Upward from Land's End

[MacConnell]

... Cormorant drops his staff and launches himself, bodily, at the other Ansylin boy...

... Antapkos intends to use the same strategy against his other opponent...

The girl sneers as her forearm throbs. "I don't need the knife for you, mud cake."

While mud grubber was the derogatory term used by those outside of the Flats to refer to those inside, mud cake was the local insult from one to another. Mud cake is the slang term for a sun dried brick. When used to identify a person, it is an intentionally hurtful method of calling someone stupid or incompetent. It means that they are only good for standing in the sun to provide shade for another person.

Spoiler: Speed

Cormorant: 59 + 100(movement) + 60(dazed) = 219
Antapkos: 146 + 100(bending) + 60(dazed) = 306
Girl: 133 + 100(bending) + 20(dazed) = 253
B1, 3: 83 + 50(pole) = 133
B2: 103 + 550(move) + 30(dazed) = 683

Spoiler: Physical Assault

B1: 10 + 8 + 6 + 66 + 100(flank) = 190
B3: 90
Cormorant: 15(aggression) + 12(accuracy) + 12(fury) + 74(d100) = 113
Girl: 6 + 8 + 10 + 66 = 90
Antapkos: 13(finesse) + 14(accuracy) + 12(clarity) + 88(d100) = 127

B2: 10 + 8 + 6 + ... too slow

Spoiler: Physical Defense

Antapkos: 13(readiness) + 14(avoidance) + 12(analysis) + 60(d100) = 99, dodged
Mind: 2 + 1 = 3, dazed

Cormorant: 13 + 12 + 10 + 52 = 87
damage: 190 - 87 - 12(kilter) = 91% * 5 = 5, Mind: 2 - 5 = -3, unconscious

Girl: 6 + 8 + 10 +
Mind: 4 + 1 = 5, irritated, disarmed

B2: 10 + 8 + 6 +

B3: 10 + 8 + 6 + 41 = 65
damage: 127 - 65 = 62% * 2 = 1, Mind: 6 - 1 = 5, irritated

Spoiler: Mystical Assault

Girl: 9(bending) + 10(heat) +
Antapkos: 18 + 10(push) + 88 = 116

Cormorant: 14(conditioning) + 12(fury) +
B2: 10 + 6 +
Body: 6 - 1 = 5. Mind: 5 - 2 = 3 + 1 = 4, dazed, distance 3 strides

B3: 10 + 6 + 66 = 82
distance: 116 - 82 = 34 / 10 = 3 strides

The Ansylin boy and the second Shimadow boy both swing their skiff poles before either Cormorant or Antapkos can act. Antapkos manages to dodge the blow, but Cormorant is struck in the head and rendered unconscious, falling back into the mud. He is noticeably bleeding from a cut near his left eye.

Antapkos knocks his second opponent backward 3 strides, like he had the first, clearing a path to his fallen friend. He can clearly see that the girl is reach to grab hold of him. The malice on her face indicates a desire to kill, harsh attitude for such a young child.

OOC: Each character receives 2 DP. Provide 2 random rolls with the next post for Antapkos and one for Cormorant.

 

[MacConnell]

OOC: Posting for Player 1

Cormorant, who is unconscious, lays in the mud. Somewhere in his subconscious, he hopes his friend can help him. Getting killed by a girl is, in his mind, a terrible way to be remembered.

OOC: 64

 

[MacConnell]

OOC: Posting for Player 2

Antapkos slogs through the mud as quickly as he can, trudging toward the girl. He hopes to knock her away before she can touch Cormorant and defend himself against the Ansylin boy.

OOC: 52, 88

 

[MacConnell]

Cormorant, who is unconscious, lays in the mud...

Antapkos... hopes to knock her away...

The girl shows a nasty grin to Antapkos as she moves toward Cormorant. The Ansylin boy moves out of the water toward Cormorant, as well, but his attention is on Antapkos. He is hoping to be able to move better once in the grass and out of the water.

Spoiler: Speed

Cormorant:
Antapkos: 206 + 300(move) + 50(dazed) = 556
Girl: 153 + 400(move) + 20(dazed) = 573
B1: 33 + 600(move) = 633
B3: 33 + 900(move) + 10(irritated) = 943
B2: 583 + 300(move) = 883

Spoiler: Physical Assault

B1: 10 + 8 + 6 + 48 = 72
Cormorant: 15(aggression) + 12(accuracy) + 12(fury) +
Girl: 6 + 8 + 10 +
Antapkos: 13(finesse) + 14(accuracy) + 12(clarity) + 52(d100) = 91

Spoiler: Physical Defense

Girl: 6 + 8 + 10 + 48 = 72
damage: 91 - 72 = 19% * 2 = ~1, Mind: 6 - 1 = 5, irritated, disarmed

Antapkos: 13(readiness) + 14(avoidance) + 12(analysis) + 52(d100) = 91, dodged
Mind: 2 + 1 = 3, dazed

Cormorant: 13 + 12 + 10 +
Mind: 2 - 5 = -3 + 1 = -2, unconscious

B2: 10 + 8 + 6 +

B3: 10 + 8 + 6 +

Spoiler: Mystical Assault

Girl: 9(bending) + 10(heat) + 61(d100) = 80
Antapkos: 18 + 10(push) + 88 = 116

Cormorant: 14(conditioning) + 12(fury) +
B2: 10 + 6 +
Body: 6 - 1 = 5. Mind: 4 + 1, irritated

Girl: 6(aggression) + 10(fury) + 61(d100) = 77
distance: 116 - 77 = 39% = 4 strides

Antapkos: 12(conditioning+ 12(fury) + 88 > 80

Imperceptibly faster than the girl, Antapkos backhands her as she is bent over, just about to touch Cormorant. The mystical heat that was intended for Cormorant is released upon Antapkos, who resists. The physical blow does not cause much harm, but the additional push of air sends her flying 4 strides out into the water, leaving Antapkos facing one opponent, the Ansylin boy, whose first swing with his skiff pole misses.

Fighting alone, the boy is outmatched, and he knows it. The girl hollers a gurgled command to the Ansylin boy, which distracts him rather than encouraged him. Antapkos hits him square in the chest with enough force to hurt as well as knocking him backward 3 strides with a pulse of air.

Having risen to a position of superiority, Antapkos insults the attackers. The two Shimadows retrieve their skiff and begin poling toward the floundering girl. The Ansylin boy picks himself up and moves through the grass away from the two friends, back toward the mouth of the cut. Antapkos shoves the other skiff out toward the departing Shimadow.

As the four children leave, the girl yells back, "This is not the end of it. I will find you again."

Cormorant still lies on his back, unconscious in the mud.

OOC: Each character receives 2 DP. Provide a random roll with the next post.

 

[MacConnell]

OOC: Posting for Player 1

Cormorant still lies on his back, unconscious in the mud. Being unconscious, he can do nothing. When he recovers, he intends to carefully and meticulously move through the shallows where the girl dropped her knife in hopes of finding it.

OOC: 83

 

[MacConnell]

OOC: Posting for Player 2

Antapkos checks on his friend and sits to wait for him to wake. Afterward, he will check the trap and snares, making the comment, "I hope all this splashing around does not ruin our chances to catch something."

OOC: 62

 

[MacConnell]

Cormorant... When he recovers, he intends to... knife in hopes of finding it.

Antapkos checks on his friend... Afterward, he will check the trap and snares...

Cormorant wakes before Atapkos can even seat himself. Having only been hit with a stick and not cut with the knife, the damage is all superficial. His head continues to hurt for several minutes.

Spoiler: Active Search

Cormorant: 12 + 11 + 83 > 100, success

Antapkos moves off the check on the gear while Cormorant moves into the shallow water. Moving in measured increments in a deliberate pattern, Cormorant feels a hard object with his feet. Reaching down, he retrieves the desired knife. It is a ceramic bladed, carving knife.

Antapkos finds that, not only is the trap undisturbed, but that it has a few shad in it, despite the previous commotion. He takes the shad to bait the snares and moves the trap to a less disturbed location. After which, the two young men take their rest for the night.

OOC: Each character receives 2 DP. Provide a random roll with the next post.

 

[MacConnell]

OOC: Posting for Player 1

When Cormorant wakes in the morning, he will check the bump on his head to make sure that all is good before checking his two snares. He asks Antapkos about what happened after he lost consciousness.

OOC: 94+51

 

[MacConnell]

OOC: Posting for Player 2

Antapkos will retrieve the trap and release any fish not worth eating before checking his two snares. He explains to Cormorant that he managed to knock all of them into the water, giving him an advantage. The girl could not swim well and gave up after that. "That stupid Mala'kio threatened to come back. I hope she does."

Mala'kio is the Shimadow word for a small clam that lives attached to hard structures in the marsh. It is also a profane term for an irritating girl.

OOC: 93+30

 

[MacConnell]

When Cormorant wakes... check the bump... two snares...

Antapkos will retrieve the trap... checking his two snares...

The previous bump on the head left Cormorant none the worse for wear. Fortune has shined upon the catch of the day; for his first snare, he has captured a good sized marsh rat. Taking his skiff pole, he clubs it on the head and then guts it with his newly acquired carving knife. Saving the vital organs, he stuffs them into the animal's own reclaimed stomach, after emptying and washing it of its original contents.

The second snare could have been a lucky payout as well but not with the equipment currently available. The snare is missing, and bits of rat indicate that it had game. Examining the area reveals prints of a fairly large lizard of some kind that must have made off with the snare and the rat. Lacking a javelin or anything that could effectively be used as a weapon against a lizard, that type of hunt will have to wait for a later date.

When Antapkos collects the fish trap, he is pleased to find a palm sized piggy perch, so named for its ability to grunt like a pig. While the size does not provide much for meat, the fish is very good to eat. Additional fortune shines on him again as one of the snares produces a fat marsh hen. The bird is a fairly uncommon sight and even more scarce to catch. The bird cannot really harm a person and does not warrant much for caution. Antapkos dispatches it by hand.


Poling back to the Pavilion area, the two men finish cleaning their catches. Cormorant feels compelled to keep the front feet and skull of his rat, while Antapkos feels compelled to keep the skull, feet, and tail feathers of his marsh hen. Each having a game animal, the piggy perch is traded for two bowls of rice, instead of having to pay coin. The hide of the rat is exchanged for 2 clams, the name of the local currency, even though it is minted in Boga City. The hide amounts to the value of a day's wage for both young men.

GM: With such a productive morning, the two can forgo the day's labor in favor of further expedition or follow through with the usual routine anyway, to begin working on a surplus. With the newly acquired carving knife, careful use will allow for the manufacture of fishing javelins from the native reed cane. The sharpened reed will not hurt a gar or lizard, but it opens greater fishing possibilities, including poling into the shallows of the ocean in search of weed mats. The floating grass mats that regularly drift on the currents from farther East, often hols fish in their shadow. Night fishing in the mud flats usually only draws gar; but sometimes, flat fish can be located, weird fish with both eyes on the same side of its body but excellent eating.

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP.