworldly magic to ensorcel the minds and bodies of living things. How do I free these people or at least set them at peace?

[sblock]Spout Lore (Int + 1 for martial tradition)
6, 3 + 3 + 1 = 13

Tell me something useful![/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
True enough you have fought aberrant creatures and demons alike that possess the will and usurp the autonomy of living things. Knowing their names and their deeds...reaching out to their besieged minds with the memories of who they were (or are) and what they did can stunt the possession or transformation.

The cemetery. Those tombstones had to have had the surnames of many or most of the generations of people in this village. Perhaps they even had an inscription that briefly described the lost. I boldly stand before this beast and shout over the insane whispering:

Kirklands, Andersons, Daniels (etc, etc)! You were goat-herders, trappers, and artisans all. You raised this village from nothing against the unforgiving highlands. Remember! And fight!

Per Manbearcat
The whispers relent suddenly and the entirety of the awkward thing seizes at Otthor's words!

[sblock]Its stunned. You can both automatically deal your damage. The central mass has 2 armor. If you'd rather take advantage of this moment of respite to get out of melee range Otthor, you can do that instead. Or, if you'd like to use Flawless Bladework, you can get a 7-9 result with no complication.[/sblock]

With the hulking thing frozen by my words, I leap in with a powerful slash and stab combo of my curved elven blade, unleashing a torrent of nethermantic magic with my free hand as I do. My mind clears from the psychic energy assailing it.

[sblock]I'll go with Flawless Bladework with no complication on 7-9

Flawless Bladework (Int)

2, 3 + 3 = 8

1d8 damage. 6 - 2 armor = 4 damage to the central mass.

Apply 1 technique ( Soul Siphoning ): 1d4 HP back. 2 HP returned to me.[/sblock]

Saerie can go ahead and deal her damage and do whatever she is going to do and then I'll continue.

Binks · Dec 26, 2014

Unless there is something else alive down in that cellar we were about to investigate, the old dog appears to be the only living, "unchanged" being in the settlement. Beyond just saving him because he's the noblest creature in all the animal kingdom (!), I'd definitely like to know why he is unaffected by whatever happened here. Before I turn my eyes to the aberrant behemoth we're faced with, I'm going to mark the terrified canine's sprint toward the gates of the settlement. When I see the avian predators, I'm going to keep an eye out for predatory behavior (such as a sudden plunge from the circling pattern). If I see anything at all like that, I'm immediately going to train my bow and volley. I'll spend some ammo to take multiple shots and hit both of them - Blot Out the Sun - if need be.

[sblock]Discern Realities (Wis)

6, 1 + 2 = 9

1 question and + 1 forward when acting on it.

* What should I be on the lookout for?[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
Just as you suspected, the circling leads to a sudden swoop and plunge earthward. The avian predators are paired Perytons, known for their viscous, ambush attacks from the sky, fatal at an extremely high clip. Its likely a mother and father of a brood that desperately needs feeding as the dog wouldn't make much of a meal for the two of them. They must eat the hearts of humanoid creatures to survive, so making yourself known to the large, monstrous fliers will immediately make you the priority target.

You know that you only have a window for one hail of arrows. If you fire at the Perytons, you won't be able to do the same against the creature locked in melee with Otthor.

I have little choice and Otthor is a stout warrior. He has the situation under control. I swivel my body and the trajectory of my aim. My hand is a blur, plucking arrows from my quiver, stringing them and loosing them with lightning speed.

[sblock]Volley (Dex) and Blot Out the Sun - Before rolling, spend ammo for each extra target. Roll damage once and apply to all targets.

6, 3 + 2 + 1 forward = 12

1d8 damage. 4 - 1 for armor = 3 damage to both Perytons.[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
The stag-like heads of the creatures each respond in kind to the arrows finding a home on their bodies. They let out an odd call of distress and hurtle through the air momentarily before their vast, 25 foot, wingspans can gather themselves and regain loft with a great beat. They reorient themselves as their keen eyesight easily picks you out on the rooftop of the structure. The sound the creatures make is piercing, but the dog doesn't seem to register it. He continues his sprint toward the gate, not realizing just how fatally he might be exposing himself.

Massive, obsidian antlers leading, their pale orange eyes seem aglow with the backdrop of the brooding grey skies. They will be upon you with a deadly strafing run in very short order.

[sblock]If you want to Volley again, you certainly can, but you're going to have to Defy Danger (Dex) afterward as the two predators converge upon your position in an organized dive.[/sblock]

I don't even think twice about it. Although I'm terribly exposed to their strafing on my perch, I'm confident and I've got a rhythm with my bow right now. I let myself fall back into it. I grimace sternly and continue to fill the sky with arrows.

[sblock]Volley (Dex) and Blot Out the Sun - Before rolling, spend ammo for each extra target. Roll damage once and apply to all targets.

6, 2 + 2 = 10

1d8 damage. 6 - 1 for armor = 5 damage to both Perytons. That is 8 damage total.[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
The creatures fly through the hail of arrows, taking them directly in their broad chests. The grievous wounds would probably fell them if their hunger wasn't so great. Perhaps you are the first humanoid creature they've laid eyes upon in some time and the drive for your heart has sent them into an unconscious bloodlust. Perhaps their thoughts are for their brood. Whatever it is, they survive your onslaught and one set of nasty antlers lower to broadside your legs while another set of great rending claws reach for your breast...to pull forth your beating heart.

[sblock]Defy Danger (Dex)

4, 5 + 2 = 11 (!)[/sblock]

I dive over the antlers as the first Peryton strafes by, tucking into an aerial somersault and landing on the steep slope of the roof. I land on my feet on the icy roof and slide down it, leaping to the ground when I get to the eave. As they swoop back around for another run at me, I've already got another hail of arrows for them (this better hit because I'll be at 1 ammo left afterward!).

[sblock]Volley (Dex) and Blot Out the Sun - Before rolling, spend ammo for each extra target. Roll damage once and apply to all targets.

6, 5 + 2 = 13 (Holy moly hot dice!)

1d8 damage. 4 - 1 for armor = 3 damage to both Perytons.[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
As your arrows find home yet again, the creatures lurch awkwardly and tumble in the air. They each hit the ground hard and slide toward you, coming to rest in a mangled heap just at your feet. Both quite dead.

I've got little time to celebrate and no time to get back on the roof. I need to support my companion. I watch the dog run off and silently hope that his tracks are still available to me after this battle. With that, I run quickly to line of sight with my friends and their battle with whatever this thing is that has harvested (?) the bodies of the people of this place.

Tecklenburg · Dec 27, 2014

The psychic assault from the hypnotic, insane whispers slowly begins to haunt my ears. Whatever this thing is, its reasserting itself over the collective will, or whatever is left of it, of the people of this settlement that I reached out to. My mind begins to reel and I know that I cannot withstand this mental assault for long. My right hand works in a blur of steel. My left hand draws forth powerful magics. I weave a web of steel and supernatural force, driving the thing back as I prepare my escape.

[sblock]Flawless Bladework (Int) on the central mass
6, 3 + 3 = 12

d8 damage. 3 - 2 = 1 damage.

Burst * 2. 2d4 (3 + 4 = 7) damage and forceful tag * 2

8 damage on the central mass (12 total now) and hopefully I've thrown it away from me so I can high-tail it out of here![/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
As your elven bladework and your magics work in harmonious conjunction, you feel your body moving of its own volition. An unconsciousness overtakes you momentarily as you fully let go. The entirety of the battlefield before you seems to slow to a near standstill as your own pace reaches crescendo. It is an odd, yet perfect, feeling of being absolutely in control but almost a witness to it all, rather than the conductor.

In a time that seems to stretch out forever, the world slowly picks up speed again and begins to move at its normal pace. Your sword and spell have torn into the hulking aberration before you and your magics woven from the fabric of your swordplay have thrown the whole of the disgusting mass backwards several feet, slamming it against the front of the common building. The wounded sounds coming from the framing of the building portend a collapse of the entirety of the edifice.

Your mind snaps to full attention. If you wish to escape the mindwarping power of this thing, now is your chance!

I consider...for just a moment...what just happened. It has happened before to me but this was more surreal than ever. It was neither technique nor raw ability that led me to that place. It was something...more.

I come to. With my opening secured, I turn and sprint headlong for Saerie's position deeper in the settlement. I can't risk the possibility that the magical madness in those deranged whispers will cause me to hurt my friends. I shout to Saerie and her bear. "Saerie, Rawr...finish it!" My voice is filled the emotion of the song of battle and it swells with confidence in the strength of my allies, inspiring them on!

[sblock]Aid (bond)
6, 6 + 2. 14. Holy crap!

+ 1 for Saerie's Volley or whatever she does[/sblock]

Binks · Dec 29, 2014

The disturbing sounds and imagery that accompanied it when we entered the settlement...I know we shrugged off the effects, but are they still present? Can I still feel the odd rage that came with it?

Per Manbearcat
Its faded into the background amidst the adrenaline of the moment, but yes, it is still present in the back of your mind. You're just currently resisting it.

I believe the dog was not affected by this place because its deaf. With that thought, as I turn the corner to get line of sight (as I hear Otthor's call to arms), I'm going to reach into a pouch on my belt where I store some softened wax (for various things such as adhesive, etc). I'll pull some out, separate it into two pea-sized balls, and use it to cover my ear canals. As I pull an arrow from my waning quiver, do I notice the disturbing sound and imagery fade?

[sblock]Use 1 Adventuring Gear[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
It fades to virtually nothing. You no longer feel the disorienting rage nor is your mind clouded by disturbing imagery.

Watching Otthor run towards me, I see the blobulous mass prone in the wreckage of the failing building. Now is our chance to finish this! Rawr is still on the attack as my arrow flies.

[sblock]Volley (Dex) on central mass.

4, 1 + 2 + 1 forward (Aid) = 8

Deal your damage, 1d8 + 3 (Rawr's Ferocity), and choose 1. 7 + 3 = 10 - 2 armor = 8 damage. I'll choose:

* You have to move to get the shot placing you in danger as described by the GM.[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
The disgusting mass is eviscerated by this final shot. In its collapse, the common building's roof has its structural integrity compromised. It collapses along with "the thing."

You barely register it through the wax in your ears, but the effect on the timbers of the settlement are not so protected. A terrible wailing, perhaps the final death throes of the poor settlers who were collectively cocooned rises in a thunderous wave of energy. Several buildings react as if struck by a mighty wind. Shrapnel flies everywhere as things go still in the ruins of the building where these settlers once met to feast, celebrate, and govern.

Although both of you are safe, but Saerie's mighty bear, being at the epicenter, is injured in the fallout. He limps away from the scene, struggling to make his way to his beloved friend.

[sblock]He is going to be out of commission until you have a legitimate rest where you provide care for him. I'll create a move for that.[/sblock]

I rush to Rawr's side, giving my friend some comfort. I will look for some shelter from the wind and cold where he can rest and where I can bind his wounds while Otthor and I further investigate things.

[sblock]Discern Realities (Wis)

5, 1 + 2 = 8. 1 question and + 1 forward with it.

What here is useful or valuable to me?[/sblock]

Per Manbearcat
Several of the structures are still intact. You can easily spend a few moments removing the timber from a boarded up door. Inside, you find spartan accommodations befitting such a settlement. Goat-skin rugs and blankets, racks for furs/skins, and equipment to make cheese (salts, etc). The structure is no more than the size of a bedroom suite at an inn, perhaps 150 square feet, but it housed a family of four.

We quickly make him a cozy place to rest and I convince him to do so despite his stubborn nature. I get some of the salts and make minor poultices with some herbs and ice, binding his wounds. A fire would only draw attention, so the warmth of the goat-skin furs, and his own hefty nature will have to suffice for now. Once done, I'm going to take out the wax in my ears. If Otthor looks at me funny, I'll explain the reasoning.

Do I once again hear and see the maddening sounds and visions?

Per Manbearcat
They return immediately upon the removal of the wax.

I look around for any sign of wax or lard that we can use to stuff into Rawr's and Otthor's ears.

Per Manbearcat
You don't need to Discern Realities. In a cupboard, you find a glass jar with plenty of lard that should do the trick nicely

As I recover it and prepare the pea-sized balls for their ears, I'll explain to Otthor that this will prevent the sound from affecting his mind. Whatever is making the sound is obviously still here. Perhaps its in the cellar. We'll find out soon enough. I explain to him that I'm certain the dog is deaf and that is why he is unaffected by the sound that claimed all other living things in this place. Now that Rawr is safe, we need to go find him as our second order of business.

If Otthor agrees, we'll head out and Hunt and Track for him. I would like him to help me in this effort. His eyes are keen, he saw the dog light out as well as I, and this will be an opportunity to show him the way of these wilds.

[sblock]I'll roll Hunt and Track after he updates his post with his thoughts and actions and, hopefully, Aids me.[/sblock]

Manbearcat · Dec 29, 2014

Do me a favor in your next post please. Update the following:

1) HP
2) Adventuring Gear
3) Rations
4) Ammo

Saerie, here is your move to care for Rawr this evening:

[sblock]When you spend an evening caring for your ailing bear, roll + Wis. If you have Bandages, mark off 1 use and take + 1 forward. On a 10 +, he's as good as new. On a 7-9, he'll get along ok but choose 1 extra weakness that remains until you can spend a day doing nothing but resting in comfort and safety (Recover):

* hobbled
* forgetful
* sickened[/sblock]

Of note, this is neither a safe nor comfortable place. You cannot Recover here. However, you can Make Camp and you don't have to Take Watch. Additionally, your conditions are such that you can also use the Bolster move for an hour here while you settle in. Finally, this is certainly a place where you can use our Salvage Move:

[sblock]Salvage

When you search for stuff you need in a place that just might have it, roll + Int. On a 10 +, you gain 3 hold. On a 7-9, you gain 1 hold but your search also turns up something you wish you hadn't found. Your GM will tell you what. Spend hold 1 for 1:

* 1 use of Adventuring Gear
* 1 use of Dungeon Rations
* 1 Ammo[/sblock]

However, regardless of whatever you guys do this evening, the storm that you guys were able to skirt has changed course to a northerly track. Its coming in and its coming in fast and its coming in hard. This is going to be a major blizzard with serious "lake snow effect." You better batten down the hatches or get the hell out of dodge. You guys aren't going to have a ton of time to accomplish a lot of things. You have perhaps an hour before its upon you so whatever you're going to do you better spend your time expeditiously and you better get moving.

Oh, and you guys can certainly read each others lips and hear just enough of your voices when you're face to face that you're fine to communicate at that distance. Any distance beyond that, and you cannot hear each other or effectively communicate.