Ashin's Commission, RA Style--Michael Alone

[ajanders]

Poke up the fire: hopefully we can get a light going.

Take the hammer in both hands.

Step off to the side of the opening in the barricade and say howdy to the first thing that comes through with 8 pounds of warhammer to the skull. Even if it looks cute and innocent.

(OOC: Even money I brain Ironwolf, coming to investigate his psicrystal.)

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Okey dokey--you can't actually ready an action out of combat, we still need to roll initiative to see who goes first, but you can sure as heck ready your weapon and/or shield!)

*The scratching gets louder, and some of the rocks begin to shift and fall away from the opening. Even with the fire going in the alcove back where Michael was sleeping, it is hard to see clearly in the darkened front of the cave, but he catches a glimpse of the light reflecting off of a big, wild eye and a sharp tooth dripping with saliva, as the rocks fall away slightly, leaving an opening. A dark shadow falls across the entrance, as a lumbering brute advances into the cavern, occasional flickering firelight shining off the glistening sweat on its thick corded muscles as Michael brings the warhammer down desperately and the creature snarls and catches it in its twisted hand, flinging it aside, though not hard enough to make Michael lose his grip. Then it grins in the shadows of the firelight, a mouth full of sharp teeth, as it slashes at him with both claws, scoring heavy and lucky blows across his flesh, though missing when it comes in for a bite in an attempt to finish him off.*

(OOC: In a rather unlucky state of affairs, Michael takes 15 Damage.

Is demon horse a Warhorse or a regular horse?

Michael's turn)

 

[ajanders]

Good thing the Savage Bard just got approved...

(OOC:I see I came up with the new character concept just in time...)


So, this is what happened to the patrol... thinks Michael numbly as he starts giving ground.
He feels absurdly outraged at the prospect of being eaten by this thing. His prophetic dream was quite clear: he's supposed to be eaten by a three-headed demon.
He considers tossing the thing his message scroll: it's probably eaten the patrol for lunch, it may as well get their message for dessert.
You get the stupidest ideas when you're about to die.

If it has, perhaps, a big head and really small arms, Michael tries to back up to where the thing can't reach him because it's too big to fit.

If, perhaps, there was a way to bring the cavern down on top of them, Michael would consider that. Natural law permits dying spitefully.

Failing all that, Michael sets himself to fight defensively, takes a 5' step to give himself any terrain advantage that might be found, invokes his feat of strength, and wallops at the thing with his hammer.

The horse is a warhorse, but it's probably neighing as loud as it can "Take the cleric! He's a fat tub of guts! I'm tough and stringy!"

Attacking: Feat of Strength raises Michael's strength to 17 (+3 bonus).
Attack 1d20+5-4
Michael's last die roll (1d20+5-4=21)
Critical threat.
Michael considers falling on his knees in praise of Sela right there and then.

Confirm Critical Threat: 1d20+5-4
Michael's critical confirmation (1d20+5-4=5)
Well, there'll be time to do it when he starts bleeding out next round.

Damage:1d8+1.5*3=1d8+5? (I think we round up. I hope we do, anyway...)
Michael's damage (1d8+5=6)
Sigh...

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Round down--1d8+4, so 5.)

*Michael brings his warhammer down on the thing's skull hard, and it snarls and prepares to rip open his throat, but then the demon horse breaks loose and runs for the opening in a panic, rearing its hooves and clobbering the thing on the head, bringing it unconscious against the ground.*

(OOC: It's a CR 1 opponent--as I said, you had terrible luck on its attacks last round )

 

[ajanders]

Is it wearing clothes or armor?
If it looks like it might be vaguely "folkish" - human/elf etc, Michael tries to calm the horse.
If it looks more bestial than Hulgyr, Michael crushes its skull.

If it wanted diplomacy, it shouldn't have tried to rip my lungs out.

 

[Rystil Arden]

*It is not wearing clothes or armour. It looks vaguely human in some of its features, but distorted, muscular, loping, and feral.*

 

[ajanders]

Righto.
Michael concentrates for a moment, imagining two lines connecting the thing's right ear and left eye as well as left ear and right eye.
Once he visualizes where the lines cross, he tunes his Power Attack as high as it will go and strikes two-handed at that point, killing the thing quickly and mercifully.

If the horse hasn't taken off for the tall timber, Michael tries to calm it.
If it has, he lets it go.

Michael listens intently after that: does this thing have friends in the neighborhood?

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Just before Michael can finish the swing, the thing's eyes snap open, its wounds knitting and healing slightly as Michael watches. Still, it is a pretty darn easy target there on the ground, so he bashes it unconscious again, a pool of blood growing around the head. It seems alive after that, though still unconscious, so he bashes it again for good measure, its skull caving inward. After that, it doesn't seem to be healing anymore. As for the horse, it can't seem to manage to get out over the rocks, despite the opening, skidding as it tries to do so. Over the sound of the skidding horse, if the thing has friends, they are being too quiet to be heard right now.*

 

[ajanders]

Michael whacks it twice more for good measure, then tries to calm the horse.

"Knock it off, you big galoot!"

Michael's animal handling check (1d20+2=15)

Well, Michael's relationship with this horse has never been that good.
If it eases the horses mind he lets it stomp the thing into jelly.

He can live with the horse being restive and nervous, he just doesn't want the thing to trample him.

If he can get the horse to where it's not dangerous to him, he needs to sling the corpse out of the cave and burn it.

Then he needs to treat his wounds for infection.
Michael suspects he's just met his very first plague victim.

Oh yay...

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Michael calms the horse down enough to tie it up again, then grabs a firebrand from his fire to start a bonfire outside to burn the body. As he heads outside, he may just be a bit paranoid from the close call, but he almost thinks he hears the sounds of movement off in the darkness.*