Flintlock & Tomahawk: Endgame

[Rookseye]

Sykes stops backpedaling toward the tunnel mouth for a moment, a look of consternation comingling with the very real fear upon his features. He raises the musket to his shoulder and waits for Abcott and Speid to draw near before speaking in a hoarse shout, trying to be heard above the recurring din.

"What manner of earthly calamity sounds from beyond that door? I tell you this; whatever foul, thunderous millstone that uses that yellow witchfire for its grist is something that can only be beyond our ken. I fear the infernal work of the devil-Frenchman awaits us within..."

 

[Old Fezziwig]

[sblock]I think it's just down to the three of us. WgX hasn't posted in this thread for a while. Anyhow, apologies for the delay. I went on vacation, and then I was waiting. What for, I don't know, but I was. So, here we go again, and I'll try to finish this game up.[/sblock]The humming and pulsing get louder and louder until they again culminate in one loud thump. Small rocks fall from the ceiling and the ground shakes. Unlike the first time, however, this time, the yellow light does not subside. You can hear a strangled scream come from the other side of the door, and the ground trembles again. There is momentary stillness, and then the doors blow off their hinges in a huge burst of flame.[sblock]Please make Reflex saves.[/sblock]

 

[Committed Hero]

Abcott reflex (1d20+6=18)

Abcott grits his teeth, squinting out from behind his outstretched hand at the now useless door.

 

[Rookseye]

[sblock] Reflex Save = 12 [/sblock]

Sykes turns his head away from the door, covering his eyes to avert them from the flames.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Sykes:

Spoiler

Take 5 fire damage.

Abcott:

Spoiler

Take 2 fire damage.

Everyone: The fires recede, revealing a tall, thin man in the dark clothes of a minister. To either side of him, you can see two tall Indians, the strange sigils glowing yellow in their foreheads. An acrid smoke wafts into the room, as if a large fire had been just recently been put out. The thin man smiles. "So." He pauses and licks his lips, his tongue, long, thick, and slimy, almost a parody of a human tongue. He looks over the group. "Speid, I know. And I presume that you must be Abcott. You look so much like your daughter. I'm not sure I care who you are. You all are, after all, just a trifle too late."

With that, the man starts to shake, and his skin slowly turns grey and scaly. His hair starts to grow, then falls out subtly, and his entire body starts to bloat and ooze, bursting out of his vestments until he resembles a strange, messy replica of a human, as if crafted out of a lump of clay by a child. He starts to slobber, gibber, and howl as he leaps towards the three of you.[sblock]Sanity checks, please. Take 1d6 San damage if you pass, 2d6 if you fail. And Initiative, too, with two rounds of actions.[/sblock]

 

[Committed Hero]

Abcott sanity (1d100=35)

Abcott sanity loss (1d6=2, 1d6=3)

Abcott initiative (1d20+1=11)

"You'll not get your befouled hands on her again," Abcott will yell before shooting once and clubbing the abomination with his musket.

 

[Rookseye]

[sblock]

Sanity Check = 24, Success

Sanity Loss = 4

Initiative Check = 11
[/sblock]

As the agonizing blisters begin to burn in earnest on Sykes' face and hands, he struggles to make sense of the abhorrent scene transpiring before him as the man transforms.

Something in the militiaman's mind seems to buckle and nearly break while he watches, making him hesitate for a moment. Perhaps through some fundamental disconnect with the impossible thing before him, or perhaps from exposure to too many terrors over the last several days, a strange thing happens:

Sykes, irrationally, can only focus on the man's dismissive tone toward him.

He becomes furious beyond anything he has ever felt before, frothing at the mouth, and he bellows as if speaking to a condescending nobleman rather than a slouching blasphemy.

"YOU! You SIR! You will know my name before all is said and done! I promise you that!"

[sblock] Sykes hurls his hatchet at the head of the Indian on the left, and then backs away a step from the 'minister' before firing his musket into the abomination's bulk.

Hatchet Throw = 29 (Critical Hit!)
Hatchet Damage = 16

Musket Shot = 26
Musket Damage = 6

Wow, the dice seem as pissed off as Sykes... [/sblock]

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Initiative
Cale, Zombies 15
Sykes 11a
Abcott 11b
Speid 8

Round 1
The formerly human creature springs forward towards Speid, tackling the Scotsman, who falls to the ground instantly, foaming at the mouth and ears and convulsing, his claymore clattering against the stone. [Sanity checks: Witnessing a friend's death 0/1d3] The two undead Indians rush the two of you, swiping at you with their mangled hands. You can each feel them ripping at your chests. [Sykes: 9 damage, Abcott: 7 damage]

Yelling at Cale, Sykes throws his hatchet, which sinks into his bloated neck. [7 damage; immune to criticals] He pulls himself up off Speid and smirks at the militiaman. Meanwhile, Abcott fires at him, but his musket jams.

Round 2
Cale pulls himself off of Speid and starts to shake and jabber, frothing at the mouth. His eyes have gone completely black. He advances on Abcott, howling in an unholy tongue, "Ahaskf jn aJKL. Ahaskf jn aJKL." Simultaneously, the two zombies reach towards the two of you, their arms open, attempting to latch on, but the two of you are able to keep them from grabbing. Sykes fires again, hitting the beast's shoulder. It grunts and grabs its shoudler, black fluid spilling everywhere. Abcott kicks the man back and away from him before clubbing it upside the head with his musket. [6 damage]

Conditions
Abcott 26/35 hp
Sykes 24/38 hp
Cale moderately wounded

Spoiler

36/49 hp

Zombie 1 unwounded
Zombie 2 unwounded

 

[Rookseye]

[sblock] Sanity Check = 6, Success, no loss
If Cale moves away from Speid's body, Sykes attempts to avoid attacks of opportunity against him while rushing toward the Scotsman's corpse (He is willing to take one, and only one from the zombies if no way is clear. Otherwise, see the next option). If possible, he retrieves the fallen claymore and a pistol (if one is loaded) dropping his musket to the ground.

If neither are accessible, he moves as far away from the zombies as possible while reloading his musket, while keeping line of sight to the thing that was Cale.[/sblock]

Sykes growls like an animal, considering his next act.

[sblock] KL, the hatchet was directed toward a zombie, but feel free to keep the result if it is a hit on Cale. I'd lose my critical hit either way, so it works just as well as it stands. [/sblock]

 

[Committed Hero]

[sblock]Abcott sanity check fails

Loss of 2 - that's 7 for the encounter...

If there is a torch within easy reach (move action) I will get it, otherwise, club sandwich!
[/sblock]