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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fox Lee" data-source="post: 5469456" data-attributes="member: 4346">- - -SESSION 1- - -With this rather alternative opening, Torrent isn't actually around. Instead, Pan has been in the bar some of the evening, waiting for somebody from the resistance to contact her. Since Olive is happily serving drinks for her, Acid has assumed the bar isn't so closed after all, and is steadily pissing off Brynn by only ordering water. Pan has been bothering "Fasrain" for some time, chattering on about what's happening, while he's mostly ignoring her.The White Mask shows up a little before midnight, finding the note about Iriah's arrest and immediately pressing Brynn - somebody he's met plenty of times before - with questions. She explains the situation, from the sealing of the city gates to the Aurite army approaching, and confirms to Mask that she and Olive are working for the resistance now. In private (Pan is probably eavesdropping on them) Mask also explains his recent exploits in Aurion.As they return to the common area and Mask mulls over the information, a resistance messenger shows up and has a quiet word wth Brynn, bringing news that a resistance spy was robbed and killed on the way back from Aurion. He sent an important item back ahead of him, which they think is now at the depository in town, but without the man's identification and locker key they have no way to retreive it. Of course, these are exactly what Mask recovered when he found the man's body, so Brynn "suggests" that he go recover the item and take it to a nearby resistance safehouse.This is about the point where Steelblood arrives, thundering at the door. Pan bounces over to open it before Brynn can stop her, and the towering jotun demands the White Mask be turned over to him. Brynn tries to shoo him off, and it almost comes to blows before Mask reveals himself and tries to calm the situation. Knowing what the church is really looking for, he promises to help Steelblood recover the case in exchange for getting himself off the hook. Steel suggests an alternative to that part ("You learn to be very good at running"), but they seem to have come to something like an agreement for now.Assuming that the rest of the group are working with Mask, Steel orders him to round up his crew so they can be off to the depository. As they hesitate, Steeblood offhandedly muses that as part of the Inquisitors' army, he can leave town as he pleases, along with anybody in his care. Brynn, alternately, hisses that if they get the plans to the resistance, they'll surely be able to ask themfor help escaping the city.The group pauses briefly at the door, as the celebration bells sounding the new year ring out around the city and fireworks burst in the distance. Then they suddenly catch the sound of not a firework, but a bomb.As they try to rush out the door, it explodes inward, a battering ram landing squarely in Steel's gut. On its opposite end are four thugs wearing the insignia of the Black Horse, a local group of bounty hunters with whom Mask in particular has some familiarity. The party obviously refuses to hand themselves over, even for such an eloquent request.Mask falls back and draws his hidden swords, waiting for Steel to get out of his way, while Pan vaults over the jotun's shoulder, subduing two of the weaker hunters with a flurry of action-point-inspired violence. Acid is less kind, his fullblade dealing distinctly lethal damage as he flows through the blockade in the doorway like water.Yoshikazu enters the fray in a rather bemused fashion, grazing an enemy with a crossbow bolt and bestowing magic weapon on Mask and Steel. Two more Black Horses rush down from upstairs, attempting a pincer trap. As Brynn grabs Olive and takes cover, Mask charges along the bar and attacks the nearest newcomer, followed closely by Steel.Outside, the dogs rush around the corner, where Pan and Acid identify a tall, armoured man astride a horse as the group's reputed commander, Keiran Danava. Pan continues to subdue her enemies, but Acid cuts down one of the dogs on his way to the knight, and notes with some surprise the look of disgust that crosses Keiran's face in response. Acid uses his elemental powers to rush in and engage the knight, causing his true form to be revealed; Keiran's horse rears in surprise and throws him to the ground. The commander hesitates a moment before ordering the beast away, and in a moment of surprising insight, Acid realises that Keiran cares considerably more for the animals than for his men.The remaning thug flails toward Pan as the dogs worry her at heels. He has failed to score a single meaningful blow so far, but seems to be hoping nobody has noticed.Back inside, Steelblood's divine powers make short work of the first scout, who is deftly finished off by Yoshikazu's crossbow. The second puts up a little more fight, but Mask and Steel wear him down quickly, Mask giving him a chance to surrender and even recognising him by name as a local tough. The scout decides to do the stupid thing, however, and swings at Mask as he tries to disengage; Steel punishes him for this. He somehow lives through it, but is now in a cowering heap on the floor.Yoshikazu calmly notes that part of the ceiling has just collapsed a few feet away, meanders outside, and proceeds to nail the remaning thug with an acidic crossbow bolt, ruining what little competence the man had.Steel stomps to the door, booting the discarded battering ram out of his way, and thunders a demand for the hunters' group to stand down. Keiran grits his teeth and reluctantly refuses, sizing Steel up as a fellow soldier and declaring "you don't disobey orders" as he gets to his feet. Steel closes, delivering his divine challenge, and the commander responds in kind, smiting him with a mighty blow that Steel recognises as a power he himself shares. However, Yoshikazu's magic has already infused Steel with unnatural vigor, and the attack barely slows him down. As Acid presses on Keiran's flank, Steel delivers a blow so powerful it dislocates his own shoulder, driving the Black Horse to the ground.Keiran tries to rise, leaning on his sword, but sinks back to his knees and bitterly calls for his remaining ally to stand down. The thug shoots a few vicious slurs at the commander's prowess as he throws aside his weapons, despite his own utter lack of efficacy. Much to the commander's surprise, Steelblood turns his attention to the fatally wounded dog, using his powers to mend its wounds, while Acid sprints off after the horse.A crash from inside the bar leads Mask to rush back in, fearing the worst, but instead he finds that Brynn has defended Olive and polished off the scout's remaining hit point with a well-timed skillet. The group haul the scouts - or what remains of them - out of the bar just in time for the remainder of the roof to collapse, at which point it is hit directly by a fire-bomb from overhead. Suddenly reminded of the danger, the heroes look up and realise the sky is filled with wyvern and griffon riders, fighting savagely over the city. Now that their own battle is over, they hear the sounds of widespread panic in the streets. Pan skitters up the side of a nearby building to survey the damage, while Steel orders an awkwardly-stunned Keiran to find people and bring them to safety. Acid returns riding the commander's horse, and Keiran offers his sword in exchange for the creature, saying an animal should not be the spoils of war. Acid magnamoniously lets him keep both.After Brynn promises hse can get Olive to shelter in a local library "temple" that serves as a safehouse, Mask takes off in the direction of the despitory, eager to reach it before it catches fire - or worse. The group follow, but are much more concerned with helping the panicked citizens along the way. A man staggers out of a burning building with several small children, but is quickly healed (along with his son) by Steelblood and directed to the safehouse Brynn mentioned. Up on the rooftops, Pan spies a woman screaming for help as she prepares to jump from the window of a burning building. Leaping deftly to the ledge, the wu-kan grasps the woman's arms  - "trust me!" - and, using her tail as an anchor, swings the woman through the air toward the ground. It's quite terrifying, actually, but it all happens so quickly that the young lady barely has time to be afraid before Acid catches her at the bottom. Slightly dazed, she too hurries off to the safehouse.The White Mask, some distance ahead, is just able to catch sight of the depository tower when a sudden screams splits the air, echoed in a ripple around him until the entire crowd is in a mindless panic. A wave of terror washes over him as he stumbles through the crowd, though he manages to avoid being crushed by the mob. Moments later the rest of the characters feel it too, each of them struck numb with fear except for the stoic Steelblood. As the others panic, he spies a disturbing shadowy shape gliding over head, followed by a eerie shriek.Pan recovers after only the briefest of instants, her insatible racial curiosity overwhelming her fear, and acts quickly enough to snatch a small child who is knocked to the ground before he can be trampled by the crowd. Steelblood tries to calm the crowd, but the fear is stronger than most of them; still, a few are quieted by his words, and they try to help other civilians as the remaining party members shake off their fear and forge ahead.- - - - -That's as far as we got in the first session, since the first hour or so was taken up finishing off the character-building. I'm dreadfully glad they didn't kill Keiran/Kathor, since I'm rather taken with him. Olive thinks he's dreamy. I expect he will help them escape the city; if they don't try to use his diplomatic immunity to get out, he will at least show up during the gauntlet and try to help them escape. Better add some more mooks in his place.It will be awfully interesting to see what happens when the White Mask meets Rantle. I can't imagine they don't know each other.</blockquote>

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