Oh, and just as another note, the players in battle were playing some of the NPCs around them as well... in each case, the player in battle had an accomplice they got to toy with, and it was a way to speed things up, and I think they enjoyed the chance to do things in battle their regular characters couldn’t do...
Especially Nayu’s player.
Now, I spent all night typing this. I hope you guys enjoy it.
Battle of Ii-suken, Part Three
Nayu didn’t blink this time as a series of explosions tore through the front rank of the enemy spearmen, and he didn’t wince as the thunderclap of successive fireballs rumbled through the valley. Instead, he continued to merely sit, the frightening smile on his face directed at the enemy soldiers. It was now
their turn to begin to back away slowly, despite the shouts and cajoling of their own officers.
This is... rather entertaining... Nayu thought to himself, as he raised his right hand in a motion to advance. The magic he’d been building in his hand crackled as he did so, tiny arcs of electricity rippling between his fingers as he heard the surviving officers of the units behind him bark orders, Yari Ai’s shouted encouragement, and the thundering drumbeat of thousands of feet falling into march.
Ah... another would be hero? Nayu asked as he saw a rider plunge through the reeling front ranks of the enemy, once again with a lance tipped towards Nayu’s throat. The next lightning bolt from Nayu’s fingers literally made the man’s head boil away from his body, as both he and his electrocuted horse tumbled to the ground in a heap.
“Surrender!” Nayu shouted at the top of his lungs... he didn’t know any magic that would have changed his voice, however he was fairly sure the recent displays of power did far more to cause fright than the deepest baritone. “Your spellcasters are dead! If you do not surrender, you are
all doomed!” To add to his point, he unleashed another blast of magic, causing yet another fireball to rip a massive hole in the midst of another enemy regiment.
“Master Wakabayashi!” Nayu heard the rapid gallop of a horse stop next to him, and turned to see Sunyi, the young man’s face red with excitement, his horse panting from a long fast gallop. “Shang Wa-Feng is coming! He’s bringing cavalry with him!”
“Good, Sunyi. Now, go to your people and keep them in line.”
“Ah.. so the spellcaster has become a commander?” Sunyi gave a grin as he turned his horse around, “I would tremble if...”
The quip died in his throat, as an arrow robbed him of his breath and life. For a second, Nayu watched, stunned, as Sunyi slumped off his mount, blood gushing in a small fountain from his punctured neck. It was only when he heard a loud
zip and felt the sleeves on his robes rustle that he realized he was under attack too, and spun around.
Coming through the mass of frightened enemy spearmen were four riders, their horses clad in armor of polished, fine steel, their forms clad in armor bossed in silver. From the helms of each came the great red and gold plumes of the highest of generals. The last of them was just putting away his great bow, before presenting his massive spear forward, preparing to charge.
“You robed fool!” one of them shouted at Nayu, “Let us see how you fight without your magical tricks! Only a coward resorts to magic on the field of...”
An enormous thunderclap broke over the battlefield, as a powerful arc of lightning sent the speaker sprawling on the ground. His comrades only gave their fallen friend a glance, before setting their spears and charging towards Nayu.
Ok... they’re a little braver than the others... Nayu thought, drawing on his magic as they charged. He could feel the pulses of energy running up his arm, but then he frowned. No lightning crackled between his fingers, no tiny bead of white, nascent to the
fireball spell formed within his hand. Instead, the magic ebbed quietly, no longer a tempestuous storm but a placid sea...
Oh no... Nayu looked at his hands in utter shock for a few moments, before he let loose a series of sharp curses and wheeled his horse around. Nayu the Powerful had suddenly become Nayu the Toothless, his reservoir of magic depleted.
“Come back here you coward!” the three pursuers shouted, as Nayu noticed his own spear ranks beginning to stop and recoil at seeing their powerful
de facto leader running away from three enemy commanders. He could hear the curses and shouts of Yari Ai and the other remaining officers for the men to keep in line. Yet Nayu was no fool.
One pass by any of those men and I’ll be left in pieces!! he thought as he whipped his horse to the left as the three riders closed. Now he could hear the sharp snorts of their horses, when he turned their spears were only a few feet behind.
Where’s Dian?!
Nayu whipped his horse back to the right, cutting in front of the rows of friendly spears, hoping one of the other commanders was a few seconds too slow in turning his steed and instead impaling himself on the outstretched blades.
No such luck.
He heard a thundering shout, a rumbling roar coming from the enemy spearmen, and above the thunder of his own horse’s hooves, he could hear the steady, powerful rumble of an army marching forward...
Dammit!! he snarled, spurring his horse faster, putting a few extra feet between himself and the riders, his eyes constantly looking behind him, as the three deadly spearpoints drew closer and retreated, their wielders shouting for him to stand and fight.
If only I could find a place to ride behind our spearmen...
...but if there’s a hole wide enough for me, its wide enough for them too!
I could turn and fight... but three men in armor versus me with a mere mace?
Dammit!
Maybe if I ride enough, I can wear out their horses... mine has no armor, theirs are weighed down by hundreds of pounds of armor...
...but their horses are bigger and stronger than mine...
I’ve got to do something... the enemy soldiers are getting encouraged by these three fools!
In desperation, he stretched out his hand and launched four tiny pulses of light directly at the three horses. The magic was pitifully weak compared to the power one of his lightning bolts or fiery explosions produced, but the sorcerer’s choices were drawing thin (yes, he shot
magic missiles at the horses). It was a desperate ploy to buy time, till he could find something better...
The missiles, as expected, did not kill the horses... they were far too weak. However, the horses did panic at the sudden flash of light and sharp pain, and skidded to a halt, rearing and neighing their anger and fright. As the three riders desperately yanked on their reins, muscling their steeds back down, Nayu galloped further away, and for the first time in a while, he allowed himself to look forward.
And reined his horse to a stop.
Even atop his mount, Nayu could feel the ground tremble, shaking, rumbling, thundering. His own horse reared at the sight, and as Nayu fought to keep control, what he saw remained etched into his memory for many years...
Stretching almost as far as the eye could see were horses and riders, their blades reflecting a wall of light in the afternoon light, their warcries ripping the air, the clouds of dust in their wake blocking all view. In front of the horde snapped the banners of Shang Wa-Feng, and below them came Dian himself, his black charger foaming, his spear above his head in a frightening pell-mell charge.
Nayu’s horse, frightened by the sight as much as any foot soldier, spun itself around, allowing the sorcerer a collective, panoramic view of the fearful, wide-eyed reactions of the enemy army. Not more than a few seconds later, Wa-Feng Dian swept by at a full gallop, his hybrid form bristling in anger, his spear pointed at the three stunned generals between the two armies.
For a second, the three started to lower their spears to receive Dian’s reckless charge, until their eyes caught sight of the spellcaster they had been chasing. The young man’s hand was aloft, and between his fingers seemed to arc violent blue lightning...
One of the generals’ eyes went wider than the others, and as Dian bore down, began to clutch and claw at his breastplate. The man’s eyes went wider and wider, till he began to spit up blood. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his lifeless form tumbled to the ground.
The remaining two commanders stared wide eyed at Dian’s oncoming form, then at Nayu’s hand, and before the elder Wa-Feng could close, they dropped their spears and raised their hands in surrender.
As the Wa-Feng battleline gave a collective roar and surged forward, Nayu grinned and lowered his hand.
Three generals? Bah! Nothing that an angry Dian and a little prestidigitation can’t fix!
The crash of steel on steel screeched in Felonca’s ears, as she stretched out both of her warfans, and brought each crashing down on the unprotected slot between the breasplate and helm of an armored rider. The roar seemed to echo in her ears, as the rest of her unit crashed headlong into the back of the heavy cavalry. However, the noise and the blades itself didn’t do the greatest damage. It was merely a bloody nose, a punch to get Hu Lian’s attention.
Felonca’s warfans went up again almost as soon as she’d dispatched the two initial riders. “Into the woods! Into the woods!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, waving her fan towards the woods. Her men wore little armor, so in a long fight, they were at a disadvantage... but their horses were quicker because of it, and quickly disengaged and thundered into following her orders.
Her horse galloped along quickly, and she heard the thunder of other animals following behind. On the edge of the forest, she wheeled her horse around, and the animal reared. Surging by went her own cavalry. Behind them, she saw the mass of the enemy cavalry was coming as well... the woman in battle armor in the midst, her sword pointed at the wood.
Good... something’s gone right today, Felonca snarled as she spun her horse into the darkness.
Bloodied Lian’s nose... and she’s following the bait...
Instantly, the once quiet forest became a sea of chaos. As she galloped into its depths, she saw out of the corner of her eye two men from Ojin’s unit behind two trees, one of five such traps spread about the entrance to the woods.. She never saw the rope strung between them, but she heard the panicked scream of a horse (as well as their own shouts a they were flung about) as they drew it tight and tripped the steed of one of Hu Lian’s men. That thundering collapse was quickly followed by another, as the horsemen behind the fallen horse and rider tried to dodge the obstacle in the confines of the forest. Some did, and some didn’t, their own horses tripping, starting a chain reaction.
“Now! Into them!” Felonca screamed, spinning her horse around and charging towards the chaos. In the darkness of the forest, she heard a thundering rumbling cry of of her family name, and soon the chaos became earnest, as Yongli’s spearmen dropped their spears, drew swords, and charged into the wood behind Hu Lian’s cavalry.
Felonca didn’t have time to think this time as her horse plunged her into the midst of the chaotic scene. Her mind saw only blurs. If the blue was light colored, it was one of her men in the light leather that made their uniform. If the color was dark, it was the darker steel of Hu Lian’s troops, and her warfans lashed out towards the target.
Within minutes, the leather armor she was wearing became a rusty red, covered with blood as she slashed her way into the midst of the enemy, before she felt a sudden, violent jarring and her horse reared. The animal began to careen towards the side, and Felonca was forced to leap clear, landing on her feet as her trusted steed collapse to the ground, a spear embedded deep in its chest.
She spun around, and caught sight of her horse’s slayer, who was spurring his own horse forward while drawing his blade. She tensed herself, her warfans out, as the rider thundered towards her, his sword held high, shouting a warcry. Just as his blade started to come down, she leaped upwards, her body contorting away from the blade as her right warfan slashed in a vicious arc. His warcry changed to a scream as his swordarm tumbled to the ground, he himself falling off his horse in shock.
Felonca had no time to think about the deed, instead ducking down at the sound of a horse behind her. Then it happened.
Something big and heavy hit her in the back, and sent her sprawling forward, knocking the wind out of her. For a second, she saw blackness... she knew she was alive though, as she could hear the hooves of the horse that had been carrying her attack pass by only inches from her head. She then felt hands grabbing her shoulders. Quickly, she twisted aside, whatever ache that would’ve been in her back long faded due to the adrenaline pumping in her blood.
“Calm, Felonca!” she heard a familiar voice call, and she spun herself around, only barely managing to stop her warfan, inches before it would have sliced Liu Ganxi’s head from his neck.
“Calm,” he repeated, even as the ironic screams of men and horses echoed in the woods. Slowly, she lowered her warfans, confusion across her face.
“Wha...why?”
“My healing tent was set in these woods... the woods were away from teh fighting,” he said quietly, before adding, “then the fighting came to us, I suppose... And you aren’t paying attention again... just like you never paid attention when I tried to explai...”
He stopped his lecture when Felonca threw one of her warfans just past his ear. Liu stared at her wide-eyed, until he heard the thump of the dead cavalryman behind him. He turned, looked at her, looked at the body, and wordlessly worked his mouth as she pulled her warfan from the neck of the body.
“Liu... you can lecture me later!” she said, gesturing around, as another horse and rider crashes to the ground nearby, this time clad in the leather armor of one of her own.
I shouldn’t have to say there’s a battle... its quite obvious!
“I... was...” Liu looked at the sword still clasped tightly in the dead man’s hand as Felonca charged towards the loudest noise of yells. She didn’t need to turn around to see that he was eventually going to follow...
...a few seconds later she wished he’d followed immediately.
From the midst of the chaos around the original rope traps, she saw a singularly frightening figure. Her armor glistened with gold in the broken sunlight that filtered into the forest’s depths. Her helm was crowned by the embossed image of a great hawk, its eyes made from rubies, seemingly staring straight into Felonca’s heart. Blood red barding covered her horse’s snout, as her eyes settled on Felonca. The noise of the battle around Felonca seemed to quiet, as she heard the
shing of Hu Lian’ drawing her blade.
“Wa-Feng scoundrel! Betrayer of my brother!” Lian snarled, her horse pawing the forest floor. She put her spurs into the horse’s flanks, and it quickly broke into a canter. “Face me like the shriveled husk of a man that you are, scum!”
She thinks I’m Uncle Dian... part of Felonca’s mind realized whimsically, the same part of her mind that wanted to laugh maniacally because it now saw death and didn’t know what to do about it.
Fortunately, Felonca’s military training also kicked in.
Rider coming towards me, full charge.
Jump. Warfan Slash to arm, the mind decided cryptically, as the rogue tensed her body, coiling up her muscles to strike.
Hu Lian gave a shout, and soon the horse and rider were charging down Felonca at a full gallop, Lian’s sword raised high over her head, the giltwork on the blade flashing in the intermittent sunlight. Felonca crouched, and as Lian thundered close, the rouge leapt into the air...
...and Felonca cursed.
She realized at the last moment her upward leap had been a split second too late, as the silver sword slashed downwards, and she felt sharp blow on her right shoulder.
I’m hurt... the hengeyokai realized rather belatedly as her flight turned an uncontrolled fall. She landed on the wounded shoulder, and she
heard, not just felt, a sickening crunch. Blazing, burning pain shot through her arm, up her shoulder and down her right side.
Dammit! she swore, as she heard the hoof beats halt, and the whinnies of a horse being spun around. She heard Liu’s voice give a shout.
He must be attacking her...
Must get up...
...Come on, Felonca! she shouted at herself,
You survived burning mold in your lungs! You can survive this! GET UP! On sheer willpower and adrenaline, she put all the strength she could into her left arm, and slowly stumbled to her feet. A quick glance to her right revealed her shoulder split open by a massive sword cut, and her arm hanging at an odd angle.
Its broken... she thought, her heart pumping, her mind pushing the pain aside, trying to focus on her left side, trying to keep it active. She turned, facing the rider again, just as Liu missed a flying kick and fell ignominously to the ground. Her attacker indisposed, Hu Lian spun her charger around, and once again thundered towards Felonca.
Time it better this time, Wa-Feng! she heard Master Hsiu’s voice in her head.
Focus... that is what you need... she heard Quan-Shi’s voice moments later.
Lian thundered in, sword raised for yet another strike. Felonca leapt upwards, this time blocking the sword strike with her left warfan. As the hengeyokai landed neatly on the ground, Lian reined up her horse, and began to swing wildly.
Immediately Felonca knew she was in trouble. AS she blocked with her left warfan, she realized a moment too late that her training mind was trying to get her right arm to participate in the movements... an arm that for all intensive purposes, was now useless to her. It was a moment later when the first sword slash ripped across Felonca’s chest, and the hengeyokai stumbled backwards. A second later, the silver blade slammed into Felonca’s stomach, and the rogue felt herself double over as Lian ripped the blade out.
Felonca felt the world starting to turn black again, the sounds around her growing distant, as if coming to her through an immense tunnel. This time, she realized no friendly druid was nearby to heal her, or bring her back from the brink.
Fight Felonca! she shouted to herself, as she distantly heard Liu scream again, shortly followed by dull thumps of fists and feet slamming into armor, and the whoosh of a sword lashing the air.
Fight it, Felonca! Stay up! Stay up! She felt wetness on her lips... blood trickling from her mouth.
She’s distracted, Felonca! Now! Get her now!
Her bleary eyes looked up, and saw Hu Lian had spun her horse around, putting her back to the beaten rogue. Now her slashes and attacks were focused on Liu, who thankfully was artfully dodging the blows.
Felonca felt her left leg shuffle forward, and grunted. The pain that laced her body was dull, distant, all of her being focused on one thing... moving forward to attack Hu Lian. She took another step... then another. Grudgingly, her legs moved faster, pushing her from a trudge to a jog... then a run.
Something in Hu Lian’s warrior sense tingled... Felonca saw the woman turn, her eyes wide that her adversary that should have been dead was instead running at her. She yanked hard on her reins, tugging, pulling at her horse to turn.
But it was too late.
Felonca’s weary form was too tired and broken to leap upwards and properly attack the Princess, but she wasn’t too tired to focus her attention on something well within her reach. Her left warfan whistled in the air as she made her tired body spin, throwing all of the power she could muster in her short frame into slicing into Hu Lian’s leg, tightly clamped to the side of her steed.
The warfan was well maintained... Felonca had constantly watched its sharpness, making sure its edge was good and keen. Because of this, the fan sliced through Hu Lian’s thigh as a knife cuts through butter, slashing tendons, ripping muscle, and cracking bone. The blow was so strong that once it had severed the Princess’ leg, the warfan continued onward, slashing a deep cut into the side of her horse.
The Princess let out a scream of agony, and her horse reared in panic. Without her right leg to clamp tightly to the horse, Princess Hu Lian was thrown backwards, and landed on her head with a deadly thump, her metal armor clattering as it hit the ground.
Felonca’s worn frame stood, waving ever so slightly in dizziness from loss of blood as Hu Lian’s horse galloped off.
Finish her off... her military mind told her worn frame, and her body grudgingly responded, pain beginning to shoot through all her limbs. The rogue started to stumble forward towards Hu Lian’s still form, before the adrenaline finally wore off.
Must keep going... she grunted, as the corners of her vision grew dark. She felt her legs start to give, and she crumpled forward. The ground rushed to meet her, as darkness beckoned. She landed with a dull thud, and now the pain spread to her face... the darkness seemed to grow in her mind... dark, quiet, peaceful...
Even as her conscious mind screamed to avoid it, she felt her broken body reaching out towards the peacefulness...
She felt a hand touching her shoulder, and then the darkness took her...
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In both these cases, combat was basically reduced down to just the PC, the NPC present, and the baddie(ies). The other peons were, for the sake of time, etc., assumed to be fighting other peons.
Nayu's player was really clever. I'd informed him that after he'd called for Felonca's Uncle to come in, taht he could see him far off. The player took it upon himself to run around and play distraction until Dian showed up... then the
intimidate happened.
In Felonca's case, she faced one baddy, but had a string of bad luck as Liu couldn't fight worth crap (missed every attack). Felonca got battered quick and often, as Hu Lian had failed a spot check to recognize this wasn't General Dian, but some other panther hengeyokai... yet the rogue still managed a vicious sneak attack at almost max damage, despite suffer -2 hp per round from massive bleeding, etc... Hu Lian failed her ride check, and then took enough damage when she fell to the ground that she was knocked unconscious. As for Felonca's fate... we shall see
Uncle Dian's charge also became the subject of a photoshop, which can be seen
here. Nayu's player had a ton of fun using Dian's
intimidate to scare the living bejesus out of the three generals that Nayu himself couldn't polish off due to lack of spells. And if any of you have read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you'll figure out rather quickly which character Dian is based off of.
As for Felonca's dramatic charge into teh woods, two photoshops came about. The
first picture also happens to be my first attempt at photoshoping anything... its supposed to be a hybrid Felonca on horseback. Oh well. I was learning.
The
second picture was made by Felonca's player, who logs in here as dra n fly. It shows Hu Lian's arrival, just before she spots Felonca and the deadly duel begins. I do have to say, its quite a bit better than my rendition.
Next update will hopefully come Thursday... I'm headed home this weekend, so if its not up by Thursday, it'll be up Sunday night or Monday...
?
) some pics of both Felonca (in human form) and Nayu.
