Not only are Sprthnt, Antapkos, and Siofrita able to mystically overpower a beetle, each, they are able to each take two before the last two stop eating and fly away. Since the insects were harmed internally and not externally, all 6 pairs of elytra are collectible. This only takes about one minute from start to finish.
The collection of game is successful, as usual, but no notable game is discovered. In addition to meat, a basket’s worth of edible tubers is collected, a shiny, grayish-black, opaque stone is discovered, and a dark, red, opaque stone that contains streaks of purple is discovered.
When returning to camp, the caravaners, including Mishka, are delighted at the amount of meat and for the addition of the tubers. Several of the more experienced guards are inquisitive about the carapaces, asking how the six managed to not get sprayed.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Both apparently having the gift of gab and others thinking of them as twins, Antapkos and Sprthnt play off of one another in explaining the capture of the beetle elytra. Of course, they omit the use of mystical talent in the explanation, making out that arrows and rocks were used, instead.
When away from the others of the caravan, the six, beginning with Britta and Sprthnt, will attempt to analyze the two new stones to see if they harbor any mystical potential.
Britta and Sprthnt find ample opportunity to analyze the two stones and need no further assistance, as both positively identify their items. The shiny, grayish-black, opaque stone is commonly called a lodestone. Having no natural use, people are often compelled to carry it, though possessing no understanding as to why. If bodily carried by a Psionicist, the stone will enhance the mystical effectiveness of generating an electrical shock by triple. If carried by any other Bender, the enhancement will be doubled; after which, the stone disintegrates. The dark, red, opaque stone with streaks of purple is commonly called a ruddystone. It is often used in trinkets carried by indigenous and civilized peoples who are unaware of its mystical potential. If bodily carried by a novice Bender, a stone will augment total Health. If carried by a lesser Bender, the augmentation is the same but of lesser magnitude.
It is expected to require 11 days for the caravan to transverse the Land’s End Pass. With the vigilance of the guards and the Sojourn Six, the first six days are blessed with the acquisition of game. No animal is very large, but the consistency increases the morale of the caravaners. Nearing the midway point of the pass, during the late afternoon, produces an unavoidable and hostile encounter. Perhaps due to the relative smallness of the caravan, a group of reddish-brown Mhytres of average height, which the party later learns are called Medderins, stand in the roadway shaking crude spears that have pieces of bone and stone strung from them to make rattling noises when shook. Mishka quickly informs everyone to prepare for an attack, as this particular tribe of people demonstrates no more social skill than hungry jackals and must be deterred by force. “Well,” he says to the party, “looks like we are about to test your mettle.”
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Kuwaia touches the chest of Sprthnt in an unspoken manner of reassurance. She then nods toward Cormorante and Britta, draws her swords, and runs toward the waiting enemy. Cormorante and Britta nod back and follow. Sprthnt and Siofrita ready arrows and Antapkos prepares his javelins. The three begin walking toward the enemy.
Deciding that the other members of the caravan would be none the wiser, Cormorante and Kuwaia mystically enhance their strength. Antapkos and Siofrita enhance their athletic skill. Britta makes herself harder to focus upon by others, and Sprthnt enhances his motility.
The Medderins are a good 20 strides in front of the direction that the caravan was headed. It will take the three chargers about 7 seconds, unless the enemies also decide to close the distance. Seeing that they are going to be forcibly engaged, the Hazers stop shaking their spears and charge toward their potential victims. It looks like there are 10 in total, none of which seems interested in throwing a spear.
No one can see the ripples that course over the skin of the Sojourn Six, but each can feel the waylines course within. It is difficult to tell, at this distance, how fast the enemy will be, but they do spread out.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
“Going left!” Antapkos will increase his speed from a walk to a run, toward his left, which would be the right flank of the enemy line. Siofrita and Sprthnt move to the right edge of the roadway, so that their friends will not be in their line of fire. Siofrita will, first, fire from medium range at the enemy on her far right. Sprthnt will close to a range at which he can effect the one, inside of the target for Siofrita, with mystical heat, knowing that the effect cannot be seen. Cormorant and Kuwaia separate by a few strides from left to right, with Britta in between them. Cormornat will engage the enemy to his left of their center. Kuwaia will take the one to her right, while Britta will stick with the one in the center.
Movement being about the same for everyone, Cormorante and Kuwaia react far faster than their enemies once reaching one another. Two of the braver caravan guards feel inspired by the charge and run forward with the three. The others, being trained for conflict, spread out to stage a perimeter around the caravan.
Without slowing, Cormorante holds out the javelins in his left hand as a distraction and deflector, while he pumps his carving knife forward like the lightning quick strike of a praying mantis, slicing it across the torso of his first enemy, scraping along the ribs to cause massive bleeding. The Medderin Hazer spins to his right with the blow, falling to the ground, unable to move. Kuwaia does not slow, either. Her style of combat is very similar to that of Cormorante, despite her diminutive size. Her anatomy belies her inner strength. Flicking the spear of her enemy aside with her left sword, she thrusts the right into the gut of the Hazer, causing more loss of blood as he falls backward to the ground, unable to move. Though they are a couple of steps behind, two of the other guards engage enemies in melee, one of them also downing his opponent.
Britta stops short of attacking, inviting her enemy to strike first, which is her style. Deflecting the incoming spear with her shield, she rotates her body to slap the shield into his body, causing him to stagger backward. She follows with her hammer, stepping forward to pace the staggering enemy, striking his chest, causing the heart to skip a beat and all of the air to exit the lungs. The Hazer loses consciousness.
Only a few steps from his chosen target, Antapkos launches the javelin in his right hand. The unexpected move is far too difficult for the Medderin to anticipate. The javelin stabs into his gut, just above the waist and just to the right of the navel. He reflexively drops his spear and grabs the shaft of the javelin in both hands, as he falls back to the ground, unable to move.
Before Siofrita or Sprthnt are able to release their first arrows, the first of the Medderin Hazers attack their nearest target. Additionally, like with the previous attack the Sojourn Six encountered on this road, there are far more enemies than just the group who drew attention to the road. Another unit of about the same number comes from the scrub to the left of the road, charging directly at the caravan. There are now enough foes that every guard is facing two, though the firsts or several have fallen. Of the eight original guards, all take damage, but all inflict wounds. Unlike Vyerbluth, who is considered to be a coward, Mishka has his own javelins and shows no reservations about engaging an enemy. This caravan is not running.
Siofrita and Sprthnt fire at almost the same instant, each pegging the chosen target. Though no one has died, the two archers add two more victims to the total who can no longer move. All members of the caravan are still standing, but this ambush has only begun.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide 2 random rolls.
Quickly realizing that the ambushed was planned in two stages and that the caravan guards are, now, seriously outnumbered, Antapkos, Siofrita, and Sprthnt must contend with the dilemma of looking after their friends and protecting those who cannot defend themselves. Only the nature of the decision is difficult, making it requires no cognition. All three choose targets closer to the caravan. Antapkos knows that he will be forced into melee after launching his second javelin. Sprthnt will continue to mystically heat the target he is shooting. Britta remains in her defensive position, waiting on the enemy to engage her. Cormorant and Kuwaia, both, immediately switch to their next nearest enemy.
As is befitting her personality, Britta taunts in her native tongue, “Komm zu mir, du Schande für die Kinder der Erde,” which is to say, “Come at me, you disgraces to the children of Earth!”
Cormorante and Kuwaia each engage their second opponents at about the same instant, and both are about twice as fast as the enemy. Cormorante steps to his right, thrusting his right spear into the Hazer’s gut, just above his left hip. His left sticks on the ribs, just below the right collar bone. The Medderin is significantly injured but not down. Though the first is over-matched, the second takes advantage of being a double-team and manages to grate his spear across the left side of Cormorante’s rib cage. No ribs break, but the cut is definitely harmful.
Kuwaia thrusts her right sword into her enemy at almost the exact same place Cormorante stabbed his. Her second sword, she flicks from inside to out, cutting a line across the flesh under the right arm of the Hazer. A second Medderin manage to cut her with his spear, causing notable harm.
Britta swings her shield aggressively, knocking aside the spear of her enemy before slapping him in the side with her hammer. Bones break and his breathing becomes a wheeze, as he loses consciousness and falls to the ground. Her remaining enemy cannot manage to cut her.
Antapkos impales another Medderin with his second javelin before having to defend himself against a third. The ceramic blade buries to the shaft of the javelin. The Hazer falls to the ground on his right side, clutching the shaft. The remaining enemy stabs his crude spear through the bottom of the tunic of Antapkos, cutting his thigh.
Siofrita and Sprthnt must both, physically, defend themselves before they can release a second arrow. Siofrita takes a spear to the thigh from her second opponent before firing her arrow, at point-blank, into the chest of her first. Sprthnt takes a spear across his fleshy side, just above his left hip, before, he too, fires from point-blank, incapacitating a second enemy.
During the course of the exchange, seven of the other guards take significant injury as well as inflicting some damage of their own. Mishka and the leader of the guard both overcome one of their opponents only receiving minor injury in return. As only a few seconds of time has passed, the ambush party is still focused on its original intention, unable to assess its lack of effectiveness. The Sojourn Six, Mishka, and one other guard are only facing a single enemy each. The remaining seven are still facing two opponents, each.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide 2 random rolls.
Despite their incurred injuries, except Britta who is unharmed, everyone feels confident in their current mode of engagement, though Antapkos, who no longer has a javelin, must switch to melee combat. Siofrita and Sprthnt will choose targets closer to the main caravan encroaching upon them if necessary.
