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Message: <blockquote data-quote="darkbard" data-source="post: 9564043" data-attributes="member: 1282">As the hairs stand on the back of PRITCHARD’s neck, he recognizes the source of this new flight response: an undead creature nearby, within this very guardhouse!Poor news, that. Rather poor news, indeed.His mind races frantically. Slow down, he tells himself. He inhales slowly. Exhales. Any self-respecting diabolist worth his salt has at least a passing familiarity with the whys and wherefores of the restless dead. A sister discipline, after all, such trafficking. He recalls the many hours pouring over a rare copy of Taming a Boundless Hunger in that private collection in Waterdeep. Therein were so many different methods of exerting one’s will over the unliving. Surely he can recall a way to direct whatever lurks within towards feeding on those hot-blooded horses instead of him or Twyll![HR][/HR]Pritchard Spouts Lore to recall what he can of wraiths and their hunger for the living.SPOUT LOREWhen you consult your accumulated knowledge, roll +INT: on a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the topic at hand; on a 7-9, the GM will tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful; either way the GM might ask, “How do you know this?”r6,1 +2 INT = 9My hope here is to recall something that I can make useful in using the surroundings to direct the wraith at the horses via Infernal Insight.[HR][/HR]Pritchard knows he is no paragon of martial prowess. And his ability to drive off the undead is predicated on his wits, not mano-a-mano combat at the cold, dark entranceway to a ruined gatehouse.In this case, discretion–to a point–is the better part of valor. Towards the light–and away from whatever is about to manifest through the guardhouse wall–he dashes.[HR][/HR]Pritchard makes as quick a removal from the wraith’s grasp as possible.DEFY DANGERWhen danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll...... +DEX to employ speed, agility, or finesseOn a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).r4,5 +0 DEX = 9.I choose the former; Pritchard takes r4 HP damage. He is now at 9/17 HP.[HR][/HR]PRITCHARD makes his dash from the portico, but not before the Wraith, a shriveled figure of spite and malice, passes through the exterior wall of the guardhouse and swipes at him with its incorporeal claws. Its wicked talons pass right through the diabolist, but their touch is the iciness of the grave.Gasping with pain, he continues his flight towards the panicked cluster of horses and soldiers, away from the Wraith and heading directly for Miles beside the bramble thicket median. Pritchard knows the danger those thorns present; his own face and hands play testament. Perhaps he can spook the horse, causing it to rear and throw its rider to a painful and debilitating conclusion.He rushes the rider, greatcloak billowing about him, and emits a heinous groan, no imitation this time as he channels the pain of the Wraith’s touch into his wail.[HR][/HR]Pritchard is Defying Danger to close within range of the horse and rider to enact his plan to unseat Miles from the horse.DEFY DANGERWhen danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll…... +INT to apply expertise or enact a clever planOn a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).r5,2 +2 INT = 9[HR][/HR]Pritchard snaps back to his present senses. Neverember and Vell. Some kind of unholy alliance? He files that away for future contemplation.Now, however, he increases his flourishes with his greatcloak, producing batlike fluttering in a circle around him. In sepulchral tones, “I willlllll feeeeeed…”He registers the panic on Miles the cavalryman’s face, and the horse must sense his fear, too, for it rears and kicks out with its forelegs, an accompanying whinny piercing the dark.[HR][/HR]Pritchard is using the building dread of the scene–the heightened tension, the Wraith’s supernatural presence, and now especially his own depiction of the undead–to frighten both horse and rider out of action.INFERNAL INSIGHTWhen you wield your environment against your foe(s), choose 1 from the list below and roll +INT: on a 7-9, pick 1, but you pay the infernal price. On a 10+, pick 1.+ Impede or interrupt their actions+ Create an advantage that grants you or an ally +1 forward on the next roll to exploit it+ Deal damage appropriate to the source (b[2d4] for bruises/scrapes, b[2d6] for bloodshed, b[2d8] if it’d break bones, b[2d10] if it’d kill a common person)r6,5 +2 INT = 13! Finally, a return to unmitigated success! And just when we’re really beginning to need it.I choose to damage the Mintarn mercenary.[HR][/HR]Horse and rider almost tumble over into the bramble as Pritchard intended. Even better, the pair is truly spooked now and bolts under the breezeway and back along the cobbled street, disappearing into the night.[HR][/HR]As always TWYLL is hyper aware of her surroundings–she has had to be, how else would she have survived the treachery that eventually led her to join the Bregan D’aerthe? Hearing the panicky edge to the captain’s commands and seeing Pritchard dart forward, away from the guardhouse, she sees her chance to create an opening for herself. As “Jax,” his horse, and–most importantly–their light source hanging from the horse’s stanchion move under the breezeway, the drow allows herself to melt into the growing shadows left behind, being sure to let her dark cloak “float” in the still air (an illusion helped by her mechanical aid). Pritchard racing past her will only strengthen the effect of her “spectral” self’s disapparition. [HR][/HR]Twyll hopes to take advantage of Plinth thinking her an apparition to be able to disappear using Chameleon.CHAMELEONWhen you use your surroundings to avoid suspicion or trouble, roll +WIS: on a 10+, hold 2 Guile; on a 7-9, hold 1 Guile and the GM reveals an Unwelcome Truth that cannot be resolved by spending Guile. You may spend Guile, 1-for-1, to:+ Move about or maneuver unchallenged+ Withstand direct scrutiny or questioning+ Direct suspicion or attention elsewherer6,2+1 WIS = 9, hold 1 GuileTwyll will spend 1 Guile to Maneuver Unchallenged (away from the light and into the fulldark), and await the Unwelcome Truth that cannot be resolved by spending Guile.I am choosing the first option here: spend 1 Adventuring Gear (4 remaining) to summon something from my pack to stave off the … freeze.[HR][/HR]As Jax and the light continue to recede under the bridge, TWYLL reaches into her satchel and pulls out an old pair of woolen fingerless gloves, well-worn and much beloved. With her head scarf wrapped around to mask her face and her feet shod in warm and ancient leather boots, covering her hands should reduce the chill–that much she learned growing up in the inclement Underdark. Not a perfect solution for such bitter, bone-chilling cold, but it will do, particularly given their source, turning these simple gloves into a talisman that warms her heart, warding off the supernatural chill.Her eyes are easily able to see, even in this strange gloom, Pritchard’s antics designed to frighten off one of Plinth’s men. As he rushes between herself and the “Hammer” toward Miles, Twyll quietly steps forward into the preternatural darkness, using her pliant soles to make little noise against the cobblestones, closing the gap between herself and her intended victim.Stepping up behind him, the drow thrusts her short sword forward. Time to seal the deal. [HR][/HR]Twyll uses Defy Danger (Dex) to sneak close enough to Ambush Plinth,DEFY DANGERWhen danger looms, the stakes are high, and you do something chancy, check if another move applies. If not, roll...... +DEX to employ speed, agility, or finesseOn a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope; on a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).r3,5+2 DEX = 10Twyll then uses her close proximity to Plinth (which he didn’t see coming) to ambush him and attack him up closeAMBUSHWhen you attack someone up close and they don’t see it coming, deal your damage or roll +DEX: on a 10+, deal your damage and pick 2; on a 7-9, deal your damage and pick 1.+ Deal +1d4 damage+ Stop them from making noise/raising an alarm+ Slip away before they can react+ Create an opportunity; you or an ally takes +1 forward on the next move to act on itI choose to roll, rather than just deal damage: r4,3+2 DEX = 9: choose 1: Deal +1d4 damageDamage to Plinth: b[r1,3]+r3-3 Armor = 3 Damage</blockquote>

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