Being in agreement, the three young men move toward the pig carcass. There is currently one ant pinching off a bit a of food, one about a stride away carrying a piece of food away, and one about 2 strides away moving toward it. No other ant are currently in sight.
Marqus motions that he will move to cut off the path of the ant moving away. He readies his carving axes, but holds then sideways, evidently going to use the flat to bludgeon.
OOC:
State intended action and provide a roll for reaction and a roll for the action. All characters receive 1 DP.
Posting on behalf of Hiroshi, who is occupied at the moment. I asked him his intentions, I am merely repeating them here.
Hiroshi will approach the remaining ant, and try to kick it over on its back, to expose its underside. He will then stab the exposed underside with his javelin, which he is gripping with both hands.
Despite their seeming focus on the carcass, the ants are rather chemoreceptive to their environment and react instantly to the approach of a threat. Each ant diverts from its task to attack its warm-blooded opponent.
Marqus changes his mind and decides that he will, like Hiroshi, kick at the ant, hoping to turn it over and heat it simultaneously.
No physical assault is effective. Hiroshi manages to knock his ant away, though it instantly rights itself. Wrenn and Marqus are unhurt by the pinchers, but each man has an ant attached to him, poised to sting.
The true auspiciousness of a player character resides in the innate talent to manipulate waylines. Something not given to many people and even fewer creatures. After such mystical assault. Hiroshi, outright, kills his ant. Marqus incapacitates his. Only Wrenn still remains engaged and must defend against the coming sting.
OOC:
Each character receives 2 DP. State next intentions, whether combat related or not.
Wrenn will switch tactics, sensing he is about to get stung; he knows the bite will probably come first, so he will attempt to leech the life force of the ant, thereby healing his wound and at the same time, incapacitating the ant.
Seeing that his friend needs help, Hiroshi will try to distract the ant, by striking it with his javelin. He knows that the javelin will likely prove ineffective, but he hopes that if the ant's attention is split between two opponents, it will prove advantageous for Wrenn.
94 (+94) = 188. LOL. He just might stab the thing after all.
Marqus pauses, feeling a bit useless, having no real way to help his new friend, Wrenn.
The ant reacts at the same time as Hiroshi, pulsing its pincher and lifting its abdomen for the sting to follow. As the pincher sinks through Wrenn's boot, Hiroshi slaps at the ant with his javelin, not wanting to risk poking his friend should the blade miss or deflect. The well placed blow severs the abdomen from the thorax, killing the ant. Wrenn then frees the head from his shin and drops it, being more irritated than hurt.
Hiroshi smiles at his friend, telling him it was no big deal, as he begins collecting mandibles and other parts of the ants that look useful. He will then attempt to determine any proclivities they might have.
Marqus picks up his dead ant. "We need to move away from this line. Other ants are sure to follow."
Heeding the wisdom in the words and not really interested in taking on any more ants at the moment, the three questers head downstream a little further and make camp.
"I think I will keep these pinchers and this stinger as souvenirs, but we could probably bring these ant bodies back to Maeli for that leather protection stuff she makes, Shellac if I remember correctly." He breaks off the bristled legs and throws them aside, separating the head, thorax, and abdomen, so that the parts will better dry and puts them in a cloth satchel.
During the extended break, Hiroshi is unable to sense anything special about the ant parts and decides to do a little fishing, instead. Wrenn and Marqus both determine and explain to Hiroshi that the pinchers, when carried, enhance an aspect of the essence of life. The stinger, when held during the manipulation of chemical waylines with regard to toxicity, will enhance the effectiveness.
GM:
Collections:
ant bodies: 3, ingredient for shellac
ant pinchers: 3, (Cohesion +1)
ant stingers: 3, {toxicity x 2}
Due to the benefit of recruiting a new player and the agreement of the current players, the characters in this story have been relocated to accommodate a better inception for the character of the new player.
Far from the actively known hub of civilization toward the northwest corner of The Untamed Wilds, are several tribal communities that have forged an existence along the Windy Coast, on the face of the Dragon's Wing and in the Towering Pines below the Bakka'taerm Desert. All formed by tribes...
