The Untamed Wilds: Caravan Campaign

[MacConnell]

An Actual Surrender

The uninjured Evipau girl holds her hands open in front of her as the Seekers gather around her. She kneels, setting her dropped bow away from her. Holding her left hand away from her body, she takes an arrow in her right in a non-threatening manner. She then makes a small cut on her left forearm above her bracer. Dropping the arrow, she take the first two finger of her right hand and presses them to the cut, then holds the fingers forward toward Sannit.

GM: Interpret: Mind + Knowledge + Wisdom + Exposure + Luck - 100

[sblock=Interpret]Sheldon = 21 + 11 - 100 = -68
Tor = 14 + 63: 1d100 36 - 100 = -23
Merin = 17 + 92 + 82 - 100 = 91
Indigo = 21 + 75 - 100 = -4
Sannit = 19 + 50 - 100 = -31
Bolo = 23 + 62 - 100 = -15
Saemund = 17 + 70 - 100 = -13[/sblock]

GM: While everyone is considering the meaning of the gesture, Merin conveys that this is a demonstration of an unconditional surrender. He is not sure why he remembers this, perhaps from some long ago childhood memory of an engagement between the Amiradtha and Evipau.

Sheldon nods,
"If I lead, we can step up Indigo's suggestion. As my skill with manipulating way has improved, I can not only charm or muddle the woman. I can compel her. There is no way to surpass the language barrier but I think we can learn much and then send her in the opposite direction with her unconscious mate."

GM: Compel: (reduce Will, requires at least 1 rank in Theologic) Range / Affect: Cohesion + Persona Effectiveness: Essence + Mind + Knowledge + Cohesion + Persona + Wisdom + Collegiate + Theologic +... Resist: Essence + Mind + Cohesion + Persona + Will

[sblock=Compel]Sheldon = 58
Tor = 45
Merin = 50
Indigo = 55
Sannit = 48
Bolo = 58
Saemund = 48
Total = 362
Effectiveness = 362 + 95 + 88(luck) = 545 - 60(resist) = 485
Loss = 485% * 11 = 53[/sblock]
[sblock=Time]1 Hour[Loss/(Cohesion + Persona + Will)] = 1 Hour(53/60) = 53 minutes[/sblock]

GM: The Evipau girl has been Compelled for 53 minutes. How do you proceed?

 

[MacConnell]

Assessing the Battle

GM: Eight Evipau Skirmishers were killed or will die momentarily. One has been captured, unconscious, and one has been Compelled but is unharmed. Everyone receives 3 xp for stating intentions, 10 xp for combat, and 2 xp for the capture situation, thus far. Saemund receives 1 extra xp since he was the only one injured.

 

[Kwargrow]

Sannit looks with disgust at the woman who tried to kill them and refuses to acknowledge her bloody fingers. He picks up the discarded arrow and snaps it in front of her face. "Your life is ours now," he says in a low voice. He tosses aside the arrowhead and puts the end of the arrow in her hand. He points to the dirt and even though he knows she cannot understand the words says, "Draw the surrounding area, and include any important places and any dangers. Draw it like you would want us to find these places and avoid any harm." He glances over his shoulder at the other Seekers. "Would someone make a copy, please?"

While the other Seekers gather the info, Bolo keeps an arrow nocked and stays alert.

Turtle snuffles around, making sure he gets the scent of these strangers in case they attack again.

 

[MacConnell]

Engaging the Conversation

OOC: Sylvar really needs to engage in the situation since Saemund has an arrow sticking out of him.

GM: Bolo, who is almost constant in her desire to detect intent in others, lets everyone know that the girl truly intends to comply with Sannit's request but shows no indication of understanding.

Sheldon looks at Merin as he explained the girl's gesture, then at Sannit as he spoke his thoughts, adding his own.
"These hostile peoples we encounter, I do not understand their extremism. Everything is so violent with them, even their attempt at communication. Sure, I can kill. I can kill to protect. I can kill to eat, but to cause harm for the sake of causing it or making a point, I cannot understand. This is the first who has ever surrendered, which indicates to me that she values her own life. I wonder if given the chance to begin again away from her current clan, if she choose a different style of life."

He clears the straw from the ground in front of the girl, then takes the broken arrow shaft from her. He draws a couple of of pines, then points to the surrounding trees. He then draws a tree that looks like an oak, handing the arrow back to the girl and shrugging.

The girl nods her head emphatically and points to the north, northeast. She then bends her hand at the elbow and rows it twice in that direction before pointing again.
[sblock=Interpret]Sheldon = 21 + 80 - 100 = 1
Tor = 14 + 99 + 66 - 100 = 79
Merin = 17 + 52 + 91 - 100 = 60
Indigo = 21 + 92 - 100 = 13
Sannit = 19 + 81 - 100 = 0
Bolo = 23 + 52 - 100 = -25
Saemund = 17 + 83 - 100 = 0[/sblock]

GM: After a brief interchange, it is decided that the gesture means twice over the horizon, which is about a 7 hours' walk. The intercourse of gesture and mark continues and the following information is gathered: There are 5 archers and 5 axe wielders left encamped at the tree. The clan is controlled by 3 witches of whom the girl is very afraid. The witches are wanting people for victims on whom to practice their dark arts.

After receiving what he figures is all the pertinent information that the girl has to provide, Sheldon points to the trinkets the girls is wearing and has her remove them. He gives her, her bow and one arrow, hoping the Seekers approve since it was not discussed and takes her to the other, now conscious, clan mate. Taking the trinkets from that girls also, he helps her stand and instructs the compelled girls by gesture to take her mate and head due south.

"My thinking is this: due south is opposite of where we need to go, that is obvious. Leaving them with one arrow allows them the opportunity to get food but not pursue aggression. It will take enough time for the injured girl days, if not weeks to recover naturally. We may yet again see them as foes, but we have now given them the opportunity to try a different lifestyle."

 

[MacConnell]

Assessing the Aftermath, Part 2

OOC: Sheldon: Lizardskin Tunic, 3 damage. Tor: Knobbed Lizardskin Vest: 20 damage. Merin: Black Snakeskin Surcoat: 3 damage. Laminar Deerskin Belt: 8 damage. Sannit: Pigskin hauberk: 25 damage. Silk Hauberk: 11 damage. Bolo: Lizardskin Tunic: 2 damage. Saemund: Body: 8 damage Black Snakeskin Tunic: 18 damage. Silk hauberk: 18 damage. Hoghide Shendyt: 6 Damage.

 

[Kwargrow]

Sannit strokes his beard as he considers the information from their captive. "How do we want to proceed?" he asks the Seekers. "Do we want to go straight in fighting? The last time we faced a bender one of them was enough to give us trouble, and now we have three ahead of us. We should consider sneaking around to attack them from behind, taking out the witches before we have to face the other fighters. In any case we should divide up into smaller, coordinated groups so that any area effects like the fireballs from that last sorceress won't hit us all at once."

After group healing Saemund, San-Bolo will search the bodies, looting anything valuable or interesting, including any material that can help repair their armor.

Turtle will stand watch. He wants to play or maybe find something to eat, but he understands this is still a dangerous place.

 

[MacConnell]

Mending Saemund

After group healing Saemund, San-Bolo will search the bodies, looting anything valuable or interesting, including any material that can help repair their armor.

GM: Mending: (restoring lost Body points) Essence + Mind + Knowledge + Confluence + Will + Wisdom +... Collegiate + Aberrative / Academic / Theologic +...

[sblock=Mending]Total Effectiveness = 353 + 30 = 383
Time = 10 days[8(loss)/{383(effectiveness) + 17(Saemund)}] = 4 hours, 48 minutes[/sblock]

GM: It will take 4 hours and 48 minutes for Saemund's wound to completely mend. This process can be augmented again in 3 minutes and 36 seconds.

Sheldon an Indigo aide in searching the fallen.

OOC: New Items Collected: 1 Yellow Stone 1 Rooster Feather Talisman 1 Songbird Foot Talisman 2 Zinc Ingots 4 Iron Ingots 1 Brown Stone 1 Boar Tusk Talisman 5 Tin Ingots 1 Crow Feather Talisman 3 Copper Ingots 1 Green Stone 1 Snake Moulting 1 Rodent Skull 1 Aluminum Ingot 1 Swift Feather Talisman 1 Vulture Feather Talisman 1 Red Stone 1 Raccoon Skull

GM: Repair Armor: (This may not be done collectively, but a more skilled person may repair another's armor.) Effectiveness = Mind + Knowledge + Wisdom + Commercial + Mercantile +... Sheldon: 32 Tor: 24 Merin: 27 Indigo: 31 Sannit: 28 Bolo: 30 Saemund: 25

OOC: Armor After Repairs: Sheldon: Lizardskin Tunic, 2 damage. Tor: Knobbed Lizardskin Vest: 14 damage. Merin: Black Snakeskin Surcoat: 2 damage. Laminar Deerskin Belt: 5 damage. Sannit: Pigskin hauberk: 17 damage. Silk Hauberk: 7 damage. Bolo: Lizardskin Tunic: 2 damage. Saemund: Black Snakeskin Tunic: 12 damage. Silk hauberk: 12 damage. Hoghide Shendyt: 4 Damage.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Merin says, "If there are benders, they will probably be more resistant to Way than most of the foes we have encountered. It would be best to take them out from a distance, likely with bows or spears. If we DO use Way, then we should probably stick with physical spells, such as fire. I have been improving my skill with Way, and have been able to use it to make punching attacks at a distance. I might be able to render one or more of the benders unconscious in this manner, if we can take them by surprise."

Tor nods, then adds, "I think we should try to repair our armor one more time, since it is still so heavily damaged. And perhaps holding pieces of leather, or perhaps thread, would help to augment the effort? In the same way as lighter pine augments fire spells? It's worth a try."

GM: The armor cannot be repaired again in a makeshift manner. It will need to be properly corrected after returning to town. Unlike living things that will repair themselves. Armor is a one time shot. The characters will need to improve their skills.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

As the party members are discussing tactics, a thought crosses Merin's mind:

~We have so many extra charms and talismans and stones; I wonder if we could have some of them sewn into corded leather collars for Myth and Turtle. I wonder if they would benefit from them in the same manner that we do?~

GM: Even if the animals could be fitted, which Turtle cannot, they would receive no benefit. Most people wearing the charms are receiving no benefit. The bearer must be able to manipulate way to receive any benefit. The degree of benefit also varies depending on the Benders proclivity.

 

[Sylvar B.]

I'll take fireballs over arrows I think, I like Sannit's plan