Dark Alchemy – Burning Skeletons
What the hell happened Thanda thought to herself, I bet it was Rufina who set off the explosion, she’s a useless Apprentice at times, even if she can boil a perfect egg. She thought back to the explosion in the Factory, it was only minutes ago and she tried to piece together the events leading up to it, bugger that. The past was the past and wouldn’t affect the future. She looked round at the crew of attentive faces gazing back at her.
There were no questions in their looks, they had the utmost confidence in her abilities to deal with anything that was thrown at them. Besides, they were the A team. Aneka, Akira and Atsuko, they could take on most things without the help of one of the most famous Wizards in the known world.
Thanda the Grim looked grimly back at them, she was renowned for her Grim Gaze, it could turn the strongest of opponents into a quivering lump of jelly and into a solid lump of stone on a really grumpy day, and she had quite a few grumpy days.
She was armed with her renowned staff “Retribution”, carved with sigils of power in the black times before the known world, it had twinned with Thanda countless ages ago, recognising another powerful entity and together they were invincible.
Well, that’s the story Thanda spread and paid Bards to sing in the taverns throughout the land. It saved a lot of unfortunate incidents if other Wizards moved aside without testing the tale to its fullest extent. Her long dead Sensei had instilled in her that Power was given to those who took it and a Legend helped create that Power. Of course you needed to show the Power once in a while and she could, whenever there wasn’t an easer way to gain her way.
They were in a long, ruined compound with no conception where the rest of her Household were, she knew there was no point in waiting for them to come to her, she would have to find them.
Come on then, what are you waiting for, lets go.
Her warriors smiled grimly, (it must be contagious) and moved forwards.
Akira the Thief, Atsuko the Fighter and Aneka the Hunter quickly moved forwards to provide a covering screen for Thanda, who quietly cast a Fleet Foot spell on herself so that she could keep up with her young band. There was a momentary fizzle of negative energy as the spell cast failed, Damn she thought, that explosion has disturbed my force more than I expected, or maybe it’s just the rheumatism playing up again.
The compound appeared empty at first but then there was a strong smell of sulphur and burning and rotting flesh as 4 skeletons emerged from points around the compound.
Then 2 of them disappeared.
Before turning up in the correct place.
A slight misinterpretation of the scenario led to the confusion.
If you read my previous AAR you'll realize that I decided for consistency to continue with the futuristic Frostgrave theme, of course laziness can't be ruled out.
Thanda has now cast a Spell of Fleet Foot on herself and almost caught up with Atsuko. She’s sent Akira right and Aneka left to search the blue barrels that might contain valuables.
Atsuko has moved forward and is facing two of the Burning Skeletons
Aneka has arrived at the barrel but before she can check for treasure another Burning Skeleton appears from the Dunnie.
With a wailing screaming sound it charges straight at her.
I expect if you were on fire it would be quite appropriate to wail and scream a little.
Aneka is an all round warrior, she trained from an early age with a hand drawn crossbow. It doesn’t have the range of the windlass xbow but is faster to load and just as accurate at closer ranges. She’s not as proficient with her one handed short sword as she is with the crossbow but in close quarters, dirty fighting she’s deadly. She uses the small buckler offensively, punched into an opponents face, as well as defensively, to deflect the wickedest strike and is as good a warrior as you’ll find around here and believe me there are some good ones.
The Skeleton falls before her blade and smoulders away quietly.
Just a picturesque picture of a burning skellie.
Aneka spills the treasure from the barrel.
1st treasure taken.
Akira has no opposition and discovers treasure easily.
2nd Treasure taken.
Thanda casts a shield spell over Atsuko just before she plunges into the fight with the skellie, then Thanda casts a Scatter Shot spell, hitting 4 skellies but only causing damage to one of them, it dies but unfortunately it’s not the one that Atsuko is going to fight.
Atsuko faces two skellies but she is not in the slightest bit concerned…. she is Atsuko, young, lithe and a fearsome Pit Fighter in her native land. She wears her mop of red dyed hair like a badge so that all can recognise her and quiver with fear.
Her one handed, double edged cutting sword “Swift-Fire” is crafted from the finest Turianian steel by the semi mythical smith “Duran” and with it in her right hand and “Punch” in her left she was never beaten in the Pit Fights. “Punch” is an armoured Gauntlet cum dagger, ground to a razor sharpness, it can be used as a small shield or buckler as well as “Punched” into an opponents unprotected places.
She fights in a low, crouched, ambidextrous, two handed style sometimes known as The Scorpion, in which she is able to use the spikes in the toes of her armoured boots as a surprise sting.
She wears plate armour over her torso, thighs and shins, but most onlookers are convinced this bronzed armour is just to complement her red hair, for no one has seen an enemy blade come close to her body let alone strike the armour.
Besides that, she has Thanda close behind, what is there to worry about?
Atsuko attacks the Skellie and kills it, 16 + fight 4 will do that almost every time.
Prior to this photo, two skellies had charged at Thanda and Atsuko and been defeated with ease. Good dice rolls for my lot and poor ones for the Skellies.
Akira in the distance has just arrived at another blue barrel but not searched it yet, as a Skellie moves close to her.
Aneka has also reached her second barrel but a Skellie is hot on her heels.
Thanda casts a leap spell on the Skellie closest to Aneka and puts it up on a black metal container, where it howls in frustration.
Which leaves Aneka free to collect her 2nd treasure.
3rd Treasure taken.
With her second action Thanda casts an Elemental Ball and blows the Skellie to little bits of bone fragments, allowing Akira to collect her second treasure as well.
4th Treasure taken. They just have to exit the area to our left.
A new Skellie arrives and wishes he hadn’t as Thanda casts another Elemental Bolt and it joins its mate as a pile of smouldering bones.
The band move forward having collected all 4 treasures, Thanda in the middle surrounded by the A team, they look and feel supremely confident in their ability to reach the other side of the compound.
One final Skellie rushes in and tries to get to grips but contemptuously Thanda levitates him away onto a container top and the band leave the stage.
That was a completely different game to the first and pretty much down to the dice rolls, 12v8, 18v5, 16v7, 16v3, 17v11, 20v11, 20v10 all in favour of my guys.
After this I was feeling pretty confident that the 3rd and last game would be a breeze, instead it turned into a Hurricane.
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April 18, 2024, 10:58:59 PM
April 07, 2016, 04:53:21 PM
